Poverty, Discrimination, And Corruption - 1504 Words

Social problems are inevitable in every community. However, programs and challenges designed to cater to these social issues remain few. Consequently, it is important to step up and use the resources available to address pressing social problems such as poverty, discrimination, and corruption. Poverty is especially a common issue that occurs in this society. Unfortunately, its impact is often ignored. Especially, in the current social attitude that each should fight to find their way is society. Social programs and policies are instrumental in eradicating such problems and offering people a variety of ways to grow. Specifically, this essay is a focuses on a program that can assist children in poverty. Children in poverty The term†¦show more content†¦Children without the financial support to attend school are at a disadvantage because they do not attain skills as essential as reading or writing. Also, poverty leads to increased crime rates (Williams, 2013). Young people are often forced to steal money or food to support their needs. In other cases, they join violent gangs in search of a place to belong or protection. Unfortunately, the ultimate result of poverty is an increased mortality rate among children who succumb to disease, poor living conditions, and violence. The impact and magnitude of poverty among children are far reaching. The consequences of this social problem affect the family unit, the community and the country as well. First, the family unit is distorted in most poverty cases because parents are unable to provide and children run-away or are abandoned. Also, the community is impacted because it faces security issues due to the violence and it is unconduc ive to the living because the members cannot afford proper housing, water, electricity or gas (Bradshaw, 2016). Furthermore, the country loses future leaders to challenges of poverty, disease, violence and premature death. Consequently, it is a social problem that requires every individual’s contribution to deal with effectively. Historically, the issue of poverty has been addressed in general and with a short-term approach. Some of these approaches include using outreach programs to reachShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Conflict of the Republic of the Congo1655 Words   |  7 Pagesdeveloped an unfair supply of resources and corruption amongst government officials. Corruption in government slows the economic growth for all societies. The government is weak, and the judicial system is vulnerable against large political interference. Political conflict and the damage of social and economic structure have destroyed the economy. 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It is said that â€Å"a

Advertisement Analysis - 2091 Words

Spalding NEVER FLATâ„ ¢ Advertisement Analyzed â€Å"Promise, large promise, is the soul of an advertisement† (Samuel). This quotation claims that a promise, as the soul, is an essential part of any advertisement – it means that a promise is always present in an ad. This has always been true even in a long time ago since it was written by the famous writer Johnson Samuel who lived in the 1700s (Lynch). Furthermore, even in those past years, it can be concluded that advertisements had already greatly influenced the lives of people, that this well-known writer even wrote an essay about it – the â€Å"Idler No. 040: The Art of Advertising Exemplified† where the quotation is from. Ads can be seen almost everywhere one turns his/her head on to, – TVs,†¦show more content†¦There are three means by which an advertisement can persuade its target consumers into buying the product it advertises; these are: â€Å"the appeal to the audience’ s reason (logos),† which can be shown by â€Å"formal logic and†¦ citation of relevant facts and objective evidence†; â€Å"the appeal to the audience’s emotion (pathos), such as fear, greed, love of comfort, and desire for status†; and â€Å"the degree of confidence the [ad] could inspire in the audience (ethos)† (Hirschberg 4). The claim that the Spalding ad addresses contains all of these three strategies. It creates a strong impact to its target consumers concerning their reasoning, emotion, and confidence on the product. First, adding the word â€Å"guaranteed† gives its audience assurance that what is being stated is proven and true – and therefore can be considered a fact. 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Introduction to Marketing Basis of Characteristics

Question: Describe about the Introduction to Marketing for the Basis of Characteristics. Answer: Part A B2B Market Segmentation Variables Market segmentation is one of the important processes through which the entire target audience can be segregated, as per their similarities, on the basis of characteristics as well as interests. The segmentation process is related with the segregation strategy, which contributes to the development of particular customers segments, according their similarity of traits. Companies can segment one specific market through several ways. However, the choices of segmentation strategies can be modified and revised according to the products or services characteristics. Most often, there are certain variables that are considered as the major factors for business expansion and consistent sustainability, such as geographic locations, business description, behavioral practices and product applications (1Hearst Newspapers, LLC., 2016). In the following sections, the segmentation strategies followed by McDonalds have been elaborated, as an example. Geographic Locations: One of the simplest and common segregation strategies is segmentation on the basis of geographical range. If a company has a huge customer base that helps it to assemble within local, regional, national or international locations, it can be considered as worthy to invest in geographic marketing. In geographic segments, population density, size of region and climate factors are the most important factors in order to segregate the similar kind of customers. For instance, McDonalds offers its customers with seasonal foods, such as sea foods in selective market places, which is based on customer preferences (1Hearst Newspapers, LLC., 2016; 4Hearst Newspapers, LLC., 2016). Business Description: To segregate the customers choices and trends, there are certain factors associated with business description. The type of specific business, the pattern of particular industry, classification of business, size of business region, annual growth of the company and profitability tendency among others, make the difference regarding consumer base and market position. It must be noted in this regard that the size, growth and the profitability of business are directly related with the company or the brand, which may affect the choice of customers at large. McDonalds offers available seasonal meals for Englands customers as per their preferences to maintain business profitability (1Hearst Newspapers, LLC., 2016; 4Hearst Newspapers, LLC., 2016). Behavioral Practice: Behavioral practice can develop on the basis of customers interests and their experiences with the particular company or the brand of the products and/or services. With this specific strategy, the market segment of a company can possess collective familiarities with the products and/or services wherein the customers behaviors are highlighted through their tradition, loyalty and prospects among other common characteristics. Most often, companys operational practices are based on urgency, occasions, and users demand to generate benefits through behavioral approaches. The similar kind of demands is often observed in New Englands customers at seasonal time spans for sea foods. Due to this reason, McDonalds offers them with a variety of sea foods (1Hearst Newspapers, LLC., 2016; 4Hearst Newspapers, LLC., 2016). Product Application: The specification of products is also allied with the psychological and demographical aspects of consumers. According to the purchasing requirements of customers, product applications have also been changing over time. Therefore, the purchasing requirements can be deemed as dependent on the demographic and psychological drivers to consumers purchase decisions, which can affect the prospects of market segregation as well (1Hearst Newspapers, LLC., 2016). Characteristics of Service and Method to Reduce the Problems Dinning etiquette training service is invisible and an intangible aspect of marketing, while its significant traits can affect the consumers behaviors during the buying process and the system through which the company can interact with them. In case of the given scenario, the company wants to provide training services to its employees for betterment in their dinning etiquette. In doing so, the following measures can be adopted. Intangibility: Intangibility is an important characteristic of training service. Customers can purchase the service without seeing, feeling, touching, hearing or smelling it. In case of such aspects, only consumers feedbacks and testimonial letters from satisfied clients will be able to make certain changes and reduce intangibility perspectives. Inseparability: According to the given scenario, the etiquette training service is offered and consumed at the same time. It signifies a situation, wherein production of the service cannot be separated from its consumption. There is no time difference between both of these operations. This in turn has given rise to certain problems regarding quality and value concerns within the operational environment. Perishability: The term refers to a condition when companies fail to store services after a specified period of time. The problem of service perishability develops when demand is unstable for specific services. Perishability of training services might harm the business at time of non-peak periods. Variability: Training services are highly variable, because it entirely depends on the trainers perspectives. Timing, place and process all are associated with the service provider. Due to this reason, effective training and efficient selection of human resource is required for the standardization of the overall service process. One method through which the problems of each characteristic can be mitigated has been illustrated in the following steps: Efficient selection and recruitment for effective trainer An appropriate training process including training notes, DVDs for dining etiquette learning Online seminars for dining etiquette training Provide training services according clients needs and timing 3Ps Strategies in Etiquette Training Physical Evidence: For the dinning etiquette training service, physical evidence can be referred as one of the most important aspects in terms of system standardization. Packaging of entire training service is essential to make a belief towards the authorization that the trainers and other associates are most appropriate for the job role. The dressing etiquette, attitudes, professionalism, satisfied customers testimonial letters and attracting brochures may prove effective to draw clients attentions towards the offerings. Process: Procedures and policies of the training services make the scenario effective and efficient altogether. To be noted in this regard, the process of dinning etiquette training service must be valuable to the employees. The responsibility to make the process successful is one of the marketing strategies of dinning etiquette training service providing firm. The training process should also be clear and understandable for employees to improve their dining etiquette. People: People form the most essential part of etiquette training service allies, emphasizing the selection of right people for service providing. If the training service recruits efficient, skilled, experienced and knowledgeable personnel as a trainer, the dining etiquette training will be successful. Part B 1. Appropriate marketing channel structure for