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Cambridge English for

Marketing
CASE STUDY
UNITS 6&7 Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR)
Part 1
In pairs, discuss the following questions.
1 What is the main responsibility of a private sector company?
2 What is the main responsibility of a public sector organisation?
3 What responsibility does each type of company (private and public) have towards
the following stakeholders?
a customers
b staff
c suppliers
d shareholders
e local, national and international communities
3 Which of these stakeholder groups should private sector companies prioritise? Is
your answer the same for public sector organisations?

Part 2
a Read the extracts from the mission statements of some well known companies
(1–5). Then in pairs, match the name of the company (a–e) with the correct
mission statement.
a Starbucks
b McDonald’s
c Royal Dutch Shell plc
d Walmart
e Ford

© Alistair Leming / Alamy © Kevin Britland / Alamy

   
1
© Kristofer Tripplaar / Alamy © Alex Hinds / Alamy

1
Logo used with permission

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 UNITS 6&7 Corportate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Mission 1
Our vision: to become the world’s leading company for automotive products and
services.
Our mission: we are a globally diverse family, with a proud heritage, that’s
passionately committed to providing outstanding products and services.
Our values: we do the right thing for our people, our environment and our society,
but above all for our customers.

Mission 2
We’re determined to continuously improve our social and environmental performance.
We work hard, together with our suppliers and independent restaurant franchisees, to
strive toward a sustainable future – for our company and the communities in which we
operate.

Mission 3
Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one
neighborhood at a time. We are committed to a role of environmental leadership in all
facets of our business.

Mission 4
Saving people money to help them live better
Saving money is a means to helping our customers live better. By offering the
best possible prices on the products our customers need, we can help them afford
something a little extra.
Whether it’s a grandmother who can buy her grandchildren a special gift because she
saved money on her prescriptions, or a young family saving money to buy their first
home, we see our mission come to life every day.

Mission 5
To engage efficiently, responsibly and profitably in oil, oil products, gas, chemicals
and other selected businesses and to participate in the search for and development
of other sources of energy to meet evolving customer needs and the world’s growing
demand for energy.

b Read the mission statements again and for each one say which words or phrases:
1 refer to the company’s stakeholders (see the list in Part 1 question 3)?
2 show the company’s commitment to CSR?

Part 3
a Do some research into a well known company in your country in order to answer
the following questions.
1 What is the company’s mission statement?
2 Does the statement refer to the company’s stakeholders (see the list in Part 1
question 3)?
3 Does the statement show a commitment to CSR?
4 How well does the company follow their mission statements? Try to find examples
of actions which fulfil the mission statement.

b To what extent do environmental considerations and the social responsibility of

companies influence your own purchasing decisions?

Part 4
In groups, discuss the following statement

“Corporate Social Responsibility is nothing more than a PR

exercise – governments and not companies should be responsible
for environmental issues while companies should focus on
making profits and meeting the needs of their customers.”

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 Professional English
Cambridge English for

Marketing
TEACHER’S

UNITS 6&7 Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR)
NOTES
In this case study students will explore the concept of CSR introduced in Units 6
and 7 of the Student’s Book and related marketing concepts (e.g. sustainable
development; environmental and ethical issues/business). Through an analysis of
the mission statements of real companies, students will discuss and debate the
social responsibilities of organisations towards key stakeholders and the external
environment. As an extension activity, students create a CSR programme of
activities for an organisation of their choice.

Before you begin …

Write ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ on the board, then ask students to work
in pairs to write a list of all the words they associate with this term. Students
then share their ideas in small groups before a final list is compiled by the
whole class.

Some examples of words and phrases associated with CSR which could be elicited
from students (or which could be taught to them) during this activity are:
●● ethical responsibility/impact/principles/business
●● environmental impact/principles/sustainability/damage
●● green marketing
●● eco-friendly / environmentally friendly
●● socially responsible
●● sustainable development/resources

Part 1
Students discuss the questions in pairs and feed back to the rest of the
class. The aim of this section is for students to think about what corporate
social responsibility means and the accountability of companies towards key
stakeholders and the environment in which they operate. There are no right or
wrong answers and students may touch on some of the following ideas.

