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Table of Contents
1.0 Research Background...................................................................................... 3
2.0 Academic Research ......................................................................................... 4
2.1 Perceived Quality ......................................................................................... 4
2.2 Perceived Luxuriousness .............................................................................. 5
2.3 Perceived Exclusiveness ............................................................................... 6
2.4 Reputation .................................................................................................... 6
3.0 Research Problem............................................................................................ 7
4.0 Research Questions/Hypotheses .................................................................... 7
4.1 Questions ...................................................................................................... 7
4.2 Conceptual Map............................................................................................ 8
5.0 Proposed Sampling.......................................................................................... 8
5.1 Target Population ........................................................................................ 8
5.2 Sample Frames ............................................................................................. 9
5.3 Sampling Procedure ................................................................................... 10
6.0 Proposed Methodology................................................................................. 10
6.1 Instruments................................................................................................. 10
6.2 Quantitative Method.................................................................................. 11
6.3 Qualitative Method .................................................................................... 12
6.4 Pre-testing procedure................................................................................. 12
6.5 Research Environment ............................................................................... 14
7.0 Proposed Contributions................................................................................. 15
References ........................................................................................................... 16
Appendices........................................................................................................... 21

1. RESEARCH BACKGROUND
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Over the years there has been a growing trend amongst businesses to adopt Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) strategies alongside economic business operations (Heyward 2020). CSR involves
businesses to consider societal issues and address them, even if they are not necessarily relevant to their
business model (Schooley 2021). Areas of CSR which businesses can address includes but is not limited to
environmentalism, ethical work practices, and humanitarian (Schooley 2021).

The use of CSR strategies in the hotel industry have been proven to have a significant and positive impact
on service quality, satisfaction, image and reputation (Khawaja Fawad, Pérez & Sahibzada 2020). There is a
strong mediating effect of customer satisfaction between CSR and retention (Srivastava & Singh 2020). The
Global Hotel Industries value in 2018 was 600.49 billion U.S dollars (Statista 2018). CSR in the Hotel
industry is becoming more common and a greater selling point to gain consumer loyalty (Ahn, Wong and
Kwon 2020).

It has been found that different CSR methods affect different levels of customer loyalty, for example
environmental CSR increases a customer’s conative loyalty, which is their intentions to re visit, while social
CSR influences a customers cognitive loyalty, which is built on thinking a certain hotel is superior to others
(Ahn, Wong and Kwon 2020). Although these different CSR strategies have been proven to have different
effects in terms of customer loyalty levels, there is no research addressing which CSR strategy, (either
environmental or humanitarian) is perceived as more valuable to customers This suggests that our decision
problem will be discovery oriented, as our current research shows the need to further research and find
facts that those implementing CSR strategies can use to formulate strategies and deal with any situations
that may arise.

According to a report conducted by Sturman, Alshawi and Hodari (2018) on European hotel industries, they
have found that most hotels are utilising CSR strategies, however they are not being utilised as effectively
proportionate, which means that some hotels focused on specific activities rather than equally employ
most positive activities. As shown in figure 1 and 2, it is evident that most European hotels have paid more
importance on maintaining environmentally responsible activities than socially responsible ones, however
there is no correlation on how this impacts customer preference.

Figure 1: Environmentally responsible activities in European hotels.

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Figure 2: Socially responsible activities in European hotels.

2. ACADEMIC RESEARCH

2.1 Perceived Quality

Perceived quality can be defined as the consumers overall perception of the quality of a service in relation
to its intended purpose (Ophuis and Trijp 1995). Perceived quality is therefore subjective to a consumers
beliefs, and isn’t something that can actually be physically measured. As stated by Ophuis and Trijp (1995),
quality cannot be analysed and is recognised through experience only. Perceived quality is a very
important factor to consider when implementing a marketing strategy for any firm or business. It has been
recognised as a core principle for increasing value and satisfaction for customers (Ophuis and Trijp 1995).
Perceived quality is important to companies to focus on in order to increase consumer preference as well
as maintain a competitive advantage in the market (Ophuis and Trijp 1995).

