Evaluate Bodyshop company Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Evaluate Bodyshop company - Coursework Example Sesame oil and marula oil are the most common natural ingredients utilized by the company in making its products. Marula oil is obtained from kernels and some of its traditional use entailed body moistening as a lotion and massage treatment purposes. Sesame oil also acts as skin moisturizer and skin massage oil (Nitzsch & Rose, 2011, p. 23). Body shop obtains its ingredients via Community Fair Trade. The products fall under various categories depending on their use. The first category is fragrances that include varied products for men and women. Body butters include Meringa, strawberry, Shea, Satsuma, olive coconut and mango products. Skin care products contain a wide range of minerals including vitamin c, tea tree, seaweed and Aloe Vera. Under this category, Body shop has lotions approved by pediatricians for babies. Maca root and White musk are skin products for men. Make ups include eye shadow, lipstick, mineral make up and mascara. For hair care, they have banana conditioner and banana shampoo. The last category is bathing products that include soaps and gels. Antiperspirants are the latest products by Body Shop (Body Shop Business, 2011, p. 1). Market entry Initially, Body Shop was an environmental friendly single-store shop specializing in natural cosmetic products in Berkeley, California. Anita Roddick visited the shop as a customer. It inspired her to start her own shop of similar products. She opened a shop in 1976, UK and began producing the naturally scented products. In 1987, she bought naming rights for her shop consequently labeling it Body Shop (Haile, 2004, p. 24). It expanded at a steady rate of 50% quickly spreading to other countries. Initial investment and ownership Anita needed 4,000 sterling pounds to start her investment. She obtained the money from a bank as an investment loan for her first shop. Following success, she wanted to open another shop but funds remained a challenge. The bank refused to loan her the money. She obtained 4,000 s terling pounds for her second shop from a friend of one of the girls assisting at the first shop. However, the person demanded a 50% share in the shop she was to set up. Further funding for expansion was through informal arrangements with various businesspersons and businesses (Haile, 2004, p. 22). Body Shop offered its first public offing on April 1984. Anita Roddick and her husband Gordon Roddick owned the company for 30 years from the date of establishment until 2006, when L’Oreal corporate team purchased the company (Body Shop Business, 2011, p. 1). Body Shop’s Unique Selling Preposition Anita Roddick advocated for environmental friendly products to conserve the environment and maintain healthy bodies. As Gordon Brown, the English Prime Minister, acknowledge that after Anita Roddick’s death in 2007, she and her company campaigned for green issues long before it became a popular topic in the world (Assenmacher, 2012, p. 24). She is a pioneer in instilling the globe’s environmental concerns in people. This ultimately convinced people to use Body Shop products. Apart from environmental issues, Body Shop campaigned for other social issues that included enhancing self-esteem in women. In this campaign, the company contradicted the popular media concepts of women that depicted women as stereotype (Dutta, 2007). Body shop also engaged in community activities in which it funded various environmentalist and social groups. Consequently, it familiarized their products with interest topics