General Overview Of Ecommerce Information Technology Essay

General Overview Of Ecommerce Information Technology Essay Electronic commerce is the term used for any type of business or commercial transaction that involves the transfer of products, services and information over electronic systems such as the internet and other computer networks. The trader and customer are not face to face at any point during these transactions, the business being conducted remotely, regardless of location. E-commerce covers a range of different types of businesses, from consumer based retail sites, through auction or music sites, to business exchanges trading goods and services between corporations. It is one of the most important aspects of the Internet to emerge. Almost all big retailers are present on the World Wide Web. Although most electronic commerce involves the physical transportation of items in one way or another, a large percentage of e-commerce is conducted entirely electronically for virtual items, such as access to certain information on a website, purchasing software or other on-line services. E-business is a superset of e-commerce  [1]  , as it is generally considered to be the sales aspect of e-business. The financing and payment aspects of business transactions are facilitated by the exchange of data. E-commerce can be mainly divided into Business-to-Business electronic commerce (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer electronic commerce (B2C). B2B implies that both sellers (suppliers) and buyers are business corporations, while B2C implies that buyers are individual consumers. Business-to-business e-commerce differs significantly from business-to-consumer e-commerce. Most B2B commerce is done through negotiated contracts which allow the seller to anticipate and plan for amount a buyer will purchase; while B2C merchants, on the other hand, sell on a first-come, first serve basis. 1.1.1. B2B e-commerce B2B e-commerce does not just consist of the transaction via the Internet, but also the exchange of information before and the service after a transaction. From the purchasing companys point of view, B2B e-commerce is a medium for facilitating procurement management by reducing the purchase price and the cycle time.  [2]   The key players in a B2B e-commerce transaction usually include selling and buying companies, deliverers, and often some type of electronic intermediaries, or third-party service providers. This type of business transaction may take many forms, yet most fall into three categories. They classified depending on who controls the marketplace: the supplier, the buyer or the intermediary: (a) In a Supplier-Oriented Marketplace: many buyers face few suppliers. (b) In a Buyer-Orientated Marketplace: few buyers face many suppliers. (c) In an Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace: many buyers face many suppliers. A) Supplier-Oriented Marketplace In a Supplier-Oriented Marketplace customers are offered a wide variety of products and services which support them in their own businesses. The markets involve property, exchanges, auctions and bid systems. Suppliers are offered new market channels in marketing and distribution by using Supplier-Oriented Marketplaces, as products may be sold directly to customers without the use of intermediaries. Successful examples of this type of business model are Dell and Cisco.  [3]  Both companies sell their products via the internet. However, there are thousands of other companies that use the Supplier-Oriented model as well. Ciscos mainly provides electronic support using the internet. Its main applications include software downloads, defect tracking and technical advice. Cisco also sells routers, switches and other network interconnect devices. Since the company first began providing electronic support online in 1994 its productivity had increased by about 200 to 300 percent per year. What is more, the online technical support made it possible for Cisco to reduce technical support staff costs by approximately US $125 million. The internet Product Center also allows its customers to purchase any product over the internet, saving time for both Cisco and its customers. Cisco has estimated that by putting its application online, the company saves over US $360 million per year as a result of almost completely eliminating distribution, packaging, duplication and printing costs. B) Buyer-Oriented Marketplace When using a Supplier-Oriented Marketplace, buyers have to search electronic stores and malls to find and compare suppliers and producers. As this could be a very costly and time consuming operation for buyers, especially those who purchase thousands of items over the internet, they prefer to open their own marketplace, which is known as a Buyer-Oriented Marketplace.  [4]  An example of such a marketplace is GEs electronic bidding site which boosts the companys purchasing process.  [5]  These types of bidding sites allow suppliers to download project information from the internet and submit bids for projects. Buyers can more easily evaluate a suppliers bid and thus may negotiate electronically. As a result, a buyer will accept a bid that best meets their requirements. By doing so, they can identify and build partnerships with suppliers worldwide. Their specifications and information can be rapidly distributed to suppliers and consequently, bids are quickly received and compar ed from a large number of suppliers as to negotiate better prices. C) Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace The Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace, as its name suggests, is established by an intermediary company which runs a marketplace where business buyers and sellers can meet. There are two types of such business models: horizontal and vertical marketplaces. While vertical marketplaces concentrate on one industrial sector, horizontal marketplaces offer services to all industrial sectors. The Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace is a neutral business platform which offers classical economical functions of a usual market; the only difference is that the participants are not physically present. This business model contains catalogues which present information on products and prices. Consequently, the marketplace makes possible the comparisons and the transparency of the products. Such marketplaces can also offer auctions, which can be organized by sellers (where products are sold) or by buyers (in this case, orders are sold). In addition, electronic functions are offered so as participants can negotiate in real time.  [6]   An example of an Intermediary-Oriented Marketplace is Buzzsaw  [7]  which is a vertical electronic marketplace which concentrates on the building industry. A construction project involves many different parties, such as building contractors, builders, architects, merchants and the owner of the building many of which are regional sellers. The software that Buzzsaw offers can improve the planning process as well as the communication between the parties involved. Alongside the software, detailed information about the building industry is provided, such as news affecting the building sector or a local weather forecast. Given that the marketplace also provides the option to do business, all relevant products for the building industry can be traded. The Web site also offers search engines so as to find wanted products and buyers and sellers can insert offers and requests on the marketplace. 1.1.2. B2C e-commerce B2C e-commerce is basically a concept of online marketing and distributing of products and services over the internet. Many businesses prefer this method because they can reach more customers, service them better and make more sales while spending less to do so. For the consumer, it is relatively easy to appreciate the importance of e-commerce. Many prefer not to waste time fighting the very crowded supermarkets, and shop on-line at any time in virtual Internet shopping malls, and have the goods delivered home directly, all from the comfort of their own homes. B2C e-commerce is conducted essentially by three types of business models  [8]  : (a) Direct Sellers are online retailers that sell directly to customers only over the Internet. There are two types of direct sellers: e-tailers and manufactures. E-tailers, such as Amazon.com, ship the products directly to the consumer, wholesaler or manufacturer for delivery, upon receiving an order. They do not have traditional stores that customers can visit and they do not sell offline. Manufacturers, sell to consumers directly via the internet. They remove intermediaries and establish a direct relationship with the customer. These types of retailers are present on the Web as well as have traditional stores or sell offline through catalogues or mail-order. They are called brick-and morter retail businesses because they are merchants with multi-channel distributions supported by online stores. This process has been used for years, for example, catalogue companies such as Dell.com. (b) Online Intermediaries are companies that bring together sellers and buyers to complete a business transaction, in exchange for a percentage of the transactions value. Presently, these types of businesses make up the largest category of B2C companies. There are two types of online intermediaries: brokers and informediaries. Brokers facilitate transactions between sellers and buyers online. Orbitz.com is an example of a popular B2C online broker, which acts an intermediary between a consumer and multiple suppliers of airline carriers, hotel chains, automobile rentals, and other such companies. Informediary is a non-biased intermediary between those who supply information and those who want it. It can be any business that provides information based products and services within a supply chain. For example, an informediary may gather, store and sell information about a Web site. The information is considered to be valuable to organizations for target marketing, price setting, negotiations, advertising and market research. (c) A Portal provides the means of electronic access to Web content, resources and services. A portal typically has a search engine which is the central point to the services provided. The most popular search portal Web sites are Google.com, Yahoo.com and MSN.com. They have a large number of consumers and businesses utilizing their services each day around the world. Other services included on these types of websites include e-mail, chat as well as news and entertainment links. 