Critically Evaluate Change at Marks Spencer - 5311 Words

Abstract Marks and Spencer (MS) p.l.c. is one of the largest retailers in the United Kingdom with a selling space of 12.5 million square feet, was established in 1884 as ‘Penny bazaar’. MS sells clothing, food, footwear, gifts and home furnishings in its 760 stores around the world. The company’s wholly own and franchise stores operates in Europe, Hong Kong, Far East, Australia, Middle East, the Bahamas and Bermuda making a total of 34 countries. This report critically evaluates the changes at MS from the mid 1980s to current day. Initially it assesses and outlines the macro and micro environmental factors. Under macro environment the substantial competitive growth is explained using internet technology and globalisation. Under†¦show more content†¦Figure 1: GDP growth of the UK since 2002 Source: National Statistics (2007) According to Turban and King (2003), internet technology renders retailers an additional channel for branding, transactions and customer relationship management, the adaptation of which may drive down retailers’ transaction costs, and ensuring faster and higher quality of customer interactions, resulting in enlarging the existing markets and consumer base. MS realizes this and have tried to sell clothing via high street stores as well as via internet though they have experienced cost cutting, rationalisation and management changes in order to revive their business in recent years. Internet technology might enable sustainable competitive advantage, but problems remain on how to physically organize their online retail operations. As argued by Eaton (2001), globalization is an enterprise management feature, which increases liberalization of international trade and international competition. Needless to say, nowadays most of senior managers tend to plan their companies to go worldwide. In the early 1970s, MS expanded its international operation to purchase a 50 per cent shareholding of three Canadian companies for the first step. In November 1997 the company announced a 2,100 million GBP plan for global expansion which would be across Europe, the Far East and the Middle East (Bevan, 2002). 2.2. Micro Environment This part adopts Porter’s (1985) five-forceShow MoreRelatedStrategic Role Of Human Resource Management1550 Words   |  7 Pagespracticed in UK’s one of most known retail brand Marks Spencer. The company has been performing consistently well since its commencement. The report also analysis human resource planning and the development methods used by the MS, Finally examining how organisations contribute in achieving organisational objectives and requirements in performance. Company Profile Marks Spencer also known as MS established in 1894 in Leeds by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. It is one of UK’s leading retail brand andRead MoreMarks Spencer1929 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿bstract: This report critically analyses how the external and internal factors affect the strategies of MS and modifies its business strategies. Even though MS has good strategy and marketing plans they haven’t used it to their advantage. It also tells how the macro and micro environment affect their strategy and their plan. The report uses frame works like PESTEL, SWOT and porter 5 forces. It further investigates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of MS. This report highlightsRead MoreFinancial Management4387 Words   |  18 Pages An Investigation of Marks and Spencer and the Hermes principles DATE: 11/04/08 1. Introduction Marks Spencer Plc (MS) is an international retailer which is currently operating in 34 countries and has established over 600 UK stores as well as over 219 franchise stores. The company trades in clothing, home furnishings and foods. The company’s corporate objective is to increase long-term shareholder wealth. The aim of the report is to evaluate the financial managementRead MoreStrategic Development Report ( Sdr ) On The Princes Trust Charity983 Words   |  4 Pagesthe strategy of the charity and undertake a process of analysis, formulation and review of its implementation (AFI) as outlined by Rothaermel, F (2013, pg20). This report will then outline strategic recommendations for the charity and finally critically evaluate these recommendations. Strategy, strategic thinking and strategic process (AFI) for organizations is important. Porter, M.E (1980) outlined the strategy and competiveness and he developed the term of ‘Strategic competitive advantage’ (SCA)Read MoreMarketing3107 Words   |  13 PagesI. INTRODUCTION Marks Spencer Group Plc is an international organization which doing business through Europe, North America and Asia. The located headquarter is in City of Westminster, London. The company sales clothing, footwear, gifts, house appliances, and food in over 600 stores in UK and over 300 stores across more than 40 countries in the world (Source online: Web1). The consumer’s confidence in the Marks and Spencer brand remains second to none By the way, the company can achieve many