Stakeholder Engagement IN The Hospitality Industry: An Analysis Of Communication In Smes And Large Hotels

Abstract

This research presents an evaluation model for the communication of stakeholder engagement (SE) process, a relevant aspect able to enhance firms’ social legitimacy and reputation. Stakeholder involvement is a main component in the corporate social responsibility activities of companies. Drawing on academic literature, international standards and guidelines on SE, a scoring model was created, with the aim to verify companies’ attention to the SE communication process. To test the scoring model, a thematic content analysis was conducted on international hotel companies’ sustainability reports that were published in 2017 in adherence to the Global Reporting Initiative, as well as on their websites. The results show a greater use of sustainability reports for the communication of the SE. The study confirms that large companies are more attention to SE. Hotels inform their stakeholders, but are not ready for their involvement. The research offers a contribution to improve the management of relations with stakeholders and their involvement in the value co-creation. The study highlights the areas that can be strengthened to improve the SE activities and their communication.