The perceived quality of service of a hotel has been proven to have an influence on customer loyalty, as
customers tend to make purchase evaluations based on previous experiences (Ullah, Raza and Chander
2016). This means that if a customer enjoys their experience, they will make positive purchase evaluations.
Therefore if a hotel continues to display quality service customers will remember this and become
psychologically bonded to the organization and retain loyalty (Ullah, Raza and Chander 2016). Research has
also been done on how corporate image combined with quality of service can influence customer loyalty
(Kandampuly, Juwaheer and Hu 2011). This can be explained by drawing the conclusion that the image of a
hotel is created and sustained by the quality of service (Kandampuly, Juwaheer and Hu 2011). Therefore as
perceived quality increases, so does the overall corporate image and reputation of the hotel. It has been
suggested that hotel managers should focus on improving perceived quality of service in order to maintain
competitive advantage by increasing user retention (Ullah, Raza and Chander 2016). Hotel managers
should also aim to communicate their uniqueness through exceeding customer service and quality
expectations, in order to increase corporate image and long term loyalty (Kandampuly, Juwaheer and Hu

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2011). This research shows that customers are more likely to be loyal to an organisation that exceeds their
expectations, and in this case, those of service quality.

2.2 Perceived Luxuriousness

The world luxury itself can be defined once again as a subjective concept, and perceived luxuriousness is
often dependent on the consumer and what they believe to be luxury, as this word has many different
connotations to many different people. Luxury products or services are said to allow consumers to tend to
their psychological and functional needs, and the psychological benefits of luxuriousness are often the
main factor which distinguishes these services from other non luxury services (Vigneron and Johnson
2004). Luxuriousness as a concept is one which is based around the idea that in order for something to be
considered luxury, it must represent value to both the individual consumer and significant others (Vigneron
and Johnson 2004). The main things in which luxury brands compete on is the ability to increase brand
awareness, perceived quality, exclusivity, and a well known overall brand identity and reputation, almost
identical to the independent variables this study will focus on (Vigneron and Johnson 2004).

Perceived luxuriousness of a hotel does not always directly influence customer loyalty in terms of a hotel.
Satisfying the basic needs of guests who stay in these types of 5 star hotels is expected in these
environments, and for these customers switching cost is fairly low and competition is strong (Yang and Lau
2015). It was found that in the case of luxury hotels, brand loyalty, brand awareness and perceived quality
are the combined factors which had an effect on the hotel's corporate performance (Kim and Woo 2005).
The luxuriousness of a hotel can relate to increased perceived quality of a hotel, which has been proven to
affect a hospitality firm's overall performance (Kim and Woo 2005). It has been shown that while consumer
satisfaction does not increase customer loyalty, perceived value does (Yang and Lau 2015). Therefore
luxury hotels must work hard to achieve value, as maintaining consumer satisfaction isn't enough. Ways to
increase value may be through implementing competitive pricing strategies along with outstanding service,
as well as providing personalized services and novel experiences, in order to win the loyalty of customers
(Yand and Lau 2015.)

2.3 Perceived Exclusiveness

The perceived exclusiveness of a hotel can be explored in terms of innovation performance, which is what
differentiates one hotel from another. It has been proven that there is a considerable amount of
correlation between customer loyalty and innovation performance (Tsai 2017). By making the hotel stand
out from others, this sets the hotel up as exclusive in the customers mind, and will therefore increase
customer preference and loyalty. Planning innovative programs has been proven to expand the number of
loyal customers who also demonstrate willingness to recommend the service to others (Tsai 2017).
Perceived exclusivity of a hotel has also been linked to price. It has been concluded that the two are in
proportion, as price increases so does perceived exclusivity (Heyes and Lashley 2017). This is due to the
fact that a higher price can make the service more exclusive as it creates a separation between those who
can and can't afford to pay for the service (Heyes and Lashley 2017). Therefore we can conclude that when
perceived exclusiveness of a hotel increases so does consumer preference and loyalty.

