Rojan Baniya is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Tourism and Hospitality. His research focuses on Sustainable Tourist Behavior, Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Services Marketing.
Nationality: Nepali
Past Experience: Assistant Professor of Marketing in Kathmandu University School of Management, Senior Research Analyst/Statistician in MMGY Global, Research Project Manager in Brand Asset Consulting, Young & Rubicam
Past Education: B.S. in Computer Science and Statistics from Tribhuvan University Nepal, MBA from Kathmandu University School of Management, M.S. in Marketing Research from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Favorite UF experience: UF homecoming parade
Favorite project: Designing “Smart City Framework for Kathmandu” in Smart Tourism Class
Valuable Learning from EFTI and UF: Never do research for the sake of research, always look for the impact your research can create to the society - from his advisor.
Favorite travel experience: A memorable drive to Miami, spending two days in a conference there, and roaming late night in the electrified Miami streets purposelessly
Dream place to visit: Santorini, Greece. He is looking forward to seeing the sunset there!
Hobbies: Watching movies and cricket
Fun Fact: Seinfeld fan – he can watch Seinfeld any number of times
Corporate Social Responsibility Among Travel and Tour Operators in Nepal
Rojan Baniya, Brijesh Thapa, and Min-Seong Kim
Travel and tour operators (TTOs) have become increasingly and positively engaged in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) due to increased consumer awareness and responsible business practices. However, CSR engagement has not fully permeated the travel and tourism industry in Nepal as it is still considered ambiguous. There is a need to identify baseline knowledge, and to institute programs and policies for CSR engagement. This study formulated a conceptual model to empirically test the relationship between perceptions of CSR (comparative, benefits and favorability) and its association with the importance, participation and future engagement intentions among TTOs in Nepal. Data were collected via a questionnaire among TTO (n = 138) that were registered with the National Association of Tour and Travel Agents. Based on the results, CSR was deemed to be important due to customers’ favorability toward organizations that implemented related activities. This relationship influenced CSR participation and subsequently led to future intentions to engage. Overall, it was apparent that the TTOs which were essentially small and medium enterprises were focused on CSR implementation largely due to customers’ pressure and/or demand. This study provides knowledge to devise appropriate strategies to drive CSR implementation in the tourism industry via TTO in Nepal.
Keywords: travel and tour operators; corporate social responsibility; tourism industry; path analysis; South Asia
More about Rojan…
Rojan Baniya is a 4th-year Ph.D. student and graduate research fellow in the Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management, College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida (UF). He received his Masters’ in Marketing Research from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the US and Masters in Business Administration from Kathmandu University in Nepal. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Statistics from Tribhuvan University in Nepal.
Baniya has five years of academic experience and five years of industry experience in marketing research. Before joining the Ph.D. program at UF, he worked as Assistant Professor in marketing at Kathmandu University from 2013-2018. During the period, he led the Enterprise and Management Development Center - research, consulting, and training wing of the university. In the industry, he served as Senior Research Project Manager, Statistician in MMGY Global Inc. in Orlando, Florida from 2012-2013, as Research Project Manager in Brand Asset Consulting, Y&R, Madison Avenue, New York from 2010 – 2012, and as Marketing Research Analyst in Maritz Inc., St. Louis, Missouri from 2008 – 2009. During the period, he worked with Fortune 500 companies from various industries, including healthcare, financial services, technology, media/entertainment, travel and hospitality, retail, and e-commerce.
His research theme is within the nexus of tourism and hospitality, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability. His current research projects examine issues related to the environmental, socio-cultural, and economic sustainability within hospitality and tourism from customers’, organizational, government, and destination perspectives. He has served as an ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Services Marketing, International Journal of Retail and Distribution, and Sustainability, Sustainability, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
