- Email: [email protected]
Destination Unknown: The Emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility for the Sustainable Development of Tourism
Tourism Management 31 (2010) 691–697
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Tourism Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tourman
Book reviews Destination Unknown: The Emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility for the Sustainable Development of Tourism, C.M. Tepelus. Lund University, Sweden (2008). ISBN: 978-9188902-44-3.
Reviewing a book which is, in fact, a doctoral dissertation is especially difficult and challenging, because it involves pronouncing on research which has already been positively assessed by a panel of experts. And even more so in this particular case, because the dissertation has been annexed with six papers, previously published by the author in peer review journals and by prestigious publishers. Therefore, there are no question marks about its rigour and the relevance of its contributions. Having said that, there is no doubt that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is one of the hottest topics today, both in academia and in boards of directors. It is much under discussion all around the world. This is part of the value of this book, which arrives at a very opportune moment in this discussion, particularly in the case of tourism, where this debate is taking place later than in other industries. And also because this concept has traditionally been associated with firms, whereas in tourism CSR has to be extended to destinations, as proposed in this book. This topic translates into the specific question: How do we become a responsible company, or at least become considered one? Academics, practitioners and politicians are devoting a lot of efforts to defining the profile of this complex characteristic, but this is not finished yet. There are different perspectives, and sufficient consensus has not yet been reached. This is why the contribution of this book is valuable, for its qualitative and inductive methodology, its international focus, and its extension to tourism destinations and their agents. Might a tourism destination be accredited as a responsible one? This is what is coming, although it is still unknown, as suggested in the title. So, what requirements should a tourist destination have to be considered responsible and to be entitled to claim to be responsible, for example, in its publicity? What is the process (in a descriptive or prescriptive way) for getting there? The action-research method used, with its dynamic character, is appropriate for addressing this challenge. The terminological jungle around the concept under study is, in fact, very messy. Ecotourism, sustainable tourism, “fair trade” tourism, . and now responsible tourism. This is confusing for the agents involved, no doubt about that, but what seems clear is that the next wave (and tourism is no exception) is CSR. Therefore, agents in this industry have to be prepared to take competitive advantage of the various initiatives for building responsible tourism firms and destinations, as a differential factor in global competition. On this point, the efforts made by Tepelus for a better understanding of this phenomenon should be highly appreciated, particularly because they are rightly focused on theory building. At this still very early stage of the scientific understanding of CSR in tourism, this kind of contribution is of special value: it is extremely useful for moving
forward from mere descriptive research (usually of good practices) into explanatory studies shedding light on the real causes and effects of CSR. But putting aside the jungle of terminology referred to, I would say that the key message is that tourism has to be run under new principles: transparency, care for the environment, alleviation of poverty, respect for cultural differences and diversity, and involvement of local communities at the highest possible level (fostering a bottom-up communication, support and acceptance), inter alia. In other words, the industry must find a certain balance and degree of satisfaction among the interests of the different stakeholders. A tourism industry based on multiple stakeholders, resisting the pressure to satisfy just one single, albeit important, group of stakeholders (the companies' shareholders), needs to seek a balance in the satisfaction of the many different groups (both internal and external) that affect and are affected by tourism initiatives: this is the new mindset and culture. Of course this balance is challenging and difficult to achieve; each group lobbies in favor of its own interests, which are often in conflict. But this is the only way to be sustainable (economically, socially, and environmentally) in the medium and long run. It is no longer an option: more and more people embrace responsible organizations and, in tourism, destinations as well. Furthermore, showing such responsibility helps companies and destinations to grow, and raises the bar for their competitors. In spite of its many facets, it could be argued that the current crisis has been caused by a generalized lack of attention to this necessary multi-stakeholder approach and to certain values in many economic entities. Tepelus stresses the contribution of the CSR paradigm in tackling the social issues raised by globalisation: child labour, sex exploitation, . abuse of human rights in general. In this respect, one very large question is whether the implementation of responsible practices should be voluntary or must be enforced by governments. It is clear that this is debatable, and there are two well-differentiated positions: in favor and against the voluntary character of such measures. For the moment, those defending the voluntary approach, self-regulation, are winning, but only the future will tell. There are signs in some countries that governments are taking an active role in pushing forward, and are rewarding responsible actions. Returning to the scientific field, the study of CSR in general, and of CSR in tourism in particular, needs to be reinforced much more, in my opinion, with contributions from different theoretical frameworks with a demonstrated capacity for explaining this still-recent phenomenon. It seems broadly recognized that there is a lack of general knowledge, and this is a gap that has to be bridged. For instance: - Stakeholder theory deserves more emphasis in explaining how the balance called for between the interests of all the stakeholders can actually be achieved. - Institutional theory is another valuable framework for understanding why more and more organizations are embracing, albeit at very different levels of intensity, the CSR paradigm without having a detailed and comprehensive understanding
692