Consumer Products Chocolate Bars - The most effective marketing channel for chocolate bars is the wholesale channel, as they are mostly ordered in bulks and are inexpensive, widely purchased by people all round the globe. Text Books - Retailers channel would be the best option in case of delivering text books to the customers (readers) from the publishers with the assistance of the retailers. In this case, the customers get an ample opportunity to select the book of their choice. New Cars- Cars and automobile products are largely selective and expensive in nature and hence, are not sold in bulks, but are purchased only after minute observations. Hence, retailers channel would be the most appropriate option for marketing new cars. Handmade designer jewelry The direct channel is mostly used for marketing the hand-made consumer products as they are mostly manufactured on the direct demand of the customers and do not require the need of any kind of middlemen. Product Examples for Pricing Strategies Penetration Pricing- The automobile brand Lexus is giving a stiff competition to the well recognized and demanding brands, such as Mercedes as well as BMW, within the premium luxury targeted market of the US, using the strategy of penetration pricing (Spann et.al., 2009). Price Skimming- The iPhone, of the widely known brand Apple, follows the price skimming strategy to penetrate the most competitive market of mobile and telecommunications. This strategy is followed by the company since its initial phase of start-up (Spann et.al., 2009). Product-Line Pricing- Sony implements the product-line pricing strategy by offering its customers with a wide-range of models in the domain of televisions, easily segmented based on their product differences as well as prices (Armstrong Kotler, 2005). Captive-Product Pricing- This strategy of pricing is largely used by Gillette, which sells razors at a comparatively lower price, but fixes higher prices for its cartridges or the blades that are used as replacements and the customers are committed to purchase on repeated occasions (Kotler et.al., 2010). Concept of Positioning For Competitive Advantage The term Positioning refers to the creation of the product reflection in the minds of the target consumers, which helps in differentiating the offers from the similar products produced by them or their competitors. The marketers primarily implement the concept of positioning by targeting the customers, rather than emphasizing the products and hence, the tag lines set from them plays a very significant role. This can be clearly understood from the statement, World's Best Small Sport Car, which differentiates the brand image of Porsche from that of the other automobile or car manufacturing companies (Karadeniz, 2009, p. 99). The key objective of brand positioning is to gain a competitive advantage for the company, which in turn proves to be of great significance for communicating the product and distributing them among the target as well as the potential customers in the long run (Karadeniz, 2009). The business organizations also focus on the need to accomplish competitive advantages t hrough effective positioning of its products and the brand as a whole within the potential strategic groups (Baraskova, 2010). Selection of Target Markets Based On Evaluation of Potential Market Segments Targeting the most appropriate market for the distribution of a product is actually the second phase of the Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP) approach. This approach not only helps in outlining the strategies for segmenting the target market on the basis of certain characteristics, such as demography, psychology and behavior among others, but also helps in selecting required targeting strategy and positioning the product effectively among them. This approach can therefore be considered as the best option to select the target markets with proper evaluation of the potential segments of customers (Larsen, 2010). Nicknames for Well-Known Brands Mc. Donalds nick name, as Macca, is not an exceptional case altogether, as there are also certain other brands to have selected a nick-name for them, such as Charles Shaw wine, which is mostly known among the target customers by its nick name Two-Buck Chuck. Another famous brand TARGET also prefers to be nick-named by its fans as Tar-zhay. Besides, the globally acclaimed brand names, such as Walmart, Starbucks and Microsoft are also known by their nick-names, Wally World, Four Bucks and Mister Softee respectively. The specialty of a company or a brand to possess a nickname of its own is that it helps largely in creating an emotional bond with its customers, thereby maintaining its cultural foundation in the long run (AOL., 2010). Co-Branded Product In todays world of immense competition, co-branding of the companies dealing in fashion products and high tech goods is considered the best option, as it is able to target a particular high profile segment of customers throughout the globe. In this case, the most expensive brand of luxury goods, Louis Vuitton can be co-branded with Apple Inc., which has the potential to dominate the consumer-tech industry in different parts of the world. This co-branding would prove immensely beneficial in the events to be organized by Louis Vuitton, which will be promoted by the technologically advanced operations of Apple Inc. Similarly, Apple Inc. will also receive continuous support and assistance in serving a varied range of customers with the packaging and promotional offers of Louis Vuitton. Functions of Product Packaging There are several essential roles of product packaging, which include physical protection and promotion as the most significant ones. Packaging can protect the products from damages such as dirt, insects, brakeage and dampness. Illustratively, biscuit companies utilize an extra plastic covers for protect the biscuits from brakeage and dampness. Moreover, packaging materials can be attractive for holding consumers attention and reminding about the products, which ultimately facilitates their sales prospects at large (Regattieri Santarelli, 2015). For instance, electronic goods packaging can attract consumers by offering information printed on it, which can help give rise to a positive belief among consumers. a) Price Ceiling Price ceiling refers to the maximum value that the government sets for specific commodities and services, which can be sold at too high prices. To purchase such commodities, consumers require financial assistance from financial institutions. Price ceiling is quite likely to become a problem when it is set below the market equilibrium rate (Experimental Economics Center, 2006). Figure: Price Ceiling Source: (Experimental Economics Center, 2006) Price Floor Price floor refers to the minimum value that government sets for goods and services, which can be sold at too low prices. For the low price of certain goods and services, producers need some economic helps, which may only affect when it is set above the equilibrium rate. Figure: Price Floor Source: (Experimental Economics Center, 2006) b) Comparison Cost-based Pricing Demand-based Pricing It serves price range Attempt to find out price floor and price ceiling It serves customers demands Attempt find out price skimming, psychological pricing, price discrimination, penetration pricing, bundle pricing and value-based pricing Source: (3Hearst Newspapers, LLC. 2016) a) Channel Members Value Addition in Marketing System The value attributions make products and services more available and accessible Channel members can provide experiences, contacts and specializations Provide beneficial aspects by supporting the variable operations, such as promotion, funding, risk taking and physical possessions Levels of Distribution Intensities Intensive Distribution: The products can be gathered from producers and stocked in the outlets. Snacks and Cigarettes are examples of such products that intensively distributed. Selective Distribution: This situation arises when the producers depend on mediators to transmit the products. Lowes utilizes selective distribution process. Exclusive Distribution: This situation arises when the producers select a few mediators to rely regarding transmit the products. Gucci uses exclusive distribution process. a) The Market and Environmental Indications for Skimming Pricing and Penetration Pricing Skimming pricing is a strategy wherein a high introducing price is valued for an innovative and distinct product. The price range is changed and reduced after similar kind of product ranges hit in the market place. It is not utilized by every marketer, apart from the following situations, when: Product is unique and distinctive as well as its demand is inelastic The brand is capable to continue its uniqueness at a time Market segment has classic choice On the other hand, penetration pricing refers to a particular strategic measure wherein the initial value of products are relatively low. The key goal of this strategy is to capture the large market region through low price. It is an attractive option for marketers, when certain conditions are followed. Substitution of product is available in market Demand elasticity is high Firm can increase the production Market segment is highly price sensitive (Spann, Fischer Tellis, 2009) Comparison of Push and Pull Promotion Aspects Push Promotion Pull Promotion Goals Promotional strategy that offers products to the consumers Opposite of push, it attracts customers towards the products Concept Marketers push the products or services towards target customers Marketers pull customers towards specific brands or products Common sales tactics Showrooms, retailers, point-of-sale displays Mass media promotion, advertisements, word-of-mouth Positivity It is able to increase visibility and short term sales It is capable of creating loyal customer base Source: (2Hearst Newspapers, LLC., 2016) References AOL 2010, 10 Best Company Nicknames, Articles, viewed 10 October 2016, https://www.aol.com/article/2010/08/30/10-best-company-nicknames/19609285/ Armstrong, G Kotler, P 2005,. Marketing: An introduction, Pearson Education, India. Baraskova, J 2010, Strategic positioning and sustainable competitive advantage in food industry, Aarhus School of Business, pp. 1-72. Experimental Economics Center 2006, Price Floors and Ceilings, Market Equilibrium, viewed 10 October 2016, https://www.econport.org/content/handbook/Equilibrium/Price-Controls.html 1Hearst Newspapers, LLC. 2016, Market Segmentation Variables Characteristics, Advertising Marketing, viewed 10 October 2016, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/market-segmentation-variables-characteristics-69263.html 2Hearst Newspapers, LLC. 2016, Difference between Push Pull Marketing, Advertising Marketing, viewed 10 October 2016, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-push-pull-marketing-31806.html 3Hearst Newspapers, LLC. 2016, The Differences between Value-Based Pricing Cost-Based Pricing, Advertising Marketing, viewed 10 October 2016, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-valuebased-pricing-costbased-pricing-23095.html 4Hearst Newspapers, LLC 2016, Examples of Geographic Segmentation, Advertising Marketing, viewed 10 October 2016, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-geographic-segmentation-61612.html Karadeniz, M., 2009, Product positioning strategy in marketing management, Journal of Naval Science and Engineering, vol. 5, iss. 2, pp. 98-110. Kotler, P. et.al. (13) 2010, Principles of marketing: A South Asian perspective, Pearson Education, India. Larsen, N 2010, Market segmentation - A framework for determining the right target customers, Aarhus School of Business, 1-29. Spann, M, Fischer, M Tellis, G, J 2009, Skimming or penetration? Strategic dynamic pricing for new products, Marketing Seminars, pp. 1-52. Regattieri, A. Santarelli, G 2015, The important role of packaging in operations management, InTech Operation Management, pp. 184-214.

