Impact of CSR on Aston Chemicals

This assignment examines the potential impact of incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices within Aston Chemicals, a small organization with 37 employees. The research involved developing a project management plan, conducting a survey of 20 employees to gauge their support for CSR initiatives, and utilizing thematic analysis to interpret the findings. The aim was to determine how CSR implementation could contribute to Aston Chemicals' sustainable goals and mitigate its environmental impact.

Managing Successful
Business Project

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Research Title: “Implementing CSR activities within organisation to meet sustainable
objectives”........................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1) Project aims and objectives...................................................................................................3
P2) Project Management Plan......................................................................................................4
P3) Work Breakdown structure and Gantt Chart.........................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8
P4) Small Scale Research............................................................................................................8
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................11
P5) Analysis of research and data .............................................................................................11
P6) Recommendations based on the research............................................................................18
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................19
P7) Value of undertaking the research.......................................................................................19
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................19
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RESEARCH TITLE: “IMPLEMENTING CSR ACTIVITIES WITHIN
ORGANISATION TO MEET SUSTAINABLE OBJECTIVES”
INTRODUCTION
Businesses have different kinds of functions and operations that have to be executed in a
strategic manner so that objectives and aims which have been designed by leader can be
accomplished. Successful business projects can be handled effectively with incorporation of
corporate social responsibility. In this report, the basic aims, objectives and the research related
questions have been described. A small scale research has been conducted for the company
Aston Chemicals. It is an organisation that works as the chemical distributor with 31 employees
at present. Being a small scale organisation, this company provided speciality chemicals and
basic raw materials to the personal care industry of Europe. This research shall depict the
contribution and impact CSR activities will have in meeting sustainability and the business
objectives for the company.
TASK 1
P1) Project aims and objectives
Sustainability is a state or phase which is achieved by an entity when any action or
reaction produced by this entity doesn't affect the environment or the individuals residing in the
same (Martinuzzi and Krumay, 2013). Following are the aim, objective and the research
questions which will help in guiding and enlightening different activities during the research.
Aims:
To understand and analyse the impact on organisation and its sustainable objectives when
implementing activities according to corporate social responsibility.
Objectives:
Objectives are stepping stones which help in aligning the different research based
operations with the aim of the project. For every business organisation it is important to have
some objectives so that actual purpose of functioning is obtained.
 To recognise the conceptual elements of CSR.
 To know the relation between competitive advantages and CSR for the business.
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 To identify the impact of implementing CSR activities within business objectives of
Aston Chemicals.
Research questions:
Research questions are the links which are created by researcher for exploring every
corner of the research project and bring in more depth in the information that is to be acquired.
Following research questions have been developed for this concerned project.
 Explains meaning of CSR within the organisation context?
 What is the importance of CSR for Aston Chemicals?
 How is CSR helping the organisation?
 What are the various methods through which CSR activities can be applied in Aston
Chemicals?
 In what ways Aston Chemicals will be able to achieve its sustainable objectives when
considering CSR?
P2) Project Management Plan
The document which provides the basic information and detailed description regarding
the complete processing and execution of the project is considered as the project management
plan. It has to be created by covering different aspects like scope, cost, time, quality,
communications, resources and the associated risks (Crane and Matten, 2016). The decisions and
assumptions which have to be made for these issues are according to the project management
plan. For this research on Aston Chemicals, following project management plan has been
devised.
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The purpose of the project management is to generate a value proposition associated with
this project. The entire team that is working on this particular research must be able to deliver
their best and provide authentic research which can be assessed only through a systematic
approach. The type of work and the deliverables related with the research are also depicted
through project management planning. Specific timeline is developed that provides a clear idea
about when each task has to be executed.
Scope: There are two types of scope related when considering project management.
These are product scope and project scope. For this research, the concerned element is project
research and it helps in evaluating the work or task that will be accomplished for delivering the
desired outcome (Too and Weaver, 2014). The functions related with this research have been
depicted in this project management plan which automatically defines the scope.
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Cost: Investments and monetary support is always required by the organisation for aiding
the processing the project requirements. An in-depth analysis of the assets and liabilities is
performed which further helps in understanding whether project costs are bearable or not
(Arjaliès and Mundy, 2013). For Aston Chemicals, the implementation of CSR activities is not a
costly project. It can be fulfilled by using company assets.
Time: The timeline has been divided according to the 14 week structure which has been
depicted clearly in the project management plan.
Quality: The consistency of the services and products is beneficial for the organisation in
terms of customer satisfaction. Similarly, there has to be a consistency in the flow of information
and activities in the project for maintaining the quality. The processes and activities related with