1.2. A Brief History of E-commerce E-commerce and its meaning have changed a lot over the past 40 years. At first, the term e-commerce meant the performance of commercial transactions electronically, using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), the electronic exchange of business documents and information form one computer to another. EDI originated in the mid 1960s and by the mid 1970s was formalized by the Accredited Standards Committee.  [9]  The new technology allowed business companies and organizations to send commercial documentation electronically, such as purchase orders or invoices. It was in 1991 that E-commerce became possible, when the internet was opened to commercial use. Since then, e-commerce has experienced a rapid intensification; thousands of businesses have started online companies and provide online services. Although, it wasnt until 1994 that the internet began to gain popularity among the general public, and by the year 2000 a large number of companies from around the world had already started to offer their services on the World Wide Web. By then, people had given another meaning to electronic commerce: the process of purchasing goods and services over the internet using electronic communication.  [10]   Among the first internet company to allow electronic transactions, Amazon and E-bay are the most notable as they continue to be successful to this day. According to study conducted by internetretailer.com in 2009, the top 10 most famous worldwide internet retailers are: Amazon, Otto, Staples, Office Depot, Dell, Arcandor, Hewlett Packard, Tesco, OfficeMax and Apple.  [11]  According to all-rankings.com, the top ten most purchased products online are: travel tickets, holidays, books, concert/theatre/festival tickets, clothes, electrical goods, CDs, cinema tickets, DVDs and music downloads.  [12]  

Marks and Spencer

Abstract Currently, the retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) is not only well-recognized among the UK citizens, although its branches are well established across the globe with many product categories available. During recent years, it has been found that the sales growth of Marks and Spencer’s merchandising, which has been its oldest and most important sector, has been in decline while the growth of M&S’s food sector has increased at an impressive pace. This study will attempt to find the factors responsible for the declining sales in clothing and the rising growth in food of Marks and Spencer, and hope to shed some lights on which areas the company should focus on to fix this decline in sales. The method will rely on the literature reviews of article from credible sources as well as published books. The paper will be analysed in two sections: factors affecting a sales slump in clothing, and factors affecting the rapid sales growth in the food department. 1. Introduction Established in 1884, Marks and Spencer has grown from a single-market company to a multinational corporation that has many branches around the world, including in England, the United States, and Thailand (www.marksandspencer.com, 2014). Not only has the 130-year-old corporation expanded across the globe, but it has also increased its product diversity as well. Although it began as a merchandising business, M&S currently sells a range of products, including women’s lingerie, sportswear, cosmetics and food. However recent sources, including Ahmed (2014), Ficenec (2014) and Pinnington (2014) have observed that the sales of the clothing division of M&S has been declining in recent years while that of the food department has increased; for instance, Ahmed (2014) at the BBC found that clothing has gone down by 1.5 percent in 2014, while a like-for-like sale of food has gone up by 1.7 percent in this time. Ficenec also added that the decreasing sales in the clothing department has be en going on for up to three years. As of late 2013, the sale of food accounted for more in the total sales of clothes, with 55 percent against 45 percent respectively (Ruddick, 2013). For the clothing department, this event could be classified as relative product failure (Dibb et al., 2006). Though one may argue that the drop in sales might be an industry trend for that year, Primark was found to receive a 5 percent like-for-like increase in sales during this time (Ruddick, 2013). Therefore, marketing problems in M&S’s clothing department have emerged as an interesting research topic. This report will discuss several marketing factors that could account for the widening sales gap between Mark and Spencer’s food and clothing divisions, focusing primarily on the UK. The study is divided into two discussions of the factors affecting the sales slump in clothing and will discuss the factors affecting the rapid growth in sales for the food department. Elements analysed in this paper include marketing variables, such as: target markets and customer profiles, price, quality and product positioning. Finally, a conclusion on the relevance of the examined factors towards the sales diversion will be made. 2. Literature review Marketing strategy can be defined as an organisation’s strategy that combines all of its marketing goals into one comprehensive