2.4 Reputation

The definition of reputation in a corporate context is one that relates to the companies overall ‘image’ and
‘identity’ (Chun 2005). Corporate reputation of a brand or firm affects not only current and potential
customers, but also various stakeholders. Having a good reputation can benefit a hotel company in many

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ways, such as the attraction of high quality staff, retention of customers and enhanced loyalty (Chun 2005).
This then encourages stakeholders to invest in the hotel company, which can then boost overall returns
(Chun 2005).

When looking at reputation and consumer preference and loyalty, studies have shown that overall
corporate image and reputation has a significant impact on customers perceived satisfaction, which then
increases their loyalty and preference towards that particular hotel (Lai 2019). Some have concluded that
high levels of customer satisfaction greatly impact the firms reputation which then results in customer
retention and loyalty (Lai 2019). Often the higher a hotels overall reputation, the more customers it will
attract in the first place, so it is then about maintaining this reputation by ensuring guests enjoy a positive
experience. Good reputation of a hotel that is built from post customer experience enhances customers'
emotional bond to that particular hotel, strengthening their attachment and loyalty (Lai 2019). Customers
will often have an idea of a hotels overall reputation before making a decision to stay. They can use the
hotels reputation to judge the quality of service through which their attitudes are formed (Jalilvand et al.
2019). A good overall reputation will create a competitive advantage, especially when attracting new
customers who have not yet experienced their products and services and are unaware of the quality of the
service .

3. RESEARCH PROBLEM

This research will explore whether consumers prefer environmentally focused hotels compared to
humanitarian focused hotels. The research problem will look at variables influencing consumer’s
preference in CSR strategy. In this study, the research will approach a discovery-oriented decision problem.
Therefore, the decision problem for this study is “Are environmentally focused hotels or humanitarian
focused hotels perceived as more valuable to consumers?”.

Although there are many studies that mention how CSR promotes customer loyalty, and how consumers
perceive the concept of CSR as a whole. There are several limitations within the current literature that
demands for this present study to be conducted. For instance, the studies exploring CSR are mainly
situated in the USA, Europe and Asian. However, there are limited studies exploring the Australian
market’s perception or preferences in CSR strategies. In addition, there is minimal studies comparing
specific areas of CSR practices amongst hotels.
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 Altogether this present study will aim to address the current limitations mentioned above in the academic
literature. As the study will discover which CSR strategy Australian consumers prefer hotels implementing.
Therefore, the results of this study would provide new insights amongst current literature.

4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND/HYPOTHESES

4.1 Questions

1. Does perceived quality influence consumers preference between environmentally and

humanitarian focused hotels?
2. Determine how perceived luxuriousness affects consumer preference on humanitarian or
environmentally focused hotels?
3. Does consumer perceived exclusiveness impact their preference towards either environmentally of
humanitarian focused hotels?
4. How does the relationship between reputation and consumer preference of either humanitarian or
environmentally focused hotels change?

4.2 Conceptual Model

From the above model it can be conceptualised that:

H1) Consumer preference for CSR strategy focused hotels is positively influenced by perceived quality
if the perception is that their quality is high. Conversely if the perception of the hotel is to be of low
quality it will negatively affect consumers preference.

H2) Perceived luxuriousness has the ability to positively or negatively affect the decision-making
process of the consumer changing their preference of hotel. If the consumer perceives one CSR
strategy to be more luxurious in nature than the other, their preference for that hotel will be
higher.

H3) Consumer preference can be positively and negatively impacted by perceived exclusivity. For a
positive impact on consumers' preference to be witnessed a high level of exclusiveness would need
to be perceived.

