A critical analysis of small business social responsibility in independent foodservice businesses

Thesis


Barbara Tomasella 2019. A critical analysis of small business social responsibility in independent foodservice businesses. Thesis https://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00251
AuthorsBarbara Tomasella
Abstract

This thesis critically analyses how small independent foodservice businesses express and implement their social responsibility, considering the lack of research in the emergent small business social responsibility (SBSR) field, particularly within the foodservice sector. This gap in knowledge should be addressed, because the backbone of the industry are small businesses, which are often unaware of their collective impacts and the importance of implementing socially responsible practices. In order to interpret the peculiarities of SBSR among small foodservice businesses, the research is qualitative and utilises an abductive research methodology, based on semi-structured interviews with owner-managers, as well as archival documents of the business. A key finding identifies that the business mission influences the perceptions of SBSR; in particular, the hospitableness of value-driven businesses and the social mission of social enterprises, makes the business more likely to get engaged in proactive SBSR actions. Another key result has been to highlight that the SBSR in these foodservice businesses is a holistic phenomenon, based on a complex mix of factors: personal values of the owner-manager influence the business mission and perceptions of SBSR, but also business motivations and external factors play a role in determining a sustained SBSR practice in the long term. A core contribution to knowledge to the SBSR literature is clarifying that the commitment to a business mission informed by prosocial values, distinguishes the more socially oriented businesses. The core contribution to knowledge to the hospitality literature is to show how the hospitableness influences the owner-managers’ ethical perceptions of SBSR. The findings cannot be generalised to the entire population of small foodservice businesses, as the qualitative research relied on a purposive sample, moreover ethical research can be affected by issues linked to social desirability bias and positionality of the researcher. Future research avenues should focus on narrative studies of small businesses able to prioritise their prosocial values while maintaining competitiveness, therefore highlighting practical avenues for small businesses to engage with SBSR.

Keywordssmall business; social responsibility ; SBSR
Year2019
PublisherSheffield Hallam University
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.7190/shu-thesis-00251
Web address (URL)http://shura.shu.ac.uk/25592/
Output statusUnpublished
Publication dates
Online2019
Publication process dates
Deposited01 Jul 2022
Permalink -

https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/9787w/a-critical-analysis-of-small-business-social-responsibility-in-independent-foodservice-businesses

  • 95
    total views
  • 0
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Inspiring a Sustainability Mindset in Enterprise Education
Wylie, A., Tomasella, B., Walid Al Saad, W. and Kelleher, O. 2024. Inspiring a Sustainability Mindset in Enterprise Education . IEEC2024.
Embedding the Sustainable Development Goals Into Higher Education Institutions’ Marketing Curriculum
Tomasella, B., Akbar, B., Lawson, A., Howarth, R. and Bedford, R. 2024. Embedding the Sustainable Development Goals Into Higher Education Institutions’ Marketing Curriculum. Journal of Marketing Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/02734753241231182
Social marketing as a behaviour change strategy to increase tourists' pro-environmental behaviour
Lawson, A., Akbar, B., Tomasella, B. and Azara, I. 2023. Social marketing as a behaviour change strategy to increase tourists' pro-environmental behaviour. in: Ramkissoon, H. (ed.) Handbook on Tourism and Behaviour Change Cheltenham Edward Elgar. pp. 138-155
Maximising the impact of cross-sector partnerships for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Wylie, A. and Tomasella, B. 2023. Maximising the impact of cross-sector partnerships for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference. Newcastle 06 - 08 Sep 2016 British Academy of Management (BAM).
Hospitality that cares: a qualitative investigation into small foodservice businesses’ social responsibility
Barbara Tomasella, Alisha Ali and Devi Gill 2023. Hospitality that cares: a qualitative investigation into small foodservice businesses’ social responsibility. Current Issues in Tourism. pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2214849
CSR engagement in SMEs – tactical or strategic?
Conway, E. and Tomasella, B. CSR engagement in SMEs – tactical or strategic? CSR Conference. Belfast N/A.
The role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in educating future leaders with social impact contributing to the sustainable development goals
Tomasella, B., Anne Wylie and Devi Gill 2022. The role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in educating future leaders with social impact contributing to the sustainable development goals. Social Enterprise Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/sej-03-2022-0027
Abductive Thematic Analysis in Hospitality and Tourism Research
Tomasella, B. 2022. Abductive Thematic Analysis in Hospitality and Tourism Research. in: Contemporary Research Methods in Hospitality and Tourism Bingley Emerald. pp. 203-219
How to enhance the engagement of social enterprises with the sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Tomasella, B. 2021. How to enhance the engagement of social enterprises with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference. Newcastle 06 - 08 Sep 2016 British Academy of Management (BAM).
Ethical, social or both? The ethicality of Social enterprises
Tomasella, B. 2020. Ethical, social or both? The ethicality of Social enterprises. The British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference. Newcastle 06 - 08 Sep 2016 British Academy of Management (BAM).
The importance of personal values and hospitableness in small foodservice businesses’ social responsibility
Barbara Tomasella and Alisha Ali 2019. The importance of personal values and hospitableness in small foodservice businesses’ social responsibility. Hospitality & Society. https://doi.org/10.1386/hosp_00004_1
Delivering transformative tourism experiences
Tomasella, B. 2019. Delivering transformative tourism experiences. Tourism Naturally.
Hospitableness: driving Social Responsibility (SR) in hospitality businesses
Tomasella, B. 2018. Hospitableness: driving Social Responsibility (SR) in hospitality businesses. The INC: Tourism, Hospitality & Events in a Changing World. University of Derby.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) digital communication in small independent restaurants.
Tomasella, B. 2016. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) digital communication in small independent restaurants. 5th International Conference on Social Responsibility, Ethics and Sustainable Business. Milan, Italy 06 - 07 Oct 2016
A pluralistic framework for the analysis of corporate social responsibility and its application to small and medium enterprises
Tomasella, B. 2016. A pluralistic framework for the analysis of corporate social responsibility and its application to small and medium enterprises. The British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference. Newcastle 06 - 08 Sep 2016 British Academy of Management.
Motivations for sustainability engagement among small tourism enterprises
Tomasella, B. 2015. Motivations for sustainability engagement among small tourism enterprises. WIT Press. https://doi.org/10.2495/sdp150751