Departments Store Industry in the UK - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1506 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? Departments Store Industry in the UK Question 1 (250 words)  ¨C (1) what are the key drivers of change affecting UK Department stores? You should list at least 3 in order of impact; Identify the critical success factors (critical for a company to succeed) in this industry. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Text book used: Strategic Management by Paul Finaly, Prentice Hall replacing Hill Jones. Strategic management Theory. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Departments Store Industry in the UK" essay for you Create order 6th Edition Answer: The UK departments store industry has faced intense competition over the last years due to new entrants in the clothing segment mainly from the superstores/multiples segment leaders such us Tesco (Largest UK Supermarket chain) and Asda (A Wall-Mart Company). In addition, cheap-led chain stores like Primark are mounting pressure as they are outperforming leading stores such us Next and MS (Financial times, July 12th 2005). Figures from the Business Ratio report (2005) illustrate that compound growth sales average between 2001 and 2004 has rose by 14%. This rather flat trend has been impacted primarily by declining prices instead of consumption stagnation. Robert Lynch (2006, p196) proposes three main pillars to identify the critical success factors, which are applicable for any industry. These are Customers, Competition and Corporation. Looking at the elements presented by Lynch, and based on data obtained from Datamonitor (June 2006) and the business r atio report on the sector (2005); the department stores industry in the UK has become more customer oriented and regardless the population segment that any company may target, the overall commitment is to focus on an integrated price and value added offer. As the competition is tightening, the second factor is location, distribution and right stock; a combination of tangible and intangible resources to ensure that busy customers are expected to increase footfall yields through visiting prime locations, finding what they want easily and leading to high density sales areas. Based on Paul Fynesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ critical offer concept, the third CSF is the development of flexible portfolios, with emphasis on food access; consumer trends are heading towards wide options, versatile retailers delivering quick changing fashionable products. Question 2a (100 words)  ¨C Analyse the tangible and intangible resources of your chosen company in the last 5 years. Answer: Bas ed on Finlayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s exhibit (Strategic Management, p286), the critical offer features for Mark Spencer are reputation, high quality merchandise, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“no quibble take-backsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and skilled staff. FIVE YEARS AGO 2005/2006 Type Strategic resource M Sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s position Todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s belief Structural Asset (Tangible Resources) Occupancy Cost Freehold location 1% occupancy cost versus a 3-9% industry average Biggest realignment programme and key locations expansion. Focused on Products and Store Environment. Food Halls Reputation (Intangible Resources) Reputation Customer recognition with minimal advertising, no promotional sales Strong Brands- Brands Rationalization: Simply Food MS Collections Internal Architecture (Intangible Resources) Labour costs Quality of Employees Employee Loyalty, lower labor , turnover 8.7% labour costs vs. 10-20% industry average Fewer layers of hierarchy Than competition Loyalty, staff turnover the lowest in the sector Strong Service Training Programme External Relationships Input costs Suppliers have lower costs and provide high quality of goods sold. Better Price Architecture leading to price reduction awareness amongst loyal and potential customers Source: Collins and Montgomery, Strategic Management Paul Finlay, MS Annual Report 2002-2005 Question 2b (200 words)  ¨C Analyse the capabilities of your company using the list of capabilities discussed in Hill and Jones (efficiency; quality; innovation; knowledge learning; links with suppliers and customers) in the past 5 years. Answer: -Efficiency: By understanding the way of linking the right products with the right customer baseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s needs and life style, the company is developing a comprehensive value chain programme through introducing several good practices: Centralising purchasing activities and exercising a better utilisation of manufacturing and logistic practices = Supply Chain Savings (3%). Improvement of higher sales density by 45% (Datamonitor, June 2006). Price reduction over 30% of products. -Quality: Following the underperformance of key categories (i.e. womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s underwear) MS continues strengthening its brand recognition with strong ranges i.e. