...STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 TASK 1 1 1.1 Application of tools 1 1.2 Appreciation of the impact of global forces and innovation 3 1.3 Research Skills 4 TASK 2 5 2.1 Meaning and classification of strategic capabilities 5 2.2 Value of capabilities to stakeholders and difficulty of imitating capabilities 5 2.3 Capabilities in a dynamic context 7 2.4 Diagnosing organisational capabilities 7 TASK 3 8 3.1 Discussion and application of models 8 3.2 Critical evaluation of models in the context of deliberate and emergent strategy 10 3.3 Brief discussion of managing strategy development and implementation 11 CONCLUSION 12 RECOMMENDATIONS 12 REFERENCES 13 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Five force Model 2 Figure 2: Porters generic model 8 INTRODUCTION Strategic management is the objectives framed by the top executive on the behalf of their owner which are based on the resources available. This is done by assessing the internal and external environment of the organisation where they use to compete(Boyne and Meier, 2009). It provides the overall direction to the management of the firm by covering the aspect of business objective. Strategy also helps in the developing of proper policies and plans which helps in achieving the goals by proper allocation of the resources. Mark and Spencer is the biggest retailer company operating in UK. They are the largest retailers of clothing, food and in many other varied areas. In the year 1998 their pre tax profit...
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...websites and write your impressions about the current health of business of Zara and Marks and Spencer. Zara’s website gives the impression that it is dedicated to young, fashionable and price conscious customers. Marks & Spencer on the other hand seems to be dedicated to the middle aged working population. Marks & Spencer website gives the impression of a departmental store offering a wide array of products ranging from apparel, furniture to food items and electronic gadgets. Marks and Spencer is definitely not only a clothing retailer and has diversified itself into other retail segments. The online marketing for Marks and Spencer is far more aggressive than for Zara, with videos of products one might be interested in on the website. Marks & Spencer has a wider range of offerings online compared to Zara. Marks & Spencer online profile is more customer oriented than Zara’s website. According to Marks & Spence website there are over 21 million people visiting their stores each week. M&S is the number one provider of women’s wear and lingerie in the UK (Marks). In their supply chain - What is it that Zara can do and Marks & Spencer cannot? Why? Zara’s business model is structured around a vertically integrated supply chain, which allows it to match the ever-changing fashion trends. Unlike its competitors in the apparel industry, Zara chooses to have in-house manufacturing operations and owns production facilities in Spain and Mexico. These facilities are responsible...
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...Marks & Spencer Marks & Spencer was founded on 1884 as a market stall by Marks. It became Marks & Spencer in 1894 as a partnership with Spencer. From that humble beginning Marks & Spencer became leader in the industry. And for more than half a century M & Spencer was the epitome of enlightened capitalism. It dominated the British high streets and provided shoppers with quality and value clothing unrivalled by competitors. It was one of Britain’s largest high profile retailers selling variety of goods and services such as clothes, food, furniture and loan services. But its glory has started to crumble when it profits began to fall since 1998. M & S has been facing their worst times ever. Their problems began at the start of financial year April 1999. They suffered almost from financial ruins. Since the event of its failure, M & S has been taking more than several attempts to recover their losses. Extensive studies and researches have been conducted to find out the root causes so as to come up with appropriate strategies for development. Most of the studies started with the company’s profile. Below is an analysis of the company’s profile and the validity of one strategic management models to Marks & Spencer’ experiences. Marks & Spencer’s organization culture is characterized as a reflection of “taken for granted fashion” that is an attitude shared by members of the organization. The beliefs and basic assumptions operate unconsciously among the members and also exist at the organizational...
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...Green Supply Chain Management Environment Management Project Group Members: Smruti Ranjan Dora F016 Ishan Mittal F036 Deepankar Mukherjee F037 Pratik Nandekar F040 Akash Pandey F044 Kriti Talwar F064 Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Globalization and Greening the Supply Chain: ....................................................................................... 3 3. Marks and Spencer ................................................................................................................................. 4 3.1 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 4 3.2 Supply Chain Understanding ............................................................................................................... 4 (i) Issues ................................................................................................................................................. 4 3.3 Drivers for GSCM................................................................................................................................. 5 (i) ‘Brand Trust’ ...................................................................................................................................... 5 (ii) Operating Cost........................................................