H4) Similarly like above the reputation of a hotel and it’s CSR strategies can have a positive and

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 negative relationship with consumer preference. If the consumer perceives a hotel and it’s CSR
strategy to be of good standing, they are more likely to have a higher preference towards it than
one that has a bad reputation.

5. PROPOSED SAMPLING

5.1 Population of Interest

The target population of interest for the study is contingent on age, country of residence, and education.
The demographic includes individuals aged 18-45, of all genders and ethnicities who are currently enrolled
as a student at a University in Perth, Australia. University students are an appropriate population to
explore, as it is practical and there is diversity amongst individuals (Khatamian Far 2018). By being inclusive
with recruiting participants, the results that will be obtained would represent a greater proportion of the
population (Marttinen et al. 2021). Environmentalism and humanitarianism topics are becoming heavily
implemented in university curriculums; therefore, obtaining data from University students would be
suitable for this study (Claver-Cortés et al. 2020). The specified population must be enrolled as full-time or
part-time, and internal students in a University in Perth Australia. To obtain data at ease and from a range
of perspectives, students will be recruited from a university, and all Faculties including Business and Law,
Health Sciences, Humanities, and Science and Engineering can be recruited (Radenkovic et al. 2019; Curtin
University [CU] 2021; The University of Western Australia [TUWA] 2017; Edith Cowan University [ECU]
2020). Moreover, to facilitate the range of perspectives, students from all levels of study can be recruited
(Nejati and Nejati 2013). Also, it is easier to include all age groups within a Faculty, students university at
different times in their lives (Nejati and Nejati 2013). The target population can be at any stage of their
academic stage; however, they still must be enrolled as a student. This would ensure that the results being
analysed are valid; therefore enhancing internal validity. For the sampling frame, a total of 150 participants
will be recruited from each Faculty at the university. Hence, a total of 600 participants will be selected to
take part in this study.

5.2 Sampling Frames:

Frame 1 Humanities and Arts students: This will include internal students aged 18-45 (N = 150) of all
genders, ethnicities. Generally the Faculty of Humanities and Arts would include students studying in areas
such as Languages, Philosophy, Education, Design, Media, History, Creative Arts, Cultures, Gender studies,
and Social Inquiry (CU n.d.-a; TUWA n.d.-a; ECU 2019.). Humanities and Arts students would be beneficial
to explore, as the subjects they study tend to focus on the humanitarian approach in CSR (Roach and Slater
2016). By not setting limitations on the characteristics of the participants, this acknowledges that there is a
great range of people who are studying under the Faculty of Humanities. This sampling frame will be
accessed by the researchers, after permission by the course coordinators within the Faculty of Humanities
is granted.

Frame 2 Business and Law students: This will include internal students aged 18-45 (N = 150) of all genders,
ethnicities. Generally, the Faculty of Business and Law would include students studying in areas such as
Marketing, Accounting, Law, Management, Finance, and Economics (CU n.d.-b; TUWA n.d.-b; ECU n.d-a).
Business and Law students would be beneficial to explore, as the subjects they study tend to make an
emphasis on the environmental approach in CSR (Doh and Tashman 2014). This could influence and sway
Business and Law students to prefer hotels implementing environmentally focused strategies. By not
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setting limitations on the characteristics of the participants, this acknowledges that there is a great range
of people who are studying under the Faculty of Business and Law. This sampling frame will be accessed by
the researchers, after permission by the course coordinators within the Faculty of Business and Law is
granted.

Frame 3 Science and Engineering students: This will include internal students aged 18-45 (N = 150) of all
genders, ethnicities. Generally, the Faculty of Science and Engineering would include students studying in
areas such as Minerals, Energy & Chemical Engineering, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Earth &
Planetary Sciences, Electrical Engineering, computing & Mathematical Sciences, and Molecular & Life
Sciences (CU n.d.-c; TUWA n.d.-b; ECU 2018). Science and Engineering students would be beneficial to
explore, as the subjects and some courses offered under this faculty specialise in the environmental
approach (G. Wang and Thompson 2013; Miñano Rubio et al. 2019). By not setting limitations on the
characteristics of the participants, this acknowledges that there is a great range of people who are studying
under the Faculty of Science and Engineering. This sampling frame will be accessed via permission by the
course coordinators within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. This sampling frame will be accessed by
the researchers, after permission by the course coordinators within the Faculty of Science and Engineering
is granted.

