Front end of General Motors company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Front end of General Motors company - Case Study Example The tools used in the analysis include dominant economic features, driving force analysis, strategic group map, PESTLE and competitive analysis framework. The main issue under discussion is on product reliability based on the products and consumer perception. The company has issues with quality assurance and lack of quality control system. According to the consumer reports of 2009, there were numerous recalls of GM products due to reliability. Therefore, the paper comes up with three alternatives to curb the issue on reliability. The first alternative to curb the issue is coming up with an automated checking mechanism that will check any product’s defect. The alternative is important because it will ensure that no defects goes unchecked (General Motors, 1980). Some of the defects that the automation process will check includes faults with seat belts, brakes, and other important areas. On the other hand, the alternative though helpful is very expensive and requires a lot of structures and capital to put up. Another alternative to curb the issues on quality control is that the company need to set up certified auditors who will carry out random and frequent check up on the company’s product. The auditor need to come up with routine reports on the manufacturing process and the equipment used during the process. The advantage of this alternative is that the company will make sure that their quality control systems are up to date and efficient. One of the cons of this alternative is that there are tendencies that the company might ignore the reports and recommendations from the certified auditor. Citing claims that the recommendations are expensive to implement (General Motors, 1981). The third alternative to curb the issue is recalling all the vehicles that have default issues. Recalling the vehicle will ensure that the company beefs up quality control issues. Recalling the vehicle will give the

Research Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Research - Assignment Example In the Title VII, different religious observances comprise head or face coverings, clothes, jewelries as well as other religious items. Hence, it can be recognized that wearing headscarf or other religious clothing has been considered as religious observance for purposes of Title VII (42 U.S.C.  §2000e-2) (The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., â€Å"Questions and Answers: Religious Discrimination in the Workplace†) Answer: The religious provisions that are mentioned in the Title VII considerably engages undue hardship defense in terms of providing required religious accommodation provisions for the employees. The defensive initiative for an employer in the Title VII is provided in order to grant exceptional provisions for the religious beliefs of the employees working under the employer in the workplace (The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., â€Å"Questions and Answers: Religious Discrimination in the Workplace†) Answer: The factors relevant to proving undue hardship can be recognized as the type of the workplace, nature and roles of the workers, relevant accommodation cost with respect to operating cost and size of the employer as well as the appropriate accommodation requirements of the employees (The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., â€Å"Questions and Answers: Religious Discrimination in the Workplace†) Answer: The major issue within the case can be determined as a major concern related to the employment discrimination with regard to the Title VII and its religious observances. According to the case of employment discrimination, the issue rose as an appeal for religious consideration in the police uniform of any Muslim women police officer in the City of Philadelphia. The issue was appealed by Kimberlie Webb to allow wearing of religious garb with her uniform (Third Judicial Circuit, â€Å"United States Court of Appeals

Comparing Hypermarket and Traditional Wet Market Consumers

Comparing Hypermarket and Traditional Wet Market Consumers CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS 4.0 Introduction This study was conducted in two different store formats, which are hypermarket and traditional wet market respectively. Totally 200 questionnaires were distributed and collected, each market has 100 questionnaires respectively. First of all, the general data such as respondents profiles, trip patterns and transaction patterns were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. This approach generates frequency and percentage of the respondents characteristics and presents the basic data and information. Secondly, reliability of the respondents perception on store image will be tested to examine whether if the data reliable or not. The level of reliability, which is so called Cronbachs alpha, the alpha value should not lower than 0.70 to obtain the consistent result. After that, independent t-test will be used to examine the level of significant on store attributes between different store formats. Moreover, we will also test the correlation between store formats and the demographic characteristics, trip patterns and transaction patterns. The differences of mean will be calculated, and 95% of confidence intervals were taken in this study. Significant probability was ≠¤0.05. It means if the result lower or equal to 0.05, it indicates statistically significantly different. 4.1 Descriptive Analysis 4.1.1 Respondents Profile 4.1.1.1 Gender Table 4.1: Gender Figure 4.1: Gender At both different store formats, we can find that there is more female shop at markets than male does. Gender distribution of respondents at hypermarket was much more balanced than gender distribution of respondents at traditional wet market, which are 46% for male and 54% for female at hypermarket, while traditional wet market was 1/3 of respondents are male and 2/3 of respondents are female. 