Corporate Social Responsibility a New Concept of “Market” Reading Answers

Jan 11, 2023

Corporate Social Responsibility – a new concept of “market Reading Answers 13 questions that have to be answered in 20 minutes. Reading Answers comprises question types, namely-. Write the correct letter, choose the correct three letters. Candidates are required to answer from the given options and cues provided.
Candidates must read the IELTS reading passage, identify keywords, and recognize synonyms to answer the question.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Corporate Social Responsibility a New Concept of “Market Reading Answers

Maybe Ben & Jerry’s and The Body Shop set themselves up for a fall by appearing to have a monopoly on making an honest buck. But their struggles are a lesson on how little we know about the minefield of “ethical” marketing.

The Body Shop, along with the American ice cream maker Ben and Jerry’s, was hailed as a new breed of green, or environmentally conscious, business.

Ben and Jerry’s

Ben & Jerry’s offers a very sweet benefits package to employees. First, every one of the 700+ Ben & Jerry’s workers is entitled to three free pints of ice cream, sorbet or frozen yoghurt per day worked. (Some workers use allotments of their free treats to barter for other goods and services in town such as haircuts.) Beyond the freebies, personnel receive a 50% discount on the company’s frozen goodies, a 40% discount on merchandise and a further 30% break on non-Ben & Jerry’s foods at company outlets.

Workers are further entitled to paid family leave and may take advantage of the Employee Stock Purchase Program to purchase company stock (after six months with the organization) at a 15% discount. Beginning in 1998，316 stock options are awarded to each worker (excluding directors and officers) and stock is also assigned to each employee’s 40IK plan at the end of the calendar year. These contributions are intended to achieve the company’s goal of linked prosperity, i.e. to assure that future prosperity is widely shared by all employees.

The Body Shop

History of The Body Shop Anita Roddick started The Body Shop with a mere £4,000 and a dream. With over 1,900 stores in 50 countries. The Body Shop was founded in 1976 in Brighton, England. From her original shop, which offered a line of 25 different lotions, creams, and oils, Roddick became the first successful marketer of body care products that combined natural ingredients with ecologically-benign manufacturing processes. Her company’s refusal to test products on animals, along with an insistence on nonexploitative labour practices among suppliers around the world, appealed especially to upscale, mainly middle-class women, who were and have continued to be the company’s primary market. As sales boomed, even the conservative financial markets approved of The Body Shop, s impressive profit picture, and a public stock offering in 1984 was successful. An expansion campaign followed. In 1988 the company entered the U.S. market by opening a store in New York City, and by 1997 the company boasted 1,500 stores, including franchises, in 47 countries. Anti-marketing seemed to be smart marketing, at least as far as The Body Shop was concerned.

Part of the secret of The Body Shop’s early success was that it had created a market niche for itself. The company was not directly competing against the traditional cosmetics companies, which marketed their products as fashion accessories designed to cover up flaws and make women look more like the fashion models who appeared in their lavish ads. Instead, The Body Shop offered a line of products that promised benefits other than appearance healthier skin, for instance rather than simply a better-looking complexion. The company is known for pioneering the natural-ingredient cosmetic market and establishing social responsibility as an integral part of company operations. The Body Shop is known for its ethical stances, such as its monetary donations to the communities in which it operates, and its business partnerships with developing countries. In 1988 Roddick opened her first store in the United States, and by that time- through various social initiatives such as the 66 Stop the Bum” campaign to save the Brazilian rainforest (the source of many of the company’s natural ingredients, (and strong support of employee volunteerism -The Body Shop name had become synonymous with social activism and global preservation worldwide. The company had also become immensely profitable.

By the mid-1990s，however，The Body Shop faced growing competition, forcing it to begin its first major advertising initiative, the most prominent part of which was the “Ruby” campaign. The campaign was personified by Ruby, a doll with Rubenesque proportions who was perched on an antique couch and who looked quite pleased with herself and her plump frame. Randy Williamson, a spokesperson for The Body Shop, said: “Ruby is the fruit of our long-established practice of challenging the way the cosmetic industry talks to women. The Ruby campaign is designed to promote the idea that The Body Shop creates products designed to enhance features, moisturize, cleanse, and polish, not to correct ‘flaws.5 The Body Shop philosophy is that there is real beauty in everyone. We are not claiming that our products perform miracles.”

The Competition the Body Shop lost market share in the late 1990s to product-savvy competitors that offered similar cosmetics at lower prices. The main competitors are H20, Sephora, Bath and Body Work, and Origins. Research Results Research showed that women appreciate The Body Shop for their ethical standards. They are pleased by companies with green actions, not promises. The research proved that The Body Shop has been put on the back burner in many people’s minds: overcrowded by newer, fresher Brands. Companies like the Body Shop continually hype their products through advertising and marketing, often creating a demand for something where a real need for it does not exist. The message pushed is that the route to happiness is through buying more and more of their products. Under such consumerism, the increasing domination of multinationals and their standardised products is leading to global cultural conformity. Other downfall factors also include misleading the public, low pay and against unions, exploiting indigenous people; also the mass production, packaging and transportation of huge quantities of goods are using up the world’s resources faster than they can be renewed and filling the land, sea and air with dangerous pollution and waste.