Frame 4 Health Sciences students: This will include internal students aged 18-45 (N = 150) of all genders,
ethnicities. Generally, the Faculty of Science and Engineering would include students studying in areas such
as Public Health, Occupational Therapy, Social Work & Speech Pathology, Medicine, Nursing &
Paramedicine, Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, Physiotherapy & Exercise Science, and Psychology (Curtin
University n.d.-d; TUWA n.d.-b; ECU n.d.-b). Health Sciences students would be beneficial to explore, as the
subjects offered under this faculty make an emphasis on the humanitarian focused (Hiatt et al. 2017). By
not setting limitations on the characteristics of the participants, this acknowledges that there is a great
range of people who are studying under the Faculty of Health Sciences. This sampling frame will be
accessed by the researchers, after permission by the course coordinators within the Faculty of Health
Sciences is granted.

5.3 Sampling Procedure:

This study will use stratified sampling, as its sampling procedure to obtain data. This type of sampling
procedure will be used for all four sample frames. Stratified sampling refers to the sampling procedure
where a population is split into strata, based on specific characteristics (Sharma 2017). Firstly, the
researchers of this study will explore a University student population aged between 18 to 45, then will
divide students according to which Faculty they study under. As mentioned above, these Faculties include
Humanities, Business & Law, Science & Engineering, and Health Sciences.

The researchers of this study will first formally ask for permission from a University, then course
coordinators from each faculty to have access to the sampling population. Since internal students come
into campus and attend classes in classrooms and laboratories, the sampling site for this study will be
these settings. Once permission has been granted, the researchers will ask course coordinators for
classrooms, or laboratories they can access to collect data. Moreover, the researchers of this study will
manually go into classrooms or laboratories to give out soft copies of the questionnaire.

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6. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY

6.1 Instruments

This research will be carried out with both quantitative and qualitative data, respectively collected through
an online survey and focus group. By using quantitative and qualitative instruments we are creating an
opportunity to complete a more in-depth analysis of our sample group on the subject matter (Choy 2014).
Data collected will be at a 70:30 ratio with quantitative being the larger capacity and used as primary data
as it’s easier to collate, time-friendly and more predictable than qualitative data. The quantitative
instrument will be conducted online as it’s more convenient for the surveyees, completed quicker with
minimal costs (Heiervang and Goodman 2011).

6.2 Quantitative Method

To collect quantitative data, we will be conducting a survey which can be found in Appendix 1 of this
research proposal. The purpose of using quantitative data allows a broader study that can include a wide
range of problems which result in a more objective and accurate analysis. These results tend to be
generalisable, reliable, easily manipulated into graphs and used to confirm assumptions and theories
(Zikmund 2011). The survey will be implemented anonymously through online means which will help
prevent office error, paper wastage and remove personal bias or validity issues that arise when answering
questions that reflect poorly on the participants character. Combined with having no time restraints an
online survey is a more comfortable environment for the surveyees. The survey will consist of Likert scale
questions as it will give us the possibility to quantify our answers and a greater understanding of the
participants' responses. To assist with eliminating response error and preventing respondent fatigue, the
survey will be simple and relatively short. We will be able to determine straight line answers, by
implementing trick questions so their data will be removed along with blanks (participants stopping mid
survey) from the results. Serveyees will see 1 of 2 randomly selected images and asked several of the same
questions on their thoughts, feelings and attitudes of the information obtained in the images. The results
from the 2 groups will be analysed to determine their CSR strategy preference. The table below (figure 1)
represents our dependent variable, scale source and scale items used for this survey. The survey will be
distributed through asking students within faculties at University which will assist with building rapport and
minimise non response error. Willing participants will be handed a card containing an introductory
message and QR code / link to the survey, example below:

Thank you for participating and accepting our information card!!