this project have to be managed efficiently.
Communication: Aston Chemicals despite of being a small scale enterprise, has many
stakeholders. Any action or decision taken by the company has some impact over the
stakeholders. Hence, every aspect of the project management plan has to be discussed with these
individuals (Rangan, Chase and Karim, 2015). Furthermore, the communications management
amongst the team members of the concerned project helps in executing respective task without
any hindrances.
Resources: Resources are the elements which will be required at different points of time
for facilitating the various functions of the research. It is important to communicate these
requirements to the stakeholders so that objectives can be accomplished. Human skills,
information technology requirements and the necessary inventory for the purpose are evaluated
in this classification.
Risk: The recognition, analysis and evaluation of the elements that can cause a blockage
to the project is risk management. When considering the implementation of CSR is the important
organisation functioning, there is no such risk related (Loorbach and Wijsman, 2013). But still
the organisation has to allocate certain time for the overcoming the risks or finding a solution to
the issues which may occur during execution.
P3) Work Breakdown structure and Gantt Chart
It is used in project management planning for getting a detailed understanding about the
different elements included in the prepared plan. The responsibilities and duties which are related
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with each and every task are easily accommodated amongst different team members. Total scope
of the entire project is further bifurcated for meeting the aim and objectives (SILvIuS and et. al.,
2012).
Following is the Gantt Chart that was followed according to the project management plan.
Activity We
ek 1
We
ek
2
We
ek 3
Wee
k 4
Wee
k 5
We
ek
6
We
ek
7
We
ek
8
We
ek 9
Wee
k 10
We
ek
11
We
ek
12
We
ek
13
We
ek
14
Reading Literature
Developing
objectives
Drafting the literature
review
Producing the
research proposal
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Drafting research
methodology
Developing
questionnaire
Recording and
collecting data
Analysing and
interpreting data
Drafting the recorded
information
Completing
remaining tasks
Submitting the draft
report to professor
Receiving feedbacks
Making corrections
Producing final
report and
submission
TASK 2
P4) Small Scale Research
In order to conduct a small scale research, it is important to jot down the different
methodologies and respective components which will be applied for conducting the research.
Type of investigation: Qualitative research is based on extracting information in terms of
quality without focusing on the quantities while qualitative research is completely based on the
collection of large quantities of information and then extracting the useful data (Jamali, El Dirani
and Harwood, 2015). The type of investigation that is chosen for this research is qualitative and
limited to a small scale.
Research Philosophy: The basic essence of research philosophy is limited to the source,
characteristics and progress which will be addressed in terms of knowledge. All the beliefs and
assumptions that are catered in this process of research have to be valid and authentic.
Pragmatism, positivism, realism and interpretivism are the major research philosophies. For this
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research, interpretivism philosophy is adopted for gaining in-depth knowledge through small
samples and qualitative information (Silvius and Schipper, 2014).
Research Design: The purpose of the project or research is the first component which
helps in choosing the research design. For this research, descriptive design is chosen as the study
is facilitated by human participation.
Research Approach: Data collection pattern differs from one research to another
depending on the suitability and feasibility for gaining the best outcomes. When generalised
theories are used then deductive approach is initiated while when specific issues are considered
then inductive approach is said to be used (Baumgartner, 2014). The aim and objectives are
accomplished in an efficient manner if such effective research approaches are adopted.
Data collection methods: Primary and secondary research methods are the sources of
data. A questionnaire has been formulated for conducting the primary research while the
secondary research shall be performed using published sources and articles which are present
over the internet and in different sources.
Sampling: The number or unit of individuals that are to be subjected or will be
addressing the primary research are considered as sample. Choosing and deriving the right
amount of sample is considered as sampling. The current research is facilitated with 20
employees (Córdoba and Piki, 2012).
Data Analysis: There are different approaches of conducting data analysis. It is important
that the concerned analysis is performed in accordance to the aims and objectives of the research.
Thematic analysis method has been chosen for this research. It helps in analysing the data
according to the frequency of response and the graphical interpretation which is acquired from
the same (Nwagbara and Reid, 2013).
QUESTIONNAIRE
Name:__________________
Age: ________
Gender: ___________
1) Do you consider CSR as an important aspect in achieving sustainability?
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 Yes
 No
2) Can application of CSR principles in the organisational dynamics enhance profitability?
 Yes
 No
3) Mark the level of agreement with the fact that CSR helps in facilitating the sustainable
objectives.
 Highly agree
 Moderately agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
4) According to you, what factor is the most important when considering CSR.
 Ethical governance
 Concerns for environmental balance
 Developing interest of stakeholders
 All of the above
5) Mark the component that is highly essential for successful application of CSR principles.
 Organisational support
 Assessment of environmental impact
 Developing stakeholder involvement in decision making
 All of the above
6) Do you consider CSR as an important aspect in building strong corporate image?
 Yes
 No
7) Can Aston Chemicals gain competitive advantage with help of CSR activities?
 Yes
 No
 Don't know
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TASK 3
P5) Analysis of research and data
The questionnaire which has been developed before is used for gathering data from 20
employees. The analysis of this research is conducted through use of thematic analysis
technique. Following is the data interpretation and analysis according to the response acquired
from each theme.
Theme 1:Consideration of CSR as an important aspect for achieving sustainability
Do you consider CSR as an important aspect in achieving
sustainability? Number of respondents
Yes 17
No 3
Interpretation:
11
17
3
Consideration of CSR in achieving sustainability
Yes
No

