Body Shop Corporate Communication Report

Running head: BODY SHOP CORPORATE COMMUNICATION REPORT 1
Body Shop Corporate Communication Report
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

BODY SHOP CORPORATE COMMUNICATION REPORT 2
Body Shop Corporate Communication Report
Executive Summary
Companies around the world are in one way or another participating in corporate social
responsibility (CSR). Those who ignore such activities are always facing numerous challenges
such as riots, strikes, and pressure from activists. The success of social responsibility activities
depends on how an organization understands CSR issues management. This paper details
corporate communication for the Body Shop Company and how its CSR programs addresses
interest and rights of its stakeholders such as customers, employees, investors, Stockholders, and
environment. The company has numerous programs that champion for the rights and interest of
both human and animals. The paper details out what CSR and issues management means and
how they integrate. The theories such as stakeholder theory and rhetorical theory have been used
to understand CSR issues management. Additionally, the paper has discussed CSR practices and
communication within the Body Shop in relations to CSR programs. The paper identifies various
roles of CSR and issues management and the consistency of the communication message used by
Body Shop. The company has maintained a consistent message about being dedicated to socially
responsible programs. However, every stakeholder gets the specific and consistent message that
addresses his or her unique interests and rights. Finally, the paper gives particular
recommendations on some of the areas that the company needs to improve to continue being
competitive in the market.
Table of Contents

BODY SHOP CORPORATE COMMUNICATION REPORT 3
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Integrating CSR and Issues Management....................................................................................................4
Stakeholder Theory.................................................................................................................................4
Theory Surrounding Issues Management....................................................................................................5
System Theory on Issue Management.....................................................................................................5
CSR Issues Management.............................................................................................................................6
Role of CSR within Body Shop...................................................................................................................6
Role of CSR Issues Management for Body Shop........................................................................................8
The consistency of Body Shop communication messages...........................................................................9
Evaluation of Communication in Body Shop and Specific Recommendations..........................................10
Recommendation.......................................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................12
Introduction
Nearly every company has recognized the need and the benefit of taking part in corporate
social responsibility. Businesses are expected to be socially responsible, which is widely known

BODY SHOP CORPORATE COMMUNICATION REPORT 4
as the corporate social responsibility (CSR) (Oyvind, Bartlett, & May, 2014). Businesses are
expected to take care of social and environmental concerns in their operations as well as in their
interactions with all the stakeholders. In the current world, stakeholders require organizations to
communicate their position regarding social responsibility. For instance, 50% of the US
consumers have boycotted products of companies that offer poor customer service, low-quality
products, and actions that are not sound to the environment (Nylander, 2010). This demonstrates
the need for issues management regarding CSR issues that organizations face. Issues
management is supposed to be done openly and in a transparent manner. The way problems are
managed differentiates a major crisis from the manageable situation. This paper is a report on
CSR and corporate communication strategy used by Body Shop Company.
Integrating CSR and Issues Management
Corporate social responsibility and issues management has become part of the
contemporary businesses. It is nearly impossible for any business to maintain its competitive
advantage without taking part in CSR programs. However, CSR has various risks and issues that
when not properly managed can plunge the business into more problem (Brønn & Brønn, 2002).
Through issue management, companies can define their strategies on the best way to respond to
activities groups who always complain about a stricter control on the activities of the business.
Consequently, CSR and issues management are mostly integrated to give the business an
opportunity to address emerging issues before they get to the public (Ranängen, 2017). There are
specific theories that best describe corporate social responsibility and issues management.
Stakeholder Theory
According to the stakeholder theory, organizations are expected to constitute groups in
the society apart from the shareholders and operate beyond what the law and regulation require.