IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/anture/v116y2026ics0160738325002075.html

Tour guides as climate change agents: Conceptualizing meaningful work through agency theory in precarious employment

Author

Listed:
  • Doan, Tin
  • Ta, Luong
  • Cao, Trong-Hop
  • Nguyen, Mai
  • Baum, Tom

Abstract

This paper addresses the mediating role of tour guides in educating tourists in climate sensitive regions. This role can be crucial in educating tourists about climate change and promoting environmentally responsible behaviour. However, tour guides frequently work under precarious employment conditions, such as freelancers, casual workers, or task-based labourers, which offer limited job security, benefits, or formal employment rights. Climate sensitivity offers opportunity to add meaning to work that tour guides undertake. Employing agency theory, this study addresses the gap in understanding how tour guides find meaning in their work as climate change advocates through indepth interviews with 43 casual-work tour guides. Findings reveal tour guides in climate-sensitive regions find significant meaning in their work as climate change advocates.

Suggested Citation

  • Doan, Tin & Ta, Luong & Cao, Trong-Hop & Nguyen, Mai & Baum, Tom, 2026. "Tour guides as climate change agents: Conceptualizing meaningful work through agency theory in precarious employment," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:anture:v:116:y:2026:i:c:s0160738325002075
    DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2025.104101
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738325002075
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.annals.2025.104101?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matthew Lamont & Millicent Kennelly & Betty Weiler, 2018. "Volunteers as tour guides: a stakeholder–agency theory case study," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(1), pages 58-77, January.
    2. Michael Quinlan, 2012. "The ‘Pre-Invention’ of Precarious Employment: The Changing World of Work in Context," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 23(4), pages 3-24, November.
    3. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 2008. "Theory of the firm: managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 48(2), April.
    4. Nabeel Younus Ansari & Muhammad Farrukh & Ali Raza, 2021. "Green human resource management and employees pro‐environmental behaviours: Examining the underlying mechanism," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 229-238, January.
    5. Knut Laaser & Jan Ch Karlsson, 2022. "Towards a Sociology of Meaningful Work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(5), pages 798-815, October.
    6. Houge Mackenzie, Susan & Raymond, Eliza, 2020. "A conceptual model of adventure tour guide well-being," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    7. Beadle, Ron & Knight, Kelvin, 2012. "Virtue and Meaningful Work," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(2), pages 433-450, April.
    8. Catherine Bailey & Marjolein Lips‐Wiersma & Adrian Madden & Ruth Yeoman & Marc Thompson & Neal Chalofsky, 2019. "The Five Paradoxes of Meaningful Work: Introduction to the special Issue ‘Meaningful Work: Prospects for the 21st Century’," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 481-499, May.
    9. Blake A. Allan & Cassondra Batz-Barbarich & Haley M. Sterling & Louis Tay, 2019. "Outcomes of Meaningful Work: A Meta‐Analysis," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 500-528, May.
    10. Pirani, Elena & Salvini, Silvana, 2015. "Is temporary employment damaging to health? A longitudinal study on Italian workers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 121-131.
    11. Bykov, Andrey, 2024. "A Sociological Perspective on Meaningful Work: Community versus Autonomy," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 34(3), pages 409-439, July.
    12. Rydzik, Agnieszka & Kissoon, Chavan Sharma, 2022. "The shaping of the neoliberal worker: Socialisation of young adults through flexible hospitality work," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    13. Brooklyn Rushton & Michelle Rutty, 2023. "Gaining insight from the most challenging expedition: climate change from the perspective of Canadian mountain guides," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(23), pages 3903-3915, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mai Chi Vu & Roger Gill, 2023. "Are Leaders Responsible for Meaningful Work? Perspectives from Buddhist-Enacted Leaders and Buddhist Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(2), pages 347-370, October.