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...Instructor’s Manual CASE TEACHING NOTES Marks & Spencer Nardine Collier and Gerry Johnson 1. Introduction This case study is about why one of the world’s most famous retails, Marks & Spencer, ran into trouble at the end of the 1990s and how it attempted to manage a programme of change to overcome those problems. It is therefore useful to explore issues concerned with organisational culture, strategic drift, strategic choice and the management of change. The case covers both the history of Marks & Spencer throughout the last century and, in more detail, from 1998 to 2004, the period when it moved from a position of market dominance to one in which it was deemed to be a take-over target. The case charts the attempts by its different chief executives to address the problems during this time and, therefore, the various change initiatives that were mounted. 2. Position of the case The case study relates, in particular, to the problems and means of managing strategic change in Marks & Spencer. So it is particularly related to the coverage of strategic inertia and strategic drift in chapter 1 and programmatic design and change in chapter 10. With this in mind it might be taught at the end of the strategy course. However, it could also be used as a case to require students to analyse the reasons for the problems of Marks & Spencer, not only in terms of organisational culture, but also in terms of the market and competitive position of the firm. In this sense it could be...
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...Strategic Planning of Marks and Spencer Group Executive Summary: In this report a step by step analysis of Marks and Spencer group strategic planning is presented. Mark and Spencer is one of the biggest retail company in UK and leading company producing women apparels. The report is begun with analyzing various external environment of the company that includes STEEP analysis and it helps to understand the external environment of the company. After that the report covers the business plan of the company with its strategic planning section, and how the company is able to implement its strategic planning. Whereas the focus of strategic planning is on the whole organization and the focus of the business plan is on a particular product or service. Contents Executive Summary: 2 Introduction and Company background: 4 Task 1 5 1.1 The importance of external factors affecting Marks and Spencer Group: 5 1.2 Analyze the needs and expectations of stakeholders of Marks and Spencer Group: 7 1.3 Analyze the major changes taking place in the external environment that will affect strategy of M&S: 8 Task 2 8 2.1 Use appropriate tools to analyze the effects of current business plans 8 2.2 Review the position of M&S in its current market 9 2.3 Evaluate the competitive strengths and weaknesses of M&S 10 Task 3 10 3.1 Use modeling tools to develop strategic options for M&S 10 3.2 Develop a comparative understanding of activity from organization...
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...Marks and Spencer: Summary Report of the Case Study Introduction Marks and Spencer (M&S) is a leading UK retailer selling clothing, food, and housewares. In 2007, the company put sustainability at the heart of its business. In order to succeed, it would have to change the attitudes and the behavior of its shoppers. As a result, it launched Plan A which set out a five year plan involving 100 social and environmental commitments that were expected to shape the future of the company. Plan A would allow the company to resolve some of the big issues facing their business. They called it Plan A because there is “no B when it comes to conserving the earth’s finite resources” (Marks & Spencer Website). Brief Background on Company In 1884, Michael Marks started the company by selling an assortment of goods in an open-air stall in Leeds, UK. In the 1920’s, the company went public and expanded into general merchandise and ready-to-wear clothing. By the 1970’s, the company had become a British icon and a household name. However, from the 1980’s to 1993 came the troubled years. Despite the expansion of its operations in the 1980’s, the retailer had failed to keep current with its shopper’s preferences and this led to financial woes. From 1994 to 2006, it was back to the basics for the company. By 1996, it had rebounded to become the UK’s most profitable retailer. However, this recovery was short lived, and M&S experienced a significant slump in business in 1999 which continued into the...