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Girls Boutiqueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Autographà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Per Unaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Lingerie). Committed to high quality offers, MS has now rapidly improved presence with its Food offer with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Simply Foodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Stores (Companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Annual Report, 2005) -Knowledge and Learning: Overall reasonable contingency over 3%is available to the group. Based on continuous analysis and know-how the company intends to approach the right balance to hit its customerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s main needs. -Innovation: Fresher layout, better use of space and stylish clothing, For MS, its store spaces have to deliver the right environment in order to attract more people and retain them as loyal customers. As expressed by CEO, Stuart Rose, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trustà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Question 3 (200 words) Use Bowmans Clock (see Johnson and Scholes book Exploring Corporate Strategy) to identify the chosen business strategy of your company. Source: Johnson and Scholes (p211) By using the strategy clock featured by Johnson and Scholes (2003), MS business strategy continues to target perceived value in its portfolio of products, but with the intention of moving away from position 5 to position 4 against clockwise. Over the last years the company has shown special focus on a middle age segment, which now is ageing. This scenario creates MSà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mission of attracting younger generations. An important decision on the strategic focus implemented by MS and included in its 3-year plan of redefining and transformation is the way the company underlines its priority to understand the mindset and changing habits of its current and potential customer base. Nowadays, the defini tion of value and service (main stratetegic position for MS) has changed evolving into a hybrid portfolio between price, accessibility, stylish fashion and personality (Financial Times, July 12 2005) Stuart Rose, companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s chief executive has a clear position on the need to strive on low prices, maintaining quality and improving presentation at every single store. Hence, base on the strategy clock, Mark Spencer aims at securing loyalty from its customer base, similarly to former Chief Executive Roger Holmesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ plans, but looking into gaining customers and widening prospects. Customers expect dynamic, fresh and fast changing portfolios at less premium price. Question 4 (150 words)  ¨C Analyze the financial performance of your chosen company over the past 5 years and discuss the implications of its financial situation. Answer: MS five-year financial outlook reflects key points on its profitability, efficiency and growth as a company and investment decisions for market participants. Mark and Spence 5-year Financial Highlights (in millions of  £) 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Revenue 6939 7399 7728 7490 7797 6.63% 4.45% -3.08% 4.10% Operating Profit 525.9 678.7 807.8 648.8 855.8 29.05% 19.02% -19.68% 31.91% Earnings Per Share 5.4 21.8 24.7 17.6 31.3 303.70% -13.30% 28.74% 77.84% Net Assets 3081.3 2108.3 2454 909.2 1155.3 -31.58% 16.40% -62.95% 27.07% Net Debt 1907 1831.4 1994.7 2147 1729.3 -3.96% 8.92% 7.64% -19.46% CAPEX 290.5 311 433.5 218.5 326.8 7.06% 39.39% -49.60% 49.57% Source: Companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Annual Reports and Author Calculations Profitability: The company has shown a positive rebound from 2005 fall and against industrial average MS is keeping up and outperforming its major competitorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s John Lewis pace. MS is delivering consistency in an expected stable performance with potential improvements, if the company manages to offset price reduction plans with value chain efficient practices. Operating Profit:  £855.8m (2205/2006) from  £648.8m (2004/2005) ROC (Return on Total Assets): 14.3% higher than industrial average (13.8%) Efficiency and Sustainability: Quick Ratio (52 weeks 2006) = 0.39, it is concerning as the company can only cover 39% of current debts. (Declining position) Asset Utilization: 0.92, weak performance against industrial average and main competitors, meaning that the level of assets is high for the level of sales achieved. Growth and Strategy: Revenue: After a se tback in 2004/2005, the company rebounded with a modest 4.1% increase, which is below the industrial average over the last four years and also outperformed by major competitors in the top 5. CAPEX: 2005 was not a positive year for MS as CAPEX position fell; however, it was balanced out during the 52 weeks in 2006 in line with the 3-year plan. Investors: Earnings per Share: This is the attractive point for investors. MS has delivered as earnings have followed a profitable trend over the last five years. Top Five UK Department Stores (Financial Indicators) Company T/over Profit Margin Asset Utilization Total Debt/Net Worth Sales growth Report Average 03/04 9.0 02/03 8.8 01/02 7.7 03/04 1.55 02/03 1.56 01/02 1.53 03/04 48.2 02/03 42.7 01/02 26.1 6 M S Plc 8019.1 8.9 4.2 1.9 0.92 0.92 1.05 59.4 58.5 38.5 0 John Lewis Plc 4414.6 2.0 1.9 2.1 1.58 1.55 1.61 37.6 35.0 29.0 5 Next Plc 2516 14.1 13.7 14.3 2.16 2.22 1.90 228.0 105.9 5.4 16 Woolworths PLC 2120.1 1.1 0.9 -0.7 2.6 2.46 2.47 311.6 360.3 338.5 1 Debenhams Retail PLC 1810.2 8.0 8.9 8.6 1.44 1.41 1.38 54.8 47.2 50.3 7 Source: Business Ratio report 2005 Company Profile Conclusion: MS is the leading department store in the UK market in terms of turnover. It sales performance over the last five years has shown a flat growth compared to its peers impacted by price-led department stores such Primark. The company has not managed to increase its market share in major business lines such us clothing. Uncertainty remains