Integrating corporate social responsibility with marketing strategies in retailing

Abstract: In response to stakeholder expectations from corporate social responsiblity (CSR), many firms create written policies about principles of social responsibility to be applied in their corporate activities. In this book, it is suggested that CSR could be integrated as part of the firm's marketing strategies. The perspective is that of a retail organisation. The retailer not only has immediate contact with consumers, but is also directly influenced by what is happening at the supplier sites where their products are manufactured. Today, several retailers communicate their CSR activities to consumers, but how do these retailers manage their CSR in their own organisation and in their relationships with the suppliers of the retail brand products? Existing theories on CSR, retailing and channel management are assembled to provide useful guidance on how to work with CSR in a retail organisation and in its relationships with suppliers. A framework with input from an empirical study of one Swedish and one British leading food retailer, expressing an ambition to be socially responsible, is suggested for the analysis of CSR in a retail organisation and in relationship with suppliers of retail brand products. The empirical findings are intended to provide better insight into retail intra- and inter-firm successes and challenges with CSR.