Book reviews / Tourism Management 31 (2010) 691–697
of it. Isomorphism is a progressive fact, in policies and practices, firstly in respect of the environmental issues and then with regard to the social issues. The consideration of the normative (norms dictated by business associations or organizations such us UNWTO), coercive (laws and their enforcement) and mimetic mechanisms (following what leaders or successful players do) offered by this theory are recommended for acquiring a better insight of this phenomenon, testing the extent to which the homogeneity companies are proposed to be undergoing is in fact occurring. - CSR can be also considered a capability to be developed, and which can give a company or destination competitive advantages (differentiation). Thus CSR could be studied under the resources-based view of the firm paradigm and the approach of firms' dynamic capabilities. - Strategic leadership, as a resource, could be another relevant focus, given the key role of the leaders at the top of the hierarchy in understanding the strategic dimension of CSR and making real its philosophy through specific practices and measures (indicators). In this focus, the upper echelon theory could be an interesting complementary approach to discover why different organizations implement CSR with varying degrees of intensity and success. Finally, a few words are appropriate about the application of the concept of responsible tourism to destinations. One of the defining features of a tourist destination is the heterogeneity of the agents involved, both public and private. Hence, destination management
is a truly complex endeavor: the complexity of managing diversity. For this reason, the promotion and implementation of CSR in all organizations of this kind needs to have a common direction chosen by all the agents and shared by them. In achieving this conviction, the research agenda should address a number of challenges, such as: - Integration of the various theoretical frameworks already mentioned (and perhaps others) in order to provide a much deeper insight about the causes and effects of CSR. - Agreement about CSR practices and their measurement, as well as on reporting and accreditation (the longly and still expected ISO 26000 standard could help). This complexity is further increased by differences in cultural values and perspectives in different areas of the globe. This is why intergovernmental organizations such as the UNWTO have such an important role to play. The challenge is served, and this book written by C.M. Tepelus is a good step forward, which deserves to be taken into account by everyone working in this area. Many papers are still needed and are still to come. Alfonso Vargas-Sánchez Department of Management and Marketing, University of Huelva, Spain E-mail address: [email protected]
doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2009.06.001
Tourism and hospitality marketing – A global perspective, Simon Husdon. Sage, Los Angeles (2008). 467 pages, 27.99 £
Considering the breadth of knowledge in tourism marketing nowadays, it is increasingly difficult to cover this topic in one single book. Simon Hudson has produced here a book that does cover the multiple aspects of tourism marketing and it compares well to the other books dedicated to tourism marketing on the market. Simon Hudson's competence in tourism marketing needs no introduction and his knowledge and experience of tourism gives a solid background to the book. The structure of each chapter is innovative and will provide readers with an efficient teaching tool. Each chapter has an opening vignette, that is to say a real-life example designed to draw students into the chapter. Then each topic addressed is highlighted throughout the chapter with snapshots: small case studies illustrating specific points. At the end of each chapter can be found a longer case study which details, over several pages, a specific situation followed by the summary of the information provided in the chapter. Finally, questions are provided for readers to test their knowledge and their understanding of the chapter. A list of topic-related websites is also proposed to deepen one's knowledge. Simon Hudson has provided a nice touch by highlighting in clearly defined boxes definitions of key terms throughout the chapters. The book is structured in 13 chapters, which detail the traditional multi-dimensional dimensions of tourism marketing. The first chapter provides a detailed overview of the global tourism environment and places the actions of tourism marketing within global developments. This chapter sets the scene clearly: what is
tourism, what is the role of marketing in its developments and what are the key players. The whole development of tourism is then replaced within the microeconomic and macroeconomic forces at stake. Case studies and snapshots include: Disney new development in Hong Kong, the holy land experience theme park in Orlando and the problematic question of tourism development in Myanmar. The second chapter looks at consumer behaviour and decomposes the different steps of the decision process, looking briefly at internal processes at stake and focussing rather on external influential forces (social class, culture, etc.) and tools, such as typologies, that can bring a clearer understanding of consumers' markets. The chapter finishes with a brief look at new trends and influential factors that will shape tourism demand in the future. Snapshots and case studies include an examination of the older backpackers' phenomenon, travellers' philanthropy and educational tourism. The third chapter looks at the various steps of marketing plans' design. The chapter has a strong focus on the concepts of positioning and product definition. Snapshots include targeting the overweight population (Freedom paradise's resorts), wine tourism in Australia, the future potential of the Chinese travelling market and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts' positioning strategy. The case study at the end of the chapter presents in detail the difficulties encountered in launching a new airline called Roots Air, analysing where the strategy went wrong. The traditional chapter on marketing research provides a quick overview of traditional market research. Condensing the vast and varied dimensions of market research into a single chapter will necessarily leave readers frustrated. Few applied examples illustrate the chapter, but the case study on finding
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Tourism Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tourman
Book reviews Destination Unknown: The Emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility for the Sustainable Development of Tourism, C.M. Tepelus. Lund University, Sweden (2008). ISBN: 978-9188902-44-3.