as the company has to regain market share, increase sales more rapidly and most of all improve liquidity position. Bibliography Business Ratio Reports, Department and Variety Stores, Prospect Swetnehams Edition 32, 2005 ISSN 1473-107x Datamonitor (2006), Mark Spencer analysis, British Library Database: Dbic.datamonitor.com/Industries, Finlay, P. (2000) Strategic Management, An introduction to business and corporate strategy, Prentice Hall: England Johnson G, Scholes K. (1993), Exploring Corporate Strategy, Third Edition. Prentice Hall: United Kingdom. Lynch R. (2006), Corporate Strategy, Prentice Hall 4th Edition 2006 Mark Spencer annual reports 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 available: https://www2.marksandspencer.com/thecompany/investorrelations Rigby E, Burgess K. Canny consumers dictate the in-store trend, Companies UK, Financial Times Newspaper July 12th 25

The Mind-Body Problem of Physicalism - 1731 Words

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Current Ethical Issues Paper Free Essays

Current Ethical Issues Paper Heidi L. Hinckley XMGT/216 December 16, 2012 Dan Mitchell In creating this paper I have decided to use the Kudler Fine Foods organization, due to the fact that I enjoy trying new flavors from around the world. Kudler Find Foods is â€Å"a local upscale specialty food store† (Kudler website) located in California. We will write a custom essay sample on Current Ethical Issues Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Kudler Fine Foods currently has three locations in the state of California. There focus is to bring the finest foods and finest team members they can to their potential customers. They offer a wine steward at each location, as well as monthly classes for customers to lean about various wines in the store. Kudler Fine Foods wants to promote the best in food and service. The Kudler Fine Foods organization first opened their doors on June 18, 1998. The owner and creator, Kathy Kudler, decided to take her passion for gourmet cooking and turn it into a business that she could be successful at as well as enjoy doing. That success has been proven in the opening of two additional stores one in 2000 and another in 2003. Kudler Fine Foods offers a variety of ingredients, fresh baked goods, meats, local seafood, cheeses and wines. Kudler Fine Foods is a one stop shop for any gourmet cook or even want to be gourmet cook in the family. One large ethical issue is the lack of leadership on the part of the owner Kathy Kudler. She lacks interaction with her customers as well, spending most of her time doing all of the ordering for all three of her stores. This can create large ethical issues in that she is not in touch with what her customers really want. There is also the ethical issue of using family to when referring to legal issues. First is the issue of nepotism and secondly there is the advice to always settle on customer accidents. This action makes the business appear as if they are always at fault and not taking the customers safety into consideration. Another issue that jumped right out is in the wording of certain areas of her website. If she truly wants to bring the best to everyone, then she needs to remove statements from her website that list herself as upscale. I understand that she is trying to create an atmosphere, but in that statement it would seem that she only want to work with certain kinds of customers. This could lead some consumers to think that they are not welcome in her stores. .Kathy Kudler has a moral and ethical obligation as a business owner to promote an atmosphere that is open and welcoming to all. There is also the questionable promotion on Kudler Fine Foods website on how they only hire the best employees. Although I personally understand the statement, it can be considered unethical in the terminology. There is an insinuation that in that way that terminology is presented. There should be a change there in that all Kudler Fine Foods employees are trained to assist customers with any questions they may have on the products that are available in the store. There is also an ethical issue in the description of the stores themselves. The website promotes the locations as â€Å"8,000 square feet of retail space in a fashionable shopping center† (Kudler Fine Foods). Again the terminology in that statement may be perceived as condescending as if certain individuals would not be welcomed within the locations. With a store like this it is important that if you are promoting the flavors of the world they you would also represent the people of those regions. A diverse workforce that is familiar with these ingredients and foods would also show that the owner take a strong diverse attitude with her business. This would also bring a welcoming atmosphere to all in the neighborhoods around these store locations. If Kathy Kudler makes that type of promotion that her store is diverse and open then her stores will be considered a gem in their neighborhoods and she will continue see more growth, and it may even be faster than she planned. Offering top services to her customers, by offering the best training and information for her employees, will help to lead to a business that Kathy Kudler can not only be successful at but that she can also enjoy doing. Reference: https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/index. html https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Kudler2/internet/index. asp How to cite Current Ethical Issues Paper, Essay examples

The Hunger Artist free essay sample