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 UNITS 6&7 Corportate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Suggested answers
1 Companies in the private sector are responsible for making profits for their
shareholders while creating and fulfilling customer needs.
2 Companies in the public sector need to be financially viable (profitable in
order to avoid losing money) and focus on providing products and services of
benefit to the public.
3 a  customers: (both private and public sector) fair treatment, honesty,
safeguarding of consumer rights, fulfilling customer needs
b staff: (both private and public sector) staff training, benefits, fair treatment
c suppliers: (both private and public sector) fair treatment, honesty
d shareholders: (both private and public sector) long-term profitability and
sustainable growth of company for companies operating in the private
sector. Companies operating in the public sector have no shareholders.
e local, national and international communities: (both private and
public sector) environmental damage caused by business operations;
sustainability of scarce resources; local employment; recycling policies,
safe waste disposal, etc. (both types of company)
4 There is plenty of scope here for debate but students should recognize that
private companies have a prime responsibility to shareholders, while the
public sector is accountable to the electorate and local governments.

Note
The question raised by 3e (local, national and international communities) is
considered controversial. Students will debate this idea further in Part 4.

Part 2
a Students quickly read the mission statements then match the company name/logo
to the correct extract in pairs before feeding back to the rest of the class.

Answers
1 e   ​2 b   ​3 a   ​4 d   ​5 c

b Students read each text more carefully and highlight or underline the relevant
words and phrases in each extract.

Answers
1 Ford: staff ‘our people’; communities ‘our environment and our society’;
customers ‘our customers’
McDonald’s: suppliers ‘our suppliers’ ‘independent restaurant franchisees’;
staff ‘our company’; communities ‘communities in which we operate’
Starbuck’s: customers ‘one person’; communities ‘one neighbourhood’
Walmart: customers ‘our customers’ e.g. grandmother, young family
Royal Dutch Shell plc: customers ‘customer needs’; international
communities ‘the world’s growing demand for energy’

2 Get students to add any new words or phrases to the list they compiled at the
beginning of this lesson.

Answers
Ford: we do the right thing for our people, our environment and our society’
McDonald’s: improve our social and environmental performance; to strive toward
a sustainable future for our company and the communities in which we operate’
Starbuck’s: We are committed to a role of environmental leadership
Walmart: ‘helping our customers live better’. (No overt mention of CSR)
Royal Dutch Shell plc: to engage … responsibly’ ‘to participate in the search for
and development of other sources of energy’

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 UNITS 6&7 Corportate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Part 3
a Divide students into groups, with each group researching a different company.
Students should look at the online profiles of each company from the company’s
homepage and search the site for evidence of social responsibility to determine
to what extent they do/don’t follow their missions. Examples might include Ford’s
social and environmental protection programmes which reflect its commitment to
CSR (http://www.ford.co.uk/AboutFord/CorporateSocialResponsibility)

If students don’t have Internet access, this exercise can still be done as a general
discussion regarding the activities and behaviour of these organisations in the
students’ own countries.

b This is a chance for students to discuss how relevant they feel the whole issue
of green marketing really is to consumers. Encourage groups to use real-world
examples to exemplify their points.

Part 4
This Part is designed to be used as a whole class debate either at the end of the
lesson or as a follow-up lesson to the work on mission statements.

Divide the class into two halves, one half arguing for and one against the
proposition. Allow about 30 minutes preparation time. Students should
brainstorm ideas in small groups, then share their ideas with the rest of their
team, taking notes, ordering their ideas and rehearsing their ideas with each
other. Encourage students to justify their answers with real-world examples
where possible.

Extension activity
In groups students devise a CSR programme of activities for a company
concerned with demonstrating social responsibility by supporting social and
environmental programmes, e.g. a car racing company.

Students should note down their ideas and be prepared to present their ideas to
the rest of the class. Students should include:
●● a brief description of the company of their choice (real or invented) and its mission
●● the potential negative and positive impacts of its core business operations on
society and its stakeholders
●● community activities, charity events, etc. to overcome some of these negative
impacts and demonstrate commitment to CSR.

For more ideas on this topic, direct learners to http://www.squidoo.com/

Corporate-Social-Responsibility. Refer them in particular to the list of examples
of CSR activity.

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