The Body Shop has used safe and timid advertising over the last decade, decreasing market share and brand value. With the rise of new, more natural and environmentally friendly competitors, The Body Shop can no longer stand behind being the greenest or most natural. The Body Shop is the originator of ethical beauty with our actions speaking louder than our words. This is the new direction of The Body Shop. We will be a part of different acts of kindness in big cities. We will eliminate unwanted graffiti, purify city air, and allow the customer to be a part of something good.

Section 2

Solution with Explanation
Questions 1-4:
The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-H.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-G, in boxes 1-4 your answer sheet.

An action is taken to Establishing social responsibility in the conservation project

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: The company is known for pioneering the natural-ingredient cosmetic market and establishing social responsibility as an integral part of company operations.
Keywords: company, natural ingredient, cosmetic market, company operation
Keywords Location: Paragraph D, line 4
Explanation: It is noted in paragraph D that "The business is renowned for creating the market for natural cosmetic ingredients and making social responsibility an essential component of daily business operations. The Body Shop is renowned for its moral principles, including its financial contributions to the communities in which it conducts business and its economic alliances with underdeveloped nations." By making financial contributions, The Body Shop company benefits society.

A description of the conventional way the ads applied to talk to its customers

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: Companies like the Body Shop continually hype their products through advertising and marketing, often creating a demand for something where a real need for it does not exist.
Keywords: companies, advertising, marketing, demand
Keywords Location: Paragraph F, line 6
Explanation: According to the paragraph, "businesses like the Body Shop relentlessly promote their products through advertising and marketing, frequently creating a desire for something where an actual need for it does not exist." Body Shop traditionally used advertising and marketing to talk to its customers by generating a buzz about their items in the marketplace.

A history of a humble origin and expansion

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: History of The Body Shop Anita Roddick started The Body Shop with a mere £4,000 and a dream.
Keywords: history, the body shop, dream
Keywords Location: Paragraph C, line 1
Explanation: It is stated in the paragraph that "The Body Shop's past The Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick with just £4,000 and a vision. with more than 1,900 stores throughout 50 nations. In 1976, The Body Shop was established in Brighton, England. Roddick was the first successful marketer of body care products that integrated natural ingredients with environmentally friendly manufacturing methods, starting from her original shop, which provided a range of 25 different lotions, creams, and oils." The Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick, and from its modest beginnings in Brighton, England. Its expansion with more than 1,900 stores in 50 countries, we can understand its history through this information.

Management practices are intended to line up the company’s goal with participants, prosperity

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: These contributions are intended to achieve the company’s goal of linked prosperity, i.e. to assure that future prosperity is widely shared by all employees.
Keywords: contributions, company’s goals, prosperity
Keywords Location: Paragraph B, line 3
Explanation: According to the paragraph, "these payments are meant to achieve the company's purpose of connected prosperity, i.e. to ensure that future wealth is widely shared by all employees." The phrase "company's goal of connected prosperity" refers to a management strategy in which employees share in the company's revenues.

Questions 5-7:
Choose the three correct letter, A- F.
Write your answers in boxes 5-7 on your answer sheet.
What is true about Ben & Jerry’s company management

A. There was little difference between the highest salary and the lowest B. They were advertising their product with powerful internal marketing. C. They offer the employee complimentary product D. Employees were encouraged to give services back to the community E. the products are designed for workers to barter for other goods and services F. offered a package of benefits for disabled employees

Question 5:

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Ben & Jerry’s offers a very sweet benefits package to employees.
Keywords: benefits, package, employee
Keywords Location: Paragraph A, line 1
Explanation: In paragraph A, it has been claimed "Employees at Ben & Jerry's have access to some really great benefits. The 700+ Ben & Jerry's employees are all entitled to three complimentary pints of ice cream, sorbet, or frozen yoghurt for every day they work. (Some employees barter for other goods and services in town, including haircuts, using portions of their free sweets.)" We can infer that Ben & Jerry's provides the employee with a freebie product. Because each of the 700+ employees has a right to three free pints, and some employees trade free treats for other goods and services.

Question 6:

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: First, every one of the 700+ Ben & Jerry’s workers is entitled to three free pints of ice cream, sorbet or frozen yoghurt per day worked.
Keywords: free pints, per day, worked, workers
Keywords Location: Paragraph A, line 3
Explanation: According to the third sentence of paragraph A, "some employees utilise portions of their free gifts to trade for other goods and services in town, like haircuts." We can assume that the facility is set up so that workers can utilise it in this way since they are exchanging their free gifts for other goods and services.

