Tourism employees' interpretation of the business social responsibility concept in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract

In developing countries, tourism businesses develop and implement business social responsibility (BSR) programmes. However, their implementation is usually unsuccessful because BSR's success depends on employees' understanding and knowledge. A total of 307 tourism businesses were selected through a stratified sampling method. Purposive sampling assisted to identify employees, of which 452 were surveyed. Government tourism departments were identified as the key informants. Data was captured through the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) and analysed using a stakeholder framework. The majority of respondents agreed that BSR is all about moral issues and managers are ultimately responsible for its implementation. Tourism businesses' length of operation, size and the government's involvement were all found to affect BSR interpretation and implementation. Governments should support and encourage long-term business operation and expansion towards enhanced sustainability.