Business Report (RP): Formal business report structure Write an analytical business report on what ethical consumerism means for businesses.
Choose a company and explain and analyse how they operate ethically. This must take into account the ethics and values of the company you choose to focus on.
The report must be written in business report format and include the following six numbered sections:
• An executive summary which gives a brief overview of the argument in your report including key findings and conclusions.
• An introduction which gives an overview of the structure of your report.
• A brief overview and analysis of ethical consumerism, identifying the examples of some of the products which fall into the ethical category. You must include a definition of ethical consumerism and arguments as to why it is a good strategy for businesses to adopt.
• A detailed review of one company claiming to operate ethically. Discuss the approach(es) they have used to become a more socially conscious business, linking this with their ethics and values.
• The results of a short opinion survey on what influences consumer buying behaviour, carried out by you from a small sample of 10-15 students at GSM London. You need to conduct primary research for this section.
• A conclusion which includes critical evaluation of ethical consumerism based on the evidence that you have gathered both from your primary and secondary research, focusing on the company you have chosen for detailed review.
• Recommendations as to how your company could become more ethical.
• You must include a references list after the main body of the report. Remember to use Harvard referencing where appropriate.
• A copy of your opinion survey should be included in an appendix.
Supporting material will be posted on Blackboard, but you will be expected to undertake research using newspaper/magazine/web articles, journals and text books. There will also be input in class time to assist you with the topic.
Word limit: Not more than 2000 +/- 10%
A suggested word count for each section is given below.
Executive summary 100 words
Introduction 200 words
Ethical consumerism 400 words
Company review 600 words
Opinion survey 400 words (not including survey/tables etc)
Conclusion 200 words
Recommendations 100 words