Merging Paradigms: A Framework for Meeting the Goals of Sustainable Development and Corporate Sustainability for Cruise Industry Firms Matthew Szymanowicz A thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Marine Affairs University of Washington 2016 Committee: Marc L. Miller, Chair Elizabeth Stearns Program Authorized to Offer Degree: School of Marine and Environmental Affairs ©Copyright 2016 Matthew Szymanowicz University of Washington Abstract Merging Paradigms: A Framework for Meeting the Goals of Sustainable Development and Corporate Sustainability for Cruise Industry Firms Matthew Szymanowicz Chair of Supervisory Committee: Marc L. Miller School of Marine and Environmental Affairs The sustainable development paradigm has emerged in response to the impact of human activities on nature and society. Governments seek to balance economic development, environmental protection, and social concerns in their decision making process. Industry has also taken paradigmatic steps to achieve corporate sustainability through consideration for people, planet, and profits. These two initiatives are notable in cruise industry firms who are adjusting to demands for accountability and transparency of their business operations. A literature review provides the underpinning theory for sustainable development and corporate sustainability. The Capital Values Sustainability Framework is proposed as a conceptual model for use by individual firms engaged with sustainability initiatives. Focusing on the cruise industry, this thesis provides an assessment of sustainability reporting of 22 firms. In order to test the application of the proposed framework, a qualitative analysis of Carnival Corporation & PLC’s sustainability efforts is provided. Results indicate inconsistency in cruise industry firms reporting on sustainability performance. Two market segments are identified with considerably different reporting mechanisms. The proposed conceptual framework is useful for analyzing corporate sustainability initiatives relative to desired sustainable development outcomes. This framework provides a model for assessment and may prove valuable for firms developing sustainability initiatives that achieve both the business goals for corporate sustainability and the long-term intergenerational equity goals of sustainable development. Merging Paradigms: A Framework for Meeting the Sustainable Development & Corporate Sustainability Goals of Cruise Industry Firms LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................................. III LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................................... III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................................... V INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 PLAN FOR THIS THESIS ............................................................................................................................................... 3 PART I: SUPPORTING INFORMATION & LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................. 5 CHAPTER 1: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN MARINE AND COASTAL TOURISM ....................................................... 7 1.1 The Sustainable Development Paradigm ........................................................................................................ 7 1.2 Coastal and Marine Tourism .......................................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Sustainable Tourism ..................................................................................................................................... 10 1.4 Tourism System Frameworks ........................................................................................................................ 13 CHAPTER 2: CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY .............................................................................................................. 17 2.1 The Corporate Sustainability Paradigm ....................................................................................................... 17 2.2 Stakeholder Theory ....................................................................................................................................... 18 2.3 Corporate Social Responsibility ................................................................................................................... 20 2.4 Triple Bottom Line Accounting ..................................................................................................................... 22 2.5 Social and Environmental Reporting ............................................................................................................ 23 2.6 The Business Case for Corporate Sustainability .......................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 3: THE CAPITAL VALUES SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK......................................................................... 31 PART II: CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY OF CRUISE INDUSTRY FIRMS ............................................. 39 CHAPTER 4: THE CRUISE INDUSTRY ......................................................................................................................... 41 4.1 Cruise Industry Brokers ................................................................................................................................ 41 4.2 Governing Regulations of Cruise Tourism ................................................................................................... 43 4.3 Environmental, Social, and Economic Impacts of Cruise Tourism .............................................................. 44 CHAPTER 5: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF CRUISE INDUSTRY SUSTAINABILITY ...................................................... 51 5.1 Exploratory Study: Content Analysis Methods ............................................................................................. 52 5.2 Exploratory Study: Content Analysis Results ............................................................................................... 56 5.3 Capital Values Sustainability Framework Assessment ................................................................................. 65 CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION OF KEY FINDINGS ............................................................................................................. 71 6.1 Key Findings ................................................................................................................................................. 71 6.2 Applying the Capital Values Sustainability Framework ............................................................................... 74 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................................... 77 LITERATURE CITED ............................................................................................................................................. 81 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................................................. 1 i ii List of Figures FIGURE 1: THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM (ADAPTED FROM SACHS, 2015) ............................................ 7 FIGURE 2: TOURIST DESTINATION LIFE CYCLE (BUTLER, 1980) .................................................................................. 11 FIGURE 3: THE HUMAN-ARTIFACTUAL-NATURAL SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK (MILLER ET AL., 2015) .............................. 14 FIGURE 4: THE BROKER-LOCAL-TOURIST (MILLER AND AUYONG, 1990) ................................................................... 15 FIGURE 5: THE CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY PARADIGM (ADAPTED FROM ELKINGTON, 1998) .................................. 18 FIGURE 6: THE CAPITAL VALUES SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK ................................................................................ 32 FIGURE 7: LARGE-SHIP CRUISE FIRMS OFFICIAL SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING ............................................................ 59 FIGURE 8: SMALL-SHIP SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING ON FIRM WEBSITES ................................................................... 62 List of Tables TABLE 1: METHOD FOR CVSF IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................................................ 37 TABLE 2: ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CRUISE INDUSTRY OPERATIONS........................... 45 TABLE 3: CRUISE FIRM SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING CONTENT ANALYSIS STRUCTURE ............................................. 54 TABLE 4: CRUISE FIRM SAMPLE (N=22) ...................................................................................................................... 55 TABLE 5: SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING OF SMALL AND LARGE-SHIP CRUISE FIRMS VIA OFFICIAL REPORTS ............... 57 TABLE 6: CONTENT ANALYSIS OF TWO SMALL-SHIP CRUISE FIRM'S OFFICIAL SUSTAINABILITY REPORTS ................. 58 TABLE 7: SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING OF SMALL AND LARGEE-SHIP CRUISE FIRMS VIA WEBSITES .......................... 61 iii iv Acknowledgements The completion of this thesis