Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Marketing Performance and Productivity: A Case Study of John Lewis

This report explores the impact of corporate social responsibility on marketing performance and productivity of John Lewis. It discusses the concept of CSR, how marketing function can help in increasing sales and productivity, and how CSR can improve performance and productivity of John Lewis. The report follows a qualitative research methodology.

Business Research Project

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Research aim..........................................................................................................................3
Research objective..................................................................................................................3
Research question...................................................................................................................3
Research rational....................................................................................................................4
Overall structure of the report................................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................6
What is the main concept of CSR?.........................................................................................6
How marketing function can help John Lewis in increasing sales and productivity.............7
How CSR can improve performance and productivity of John Lewis?.................................8
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................10
RESEARCH AND FINDINGS.....................................................................................................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................14
RECOMMENDATION.................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................16

INTRODUCTION
Corporate social responsibility is a concept which is used by the companies to operate their
business by keeping in mind the social and environment values. It is very important for the
companies to full fill their CSR activities because it help them to interact with various
stakeholders in effective way. In today’s world organisation those are fulfilling corporate social
responsibility in effective manner has received positive impact in their marketing performance
and productivity. This help them to improve their market image and assists in gathering
information that is related to the market trend which is useful for promoting the product and
services to target market. There are various practices and policies that are being developed so
that organisation can follow them and maximise their profit (Yuan and et. al., 2019) . To study
the impact of corporate social responsibility the chosen organisation would be John Lewis. It is a
British multinational retailing organisation. John Lewis was founded in 1929 as burton group
Plc., but later on in 1998 the companies name changed to John Lewis. The headquarter company
is suited in London, England. The organisation deal in various product such as Clothing,
Accessories, shoes and many more. John Lewis operates their business operation worldwide. It
had more than 2500 outlets in United Kingdom and more than 100 outlets at international level.
Research aim
To identify the impact of corporate social responsibility in improving the marketing
performance and productivity: “A case study of John Lewis.”.
Research objective
 To discuss the main concept of corporate social responsibility.
 To analyses impacts of corporate social responsibility on performance of John Lewis.
 To evaluate effectiveness of principles of marketing in improving productivity of John
Lewis
Research question
 What is the main concept of CSR?
 How CSR can improve performance and productivity of John Lewis?
 How marketing function can help John Lewis in increasing sales and productivity?

Research rational
The main research rational for choosing the topic is to identify the impact of corporate
social responsibility on organisation. It will also help in knowing the effectiveness of CSR on
marketing performance and enhancing productivity. Further, the main reason behind conducting
this investigation is to full fill two objective that is personal and professional. In respect to the
personal objective it will assist me in developing a detailed understanding about Corporate social
responsibility which will help in enhancing the knowledge and skills. This will also aid me in
knowing the importance of following the policies and practices so that companies can full fill
social and environmental values related to their sector. Detailed information related to the
importance of CSR will be acquired which will help me in academics. On the other hand, with
respect to the professional objective this will help in developing a sound professional career in
the field on Corporate social responsibility and the job option available in that field. It will also
aid in knowing the practices and policies that can be adopted by corporation so that they can use
them to full fill their social and environmental ethics and values. Therefore, this investigation
would help in identifying all the information related to the study easily (Benlemlih and Bitar,
2018).
Overall structure of the report
There are different chapters which helps in completing the report in more systematically and
effective way. The chapters which is contain in the research are:
Introduction: This is the first chapter of the research which contain all the detailed
information of the topic selected. The section contains information about research aim, research
objective, research question, background of the chosen company, research rational and many
more. This section is very important as all the investigation of the study depends upon this and
aims and objectives validity and reliability is also attained.
Literature review: The second chapter of the research is literature review which answers
the research question by gathering the information from various secondary sources. This section
develops a detailed understanding in researcher about the specific topic. The chapter contain the
information about the concept of Corporate social responsibility and its impact of marketing
performance and productivity.
Research methodology: The next chapter is research methodology which helps in
identifying, analysing and interpreting the data in systematic process so that research aim and