Marks Spencer Group Anaylsis free essay sample

Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 2 Marks and Spencer Group plc Company Overview COMPANY OVERVIEW Marks and Spencer Group (MS or the company) is one of the leading retailers of clothing, foods and homeware in the UK. The company operates in more than 40 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It is headquar tered in London, the UK and employs 78,169 people. The company recorded revenues of ? 9,740. 3 million (approximately $15,158. 8 million) in the financial year ended April 2011 (FY2011)*, an increase of 2. 1% over FY2010. The operating profit of MS was ? 836. million (approximately $1,302. 5 million) in FY2011, a decrease of 1. 8% compared to FY2010. The net profit was ? 612 million (approximately $952. 5 million) in FY2011, an increase of 16. 3% over FY2010. *The financial year ended April 2, 2011 was a 52-week period whereas the financial year ended April 3, 2010 was a 53-week period. KEY FACTS Head Office Marks and Spencer Group plc Waterside House 35 Nor th Wharf Road London W2 1NW GBR Phone 44 20 7935 4422 Fax Web Address http://www. We will write a custom essay sample on Marks Spencer Group Anaylsis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page marksandspencer. com Revenue / turnover 9,740. 3 (GBP Mn) Financial Year End April Employees 78,169 London Ticker MKS Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 3 Marks and Spencer Group plc Business Description BUSINESS DESCRIPTION MS is the holding company of the Marks Spencer Group of companies. The company is one of the UK’s leading retailers, with more than 21 million people visiting its stores each week. MS offers clothing and home products, as well as foods, sourced from about 2,000 suppliers globally. It operates through both wholly owned stores and franchise stores. As of FY2011, the company operated 703 stores in the UK. MS operates over 361 owned and franchised stores in over 42 territories. Though the company primarily repor ts its revenues in terms of geographic segments (UK and international), its operations can be categorized under two divisions: food and general merchandise. The food division concentrates on four main areas: fresh, natural, healthy food; special celebration products; authentic ready meal ranges; and exceptional ever yday food such as Oakham chicken. It operates a chain of 163 Simply Food owned stores and 202 Simply Food franchise stores in high streets, motorway service stations, railway stations and air por ts in the UK. The general merchandise division of the company is categorized into two segments: clothing and home. The clothing segment offers womens wear, mens wear, lingerie, childrens wear, and accessories and footwear. Some of the prominent brands offered by this segment include Autograph, Limited Collection, Collezione, Blue Harbour, Girls Boutique, Per Una, Ceriso, Adored, and Truly you. The home segment offers homeware and home accessories, kitchen and tableware, lighting, and furniture products. In addition to selling products through regular stores, the segment also offers catalogue services. MS offers its products and services online as well as through flagship stores, high street stores, retail park stores, MS outlets, Simply Food stores, and Simply Food franchised stores. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 4 Marks and Spencer Group plc History HISTORY MS was founded in 1884 as a stall in an open market in Leeds, the UK. Then known as Marks Penny Bazaar, it was the household goods, haberdasher y, toy, and sheet-music business of Michael Marks, a Jewish refugee from Poland. In 1894, he took Thomas Spencer as a business par tner. In 1903, MS was registered as a private limited company. Although a clothing design depar tment had first been set up in 1938, it was not until after the Second World War that it became fully developed under a leading designer. In 1973, the company entered Canada, and bought Peoples Depar tment Stores and DAllairds, a national womens wear retailer, both of which it later sold. The company also had direct retailing investments in Canada. It tried to move south of the border in 1988 with the purchase of Brooks Brothers, but the US operation never took off as the company had hoped. Five franchised stores were closed down in Turkey in 1999 when the franchise par tner Turk Petrol Holding couldnt meet its bank obligations and collapsed. Later in the year, Marks and Spencer Canada, after 25 years of business, closed its 38 stores. The company sold its US clothing chain Brooks Brothers for $225 million in 2001. In 2003, MS announced the launch of its more credit card. Alongside this, Marks Spencer Financial Services was re-branded Marks Spencer Money. In 2004, MS completed the sale of Marks Spencer Retail Financial Services Holdings (MS Money) to HSBC. During the course of 2005, the company opened 31 Simply Food stores as well as closed the Lifestore project in the UK. MS expanded the Simply Food format with the acquisition of 28 stores on a leasehold basis from Iceland Foods for a consideration of ? 38 million (approximately $76. 3 million) in 2006. In the same year, MS sold Kings Super Markets, its only non-MS branded business to a US investor group consisting of Angelo, Gordon Co, MTN Capital Par tners and Mr. Bruce Weitz for $61. 5 million in cash. In 2007, MS and two of its long-term suppliers decided to star t the development of MS first eco-factories, pioneering innovative methods of sustainable manufacturing. One factor y in Sri Lanka would make lingerie and two factories in Nor th Wales would manufacture furniture upholster y. In the same year, the company launched its own branded LCD widescreen TVs. This range was in addition to the existing collection of Sony TVs currently available at MS. Fur ther in the year, MS launched school wear made from recycled plastic bottles. The companys first standalone home store in Lisburn, Nor thern Ireland was launched in 2007. In the same year, MS launched Big Tall, an exclusive online mens wear offering more than 450 items online ranging from tailoring to knitwear to casual shir ts and trousers. Also in 2007, MS reduced saturated fat level as much as 82% in more than 500 companys products. The company reduced saturated fat levels in products including sandwiches, ready meals, crisps and savor y snacks. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 5 Marks and Spencer Group plc History Towards the end of 2007, a new Made to Measure shir ts ser vice was launched by MS, which allowed customers to design a tailor-made shir t within 21 days. The company added new products to its mens wear por tfolio in FY2008. MS also launched climate control underwear featuring temperature regulating technology developed by NASA, expanded Collezione brand collection by introducing new shoes, wool and cashmere mix trousers. MS reinvigorated its Blue Harbour brand to attract 35 to 44 year old men. Also in FY2008, the company star ted to freeze its ready meals for international sale and launched a range of 70 lines in eight countries. Later, the company also launched a 25-piece capsule collection called GD25 from Per Una. In 2008, MS removed ar tificial colors and flavorings from its entire food and soft drinks range. In the same year, the company improved the quantity of space in a number of major out of towns and city centre stores through store extensions and also added 35 stores to its Simply Food por tfolio, including 25 BP franchised stores. A new flagship store in new Westfield Centre at White City, West London was opened at the end of 2008. To fur ther progress in Asian markets, the company opened its first 38,000 square feet store in Shanghai. MS then entered into a par tnership with Scottish and Southern Energy, as per which MS Energy would supply electricity and gas to domestic customers and reward them with MS store vouchers for helping the environment by reducing their energy usage. MS announced plans to close 10 of its Simply Food stores in 2009. The company opened Food to Go outlets in Hong Kong in the same year. Also in 2009, MS announced plans to enter new categories in the Indian market, with the launch of luggage and footwear for men. The company introduced a Ramadan and Eid fashion collection in all the 13 stores throughout the Middle East in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman in 2009. Fur ther in the year, MS launched personalized greetings cards business online. The company also announced to open its second mainland store in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province in southern China. MS also launched a beer and cider range to complement its wine selection. MS launched a revamped version of its website in 2009, the first major update since 2007. Fur thermore, in 2009, the company began to offer its online international deliver y service to 73 more countries as par t of a drive to grow annual sales of MS Direct. The company began its offering within the homeware sector in 2009. MS announced plans to open a store in Marbella, Spain by the end of 2009. In the same year, MS and India-based Reliance Retail planned to open approximately 50 stores in India in the following five years under the banner of their joint venture company Marks Spencer Reliance India. Later in the year, the company outlined plans to cut costs by ? 50 million (about $150 million) by optimizing its supply chain and IT systems. MS also announced plans to open a new store at the Swords Pavilions shopping center in the Dublin Airpor t, Ireland, in 2009. The company opened its new 22,000 square feet store at Morpeths Sanderson Arcade in the same year. MS decided to launch Simply Food in Western Europe. Fur ther in 2009, the company announced plans to sell a sel ected range of around 400 branded grocery and household products in all of its UK stores, following a 16-month trial in its stores in the Nor th East and South East of England. In 2010, MS launched a new Home Energy Service division that would offer customers a suite of energy efficiency products and services. Building on the success of MS Energy, which was servicing Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 6 Marks and Spencer Group plc History over 125,000 homes, the company would roll-out a number of new products including bespoke energy advice, renewable energy solutions such as solar panels and heat pumps, and energy efficient heating solutions. In the same year, MS announced a program to be the worlds most sustainable retailer by 2015, launching 80 major new commitments under MS eco and ethical plan, Plan A. The new commitments will mean that the company ensures all MS products become Plan A products with at least one sustainable quality. This program will also enable the companys 2,000 suppliers to adopt Plan A best practice and encourage MS customers and employees to live greener lifestyles. Fur ther in 2010, MS launched a new version of www. marksandspencer. om designed specifically for use on mobile phones and mobile devices—the first mobile site from a major UK high street retailer. Through this, the company aims to expand its multi-channel offering. During the same year, MS launched England Football team suit exclusively in MS stores, to take advantage of the football World cup spending. The company opened its new 1. 