Corporate Social Responsibility and Marketing in John Lewis: A Study

This project analyzes the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on the marketing department of John Lewis, aiming to determine its effects on profitability and financial sustainability. The project begins with defining the aim and research objectives, followed by a background study highlighting the importance of CSR in enhancing brand image, increasing sales, and attracting employees. The project management plan outlines the tasks, durations, and dependencies involved in the research, including literature review, data collection, and analysis. A questionnaire was used to gather data from managers at John Lewis. The research methodology includes an inductive research approach, primary data collection through questionnaires, and thematic analysis of the data. The findings suggest that CSR initiatives are viewed favorably by managers, particularly in terms of providing financial sustainability and benefiting the marketing department. The project presents an analysis of the research and data, providing interpretations and conclusions based on the responses received. The project concludes with recommendations for John Lewis based on the research findings.

MANAGING
SUCCESSFULL
BUSINESS

LO1
P1 Project aims and objectives
Aim of project: “ To analyse the affects of CSR on marketing department in John Lewis for
promoting profitability and financial sustainability”
Research objectives:
 To analyse the concept of Corporate social responsibility in John Lewis
 To examine the impact of CSR on marketing activities of John Lewis to promote
profitability and financial sustainability To advise different CSR activities and initiatives to promote profitability and financial
sustainability
Background of study: It is a general perception that CSR can grow profits of an organisation and
therefore large scale firms take active interest in it. Firms have understood that CSR is an
effective tools for promoting respect for their firms in marketplace that can lead to high sales,
improve loyalty of workforce, and attract talented employees in the firm. Along with this, CSR
activities and initiatives focuses on sustainability issues which reduces the cost and enhance
efficiencies also (Whaley, 2013 ). An additional benefit for companies is that aggressive CSR
activities helms them to gain FTSE4Good or Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes or other types of
indices. The present study is thus prepared to analyse the affects of CSR activities on marketing
department to promote profitability and financial sustainability for which John Lewis has been
taken into consideration.

P2 Projects management plan in context of CSR at Waitrose
Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors
For finding topic of
research 125 days Fri 3/24/17 Thu 9/14/17
Designing problems
statement 9 days Fri 9/15/17 Wed 9/27/17 1
Setting time-frame for
allocation of resources 4 days Thu 9/28/17 Tue 10/3/17 2
Carrying out the
literature review 20 days Wed 10/4/17 Tue 10/31/17 3
Choosing selection
techniques 14 days Wed 11/1/17 Mon 11/20/17 4
Calculation costs 10 days Wed 11/1/17 Tue 11/14/17 4
Interpretation and
analysis of data 9 days Tue 11/21/17 Fri 12/1/17 5
Result evaluation 14 days Tue 11/21/17 Fri 12/8/17 5
Presenting conclusion
and recommendations 10 days Wed 11/15/17 Tue 11/28/17 6
Documentation of
findings 5 days Mon 12/4/17 Fri 12/8/17 7
Reports submission 4 days Mon 12/11/17 Thu 12/14/17 8

P3 Work breakdown structure and Gantt chart

M1 Comprehensive project management plan, milestone schedule and project schedule
To design a comprehensive project management plan various types of tasks and activities
are to be planned. To find the title of this study around days were taken so that a suitable title
can be find out. To set time limitation about days were spend. Around days were taken
for selection of research techniques. To analyse and interpret collected data it takes about
days.
LO2
P4 Small scale research
Questionnaire:
Name:
Age:
Gender:
1) According to your viewpoint, does CSR activities provides financial sustainability
to your organisation?
 Yes
 No
2) In your opinion, do CSR activities increases the opportunities for growth in
profits?
 Agree
 Strongly agree
 Neutral
 Strongly disagree
 Disagree
3) Do you think that CSR activities are beneficial for marketing department of John
Lewis?
 Yes
 No
 Can's say
4) Does CSR activities promote a strong brand image of your organisation?
 Agree

 Strongly agree
 Neutral
 Strongly disagree
 Disagree
5) The involvement of employees in implementation of CSR initiatives is essential or
not?
 Yes
 No
6) What are the reasons due to which CSR activities play an important role in
marketing?
 Attracts more and more consumers
 Creates a positive image of organisation
 Promotion of products and services
7) Does marketing department gets affected by CSR activities of your company?
 Yes
 No
Research design is type of plan that is taken in use for the problems of research along
with methods to solve them. They give a direction and systematised procedure to carry out the
investigation. In this part of study, researcher will elaborate various methods of research to
evaluate the impact of CSR on marketing department for promoting profitability and financial
sustainability within John Lewis. It is also consisting of particular reasons for choosing specific
methods of research and research designs to analyse the research problems. Research philosophy: The philosophy of research reflects several essential assumptions
of scholar which are dependent on strategies of research. It provides assistance to
researcher for carrying out the study in a proper way. There are two types of research
philosophies named interpretivism and positivism. Positivism philosophy are the high
structured methods and results of study are determined with support of statistical tools.
On the contrasting side, interpretivism philosophy is reliant on several beliefs and values
which provide clear cut vindication of carrying out the investigation (Vamsi Krishna Jasti
and Kodali, 2014).