4.1.1.2 Age Table 4.2: Age Figure 4.2: Age The data collection of this study showed that respondents at hypermarket and traditional wet market with the age of 25 years old and below are the highest, which are 35% and 28% respectively, compare with the ages which are between 26-35 years old (34% and 19%), 36-45 years old (16% and 14%), 46-55 years old (12% and 23%), and 56 years old and above (3% and 16%). One phenomenon can be found in this data is the number of respondents of traditional wet market with the age which are between 46-55 years old and 56 years old and above, are much higher than the respondents of hypermarket with the same range of age. The total percentage for this range of age (46-55 years old and 56 years old and above), for traditional wet market is 39%, while for hypermarket is only 15%. We can conclude that the respondents of traditional wet market are older than the respondent of hypermarket. 4.1.1.3 Ethnic Table 4.3: Ethnic RUL 573- RESEARCH PROJECT IN PLANNING CHAPTER 4: Store Image: Comparing Hypermarket and Traditional Wet Market Consumers Perception. Case Study: Bayan Baru, Penang. Figure 4.3: Ethnic In this study, Chinese has the highest number of people (55% from hypermarket, 74% from traditional wet market) following to Malay (33% from hypermarket, 14% from traditional wet market), Indian (9% from hypermarket, 11% from traditional wet market) and the others (3% from hypermarket, 1% from traditional wet market). The biggest different of these store formats is Chinese respondent has higher portion at traditional wet market compare to hypermarket, which are  ¾ of all respondents of traditional wet market compare to  ½ of all respondents of hypermarket. While the figure of Malay showed that Malay tends to shop at hypermarket instead of going to traditional wet market, the number of Malay shops at hypermarket is twice compare to number of Malay shops at traditional wet market. 4.1.1.4 Marital Status Table 4.4: Marital Status RUL 573- RESEARCH PROJECT IN PLANNING CHAPTER 4: Store Image: Comparing Hypermarket and Traditional Wet Market Consumers Perception. Case Study: Bayan Baru, Penang. Figure 4.4: Marital Status 40 RUL 573- RESEARCH PROJECT IN PLANNING CHAPTER 4: Store Image: Comparing Hypermarket and Traditional Wet Market Consumers Perception. Case Study: Bayan Baru, Penang. Base on the data that obtained, the respondents of hypermarket who are married (42%) are fewer than those who are single (58%). While respondents from of traditional wet market have the different situation, the result was totally inversed of hypermarket, that is 58% of the respondents are married, and the others 42% are single. This result indicates respondents of this study who are married tend to shop at traditional wet market and respondents who are single prefer to shop at hypermarket. 4.1.1.5 Education Level Table 4.5: Education Level Figure 4.5: Education Level The respondents from both store formats also have highest number of people (74% of hypermarket and 50% of wet market) who had at least tertiary education, which indicates college or university. This is because of more than 1/3 of respondents from hypermarket and 1/4 of respondents from traditional wet market who are younger generation, which is in the category of 25 years old and below as shown in Chapter 4.1.1.2. The overall result showed that the respondents of traditional wet market have slightly lower education level compare to those respondents of hypermarket. Half of the respondents of traditional wet market have not ever pursued tertiary education, the number is twice compare to those respondents of hypermarket who had only secondary education, primary education, and no formal education. 4.1.1.6 Occupation Table 4.6: Occupation Figure 4.6: Occupation In the previous data showed that the respondents who are younger generation (25 years old and below) and have at least tertiary education level had a large portion of entire respondents. In this section, it showed that most of the respondents of hypermarket are student (39%), following by waged worker (25%), government employee (18%), housewife (8%), entrepreneur (7%), retired (3%). While at traditional wet market, most of the respondents are worked as waged worker (32%), following by housewife (26%), student (23%), retired (7%), government employee (5%), entrepreneur (5%) and unemployed (2%). This data also showed that housewife prefers to shop at traditional wet market (25%) instead of shop at hypermarket (8%). 4.1.1.7 Household Size Table 4.7: Household Size Figure 4.7: Household Size The mode number of household size for respondents of hypermarket and traditional wet market are 4 and 5 respectively. The data showed that 28% and 27% of respondents of hypermarket have household size of 4 and 5. On the other hand, 22% and 28% of respondents of traditional wet market have household size of 4 and 5. These indicate more than half of the respondents who have household size of 4 or 5. From the figure above, we can see that the household size of traditional wet market respondent is slightly bigger than household size of hypermarket respondents. From the calculation, the mean household size of traditional wet market respondents are 4.87, and respondents of hypermarket are 4.63. 4.1.1.8Household Monthly Income Table 4.8: Household Monthly Income Figure 4.8: Household Monthly Income From these 200 respondents, there is no big difference of household monthly income between two different store formats. For respondent of hypermarket, the categories of RM1500 and below, RM2501-3500, and RM3501-4500 also showed 23% respectively, followed by RM1501-2500 (17%), RM4501and above (14%). On the other hand, the mode number of household monthly income for respondents of traditional wet market is RM2501-3500, followed by RM1500 and below (22%), RM1501-2500 (21%), RM4501 and above (20%), RM3501-4500 (13%). Overall there is not a very significant different between the groups and the categories. 