1 million square feet distribution centre at ProLogis Park Bradford in the UK in 2010. This war ehouse in the UK will serve all the companys stores with furniture products and store equipment. Later in 2010, MS launched a range of Solar PV and Solar Thermal water heating solutions. Fur thering the sustainability initiatives, the company also announced that it will use polyester made from recycled PET drinks bottles instead of virgin polymer to make more than 300 million clothing care labels a year. Towards the end of 2010, MS announced plans to move into rail distribution to reduce its carbon footprint. More than 300,000 general merchandise products per week would move from road to rail distribution. The company also opened a new shopping center in Vilnius, Lithuania at the end of year. In April 2011, MS opened its greenest ever store at Ecclesall Road in Sheffield. This is the first store of a number of new Sustainable Learning stores planned by the company as par t of its drive to become the worlds most sustainable major retailer by 2015. The company opened 20 stores in the UK during FY2011, including 17 Simply Foods. In international, MS opened 49 new stores and closed 15 stores. During the same period, the company entered the Egyptian market with a 28,000 square feet store in the Dandy Mega Mall in Cairo. The company, in July 2011, launched a new iPad application for its investors. This application will provide investors with latest MS financial news. In the following month, MS signed a traceability deal with Historic Futures. As per the deal, Historic Futures will provide the company full traceability on ever y single clothing and home product it sells. MS is the first major retailer to commit to full traceability for non-food products. In September 2011, MS opened a new store at Westfield, Stratford City with the latest ‘Only at Your MS innovations and customer experiences. In the following month, MS launched its new French website, http://www. marksandspencer. fr/, marking its first international transactional website. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 7 Marks and Spencer Group plc History The company, in November 2011, opened its new flagship store at 100 Avenue des Champs-elysees in Paris. MS, in February 2012, launched its outlet format on its website at www. marksandspencer. com/outlet. MS Outlet will permanently offer a selection of more than 1,300 quality MS clothing products with up to 40% off the regular high street and online prices. In the same month, the company recalled four products (Crispy Prawn Wonton, Crispy Vegetable Balls, Prawn Baguette Toast, and Prawn Siu Mai Selection) from its Chinese range due to mistake in ‘use by’ date. In March 2012, the company, announced plans to launch a new website for its Irish customers, http://www. marksandspencer. ie/. In April 2012, MS announced that it will accept secondhand clothes at UK outlets in order to recycle into other fabrics or reuse overseas by the Oxfam charity in an aim to cut waste. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 8 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employees KEY EMPLOYEES Name Job Title Board Marc Bolland Chief Executive Officer Executive Board 975000 GBP Alan Stewar t Chief Finance Officer Executive Board 550000 GBP Kate Bostock Executive Director, General Merchandise Executive Board 590000 GBP John Dixon Executive Director, Food Executive Board 540000 GBP Steven Sharp Executive Director, Marketing Executive Board 655000 GBP Laura Wade-Gery Executive Director, Multi-channel E-commerce Executive Board Amanda Mellor Group Secretar y and Head of Corporate Governance Executive Board Rober t Swannell Chairman of the Board Non Executive Board Vindi Banga Director Non Executive Board Miranda Cur tis Director Non Executive Board Jeremy Darroch Director Non Executive Board 85000 GBP Steven Holliday Director Non Executive Board 85000 GBP Mar tha Lane Fox Director Non Executive Board 70000 GBP Jan du Plessis Director Non Executive Board 70000 GBP Clem Constantine Director, Proper ty Senior Management Tanith Dodge Director, Human Resources Senior Management Dominic Fr y Director, Communications and Investor Relations Senior Management Jan Heere Director, International Senior Management Nayna McIntosh Director, Store Marketing and Design Senior Management Steve Rowe Director, Retail Senior Management Darrell Stein Director, Information Technology and Logistics Senior Management Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Compensation 450000 GBP Page 9 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies KEY EMPLOYEE BIOGRAPHIES Marc Bolland Board: Executive Board Job Title: Chief Executive Officer Since: 2010 Mr. Bolland has been the Chief Executive Officer at Marks and Spencer Group since 2010. Previously, he was the Chief Executive Officer at Morrisons Supermarkets from 2006 to 2010. Prior to this, Mr. Bolland worked at Heineken for 20 years in various management roles, including Executive Board member and Chief Operating Officer, and responsibility for operations and business development in the US, France, Italy, Spain, the Caribbean and Latin America. He also ser ves as a Director at Manpower. Alan Stewart Board: Executive Board Job Title: Chief Finance Officer Since: 2010 Mr. Stewar t has been the Chief Finance Officer at Marks and Spencer Group since 2010. Before joining the company, he was the Chief Financial Officer at AWAS, an aircraft leasing company. Mr. Stewar t spent 10 years at HSBC Investment Bank before joining Thomas Cook in 1996, where he held various senior roles, including Chief Executive at Thomas Cook UK. Mr. Stewar t joined WH Smith in 2005 as Group Finance Director. He also ser ved as a Non Executive Director at Games Workshop Group. Kate Bostock Board: Executive Board Job Title: Executive Director, General Merchandise Ms. Bostock is the Executive Director of General Merchandise at Marks and Spencer Group. She joined the company in 2004. Previously, Ms. Bostock was the Product Director for Childrenswear at Next from 1994. She also ser ved as the Product Director for the George brand covering all areas of clothing and footwear at Asda. John Dixon Board: Executive Board Job Title: Executive Director, Food Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 10 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Since: 2009 Mr. Dixon has been the Executive Director of Food at Marks and Spencer Group since 2009. He joined the company as a Store Management Trainee. Mr. Dixon held various senior roles at the company for over 20 years, including Executive Assistant, Chief Executive, and Director of Home and MS Direct. Steven Sharp Board: Executive Board Job Title: Executive Director, Marketing Mr. Sharp is the Executive Director of Marketing at Marks and Spencer Group. He joined the company in 2004. Previously, Mr. Shar p served as the Marketing Director at Asda, the Bur ton Group, Booker, and Arcadia Group. Currently, he is a Non Executive Director at Adnams. Laura Wade-Gery Board: Executive Board Job Title: Executive Director, Multi-channel E-commerce Since: 2011 Ms. Wade-Gery has been the Executive Director of Multi-channel E-commerce at Marks and Spencer Group since 2011. Prior to this, she worked at Tesco and held a variety of senior roles, including Chief Executive Officer of Tesco. com and Tesco Direct. Ms. Wade-Ger y also held various roles at Gemini Consulting and Kleinwor t Benson. She has also been a Non Executive Director at Trinity Mirror since 2006. Amanda Mellor Board: Executive Board Job Title: Group Secretary and Head of Corporate Governance Ms. Mellor is the Group Secretary and Head of Cor porate Governance at Marks and Spencer Group. She joined the company in 2004 as the Head of Investor Relations. Ms. Mellor spent her early career in investment management at James Capel before becoming a Director within its Corporate Finance team. She then served at Rober t Fleming, Investment Banking prior to joining The Bur ton Group as the Director of Cor porate Relations and Investor Relations. Robert Swannell Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Chairman of the Board Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 11 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Since: 2011 Mr. Swannell has been the Chairman of the Board at Marks and Spencer Group since 2011. He joined the company in 2010 as a Non Executive Director. Prior to this, Mr. Swannell was a Senior Independent Director at The British Land Company, and 3i Group. He spent over 30 years in investment banking at Schroders/Citigroup. Mr. Swannell was previously the Vice Chairman at Citi Europe and Co-Chairman at Citis European Investment Bank. Vindi Banga Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2011 Mr. Banga has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2011. He is currently a Par tner at Clayton Dubilier Rice, a private equity investment firm. Prior to this, Mr. Banga spent 33 years at Unilever, where he held several senior positions, including President of the Global Foods, Home and Personal Care businesses, and was a member of the Unilever Executive Board. He also serves as a Non Executive Director at Thomson Reuters and Maruti Suzuki India. Miranda Curtis Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2012 Ms. Cur tis has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since February 2012. She is currently the Chairman at Waterstones, and a Non Executive Director at Liber ty Global. Ms. Cur tis has also been a Non Executive Director at National Express Group since 2008. She also serves on the Boards of the Institute for Government, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Camfed (the leading African girls’ education charity). Jeremy Darroch Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2006 Mr. Darroch has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2006. He also ser ves as the Chief Executive at British Sky Broadcasting. Previously, Mr. Darroch ser ved as the Chief Financial Officer at British Sky Broadcasting. Prior to this, he was