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...plan for Marc and Spencer Company Name Institution Date Introduction The key ways of ensuring that a company regains its market share, which it had once lost, is by developing a better marketing strategy. Better marketing strategies are developed when a company examines it strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In this reaction, companies need to change the prices of the goods they sell, consider promotional changes as well as the product changes. In the development of the company, there are benefits and risks involved in the process of market planning. SWOT Analysis Strength In price lowering, a company is expected to reduce the rate it charges for the goods, in this relation, the company has to engage in competition with other companies. Luring customers from their competitors becomes the strategy that company needs to embrace (Patil & Bhakkad, 2014). In this relation, the Marks and Spencer clothing would be able to experience better market share reclamation. Under Bolland, the company would start an overhaul on how it operates on purchase. The company would be able to relieve itself from the aspect of using intermediaries in its transaction. Sacrificing the use of intermediaries in the company would put the company at a risk and give the Marks and Spencer Company an advantage over other companies. The strategy would be focused on cutting out of the intermediaries and working with suppliers. In this relation, the Marks and Spencer clothing company...
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...its inception in 1884 was in its initial form, involved selling carefully chosen, good quality goods with low margins, and achieving volume sales (relatively speaking, at least) through Michael Marks' Penny Bazaars in the North West of England. This strategy was overwhelmingly successful, and continued to be the central tenet of M&S strategy for many years. M&S sailed through the depression and several recessions, but at the end of the 1990's something went severely wrong. Profits were falling year on year and the footfall in the stores was lower than it had been for several years. From the year of 1991 to 1998 it started to regain its profit again. But from 1999 the situation started to worsen again. This report sets out many of the reasons for that failure then concludes by suggesting and evaluating the strategic options open to the organization going forward. The report concludes that drawing on the substantial capital resources of M&S, brand and product development are the appropriate measures to take in order to put M&S back on the retail map. 1|Page Part 02 Strategic Profile and Case Analysis Purpose Strategic Profile The case study provided several descriptions on the basic elements of the company. It has been described as a company that adheres to top-down management approach compounded by the close supervision provided by its former CEO. This has worked well with the company for several decades, however in the latter part of the 1998s a noticeable decline...
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...MBA 405 - Global Organisational Environment Content |1. Abstract |Page 4 | |2. Task 1: Learning log |Page 5 - 12 | |3. Task 1: Summary of academic journal |Page 13 -14 | |4. Task 1: Reference |Page 15 | |5. Task 1: Indexes |PDF file | |6. Task 2: Marks and Spencer operation report |Page 16 - 26 | |7. Task 2: Reference |Page 27 - 28 | ABSTRACT MBA 405 - Global Organisational Environment Probably everyone will agree that at the beginning of the 21st century, the impact of globalisation on countries, societies, businesses and individuals have been much more evident than ever before. Especially for businesses and organizations, globalization has impacted considerably on the way businesses are operated, managed and developed. Success of businesses and organizations have been so dependent on how well and proactively they have responded to the global organizational environment...
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...) Executive Summary Marks & Spencer is a company which had a history of 56 years and operating till now. The co-founder is actually Michael Marks and later joined by Thomas Spencer in 1894 to create Marks & Spencer. The main product which produced by Marks & Spencer is clothing line and then expand to food industries. Marks & Spencer are successful because of they know how to apply the sourcing strategies within their supplier around the world. There are two types of strategies implemented by Marks & Spencer, combination of in-house and third party manufacturing for food s line and third party contracting or sourcing for clothing section. Tesco is the choice from us to compete with Marks &Spencer; Tesco had their own sourcing strategy to compete with their rival within the same industries line such as group food sourcing (GSF) and regional supply base making the right product at affordable pricing. Tesco do developed its own brand which is cheaper in price and better qualities control. The last sourcing Strategies is Sourcing global, which they have contract with the supplier around the world. The sourcing strategy for Marks and Spencer has disadvantages and advantages which affect the company performance. Lastly, we recommended enhancement in their sourcing strategy by comply with China supplier in Clothing line or green field investment in China. Company Background (Mark & Spencer) The years of Marks & Spencer established was in 1958,...