4.1.2 Trip Patterns 4.1.2.1 Travelling Time from Home to Markets Table 4.9: Travelling Time Figure 4.9: Travelling Time Majority of the respondents travel from home to the markets were just within 15 minutes and this was showed by 48% respondents of hypermarket and 53% of traditional wet market. This indicates half of the respondents came from adjacent area. While 34% respondents of hypermarket and 28% respondents of traditional wet market have travelling time between 16-30 minutes. Travelling time between 31-60 minutes, 16% and 17% fell to respondents of hypermarket and respondents if traditional wet market respectively. The category of 1 hour and more is only chosen by 2% of respondents of hypermarket and traditional wet market respectively. From the data we can conclude that people prefer to travel from home to market in shorter time. 4.1.2.2 Transportation Mode Table 4.10: Transportation Mode Figure 4.10: Transportation Mode Majority of the respondents prefer going to the markets by car, the data showed that 68% of hypermarket respondents and 45% of traditional wet market respondents go to the markets by car. Another transportation mode that is chosen by respondents is walking (15% of hypermarket respondents and 23% of traditional wet market respondents), as well as motorcycle (8% of hypermarket respondents and 23% traditional wet market respondents). A few people chose bus (5% of hypermarket respondents and 6% of traditional wet market respondents) and bicycle (4% of hypermarket respondents and 3% of traditional wet market respondents). Taxi and the others transportation mode have none of respondent chose such mode of transportation. Although majority of the respondents have the shortest travelling time from home to market as showed at Chapter 4.1.2.1, but most of them still prefer to drive to the market. 4.1.3Transaction Patterns 4.1.3.1 Frequency of Visiting Table 4.11: Frequency of Visiting Figure 4.11: Frequency of Visiting Majority of the respondents visiting markets once a week, 36% of hypermarket respondents and 40% traditional wet market respondents chose this category. While 27% of hypermarket respondents and 21% of traditional wet market respondents chose to visit the market less than once a week. Less than half of the respondents visit the market twice or more than twice weekly. From the data obtained, 21% of hypermarket respondents and 11% of traditional wet market respondents visit the market twice weekly, 12% of hypermarket respondents and 10% of traditional wet market respondents visit the market thrice weekly, and 4% of hypermarket respondents and 18% of traditional wet market respondents visit 4 times and more weekly. The respondents who visit the markets 4 times and above weekly are 4.5 times more than those hypermarket respondents do. 4.1.3.2 Visiting Markets with Whom Table 4.12: Visiting Markets with Whom Figure 4.12: Visiting Markets with Whom Almost half of the respondents prefer to visit the markets with their family member or relatives, this occupied 47% of hypermarket respondents and 52% of traditional wet market respondents. While the respondents who chose to visit markets with friends/ neighbors/ colleagues or alone, there is a significant different between hypermarket and traditional wet market. 36% of respondents of hypermarket prefer to go to the markets with their friends/ neighbors/ colleagues instead of go by alone, which has only 17% of the respondents chose that. On the other hand, traditional wet market is different. 36% of the respondents chose to go alone instead of go with friends/ neighbors/ colleagues, which only has 12%. None of them chose to visit the markets with the people who have other relationships. 4.1.3.Time Spent Table 4.13: Time Spent Figure 4.13: Time Spent From the data that obtained, majority of the traditional wet market respondent spent 30-60 minutes in the market, which occupied 49% of the traditional wet market respondent, followed by 1-2 hours (28%), 30 minutes and less (18%), and 2 hours and more (5%). While hypermarket respondents prefer to spent longer time in the market. 41% of hypermarket respondents spent 1-2 hours, followed by 30-60 minutes (32%), 2 hours and more (15%), 30 minutes and less (12%). For overall, 2/3 of traditional wet market respondents tends to spend shorter time compare to only 44% of hypermarket respondents spent less than 1 hour. 4.2Reliability Analysis Data of consumer perception have been collected in the approach of Likert scale, reliability of the data should be tested. Gatewood and Field (1990) said that reliability is the ability of the instrument in providing the consistent results when it is repeated used. Cronbachs alpha is the basic measurement for reliability and an alpha value of 0.7 is sufficient (Nunnally, 1978). All the store attributes will be tested in terms of the store attributes those contribute as the reasons of consumers to choose a retail store and also the importance level that respondents have given to the store attributes. 4.2.1Store Attributes as the Reasons for Consumers to Shop Following are the store attributes as the reasons for consumer to shop: Attribute 1 : Appropriate opening hours Attribute 2 : Near to place of residence Attribute 3 : Product quality Attribute 4 : Product variety Attribute 5 : Reasonable price Attribute 6 : Speed of purchase Attribute 7 : Satisfactorily service Attribute 8 : Spacious interior space Attribute 9 : Not crowded Attribute 10 : Clean and comfortable Attribute 11 : Good public transport available Attribute 12 : Car parking facilities Attribute 13 : Easiness on finding the product Attribute 14 : Habit Attribute 15 : Trust in vendor 4.2.1.1 Hypermarket Table 4.14: Reliability Statistics (Store Attributes as the Reasons for Consumers to Shop at Hypermarket) Table 4.15: Item-Total Statistics(Store Attributes as the Reasons for Consumers to ShopAt Hyperma

Marks & Spencer PESTLE Analysis Essay