the Group Finance Director and Retail Finance Director at Dixons Retail (formerly DSG International). Marks and Spencer Group plc MarketLine Page 12 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Steven Holliday Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2004 Mr. Holliday has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2004. He is the Group Chief Executive Officer at National Grid. Prior to that, Mr. Holliday served as the Director of UK and Europe and was responsible for the UK Elect ricity and Gas businesses. He is also the Chairman of the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy. Prior to joining National Grid, Mr. Holliday was an Executive Director at British Borneo Oil and Gas. Previously, he held several senior positions at Exxon Group. Martha Lane Fox Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2007 Ms. Fox has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2007. She is the UK’s Digital Champion, the Chairman of Race Online 2012, and a Non Executive Director at Channel 4 Television. Ms. Fox is founder and Chairman of Lucky Voice, and of her own grant-giving foundation, Antigone. She was co-founder of lastminute. com. Jan du Plessis Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2008 Mr. du Plessis has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2008. He is the Chairman at Rio Tinto. Previously, Mr. du Plessis was the Chairman at British American Tobacco and a Non Executive Director at Lloyds Banking Group. He also ser ved as the Chairman at RHM from 2005 to 2007. Mr. du Plessis was previously the Group Finance Director at Richemont, a position he held until 2004. Clem Constantine Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Proper ty Mr. Constantine is the Director, Proper ty at Marks and Spencer Group. He joined the company in 2006. Mr. Constantine was appointed the Group Proper ty and Retail Planning Director at Arcadia Group in 1999. He was appointed to his first finance directorship in 1993, for the IS brand at the Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 13 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Bur ton Group, and moved through several other finance directorships with variable responsibilities including systems and retail. Mr. Constantine was trained as a Char tered Accountant at Stoy Hayward, and joined Debenhams in 1989 as a Financial Analyst. Tanith Dodge Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Human Resources Since: 2008 Ms. Dodge has been the Director, Human Resources at Marks and Spencer Group since 2008. She was formerly the Group Human Resources Director at WH Smith since 2003. At WH Smith, Ms. Dodge was also responsible for Public Relations, Communications and Post Office Operations. Prior to this, she was the Senior Vice President Human Resources for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at InterContinental Hotels Group. Ms. Dodge also served as the Human Resources Director at Diageos two business divisions. She was also the International Human Resources Manager at Prudential Corporation. Dominic Fry Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Communications and Investor Relations Mr. Fry is the Director, Communications and Investor Relations at Marks and Spencer Group. He joined the company in 2009. Prior to this, Mr. Fr y ser ved at Tulchan Communications. In 1996, he was appointed the Communications Director at J Sainsbury and ser ved in the same role at ScottishPower from 2000 to 2005. In 1989, Mr. Fr y became the Communications Director at ATT in the UK before moving from there to head up communications at the Channel Tunnel in the mid 90s. He star ted his career in 1982 working in PR consultancy at Traverse-Healy Regester and then Charles Barker. Jan Heere Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, International Since: 2011 Mr. Heere has been the Director, International at Marks and Spencer Group since 2011. He joined Inditex in 2002 where he held a several international roles, most recently as General Manager for Inditex Russia. During 2000–02, Mr. Heere held various senior management roles at Zara, Groupo Inmobiliario Lupaco, and Charanga. He began his career at Manpower in Spain in 1997. Nayna McIntosh Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 14 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Store Marketing and Design Ms. McIntosh is the Director, Store Marketing and Design at Marks and Spencer Group. She joined the company in 2005. Prior to this, Ms. McIntosh was par t of the Management Team that set up the per una brand in 2001. Previously, she served as the Sales and Marketing Director for the George brand at Asda stores. Before joining George, Ms. McIntosh was at Next for four years as a Divisional Executive for the South of England. Steve Rowe Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Retail Since: 2008 Mr. Rowe has been the Director, Retail at Marks and Spencer Group since 2008. He joined the company in 1989 and held a variety of positions in store management, having previously worked at Topshop as a Store Manager. Mr. Rowe joined Head Office in 1992 as a Merchandiser for Menswear. In 1998, he was promoted to Category Manager in the Furniture Depar tment. In 2001, Mr. Rowe led the team developing the Home Growth Strategy, working with McKinsey Consultants, and became Head of Home categories in 2003. He was promoted to the Director of Home a year later in 2004. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Rowe was also responsible for Beauty and New Business Development. Darrell Stein Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Information Technology and Logistics Mr. Stein is the Director, Information Technology and Logistics at Marks and Spencer Group. He has been working in IT for 17 years star ting his career at the company in 1990. Mr. Stein re-joined MS in 2006 as the IT Director. From 2001 to 2006, he ser ved at Vodafone, becoming IT Director for Vodafone UK in 2004. Prior to this, Mr. Stein was Vodafones UK Network Director and Global IT Strategy and Architecture Director. From 1996 to 2001, he ser ved at Ernst Young, leading a number of major IT and Change Programmes in the financial services, retail and utility sectors. In 1994, Mr. Stein joined Mars as a Project Manager. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 15 Marks and Spencer Group plc Major Products and Services MAJOR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES MS is one of the leading retailers of clothing, foods and homeware in the UK. The companys key products and services include the following: Products: Womens wear Mens wear Lingerie Childrens wear Footwear Food and grocery items Homeware and home accessories Kitchen and tableware Lighting Furniture products Services: Credit cards Car, home, travel, and pet insurance Personal loans Brands: Autograph Limited Collection Collezione Blue Harbour Girls Boutique Per Una Ceriso Adored Truly you Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 16 Marks and Spencer Group plc Revenue Analysis REVENUE ANALYSIS Overview The company recorded revenues of ? 9,740. 3 million (approximately $15,158. 8 million) in FY2011, an increase of 2. 1% over FY2010. For FY2011, the UK, the companys largest geographic market, accounted for 89. 7% of the total revenues. MS generates revenues through two business divisions: food (51. 5%% of the total revenues in FY2011), and general merchandise (48. 5%). Revenues by division* During FY2011, the food division recorded revenues of ? 4,499. 4 million (approximately $7,002. 4 million), an increase of 1. 9% over FY2010. The general merchandise division recorded revenues of ? 4,233. 6 million (approximately $6,588. 8 million) in FY2011, an increase of 2% over FY2010. *The revenue breakdown by division is only for the revenues from the UK market. Revenues by geography The UK, MS largest geographical market, accounted for 89. % of the total revenues in FY2011. Revenues from the UK reached ? 8,733 million (approximately $13,591. 2 million) in FY2011, an increase of 1. 9% over FY2010. International operations accounted for 10. 3% of the total revenues in FY2011. Revenues from international operations reached ? 1,007. 3 million (approximately $1,567. 7 million) in FY2011, an increase of 4% over FY2010. Marks an d Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 17 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis SWOT ANALYSIS MS is one of the leading retailers of clothing, foods and homeware in the UK. The company has expanded its food product offering significantly in the recent years. New products launches, focus on expanding healthy products, promotions, and competitive prices are all helping the company attract customers in a highly competitive market. However, surge in shoplifting could negatively impact the cost structure for MS. Strengths Weaknesses Expanding food offering Strong market position in the clothing segment Geographical expansion to increase the addressable market and reduce vulnerability to mature UK market MS etched a highly effective CSR strategy MS legacy stores and systems are a ompetitive disadvantage Declining general merchandise division sales due to inadequate stocking Opportunities Threats Online channel continues to boom and will enable MS to boost revenues Focus on China and India can lead to expansion in two of the fastest growing markets Surge in shoplifting losses costs the retailers and customers Weak consumer spending in the UK Rising labor cost in the UK Strengths Expanded food offering The company has expanded its food product offering significantly in the recent years. In 2009, MS consistently highlighted it is cheaper than Waitrose on a basket of 1,200 items by about 2%. The company, in 2009, decided to invest in its margins in order to provide its customers better value. As a result of this, MS saw improved perceptions of value by its customers. The company, in FY2011, launched around 1,800 new products in food and positioned itself as the UK’s leading high quality food retailer. The key product launches of the company include Taste Italia, and Made Without Wheat range of gluten-free bread and cakes, With the success of Made Without Wheat product range, the company launched gluten-free sandwiches, sausages, stuffing, and crisp bakes. As of FY2011, the company offered 125 gluten-free products. MS also became the UK’s second largest favorite health food brand with the launch of its Simply Fuller Longer range which encourages customers to manage their weight with a menu plan. The gross margin of food division increased by 20 basis points to Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 18 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis 30. 