| Summary: | The debate on which functional area of tourism businesses should house business social responsibility (BSR) activities is ever increasing in a South African and global context. Tourism businesses are confused as to where and who should be responsible for BSR initiatives resulting in the BSR function being often allocated to unsuitable units to deal with. In an investigation to unpack this, tourism businesses were surveyed within the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Clustering and a stratification method were used. Managers and employees were purposely identified, resulting to 452 questionnaires being completed. Data was analyzed through the Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The Stakeholder and Critical Realism theories were also applied. The results indicate a preference placed on front desk departments to deal with BSR. Consequently this has to an extent increased transparency, led to a donor approach and a lack of fairness, raising important questions on empowerment and sustainability. Managers need to have clear objectives for their BSR initiatives and identify functional areas that match the identified objectives. The King Reports both III and IV, should ideally form the basis of BSR initiatives in South Africa.
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