The Impact of Social Responsibility on a Company's Market Share (Levi's Strauss in the US Market)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My thanks go out to all who have helped me complete this study and with whom this project may have not been possible. In particular, my gratitude goes out to friends, facilitator and family for extensive and helpful comments on early drafts. I am also deeply indebted to the authors who have shared my interest and preceded me. Their works provided me with a host of information to learn from and build upon, also served as examples to emulate.

DECLARATION

I, (names and surname here), declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

Levi Strauss, a values-driven company, has had a long history of corporate social responsibility and leads the field with its policies and practices, such as the company's treatment of employees, its ethics program, its sourcing guidelines, and its diversity program. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of social responsibility on a company's market share. This study also examines the performance of Levi Strauss in the US market. The principle objective of this dissertation is to create a conceptual framework for understanding how corporations create and manage their social responsibility image, how their social responsibility impacts the company market share and how these social responsibility images relate to the companies' social performance. This study utilizes a qualitative case study approach to examine the process of creating and managing the impact of social impact on company's market share. The case study methodology is best suited to this study's goal of creating a framework and building theory in an area where little empirical data or theory exists. Quantitiative and qualitative methodology is conducive to examining contemporary events, which the researcher is unable to manipulate. The methodology also works well with situations in which the boundaries between events and their contexts are not always obvious. The impact of social responsibility on company's market share is best understood within its context-that is, to divorce a social responsibility image from its context would not yield results that capture the complexity of this construct. Finally, this methodology is most appropriate for studies with the goal of defining topics in a broad sense, not with a narrow focus. After analyzing the Levi Strauss case it can be said that corporate social responsibility has a positive impact on Levi's market share in US. The Levi's social responsibility acts as a motivating factor for its employees and they work hard for the company's success. It is also conclude that social responsibility of a company influence the consumer buying behaviour. When examining how Levi Strauss built a leading CSR-image for such a large company, it is important to note that this image was a long process that came over time. Over the years, the company faced many challenges, ...