plan. A good marketing strategy should be drawn from market research and focus on the right product mix in order to achieve the maximum profit potential and sustain the business. According to the Business Dictionary (2014), the marketing strategy is the foundation of a marketing plan. Marks & Spencer is one of the oldest supermarkets in the UK. Established in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds, the company became the first British retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over ?1 billion. It has delivered to more than 30 countries from its UK site and has 8 International websites and 644 UK stores (www.marksandspencer.com, 2014). Various sources, including Ahmed (2014), Ficenec (2014) and Pinnington (2014) have observed that Marks & Spencer as a company has been expanding and diversifying its products so that it includes foodstuffs as well as clothing and plastic materials. 3. Methodology This study took place in Middlesex University on the pre-sessional programme in August 2014. It was completed by a group consisting of three people from the pre-sessional course, these were: Mohammed, Maram and Buk. We chose Marks and Spencer Company from FTSE 100 because M&S is one of the most popular and oldest companies in the UK. It also offers a wide range of products such as food or clothes. Once we had selected this company, we performed research in the library to find out the factors that made sales grow for Marks and Spencer, and why this was greater for food than clothes. After that, the researchers interviewed others at Middlesex University. We performed secondary research by using websites and search engines, like Google scholar. We also looked at a database of Middlesex University as well as library catalogue to find sources that were related to our research and supported our ideas towards answering this question. We found many credible sources such as journals articles, books, newspaper and website. ? 4. Findings The researcher explored for sources that would be useful for this report. Three articles were found that are used in this report and were widely useful because they provided updated information. Further information was extracted from the company website, which was cited as particularly useful for historical information about the company and its origins, and also its subsidiaries. Moreover, it was found that book were used to provide general information and the views of academic sources. From these sources, it was identified that there is clear disparity between the sale of food and sale of clothing in Marks and Spencer Company. This was observed from various sources, including Ahmed (2014) who notes that while food sales were on the rise, clothing sales were falling. Ahmed from the BBC found clothing sales have dropped by 1.5 percent in 2014, while like-for-like sales of food rose 1.7 percent. However, there are several reasons for this disparity which will be explored in the foll owing section. 5. Discussion and Analysis There is a clear disparity between the sale of food and clothing in Marks and Spencer Company. Various sources such as Ahmed (2014) from the BBC saw that while food sales were on the rise in M&S, clothing sales were falling. Ahmedfound that the sale of clothing dropped by 1.5 percent in 2014, while like-for-like sales of food rose 1.7 percent. However, there are several reasons for this disparity. The first factor, or the reason for the success of the food sales in M&S, is the diversity of items in the food range and also the quality of the food. These were identified as the most important reasons that helped promote the sale of food products at M&S. The company’s success in the sale of food can also be attributed to the popularity of microwavable foods, which have provide to be the most popular product in the food sales (Tresidder, 2010). A further reason that can be attributed to the success of the food sales in M&S is due to the marketing campaigns surrounding them. The advertising for the food can be seen as one of the primary reasons for the success of the food sales in M&S. The adverts appear on websites, television and marketing texts and all have an effect on promoting the M&S food products to consumers. As a result, the company actually relies on the M&S logo to attract consumers along with the company slogan – â€Å"this is not just food.† Kress (1996) and Van Leeuwen (2001) describe how this could be a good way to market the product and is a modern way to attract consumers. Furthermore, this marketing campaign can contribute to create effective promotional images on the TV which will lead on to higher sales of M&S food. Among the factors that have helped the growth of sales of food products is the location and quality of the product. These are all factors that have been cited as attributing to the increase in sales of food products; however, the decline of the sale of clothing products is not entirely associated with the success of the food products but, more so, poor handling of the clothing line. For example, it has been argued that M&S clothing range has been guilty of poor product positioning, both in stores, shop windows and in marketing texts (Tresidder, 2010). Furthermore, the clothing department website has been criticised for being overly complicated and difficult to navigate (Ahmed, 2014). Therefore it could be suggested that the M&S clothing department learn the lessons of effective pricing, advertising and use of branding tools, such as slogans, used by the food department, to halt this decline and reverse the movement of their sales growth. 