CHƯƠNG 1. OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1. Reason for the thesis research 1. Urgency in practice Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation is increasingly becoming an important strategic element in the business operations of enterprises.
CSR not only helps enterprises meet ethical and social standards but also acts as an effective "shield", helping to minimize opposition or criticism from stakeholders (Golob and Podnar, 2021). In recent years, in Vietnam, the implementation of CSR has made important strides, especially in the awareness and actions of large enterprises. Recognizing the important role of CSR in enhancing brand reputation and satisfying the requirements of the international market, many enterprises have proactively built meaningful social and environmental programs (Do Khac Ton, 2020). Furthermore, due to the limitations of scale, it is necessary to apply CSR policies in the hotel industry in the most effective and economical way under the conditions of limited resources like in Vietnam.
In addition, studying this issue also contributes to clarifying the relationship between social activities and sustainable development of enterprises, helping enterprises to adjust their activities to better meet the needs and expectations of society and to suit the characteristics of the market and the industry. Urgency in academic research Regarding the importance of CSR for businesses, researchers often use the Theory of Sustainable Development (TBL) to explain that business operations should not only focus on profits but also need to ensure a balance between three factors: economic benefits, environmental benefits, and social benefits (Lee et al., 2020; May et al. According to Porter and Kramer's Theory of Competitive Advantage (1985), since its formation, BE competitive advantage has been an important organizational asset strategy, creating a differentiation advantage, affecting current and future business performance (Ishaq and Di Maria, 2020; Rojas-Lamorena et al. 2 According to the Resource-Based View (RBV) Theory of Wernerfelt (1984), CSR can be considered as a valuable resource, which is scarce, difficult to imitate and creates competitive advantage, while BE is a competitive advantage that shows the difference with other businesses, from which businesses can use CSR to strengthen BE (Tan et al., 2022; Zhao et al.
The relationship between CSR and Brand Equity (BE) is both directly and indirectly moderated by internal and external factors of the business (Araujo et al., 2023; Huang, 2023; Pereira and Araujo, 2022)), the business environment, including competition and changes in customer regulations, exerts pressure to adjust CSR and BE strategies (Saurage-Altenloh, 2022; Torres et al. Research is needed to demonstrate the relationship between corporate social responsibility and corporate governance and the intermediary and regulatory mechanisms between this relationship in each specific industry and region, helping to better understand the specific context in which businesses operate and to make highly strategic strategies and decisions in business and management. Research gap The first research gap that the author points out is that when studying the relationship between CSR and BE, it is necessary to clearly identify specific stakeholders, instead of applying a general analytical framework to all stakeholders. The second research gap that the author pointed out is that when studying the impact of CSR on BE, it is necessary to consider the intermediary role of Customers.
The third research gap is that the analysis of the relationship between CSR and BE often does not fully consider the mediating role of psychological and behavioral factors of customers, especially Customer Trust and Customer commitment. The fourth research gap is the need to analyze and clarify the moderating role of Customer Participation in this relationship. General objectives Research on the relationship between corporate social responsibility and corporate governance in enterprises in the hotel industry, demonstrated through the exploration of the relationship between corporate social responsibility, corporate governance and corporate governance on corporate social responsibility, testing the moderating role of corporate governance in the impact of corporate social responsibility on corporate social responsibility in enterprises in the hotel industry in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). From the results obtained, the study proposes some managerial implications to enhance corporate social responsibility to build corporate social responsibility of enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC.
Specific objectives To achieve the general objective, the author has pointed out the following specific objectives: (1) Identify the relationship and measure the impact of CSR on BE at enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC. (2) Identify the relationship and measure the impact of CSR on BE indirectly through Customer Trust and Customer commitment at enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC. (3) Identify the relationship and measure the moderating role of Customer Participation on the impact of CSR on Customer Trust, Customer commitment and BE at enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC. (4) Propose some management implications to enhance the impact of CSR on BE and enhance the role of Customer Trust, Customer commitment as well as enhance Customer Participation in building BE at enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC.
Research questions To realize the specific research objectives, the author has proposed the following corresponding research questions that need to be addressed: 4 (1) Does CSR have a direct impact on the BE at enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC, and if so, what is the level of impact? (2) Does CSR through the intermediary of Customer Trust and Customer commitment create an impact on the BE at enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC, and if so, what is the level of impact? (3) Does Customer Participation moderate the impacts of CSR on Customer Trust, Customer commitment and BE at enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC, and if so, what is the level of impact? (4) What are the managerial implications for marketing to enhance the impact of CSR on BE and enhance the role of Customer Trust, Customer commitment as well as enhance Customer Participation in building BE at enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC? 1. Research object and scope 1. Research subjects The research object of the thesis is the relationship between the factors of CSR, Customer Trust, Customer commitment, Customer Participation and BE in enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC. Scope of research Research scope: in HCMC Survey scope: 20 4 and 5-star hotels in HCMC - Qualitative research: The study conducted in-depth interviews with 20 experts (10 room managers or higher and 10 customers with long-term hotel service use) at 04 4 and 5-star hotels in HCMC in August 2023.
