A conceptual foundation for ethical decision making: A stakeholder perspective in the lodging industry (USA)

The purpose of this study was to build upon previous ethical research, thereby, advancing the hospitality industry's understanding of ethical decision making in lodging operations. In particular, this study reviewed: (a) the primary normative ethical precepts (i.e., egoism, benevolence, and principle) used as a criterion in ethical decision making, and (b) the predominant locus of analysis (e.g., individual, local, or cosmopolitan referent sources) used in applying ethical precepts to ethical decisions. The sample consisted of 500 lodging operations as randomly abstracted from the 1994 Hotel Travel Index produced by Reed Travel. The researcher selected full service, limited service, or as rooms-only lodging operations throughout the United States. A full service property offered guest rooms, meeting rooms, and food and beverage services. A limited service property offered a continental breakfast, small meeting facilities, and guest sleeping rooms. A rooms-only property only offered guest rooms. This purposive sampling process resulted in 198 usable surveys. The responding general managers indicated that: (a) benevolence was the primary ethical precept impacting ethical decision making in the lodging organization, (b) the predominant locus of analysis emanated from a cosmopolitan perspective, which was external to the organization, and, (c) an individual's educational level of attainment and length of experience in the industry interacted with the ethical precept used.