objective can be achieved. The section which is included in this are research philosophy,
research approach, research strategy, research choice and time framework for the different
activities. The gant chart is also developed in this section.
Conclusion: In this chapter overall conclusion is made in short summary for the
investigation. Conclusion is written down so that all the activities related to the research can be
acquired in short manner.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature review contains all the past publish data of the report so that researcher can gain
more detailed understanding about the selected topic. There are various sources through which
the information is being gathered such as books, journal, online site and many more.
What is the main concept of CSR?
As per the view of Wang, Dou and Jia (2019), corporate social responsibility is
management concept which is used by the companies to follow the rules and regulation towards
the society and environment. This activity is followed by the organisation because it helps them
to make a proper balance between economic, environmental and social objective in effective and
efficient manner. this also address the different expectation made by various stakeholder like
customers, employee, investors and many others. If companies adopt various effective and
innovative practices or policies than they can earn competitive advantage out of it. The benefit
that can be gained while fulling the CSR are improve organisational performance, increased in
their capital, maximise sale, more customer satisfaction etc. The basic idea behind following the
Corporate social responsibility is to become one of those organisation which is sustainable in
recent time. There is various type of Corporate social responsibility which are;
Environmental responsibility: It can be defined as following those set of belief that are
environmental friendly. Organisation need to keep in mind that their activities does not harm the
surrounding. For this the approach that they can use to reduces the issue related to this is
Environmental stewardship. Some of the environmental friendly responsibilities of the
companies are: reducing pollution, going green concept, recycle and reuse, enhancement use of
renewable energy and many more.
Ethical responsibility: In this company can use those policies and practices which are fair
and ethical in nature so that all the activities are fulfilled in right manner without any biasness.
The organisation need to treat their different stakeholder in fair manner which includes leaders,
investors, buyers, distributor, employee etc. Ethical responsibility are fair wages, equal treatment
etc.
Economic responsibility: It is that practices in which companies should make their
financial decision in ethical way so that they can maximize their profit and can positively
influence the people, society in great manner.

The major benefit that can be obtained by effectively following the corporate social
responsibility are improving their organisational performance and productivity. It also assist in
cresting a positive market image in the mind of consumer so that they can do effective marketing
for their goods and services (Muller, 2020).
How marketing function can help John Lewis in increasing sales and productivity
As per the viewpoint of Primo, Gil-Saura and Frasquet-Deltoro (2020), marketing
function plays an important role in increasing the sales and productivity of business. The purpose
of marketing function is to coordinate and produce all materials that represent the business.
Marketing department generally helps in reaching out to customers, community and investors
while creating positive image that represents company. The marketing function of John Lewis
mainly focus on identifying and satisfying the needs and preference of customer at right price.
Through building strong reputation, marketing department helps in increasing sales and
productivity of business.
Measure individual performance:
Marketing function helps in measuring the individual performance due to which their
productivity increases. By measuring the individual performance, the productivity of employees
increases which also helps in improving overall team performance. In order to enhance the sales
and productivity of business, it is necessary for John Lewis to identify right performance metrics
for every team member based on their task and also ensure that work must be distributed equally
and fairly among all members. Through measuring the performance, company can provide
training and development opportunities to their employees in order to boost the morale of under-
performing employees.
Improve team communication:
Improve team communication is another way which is used by marketing function for
increasing the sales and productivity of business. Marketing team of John Lewis focuses on
improving team communication, so that employees can work productively and achieve their
target (Homburg and et. al., 2015). They use communication app in order to increase the
collaboration among employees. Communication app helps in saving time as employees waste
their time on reading emails, searching information and communicating internally with peers.
Gathering and analysing marketing information:

Marketing function focuses on gathering and analysing marketing information by
understanding the consumers thoroughly. They understand the needs and preference of customer
and produce the products accordingly in order to boost the sale and productivity of business.
Marketing department of John Lewis identify what consumers want, in what quantity, at what
price and what kind of advertisement they like. Through gathering and analysing marketing
information, company can avail the best opportunity and also they can gain competitive
advantage in market.
Customer support service:
Customer support service is another marketing function that helps in increasing the sales
and productivity of business. It is being said that customer are the king of market, it is necessary
for company to satisfy the need and demand of consumers. The marketing department of John
Lewis mainly provides various services to their customer such as after sales service, handling
complaints, technical services, credit facilities and maintenance services. By offering customer
support service, company can enhance loyalty and build trust among customers which helps in
increasing the sales and productivity of business (Bai and Chang, 2015). The priority of John
Lewis is to offer excellent customer service that satisfy their needs and preference. Customer
satisfaction helps in gaining competitive advantage in market. Company also organise training
and development program for their employees so that they can provide better services to
consumers.
How CSR can improve performance and productivity of John Lewis?
According to Sen, Du and Bhattacharya (2016), corporate social responsibility plays a
vital role in increasing the brand image and profitability of business. Corporate social
responsibility is a policies which must be undertaken by organisation in order to create positive
influence on world. It plays an important role in company as it increases employee engagement
and also support local and global communities. Corporate social responsibility helps in
improving performance and productivity of business by increasing customer retention and
loyalty and also focuses on improving bottom line financials. It is important for John Lewis to
conduct CSR activities so that they can attract and retain employees. If company is able to attract
and retain staff it helps in improving the productivity and performance of business. The strategy
of CSR shows that organisation is compassionate and treat their employees well. It also helps in
fostering more productive and positive working environment for staff due to which they can

