Corporate Social Responsibility and Water Consumption and Management Issue: Responsiveness of Hoteliers in Aqaba Special Economic Zone, Jordan

• Main Author: Al Mahasneh, Mohammad Fadel Salman
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: HD28-70 Management. Industrial Management
• Online Access: http://etd.uum.edu.my/2518/1/Mohammad_Fadel_Salman_Al_Mahasneh.pdf; http://etd.uum.edu.my/2518/2/1.Mohammad_Fadel_Salman_Al_Mahasneh.pdf; http://etd.uum.edu.my/2518/; http://lintas.uum.edu.my:8080/elmu/index.jsp?module=webopac-l&action=fullDisplayRetriever.jsp&szMaterialNo=0000761711

This study attempts to address the issue of water consumption and management from the perspective of tourism business' responsibility. Guided by the theories of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the study looks at the responsiveness of hoteliers in Aqaba Economic Zone. Specific objectives include: 1) to determine the current status of tourism and hospitality industry in ASEZA, and the current state of water production and consumption in ASEZA using secondary information; and 2) to understand hoteliers' responsiveness though their a) awareness and attitudes towards water consumption and management issues related to the hospitality industry; b)existing practices (internal drives and initiatives) in water management and consumption and c) perspectives on external drivers for water consumption and management using empirical data. To get the information, hoteliers of all 35 hotels of various ratings were approached and interviewed using an open ended survey instrument. The analysis revealed that as tourism become more and more important in Jordan, so does the growth of hotel and apartments to cater for tourists' accommodation. This strengthens the assumption that there is an increasing need for more water resources and water treatment capabilities to cater for the growth. However, analysis also revealed that published data on water needs by tourism in Jordan does not show this because it excludes water usage by other tourism attributes such as toilets in places of attractions, restaurants and rest houses. Instead, those attributes are considered as commercial and residential consumers of water due to technical reasons. Thus, water demand and usage of tourism appears relatively small when in fact, it should be much more significant. Nonetheless, in light of the positive tourism growth, and the low water availability in Jordan. the country should be more realistic in its water usage estimation and prepare an economic strategy to encounter the water shortage in the future, one of which is through CSR. The second part of the study's analysis showed that there was responsiveness toward the rationing of water consumption by hotels managers, since they recognize the issue to be critical and consider water rationing to be as a beneficial part of hotel management. The context in which these hoteliers operate (the dry climate which necessitate control of water use, the establishment of Aqaba Water Company to guide and push them in the right direction. the obvious benefits of water rationing on their operation costs and the general awareness about the links and relationships between their business and the water situation in Jordan) play a big role is molding this responsiveness. The theoretical implications of business responsiveness to water consumption and management issues are that attributes such as 1) business' survival instinct; 2) internal policy and employee support; 3) moral support from governmental and nongovernmental agencies; and 4) business profile are instrumental in enhancing positive responsiveness towards environmental issue, at least in the context of ASEZA. Other theoretical drivers that are relevant (in various degrees) in the context of water consumption and management issue in ASEZA hotel industry are top management commitment, cost minimization, and customer demand (as hotels with foreign clients are more aware of the issue). The issue of "mimicry" of a model agency's norms and actions as suggested by Gladwin's Institutional Model can be applied to the study context because hoteliers emulate Aqaba Water Companies norms and values when dealing with water management issue. Managerial implications of this study are also discussed.