Abstract
Corporate Social Responsibility is a topic of prime importance that has been doing the rounds for long. Since the 1960s, social responsibility has become an important argument not only for business but in the context of law, politics and economics. In fact, in the new context of globalization, firms have to face the economical and social environment and they are becoming more aware of the fact that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a necessary element of their business actions. Nevertheless, there is still a general attitude towards CSR as its implementation requires spending money that could result in an economic loss. The objective of this project is to investigate the role of CSR and demonstrate that CSR is a factor that can, instead, contribute to the competitiveness of the firms and therefore, improve their financial performances. The priority of a company is to generate profit but at the same time, it can contribute to reach social and environmental purposes, by integrating CSR as a strategic investment in its business. In order to answer the research question and to understand the role of CSR in the economic profitability of the firms, we have chosen as a case study of The Body Shop Company. If customers have the choice between a common product and a product created in a responsible way, they will prefer to buy the second one because they know that they are also acting in a good way. So, CSR plays a role in the purchase intentions of customers.
