Ethical Practices and Challenges in Hospitality Establishments: Evidence from Bohol, Philippines
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajth.v4i1.7203Keywords:
Data Privacy, Hospitality Ethics, Philippines, Qualitative Study, SustainabilityAbstract
This qualitative study examines ethical practices and operational challenges in selected hospitality establishments situated in Bohol, Philippines. Employing semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with managers and supervisors from three anonymized establishments, the study explores the operationalization of ethics across six domains: human resource management, employee well-being and harassment prevention, environmental sustainability, customer relations and service delivery, data privacy and protection, and supply chain management and financial transparency. Guided by Stakeholder Theory (Freeman, 2010) and the Triple Bottom Line framework (Elkington, 1998), thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke (2006) was used to interpret participant narratives. Findings revealed strong institutional adherence to fairness-based hiring and promotion systems, dignity-affirming workplace policies, sustainability-oriented environmental initiatives, and transparent complaint-handling procedures aligned with recognized ethical frameworks. Formal supplier contracts and data minimization protocols further demonstrated a commitment to ethical accountability across organizational boundaries. Despite these strengths, persistent operational challenges were identified, most notably seasonal labor shortages that intensify workload pressures and risk compromising service quality, alongside emerging cybersecurity vulnerabilities accompanying the sector’s rapid digital transformation. The anonymized research design employed in this study encouraged candid managerial disclosure while upholding participant and organizational confidentiality. The findings contribute empirically grounded, practice-oriented insights to the underexplored intersection of hospitality ethics and provincial tourism management in Southeast Asia. Implications are discussed for hospitality practitioners seeking to strengthen ethical resilience, for industry stakeholders, advocating sector-wide ethical standards, and for policymakers committed to supporting sustainable, inclusive, and responsible tourism development in comparable regional contexts.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Hersheylou M. Cabig, Jerviliza A. Item, Val Vincent M. Losaria, Jesszon B. Cano
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