Corporate Governance and Environmental Citizenship in Global Hospitality: A Cross-National Empirical Study

Leonard A. Jackson ()
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Leonard A. Jackson: Michael A Leven School of Management, Entrepreneurship and Hospitality, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-24

Abstract: The hospitality industry’s global reach and resource-intensive operations have placed it under growing scrutiny for environmental impact. This empirical study examines how corporate governance influences corporate environmental citizenship (CEC) among eight major hotel companies across North America, Europe, and Asia from 2020 to 2023. Drawing on agency, stakeholder, institutional, and legitimacy theories, the study hypothesizes that stronger governance—measured by board independence, separation of CEO and Chair roles (non-duality), and ownership concentration—positively relates to environmental performance. A panel dataset of 32 firm-year observations is analyzed using regression models. The results show that higher board independence and greater ownership concentration are associated with significantly improved CEC index scores, while CEO duality corresponds with weaker environmental performance. The findings represent one of the first cross-national empirical demonstrations of governance–CEC links in hospitality, offering theoretical insights and practical guidance. Overall, the evidence suggests that robust governance mechanisms can serve as catalysts for environmental stewardship in the hotel sector.

Keywords: corporate governance; environmental performance; hospitality industry; corporate environmental citizenship; sustainability; board independence; CEO duality; ownership structure; stakeholder theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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