Major Firms cannot survive and continue to prosper without analyzing their general environment and acting upon the trends identified. Scanning and monitoring the general environment are activities they cannot afford to ignore. Discuss this statement with reference to the performance of the UK retailer Marks & Spencer over the last 10 years. Introduction Marks and Spencer is a major British multinational retailer headquartered in Westminster, London. It has a network of 766 stores in the United Kingdom and 418 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It was founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds. It specializes in the selling of clothing and luxury food products. Michael Marks was from Russia and Thomas Spencer was a cashier from Yorkshire. In 1884, Michael Marks started his own business in Kirkgate Market, Leeds by opening a penny bazaar stall. Then to develop his business he opened a shop at Manchester with the partnership of Thomas Spencer. Initially, the company used to be known as Marks & Sparks but over the years, the company decided to settle down for Marks & Spencer. In 1998, it became the first British retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over ?1 billion. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. PESTLE Analysis An organization’s environment is made up of: The Internal Environment: Staff, office technology, wages, finance, etc. The Micro Environment: External customers, agents, distributors, suppliers, etc. The Macro Environment: Political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental etc. This is also known as the PESTLE environment. PESTLE analysis describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used in the environmental scanning component of strategic management. It is a part of the external analysis which gives an overview of the different macro-environmental factors that the company has to take into consideration in order to achieve its goals. Let’s talk about the different factors of the PESTLE environment for Marks & Spencer in depth. Political Political factors are those factors that are made, run and changed by the government. These factors show the level of anticipation by the government in different trades and businesses. Specifically the sectors in which government’s anticipation is the most are trade policy, labor law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability. These factors also include goods and services needed or provided by the government. This is decided by the government what kind and quantity of goods and services can enter or go out of the country. These policies are directly worked by government and can only be changed by them. Other than these political factors government have a large anticipation in health, education, infrastructure and defense of the country. The government has its own sets of rules and regulations which every company has to abide such as health & safety, planning for hazard identification, risk management and risk control. If somehow a company doesn’t follow these rules and regulations, the companies will have to face strict consequences and outcomes, which include heavy fines or even closure of the company. Marks and Spencer was accused of not abiding the standards for and was charged for neglecting the safety regulation after a door fell on an employee. Marks and Spencer was not pled guilty of this trial. Marks and Spencer was the first company to achieve fair trade policy route which is cut salt and fat in M&S food. Marks and Spencer’s believes that it is very important to interact and work with the government to protect an  organization’s legitimate interests and to develop policies which addresses wider public objectives. Marks and Spencer’s respond to the government queries which are available publically on their sites. The company has full support from the government because of its rich historic values and fair means of trade practice. Because Marks & Spencer has become a very powerful organization in the retail world, new competitors find it very difficult to keep up with the quality of products and services that Marks & Spencer provide. The two political f actors that affect the company are political stability and VAT. Political stability is the government works their way whereas Marks and Spencer’s wants things differently. VAT is the terms known as value added tax which is set by the government and paid by the companies. It definitely affects Marks and Spencer’s because if the government increases VAT, M&S also has to increase their prices or else it would decrease the firm’s income. Economic Economic factors are determinants of an economy’s performance that directly impacts a company and have long term effects. For example, a rise in the inflation rate of any economy would affect the way companies’ price their products and services. It would also affect the purchasing power of a consumer and change demand/supply models for that economy. Economic factors include inflation rate, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, economic growth patterns etc. It also accounts for the FDI (foreign direct investment) depending on certain specific industries who’re undergoing this analysis. The United Kingdom has an open economy and ranks among the fourth largest in the world. Fiscal and monetary policies are properly managed because of that there is low inflation and strong government finances in the country. Marks & Spencer needs to organize a complete economic analysis. It is essential to consider the state of economy in the short- and long-terms. Issues such as i nterest rates, inflation, GDP, employment levels, etc. need to have hold in the marketing plan so that the strategies adopted encounter all such issues and ensure sustainability of competitive position. Current economic situation in the UK is favorable with low-to-moderate interest rates which signal a healthy economy. A healthy economy is a sign of increasing disposable income which, in turn, is good for the business. Marks & Spencer needs to concentrate more in the fashion arena as younger  generation spends most of their disposable incomes on clothing. Social Social factors are fundamentals that one cannot directly control but they definitely affect your business and marketing strategies. Basically, to know your social environment and to deal with it, you have to think about ‘people’ here. The aspects that we need to consider in order to understand people are cultural aspects, age distribution and emphasis on environment concerns. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a company’s products and how that company operates. Marks & Spencer has modified itself a lot according to its consumer’s wants. M&S core shops typically feature a selection of the company’s clothing ranges and a food hall. In UK, people are seen to live longer now, which means now they can spend more during their lifetime. As Marks & Spencer’s most of the customer were people aged over 40, with a large proportion of them over 55, this is why the clothing range offered by M&S is of a conservative nature. Now, as peopleâ€℠¢s choices of attire have been changing since last ten years, Marks & Spencer is improvising its clothing line in accordance with the customers changing tastes. The clothing line sold and the space given to it basically depends on the locality and customer demographic. Say for example, some shops located in London do not stock the Classic Collection, instead they go with the stock Limited Collection and a full Autograph range. The latest recession had played an important role in increasing the level of unemployment. This caused a decrease in Marks & Spencer’s sales as people’s purchasing power declined. Eventually, Marks & Spencer lowered its price for customer’s convenience. As it was estimated there will be rise again in the level of employment, people would have money to spend, eventually a rise in sales was seen. Now a days, people want to feel unique, up to date and convenient. Therefore, people have started using credit cards to satisfy their desires. Another factor is that since credit card came into action, an increase of more than 10% happened in all trade (BBC News, 2000). Since 18 April 2000, Marks & Spencer allowed its customers to pay with credit cards. They did so because they wanted to compete with its competitors who had started accepting credit cards a long time back. Another significant social effect that took place in the recent years is the environmental. Marks &  Spencer have recognized an increase in the number of their customers who say they will tak e environmental action. It is not only the usual buying concerns such as price, quality and style which attracts their customers but also making sure all these things are underpinned by sustainability. This sets Marks & Spencer apart from its opponents and assures its customers that they can trust them to do the right thing. Marks & Spencer are continuing to drive hard to reduce, reuse, recycle and reinvent to become more capable across their operations. In UK, stores have been set as â€Å"Simply Food† that cater to customer’s demand in convenient locality. In 2009 the company also began selling a limited range of other brands such as Coca-Cola and Stella Artois without dropping the number of Marks & Spencer goods they sold. Technology Constant evolution in technology has helped businesses operate efficiently in competitive markets such as retail as modern IT systems help increase productivity & lower costs. Furthermore, consumers across the globe are harnessing the power of internet to purchase items online & get them delivered straight to their homes. Online shopping has enabled M&S to automate & accelerate purchases & reduce the supply cycle for products sold online. M&S has already invested ?100m on new technologies and ?150m on a new model for its website that will be completed by 2014. This clearly shows that M&S is investing heavily in technology to increase its efficiency. Analysts expect sales figures to be somewhere between ?800 million to ?1 billion once the website is fully revamped. Recently, M&S stores in UK were equipped with free Wi-Fi. M&S hopes that customers will use the Wi-Fi to explore other products the company has to offer. Additionally, customer assistants in stores have been given iPads to help shoppers by providing them with more information about different products. This move has helped M&S to integrate its internet & high street offerings. Other tactics involve installing big screens in stores which promote clothing & interactive screens placed strategically which enables customers to browse through the products & place orders. M&S believes that their â€Å"hospitality offer† is an advanced way to get more business. Probably the biggest advancement in M&S’s books would be the opening of M&S’s distribution centre in Castle Donington. The reason for its remarkableness is that it’s a 900,000 sq. ft. by 25 metre  high centre that has been exclusively made to serve as a warehouse for online orders. Because of its tremendous size, it is arguably the biggest distribution centre in UK. The centre is capable of processing 1 million products per day & hold 16 million products as inventory. The centre is fully automated & fitted with world class warehousing technology which involves automated storage & retrieval systems. More than 150,000 different variety products are stored in the warehouse. Work g oes inside 24Ãâ€"7 & 50 vehicles are uses every day for inventory management. As for employees, 1,200 people are employed during peak seasons. Lastly, the site has been built with an eco-friendly outlook. The centre has solar panels installed on its outside to harness solar energy & use it to heat the centre during cold weather. Legal Like any other firm, Marks & Spencer has also had to deal with some legal issues. In September last year, BBC news reported that M&S was fined 1 million GBP over asbestos risk. It failed to protect the staff and