We would like for you to complete a 3-5min anonymous survey on your preference to stay at a particular
hotel.
We greatly value your feedback as it would help us better our services globally!
Please scan the QR code or enter the address below.
https://curtin.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9QNT1WuJw1Zc2Wy

Figure 1.
Variable Name Scale Source Scale Items

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 Perceived T-L. Wang, Tran and Danang provides tourism offerings of consistent quality
Quality Tran (2017) Danang performs better than other similar destinations in Vietnam
From Danang’s offerings, I can expect superior performance
Considering the type of destination, the quality of service of Danang was excellent
When asked about a holiday destination, I will recommend Danang

(Likert scale from 1 to 5, with 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree)

Perceived Hennigs, Luxury brands improve the way I am perceived

Luxuriousness Wiedmann, My attitude toward luxury brands is positive
Behrens and I am willing to buy luxury brands
Klarmann (2013) Luxury brands make me happy
Luxury brands are brands that I would feel relaxed about using
To me, luxury brands are unique

(scale measured on a 5-point Likert scale; 1= strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree)

Perceived Decker (2018) I like unique and scarce products or services

Exclusiveness I enjoy products or services more when only a few people possess them
I enjoy having things that others do not
I am willing to wait for a product or service that is exclusive

(Likert scale from 1 to 5, with 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree)

Reputation Kim and Lennon This website is a large company that everyone recognises
(2013) This website is well-known
This website has a good reputation

(measured on a 5-point Likert scale; 1= strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree)

6.3 Qualitative Method

Qualitative data is obtained through open-ended questions that give more detail into the research and
allows follow-up questions to be asked (Zikmund 2011). This is used to explore deeper into the research
problem and can assist in determining why the respondents prefer one option over the other. Conductor’s
are able to monitor body language, facial expressions and determine a participants emotions which can
lead to more pertinent data collection (Maison 2018). At the end of the quantitative survey, respondents
will be asked if they’d wish to have the opportunity to win a 3 day stay at a hotel of their choice for
participating in a focus group. This will add incentive to get participants to commit to attending the focus
group. After a brief introduction and some questions to familiarise the participants with the topic on hand,
they will be asked probing questions which can be found in Appendix 2.

6.4 Pre-testing Procedure

Online Questionnaire

For the quantitative method, an online survey questionnaire was created through Qualtrics, which was an
online survey program embedded through the official Curtin University website that was accessible to
anyone without having to log in. In order to pre-test this, the survey questionnaire was sent out to a small
sample group of 25 current, university students across Western Australia, metropolitan region, who were
either attending Edith Cowan University, Notre Dame, University of Western Australia or Curtin University
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and were studying majors in the faculty of Business, Health Sciences, Humanities or Engineering. This was
performed by sending out an online private message through each individual’s social media platforms, such
as Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat, asking them if they would take the time to answer the online survey
and to help provide any feedback or comments. Out of the 25 students that were contacted, 22 responded
and completed the survey. The survey questionnaire was then modified in accordance with the responses
that were collected from the pre-test, to ensure that it was kept as concise, easy to comprehend and was
easy to access.

Focus Group

For the qualitative method, a focus group was conducted at Curtin University with 5 participants which were
also from the sample group. The focus group involved 1 moderator, 3 observers and the 5 participants,
situated in one of the group studies rooms inside the library at Curtin. Open-ended questions were asked
regarding the research problem and at the end of the discussion feedback was requested.

