1. SUSTAINABLE TOURISM MANAGEMENT (THM 104)
LECTURER: MAKACHA C
TOPIC :SUSTAINABILITY QUALITY CONTROL LEVELS

2. LECTURE 1 CODES OF CONDUCT
OBJECTIVES
By the end of the lecture students should be able to:
Define codes of conduct
Describe characteristics of codes of conduct
Describe weaknesses and strengths of codes of conduct

3. Definition of codes of conduct
Also known as codes of ethics
A set of guidelines that aims to influence the attitudes and behavior of those claiming adherence to it,(Weaver 2008).
Related to the call during the Rio Earth Summit in for voluntary participation by industry players .

4. Definitions continued
Codes of conduct can be industry oriented or those that are intended for all facets of the tourism industry.
e.g. PATA Environmental Code for Sustainable Tourism

5. Characteristics of codes of conduct
Commitment to protect the intergrity of the natural environment and relevant cultures.
Responsibility to take action to achieve sustainability through sound planning and management.
Should be done in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

6. Characteristics continued
Do not provide timelines or other indications as to when the directive s should be achieved
Almost always based on the principle of voluntary adherence as evidenced by the frequent use of conditional terms such as ‘encourage’, ‘urge’ ,‘should’ ,etc

7. Characteristics continued
Usually predicated on the principle of self regulation so that the member company is responsible for ensuring its own compliance.

8. Strengths of codes of conduct
A carrot rather than stick approach-internally regulated nature of codes of conduct makes it far more likely that organization members will sign on and thus commence their engagement with sustainability
Moral suasion-members are morally and ethically ,if not legally ,obligated to adhere to codes promulgated by their parent organization.
Pre-exemption of external and obligatory regulation.
Not costly to develop in terms of money and time
Easily understood and non controversial and provide basis for dialogue and common ground among those who adhere to the code

9. Weaknesses of codes of conduct
Lack of specific objectives or timelines means there is
no pressure to move expeditiously beyond vague actions
Self regulation or internally monitored compliance appe
ars to provide little assurance that the company or orga
nisation will critically assess its own performance
Lack of evidence that existing codes of conduct are
being monitored

10. Conclusion-codes of conduct
Codes of conduct are more likely to be successful where
the individual guidelines or clauses are understandable ,
reasonable and not too numerous but also relevant to the
ethic of sustainable tourism.