customers from the risk of asbestos which is a highly heat resistant silicate mineral. The judge, Christopher Harvey claimed that the company was more interested in making profits rather than planning for asbestos removal .However the company claimed that it acted responsibly and was disappointed. On 8th august 2010, M&S was accused for sweatshop scandal where Indian workers were paid just 25p per hour and forced to work overtime. Some workers have even claimed that they were paid half the amount for the overtime they worked and those who refused to work were asked to leave and find new jobs. M&S admitted that the suppliers had worked excessive overtime and that their own audits found a number of other violations which was described as high risk issues in documentations and conditions .The observer found that the company was using workers hired through middlemen and were being forced to work for 7 days a week, a practice that is condemned by their union as, â€Å"slave labor† but the company again refused all these claims and said that they were ethical in their working and they would not tolerate anything in their supply chain. On 19th May 2013, it was found out that M&S was involved in a tax fraud like that of Amazon. Moreover, earlier M&S claimed to be doing the same business as Amazon whereas it wasn’t. The sales revenue that was supposed to go to the UK was sent to Ireland because of the tax rate being  26% in the United Kingdom and 20% in Ireland. Even though Marks and Spencer claimed to do the same business as Amazon, it was rather saving up on its sales revenue. M&S was actually engaging in unethical practices such as evading tax. Environmental It is to be noted that M&S is one of the most sustainable brands out there in the market. Infact, they launched an initiative called â€Å"Plan A† in January 2007. They set out 100 commitments that were to be achieved in a time frame of 5 years. Currently, they’ve extended their Plan A to achieve 180 commitments by 2015 & with that they are aiming at becoming the â€Å"world’s most sustainable retailer.† One of M&S’s Plan A programs is â€Å"shwopping.† The idea of shwopping is simple. You donate your old clothes. Your old clothes are sold to Oxfam. Oxfam either recycles your clothes or re-sells them to third world markets where there is demand for clothes but consumers do not have enough money to pay for them. Over the four years, shwopping has seen more than 11 million clothing items get donated which comes out at around 8 million GBP of charity in the form of recycled clothes. By engaging in sustainable practices, the company has improved energy efficiency in stores by 10% & reduced packaging by 15%. Another thing is that the distribution centre M&S has in Castle Donington, it’s been equipped with Europe’s largest solar-wall. The walls of the centre are equipped with solar panels which helps heat the building. The project is carbon neutral & half of the structure has been built from concrete that was from a former power station. Currently, M&S charges 5p per plastic bag that a consumer needs for carrying items. All profits generated from selling plastic bags are forwarded to Groundwork which invests in projects that improve parks, play areas & public gardens in and around UK. One time, when concerns were raised by customers about the production of Angora Wool, M&S took action and conducted additional visits to the farms. On 12th December 2013 it announced that it would stop selling products containing Angora Wool and that it has updated its animal welfare policy to remove all Angora from its supply chain. By engaging in sustainable practices, M&S has been able to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions by almost 40%. The company also has been accredited with efficient electricity usage, reduced gas leaks & better waste recycling levels. They also encourage their suppliers to practice eco-friendly techniques & helped them go green & achieve higher efficiency. Conclusion With the help of PESTLE analysis, we were able to gain insight into Marks & Spencer’s business environment. Although there are a lot of factors which affect every business, we think were able to highlight the important factors that affect M&S on a macro level. No doubt, M&S has been very successful & highly competitive in their drive to provide unparalleled high quality goods & services for decades. Economic slowdowns have compelled to compete against cheaper, younger & more fashion conscious clothing lines. The sustainable approach that M&S has adopted definitely deserves another mention. Firms like M&S actually make younger & smaller firms think about their practices & inspires them to undertake a similar approach to business. Agreed, there are some initial costs that have to be incurred while going green, but in the long run, there is a lot you get back, both from customers & Mother Nature. References 1. Marks & Spencer. 2014. Marks & Spencer. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.marksandspencer.com/. [Accessed 01 March 14]. 2. HubPages. 2014. Marks & Spencer’s PEST Analysis. [ONLINE] Available at: http://mr-gadget.hubpages.com/hub/Analyse-your-own-organisation-or-division-in-organisation. [Accessed 02 March 14]. 3. Tripod. 2002. A Marketing Analysis of Marks and Spencer. [ONLINE] Available at: http://betty-sung.tripod.com/marks_&_spencer.htm#_Toc23588767. [Accessed 02 March 14]. 4. issuu. 2010. A case study analysis report of Marks and Spencer Plc. [ONLINE] Available at:http://issuu.com/emmabunce/docs/m_s_case_study. [Accessed 01 March 14]. 5. The Telegraph. 2012. Marks & Spencer installs wi-fi in e-commerce push. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9504384/Marks-and-Spencer-installs-wi-fi-in-e-commerce-push.html. [Accessed 02 March 14]. 6. Marks & Spencer. 2013. Marks & Spencer. [ONLINE] Available at:http://corporate.marksa ndspencer.com/investors/press_releases/mands-opens-new-distribution-centre-in-castle-donington. [Accessed 02 March 14].

