Reference no: EM133073167 , Length: word count:1500

MEDS 1159 Corporate Communications

Case: Boohoo case study

Based on your reading of the case study on Boohoo and from your wider research of the organisation and its internal and external environment, you have to answer TWO questions, from the choice of six questions below. Each answer does not need to exceed 750 words with a total of no more than 1500 (+/-10%) words across both answers. All answers should include in-text citations and a reference list and these are in addition and outside the required word count.

Question 1.
‘... while organisations are using corporate stories, they are not sufficiently leveraging them to build their corporate brand' (Spear, 2013, p. 491).

Evaluate in the context of the fashion retailer Boohoo which has built a multi-billion pound business based on a business model of speedy supply of cheap fashion, however, it is plagued by issues damaging its reputation and share price over the poor treatment of workers. Other issues around fast fashion include sustainability and the environment. Consider whether Boohoo would benefit from a new corporate narrative. If so, what could / should it look like? Using a theoretical framework of your choice, identify existing elements in Boohoo's history, positioning and communication which could form building blocks for a corporate narrative for Boohoo.

Question 2.
The reputation of an organisation can vary across different stakeholder groups and be influenced by different factors. Using Rawlins' (2006) Stakeholder Linkage Model, choose two different groups of Boohoo stakeholders (enabling, functional, diffused and normative); list between 3-5 stakeholders for each group and discuss the ways in which Boohoo's engagement with them may be impacted by the company's current situation.

Question 3.
"The value of an organisation is linked directly to its reputation, which in turn is sustained by building trust, acting with integrity and being transparent about the organisation's strategy, operations, use of capital and performance." (Melbourne Mandate, 2012). Critically evaluate this statement in the context of Boohoo's actions since the 2020 news coverage about its supply chain and the impact on its current reputation.

Question 4.
The German academic Zerfass(2008, see case study extract) says that a company's corporate communications strategy depends on a balance between an organisation's focus on profitability but also its licence to operate (legitimacy) which comes from its wider engagement and contribution to society (CSR/ESG). Evaluate Boohoo's actions in the last two years through the prism of the Zerfass model and assess if you think that Boohoo has achieved a balance between profitability and legitimacy.

Question 5.
"A crisis is defined as an issue that requires not just decisive but also immediate action from the organisation." (Cornelissen, 2008). Using relevant models of issue management and crisis communications evaluate Boohoo's pre-crisis issue management in the years prior to Alison Levitt, QC's appointment in 2020.

Question 6.
The CEO of Boohoo, John Lyttle said in its 2021 Annual Report (p.20) that "I am proud to lead a business that, instead of choosing to walk away from the allegations, took the immediate decision to do everything within its power to address them and play its part in rebuilding a thriving garment sector in the heart of the UK - a sector that provides good employment and makes a significant contribution to the local and UK economies."

Drawing on the Levitt report as well as other sources, analyse what role leadership may have played in the Boohoo supply chain crisis and what leadership positioning strategy, Boohoo may be adopting now.

Attachment:- Corporate Communications.rar