What is the relationship between sustainability, corporate social responsibility and quality of life applications at work?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to look at the current and future role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to see how it could be used more effectively by hospitality companies. The article examines the “Food with Integrity” initiative of Chipotle Mexican Grills Inc. and similar approaches being implemented by Club Med resorts and the LIFT program, composed of multiple grants aimed at empowering underserved youth interested in aviation, at Alaska Airlines to illustrate the importance of both large- and small-scale strategies in achieving quality of life (QoL).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper opens with a review of the historical, current and future context of CSR and its application in hospitality industry settings. Additionally, three case study examples are used to portray the evolving role of CSR in hospitality companies.

Findings

The findings of this paper show that CSR initiatives in hospitality settings must advance in order to embrace the concept of social justice for all employees and other company stakeholders. This is a challenging objective to set but it would enable CSR initiatives and QoL outcomes to improve.

Originality/value

It is the first time that the three features case studies (Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., Club Med and Alaska Airlines) are considered together, analyzed and compared in order to demonstrate the different aspects of effective CSR in hospitality settings.

Citation

Haarpaintner, É. (2022), "What is the relationship between sustainability, corporate social responsibility and quality of life applications at work?", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 236-246. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-02-2022-0020