Being a Taxi Driver Is One Good Opportunity

No job is easy. That’s a statement that I always believe in. In everything you do, you always have to do it right and with your best. Being a taxi driver is not an exemption. Yet despite being a challenging job, it is an awesome opportunity for meeting different kinds of people and going to different places. From Taxi Register, being a taxi driver requires one to be sociable, polite and friendly. I surely agree with it. No passenger would like to ride a cab whose driver looks so uninviting. At all times I try my best to be courteous, polite and accommodating to my passengers. As a taxi driver I know that I am responsible not just for my own safety but also that of my passengers. I need to drive efficiently to avoid any mishaps on the road. I also need to have a good sense of direction, knowing which roads to take to avoid traffic and bringing my passengers in great state to their destination. When caught in the middle of the traffic, I should stay calm and relaxed. Being a taxi driver also puts me to different instances of interacting with various people. Some are also as friendly as I am to them, while others can be hard to deal with. It is during such times that I need to be calm and think of ways to communicate with them efficiently without bringing about any conflict. As a taxi driver, I have also developed my mathematical skills in handling money. I need to give the right amount of money for change to the passengers. Some people put down taxi drivers just because it does not require any formal education to become one. As long as you know how to drive you can become a taxi driver. Though there is no formal education for this career, taxi drivers need to pass a licensing examination to test our knowledge about local geography and routes. Taxi drivers also deserve a high opinion. We are trying to earn money decently. We try our best to take you to your places quickly and safely; we work for your best road interest. We may even tell tourist some valuable information about the places they visit. In addition, many of us are conscientious and trustworthy. There are many times when honest taxi drivers return valuable belongings left inside the cab by some passengers.

Political Media s Influence On The Media - 1840 Words

Political economy media theory identifies a socially critical approach that focuses primarily on the relationship between the economic structure and political force in media industries and the ideological content of the media outputs. China has a very special situation of the political interference which are much serious than other kinds of countries. In western capitalist countries, the media is defined as a separate news outlet with legally press freedom approval by the government and formal institution that are independent from the state. Thus one of the most obvious characters of the western media is press libertarian. (Reference)However, in China, under the control by the Chinese Communist Party, the media organs are the first and†¦show more content†¦They argue that the Party utilizes the press staid mouthpiece role to consolidate political rule. For instance, Zhao Yuezhi( Zhao, 2000:3-26) argues that the Party is aiming to enhance political control through conglomerat ion and rationalization of market to the press. China’s Party Press is being transformed into what He Zhou calls ‘Party Publicity Inc.’ whose chief mission is to promote the Party’s achievements, image and legitimacy by means of softer, more friendly and responsive message delivered to its recipients. (He, 2000:48) While other researchers like Chan (Chan, J.M., 1993:1-19) argues that commercialization is leading the media away from an exclusive dedication to Party ideology. Not only the commercial and industrial nature of media and culture undertakings acknowledged and endorsed, specific commercialization targets and industrial growth goals were set by state media administrations. (Guo, 2006) Chinese government tries to keep validity of market without exerting political control on its traditional press content. (Zi,2003a). Just as Herman and Chomsky (1988:1-35) in the book ‘ manufacturing the consent’ argue that the ‘raw material of news’ passes through a series of five filter constraints, ‘leaving only the cleaned residue fit to print’. These filter elements continuously interact with and reinforce one another’ and have multilevel effects on media performance. Chinese media commercialization leads to a tendency assembling to capitalist countries,

Learning Styles Essay - 922 Words

Adjusting learning and studying strategies can be a fast easy way to improve a college grade from a B to an A. Through studies of learning styles I have been able to decipher my learning types. I am a visual learner, have an integrated brain, meaning I use both hemispheres, and ranked highest in bodily-kinesthetic and logic-mathematical intelligence. There are three types of learning styles. They are: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. An auditory learner processes information by hearing and discussing the information. Visual learners process information through visuals such as charts, pictures, and other types of printed information. Kinesthetic learners process information by muscle movements and experiences that are hands-on.