CSR practices in luxury hotels of China: Perception, cultural and generation differences
This study investigates how corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices are perceived in Chinese luxury hotels, focusing on cultural influences, generational cohorts, and organisational roles. Grounded in Hofstede’s national cultural dimensions, self-determination theory (SDT), and the Confucian concept of self-cultivation, the research addresses a gap in understanding how cultural values and intergenerational differences shape staff CSR perceptions in the luxury hospitality context. Adopting a pragmatic research philosophy, an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, 37 semi-structured interviews with hotel staff (including senior managers, middle managers, and line employees) revealed key themes by the use of narrative interpretation: (a) deep-rooted cultural norms (collectivism, harmony, respect for hierarchy) that reinforce CSR as a collective obligation led by top management, (b) generational value differences in CSR engagement, and (c) variations in perceived CSR benefits across job positions. Building on these insights, the quantitative phase surveyed staff across luxury hotels in China (N = 533). Structural equation modelling results confirmed and extended the qualitative patterns. For example, 72% of managers affirmed that CSR initiatives strengthened brand reputation, whereas only 48% of line staff shared this view, reflecting positional gaps in perceived strategic value. Generational contrasts were also evident: nearly two-thirds of Millennial and Gen Z staff reported strong personal commitment to CSR activities, compared to about half of older staff. Statistical analysis using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) confirmed significant employee-level differences in perceptions of CSR practices within luxury hotels in China. Notably, perceived CSR was particularly pronounced among senior-level staff, reflecting hierarchical variations in CSR prioritisation and implementation. This research has provided a pioneering examination of CSR practices in China’s luxury hotel sector, demonstrating how cultural context and generational dynamics jointly shape staff perceptions of CSR. The study involved a nuanced synthesis of qualitative depth and quantitative rigour, yielding empirical evidence to describe similarities and differences between the perceptions and generations. These differences, rooted in China’s cultural heritage and the evolving values of its workforce, have significant implications for both theory and practice. The findings extend the CSR literature by confirming that why and how staff engage with CSR is contingent on a confluence of individual values, leadership influence, and socio-cultural background, aligning with global evidence of CSR’s positive impact while also highlighting unique intra-cultural variations. Theoretically, this thesis extends CSR and organisational behaviour literature by integrating Western motivational theories with Chinese cultural frameworks, demonstrating how national culture and generational identity jointly shape CSR perceptions and engagement. Methodologically, the study validates the efficacy of a pragmatic, sequential mixed-methods approach, effectively capturing the nuanced, multi-dimensional CSR perceptions within a complex cultural setting. Practically, the findings offer actionable insights for human resource management (HRM), recommending differentiated CSR strategies and communication tailored to generational characteristics and cultural values, thus enhancing CSR integration, employee motivation, and organisational alignment. Consequently, the main contributions of this thesis are: providing empirical evidence on how cultural and generational factors together influence perceptions of CSR in China’s luxury hospitality sector; demonstrating the effectiveness of a mixed-method approach to exploring complex cultural and organisational phenomena; and offering practical, culturally informed guidelines for improving CSR engagement among diverse staff groups in luxury hotels of China, highlighting the potential impact of staff perception on corporate ethical behaviour. This study discusses its limitations, provides recommendations, and explores potential opportunities for future research.
luxury hotel, corporate social responsibility, staff perceptions, generational differences, national culture
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