ABSTRACT

This study assessed ethical practices and organizational performance of hotels in Umuahia, the purpose of the study was to identify the trustworthiness that influence organizational performance of hotels in Umuahia, examine the extent of trustworthiness of staff that influence organizational performance in Umuahia, determine the challenges of applying moral principles in hotels in Umuahia and to identify the factors hindering the implementation moral principles in hotels in Umuahia. The study adopted descriptive survey research design, the sample size of the study was determined using multistage sampling technique, the instrument for data collection was questionnaire which was generated by the researcher based on the research objectives. The questionnaire was subjected to content validation by the supervisor and other lecturers in the department, to ensure that it measures what is required of it. The reliability of the instrument was tested using the Cronbach alpha reliability at 0.86 (p<0.05). The questionnaire distributed were collected and used for analysis of the data. The responses from the questionnaire was analyzed using simple percentage, frequency and mean. SPSS v.25 is the statistical tool used in the analysis. The result of the analysis revealed that there are ethical practices in hotels in Umuahia which included honesty 2.68±1.22, integrity 2.91±1.12, trustworthiness 2.94±1.18, loyalty and fairness 2.90±1.09, among others, the result also revealed that the ethical practices influencing organizational performance are treating customers fairly 2.82±1.24, no tolerance for harassment 2.87±1.19, ensuring privacy of data for customer and staffs 2.68±1.19, among others, the study also showed that dishonesty 2.92±1.14, personal ethics 2.91±1.13, societal challenge 2.89±1.15 and conflict of interest 2.91±1.13 were challenges to ethical practices application, the study also revealed that knowledge sharing barrier 2.85±1.10, self-interest 2.89±1.15, organizational subculture 2.87±1.19, customer expectation challenge 2.91±1.13 were factors hindering the ethical practices implementations. The study concluded that hotels that prioritize ethical behavior tend to experience higher customer loyalty, reduced employee turnover, and better financial outcomes, the study recommended development of a comprehensive code of ethics, implementation of regular training, establishing leadership commitment, regular performance and ethics audits, among others