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...study on Marks and Spencer which includes: The company at present, Background of the Study, Case Background, Problem, SWOT Analysis, Alternative Courses of Action, Recommendation, Conclusion. A Case Study on Marks and Spencer The Company at Present Marks and Spencer has over 450 stores located throughout the UK, this includes the largest store at Marble Arch, London. In addition, the Company has 150 stores worldwide, including over 130 franchise businesses, operating in 30 countries. Background of the Company * Marks and Spencer (M&S) of Britain (often referred to as Marks & Sparks by locals) is a general retailer that sells clothes, gifts, home furnishings, and foods under the St. Michael trademark in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Far East. * The company also operates financial services segment, which accounted for about 3% of the company’s 1998 profits (Dow Jones Industrial 1999) * Marks & Spencer started as a stall in 1884 by Michael Marks in the Leads market using an L5 loan from a wholesaler * Its philosophy is to sell durable merchandise at a moderate price. It has merchandise made to its specifications. * By 1901, the company acquired 35 Outlets as well as a new partner, Tom Spencer * By 1949 all the company’s stores carried mostly private label (St. Michael) products produced by British suppliers (De Nardi-Cole 1998). Case Background * Britain has often been called a country of shopkeepers, and Marks & Spencer (M&S)...
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...Organisational Behaviour Structure and Culture HND in Business Management (Assignment 1) Lecturer- Damir.jovic Eindray Kaung [Type text] Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College Hammersmith Campus Page 1 4/8/2011 Organisational Behaviour Introduction The purpose of this essay is to understand the term of organistion and how it is important in forming a business. Moreover, it also describes the organisational behaviour, which means how people behave in an organisation, and why it involves a major role of within the organisation in general. Furthermore, why organisation is essential for every business and how it can make the company successful in the business area. What is more, it expresses why people need to study organisational behaviour and how it is important to a certain extent for every business. In addition to this factor, it compares and contrasts different organisational structures and cultures which have a great impact on culture as well as performance. This essay concludes by presenting how different types of leadership styles stand in both organisations and their effectivness. Marks & Spencer's background The company of Marks & Spencer is a well-known retail store in the UK with 21million people visiting each week. The profitable UK company, Marks & Spencer, operates over 600 stores in the United Kingdom employing over 75,000 people in the UK and abroad with the support of 2,000 suppliers globally. The largest store is located at Marble Arch...
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...|MARKS & SPENCER PLC[1] | | |[pic] |In 1985, Britain's best-known retailer was the | | |subject of a gusher of a book: Marks & Spencer: | | |Anatomy of Britain's Most Efficiently Managed | | |Company. Nowadays, any book on the 115-year-old food | | |and clothing chain would need a new title. Comedy of | | |Errors is more like it. | | |Businessweek – 18.10.99 | Introduction Marks & Spencer Plc (from now on M&S) is an international retailer with 718 locations across 34 countries. The group sells clothing, footwear, gifts, home furnishings and foods under the St. Michael trademark in its chain of 294 stores in the United Kingdom. Approximately half of the group's overseas stores are franchised to local partners. The group also owns the clothing retailer Brooks Brothers and the Kings Super Markets chain...
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...MARKS & SPENCER | | | | | | | | TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 INTRODUCTION 4 OBSERVATORY RESEARCH AT M&S 6 THE PROCESS DESIGN AT MARKS & SPENCER 6 PROCESS MAPPING 6 THROUGHPUT EFFICIENCY 10 THE LAYOUT OF THE STORE 12 ISSUE ARISING FROM CUSTOMERS’ SURVEY: THE STORE LAYOUT 12 M&S STORE LAYOUT IN BRIGHTON – A FUNCTIONAL LAYOUT 13 DISTANCE TRAVELLED IN M&S BRIGHTON 15 WHAT IF THE LAYOUT WAS CHANGED? 18 RECOMMENDATION 20 IMPLENMENTATION PLAN 21 BIBLIOGRAPHY 23 APPENDIX 1: 25 APPENDIX 2: 26 APPENDIX 3: 35 APPENDIX 4: 38 APPENDIX 5: 40 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report examines the daily Operations Management at Marks and Spencer (M&S) Brighton. Due to the poor performance of the clothing side, the company’s revenue has decreased by 6.8% in the past three years while the other retailers have been enjoying increasing profitability levels (WEARDEN, G, 2013). In order to analyse the reason behind deteriorating sales, the report would use a number of Operation Management techniques and practical observation to investigate one of M&S’s stores located in Brighton with regard to its daily operations and store layout. While also suggesting recommendations and an implementation plan that could help M&S improve its performance and efficiency of its in-store operations. INTRODUCTION Mark and Spencer (M&S) is one of the UK’s leading retailers with over 731 stores across...
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