6. Conclusion In conclusion, M&S has faced several issues in the Department of clothing, as sales fell dramatically; yet the sale of food products continue to rise. Several contributing factors to this pattern have been discussed, including effective branding, marketing for the food products, and poor product positioning of the clothing items. However, 7. Bibliography Ahmed, K. (2014) â€Å"M&S chief Bolland says results ‘not good enough’†, BBC News Business, 8 July 2014. Accessed online at: http://www.bbc.com/news/28205935 [accessed 03/08/2014]. Dibb, S. (2006) Marketing: Concepts and Strategies, Houghton Mifflin Company: ISBN. Ficenec, J. (2014) â€Å"Question share tip: Hold Marks & Spencer on strong food sales†, in The Telegraph, 9 July 2014. Accessed online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/10955632/Questor-share-tip-Hold-Marks-and-Spencer-on-strong-food-sales.html [accessed 03/08/2014]. Marks and Spencer, Official Website. Accessed online at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/?intid=gft_company [accessed 18/08/2014]. Marks and Spencer Abstract Currently, the retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) is not only well-recognized among the UK citizens, although its branches are well established across the globe with many product categories available. During recent years, it has been found that the sales growth of Marks and Spencer’s merchandising, which has been its oldest and most important sector, has been in decline while the growth of M&S’s food sector has increased at an impressive pace. This study will attempt to find the factors responsible for the declining sales in clothing and the rising growth in food of Marks and Spencer, and hope to shed some lights on which areas the company should focus on to fix this decline in sales. The method will rely on the literature reviews of article from credible sources as well as published books. The paper will be analysed in two sections: factors affecting a sales slump in clothing, and factors affecting the rapid sales growth in the food department. 1. Introduction Established in 1884, Marks and Spencer has grown from a single-market company to a multinational corporation that has many branches around the world, including in England, the United States, and Thailand (www.marksandspencer.com, 2014). Not only has the 130-year-old corporation expanded across the globe, but it has also increased its product diversity as well. Although it began as a merchandising business, M&S currently sells a range of products, including women’s lingerie, sportswear, cosmetics and food. However recent sources, including Ahmed (2014), Ficenec (2014) and Pinnington (2014) have observed that the sales of the clothing division of M&S has been declining in recent years while that of the food department has increased; for instance, Ahmed (2014) at the BBC found that clothing has gone down by 1.5 percent in 2014, while a like-for-like sale of food has gone up by 1.7 percent in this time. Ficenec also added that the decreasing sales in the clothing department has be en going on for up to three years. As of late 2013, the sale of food accounted for more in the total sales of clothes, with 55 percent against 45 percent respectively (Ruddick, 2013). For the clothing department, this event could be classified as relative product failure (Dibb et al., 2006). Though one may argue that the drop in sales might be an industry trend for that year, Primark was found to receive a 5 percent like-for-like increase in sales during this time (Ruddick, 2013). Therefore, marketing problems in M&S’s clothing department have emerged as an interesting research topic. This report will discuss several marketing factors that could account for the widening sales gap between Mark and Spencer’s food and clothing divisions, focusing primarily on the UK. The study is divided into two discussions of the factors affecting the sales slump in clothing and will discuss the factors affecting the rapid growth in sales for the food department. Elements analysed in this paper include marketing variables, such as: target markets and customer profiles, price, quality and product positioning. Finally, a conclusion on the relevance of the examined factors towards the sales diversion will be made. 2. Literature review Marketing strategy can be defined as an organisation’s strategy that combines all of its marketing goals into one comprehensive plan. A good marketing strategy should be drawn from market research and focus on the right product mix in order to achieve the maximum profit potential and sustain the business. According to the Business Dictionary (2014), the marketing strategy is the foundation of a marketing plan. Marks & Spencer is one of the oldest supermarkets in the UK. Established in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds, the company became the first British retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over ?1 billion. It has delivered to more than 30 countries from its UK site and has 8 International websites and 644 UK stores (www.marksandspencer.com, 2014). Various sources, including Ahmed (2014), Ficenec (2014) and Pinnington (2014) have observed that Marks & Spencer as a company has been expanding and diversifying its products so that it includes foodstuffs as well as clothing and plastic materials. 