Mission And Goals Of Marks And Spencer Commerce Essay

Mission And Goals Of Marks And Spencer Commerce Essay MS has been acknowledged as a legendary UK retailing organization and therefore they are exemplars of best practice in society. MS in a western world is a managerial giant (Drucker, 1974). It has been identified as one of the best managed companies in Europe (Tse, 1985). MS corporate objectives are laid down in its Mission statement which is Making aspirational quality accessible to all and this is the base which tells us what the business and what it should be in the future. In its mission statement the MS outlined clothing and food business as its core business but financial objectives such as shareholder wealth maximisation is also taken into account as this helps in occupying more market share and so increased its sales. MS have a strong tradition of corporate social responsibility as they want it to be integrated into all their operations at every level. There are three main generic strategies that can be adopted by any company including MS where the customers are ready to pay a premium and this can be achieved by differentiating its product and services in such manner that it is valued by the customers. Therefore MS has adopted focussed differentiation strategy in food and clothing industry but its market share is relative low with low industry growth whereas Financial services industry growth output is very high but MS market share in it is very low and which demands substantial capital investment in the market to turn them into Stars according to BCG Matrix. MS targets mostly the age of 30 plus with high disposable income to spend like executive class and they value them and therefore many of its products are highly priced though high quality is maintained. Although MS, Clarks, Faith and Office are in a high quality segment where others like Top shop and River Island ends as a medium priced segment but these can be outweighed in fashion market of shoes and clothes and because of all these variations in Individual styles and spending habits, MS must plan for an idea which counteracts the risks around its strategic choices because there are various risks in terms of focus strategies in that imitation and changes in the target market and due to this it makes an easy entry of foreign player which is broad market cost leader that can easily adopt MS products in order to compete directly and gaining the market share hence therefore to tackle and survive in the cut throat competition of super markets where Giants as Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury, they need to have a contingency plan and bend their strategies in terms of focussed differentiation and adopt cost leadership. In recent years MS has started corporate social responsibility as an effective tool to increase awareness among different generations to differentiate them from their competitors and this is possible with proper drive for innovation across all its Strategic business units(SBU) where they have to generate strategies at SBU level. This has been done continuously by MS now such as Sustainable fishing, organic colouring of clothes, salt reduction, animal welfare and fair-trade. The strategy process which has started in 2006 when labelling has been done as a part of an integrated communication drive to state their position on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and this was the first time since its origin that MS have involved its stakeholders on such a scale and this CSR issue has been promoted through national advertising, in-store dà ©cor, MS website and the main communication channel among its employees. They provide a huge range of clothing, food, home and beauty products that are established through longstanding core values quality and service, through innovation, value and trust. The trust we are talking about is the bond between the company and its customers, its employees and shareholders and this trust was integrated among all to achieve success for the business. The management team confirmed it once again that the companys promise to its core values and aggressively used CSR is an integral part of refining and improving commercial performance and customer loyalty. (Paul Myners, Chairman and Stuart Rose, Chief Executive, 2004) In conclusion each business unit known as (SBU) Strategy Business units of MS needs to develop a its own CSR strategy that helps that specific unit to measure and tackle its risks and opportunities that may rise from its market position, its customer base, its product range and quality and its supply chain which is of utmost importance. For example MS has identified sixteen separate core issues relates to their business which comprises of health, labor standards, packaging, fair-trade etc. and through strategic intent they are able to develop clear strategy and position on each issue. MS Culture The culture of any company plays an important role and so for Marks and Spencer as culture is all about people and the way in which they interact with each other in the organisation and that is crucial for the company while making their decisions. MS should have positive culture which may influence the decision making process that can help to achieve excellence in their business and it is possible only when both management and its employees work together and thinks the same. In simple words culture in any organisation is the way the things are done to achieve business goals and objectives. MS culture (Their way of doing things) since it originated: MS were heavily dependent on British suppliers and thus not strived for cheaper buying from overseas market. MS have a centralized system of buying from the central office which is an old formula and incurs cost heavily as movement of goods increases. The store managers of MS followed central direction on store design and layout, training and development, merchandising and so on which makes the store identical where local discretion is limited. The managers were restrained to respond to the local needs of the customers as there were severe restrictions. MSs organization structure can be categorized as reflection which is taken for granted fashion and this type of attitude is shared among the members of the organization. The societal beliefs and basic assumptions operate among the members automatically. These basic assumptions and taken for granted fashion have taken MS roots from the basis of the organisational success. The rationale behind a particular manner in which people act and the reasons behind the action is not dependent on the blend of objective and subjective factors, but in a complex network of meanings as created and understood by the participants (Schutz, 1964). Its very important that employees act accordingly therefore at the end organisations do not react to their environment, its their members react due to changes in the environment within and outside the organization. The culture that originates out of MS is a customer specific or customer driven. This type of culture can be said when everyone in the business makes a deliberate but real effort whether the management or its employees to improve customer service. This can be achieved when good market research has been conducted, employing right people and giving them proper training and updated e-commerce technology is used. MS culture is dynamic and regards changes as opportunity and not as a threat and they are doing this because they are always looking for new ideas at any stage and this is where all employees and management are involved together to make it successful and achieve its goals and objectives. The People may act in terms of their own when facing any problem in work without regarding the observers explanation of the situation and thats why its very difficult to handle situations related to culture which is composed of management and employees (Silvermans, 1970). The key feature for sustainability in any organization is to change dynamically and evolve continuously to conquer with its environment in which it operates but this has not been done by MS and the firms failure in terms of its culture in words of Mr. Richard Greenbury, M S Chief executive from 1991, I think that the simple answer is that we followed absolutely and totally the principles of the business. I was the business with the aid of my colleagues based upon the very long-lasting and recognized ways of running it. (Johnson Scholes, 2001. Most of the researchers and analyst have found that MS had remained for the longer period with their traditional risk averseness formula then it was needed. MS can be concluded on the note that its organizational culture has led to failure in nurturing the dynamic nature of the organizations which has eventually led towards the fall of MS since the late 1990s. This effect of huge inequality between the organizations standard and their erratic environment is due to the changes in the Organizational culture. In present scenario MS is trying to hold the competitive nature of the business and trying its best to get back on the track and therefore they have no fear in implanting new strategies and new strategic approaches are being adopted and implemented to fasten the recovery of the business. References: Drucker, P. F. (1974). Management: Tasks Responsibilities Practices. Heinemann, London. Tse, K. K. (1985). Marks and Spencer Anatomy of Britains most efficiently managed company. Pergamon, Oxford. Johnson Scholes 2002 Strategic Management, Exploring Corporate Strategy Text Cases 6th Edition. Schutz 1964, Phenomenology, [Online], 4/12/05, Available from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/schutz/

