Corporate Social Responsibility Within the Airline Industry

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

WITHIN

THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY

By : R J Wright

This assignment is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Salford for the degree of:

Bachelor of Arts with honours in Hospitality Management

Declaration

The following work has been completed by R J Wright and it is all my own work except where it is referenced accordingly.

R J Wright

R J Wright

Abbreviations

1. CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

2. PR Public Relations

3. AEF Aviation Environmental Federation

4. ETS Emissions Trading Scheme

5. CO2 Carbon Dioxide

6.

7. US United States of America

8. UK United Kingdom

9.

Contents Page

1. Title Page 1

2. Declaration 2

3. Abbreviations 3

4. Contents 4

5. Abstract 5

6. Definition of Corporate Social Responsibility 6

7. Defining the Concept 6

8. CSR within the airline industry 8

9. The Companies 9

10. Taking Action 10

11. a

12. a

13. a

14. aa

15. a

16. Bibliography

Abstract

Researcher: Roderick Wright

Date of completion: 19 Nov 2007

Background information: A brief insight into the history and development of corporate social responsibility, from it inception to current day. It then looks at CSR within the Airline Industry, in particular the levels airlines are using to address their carbon footprint.

The report then looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the airlines in meeting their CSR. Finally it will briefly look at recommendations that they could adopt to improve the actual and perceived status as a CSR organisation.

Aims & Objectives: To determine if British Airway and other Airline Companies are Corporate Social Responsible Companies, or are they merely using the CSR status as a public relations exercise to ensure they achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.

To provide feasible and affordable recommendations the airline industry could implement to show they are or at least wish to be a CSR company.

Definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility

The phrase Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was coined in 1953 with the publication of Bowen's 'Social Responsibility of Businessmen', which posed the question 'what responsibilities to society can business people be reasonably expected to assume?' (Bowen 1953). Throughout the 70s and 80s academic discussion of the concept of CSR grew, but the first company to actually publish