3. Methodology This study took place in Middlesex University on the pre-sessional programme in August 2014. It was completed by a group consisting of three people from the pre-sessional course, these were: Mohammed, Maram and Buk. We chose Marks and Spencer Company from FTSE 100 because M&S is one of the most popular and oldest companies in the UK. It also offers a wide range of products such as food or clothes. Once we had selected this company, we performed research in the library to find out the factors that made sales grow for Marks and Spencer, and why this was greater for food than clothes. After that, the researchers interviewed others at Middlesex University. We performed secondary research by using websites and search engines, like Google scholar. We also looked at a database of Middlesex University as well as library catalogue to find sources that were related to our research and supported our ideas towards answering this question. We found many credible sources such as journals articles, books, newspaper and website. ? 4. Findings The researcher explored for sources that would be useful for this report. Three articles were found that are used in this report and were widely useful because they provided updated information. Further information was extracted from the company website, which was cited as particularly useful for historical information about the company and its origins, and also its subsidiaries. Moreover, it was found that book were used to provide general information and the views of academic sources. From these sources, it was identified that there is clear disparity between the sale of food and sale of clothing in Marks and Spencer Company. This was observed from various sources, including Ahmed (2014) who notes that while food sales were on the rise, clothing sales were falling. Ahmed from the BBC found clothing sales have dropped by 1.5 percent in 2014, while like-for-like sales of food rose 1.7 percent. However, there are several reasons for this disparity which will be explored in the foll owing section. 5. Discussion and Analysis There is a clear disparity between the sale of food and clothing in Marks and Spencer Company. Various sources such as Ahmed (2014) from the BBC saw that while food sales were on the rise in M&S, clothing sales were falling. Ahmedfound that the sale of clothing dropped by 1.5 percent in 2014, while like-for-like sales of food rose 1.7 percent. However, there are several reasons for this disparity. The first factor, or the reason for the success of the food sales in M&S, is the diversity of items in the food range and also the quality of the food. These were identified as the most important reasons that helped promote the sale of food products at M&S. The company’s success in the sale of food can also be attributed to the popularity of microwavable foods, which have provide to be the most popular product in the food sales (Tresidder, 2010). A further reason that can be attributed to the success of the food sales in M&S is due to the marketing campaigns surrounding them. The advertising for the food can be seen as one of the primary reasons for the success of the food sales in M&S. The adverts appear on websites, television and marketing texts and all have an effect on promoting the M&S food products to consumers. As a result, the company actually relies on the M&S logo to attract consumers along with the company slogan – â€Å"this is not just food.† Kress (1996) and Van Leeuwen (2001) describe how this could be a good way to market the product and is a modern way to attract consumers. Furthermore, this marketing campaign can contribute to create effective promotional images on the TV which will lead on to higher sales of M&S food. Among the factors that have helped the growth of sales of food products is the location and quality of the product. These are all factors that have been cited as attributing to the increase in sales of food products; however, the decline of the sale of clothing products is not entirely associated with the success of the food products but, more so, poor handling of the clothing line. For example, it has been argued that M&S clothing range has been guilty of poor product positioning, both in stores, shop windows and in marketing texts (Tresidder, 2010). Furthermore, the clothing department website has been criticised for being overly complicated and difficult to navigate (Ahmed, 2014). Therefore it could be suggested that the M&S clothing department learn the lessons of effective pricing, advertising and use of branding tools, such as slogans, used by the food department, to halt this decline and reverse the movement of their sales growth. 