How to Prevent Air Pollution

HOW TO PREVENT AIR POLLUTION Let us take a nice look to talk about what the a? r polluti? on really is. I mean the reality is that the issue of air pollution control needs is something that we all are well aware of. But are we facing the exact way that we have to prevent it? Really, its a major problem to the whole of the continent and it can cause a global warming to all over the world. There are three steps that we have to take to solve this air pollution problems: recycling, saving energy and placing factories outside of the city.Recycling is one of the best ways to reduce air pollition. The first step we need to take is that we have to pro duce less to conserve mor energy. second, We see many people throwing things in the roads in our daily life. some of these people foced them to do this with out containers on the road and some others do this by offens? vely. So we have to put containers to every were posible and we have to show the others who do this by consciously. also, we ha ve to work hard to stop what ever can increase air pollition. y the way we have to stop using volotile organic compounds (VOC) which are the gases that are emitted from certain materials. These materials include spray paints, pesticides, glues, permanent markers, etc. Instead of going for materials that contain VOCs, we have to go to the products that contain water as basically or have low levels of VOCs. Second step that we can prevent air pollution is saving energy. Suerly, how much energy we save, reduces the amount of air pollution in the air. imple steps that we can save energy is using les natural gasses, gasoline and electricity which can actually save a lot of fossil fuels. In order to save electricity, we to take small steps like using fans instead of air conditioners, turn off electrical appliances when we leave a room, replace our incandescent lights with fluorescent lights, use solar energy, use a microwave to heat up small meals than burning the gas stove, purchase ener gy saving appliances, and so on.Also there is another step that we can save energy to reduce air polution. For example when we are driving, we to take these steps like obeying the speed limit, replacing our car's air filter on time, accelerating gradually, keeping our tires inflated properly, buying cars that are designed to emit low pollution. The last step is that we have to locate factories outside of the cities. As we all are well aware of, factories produce a lot of carbon dioxide which is very dangerous to the hole global. The reality is that we need them because they are necesary to our lives. But the only way we can reduce their harmfulness is that we have to make them outside of the cities. Also we have stop doing same factories which are same work if there are enough factories that can do the job as much as we need. Because building same factories will only increase the emissions. In conclution, we have to take these above steps to prevent this global problem which is air pollution.Actually no matter where you live, air is that one element that will always be around you. So, if you think that staying at home will keep you safe no matter how polluted it is outside, you are completely wrong. Infact if you see many recent researches which are talked to air pollution, you would know that air pollution is the leading cause of many air borne diseases like bronchitis, asthma, non fatal heart attacks, and other respiratory conditions leading to premature deaths all across the globe.