Does Kafka’s Hunger Artist create a new sense of the body? If so, how? And how does the Hunger Artist’s strange human body compete against animals’ bodies in this story? Create a clear and direct overall thesis and argue. ! Kafka’s â€Å" A Hunger Artist†, illustrates a compelling reinvention of the body through the story of a single act in a circus where a man goes forty days without the consumption of food in efforts to horrify his audience. Kafka’s story portrays the artist’s internal con? icts as he faces his own addiction to starvation, with the external destruction of the artist’s withering body. As the story develops, the hunger artist becomes less of a spectacle to the audience and more of an unrelatable freak and is eventually replaced, ironically, with a healthy young panther. Kafka’s â€Å"A Hunger Artist† exposes the fundamental will to defy traditional human convention, by de? ning a new sense of the body as the power of the mind through characterizing a basic need as a common desire. We will write a custom essay sample on The Hunger Artist or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Kafka contrasts the artist’s diminished body with an ordinary panther that presents the spectators with a symbol of life and complete ful? llment. The hunger artist is able to construe a contemporary sense of body with his indifference to temptation and neglecting to be glutinous, therefore pushing his mind farther then his body. The artist also shapes the new sense of body through building on the idea that there is a distinct difference between desire and need. In articulating this distinction, the artist creates a paradox based on the idea that by desiring nothing, he will be ful? lled. Kafka takes the human body to new extremes and pushes the hunger artist to the boundaries of desire, rede? ning the traditional sense of body. The hunger artist was genuine about his form of art and fully immersed himself into fasting. The hunger artist was constantly bomb-barred with the allurement of food, however,â€Å"the initiates knew well enough that during his fast the artist would never in any circumstances, not even under forcible compulsion, swallow the smallest morsel of food† (Kafka 223). The artist is able to displace his biological hunger, with his hunger to push himself to the limits. Throughout the story, the artist has many opportunities to break his performance, after all â€Å"no one could possibly watch [him] continuously, day and night† (Kafka 224). The hunger artist is his own spectator and wants nothing more but to see him   nish his act, but â€Å"[feels] that there [are] no limits to his capacity for fasting† (Kafka 225). The Hunger artist’s is determined to surpass all expectations over rides his gluttonous temptations. Kafka goes on to compare the human artists emancipated body with his replacement, the young panther. The panther, unlike the hunger artist, â€Å"[was brought] the food he liked† (Kafka 231) whereas the hunger artist was aiming for a lifetime of grati? cation rather then instant temporary food ful? llment. The story unravels to reveal the artist â€Å"was never satis? ed†(Kafka 224) even after completing his forty day fast. Kafka describes the artist feeling resentment towards the public questioning â€Å" if he could endure fasting longer, why shouldn’t the public endure it? † (225). The audience â€Å"began to lose interest, sympathetic support began to fall off†(Kafka 225) yet the artist was not ful? lled by himself like much of the spectators were. Kafka explains the artist â€Å"couldn’t ? nd the food [he] liked. If [he] has found it, believe me, [he would] have made no fuss and stuffed [himself] like you or anyone else† (Kafka 231). To the public, the artist seems to have considerable amounts of self control, however, what the public neglects to see is his true talent, determination. The artist is able to clearly separate his needs and desire and has been indifferent towards food for he has yet to ? nd something he desires. One thing he desires is to push himself farther and farther into his addiction to starvation. The artist feltâ€Å"he was working honestly, but the world was cheating him of his reward†(Kafka 230). The audience only saw the artist as an old, lifeless man with no ambition. The artist’s internal buzz was masked by his deteriorating body. The young panther who replaced the artist was full of life and was whole, which contrasted the artist. The one thing the artist desired more left him dying â€Å"no longer proud persuasion that he was still continuing to fast†(Kafka 231). The panther lived everyday in full harmony, ? lling his wishes day by day. The hunger artist understood he needed only to live to have what he desired. Besides living, the artist needed no other form of comfort, knowing each day he was getting closer to his wish, which was comfort enough. By establishing his needs and desires, the artist creates a new sense of body, one where needs and desires are driven harmonically.   The panther had â€Å"seemed to carry freedom around with it; somewhere in his jaws it seemed to lurk; and the joy of life streamed with such ardent passion from his throat that for the onlookers it was not easy to stand the shock of it† (Kafka 231) whereas the artist â€Å"merely staring into vacancy with half shut eyes, now and then taking a sip from a tiny glass of water to moisten his lips† (Kafka 223). The panther and the artist, both are trying to achieve their wishes. The panther doing so in a traditional materialistic manor and the artist rede? ning the ordinary sense of body by attempting to achieve his wish of absolute nothing. The artist displays the enormous efforts he must go through to achieve his dreams, and through all of his efforts the artist is able to show how one can manipulate themselves to go places they have never gone before.