Question

TeaLand S.A. is a London company that started as a medium-sized company. Its main activity is the commercialization of tea to various European countries. Currently they obtain tea from the main producing countries: China, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Indonesia and Turkey. They sell their tea in different ways: in bulk, in bags and cold tea as a soda. They not only sell to supermarkets, but also to companies and the hospitality and catering industries.

They have been in the market for approximately 20 years, with an exponential growth in the first 15 years due to the quality of the tea they offer and an excellent and careful Marketing campaign, which has put them at the top of the market.

However, TeaLand is not known to take good care of its workers. In a job satisfaction survey taken a few months ago, the results were alarmingly negative, and it is unknown how this information was leaked to the media. Its repercussion was so great that sales were directly affected, which led the firm to not achieve last year’s goals.

In this survey several topics surfaced: endless workdays, low salaries, difficulty reconciling work and personal life, low career options within the company, scarce training, etc.

In regard to consumers, in recent surveys it is said that it is a well respected brand, and satisfaction is high, since they are very aromatic teas. However, the lack of an ecological tea option is highlighted as a negative aspect.

In recent years, other European, American and Asian brands have been gaining ground, as they offer a product of similar quality but at a more competitive price, a wide range of ecological varieties, and also a remarkable and commendable commitment to the environment and the community: collaboration with NGOs, sustainability projects with producing countries, etc.

Taking into account the situation which TeaLand is currently facing, they have decided to hire the services of a specialized consultancy in CSR, and they assign the project to you.

1. Develop a Strategic CSR Plan: this is the most important exercise of the final project, and therefore the one with the most academic weight.

Answer 1

With CSR(Corporate social responsibility) , organizations take responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, employees, shareholders, community and environment in all aspects of operation. This effort extend beyond just following the local laws, as organizations voluntarily take steps to improve the quality of life for the employees and their families and as well as society at large. CSR is sometimes also called Corporate Citizenship meaning thereby a company should be a good neighbor to the communities that are affected by its presence.

True CSR requires systematic change. And it is possible if the entity has an Organized strategy for it. The following matters to be considered while forming a strategy.

Every entity should build its CSR strategy around its core competencies.

Recognize issues that matters to your customers.

Developed all those initiatives that make the employees of the entity satisfied and proud too.

Measure the ROI for the organizations investors.

And expand the CSR activities systematically with the growth of business.

Taking into account the case study of TEA LAND S.A , the entity has recognized the following issues of not taking good care of its workers. In a job satisfaction survey taken a few months ago, the results were alarmingly negative, and it affects its image in media.  Its repercussion was so great that sales were directly affected, which led the firm to not achieve last year’s goals.

In this survey several topics surfaced: endless workdays, low salaries, difficulty reconciling work and personal life, low career options within the company, scarce training, etc.

inspite of well recognized brand, the lack of an ecological tea option is highlighted as a negative aspect.

Therefore the strategy of CSR is must while taking into account all the above issues. Following are the boundaries i.e. strategy should develop as below.

• Gaining Competitive advantage
• Align CSR with its business strategy
• earn support from all levels of management.
• Integrate design thinking approaches
• Incentive plans for employees
• Find new ecological drivers of innovation.

By implementing CSR strategies in Organization, a Company can achieve tremendous growth. And leadership of project manager is a key role in its implementation. So Tea Land SA must design its objectives and Business strategics with incorporation of CSR activities.