†¦show more content†¦Writing what I highlight down in my handwriting will give me an additional time of going over the important information. Also, it will sink in more because it is generally easier to visually remember ones own written text rather than printed text. By implementing this new, more in-depth study strategy I should show great improvement in my test and quiz scores, as well as in all other aspects of my classes. The second strategy I will try will be to add in some techniques from my second strongest category, kinesthetic. In this strategy I will be using all of the techniques from my first strategy, while adding manipulatives, walking and standing, and creating games. I will add manipulatives such as making flashcards. This will enable me to keep my hands busy while I learn. While studying the highlighted text and the rewritten text I will attempt to be standing or walking to dismiss the distraction of being uncomfortable from sitting for too long. Games will be created to make the studying more interesting. It will allow me to capture more of the information due to the use of a different studying technique. By experimenting with these different techniques I will be able to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of my studying, which will in turn show in higher grades. The brain dominance theory identifies specific functions of the left and right hemisphere of the brain. The test showed that I didn’t have dominant hemisphere as I scored a 6. This shows that I’mShow MoreRelatedLearning Styles : A Learning Style Assessment1520 Words   |  7 PagesA learning style is a term used to describe the ways in which people gather, interpret, and store information. Each style can be broken down into a category based on sensory needs: auditory, visual, and tactile. The presumption is that you will best retain the information presented to you if the conditions of your learning style meet. Based on the idea that learning styles exist, I consider myself a visual learner. I prefer to write instructions and keep my thoughts organized. I generate ideas basedRead MoreLearning Styles And Teaching Styles1877 Words   |  8 Pagesa multitude of different learning styles, the highly-Recognized ones being Visual, Aural, Verbal Physical, Logical, Social and Solitary Learning. It is imperative for teachers, especially young teacher who may lack experience to understand the dynamics of all these different learning styles. It is also important for teachers to be flexible in their lesson plans and overall teaching strategy’s because not all of your students will learn best from the same teaching styles and no one student will useRead MoreVark Learning Styles: Read/Write Learning Style1002 Words   |  5 Pages VARK Learning styles: Read/write learning style Name: Institution: VARK Learning styles: Read/write learning style Overview of the read/write learning style The read/write learning style mainly makes the use of printed words to receive and convey learning information. 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The personality and genetic makeup of the learner also affects the way in which they perceive and process information differently to other learners. (Gregorc, 1982) According Ellis (1985, p.14) a learning style is â€Å"the more or less consistent way in which a person perceives, conceptualizes, organizes and recalls information.† Therefore it is extremely vital that teachers adapt their teaching styles within the classroom so that eachRead MoreEssay on Adapting Teaching Styles to Learning Styles2023 Word s   |  9 Pagesallow them to retain the most information. The key to learning is not simply repetition, but being able to understand a concept. That is how a student can be sure that he or she has truly learned something. Teachers must be able to accommodate their students by tailoring their methods of teaching and materials. Different teaching styles obviously suit different learning styles, and no one teaching style can be effective for all learning styles. Because of this, teachers must be flexible in their methodsRead MorePersonal Learning Style At School966 Words   |  4 PagesPeople are different in their own way. Just as people are different, their styles of learning are different in a way in which affects the way they learn and determines whether they can succeed. Every person finds out what learning style they adept well to as it helps them achieve things much easier. Some students prefer to study at night before they go to bed. On the other hand, some students are mor e able to preserve more information if they study first thing in the morning, some people prefer toRead MoreThe Learning Style Inventory ( Lsi )1289 Words   |  6 Pagesresearched on how to put together a project in order to identify the learning styles. The starting point of this scheme was supported by the Kolb learning style inventory (LSI). Finally, they came up with the idea of a questionnaire. 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Being able to observe a few different classrooms has given me an opportunity to witness different aspects of teaching. Through all of my observations during college of teachers I am confident that teaching is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I will touch o n a few topics from my observation throughout my paper such as, the objective of the lesson, types of methods the teachers used, differentiation instruction, ways the teachers assess learning in the