- Preliminary survey research with 105 customers at 05 4 and 5-star hotels in HCMC, the customer list was provided by hotel managers and agreed to participate in the survey in September 2023. 5 - Official quantitative research was conducted on 540 customers at 20 4 and 5-star hotels in HCMC, the customer list was provided by hotel managers and agreed to participate in the survey from October 2023 to January 1, 2024. Qualitative research methods The desk research method includes a review of theoretical and conceptual studies to find research gaps, from which to propose a model, build research hypotheses and a first measurement scale for the variables in the model. In-depth interview method to adjust the measurement scale of the variables in the model to suit the perception and understanding of customers in HCMC and form a preliminary interview questionnaire.
Quantitative research methods The preliminary research step assesses the reliability and validity of the scale a second time through a relatively small sample size. The scale will then be adjusted if necessary, from which a survey will be built for use in the official research. In the official research step, the survey is sent directly to customers who have experienced the services of 4 or 5 star hotels in HCMC. After that, the collected data is cleaned, and the hypothesis and model are tested using the SEM structural equation modeling method, specifically here the author uses the PLS-SEM Model.
Contributions of the thesis 1. Theoretical contributions Firstly, the thesis has synthesized domestic and foreign studies on CSR and BE, providing an overview of studies on this topic in both direct and indirect relationships, regulating CSR and BE. Secondly, based on the Stakeholder Theory and the Sustainable Triple Core Theory, the thesis has explained, identified and measured CSR and its components of CSR of enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC including Economic CSR, Legal CSR and Environmental CSR. 6 Thirdly, based on the Social Identity Theory and BE Model Theory, the thesis has explained, identified and measured BE and its components of BE of enterprises in the hotel industry in HCMC including Brand Awareness, Perceived Brand Quality, Brand Association and Brand Loyalty.
Fourth, the thesis applied the Resource-Based View Theory to explain the direct and positive impact of CSR on BE. Fifth, the thesis expanded the relationship between CSR and BE by using the Social Exchange Theory to show the relationship between the mediating variables of Customers, in this case, Customer Trust and Customer commitment, in the impact between CSR and BE. Sixth, the thesis used the Value Co-creation Theory to emphasize the role of the moderating variable, Customer Participation, which shows that the more customers participate in CSR activities, the more the impact of CSR on BE will increase both directly and through Customer Trust and Customer commitment. Seventh, the thesis developed a scale for the variables of CSR, BE, Customer Trust, Customer commitment and Customer Participation to suit the research context in the hotel industry in HCMC.
Eighth, the thesis re-examines some hypotheses that still exist in previous studies due to inconsistent views on the role of mediating or moderating variables. Practical contributions Firstly, based on the research results, the thesis has suggested to hotel businesses in HCMC some proposals to enhance the impact of CSR on BE, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of marketing and business activities of the business. Secondly, based on the research results, the thesis has pointed out that the components of CSR such as Economy, Society and Environment contribute differently to CSR, so hotels should focus on each component to optimize the impact of CSR in the context of limited resources. Thirdly, based on the research results, the thesis has suggested to businesses in the hotel industry in HCMC some proposals to enhance the impact of Target Customers on 7 the relationship between CSR and BE, in which CSR programs must be customer- oriented and customer-centered, thereby helping to increase Customer Trust and Customer commitment for BE.
Fourthly, based on the research results, the thesis has suggested to businesses in the hotel industry in HCMC some proposals to enhance CSR in CSR activities with businesses, helping to enhance the impact of CSR on BE as well as enhance Customer Trust and Customer commitment. Structure of the thesis The thesis consists of 5 chapters with the following order and content: Chapter 1: Research overview Chapter 2: Theoretical basis and research model Chapter 3: Research method Chapter 4: Discussion of research results Chapter 5: Conclusion and managerial implications CHƯƠNG 2. THEORETICAL BASIS AND RESEARCH MODEL 2. Key concepts in the thesis 2.
Corporate social responsibility 2. Concept of Corporate Social Responsibility Elkington (1997) proposed a comprehensive view of the role of business in society, called the Triple Bottom Line, also known as the "3Ps" - People, Planet, Profit (or by extension, Economy). Elkington (1997) argued that businesses should not only evaluate their success based on financial business results, but should also consider how business activities affect society and the environment through three main factors. Concept of Corporate Social Responsibility in Economics Economic CSR is concerned with ensuring business sustainability and growth, although making a profit is still the main goal of businesses, Elkington emphasizes the assessment and measurement of economics in a more comprehensive way (Marco- 8 Lajara et al.