Marks and Spenser's Corporate Sales Responsibility Plan

In January 2007 Marks and Spenser launched Plan A, setting out on hundred commitments to achieve in five years. They claim they are doing so because it is what the customers want and also what is the right thing to do. Plan A is broken down into five key areas that M&S believe faces them as a retailer:

• Climate Change
• Waste
• Sustainable Raw Materials
• Fair Partner
• Health

Climate Change:
M&S' goal is to be carbon neutral by 2012 in the UK and Republic of Ireland operations. They plan to achieve this by reducing energy consumption and increasing the use of renewable energy sources. They have also established a relationship with Westbridge Furniture to develop 'a truly sustainable factory'. They have also opened their first Eco factory in Sri Lanka.

Waste:
Their aim is to try and make sure that none of M&S' clothing or packaging ends up as landfill. To prevent this they are reducing packaging, improving recycling and cutting down on the use of plastic bags.

• They have established a relationship with Oxfam to generate the 'clothing exchange'.
  
• Last January they introduced the Christmas Card recycling Scheme with the Woodland trust and together collected 175 tonnes of cards which is equivalent to almost 9 million cards.
• Since 2006 they have reduced 12% of all non-glass packaging and in 2008 ran 335 packaging reduced products. In 2009 they reduced packaging of Easter Eggs by an average of 30%.
• In 2008 125 million hangers were collected for reuse or recycling.

Sustainable Raw Materials:
To ensure high standards M&S have focused on animal welfare, sustainable fishing and Farming as well as the manufacturing of polyester, wood and water use. They have done this by:

• Providing Free range fresh turkey, duck and Geese and are currently trailing fresh free range pork in 100 stores.
• Introduced ranges of clothing made from organic cotton.
• Used plastic bottles to make Polyester instead of oil for use in the homeware, bedding, lingerie and children's wear ranges.
• M&S have worked with the WWF to establish a water footprint and have identified 'hotspots' of water use and are working with suppliers to reduce them.
• M&S also aim to ensure that all wood they use is Forest Stewardship Council certified or recycled.

Fair Partner:

• Marks & Start is a programme established in 2004 to help groups such as the disabled and the homeless to get into work via placements in M&S stores. 40% of those who completed their placements have gone on to find employment.
  
• M&S now stock over 300 lines of fair trade products and food sales are up 38% since the launch of plan A.
  
• M&S have sold over 8 million fair trade cotton garments and home products.
• Customers and employees raised over 2 million pounds for the breakthrough breast cancer charity last year. M&S plans to continue its support to the charity.

Health:

• M&S use the Food Standard Agency's traffic light labels on food.
• The number of products with a red label has fallen by 30%.
• M&S have removed all artificial colours and flavouring from their food and soft drinks production as of the 1st of April 2008.
• They have also introduced 1,500 healthy eating assistants in stores with the plan to extend knowledge across the entire food section employees.
• M&S are the sponsors for the Royal Parks half Marathon.
  

Issues management works around a framework of structure to govern how best to resolve issues that may occur. There are five main roles and responsibilities :

• Strategic Analysis
• Tactical Programmer
• Opinion Facilitator
• Advocate
• Counselor

Following these methods leads to successful and effective issues management which can increase market share, enhance corporate reputation, save money and build important relationships with stakeholders.

Key IM functions:

• Identify the issues and trends
• Evaluate their impact
• Set priorities
  
• Establish customer position
• Design the corporate action and response to help achieve the position
• Implement the plan

It is possible to assume that Royal Mail have failed to put in place these functions, as currently their stakeholders, in this case the employees are planning to strike later this week despite last minute negotiations with the workers union.

In accessing the seriousness of an issue it is important to recognise the key players and to which coalition they belong to. Another aspect is threat management and who possible trouble makers may be, for example:

• Associates
• Government
• Employee
• SIGs
• Public
  

With the focus remaining on closing the gap. This can be achieved by establishing where 'we', the management team, are and where we want to be and how it is possible for this to be achieved.

P.E.S.T- Political, Economic, Social and Technology
S.W.O.T- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

These are two methods of recalling the important aspects to consider and effectively negotiate.

Marketing and Public relations are integrally linked, however their roles do differ. Marketing focuses on bringing a product to market based on it being the right price, placement and time. The other element is promotion, this is the one aspect that P.R is predominately involved with.
Using S.I.V.A ( Solution, Information, Value, Access) P.R is a delivery of a message designed to stimulate awareness and raise interest. Advertising does the same job, however the main difference being that P.R is financially more efficient.

The old world, existed upon the foundation of an industrialised economy. This has since replaced by the New world ideology of economies based on intangible assets such as reputation and knowledge. Issues management has become an ever more dynamic and necessary measure in securing brands especially in the unforgiving times of economic recession.

Issues Management has been described as:

"The process used to close the gap"

Businesses invest significantly in manufacturing and maintaining a successful brand. To make it successful, one component is to capture the market with a brand that appears truth worthy and credible.

Regester and Larkin have summarised keys to successful Issues Management:

• Treat Stakeholders respectfully
• Always confront situations, not avoid them
• Listen to your consumers
• Design Clear and Robust management systems
• Create your own code of good behaviour

As a result of the economic downturn the level of issues management cases is steady while the economy is struggling. With the decline in so many businesses and economic scandal, for example Our MP's expenses, consumer confidence is at an all time low. Due to this effective Issues management is believed to be crucial in the survival of companies.

Forces Shaping Issues Management:

• The speed of Global Information
• Politics, economies, social and technological (PEST)
• Influence of broadcast multimedia of the public
• Competition for consumers

Key Concerns within Society that will Shape the Issues Management businesses:

• Economic Security
• Job security
• QSV & VFM issues
• Accountability

These concerns are contributing to a significant increase in consumer activism. A recent case study of this was the media attention caused by Beckie Williams when she challenged M&S for charging £2 more for larger cup sized Bras- Busts for Justice successfully exposed M&S on a national scale causing them to take out full page colour advert in the Newspapers with promotional offers as an expensive apology.

M&S failed to address the needs and requirements of that particular Stakeholder.

Below are four key functions of Issues Management:

• Anticipate and analyse issues
• Develop organisational positions on issues
• Identify key publics whose support is vital to the public policy issue
• Identify desired behaviours of Key Publics

Issues Management is a strategic proactive approach designed to monitor the tipping point and be maintained rationally with significant attention being dedicated to the consumer, stakeholder and general public opinion of the brand, for without that interest the business will not succeed.