Obligation as a relationship antecedent: A qualitative case study of the Las Vegas community

• Main Author: Strauss, Jessalynn Rosalia
• Language: en_US
• Published: University of Oregon 2011
• Subjects: Las Vegas (Nev.); Obligation; Nevada; Moral obligation; Nonprofit organizations; Relationship antecedents; Gaming industry; Corporate social responsibility; Ethics; Management; Communication; Recreation
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11183

xvi, 207 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. === This research develops Broom, Casey and Ritchey's (1997) concept of relationship antecedents, suggesting moral obligation as a non-consequential relationship antecedent. By using Bivins's (2009) classification of moral and functional obligations, this research suggests that nonprofit managers perceive a moral obligation on the part of gaming corporations to establish relationships that can benefit the local community. Where a functional obligation would affect the corporation's ability to do business, the moral obligation is non-consequential and falls outside the parameters of the six consequential relationship antecedents identified by Grunig and Huang (2000). Business ethicists have long debated the need for corporate social responsibility, broadly defined as the idea that a corporation has a responsibility to society separate from its profit-making obligation to stockholders. This research looks at corporate social responsibility in the gaming industry in Las Vegas, examining nonprofit managers' expectations for these corporations to contribute to the local community. This study examines through qualitative interviews these managers' perceptions about the responsibility of gaming corporations to participate in and give back to the local community. This research also sheds light on Las Vegas, NV, recognized more often for its architecture and cultural zeitgeist than for the contours of its community. A background section on Las Vegas history and its development as a tourist destination provides context for an examination of the ways Las Vegas's nonprofit organizations interact with the city's dominant industry. Nonprofit managers perceive gaming corporations as under- involved in the local community; in addition, they believe the community is under- informed about these efforts, potentially leading to a low level of civic engagement. This research also examines corporate social responsibility in the context of the economic downturn that began September 2008. Because Las Vegas's economy is so heavily dependent on the gaming and tourism industries, the city provides an excellent location in which to examine how economic forces affect corporate social responsibility efforts. The significant decline in CSR from the gaming corporations, as reported by nonprofit managers. suggests an orientation to CSR that is more functional than moral. === Committee in charge: Patricia Curtin, Chairperson, Journalism and Communication; Tiffany Gallicano, Member, Journalism and Communication; Thomas Bivins, Member, Journalism and Communication; Renee Irvin, Outside Member, Planning Public Policy & Mgmt