8% in FY2011. This was mainly driven by better management of promotions and waste. Fur ther, in the four th quar ter of FY2012 ended March 2012, MS launched 500 new products in the food division. The sales in this quar ter increased by 3. 1%, The company’s promotions such as roast dinner for ? 5 ($7. 8), Dine In, etc offered its customers with great value solutions for special occasions. MS’ food division has been performing well in a ver y competitive market and against tough competitors. By launching innovative products and with an expanded food offering, the company has been able to attract the customers in a highly competitive market. Strong market position in the clothing segment MS has a strong market position in the clothing segment. With more than one in 10 clothing items bought from MS, the company ranks amongst the three largest clothing retailers in the UK. According to a repor t released by Verdict (Datamonitors retail arm) in May 2012, MS is known for its product quality. The company was ranked first with a score of 49 for its product quality above the market average of 23. According to another repor t released by Verdict in April 2012, MS enjoys highest conversion rate of 50. 7% and is very successful in conver ting visitors to loyal main users through its varied product offer, in-store service and garment quality. This indicates that MS is a trustwor thy brand, which all main users would return to knowing that the quality, fit, and ser vice are reliable and consistent. The retailer has recognized that its core market of predominantly mature customers has been especially hard hit by rising core costs of living, falling interest on savings and worse prospects for pensions, and in reaction has lowered its entr y prices to compete more effectively with high street/value operators and supermarkets, helping to maintain the loyalty of its main users and prevent them from shopping elsewhere. Verdict, in its repor t in March 2012, ranked, MS seventh in the global depar tment store market with a share of 3. 2%. This market leadership enabled MS to excel throughout the economic downturn, while other mid-market retailers are pressured from the ever expanding value players. Leading market position indicates access to a large customer base and also popularity of MS offering in the clothing segment. Going forward, this market position would enable the company to drive revenues as consumer spending recovers. Geographical expansion to increase the addressable market and reduce vulnerability to mature UK market With a por tfolio of over 361 owned and franchised stores in 42 territories MS continues to grow its international business. This mix of ownership models and countries enabled the company to perform well in FY2011, even when individual markets were weak. Fur ther, during FY2011, the company entered the Egyptian market with a 28,000 square feet store in the Dandy Mega Mall in Cairo. MS international business grew by 4% in FY2011 despite tough economic situation. As an established retailer in a mature market, it is going to be hard for MS to continually deliver significant increases in UK sales. However, in the long run, its international business offers an oppor tunity for high growth. By generating much higher volumes, it can deliver margin benefits with suppliers. With production costs rising, this will be an advantage in the UK. International expansion will enable the company to access multiple sales points for most of the product ranges. This is especially relevant for clothing and homewares segments. Also, through expansion in the international markets MS can reduce Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 19 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis vulnerability to mature UK market. The company can also par ticipate effectively in some of highest growing markets such as China and India. All these factors would enable the company to reduce the overall business risk and facilitate increased revenues. MS etched a highly effective CSR strategy MS has to its credit an effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. CSR has been gaining prominence not just among the stake holders and governments but the consumers as well. The company has the highest propor tion of consumers believing it to be a responsible retailer and this can largely be attributed to the success of its Plan A, a ? 200 million (approximately $320. 3 million) 100-point plan launched in 2007 with five areas of focus: climate change, fair par tnership, health, sustainable raw materials, and waste. In FY2011, the company included two more areas in its Plan A: involving customers, and making Plan A how we do business. In the last few years, initiatives launched under the Plan A banner include launching the companys first eco-store, encouraging suppliers to set-up eco-factories, removing hydrogenated fats from its ready meals, increasing the propor tion of organic food, reducing the salt content of its produce, cer tifying a larger percentage of its fish as originating from sustainable populations, and beginning to sell recycling and composting bins. It is the high profile presence of Plan A in adver tising campaigns, product labeling and store signage that gives MS one of the best consumer perceptions of a retailer for social responsibility. The campaign works not just as a direct to consumer channel, but also because of the positive coverage it creates. Perhaps more impor tantly, it has publicized all of these initiatives extensively. In 2008, MS launched a TV adver tising campaign focusing on its ethical, environmental and health-conscious credentials, highlighting that it only uses free range eggs and that its products are now free from ar tificial colors and flavorings. Other, more innovative, ideas have included a joint venture with Oxfam to promote the recycling of old clothes. In addition, more controversially, the retailer introduced a 5p charge for carrier bags at all of its food depar tments in 2008. Though many consumers resented this charge, it has undoubtedly boosted MS reputation as an ethical retailer. Overall, sculpting its CSR strategy into such a high publicity campaign, divided into such clear action points and highly visible benefits, has seen the company move to the forefront of responsible retailing. In FY2011, the company launched Indigo Green, its first range of clothing made using more sustainable fabrics. In April 2012, the company announced to accept secondhand clothes at all the UK outlets except Simply Food stores, to recycle them into other fabrics or to reuse them in order to cut waste. Plan A has seen CSR become core to MS principles in the eyes of the consumer and it has reaped the benefits of this, gaining shoppers as a result and repor tedly saving more than ? 70 million (approximately $108. 9 million) in efficiencies gained in FY2011 compared with ? 50 million (approximately $77. 8 million) in FY2010. In addition, MS improved energy efficiency in its stores by 23% and warehouses by 24% in FY2011 compared to FY2007. It also improved the fuel efficiency of its deliver y fleets by 20% and total carbon emissions have been reduced by 13%. The company now recycles 94% of all the waste it generates from its stores, offices and warehouses. The total waste is down by more than a third. MS also met its sustainable standards by sourcing 90% of wild fish in FY2011 (62% in FY2010) and 76% of wood in FY2011 (72% in FY2010). Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 20 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis By actively promoting a products greener attributes (for example fewer, more recognizable and natural ingredients), retailers such as MS have positioned products as improving ones personal environment while benefiting the global environment too. Many of their successes have come from emphasizing the former rather than the latter, especially as consumers often associate ethics with a sense of wellbeing. In terms of the issues that concern consumers, the sustainability of natural resources is a major fear, as are climate change and the fairness of sourcing arrangements. Consumers are also attracted to products with health benefits and there is a clear trend that consumers can be persuaded to par t with more money in return for products with a positive impact, not just to them personally, but also to wider society. Indeed, differentiating between products becomes harder and harder to achieve, Verdict expects consumers to turn to auxiliary considerations such as ethicality and sustainability to guide their choices. Consumers are no longer purely satisfied with how a product looks and functions; they want assurances over aspects such as nvironmental impact, hygiene, safety, and fairness. In light of the above mentioned trends where the customer choices are increasingly guided by the sustainability issues, MS will benefit due to its reputation of being a responsible retailer. Weaknesses MS legacy stores and systems are a competitive disadvantage MS suffers some competitive disadvantages compared to Tesco, which has been able to drive earnings before int erest and tax (EBIT) growth even in the mature UK market. Tesco benefits from supplier power and state-of-the-ar t IT, supply chain and systems compared with MS legacy systems. The supermarket retailer has been able to break up the demand cur ve with metro, express and big box store formats out of town and on the high street. Moreover, Tesco stores have been carefully designed with consistent store layouts in order to facilitate store navigation. Extra back room store space has also been allocated to allow for smooth execution of its picking and distribution model. Tesco sells both own label and branded goods (food and non-food) in a bid to drive up footfall and sales conversion. MS legacy stores are inconsistent in terms of layout. Store size tends to dictate product availability, while a lack of back room store space does not facilitate the same style supermarket pick and delivery model. The legacy systems and stores of MS are constraining effective servicing of customer demands on a consistent basis. This is placing the company at a clear competitive disadvantage compared to a formidable opponent, Tesco. Declining general merchandise division sales due to inadequate stocking The company’s general merchandise division sales declined in recent times, MS’ general merchandise division sales decreased by 2. % in the four th quar ter of FY2012 ended March 2012. This was mainly due to shor tage of stock in its stores, Due to this, the company was also not able to meet customer demand for 300,000 knitwear garments under the MS Woman label. It only sold Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 21 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis 100,000 knitwear garments during this period. Fur ther, in times of high demand, inadequate stock could hamper the sales of the division and result in loss of sales to competitors. This not only affects the revenues of the company but could also result in shift of customers to its competitors. Opportunities Online channel continues to boom and will enable MS to boost revenues Online retail sales in the UK have grown significantly over a period of time. According to Office for National Statistics, non-seasonally adjusted average weekly value for internet retail sales in the UK was ? 