Figure 2 - Feedback from the online survey questionnaire and focus group.
Feedback Changes Researcher’s Comments

[ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE]
The question “I am willing to buy
environmentally focused hotels”
is ambiguous and seems
incorrectly written as ‘buy’
instead of ‘check into’
environmentally focused hotels.
To respond to this comment, the question was This was an error that was
amended to ask, “I am willing to stay at missed during the creation
environmentally focused hotels.” of the survey
questionnaires. By editing
this, the question became
more succinct and clearer on
what is being asked.

[ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE]
The survey questions were
boring.
The image of a smiley face was added to the Including the emoji has
question “How would you feel if a hotel you've made the survey a lot more
stayed at provides benefits to society?” and when interactive and fun.
they respond as happy or sad, the face of the emoji
changes to reflect that.

[ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE]
The layout of the survey was
confusing and is making the
questions look overwhelming.
The survey initially only comprised all the questions By doing this, it made the
on one page, so as a response to this comment, the survey look more visually
questions were separated into one question per appealing and easier
page, which transitions to the next question after comprehend to the
clicking next. responders.

[FOCUS GROUP]
The participants were not
engaged as they were not well-
versed with the topic.
The moderator should encourage the participants By emphasising that the
to answer the questions and emphasise that there participants can answer
are no right or wrong answers required. freely, the researcher can
The topic should also be elaborated in the gain more insightful and
beginning of the discussion. elaborative responses.

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6.5 Research Environment

The nature of the research specifies that each participant is required to be a current University student,
between the ages of 18-45 to adhere to the sample group. For the quantitative data method, the link to the
Qualtrics survey questionnaire will be accessible from a Monday morning and be distributed through social
media platforms such as emails, the university’s official Facebook pages or online discussion boards,
Messenger, Snapchat, Instagram, WeChat and WhatsApp. The online survey will be constantly maintained,
monitored and promoted for a time frame of 3 weeks, then all responses will be collected at the end of the
last week on a Sunday. Once the survey is accessed by a participant online, they are not given any time frame
when answering the questions, instead it is encouraged of the participants to take their time as this will
enable them to fully understand what is being asked which in turn would help with attaining more discerning
and concise information. Additionally, by letting the participants complete the survey on their own time,
they are given the freedom to complete it anywhere and anytime, which can be when they’re the most
relaxed and comfortable, this will help prevent any pressure on the participant to complete the survey for
the sake of just providing data, instead they can answer truthfully to the best of their knowledge and
understanding.

Furthermore during the first week of when the survey questionnaire is published online, the researcher will
request to get permission from the university’s head coordinators for each faculty, to go into the classes and
hand out an information card outlining how to access the survey questionnaire online, as well as to discuss
the purpose of the study as well as to promote the survey. This part is to enable the researchers to build
rapport with the participants and provide information on the survey.

The qualitative method will consist of the participants who have chosen to be contacted and included in the
focus group after completing the survey questionnaire. This will be conducted on a Saturday afternoon for
a period of an hour and will take place in one of the boardrooms in the City of Perth, as it is easy to access
via public transport and by car due to it being in the central-most part of Perth city which is known to be the
most populous location in Western Australia. Before the focus group discussion commences, a consent form
will be handed out and a privacy notice will also be read out to the participants, this will ensure that all the
participants are aware of what data is being collected and who will have access to this. Ideally a relaxed
environment should be established within the focus group so that the participants will have the confidence
to respond to the questions being asked, without any fear of judgements. This can be demonstrated by
allowing the participants to become well acquainted with one another during the start, then encourage them
to answer openly.

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7. PROPOSED CONTRIBUTIONS

Despite the fact that there have been many studies exploring how consumers perceive hotels
implementing CSR strategies, minimal studies are exploring considering the perceptions of Australian
consumers. This study explores consumers' preference of hotels that are either environmentally or
humanitarian focused, through quantitative and qualitative measures. Results that will be obtained from
this study can provide insight for a range of areas or industries, to understand Australian consumer’s
preference of which CSR strategy is appealing.