Racial Ideologies in Frederick Douglass and Linda Brents...

Racial Ideologies in Frederick Douglass and Linda Brents Narratives 4) Slavery was justified by racial ideology. Consider three texts, including one that was written by a former slave. How do the authors either replicate or refute racial ideologies common in the nineteenth century? I am going to focus on the narratives of Frederick Douglass and Linda Brent as examples of a refusal of racial ideologies and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as an example of replicating (although attempting to refute) racial ideologies of the day. Douglass’s Narrative and Brent’s Incidents follow them from ignorance to knowledge; knowledge and freedom gained through their own doing. I think that Stowe is in a way both trying to write an†¦show more content†¦. . as the authors attempts to enter . . . into Society: by (re-)writing him or herself, and thus placing that self into the tradition of American autobiography, s/he provides proof of American identity (91). This can be seen in Douglass’s constant quest for knowledge. In the beginning, he focuses on his total ignorance so that throughout the narrative, it is easy for the reader to understand the progress he has been making. The best example of the mind requiring liberation before the body is Douglass’s fight with Covey. This man mentally abuses his slaves by making them fear his constant watch. The fear is a direct result of the threat of punishment if they do not adhere to his strict rules: they will be beat. In beating his slaves, Covey turns them into just another body; he never sees their mind. Douglass wants to be move than just another body. He needs to free his mind in order to free his body. In order to gain his freedom, Douglass must use his body and physically fight Covey. Through this fight, he frees his mind of the fear of ever being whipped again. Douglass claims that he â€Å"was never again what might be called fairly whipped, though I remained a slave four years afterwards† (43). Through this episode, Douglass proves that first the mind must be liberated, and the body will eventually (maybe not immediately) follow. The relationship between the body and

The Middle Ages Essay - 1695 Words

The Song of Roland is the Emblem of the Middle Ages The Middle Ages was an era of invasions. It was a dark time in England and across Europe. Where Islam was taking over, the crusades had to take action against that and spread Christianity instead. Values and beliefs were driven from the church. On the other hand, Feudalism, which stands for â€Å"the power of the land† was taking over. All these incidents and more inspired the poets and writers to create literature that expressed what was happening in the Middle Ages. One of these productions was the â€Å"Song of Roland† it is one of the oldest epic poems that was written in France. In my view the following points taken from this magnificent poem, focus on the values of this era: church was spreading wrong conceptions against Islam in order to spread Christianity; rules and values in society were imposed by the church, when people where believers in god ; land owners are the most powerful in society, that lead to feudalism; one of the knights merits is complying to or ders; noble knights fight alone when in need for help till the last breath; vicious sins like falsehood and betrayal are dammed by the kingdom. The Church was spreading wrong conceptions about Islam in order to spread Christianity; The Song of Roland purposely draws negative images about the faith of Islam and semi Muslims. And associated them with devils, in (laisse 78) Rain does not fall nor dew collect. There is no stone,Show MoreRelatedThe Middle Ages : The Age Of The Middle Ages830 Words   |  4 PagesMiddle Ages The middle ages are described as 1,000-year period. 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