opportunitiesRead MoreMarks and Spencer3678 Words   |  15 PagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report critically analyses the impact of external and internal influences on the business strategies of Marks and Spencer (MS) between 1996 and 2002, evaluates the factors, and modifies its business strategies. The major finding is that MS has successful business strategies and marketing plans. However, the company does not maintain these advantages continuously. Indeed, it causes some disadvantages. The purpose of this report is to evaluate how MS survives in theRead MoreThe Key Issues That M S Faced Developing And Implementing Its Strategic Plan3473 Words   |  14 PagesLeeds Beckett University MA International Business Critically evaluate the key issues that MS faced in developing and implementing its Strategic Plan Corporate Strategy Name: Jay Patel Student ID: 77154870â€Æ' Contents Introduction 1 Company overview 1 Environmental analysis 2 PESTLE 2 SWOT 3 Governance and Alliance Structure 4 Key issues facing M S 5 Challenge of Strategy Development in a multiple stakeholder environment 6 Evaluation of the Strategic Options facing MS 7 RecommendationsRead MoreMarks Spencer Case Study6101 Words   |  25 PagesMarks Spencer Case Study Introduction........................................................................ Page 3 EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT 1.0 PEST Analysis................................................................ Page 3 2.0 Porters Five Forces Model................................................. Page 4 INTERNAL ANALYSIS 3.0 Auditing the Resources of MS.......................................... Page 5 4.0 Value Chain Analysis....................................................Read MoreMS Case Study2089 Words   |  9 Pagess Case Study: Marks and Spencer Where now for an icon of British retailing? History and background Early history Marks and Spencer (Mamp;S) was founded by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in 1884 - he called his business penny bazaars with signs reading Dont ask the price, its a penny (the forerunner of stores like Poundland today?) The company went public in the 1920s and by the 1970s Mamp;S had established itself as a British institution with locations in every major town andRead MoreIntroduction. This Essay Will Critically Evaluate The Adoption995 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction This essay will critically evaluate the adoption of International Accounting Standards by UK companies. IAS (International Accounting Standards) created by IASC (International accounting standards committee) are a set of standards stating how particular types of transactions and other events should be reflected in financial statements. Since 2001 the IASB (International Accounting Standards Board) succeeded the IASC to create the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) which

Analytical Paper Free Essays

Presenting the public with two â€Å"equal† sides and making the scientific community seem divided. The best way that constrains Interfered with a scientific consensus was to generate doubt within the American public by creating a delve between scientists. For example, the harmfulness of acid rain was questioned when Fred Singer 1 contradicted the factual evidence of his committee by claiming in an official government report that the causes of acid rain were not certain and that a reduction in industrial emissions would not necessarily help solve the problem. We will write a custom essay sample on Analytical Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Both of these statements were in direct contradiction with the international scientific community, which made the consensus seem wavering and the official White House-appointed panel seem divided. Fred Singer reemerges on the issue of ozone depletion by blasting the science community when claiming that the whole issue was an under- researched overreaction (1 26); he claimed that ozone depletion was due to natural stratospheric cooling (127). Several years later, Bill Emergencies created doubt over climate change when he lead a report asserting that rolling CA was a problem that loud be solved with technology and the government only needed to fund more research (183). Merchants of Doubt provides countless examples of contraction scientists chopping down the certainty of scientific findings. Constrains like Singer and Energetic are able to discredit the work of thousands of scientists because they are praised leading scientists who have served in distinguished federal science corporations. They have developed ties to the government through federal agencies, think tanks, and direct contact with congressman, senators, and presidents (7). Secondly, the people who are being arrogated by scientists are industries with lots of money, which have the resources to hire and provide funding to influential people who will defend their products. With strong reputations and money, contraction scientists are perceived as â€Å"experts† with â€Å"Informed opinions† and thus are