contribute their best performance in achieving the target (Lee,2021). The corporate social
responsibility program can boost the morale of employees and also increase the productivity in
workforce. By implementing corporate social responsibility, company can contributes to
sustainable development goals and also improves employer branding. CSR activities also reduces
employee turnover due to which the performance and productivity of John Lewis improved. It
also enables company to better engage with customer and take their feedback in order to improve
the performance of business.
CSR improves customer perception of brand:
In competitive business environment, it becomes challenging for companies to attract
customers and create strong customer base. But if company take corporate social responsibility
seriously they can win consumers and grab their attention. By implementing corporate social
responsibility, people see organisation as a positive force in society. John Lewis must run
corporate social responsibility activities so that they can raise awareness for important causes
and keep their business top of mind (May, 2016). By improving customer perception, the
performance and productivity of organisation increases as company.
Reduce employee turnover:
CSR activities helps in reducing employee turnover due to which the performance and
productivity of business increases. In order to reduce employee turnover and make them
satisfied, it is important to feel valued and connected to company in some manner. The reduction
of employees turnover helps in improving the productivity and performance of John Lewis as it
improves corporate culture and also enhances the experience of employees due to which they
contribute their best performance in achieving the target.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is that part of research section through which the two main question
can be answered in sound manner. These question are how data can be gathered and how it can
be analysed. Research methodology is a systematic process of identifying, analysing and
interpreting the information. There are two type of research methodology which are quantitative
and qualitative. Quantitative methodology collects numerical data and qualitative methodology
gathers non numerical information in the form of words. In present research report Qualitative
methodology will be used because examiner want to gain detailed understanding about the topic
so that more insight can be made about the chosen study (Snyder, 2019).
Research philosophy: It is the set of belief and principles which is used to know the type of
information that is need to be gathered and analysed. There are two types of research philosophy
that is positivism and interpretivism. Positivism philosophy gathers and analyses quantitative
data which is based in numbers and figures. Interpretivism philosophy identify and evaluate
qualitative data which helps in gaining more insight in detailed manner. As per the current
research topic the research philosophy that is used is interpretivism because through this more
knowledge can be gained from various sources (Kumar, 2018).
Research approach: This part in the research section is used to test the theories and
hypothesis that is made according to the topic. Deductive and inductive are the two approach to
test the validity of theories. Deductive approach tests the hypothesis and theories which are made
according to the numerical data. Inductive approach tests the theories which are non-numerical in
nature. Deductive approach test existing hypothesis and inductive test new theories. In present
the examiner will be using inductive approach to test the qualitative theories and hypothesise
which will be crated newly (Pandey and Pandey, 2021).
Research strategy: There are various types of research strategy that can be used to gathers
the information from various sources. Some of the strategies are survey, qualitative research,
systematic literature review, action research, case study, experimental research and many more.
In current investigation examiner would be selecting systematic literature review to gathers the
information. The major benefit to select this strategy that it will help in gathering information
from various secondary sources which are books, journal, magazine, online site and many more.
Also it will assist them to gain more detailed knowledge regarding corporate social responsibility
and its importance for the organisation (Babii, 2020).

Research choice: Research choice are classified into three form which are mono method,
multi method and mixed method. Mono method collects one single type of data either quantitate
or qualitative. Mixed method collects both types of data and multi method obtained both types of
data but various times that is more than one type of data two times. In current investigation,
researcher will be using mono method to collect only qualitative data in more accurate manner
(Ledford and Gast, 2018).
Time horizon: It is the time framework which is used to know the exact point of times that
data need to be gathered from the respondent. Cross sectional and longitudinal are the two kinds
of time horizon. Cross sectional collects data in single time and that to in shorter time period. In
contrast to that longitudinal as the name itself say it obtained data multiple time for longer time
duration. As per the present research report cross sectional time horizon will be used to collects
the data in shorter time duration.
Data collection: It is the technique of gathering data from various sources. There are two
types of data collection sources which are primary and secondary sources. Primary sources
gather the first hand data directly from the respondent so that form and accurate information can
be taken. Secondary sources are used when examiner wants second hand data which are being
used multiple time for the same topic by many researchers. As per the current requirement
secondary data collection source will be used to obtained the information from various secondary
sources which are books, journals, magazines and many more. This is used by the investigator to
get the information in shorter time period and also in less cost (Basias and Pollalis, 2018).
Data analysis: It is the method of evaluating and measuring the gathering information so
that validity of aims and objective can be attained. There are two types of data analysis tools
which are frequency distribution and thematic. Frequency distribution analysed quantitative data
and thematic is used to analyse qualitative information. In current research report thematic data
analyses will be used to evaluate the secondary data in more appropriate manner.
Research ethics: To gathers and analyse data there are some morale and belief which is
need to be followed by the researcher so that they cannot harm anybody feeling in the society.
The ethics which need to be followed by them are Honesty, transparency, openness, sentiments
and many more. This need to be follow so that belief and norms to make investigation can be
done properly (Hoon and Singh, 2019).