Marketers in the Hotel Industry:

➢ Marketers can detect and acknowledge the growing trend for businesses implementing CSR
strategies.
➢ This study can provide insight to marketers in Australian hotels to bring up the discussion of a
particular CSR strategy (environmentally or humanitarian focused) to the hotel’s management
team.
➢ In return, marketers can tailor their content throughout their platforms by mentioning a particular
CSR strategy that the hotel aims to practice.

Academia:

➢ This study can highlight whether certain faculties in Universities prefer a particular CSR strategy to
be implemented in the services they wish to engage with.
➢ Also, the study can contribute to understanding the Australian market as well as their preference in
CSR strategy being implemented.
➢ This study specifically satisfies the research gap of exploring hotels either being environmentally or
humanitarian focused.

Society:

➢ This study would give attention to the current Australian society’s values, as to which CSR strategy
is desired.
➢ Moreover, it would introduce or bring awareness to the concept of businesses especially hotels
implementing CSR strategies alongside their business operations.

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REFERENCES

Choy, Looi Theam. 2014. "The Strengths and Weaknesses of Research Methodology: Comparison and
Complimentary Between Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches." IOSR Journal of Humanities and
Social Science 19 (4): 99-104.
https://iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol19-issue4/Version-3/N0194399104.pdf

Chun, Rosa. 2005. "Corporate Reputation: Meaning And Measurement". International Journal Of
Management Reviews 7 (2): 91-109. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2370.2005.00109.x.

Claver-Cortés, Enrique, Bartolomé Marco-Lajara, Mercedes Úbeda-García, Francisco García-Lillo, Laura

Rienda- García, Patrocinio Carmen Zaragoza-Sáez, Rosario Andreu-Guerrero, Encarnación Manresa-
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APPENDICES

Appendix 1:

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Appendix 2:

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 Questions Comments/Rationale

Introduction: This is a general introduction

to remind the participant of
Hi “Respondents name”, thank you all for opting to participate in a the objective of the study and
discussion today, your responses will be greatly appreciated. I am “enter encourage them to express
student a name” and I’ll be conducting the discussion, here with me is themselves freely. Anonymity
“enter student b name” who will be observing. We are students at Curtin will be mentioned as well as
University and we are here to discuss your preference towards an giving them an opportunity to
environmentally or humanitarian focused hotel. I will be asking a few open- opt out.
ended questions and recording your responses, it should take about 45
mins. I invite you to ask questions whenever they may arise. I would like to
remind you that there are no right or wrong answers, so please feel
comfortable to respond and express your opinions. This conversation is
being recorded however; all responses given will remain anonymous as we
are not assigning them with any identifiable information. That being said
would you like to continue?

How often would you stay in a hotel? These questions are to

familiarise the participant of
Have you ever stayed in an environmentally of humanitarian focused hotel? the study topic.

Do you think it’s important for hotels to go beyond the norm of providing a
place of short stay and assist in society?
- If-so, why?
- If not, why?

Q1. What do you think is important in making a decision about staying at a

hotel?
- If the respondent doesn’t answer well probe (Reputation of the
hotel, the hotels image, online reviews, word-of-mouth, Quality,
Luxuriousness, Exclusiveness)

Q2. How important is support for the environment to you?

- If a lot, ask if it would sway their decision in purchasing a
product?
- If not much, move onto the next question

26
Q3. How important is support for humanitarian issues to you?
- If a lot, ask if it would sway their decision in purchasing a
product?
- If not much, move onto the next question

Q4. If you had to choose between supporting an environmental or

humanitarian cause which one would you choose?
- Why?

Q5. How much influence does society values have on making this decision
for you?
- Probe, where is this influence/pressure coming from?

Q6. How much does the contribution to either humanitarian or

environmental issues a hotel does influence your decision to stay there?
- Probe, what if the cost is higher than other?
- Probe, would you mind paying a little extra to support the cause
you value more?

27