6. Conclusion In conclusion, M&S has faced several issues in the Department of clothing, as sales fell dramatically; yet the sale of food products continue to rise. Several contributing factors to this pattern have been discussed, including effective branding, marketing for the food products, and poor product positioning of the clothing items. However, 7. Bibliography Ahmed, K. (2014) â€Å"M&S chief Bolland says results ‘not good enough’†, BBC News Business, 8 July 2014. Accessed online at: http://www.bbc.com/news/28205935 [accessed 03/08/2014]. Dibb, S. (2006) Marketing: Concepts and Strategies, Houghton Mifflin Company: ISBN. Ficenec, J. (2014) â€Å"Question share tip: Hold Marks & Spencer on strong food sales†, in The Telegraph, 9 July 2014. Accessed online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/10955632/Questor-share-tip-Hold-Marks-and-Spencer-on-strong-food-sales.html [accessed 03/08/2014]. Marks and Spencer, Official Website. Accessed online at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/?intid=gft_company [accessed 18/08/2014]. Marks and Spencer Case Study: Marks and Spencer, Ltd. (A) Marks and Spencer has a reputation of greatness and quality in the U. K. Their five tenets of operating principals are the cornerstone of the company’s strength in the industry. They fostered strong human relations with its customers, suppliers, and staff through offering selective range of high-quality merchandise at reasonable prices, encouraging suppliers to use top-notch modern technology, growth, and cooperation to enforce the highest standard of quality.Breaking down Porter’s Five Forces identifies the competitive forces in Mark and Spencer: 1) Suppliers: M&S is not dependent on suppliers as other stores are, due to M&S producing and selling its own branded products. Raw products are supplied, which is an advantage for its margins. They have an astounding and long (some relationships dating back to 40 years) reputation with their suppliers, which allows for discounts. 2) Buyers: Buyers have a substantial influence by shoppin g around, forcing M&S to continue in supplying high quality garments and food products at reasonable prices. ) Threat of Entry: Even though M&S has a very loyal customer base, online shopping was just at the early stages in the early 1990’s along with other super markets establishing a one-stop shop for all customers’ needs. 4) Substitutes: Threat of substitutes is high due to buyers’ looking for cheaper alternatives in other competitive outlets. Also, because M&S focused on essential clothing, and less on fads or trendy lines, competitors were quicker to react in offering more trendy clothing lines. ) Competitive Rivalry: M&S has fierce competition from other food, clothing, and home wares retailers; such as supermarkets Tesco, Asda, and J. Sainsbury. Due to M&S commanding market strength in the U. K. , M&S expanded overseas. They had shared success in other countries, but also were also presented with challenges. For instance, France viewed M&S brand as old-fa shioned. Looking at Exhibit 13, the market share of clothing and footwear by age group were as followed: 15-24 age group (5. 9%), 25-44 age group (13. 9%), 45-64 (21. 3%), and 65+ (23. 6%).M&S focused on getting more of those younger buyers into the stores where they see first-hand the service they provide; but if M&S focused less on fad and trends (which is attractive to the younger demographic) the efforts in marketing are wasted. Out of the five locations in France, only Paris was showing promising performance. With M&S strong performance in U. K. , it can’t expect its brand presence in U. K. to spill over to other countries. As noted, M&S never reached its full potential even though it acquired/purchased interests of other department stores.What if M&S invested more into marketing and â€Å"perusing the public to buy† instead of just relying on the products to sell itself? What if M&S invested more into clothing lines that follow trends and fads, to tap into the yo unger demographic? For instance, take chains such as H&M or Forever 21: offering affordable trendy clothing that cater to younger buyers. M&S can still offer well-designed and quality clothing lines, but now attract the younger and older buyers that are into trendy fashions; but it is very crucial they don’t abandon their loyal customer base.What if M&S closed stores that had small market share and minimal profit (some territories in Austria and West Europe), and invested more into extending the market share in other countries? Also, during the 90’s, the world-wide web came into existence along with online shopping, allowing M&S to extend its services and marketing (which I was surprised there was no mention of it in the case). Source: Marks and Spencer, Ltd. (A) (1994). HBR 9-391-089, by Cynthia A. Montgomery Marks and Spencer Case Study: Marks and Spencer, Ltd. (A) Marks and Spencer has a reputation of greatness and quality in the U. K. Their five tenets of operating principals are the cornerstone of the company’s strength in the industry. They fostered strong human relations with its customers, suppliers, and staff through offering selective range of high-quality merchandise at reasonable prices, encouraging suppliers to use top-notch modern technology, growth, and cooperation to enforce the highest standard of quality.Breaking down Porter’s Five Forces identifies the competitive forces in Mark and Spencer: 1) Suppliers: M&S is not dependent on suppliers as other stores are, due to M&S producing and selling its own branded products. Raw products are supplied, which is an advantage for its margins. They have an astounding and long (some relationships dating back to 40 years) reputation with their suppliers, which allows for discounts. 