The above depicted pie chart describes the response which was acquired from 20
employees of Aston Chemicals. It is evaluated that 17 employees responded positively for the
fact that CSR helps in achieving sustainability. On the other hand, 3 employees did not agree
with this fact. The majority response depicts that for attaining sustainability that is continuous
achievement, company has to move with corporate social responsibility.
Theme 2: Enhancing profitability through application of CSR principles in the organisational
dynamics
Can application of CSR principles in the organisational dynamics
enhance profitability? Number of respondents
Yes 13
No 7
Interpretation:
Profitability is one of the functions of internal environment (Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund
and Hansen, 2012). The pie chart depicts agreement of employees when considering the
12
13
7
Enhancing profitability through application of CSR
Yes
No

application of CSR principles in the organisational dynamics for enhancing profitability. It was
assessed that out of 20 employees, 13 responded positively which shows and agreement while 7
individuals did not agree with this fact. Corporate social responsibility definitely adds value to
the profitability levels.
Theme 3: CSR helps in achieving sustainable objectives
Mark the level of agreement with the fact that CSR helps in
facilitating the sustainable objectives. Number of respondents
Highly agree 4
Moderately agree 5
Neutral 2
Disagree 3
Strongly disagree 6
Interpretation:
13
4
5
2
3
6
CSR helping in achieving sustainable objectives
Highly agree
Moderately agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree

The pie chart depicts the variable responses of 20 employees on asking about the
contribution of CSR in accomplishing sustainable objectives. It was realised that 4 individuals
highly agreed with the fact while 5 had moderate agreement. However, 2 were neutral about the
subject and 3 individuals disagreed. There was strong disagreement depicted by 6 employees.
Overall response of all the employees depicted that it is possible for the company to attain
sustainable objectives with or without CSR.
Theme 4: Factor highly important for CSR
According to you, what factor is the most important when
considering CSR. Number of respondents
Ethical governance 3
Concerns for environmental balance 2
Developing interest of stakeholders 1
All of the above 14
Interpretation:
14
3
2
1
14
Factors important for CSR
Ethical governance
Concerns for environmental
balance
Developing interest of
stakeholders
All of the above

There are different components of corporate social responsibility. When 20 employees
were asked about their opinion regarding the factors of CSR, 3 agreed with ethical governance, 2
marked as concerns for environmental balance, 1 employee agreed with developing interest of
stakeholders and rest others marked all of the above. This depicts that corporate social
responsibility is completely based on all these factors.
Theme 5: Component highly essential for successful application of CSR principles
Mark the component that is highly essential for successful
application of CSR principles. Number of respondents
Organisational support 3
Assessment of environmental impact 4
Developing stakeholder involvement in decision making 3
All of the above 10
Interpretation:
Before implementing any sort of new strategy or methodology, it is important to
understand the the basic components which will lead to successful implementation. The support
from internal components of the company, evaluation and assessment of environmental impact
15
3
4
3
10
Highly essential component for successful application of CSR
principles
Organisational support
Assessment of environmental
impact
Developing stakeholder
involvement in decision
making
All of the above

and encouragement of stakeholder involvement in decision making. Out of 20 employees, 3
agreed with first option, 4 with the second and 3 agreed with third option as the main component.
On the other hand, 10 employees agreed with all of the above. This implies that when successful
application of CSR principles are considered then it is important to cater support from all of the
given options so that overall success can be generated.
Theme 6:CSR as an important component in building strong corporate image
Do you consider CSR as an important aspect in building strong
corporate image? Number of respondents
Yes 15
No 5
Interpretation:
The above pie chart describes the response of 20 employees when asked about their
agreement about the build up of a strong corporate image of the company. Every business
organisation has to adopt strategies which are helpful in building a positive brand image in the
eyes of customers. When implementing CSR, 15 employees of Aston Chemicals considered that
corporate image will be enhanced while other 5 did not agree with this point. But the basics of
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15
5
Building strong corporate image through CSR
Yes
No

