617/1248 Corporate Social Responsibility

Unit L/617/1248 Corporate Social Responsibility

Level 4 15 Credits

Sample Assignment

Scenario

You are working for a well-known sports clothing manufacturer. Your company has recently received a lot of bad publicity because of investigations and reports in the press about human rights and conditions for workers in factories used by the company. Workers have reported abuse, low wages and poor physical working environments. There is a code of conduct for suppliers but no means of ensuring it is adhered to. This issue has caused the company to consider other corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues such as carbon neutrality and recycling. It has become apparent to senior managers that a CSR policy is needed but the Board must be convinced of this. You have been asked to write a report on current corporate social responsibility issues facing the business, which the senior management team will consider at their next meeting before discussing with the Board.

Task 1

Produce an explanatory report for the senior management team which covers the following:

• an analysis of the regulatory framework for CSR (AC1.1)
• an analysis of environmental issues in CSR (AC1.2)
• an analysis of social and community issues in CSR (AC1.3).

Merit task

To achieve a Merit, you must add a section to your report where you assess changing attitudes to CSR (AC1M1).

Distinction task

To achieve a Distinction, you must add a section to your report where you evaluate the success of a chosen organisation in managing CSR issues. This may be an organisation which you have worked for, or one that you can research. (AC1D1).

Task 2

Following submission of your report, the senior management team wish to understand the impact of corporate social responsibility policy on different stakeholders. They invite you to a meeting to discuss aspects of the impact. Prepare discussion notes in the form of detailed information on the following aspects so that you are prepared to present any or all of your responses verbally or in writing at the meeting:

1. Assess the benefits of CSR to our employees (AC2.1)
2. Analyse the impact of CSR on our supply chain (AC2.2)
3. Explain how a CSR policy will impact on the Senior Management Team and business performance (AC2.3)

Merit task

To achieve a Merit, you must add a section to your discussion notes where you assess the potential conflicts which may arise when we try to satisfy the needs and expectations of different stakeholders through our CSR policy. (AC2M1).

Task 3

At the meeting with senior managers, the Board of Directors agreed that a CSR policy will be developed. The senior managers want you to draft a brief for them to make recommendations to the Board for responsible business practice. They want you to do this by initially reviewing the CSR policy of a similar company.

You must choose a sports clothing manufacturer or another organisation that manufactures clothing and review its CSR policy. Produce a brief for the SMT to finalise and take to the Board. In the brief you must include:

• A review of the CSR policy of your chosen clothing manufacturer (AC3.1)

• Your recommended changes to the CSR policy to benefit the following groups of stakeholders
• suppliers
• customers
• employees
• environment

• community (AC3.2)
• An assessment of the potential impact of changes in CSR on business performance (AC3.3).

Distinction task

To achieve a Distinction, you must add a section to your brief where you assess the extent of voluntarism in CSR policies (AC3D1).

Guidelines for assessors

The assignments submitted by learners must achieve the learning outcomes and meet the standards specified by the assessment criteria for the unit. To achieve a merit or distinction grade, the learners must demonstrate that they have achieved all the criteria set for these grades. Where work for the pass standard is marginal, assessors can take account of any extension work completed by the learners. The suggested evidence listed below is how learners can demonstrate that they have met the required standards.

Task number	Assessment criteria	Suggested evidence PASS	Suggested evidence MERIT	Suggested evidence DISTINCTION
1.	1.1, 1.2 1.3, 1M1 1D1	The report must be in a format suitable for the senior management team. AC1.1: The student must break into parts and examine each part of the regulatory framework for CSR in a named country. The framework is likely to include health and safety, human rights and employment legislation. AC1.2: The student must identify the main environmental issues in CSR and examine each issue in detail. Reference to current research or theory may support the analysis. AC1.3: The student must examine a range of social and community issues in CSR which may include social enterprise, volunteering, employing socially disadvantaged and disabled people and sponsorship.	AC1M1: The student is likely to assess changing attitudes in terms of opportunities for the organisation, greater commitment by leadership and expectations from the wider community. The assessment must lead to judgements.	AC1D1: The student may require support in selecting a suitable organisation. The work produced must enable them to find sufficient information to make their own judgements about the organisation’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of its success in managing CSR issues.
2.	2.1, 2.2, 2.3 2M1	The discussion notes must be in a format suitable for the senior management team. AC2.1: The student must use available information to examine strengths and weaknesses and make a judgement about the benefits of CSR to employees. AC2.2: The student must identify and examine in detail each aspect of how CSR affects the supply chain. This is likely to include production, sourcing, transport and technology. AC2.3: The student must provide detailed, clear information about the impact a CSR policy has on how the SMT leads and manages an organisation including the potential impact on sales, profits, costs and return on investment.	AC2M1: The student must make a judgement about the possible conflicts and disagreements which may arise due to trying to satisfy the needs and expectations of all the different groups of stakeholders, via the CSR policy. This may include the use of profit for shareholder dividends or for reinvestment in the business, and disagreement over the areas which the organisation has chosen to support via the policy.
3.	3.1, 3.2, 3.3 3D1	AC3.1: The student must select an organisation with a CSR policy which the student can access. The assessor may need to guide the student to select an organisation with a suitable policy. The student must review the positive and negative aspects of the policy. AC3.2: The student may use the same CSR policy as in 3.1, or a different one. The policy used for 3.1 will be inappropriate if it is impossible to identify any aspects which require change. The student must suggest ways to improve the CSR policy for a range of different groups of stakeholders. AC3.3: The student must use information to make a judgement about the possible effects on business performance due to amendments and improvements to CSR. This is likely to include impacts on finances, risk management, public image and staff.		AC3D1: The student must use information to make a judgement about to extent to which voluntary practice and response to pressure groups impacts on the CSR policy.

• an analysis of the regulatory framework for CSR (AC1.1)

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Ecological consumer behaviour: an empirical analysis

Elena Fraj 

Eva Martinez

First published:09 November 2006

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2006.00565.x

Citations: 100

Elena Fraj, Facultad de Ciencias Economicas y Empresariales; Departamento de Economia y Direccion de Empresas; C/Gran Via, 2; 50005 Zaragoza, Spain. E‐mail: emartine@unizar.es; efraj@unizar.es

Elena Fraj has a PhD in Business and Economics Studies and Assistant Professor of Marketing, and Eva Martinez has a PhD in Business and Economics Studies and Senior‐Lecturer in Marketing.

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Abstract

Increasingly, consumers choose ecological products when they do the shopping, not only because it is a healthier option but also because it helps to sustain the environment for future generations. They are prepared to switch products for ecological reasons and stop buying products from companies that cause pollution. Firms and other economic institutions are aware of the importance of reflecting these attitudes towards the environment in developing their products. This paper is focused on environmental attitudes as meaningful predictor of ecological behaviour. A three‐dimensional approach to this variable has been developed, which addresses its emotional, cognitive and conative components. A random sample survey of 573 individuals was used to verify the conceptual model and framework. This model was assessed initially by principal factor analysis and subsequently, by structural equation modelling. Findings of this study showed that environmental attitudes have a significant effect on ecological behaviour. This research improves our understanding of how consumers feel and what attitudes best define their way of behaving in relation to environmental problems.