414 million (approximately $644. 3 million) in Februar y 2010, this increased to ? 573. 6 million (approximately $892. 7 million) in February 2012, representing an increase of 18%. Internet sales accounted for only 8% of the total retail sales (excluding fuel) in Februar y 2010. This figure increased to 10. 7% in February 2012. The growing desire for convenience is seeing shoppers buy more online, especially in the category of food and grocery. Consumers have also become savvier, using the internet more to get the best deal they can. Voucher codes, and cashback sites have been instrumental in this. Additionally, improved deliver y and fulfillment options have been encouraging consumers to shop more online. The company operates in the internet channel through MS Direct where the products are offered through website and newly launched Shop Your Way facility, a new ordering service that has been rolled-out in 444 stores (including 151 in Simply Foods stores) during FY2011, allowing customers to place orders either in stores, online or over the phone, for deliver y to either a nominated address or free of charge to their nearest store. MS Direct’s sales increased from ? 413 million (approximately $642. 8 million) in FY2010 to ? 543 million (approximately $845. million) in FY2011, an increase of 31. 5%. Fur ther, in the first half of FY2012, MS Direct’s sales increased by 11. 7% with more than three million visitors per week. Thus, by leveraging its online presence, MS can cater to the requirements of a growing number of customers who are looking for convenience and better deals over the internet. Focus on China and India can lead to expansion in two of the fastest growing mar kets China and India are two economies which are recording highest growth rates which, in turn, are expected to aid the retail market growth in these two countries. Asias retail sales are estimated to increase with China driving the growth. According to the preliminary estimation, the gross domestic product (GDP) of China was CNY47,156. 4 billion ($7,285. 7 billion) in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 9. 2% at comparable prices. The fast pace economic development in China coupled with the rise of the middle class income group and their increasing disposable income have fur ther pushed up the demand for several consumer goods. According to National Bureau of Statistics of China, the total retail sales reached CNY18,391. 9 billion (approximately $2,841. billion) in 2011, representing a year-on-year nominal growth rate of 17. 1%. Fur ther, according to industr y estimates, the countr ys total retail sales are expected to increase from approximately CNY20 trillion ($3 trillion) in 2012 to approximately CNY26 trillion ($4 trillion) in 2016, representing an increase of about 30%. Strong Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 22 Marks and Spe ncer Group plc SWOT Analysis underlying economic trends, population growth and the increasing wealth of individuals are key factors that contribute to the retail market expansion in China. The retail industry in India is large owing to a large population and is set to grow as several factors contribute. According to the industry sources, the retail sales in India are forecast to grow from around $411 billion in 2011 to $804 billion by 2015. The key factors behind the forecast growth include strong underlying economic growth, population expansion, increasing wealth of individuals and the rapid construction of organized retail infrastructure. Also, as middle and upper class consumer base expands, there will also be oppor tunities in Indias second and third-tier cities. The greater availability of personal credit and a growing vehicle population are to improve mobility which will also contribute to a trend towards retail sales growth. MS is strengthening presence in India and China as par t of its geographic expansion and for some time to come, these countries would be the key contributors to the companys international expansion strategies. The company in with par tnership with Reliance Retail, an established retailer in India, can tap into this lucrative market while expansion in China also continues. Indian and Chinese markets would provide a huge potential revenue base for MS. Threats Surge in shoplifting losses costs the retailers and customers The UK retailers are exposed to increased costs of shoplifting. Shoplifting has assumed massive propor tions in recent times. According to industry estimates, retail crime costed UK stores ? 1. 4 billion ($2. 2 billion) in 2011. There are about two million thefts per year, which concludes to an average of more than one per minute. According to another industr y repor t, the thefts across the UK stores increased from ? 4. 2 million ($6. 5 million) in 2009 to ? 5. 1 million ($7. 9 million) in 2011, an increase of 20%. Long-term trends also show the figure is likely to continue rising. As a result, retailers have been increasing their surveillance spend. This is increasing the costs for retailers as well as for the end consumers. The shoplifting losses are adding to the costs for the retailers and the customers have also been bearing the brunt. The surge in shoplifting could negatively impact the cost structure for MS as well. Weak consumer spending in the UK The UK market is suffering from weak consumer spending. The European debt crisis added more downward pressure to the growth prospects of the UK. According to Eurostat, the UK economy grew by 0. 7% in 2011 and is expected to grow by 0. 5% in 2012. In addition, the UK has witnessed high unemployment rate. According to the Office of National Statistics, the unemployment rate for the three months period November 2011 to January 2012 was 8. 4% with 2. 67 million unemployed people in the UK. Increasing unemployment rate is expected to fur ther put pressure on the economy of the UK. High inflation, led by the increase in VAT to 20% and public spending cuts reduced disposable Marks and Spencer Group plc MarketLine Page 23 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis income, leading to a fall in consumer spending on discretionary items. Consumers have been cautious with their spending especially due to soaring petrol prices, tax increases and uncer tainty over jobs. The UK is the key market for MS. In FY2011, the UK accounted for 89. 7% of MS total revenues. Thus, the sluggish consumer spending and high unemployment rate in the UK could affect most of the non-food retailers and lead to reduced sales volume or shrinking profit margins. Rising labor cost in the UK Labor costs are rising in the UK. In recent times, tight labor markets, increased over time, government mandated increases in minimum wages and a higher propor tion of full-time employees are resulting in an increase in labor costs, which could materially impact the companys results of operation. The National Minimum Wage (NMW) Regulations came into force in 1999 and since then the NMW rates have been increased annually. The national minimum wage increased from ? 5. 93 per hour ($9. 23 per hour) in October 2010 to ? 6. 08 per hour ($9. 46 per hour) in October 2011. Fur ther, the national minimum wage is expected to increase to ? 6. 19 per hour (9. 63 per hour) from October 2012. In FY2011, MS employed 78,169 people. Increasing labor costs can adversely affect the companys operating costs as its wage bills would escalate. This, in turn, could impact its margins adversely. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 24 Marks and Spencer Group plc Top Competitors TOP COMPETITORS The following companies are the major competitors of Marks and Spencer Group plc ASDA Group Limited Debenhams plc H M Hennes Mauritz AB J Sainsbury plc NEXT plc Selfridges plc Tesco PLC Gap, Inc. , The French Connection Group Plc House of Fraser Group Plc John Lewis Par tnership plc Arcadia Group Limited Home Retail Group Plc Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 25 Marks and Spencer Group plc Company View COMPANY VIEW A statement by Rober t Swannell, the Chairman of the Board at Marks and Spencer Group, is given below. The statement has been taken from the company’s Annual Repor t for FY2011. I feel ver y privileged to be Chairman of this unique company and at such an exciting time in our evolution. Since joining Marks Spencer in October and assuming the role of Chairman in Januar y, I have spent much of my time getting to know the business better – meeting our employees, shareholders, customers and suppliers. I first became deeply involved with MS during the unsolicited takeover attempt in 2004, when I led the advisory team that helped put the MS case to its shareholders. It was then I learned first hand about this unique company: about the extraordinarily strong relationship it has with its many stakeholders and about its very special ethos. This ethos is a reflection of the high standards our customers expect from MS – trusting us not only to deliver great value, great quality products but also to do the right thing – socially, environmentally and ethically. We know that putting Plan A at the hear t of how we do business is not just the right thing to do; it is also fundamental to our long-term success. Performance In a challenging marketplace MS has continued to grow, with underlying profits up 12. 9% on the year. We delivered this by staying true to our heritage of quality and innovation, reminding our customers what makes MS special. This year Marc Bolland set out a clear medium-term plan for the business, after extensive discussions with colleagues and us, the Board. This is covered in detail in Marc’s review. From day one, I have been struck by the passion and commitment of our people. I am delighted that this year we are paying a bonus to all employees to thank them for their energy and enthusiasm in what has been a difficult trading environment. Dividend We are committed to delivering consistent returns for our shareholders. To this end we have adopted a progressive dividend policy, with dividends broadly covered twice by earnings. We intend to pay a final dividend of 10. 