corporate social responsibility principles depict that organisation has improvised corporate
image.
Theme 7: Gaining competitive advantage through CSR activities
Can Aston Chemicals gain competitive advantage with help
of CSR activities? Number of respondents
Yes 11
No 7
Don't know 2
Interpretation:
Competitive advantage is a situation in which there is not much risk or threat from the
competition to the company in the current operational markets. The above given pie chart depicts
response of employees when asked about receiving competitive advantage with help of CSR
activities. 11 employees agreed with this fact while 7 individuals did not agree. On the other
hand, 2 did not know or were uncertain about their response.
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11 7
2
Aston Chemicals gaining competitive advantage through CSR
Yes
No
Don't know

From the above data analysis and interpretation, it has been analysed that Aston
Chemicals can gather lots of benefits through inclusion of CSR. In addition to this, effectiveness
of strategies increased and the image of organisation in the competitive markets is improved.
P6) Recommendations based on the research
Aston Chemicals has business links with large enterprises in the world. There is
significant importance of every business function that has been implemented by the company for
meeting the goals and objectives. From the analysed data and collected information, it is
suggested to follow the below given recommendations so that accomplishment of sustainable
objectives can be done.
Recommendations:
 Aston Chemicals should transform their business planning and strategic functioning by
changing their orientation. Since, it has been assessed that corporate social responsibility
brings in more effectiveness in the functioning; it is advised that CSR principles should
be used by the organisation for planning future operations (Córdoba and Piki, 2012).
 Communication channels have to be established for making every individual understand
the importance and benefits of CSR when applied in the organisation (Nwagbara and
Reid, 2013).
 Company must develop strategies which will help in gaining feedback from customers
and clients. When feedbacks and opinions are acquired from clients then company can
evaluate the strategies and loop holes that are present in them.
 Corporate social responsibility helps in enhancing quality of products and services which
diminish production cost. This implies that the overall pricing is reduced which invites
customers to grab products that are cheaper and high quality.
 From the data analysis, it has been realised that interest of stakeholders and their
importance in decision making helps in moving forward towards sustainability.
Furthermore, it also helps in reaching out CSR aspects (Six Reasons Companies Should
Embrace CSR, 2012). Hence, Aston Chemicals should involve stakeholders when
considering major changes or decisions in the business.
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TASK 4
P7) Value of undertaking the research
Considering the long term goals and benefits, corporate social responsibility helps in
achieving great position in these competitive atmosphere. During this complete research study, I
had been able to explore the different aspects of CSR when applied in the organisation. It is
important for Aston Chemicals to create modifications in the enterprise strategies as per CSR
principles. With respect to the aims and objectives of the research, I was able to develop a
project management plan which helps in organising and managing different tasks according to
the requirements of research. The most complicated thing which I experienced in this complete
research journey was utilisation of financial resources. It is quite difficult process to execute all
the tasks without spending excessive money. Hence, this has been a learning experience to use
minimum of the financial resource for the benefit of the project.
Aston Chemicals is currently a very small organisation with only 37 employees (About
Us, 2017). This determines that there is a huge scope for greater developments in the coming
future with effective strategy and efficient leadership. When considering the impact of CSR, the
enterprise perceives wider implications. I have realised during the small scale research which I
had conducted through collection of response from 20 employees that majority of them were in
favour of the suggestion of incorporating CSR activities in the business functioning for attaining
sustainable goals. The growing concern of individuals towards the rising global environmental
issues has inclined all the organisations to develop their strategies in such a way that less amount
of negative impact is felt over the environment and surrounding (Lamberti and Noci, 2012). I
have also learnt the thematic analysis technique from this research study which helps in gaining
an in-depth understanding regarding the research and its different aspects.
I was not able to cope with the deadlines in the initial stages of the project. But the risk
evaluation and assessment helped me in coping with the strategic plan.
CONCLUSION
This report is a substantial evidence of the works of the researcher when considering the
successful management of a project in terms of business organisation. The aim of this report was
completely fulfilled i.e. considering the analysis of the impact which Aston Chemicals will
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experience when CSR activities are implemented. There are certain objectives developed for this
support which is further accomplished by conducting the respective research. The different
methodologies and techniques utilised for successful completion of this report have been
described and proper analysis and interpretation of acquired data is also performed. From all
these aspects, it can be inferred that corporate social responsibility is just not an event but a
process which has to be slowly inculcated in the business processing for meeting sustainability.
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