Reviewing a book which is, in fact, a doctoral dissertation is especially difficult and challenging, because it involves pronouncing on research which has already been positively assessed by a panel of experts. And even more so in this particular case, because the dissertation has been annexed with six papers, previously published by the author in peer review journals and by prestigious publishers. Therefore, there are no question marks about its rigour and the relevance of its contributions. Having said that, there is no doubt that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is one of the hottest topics today, both in academia and in boards of directors. It is much under discussion all around the world. This is part of the value of this book, which arrives at a very opportune moment in this discussion, particularly in the case of tourism, where this debate is taking place later than in other industries. And also because this concept has traditionally been associated with firms, whereas in tourism CSR has to be extended to destinations, as proposed in this book. This topic translates into the specific question: How do we become a responsible company, or at least become considered one? Academics, practitioners and politicians are devoting a lot of efforts to defining the profile of this complex characteristic, but this is not finished yet. There are different perspectives, and sufficient consensus has not yet been reached. This is why the contribution of this book is valuable, for its qualitative and inductive methodology, its international focus, and its extension to tourism destinations and their agents. Might a tourism destination be accredited as a responsible one? This is what is coming, although it is still unknown, as suggested in the title. So, what requirements should a tourist destination have to be considered responsible and to be entitled to claim to be responsible, for example, in its publicity? What is the process (in a descriptive or prescriptive way) for getting there? The action-research method used, with its dynamic character, is appropriate for addressing this challenge. The terminological jungle around the concept under study is, in fact, very messy. Ecotourism, sustainable tourism, “fair trade” tourism, . and now responsible tourism. This is confusing for the agents involved, no doubt about that, but what seems clear is that the next wave (and tourism is no exception) is CSR. Therefore, agents in this industry have to be prepared to take competitive advantage of the various initiatives for building responsible tourism firms and destinations, as a differential factor in global competition. On this point, the efforts made by Tepelus for a better understanding of this phenomenon should be highly appreciated, particularly because they are rightly focused on theory building. At this still very early stage of the scientific understanding of CSR in tourism, this kind of contribution is of special value: it is extremely useful for moving
forward from mere descriptive research (usually of good practices) into explanatory studies shedding light on the real causes and effects of CSR. But putting aside the jungle of terminology referred to, I would say that the key message is that tourism has to be run under new principles: transparency, care for the environment, alleviation of poverty, respect for cultural differences and diversity, and involvement of local communities at the highest possible level (fostering a bottom-up communication, support and acceptance), inter alia. In other words, the industry must find a certain balance and degree of satisfaction among the interests of the different stakeholders. A tourism industry based on multiple stakeholders, resisting the pressure to satisfy just one single, albeit important, group of stakeholders (the companies' shareholders), needs to seek a balance in the satisfaction of the many different groups (both internal and external) that affect and are affected by tourism initiatives: this is the new mindset and culture. Of course this balance is challenging and difficult to achieve; each group lobbies in favor of its own interests, which are often in conflict. But this is the only way to be sustainable (economically, socially, and environmentally) in the medium and long run. It is no longer an option: more and more people embrace responsible organizations and, in tourism, destinations as well. Furthermore, showing such responsibility helps companies and destinations to grow, and raises the bar for their competitors. In spite of its many facets, it could be argued that the current crisis has been caused by a generalized lack of attention to this necessary multi-stakeholder approach and to certain values in many economic entities. Tepelus stresses the contribution of the CSR paradigm in tackling the social issues raised by globalisation: child labour, sex exploitation, . abuse of human rights in general. In this respect, one very large question is whether the implementation of responsible practices should be voluntary or must be enforced by governments. It is clear that this is debatable, and there are two well-differentiated positions: in favor and against the voluntary character of such measures. For the moment, those defending the voluntary approach, self-regulation, are winning, but only the future will tell. There are signs in some countries that governments are taking an active role in pushing forward, and are rewarding responsible actions. Returning to the scientific field, the study of CSR in general, and of CSR in tourism in particular, needs to be reinforced much more, in my opinion, with contributions from different theoretical frameworks with a demonstrated capacity for explaining this still-recent phenomenon. It seems broadly recognized that there is a lack of general knowledge, and this is a gap that has to be bridged. For instance: - Stakeholder theory deserves more emphasis in explaining how the balance called for between the interests of all the stakeholders can actually be achieved. - Institutional theory is another valuable framework for understanding why more and more organizations are embracing, albeit at very different levels of intensity, the CSR paradigm without having a detailed and comprehensive understanding
692
Book reviews / Tourism Management 31 (2010) 691–697
