Comparative Perspectives on CSR 2.0 in the Contexts of Galicia and North of Portugal

Introduction

Tourism both in Spain and in Portugal is an essential pillar for the economy (Alvarez, Vila, Fraiz, & Río, 2013; Lopes, 2010). According to statistical data from the governments of both countries, there was a decline in the tourism sector during the period of the economic crisis (2007-2015) but presently (2016) increasing. It is also important to note that social responsibility has evolved and gained force over the past years. In general, companies do not treat CSR as a mere philanthropic subject or an isolated activity. It is gradually positioning itself as an important strategy within organizations as well as part of the day-to-day management of companies. Due to the latter reasons, the most representative companies in the tourism sectors, hotels, have been selected to develop this investigation and at the same time add homogeneity to be able to make comparisons between different countries. Three, four and five star hotels were studied in order to gain access to sufficient information related to this subject area. Two regions belonging to two different countries and belonging to different institutional contexts were selected in order to make the comparison.

The main objectives of this research are to compare the social responsible behavior depending on the location of the companies in two different countries (Spain and Portugal) and to find out which institutional pressures have greater influence when it comes to implementing CSR practices in the organizations under study. The development of this research aims to provide answers to the following questions:

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  Is there an uneven performance in the implementation of CSR practices carried out by companies according to the place where they are located?

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  Is there an institutional pressure that influences more than others depending on the geographical area?

This chapter is divided into seven sections. In the first section the literature review with reference to CSR in the institutional theory framework and sustainable tourism can be found. It is then followed by the main focus of the chapter with issues, controversies and problems. In the third section, the recommendations and solutions are put forward followed by future research directions. The conclusions are then presented followed by bibliographical references and the key terms and definitions.