CSR reporting among Zimbabwe's hotel groups: a content analysis

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature and adequacy of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting among Zimbabwe's hotel groups.

Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis was used to examine websites, annual reports and mission statements of Zimbabwe's hotel groups.

Findings – Zimbabwe's hotel groups gave primacy to financial performance rather than social and environmental themes in their CSR reporting. In comparative terms, the hotel groups lag behind some of their developed world's counterparts in CSR reporting.

Research limitations/implications – Future studies may examine the actual CSR practices adopted by Zimbabwe's tourism and hospitality sector. Research efforts should also be directed towards producing a framework to guide the effective design of CSR dedicated pages on corporate websites.

Practical implications – The research findings suggest that CSR initiatives and reporting are still a peripheral issue among Zimbabwe's hotel groups. A need for legal compulsion and third party verification to enhance the hotel groups' CSR reporting was identified. Further, the crafting of CSR policies and their institutionalization are complementary moves that should be adopted by the hotel groups.

Originality/value – This is perhaps one of the first papers exploring CSR reporting in the Zimbabwean hospitality context in particular, and the developing world in general. It is hoped that this paper stimulates further research involving the CSR practices and reporting of the entire tourism and hospitality supply chain in the developing world context.