    2. Caleb Bernacchio, 2021. "Virtue Beyond Contract: A MacIntyrean Approach to Employee Rights," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(2), pages 227-240, June.
    3. Nikolova, Milena & Cnossen, Femke, 2020. "What makes work meaningful and why economists should care about it," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    4. Sandrine Frémeaux & François Henry, 2023. "Temporality and meaningful entrepreneurship," Post-Print hal-04336897, HAL.
    5. Akram Hatami & Aldona Glińska-Neweś & Jan Hermes, 2025. "Experiencing Meaningful Work through Corporate Volunteering: The Other as a Source of Meaning," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 215-239, August.
    6. Ladkin, Adele & Mooney, Shelagh & Solnet, David & Baum, Tom & Robinson, Richard & Yan, Hongmin, 2023. "A review of research into tourism work and employment: Launching the Annals of Tourism Research curated collection on tourism work and employment," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    7. Rai, Arpana & Kim, Minseo & Singh, Sanjay Kumar, 2023. "Meaningful work from ethics perspective: Examination of ethical antecedents and outcomes of meaningful work," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    8. Evgenia I. Lysova & Jennifer Tosti-Kharas & Christopher Michaelson & Luke Fletcher & Catherine Bailey & Peter McGhee, 2023. "Ethics and the Future of Meaningful Work: Introduction to the Special Issue," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(4), pages 713-723, July.
    9. Michele L. Heath & Erika N. Williams & William Luse, 2024. "Breaches and buffers: Can meaningful work impact turnover during COVID-19 pandemic?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 83-104, January.
    10. Divinus Oppong-Tawiah & Xerxes Minocher & Farzam Boroomand & Jane Webster, 2025. "Meaningful Work as an Ethical Approach: Shaping the Next Generation of Organizational Gamification," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 27(3), pages 941-964, June.
    11. Robichau Robbie Waters & Sandberg Billie & Russo Andrew, 2024. "Beyond “Psychic Income”: An Exploration of Interventions to Address Work-Life Imbalances, Burnout, and Precarity in Contemporary Nonprofit Work," Nonprofit Policy Forum, De Gruyter, vol. 15(2), pages 139-152, April.
    12. Samo, Andrew, 2025. "Modeling meaningful work: A complementary variable- and person-centered approach to the psychometric structure of meaningful work," OSF Preprints txawv_v1, Center for Open Science.
    13. Mai Chi Vu & Nicholas Burton, 2022. "The Influence of Spiritual Traditions on the Interplay of Subjective and Normative Interpretations of Meaningful Work," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(2), pages 543-566, October.
    14. Rojas, Alejandra & Gölgeci, Ismail & Santoro, Gabriele, 2025. "Navigating meaningful work: Exploring the impact of mobile telepresence robots on healthcare professionals," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    15. Matthew D. Deeg & Douglas R. May, 2022. "The Benefits to the Human Spirit of Acting Ethically at Work: The Effects of Professional Moral Courage on Work Meaningfulness and Life Well-Being," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(2), pages 397-411, November.
    16. Mohammed T. Abusharbeh, 2024. "Technology-Profitability Paradox in Banking Sector: Evidence from Palestine," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 14855-14873, September.
    17. Barbara Su, 2023. "Banking practices and borrowing firms’ financial reporting quality: evidence from bank cross-selling," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 201-236, March.
    18. Yeon‐Koo Che & Kathryn E. Spier, 2008. "Strategic judgment proofing," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 39(4), pages 926-948, December.
    19. Ichev, Riste & Valentinčič, Aljoša, 2025. "The effect of impact investing on performance of private firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PA).
    20. Alfred C. Korir & Prof. Thomas Cheruiyot, PhD & Prof. Philip Bii, 2025. "The Effect of Board Tenure and CEO Duality on Firm Performance of Companies Listed in Nairobi’s Stock Exchange," European Journal of Business and Strategic Management, International Peer Review Journals and Books, vol. 10(5), pages 31-43.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:anture:v:116:y:2026:i:c:s0160738325002075. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/annals-of-tourism-research/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.