granted a false sense of credibility and Influence. Tactic #2: Tagging scientist as â€Å"bad† and calling their findings â€Å"junk. † Fred Sister, an influential defender of the tobacco industry, invented a tactic of contraction scientists that targeted the EPA as a Junk organization whose science â€Å"is manipulated to fulfill a political agenda† (144) and â€Å"imposes enormous economic costs on all aspects of society† (142). Sites and Singer blasted their views of the EPA as â€Å"bad scientists† all over public media venues such as the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Singer attacked the EPA for not considering that adverse health effects from second hand smoke could be due to outside factors when doing an epidemiological study; he claimed the EPA rigged their results and ignored other possibilities In order to dupe the public (144). I believe the â€Å"bad science† argument Is accepted by the public because science Is nearly misunderstood for a variety of reasons. Firstly, research results can be complicated and generally confusing to a nonscientific, therefore the public must credible counterargument and splitting the scientific consensus (Task #1). Most people have no scientific baseline from which to make informed opinions so they gather information from â€Å"experts† from both sides of a scientific story. Secondly, science in general is an objective project, scientists stress that their results are always falsifiable and that continued research is necessary to strengthen a scientific finding. For example, Roger Reveille started a talk to the AAAS about climate change by saying, â€Å"There is a good but by no means certain chance that the world’s average climate will become significantly warmer during the next century’ (191). Constrains used this ambiguous statement as a way to show that scientists are unsure of their work, when in fact there is no â€Å"certain chance† in any scientific trend. In order to remain trustworthy, scientists must always instill a sense of impartiality that is misconstrued as uncertainty. Tactic #3: Making the public believe that environmentalism is a threat to the American value system. One goal of scientific findings on acid rain or the ozone hole is to invoke political action that will ensure safety to humans and the environment. Contraction scientists claim that this goal is UN-American and that the corrupt political agenda of environmentalism is a threat to human rights. For example, a pro-smoking organization, FORESTS, claimed that if smoking was banned, â€Å"there is essentially no limit to how much government can ultimately control our lives† (164). As Singer and Sites would put it, it was individual liberty at stake. â€Å"Today smoking, tomorrow†¦ Who knew? (145). Science was also attacked for being uneconomic. Dixie Lee Ray in the 1992 Progress Foundation Economic Conference claimed â€Å"sustainability was replacing [economic] progress† (252). Constrains aimed to convince Americans that by protecting industry they were protecting their â€Å"liberty that depended on [economic] progress† (252). This tactic was made possible because constrains tapped into the American fear of the communist Soviet Union by claiming that environmentalism was a socialist endeavor. They pegged environmentalists as â€Å"Watermelons’: green on the outside, red on the inside† (248). When the Cold War ended, constrains funneled socialist fear into an anti-climate change movement, which revolved around the idea that climate change was against American’s liberty and prosperity. The attackers believed they were â€Å"working to ‘secure the blessings of liberty as if science was being used against those blessings?in ways that challenged the freedom of free enterprise† (238). Constrains put science under the fire by claiming that its agenda was to deny the rights of citizens, much like the Soviets did to their citizens in the Cold War. Conclusion: The players mentioned?singer, Suite, Energetic, Lee Ray, and FOREST ?among others have created organized patterns of doubt that misconstrue the validity of research and science. Using money and influence, they have dismantled any form of consensus within the scientific community and have used popular media outlets to echo their claims. 9 They understand the American emphasis on economic have attacked scientists as being politically incentive socialists that threaten citizen’s rights to freedom and prosperity. They have used these strategies to stunt political action in issues like acid rain and climate change and have caused the American public to lose faith in the credibility of science. How to cite Analytical Paper, Papers

Real Beauty Sketches free essay sample