of it. Isomorphism is a progressive fact, in policies and practices, firstly in respect of the environmental issues and then with regard to the social issues. The consideration of the normative (norms dictated by business associations or organizations such us UNWTO), coercive (laws and their enforcement) and mimetic mechanisms (following what leaders or successful players do) offered by this theory are recommended for acquiring a better insight of this phenomenon, testing the extent to which the homogeneity companies are proposed to be undergoing is in fact occurring. - CSR can be also considered a capability to be developed, and which can give a company or destination competitive advantages (differentiation). Thus CSR could be studied under the resources-based view of the firm paradigm and the approach of firms' dynamic capabilities. - Strategic leadership, as a resource, could be another relevant focus, given the key role of the leaders at the top of the hierarchy in understanding the strategic dimension of CSR and making real its philosophy through specific practices and measures (indicators). In this focus, the upper echelon theory could be an interesting complementary approach to discover why different organizations implement CSR with varying degrees of intensity and success. Finally, a few words are appropriate about the application of the concept of responsible tourism to destinations. One of the defining features of a tourist destination is the heterogeneity of the agents involved, both public and private. Hence, destination management
is a truly complex endeavor: the complexity of managing diversity. For this reason, the promotion and implementation of CSR in all organizations of this kind needs to have a common direction chosen by all the agents and shared by them. In achieving this conviction, the research agenda should address a number of challenges, such as: - Integration of the various theoretical frameworks already mentioned (and perhaps others) in order to provide a much deeper insight about the causes and effects of CSR. - Agreement about CSR practices and their measurement, as well as on reporting and accreditation (the longly and still expected ISO 26000 standard could help). This complexity is further increased by differences in cultural values and perspectives in different areas of the globe. This is why intergovernmental organizations such as the UNWTO have such an important role to play. The challenge is served, and this book written by C.M. Tepelus is a good step forward, which deserves to be taken into account by everyone working in this area. Many papers are still needed and are still to come. Alfonso Vargas-Sánchez Department of Management and Marketing, University of Huelva, Spain E-mail address: [email protected]
doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2009.06.001
Tourism and hospitality marketing – A global perspective, Simon Husdon. Sage, Los Angeles (2008). 467 pages, 27.99 £
Considering the breadth of knowledge in tourism marketing nowadays, it is increasingly difficult to cover this topic in one single book. Simon Hudson has produced here a book that does cover the multiple aspects of tourism marketing and it compares well to the other books dedicated to tourism marketing on the market. Simon Hudson's competence in tourism marketing needs no introduction and his knowledge and experience of tourism gives a solid background to the book. The structure of each chapter is innovative and will provide readers with an efficient teaching tool. Each chapter has an opening vignette, that is to say a real-life example designed to draw students into the chapter. Then each topic addressed is highlighted throughout the chapter with snapshots: small case studies illustrating specific points. At the end of each chapter can be found a longer case study which details, over several pages, a specific situation followed by the summary of the information provided in the chapter. Finally, questions are provided for readers to test their knowledge and their understanding of the chapter. A list of topic-related websites is also proposed to deepen one's knowledge. Simon Hudson has provided a nice touch by highlighting in clearly defined boxes definitions of key terms throughout the chapters. The book is structured in 13 chapters, which detail the traditional multi-dimensional dimensions of tourism marketing. The first chapter provides a detailed overview of the global tourism environment and places the actions of tourism marketing within global developments. This chapter sets the scene clearly: what is
tourism, what is the role of marketing in its developments and what are the key players. The whole development of tourism is then replaced within the microeconomic and macroeconomic forces at stake. Case studies and snapshots include: Disney new development in Hong Kong, the holy land experience theme park in Orlando and the problematic question of tourism development in Myanmar. The second chapter looks at consumer behaviour and decomposes the different steps of the decision process, looking briefly at internal processes at stake and focussing rather on external influential forces (social class, culture, etc.) and tools, such as typologies, that can bring a clearer understanding of consumers' markets. The chapter finishes with a brief look at new trends and influential factors that will shape tourism demand in the future. Snapshots and case studies include an examination of the older backpackers' phenomenon, travellers' philanthropy and educational tourism. The third chapter looks at the various steps of marketing plans' design. The chapter has a strong focus on the concepts of positioning and product definition. Snapshots include targeting the overweight population (Freedom paradise's resorts), wine tourism in Australia, the future potential of the Chinese travelling market and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts' positioning strategy. The case study at the end of the chapter presents in detail the difficulties encountered in launching a new airline called Roots Air, analysing where the strategy went wrong. The traditional chapter on marketing research provides a quick overview of traditional market research. Condensing the vast and varied dimensions of market research into a single chapter will necessarily leave readers frustrated. Few applied examples illustrate the chapter, but the case study on finding