Question 7:

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: Ben & Jerry’s offers a very sweet benefits package to employees.
Keywords: sweet, package, benefit, employees
Keywords Location: Paragraph A, line 1
Explanation: Given that employees at Ben & Jerry's receive a really sweet benefits package, Option F is the best choice. It may also include employees with disabilities since the sort of employees is not stated.

Questions 8-10:
Choose the three correct letters, A- F.
Write your answers in boxes 8-10 on your answer sheet.
What are the factors that once contributed to the success of the BODY SHOP?

A. Pioneering the natural-ingredient cosmetics market B. Appealed to primary market mainly of the rich women C. Focused on their lavish ads campaign D. The company avoided producing traditional cosmetics products E. Its moral concept that refuses to use animals- tested ingredients F. Its monetary donations to the communities and in developing countries

Question 8:

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: The company is known for pioneering the natural-ingredient cosmetic market and establishing social responsibility as an integral part of company operations.
Keywords: natural ingredient, cometic, social responsibility
Keywords Location: Paragraph D, line 4
Explanation: According to paragraph D, line 4, "the company is known for pioneering the natural-ingredient cosmetic industry and establishing social responsibility as an inherent component of corporate operations." This information reveals that pioneering the natural-ingredient cosmetics market is one of the factors that contributed to the body shop company's success.

Question 9:

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: Her company’s refusal to test products on animals, along with an insistence on non exploitative labour practices among suppliers around the world, appealed especially to upscale, mainly middle-class women, who were and have continued to be the company’s primary market.
Keywords: refusal, animals, non exploitative, labour
Keywords Location: Paragraph C, line 5
Explanation: It is said in paragraph c, line 5, that "her company's unwillingness to test products on animals, along with an insistence on non exploitative labour methods among suppliers around the world, appealed especially to upscale, primarily middle-class women, who were and have continued to be the company's major market." Body Shop's moral stance of not using ingredients tested on animals is demonstrated by the company's refusal to subject items to animal testing.

Question 10:

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: The Body Shop is known for its ethical stances, such as its monetary donations to the communities in which it operates, and its business partnerships with developing countries.
Keywords: ethical, donation, communities, partnerships, developing countries
Keywords Location: Paragraph D, line 5
Explanation: According to the statement in line 5 of paragraph D, "the Body Shop is known for its ethical views, such as its financial donations to the communities in which it operates, and its economic collaborations with developing countries." Therefore, based on the information provided, we can affirm that the Body Shop is renowned for its financial contributions. These contributions are made to local communities and underdeveloped nations.

Questions 11-13:
Choose the three correct letters, A- F.
Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.
What are the factors leading to the later failure for BODY SHOP company?

A. Its philosophy that there is real beauty in everyone is faulty B. Fails to fulfil promises while acted like misleading the public C. Faced growing competition D. Its creating demand for something that the customers do not actually need E. its newer, fresher Brands are not successful in the Market F. fail to offer cosmetics at lower prices than competitors

Question 11:

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Other downfall factors also include misleading the public, low pay and against unions, exploiting indigenous people; also the mass production, packaging and transportation of huge quantities of goods are using up the world’s resources faster than they can be renewed and filling the land, sea and air with dangerous pollution and waste.
Keywords: downfall, factors, misleading, public, mass production, packaging, transportation
Keywords Location: Paragraph F, last line
Explanation: In the final sentence of paragraph F, it is stated that "other factors contributing to the decline include misleading the public, low pay, opposition to unions, and exploitation of indigenous people; additionally, mass production, packaging, and transportation of enormous quantities of goods are depleting the world's resources more quickly than they can be replenished and are contaminating the land, sea, and air with hazardous pollution and waste." Therefore, deceiving the public by making false promises was one of the factors that contributed to the body shop company's demise (collapse).

Question 12:

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: By the mid-1990s，however，The Body Shop faced growing competition, forcing it to begin its first major advertising initiative, the most prominent part of which was the “Ruby” campaign.
Keywords: growing, competition, advertising, Ruby campaign
Keywords Location: Paragraph E, line 1
Explanation: The first line of paragraph E reads, "By the mid-1990s, however, The Body Shop face increased competition, leading it to initiate its first major advertising drive, of which the "Ruby" campaign was the most notable component. Ruby, a doll with Rubenesque proportions sat on an ancient couch and who appeared quite content with herself and her bulky frame, served as the campaign's personification. This phrase so supports the idea that the body shop company saw increasing rivalry, which ultimately led to its demise.

Question 13:

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: The message pushed is that the route to happiness is through buying more and more of their products.
Keywords: happiness, buying, products, more
Keywords Location: Paragraph F, line 7
Explanation: Companies like the Body Shop, according to paragraph 7, line 7, "constantly hype their products through advertising and marketing, frequently creating a desire for something when an actual need for it does not exist." The idea being spread is that purchasing more and more of their goods will bring you happiness. The Body Shop attempted to generate demand for a product through marketing and advertising that the clients did not genuinely require.

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