2) Buyers: Buyers have a substantial influence by shoppin g around, forcing M&S to continue in supplying high quality garments and food products at reasonable prices. ) Threat of Entry: Even though M&S has a very loyal customer base, online shopping was just at the early stages in the early 1990’s along with other super markets establishing a one-stop shop for all customers’ needs. 4) Substitutes: Threat of substitutes is high due to buyers’ looking for cheaper alternatives in other competitive outlets. Also, because M&S focused on essential clothing, and less on fads or trendy lines, competitors were quicker to react in offering more trendy clothing lines. ) Competitive Rivalry: M&S has fierce competition from other food, clothing, and home wares retailers; such as supermarkets Tesco, Asda, and J. Sainsbury. Due to M&S commanding market strength in the U. K. , M&S expanded overseas. They had shared success in other countries, but also were also presented with challenges. For instance, France viewed M&S brand as old-fa shioned. Looking at Exhibit 13, the market share of clothing and footwear by age group were as followed: 15-24 age group (5. 9%), 25-44 age group (13. 9%), 45-64 (21. 3%), and 65+ (23. 6%).M&S focused on getting more of those younger buyers into the stores where they see first-hand the service they provide; but if M&S focused less on fad and trends (which is attractive to the younger demographic) the efforts in marketing are wasted. Out of the five locations in France, only Paris was showing promising performance. With M&S strong performance in U. K. , it can’t expect its brand presence in U. K. to spill over to other countries. As noted, M&S never reached its full potential even though it acquired/purchased interests of other department stores.What if M&S invested more into marketing and â€Å"perusing the public to buy† instead of just relying on the products to sell itself? What if M&S invested more into clothing lines that follow trends and fads, to tap into the yo unger demographic? For instance, take chains such as H&M or Forever 21: offering affordable trendy clothing that cater to younger buyers. M&S can still offer well-designed and quality clothing lines, but now attract the younger and older buyers that are into trendy fashions; but it is very crucial they don’t abandon their loyal customer base.What if M&S closed stores that had small market share and minimal profit (some territories in Austria and West Europe), and invested more into extending the market share in other countries? Also, during the 90’s, the world-wide web came into existence along with online shopping, allowing M&S to extend its services and marketing (which I was surprised there was no mention of it in the case). Source: Marks and Spencer, Ltd. (A) (1994). HBR 9-391-089, by Cynthia A. Montgomery

Activity Series of Metals Predicting Reactivity

My Personal Philosophy Of Teaching - 797 Words

Philosphy of Teaching The the purpose of this paper is to identify/describe and discuss my personal philosophy teaching. As I describe my theory of learning I will talk about experiences that have affected me. As well as identify areas of pedagogy that have influenced my personal philosophy. I will then describe how my philosophy teaching guide my teaching style. Personal Experinces My personal philosophy of teaching has its foundations in my experiences as a student. These experiences as a student have affected my beliefs about teaching and learning. I remember my third grade teacher, Mr Luther to this day, and I feel like he was one of the best teachers I had because not only did he teach the subjects two us but encouraged us to learn on our own. He did this by creating a safe working environment for students to learn. A place where we felt that we even though we were young could ask questions and formulate ideas. He also main learning fun and active experience. Mr. Luther had done was to bring the math Olympics to our school. Math was never one of my favorite topics, but having to do the math flash cards and problems then being able to run or skip or go through obstacles to move my team forward, was a great incentive for me. Pedagogics Using the Index of Learning Styles, an instrument based upon Felder and Silverman’s Learning Styles model, I discovered that my personal learning preference is Active. An Active Learners are described as rememberingShow MoreRelatedMy Teaching Philosophy : My Personal Philosophy Of Teaching932 Words   |  4 Pages This is my personal philosophy of teaching. This is my belief about teaching and learning and how I will put my beliefs into classroom practices. First and foremost, the purpose of education is to educate students so that they can be ready for the real world. It should prepare students for life, work, and citizenship. To do this, education should teach one to think creatively and productively. 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