 Research approaches: This is a method to develop new hypothesis and knowledge and it
increases the overall understanding of whole study. There lies two types of approaches
for research which are inductive and deductive. Deductive approach is taken in use for
testing the present theory in context of study. This is usually dependent on quantitative
research and hypothesis is designed to carry out this investigation (Novikov and
Novikov, 2013). Whereas, inductive research approach is taken in use for developing
new theories from the available information. In this, qualitative research technique is
applied to collect the data. This gives a complete new aspect to understand the research
with a new viewpoint along with an intention of exploring new theories and frameworks.
In accordance with the nature of research, scholar can take use of either inductive
research approach or deductive. In the present study, inductive research approach is used
because it has assisted in evaluation of solutions of problem (Gioia Corley and Hamilton,
2013). Data collection: This is a method of gathering and assessing data which is collected from
varied sources for attaining objectives and aim of study. There are mainly two methods of
data collection. One is primary which is collected by the researcher himself to fulfil
specific intentions. The data in this type of method is original in its nature and it is not
undergone from any type of statistical methods (Dumay and Cai, 2015). The key sources
of primary data are surveys, focus groups, direct observation, interviews, etc. The second
method of data collection is secondary which is already collected and used by some other
individuals for his particular objective. As compared to primary data collection,
secondary information is less costly. The techniques which are taken in use in secondary
data are mobile phones, emails, telephones, etc. In the current investigation, researcher
has given preference to primary data collection method (Tavakoli, 2012).
 Data analysis: Data analysis is the method of implementing several statistical and logical
tools which are used to collect information. This not only addresses the questions of
research but also gives a direction for gathering data in future. By taking help of this,
scholar has changed the data into a knowledgeable form and has defined relationship
between several research factors. The current investigation that is based upon analysing
influence of CSR on marketing department of John Lewis to promote profitability and
financial sustainability (Zhou Leung and Li, 2012). With reference to this, a thematic

analysis is being given with preference by the investigator. The basis of this selection is
that it provides flexibility to researcher to take use of various theories. For the purpose of
evaluating a large sample, thematic analysis is the most appropriate. Apart from this,
interpretations of themes are of great support to the data. With the use of this method,
scholar gets flexibility to present opinions of in the form of several tables and graphs in
an efficacious manner (Rossi Wright, and Anderson, 2013).
 Sampling: This is a technique of choosing units from a given population for evaluating
the sample. The investigator can draw conclusions from the outcomes for that population
which was selected for experiments. According to the above discussion, it is very clear
that scholar has chosen primary information through questionnaire. With reference to
this, to gain various facts and figures, researcher has made use of simple random
sampling (Kitchin and Tate, 2013). This is a very common method and taken in use by
several scholars for research purpose. The intention for choosing this sampling technique
is to select 10 managers as a sample because probabilistic random sampling gives
equivalent opportunities to managers of the organisation to participate in the research. To
chose a suitable sample from the entire population, the investigator has first made a list of
10 managers of John Lewis. Then, researcher gave particular number to all respondents
who takes part in questionnaire survey. In the present study, the scholar has provided
particular codes to each of respondents for easy selection of sample (Jensen, 2013).
M2. Evaluating accuracy and reliability of different research methods
While carrying out the study, it is essential for investigator to insure the accuracy and
reliability of data which he has gathered. Both these terms gives a proof to accept the findings
and make substantive conclusion. Reliability is the techniques, tools and methods which are used
by the investigator to generate certain results for future research on similar title.
LO3 PPT
P5 Analysis of research and data
Theme 1: Majority of managers had viewed that CSR activities provides financial
sustainability to John Lewis

1) According to your viewpoint, does CSR activities provides financial
sustainability to your organisation?
Yes 6
No 4
10
Interpretation: From the above stated data, it has been interpreted that most of the respondents
have an opinion that CSR initiatives provides fiscal sustainability for John Lewis. However, four
out of ten had a viewpoint that CSR activities does not gives any financial sustainability for
chosen firm. This shows that management gives importance to CSR initiatives so that it can lead
to fiscal sustainability to the stated organisation.
Theme 2: Most of respondents agreed to the fact that CSR initiatives increases the
opportunities for growth in profits
6
4
Yes
No

2) In your opinion, do CSR activities increases the opportunities for growth in
profits?
Agree 3
Strongly agree 2
Neutral 2
Strongly disagree 2
Disagree 1
10
Interpretation: The above data however does not give any clear majority to the option available,
but three out of ten managers have accepted that CSR activities increases the chances of progress
in profits. Two managers had a strong viewpoint about this but another two of were neutral on
this issue. Other two strongly disagreed that CSR initiatives are responsible for increasing
opportunities for profit growth. One out of ten managers refused to this fact. This showcases that
managers are having a very distinct opinion on the above question.
3
2 2
2
1
Agree
Strongly agree
Neutral
Strongly disagree
Disagree

Theme 3: Majority of managers accepted that CSR activities are advantageous for Marketing
Department of John Lewis
3) Do you think that CSR activities are beneficial for marketing department of
John Lewis?
Yes 6
No 2
Can's say 2
10
Interpretation: With the aforementioned data, it has been analysed that a clear majority of
respondents had agreed that CSR activities are beneficiary from marketing department of cited
organisation. However, two out of ten managers have a viewpoint that CSR activities does not
support marketing department of quoted firm. Another two of them were not having any opinion
on this issue. This showcases that majority of management is in favour of this fact that CSR
activities are beneficial for marketing department in chosen enterprise.
Yes No Can's say
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
6
2 2
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