Ethics, workforce practices and sustainability by multinationals in Nigeria

Purpose This paper aims to carry out a thematic review of literature on ethics, governance and sustainable practices with regard to workforce engagement and development in the Nigerian hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach The review covered the available conceptual and empirical research articles along with a number of alternative sources containing helpful information, such as industry reports and news articles. The review suggests that, for the Nigerian hospitality industry, extant research on ethics, governance and sustainability with regard to workforce management can be categorized into five themes adapted from the categorization of ethical constructs in the work of Tucker et al. (1999) on codes of conduct. These five themes are integrity, equality, economic efficiency and equivalence, distributive and contributive justice and environmental concern. Findings There appeared to be a high incidence of unethical behaviour in the industry, the most common being maltreatment by employers and dishonesty of employees. Research limitations/implications Impressions derived from the study could be inaccurate, given the dearth of research publications in this regard in Nigeria. More empirical research must be done to better understand where industry players need help to be more responsible and sustainable in their business practices and in the way they engage and develop their workforce. Practical implications A number of recommendations were made regarding how to entrench ethics and sustainability in hospitality organizations and to develop the workforce in line with this. Originality/value The paper is important because of the high reliance on people for competitive advantage in this industry.