8p per share (last year 9. 5p) in respect of the 2010/11 financial year. Governance Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 26 Marks and Spencer Group plc Company View This year we returned to the traditional governance structure of a separate Chairman and Chief Executive, providing clarity between Marc Bolland and me, with regard to our respective roles. Put simply, I run the Board and Marc runs the business. The Board has a wide range of responsibilities. There are three that I think are par ticularly impor tant for the success of the business: first, to debate and agree our strategy and hold the executive team accountable for its execution; second, to ensure that we have the most talented team to execute this strategy and that we plan effectively for succession; and third, to set the tone for governance, which is par ticularly impor tant at MS where ‘doing the right thing’ is an integral par t of our ethos. My ob is to ensure the Board has the right mix of skills and talents and to ensure that it works effectively as a team towards shared goals with the right mix of enquir y and suppor t of the executive directors from the non-executive directors. During the year we commissioned a formal Board evaluation from an independent consultant, the findings of which are outlined in the Governance section. This process highlight ed the real enthusiasm of the directors in suppor ting a shared ambition: to guide MS to the ver y best future. We know that you expect high standards from MS; it’s our responsibility to learn how we can improve. This review was an impor tant par t of that journey. As stated in our 2009/10 Annual Repor t, we reviewed the senior remuneration structure this year. Following extensive shareholder consultation, we believe we now have a framework that is both relevant to today’s MS and fully aligned with our strategy. The Board Over the last year the Board has been strengthened by a series of executive appointments. In May 2010 Marc Bolland joined the business as Chief Executive, assuming the day-to-day running of the business from Sir Stuar t Rose in July. In October Alan Stewar t joined as Chief Finance Officer and in February we announced the appointment of Laura Wade-Gery as Executive Director, Multi-channel E-commerce; she will join the Board in July. Whilst the Board features some new faces, these changes have taken place around a core of executive and non-executive directors that has remained stable over recent years. I would like to pay par ticular tribute to Sir Stuar t Rose. When he became Chief Executive in 2004, MS was at a low ebb. He restored confidence in MS, re-established its values and built a strong business. The solid platform from which Marc is now implementing his plan is a credit to Stuar t’s energy and tireless commitment to MS over the last seven years. The smooth management transition – the meticulous handover to me and the suppor t of Marc – is also a credit to Stuar t. In that connection, I would also like to thank Sir David Michels, and the Nominations Governance Committee he led, for managing a change of leadership over the past year that was accomplished quietly and effectively. David has decided to step down from the Board at the end of his second term in February 2012, but I am delighted that he will continue his role as Deputy Chairman until then. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 27 Marks and Spencer Group plc Company View I must also thank Louise Patten for the significant contribution she has made over the last five years, playing an impor tant role in each of our Board Committees. As Louise reaches the end of her second three year term on the Board, she has decided not to seek re-election at the upcoming AGM. Looking ahead Our priorities for the year ahead are clear. We have a plan and it is now our collective job to make it happen. The Board will concentrate on delivering exemplary governance at the highest level to enable our executive team to drive this strategy forward. The economy still gives us reason to be cautious. Yet in difficult times, our core values of Quality, Value, Ser vice, Innovation and Trust matter more than ever to MS customers. These values remain at the hear t of our strategy and I therefore look forward to the future with confidence. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 28 Marks and Spencer Group plc Locations and Subsidiaries LOCATIONS AND SUBSIDIARIES Head Office Marks and Spencer Group plc Waterside House 35 Nor th Wharf Road London W2 1NW GBR P:44 20 7935 4422 http://www. marksandspencer. com Other Locations and Subsidiaries Marks and Spencer International Holdings Limited Great Britain GBR Marks and Spencer (Nederland) BV NLD Marks and Spencer (Ireland) Limited IRL Marks and Spencer (Asia Pacific) Limited HKG Marks and Spencer Simply Foods Limited Great Britain GBR Marks and Spencer Marinopoulos Greece SA GRC Marks and Spencer SCM Limited

Bach and Handel Beethoven essays

Bach and Handel Beethoven essays Johann Sebastian Bach and George Friderick Handel were two of the most important composers of the Baroque Period. Compare and contrast their lives and sacred musical works studied in class. Johann Sebastian Bach and George Friderick Handel are two of the most important composers of the Baroque period. Born only one month apart both in Germany. Handel lived nine more years than Bach. Coming from the same period the two composers have many qualities that are alike and some unlike. These qualities include the time frames of their childhood, adult hood and later years as well as a comparison between two sacred musical pieces. Bach and Handel, though both born in Germany only one month apart, they came from different family lifestyles. George Handel did not come from a musical family, his father wanted him to study law. By age 9, his talent was too obvious and began to study with a local organist and composer. Whereas Johann Bach came from a long line of musicians. Four of his own sons became composers. Bach also started as an organist and composer, but as a church organist. At the age of 18 Handel went to Hamburg and became a violinist and a harpsichordist in the orchestra. In the meantime Bach was a court conductor for the Prince of Cothen, it was his first position that was not involved in the church or organ music. Bach later became a director of must at St. Thomas church where he stayed for the next 27 years. At the age of 21 Handel was successfully producing operas. He later went to Italy where he associated with famous musicians and princes. Handel became knows as Englands most important composer. Bach was not considered the greatest composer of his day, but he was recognized as the greatest organist and harpsichordist. Handel wrote suites, organ concertos, concerti grossi but mostly oratorios and Italian operas. Bach wrote all forms of Baroque music, all exc...

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HIV HIV And Its Effects 1 HIV And Its Effects Elizabeth Grundy Psychology 102 Dr Peggy Peach October 10, 2001 HIV And Its Effects 2 HIV AND Its Effects The effects HIV has on a person, symptoms, risks, history and prevention will be explained. HIV is on a rise among sexually active people. According to Packer (1998), HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), is a member of a family of viruses. The first member HTLV-I and related to STLV-I researchers believe they both have a common ancestor in Africa. (P.13).This will be explained in the following questions: 1. What are the symptoms of HIV? 2. What are the risks to getting HIV? 3. What is the history of HIV? 4. What is the treatment for HIV? This research paper on HIV will be focused on these four questions.1. What are the symptoms of HIV? According to Nash (1997), when a person infected with HIV has symptoms such as fever, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue, and lymphadenopathy (persistent, unexplained swell ing of the lymph nodes), but no opportunistic infections (illnesses that healthy immune systems fight off) or Kaposi's sarcoma, he is said to have AIDS-related complex (ARC).HIV Testing AD2The acronym ARC is not used as frequently as it was in the early years of the epidemic. AIDS is now thought of in term of a HIV continuum. It begins with HIV-positive diagnosis in a person who is not experiencing any symptoms. It continues to a symptomatic stage in which the person has opportunistic infections, HIV and Its Effects 3 andKaposi's sarcoma, or any of the conditions previously used to define Arc, and the HIV-positive continuum ends with full-blown AIDS diagnosis (p.22).2. What are the risks to getting HIV? According to Nash (1997) No one is safe if...

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Divine Law in Islam - Research Paper Example Sunni is the largest Muslim sect in the world, accounting for approximately 70% of Muslims worldwide. Sunni has for major schools of Islamic law; Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali (Central Intelligence Agency, 2009), (Pew Research Centre, October 2009). Sunni Islamic law traces its roots back to the late Umayyad period in the second Islamic century. In addition to the role of the Quran and hadith, the geographical variations influenced different doctrines (Ziadeh, 2010). The most widespread school of Sunni law is the Hanafi School, founded by Abu Hanifah and located at Kufa in Iraq. The legal doctrines of Abu Hanifah are relatively more liberal and display a unique sense of respect for personal freedom. He was the first to formulate rules concerning contracts based on the principle of freedom of contract (Ziadeh, 2010). This fact is reflected in the contracts of Salam and Murabahah. The former allows the immediate payment of the price of goods for future delivery, although the contract of sale stipulates the immediate exchange of an object and its price.  The most widespread school of Sunni law is the Hanafi School, founded by Abu Hanifah and located at Kufa in Iraq. The legal doctrines of Abu Hanifah are relatively more liberal and display a unique sense of respect for personal freedom. He was the first to formulate rules concerning contracts based on the principle of freedom of contract (Ziadeh, 2010). This fact is reflected in the contracts of S alam and Murabahah. The former allows the immediate payment of the price of goods for future delivery, although the contract of sale stipulates the immediate exchange of an object and its price; the latter allows a merchant to sell what he had bought at the original price plus a stipulated profit if usury is not involved.