An Investigative Study for Corporate Social Responsibility Practices and Sustainability in The Tourism Supply Chains in Egypt

Abouhashish, Nourhan

Abstract

Sustainable supply chain management ‘SSCM’ has emerged as an important standard for companies to achieve better profit, market share and competitiveness. With sustainability, companies are increasingly taking steps towards better environmental, social, and economic impacts. Seeking to improve or adapt sustainability measures within supply chains, companies need to act more responsibly to society and protect the interests of stakeholders. However, supply chain sustainability has been given less attention in developing countries compared to developed countries. There is scarcity in the existing research on the topic of the tourism supply chain ‘TSC’, and the development techniques compared to other industries. The TSC in the Arab world and the Middle East, where the tourism industry is supposed to be the major contributor to the local economy, is under pressure to be more sustainable, although, its understanding and practical implication is still in the primary phases. Furthermore, as corporate social responsibility ‘CSR’ is now directed to a more sustainable approach and helps sustainable development, the researcher thought it would support this study to achieve its aims and objectives.
The aim of this study is to participate in understanding the sustainability of tourism supply chain management ‘TSCM’ in Egypt, and to gain more insight into how TSC actors can integrate CSR practice, aiming to enhance sustainability of the TSC in Egypt. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate and analyse CSR and sustainability practices, drivers and barriers of different actors in the Egyptian TSC, including the hotel sector, tour operators, governmental bodies and air transport sector as main stakeholders in TSC, in order to reach a deep understanding of the phenomenon. For the purpose of exploration, an inductive qualitative research approach and semi-structured interviews method were adopted.
Based on preliminary findings, the study shows that sustainability practices in tourism are still in their initial phase, and there is lack of proper understanding of CSR and sustainability. This study identified major barriers for CSR and sustainability implementation most of which are common, but not limited to the absence of awareness, regulations and governmental support, commitment, coordination and financial resources. This research contributes to the continuous research on sustainability and intends to provide policy makers, tourism stakeholders, researchers, and companies managers in TSC with a practical guide for implementing sustainability.

Citation

Abouhashish, N. (2022). An Investigative Study for Corporate Social Responsibility Practices and Sustainability in The Tourism Supply Chains in Egypt. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4912571

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Nov 12, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 2, 2025
• Keywords: Management
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4912571
• Additional Information: Business School; University of Hull
• Award Date: Nov 1, 2022