The Effect of Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility (ECSR) Messages on The Participation Intention of ECSR Programs: An Empirical Investigation of Chinese Travelers in Hong Kong

This study examines the responses of Chinese travelers to a hotel’s message that asks them to participate in its ECSR (CSR related to environmental protection) program. Given the collectivistic and long-term-oriented nature of Chinese travelers according to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, this study designs three messages that (1) merely ask these travelers to participate in the ECSR program (i.e., control), (2) request for their participation while simultaneously highlighting that many of other hotel guests have participated in such program in the past (i.e., descriptive norm DN), and (3) request for their participation while mentioning the potential benefits of this program for the future(i.e., future potential benefit FPB). Results show that Chinese travelers respond to FPB messages most favorably, followed by DN and control messages. The findings of this study provide meaningful implications for the literature and the industry practitioners.