RESEARCH AND FINDINGS
Theme 1: Main concept of Corporate social responsibility
From the above gathered information it is been analysed that corporate social
responsibility is the management concept which is very important for the companies to follow.
This help them to full fill all the social and environmental obligation that is needed by them to be
followed so that they can gain competitive advantage out of it. It is very vital for the companies
to maintain a proper balance between the economical, environmental and social values because
this help them to improve their market performance and productivity in greater sense. One of the
basic idea behind CSR is to maximise the sale and also maintain sustainability while fulfilling
the present needs and wants. There are various types of corporate social responsibility which are
Environmental, Ethical and Economic responsibility. Environmental responsibility can be
designed as following those rules and regulation which are made for protecting the environment
and natural resources in great manner so that future sustainability can be maintained. Ethical
responsibility means using fair and equal practices and policies for different stakeholders. In last
economical responsibility means making financial decision which are based on social norms and
ethics.
Theme 2: CSR can improve performance and productivity of John Lewis
From the above accumulated literature review it is being discussed that by following the
Corporate social responsibility plays a very vital role in John Lewis by improving their
marketing performance and productivity in effective way. Due to this company is making a
proper engagement with their different stakeholder which are leaders, investors, customers,
employer and suppliers. The company can get better feedback from them about the CSR
practices and policies which they are being following. It helps in improving the customer
perception of brand through which they can gain competitive advantage and can also solve their
challenges in great manner. John Lewis is fulfilling their corporate responsibility in much good
manner that it helps them to reduce their employee turnover. they are making financial decision
in much sound manner and providing stander salary and wages according to the job profile. This
help them to boost the morale of their employee which impact their performance. Through this

they are also improving their market image which help them to attract more customer towards
their brand.
Theme 3: Marketing function can help John Lewis in increasing sales and productivity
From the above collected data it is being analysed that marketing functions plays very
important role in enhancing the sale and profit of John Lewis. The main purpose of principle of
marketing is to coordinate all the social, economic and environmental responsibility in much
greater sense. The marketing function of the company focus on identifying and satisfying their
customer needs and wants in right way so that they can gain goodwill and increase their market
reputation. The major principle that is used by them for fulfilling corporate social responsibility
are measuring individual performance, improve team communication, gathering and analysing
marketing information, customer support service and many more.

CONCLUSION
It is being concluded from the above information that corporate social responsibility
plays an important role in improving the performance and productivity of business. Corporate
social responsibility is a concept that integrates social and environmental concerns in their
business. There are mainly four categories of corporate social responsibility such as
environmental, ethical, economic and philanthropic responsibility. The few examples of
corporate social responsibility which can be conducted by the organisation are reducing carbon
footprints, improve labor policies, participating in fair trade, making socially and
environmentally conscious investment, charitable global giving and many others. Corporate
social responsibility enables companies to connect with customer and also engage with world in
positive manner. By implementing corporate social responsibility, company can increase
employee engagement and also enhances investment opportunities. The basic principles of
corporate social responsibility are sustainability, accountability and transparency. In order to
promote corporate social responsibility, it is necessary to adopt business code of ethics, commit
to protecting the environment and follow workplace health and safety programs. CSR activities
helps in improving the productivity and performance of business by attracting and retaining
employees, engaging customers, reducing employee turnover, increasing employee productivity
and improving customer perception of brand. Corporate social responsibility helps in increasing
employee engagement by reducing their stress and fatigue so that they can perform meaningful
work. It also helps in increasing employee productivity by making them feel valued and offering
them something purposeful to work towards. One of the major benefit of corporate social
responsibility is that it increases the brand image and reputation of company due to which they
can gain competitive advantage in market. The objective of CSR activity is to minimise
environmental externalities and also promote voluntarism among company's employees.
Marketing function of organisation also helps in increasing the sales and productivity of business
by measuring individual performance, improving communication, gathering and analysing
market information and offering customer support service.
RECOMMENDATION
 It is being recommended from the above information that organisation must focus on
implementing corporate social responsibility as it helps in increasing the profitability and

performance of business. In order to improve CSR activities, it is necessary to increase
transparency and also encourage creativity so that employees can bring their valuable
ideas and opinions.
 It is the responsibility of John Lewis to improve their CSR initiatives by educating and
communicating with employees and community. Organisation must educate their
employees on CSR activities that they are working. In order to involve staff, it is
important to make them informed throughout on the issues being addressed.
 For managing successful CSR strategy, John Lewis must deeply engage and galvanize
their team, reduce turnover, build customer trust and also attract top talent who can give
their productive outcomes in improving the performance of business. Organisation must
focus on attracting highly skilled and expertise staff who have an ability to make business
successful. They must reduce turnover rate of employees by making them satisfied in
company and fulfilling their needs and requirements.

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