In April 2013, Dove launched a â€Å"Real Beauty† campaign after performing marketing research and discovering that only 2% of all women consider themselves to be â€Å"beautiful†. In an effort to boost self-esteem and moral, Dove introduced a television ad in the form, which incorporated a powerful and touching social experiment. In this commercial, several different women are asked to describe their physical appearance to a forensic sketch artist, who cannot see them as he sketches their physical descriptions. They are told to use neutral terms, and to â€Å"stick to the facts† when describing their own self-reflections. Next, the same women are described to the same forensic sketch artist by a complete stranger, whom they had only met the day before. The strangers are given the same instructions. At the end of this unknown experiment, both descriptions are drawn by the artist and then compared. Upon comparison, it is incredibly obvious that the stranger’s physical descriptions of the subject are more flattering, and more accurate depict the subject’s true appearance. The commercial sends a very inspiring, real message to the women: to be less critical of yourself, and to embrace the natural beauty of womanhood. After the experiment took place, one woman admitted, â€Å"I should be more grateful of my natural beauty. It impacts the choices and the friends we make; the jobs we apply for; how we treat our children; it impacts everything. It couldn’t be more critical to your happiness. † To the same point, another woman added, â€Å"we spend a lot of time as women analyzing and trying to fix the things that aren’t quite right, and we should spend more time appreciating the things that we do like. † The commercial ends with a powerful and honest message: â€Å"You are more beautiful than you think. † The â€Å"Real Beauty Sketches† ad resulted in widespread reactions worldwide- some positive, some negative. Many praised the commercial for its ability to acknowledge and accept natural beauty and what society may traditional deem as physical â€Å"flaws†. But there were many negative critics as well. Despite the good nature behind the commercial’s intent, many criticized the ad for its heavy emphasis on physical appearance. Critics claimed that Dove’s advertisement still focused too heavily on the physical appearance of woman, and its remaining influence as the single-most defining element of a woman’s worth; as opposed to her personality or personal achievements. Which led me to question: How could this advertisement be improved to focus on the â€Å"true beauty† and essence of a woman’s worth? The message is a refreshing change from the typical message that beauty supply companies often send; instead of shaming women into purchasing things to make them more â€Å"beautiful†, Dove takes a non-traditional approach by supporting the natural beauty, without the enhancement of material products. Although this may seem to counter-act their ultimate goal of selling beauty products, Dove gains seeks to gain more than just revenue- they seek to gain self-confidence and acceptance. But in order to overcome the heavy emphasis of a woman’s physical appearance as the defining element of a woman’s worth, I think it is important to emphasis how the woman achieved her â€Å"beauty lines†, wrinkles, or â€Å"flaws†. Perhaps pulling on the viewer’s emotional heartstring of laughter and love would prove to play a beautiful part in the development of a woman’s wrinkles around her eyes, or expression lines in her forehead. By approaching the beauty from this marketing angle, marketers are focusing on the internal beauty that a woman envelopes, and justifies their natural beauty with self-worth and personal accomplishment. By casting very â€Å"average† and â€Å"typical† looking women, marketers sought to appeal to the majority of women, in an effort to reflect a more realistic depiction of women. By refraining from using â€Å"traditionally† beautiful women, viewers and women find the message to be more relatable to themselves. Marketing Applications: In April 2013, Dove marketers applied a story-like short film to their Real Beauty campaign, in an effort to reveal each woman’s true natural beauty. Marketing Relevance: Marketing emphasis: to encourage the improvement of self-image and confidence among women worldwide. Dove marketers sought to prove that â€Å"we† are our own worst critics, and that our own self-image is often skewed and far less beautiful than our true natural beauty suggests. Intangible elements: Dove focused on producing a moral campaign that reflects the ideals and beliefs of their corporate personnel. In this powerful, thought-provoking message, Dove effectively used an emotional story to â€Å"make a culturally positive difference†. Marketers drew upon an emotional appeal in an attempt to attach these positive ideas to their own product line. In doing so, Dove successfully attached an extension of their own feelings to their product, as well as their corporate image. Many accredit the campaign’s success to its ability tap into deep-seated emotions and hit on a real human truth for women. Many women undervalue themselves and also the way they look. In this ad, Dove focused on the emotional appeal, rather than simply â€Å"communicating a particular product or service benefit. † As a result, consumers will be more likely to remember the positive emotions that the advertisement evoked, and thus, â€Å"associate them with Dove products. † Discussion Questions: