Assignment #8, 9 and 10 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

#8, 9 and 10 - Assignment Example where there are both main effects and interaction, the measured main effect is usually diluted by the other main effect because the means are measured across all treatment levels. a. Positive and negative correlations- the points in a scatterplot will be rising towards the right of the graph when there is a positive correlation showing an increase in the dependent variable (in the Y-axis) with increasing levels of the independent variable (on the X-axis). A negative correlation is observed when the points in the scatterplot taper down towards the right corner of the graph. This shows that as the levels of the independent variable increase, the response or dependent variable is decreased. b. Strong and weak correlation – there is a strong correlation when the points in a scatterplot are close to each other and show a definite linear trend. This is very obvious when there is only a small range of values of the dependent variable (Y values) for a certain X value. A weak correlation is obvious when the points are widely dispersed in the plot; there is a whole range of Y values for a certain X value. The nature versus nurture issue is the debate on which determines an individual’s physical and behavioral characteristics: is it the genetic make-up (hereditary traits or nature); or the environment (personal experience or nurture)? Many behavioral studies deal with this issue by conducting twin and adoption studies. In these studies, traits are measured and correlated with genetic background and environmental factors. Using correlation studies, the cause and effect relationship between trait and environment, trait and genetics, can be determined. Correlation studies showed that some traits are highly determined by genes, while others are by environment; still in some traits, the percentage contribution of nature or nurture could vary. In bivariate analysis, the relationship between two quantitative variables (1 independent and 1 dependent) is studied. This

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Philosophy - Essay Example An analysis of the philosophical works of Plato and his representations of Socrates together with Marx’s Communist Manifesto informs of the ideological underpinnings of philosophy and its contribution to Western philosophy. Socrates’ died in much the same way as he lived: exuding in his philosophical logic that the body and the soul are separate entities. In Jacques-Louis David’s (1787) Death of Socrates the ancient Greek philosopher is sitting on his death bed and is about to take hemlock from his executioner, but he remains animated and talkative. The impression left by the painting is that while his disciples and the executioner are profoundly saddened by his death, Socrates continues to believe in his philosophy that the soul is timeless although the body is not. David’s (1787) painting therefore represents the perpetuation of Socrates’ philosophy. Within ten years of Socrates’ death, his philosophical ideologies were carried over by Plat o, one of his most ardent students/disciples (Graham, 1992). Much of Plato’s philosophical writings appear to be a mere â€Å"reproduction of speeches delivered by other persons† particularly Socrates (Merlan, 1947, p. 406). ... Thus Plato invites profound logic and thinking about the distinction between what an individual knows and what an individual believes in determining by logical deduction that which is representative of the truth. In Western justice systems, jurors are instructed to assess the evidence and to determine for themselves what they believe to be a true and just verdict. Jurors are not instructed to arrive at the actual truth. Thus Plato’s Theaetetus can be said to inform the mechanisms of the Western justice system’s fact finding purpose. Plato once again revisits the issue of knowledge through a dialogue with Socrates in The Republic. Plato questions whether or not the man who professes ignorance is more knowledgeable than the politician who purports to know all things when he does not (Plato, 2000). Through Socrates and his dialogue with a number of Greeks, Plato focuses on a debate that underpins theories of justice, politics, morality and knowledge. Thus The Republic is o ften described as one of the greatest influences on Western philosophy (Blackburn, 2008). Plato’s Republic examines the meaning of justice and explores whether or not it is achieved via the fear or threat of punishment. The dialogue in The Republic asks a series of questions relative to justice and social order and ultimately concludes that justice is necessary. Essentially, Plato constructs the ideal politically just society which consists of different classes of individual within an hierarchal construct (Plato, 2000). Plato’s Apology is yet another immortalization of Socrates and expresses Socrates defense at this trial. Socrates was put on trial for failure to follow the Gods

Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Assessment - Essay Example The reliability of a subjective test is determined by the degree of its correctness and consistency in providing information regarding the examinee. A reliable test should yield identical results when run multiple times or when used with the same group of students because it is constant in its procedures and criteria. Reliable test results are stable and consistent (McMillan, 2008; Atherton, 2011). Validity is the ability of a test to measure the intended objective. The three types of validity are content, criterion and construct validity. Content validity is achieved if the content of the test matches the intended objectives. Criterion validity is determined by the capability of the test to relate to other external factors. Construct validity considers educational variables while predicting the test results (McMillan, 2008).An example of an objective test is: The reliability of a subjective test can be measured by giving the same test more than once or giving creating two forms of the same test with slight variations. The reliability of such test is measured by calculating the correlation of the consistency. Internal consistency is determined by correlating a half of the assessment with the remaining half. Reliability consistence ranges from 0 to 1.0 with 0 representing absence of reliability while 1 depicts perfect reliability. Test with a reliability coefficient of above 0.8 are considered to be standard while those with a coefficient below 0.5 are considered to be less reliable. Validity is measured by establishing if the test meets or measures the intended objective (McMillan, 2008; Atherton, 2011). Determining the reliability and validity of a test is important since it help in establishing accuracy of the grade obtained using such a test, if a test is valid and reliable the results obtained are considered a true depiction of the students’ level of understanding Formative assessment is used by the teachers or lecturers to obtain

Nvq 2 Health and Social Essay Example for Free

Nvq 2 Health and Social Essay Personal centred approach is when carers take interest in what service users prefer and use this when providing care. Also, its thinking about the service users choices, right, protecting their privacy and dignity, supporting their independence and working in partnership with them and other colleagues to make the care better. 2. Person centre approach enables individuals with dementia to be involved in their own care and support because carers can talk to the resident and find out how they prefer things to be done, how they like to be spoken to and cared for so staff can give the best care in the way that suits them. Outcome 2 1.Information about personality and life history can be used to support an individual to live well with dementia because if they have a good written history it can help with communication, knowing what the person likes and dislikes if they are unable to tell you. Having a good life history can be used to support and live well because it helps people know more about someone, and look after them better meaning knowing how the like things. Outcome 3 1. All these things make up personal centred approach. Before giving someone care or help with something if we think about all these things and what the service user prefers we can provide the best possible care for them. Also, if we’re providing good care and the service user is happy then they start to feel comfortable and will tell us more about their choices and preferences so we’re able to provide our care at a even higher standard. link

Professional Ethics in the Construction Industry

Professional Ethics in the Construction Industry Introduction The business news headlines of ethical meltdowns of global companies such as Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco, which now have become synonymous with greed, serve as a key reminder to the companies and individuals in business to practice ethical behaviour (Doran, 2004). One of the most frequently reported unethical practices in business is bribery, described as: â€Å"the offering of some good, service or money to an appropriate person for the purpose of securing a privileged and favourable consideration (or purchase) of ones product or corporate project† (Almeder and Humber, 1983, cited in Johnson, 1991: 327). Building professionals have gain integrity and respectability through professional bodies such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM), The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM), and Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (ISM), which reflects the professionals of construction industry. These professional standards and ethics are embodied in codes of practice, which define the roles and obligations professionals (Harris et al., 1995) and are the cornerstone of any ethics programme (Calhoun and Wolitzer, 2001). Ethics and Professionalism The Oxford English Dictionary defines ethics as the moral principles that govern or influence a persons conduct. Ethics, as defined by Doran (2004), is the discipline dealing with what is good and bad about moral duty and obligation; a set of accepted moral principles and values about what ought to be; a theory or system of moral principles governing the appropriate conduct for an individual or group; and a code of morality. Doran points out that â€Å"ethics is something that the industry needs to talk more about, agree on, and put into wider practice† (2004: 4). Hinman (1997) distinguishes morals and ethics by regarding morals as first order beliefs, and practices about what is good and bad which guide behaviour; while ethics as second order, reflective consideration of moral beliefs and practices. Martin (2000), defines professionalism as setting aside personal values, feelings, and benefits in order to fulfill the obligations inhered in professional roles. Ethical behaviour, in construction context, is determined by the level of trustworthiness and integrity with which organizations and individuals perform their business (Mason, 2009). In a survey by Vee Skitmore (2003), it was agreed by 93% of the respondents that â€Å"business ethics† should be driven or governed by â€Å"personal ethics†, where there is a need to maintain the balance of both the requirements of the client and the impact on the public. Greenhalgh (1997), describes the core of professionalism as the self-reliant control of a group of experts possessing honorific status. Ethics have a role to play in general business practice despite the term â€Å"business ethics† being called an oxymoron (Ferguson, 1994). The applicability of general concepts of ethics to business is now realized after the recent appearance of greater consensus on this issue. This has been explained on the grounds that business exists not solely to accommodate certain individuals, but also to serve the society and, conforms to collective and social needs (Cohen and Grace, 1998) and environment in general (Fleddermann, 1999). Put differently, the spirit of a ny literal profession cannot be attained without an ethics element (Bowie, 1991). Professional Ethics in Construction Industry Professional ethics as defined by Martin (2000), consists of moral requirements attached to a profession and imposed on its members, together with ethical dilemmas created when there is a conflict of interest or the requirements are too vague to give guidance. Bayles (1988) describes professional ethics as a system of behavioural norms. Such norms ensure that professional does not take advantage over the client due to the knowledge differential the application of customer protection through self-regulation. Construction professionals, for instance, engineers, architects, project managers, surveyors and contractors, have the fundamental right of professional conscience (Martins and Schinzinger, 1996, cited in Fleddermann, 1999, p.87). Another important feature of ethics in the construction industry is â€Å"personal ethics† often interpreted by construction professionals as just treating others with the same point of honesty that they would want to be treated (Badger and Gay, 1996). Yet, it has been suggested that professionals in general tend to believe that their responsibilities to the client far outweigh the public (Johnson, 1991). An Australian study by Vee Skitmore (2003), demonstrates that most organizations subscribed to a professional code of ethics (90%), and many (45%) had an ethical code of conduct in their employing organizations. Reeck (1982) notes that ethical codes provide guidance for professionals in determining proper action. A South African study based on the work done in Australia shows that a new suite of professional Acts promulgated in 2000 in South Africa had boosted the profile of ethics (Vee Skitmore, 2003). However, Henry (1995) cautions that ethical codes do not solve moral dilemmas but do help to raise the levels of awareness and so encourage ethical practice. Professional Misconduct and its Impact to the Construction Industry The renowned cases of corporate malfeasance such as Enron reflect the unethical business practices that resulted in companies rapidly lose their reputations; shareholders revolt, unemployment, besides causing the whole industries to come under suspicion (Doran, 2004). Dorans research has shown that unethical behaviour affects the publics perception of the industry (61%), and more significantly, it affects the level of trust between clients and contractors (74%), and between contractors and design professionals (60%). As a matter of fact, codes of practice alone are insufficient to ensure ethical conduct in the construction industry. Ethical misconducts continue to happen in the construction industry, for instance, collusive tendering that results in apparently competitive bids, price fixing, or market distribution strategies that prohibit the spirit of free competition and defraud clients (Zarkada-Fraser, 2000), bid-cutting (May et al., 2001), bid-shopping, cover pricing, hidden fees and commissions and compensation for unsuccessful tenderers (Ray et al., 1999; Zarkada-Fraser and Skitmore, 2000), together with â€Å"withdrawal† ( Zarkada, 1998: 36) where a tenderer withdraws their bid after consultation with other tenderers. Other frequently reported unethical practices are related to fraud, breach of confidence and negligence. Deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, by which it is sought to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage, is the description of the unethical practice of fraud (Bolgna et al., 1996: 9). A common breach of confidentiality is whistle blowing, described as the act of an employee of informing the public or higher management of unethical or illegal behaviour by an employer or supervisor (Johnson, 1991: 32). Negligence is the â€Å"failure to exercise that degree of care which, in the circumstances, the law requires for the protection of those interests of other persons which may be injuriously affected by the need of such care†. (Delbridge et al., 2000). The main sources of negligence are design negligence, design defect, production defect or a combination of these factors (Thorpe and Middendorf, 1980: 75). Barriers that Limit Professional and Ethical Behaviour Brien (1998), states that the cause of ethical failure in an organization can often be traced to its organizational culture and also the failure of the leader to encourage ethical practices among the members. In spite of the fact that personal ethics that constitute to perception of beliefs, values, personality and background, any tendency of an individual towards ethical conduct is strongly influenced by the value systems reflected by the employing organization (Mason, 2009). According to one study by Pearl et al. (2007), the extent to which ethical internal control is exercised within an organization will influence the difficulty facing any professional community. When the participants of the construction industry get caught in a compromising situation, the temptation for them to be unethical can be almost irresistible which is particularly true at the contractor level. The pressure on contractors are emphasized by Stansbury (2005), Chairman of Transparency International (UK) that, the majority of contractors engaged in corruption are forced by the way the industry and the political environment operate. Furthermore, there is no consensus on precisely what constitutes unethical behaviour and what should be done to improve it (Mason, 2009). Improving Professional Ethics in the Construction Industry There are contravening opinions as to whether or not the adoption of ethical codes has enriched ethical standards in the construction industry. Indeed, some commentators have even suggested that an ethical code is nothing more than public relations â€Å"window dressing† (Starr, 1983). Mason (2009), in his research describes that a single-wide code can contribute to the development of ethical standards within the construction industry as â€Å"the first line of defense against corruption† (Uff, 2003). The Code was intended to apply to all professionals of construction industry regardless of their qualification or affiliation. The principles are set out as accepted behaviour benchmark and regroup into seven qualities as honesty, fairness, fair reward, reliability, integrity, objectivity and accountability. Even so, Mason indicates that the change for a better ethical standards of conduct in the industry can only be achieved by reducing the chances for construction partic ipants to consider it a need to draw advantage at someone elses expense. He points out that other measures such as longer term relationships and collaborative working in the industry also play an equally substantial role in ethical improvement. Mason (2009), suggests that one way to improve ethical standards is simply by enforcing the law where unethical conduct is also a breach of the criminal law. This can be illustrated by the enforcement activity in the UK by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT 2007). The OFT aim is to ensure a fair competition during tender bid stages, which regards collusion as a contravention of competition, and the OFT has continues to conduct investigation to battle corruption. Dorans research (2004) has implied that the construction industry should get more training on professional ethics, where 97% thought that ethics training should begin at the collegiate level. Despite the trend towards increased training in the construction industry continues to grow, the initiatives to offer training on ethics is seldom heard. Doran suggests that companies should adopt ethical codes before increasing the training on ethics so that training will be more goal-orientated. References: Bowie, N. (1991). Business ethics as an academic discipline, in Freeman, R.E. (Eds). Business Ethics: The State of the Art. Oxford University Press: New York. Brien, A. (1998). Professional ethics and the culture of trust.Journal of Business Studies, 17, pp.391-409. Doran, D. (2004),FMI/CMAA Survey of Construction Industry Ethical Practices, FMI Corporation, Raleigh, NC. Retrieved October 8, 2009 from www.acce-hq.org/documents/ethics_survey.pdf Fellows, R. (2003). Professionalism in Construction: Culture and Ethics. CIB TG23 International Conference, October 2009, Hong Kong. Ferguson, W.C. (1994). Building a solid ethical foundation in business.The Executive Speaker, 9(1), pp.33-39. Fleddermann, C.B. (1999), Engineering Ethics. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Greenhalgh, B. (1997).Practice Management for Land, Construction and Property Professionals. Chapman and Hall: New York. Hinman, L. M. (1997) Ethics: A Pluralistic Approach to Moral Theory, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Johnson, D.G. (1991), Ethical Issues in Engineering. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Martin, M.W., Schinzinger, R. (1996), Ethics in Engineering, 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill: New York. Mason, J. (2009). Ethics in the construction industry: the prospects for a single professional code. International Journal of Law in the Built Environment, 10(3), 192-204. Retrieved October 5, 2009, doi: 10.1108/17561450911001252 Office of Fair Trading (2007). OFT makes ‘fast track offer in biggest error UK cartel investigation, Retrieved October 19, 2009, from www.oft.gov.uk/news/press/2007/49-07 Pearl, R., Bowen, P., Makanjee, N., Akintoye, A., Evans, K. (2007). Professional ethics in the South African construction industry a pilot study. Journal of Construction Management and Economics, 25(6), pp.631-648. Reeck, D. (1982). Ethics for Professioans: A Christian Perspective, Augsbury: Minneapolis. Stansbury, N. (2005).Construction Environment is Prone to Corruption, Retrieved October 18, 2009, from www.buildingtalk.com/news/tch/tch193.html Starr, W. (1983). Codes of ethics: towards a rule-utilitarian justification.Journal of Business Ethics, 2, pp.99-106. Uff, J. (2003).Duties at the Legal Fringe: Ethics in Construction Law, Fourth Michael Brown Foundation Lecture. Vee, C. and Skitmore, R.M. (2003) Professional Ethics in the Construction Industry, Engineering Construction and Architectural Management 10(2), 117-127. Retrieved August, 28, 2009, doi: 10.1108/09699980310466596

Strategic development of UK retailer Marks and Spencer

Strategic development of UK retailer Marks and Spencer Marks Spencer are one of the UKs largest retailers, with over 21 million people visiting M S stores every week. M S offer stylish, high quality, great value clothing and home products and also excellent quality foods, responsibly sourced from around 2,000 suppliers worldwide. M S employ more than 75,000 people in the UK and outside the UK and have over 700 UK stores, plus and growing international business. M S are the ideal provider of women wear and lingerie in the UK, and are also rapidly raising market share in menswear, kids wear and home, due in part to MS growing online business. Overall, M S clothing and home ware sales account for 49% of our business. The other 51% of M S business is in food, where M S retail everything from fresh produce and groceries, to partly-prepared meals and ready meals. M S also recognized for their green identification as a result of their five-year eco plan, Plan A, which will see M S, with other things, become carbon neutral and also sending no waste to landfill by 2012. Companys Brief History With more than 120 years of heritage, Marks Spencer is one of the well recognized British retailers. The M S has more than 500 stores within the UK and has more than 75,000 employers across the UK. M S also operates in the International Market, where it has a developing business in some places as far as Hong Kong. In recent years, the UKs retailing industry has been characterised by forceful competition. Consumers are more conscious of where and how they feel like to shop. They also know what kind of shopping understanding they require. This has made it much more complicated for retailers to carry on. Corporate Strategic Development History The original firm was a chain of PENNY BAZAARS, founded by Thomas Spencer and Michael Marks. It became a household name thanks to the efforts of Simon Marks and his friend Israel Seiff. M S has branches in approximately 28 countries all over the world. They mostly exist in British Societies and Eastern Europe but this effort to get bigger into Western Europe and in the United States go failed because of their high prices and also of their basic British Vision of the company. M S also was particularly unsuccessful in France and even they were forced to close their stores in France because of the legislation which the French Government set in place to protect their labour force. In 1960s Marks and Spencer opened first store in Central Asia in Kabul, Afghanistan. This store was closed after some time because atmosphere of the city turned usual. In the middle of 1990s MS first ever TV commercial of clothing were broadcast. In 20th Century MS became well reputed in market, when they make a policy of selling only British made goods, mostly focusing on quality than the price to encourage tradition. Introduction of their new clothing range in 2001 named Per Una designed by George Davies accompanied by a reshaping of their underlying business model their profits increased very sharply and MS improved a lot of its market share. Also change in their traditional policies including accepting credit card transactions and opening MS stores on Sundays put stars on their reputation in market. Group Structure Financial Performance Grassroots organisations seem to work well with in a flat structure organisation as freely as likely of Board of Directors and Management. Flat Structure does not mean the elimination of individual responsibilities; even flatness means the end of people with dominant authority over other individuals job. National people groups must avoid the ordinary mistake of including small numbers of people heavily. They should try hard to engage large numbers of individuals lightly. Flat organisations, which highlight parallel connections, seem to be the best thing for linking large numbers of individuals lightly. Regular Based Meetings A circular Dividing everyday Jobs and responsibilities Staff Training Staff Members Gathering A forecast Processing Working interaction with power players and resource companies. Power players are people with the capability or skills to make job done: politicians, owners of key businesses, media, government departments, heads of organization, landlords. The groups performance of the team members for they year 2009 ended at March 31 was very unsatisfactory. The return on equity percentage and the income per share were nil as the organisation revenue was only  £1.3m in this year. The dividend cover was also nil because of the same cause. The company paid all its revenue to the shareholders because the dividend cover was very low last year. Because of this, company had to cut-down the dividend approximately from 12.4p to 8.0p. Company planned for the same dividend even though the company had about zero profit. The set reports outcome of three operational divisions: UK Retail Distribution International Retail Market Financial Resource Division UK Retail Distribution The UK Retail distribution, the biggest of the operating distributions, is itself sub-division into seven business units, each indicating a defined quarter of merchandise: Womens Wear, Mens Wear, Childrens Wear Lingerie, Beauty, Home, Foods. The First Six business units such as Womens, Mens and Childrens Wear, Lingerie, Beauty and Home are known as General and footage is in between these six units depending on demand and seasonal factors. The liberty is located due to the biggest single business unit that is Food and is relatively unbendable. Final Financial report in the UK retail defines a drop down in Sales and Operating Profit. Sales And Operating Profit In The End Of Financial Years Sales Operating profit____  ­Ã‚ ­ 2001 2000 2001 2000  £m  £m  £m  £m Group Total 8085.7 8185.5 468.0 542.0 UK Retail 6300.9 6582.7 364.8 445.1 International Continental Europe 288.0 299.3 (55.0) (40.5) European Franchise Businesses 264.3 264.3 25.6 20.7 Brooks Brothers 445.1 395.5 22.2 8.9 Kings Super Markets 317.1 273.7 21.9 12.1 East 119.1 105.2 7.3 (4.2) International Retail Market The International Market of retail Business mainly consists of three broad geographic areas: Europe excluding UK North America East The International Retail Market results consist of those M S franchise businesses which operated 125 franchise stores in 26 countries. The European International Retail Market can be divided into the following: Continental Europe Republic of Ireland European Franchise Businesses The group running two businesses in North America that are: Brooks Brothers Kings Super Markets In March 2001 Kings Super Markets and Brook Brothers operate in 27 and 221 stores respectively. In the end, in Far East the group deals with in 10 stores in Hong Kong. In this year, approximately every company did good business in this division comparatively to last year, with the exemption of Europes M S stores which increased their losses. Financial Resources Division One of the important Commitments of M S in the integrated planning cycle is The Financial Resources Commitment. This commitment describes a number of Financial Resources Division Initiatives: Integrated Planning Cycle Commitment Improving Management of Resources Implementing Improving our Internal Control Environment Enhance Transparency MS is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. After fostering significant growth in recent years, mid-2008 saw share prices plunge to well under half their value of twelve months before, as MS struggled to cope with more conservative shoppers in the credit crunch. Until 1999 MSs financial year ended on 31 March. Since then, the company has changed to reporting for 52 or 53 week periods, ending on variable dates. Year ended Turnover ( £ M) Profit before tax ( £ M) Net profit ( £ M) Basic esp. (p) 28 March 2009 9,062.1 706.2 506.8 32.3 29 March 2008 9,022.0 1,129.1 821.0 49.2 31 March 2007 8,588.1 936.7 659.9 39.1 1 April 2006 7,797.7 745.7 520.6 36.4 2 April 2005 7,490.5 505.1 355.0 29.1 3 April 2004 8,301.5 781.6 452.3 24.2 29 March 2003 8,019.1 677.5 480.5 20.7 30 March 2002 8,135.4 335.9 153.0 5.4 31 March 2001 8,075.7 145.5 2.8 0.0 1 April 2000 8,195.5 417.5 258.7 9.0 31 March 1999 8,224.0 546.1 372.1 13.0 31 March 1998 8,243.3 1,155.0 815.9 28.6 31 March 1997 7,841.9 1,129.1 746.6 26.7 31 March 1996 7,233.7 965.8 652.6 455.8 Strategy Analysis Collectively, the Board Team Members are responsible for the bright and excellence future of the company. In the course of the Chief Executive, the Board delegate to management on the whole performance of the company through building long-term management potential, setting clear goals of the company and ensuring that the business is supervised in conformity according to business values. Marks Spencer Board Structure: COMPANYS CHAIRMAN Chief Executive Executive Director On-Executive Director On-Executive Director On-Executive Director On-Executive Director Competitive Strategy Environment M S operates in a competitive atmosphere. Its competitors are more customers based and more in tune with the needs and the requirements of the customers. Such as on cloths sector, NEXT Debenhams have exploited the requirement for young people and in food sector Tesco and Sainsbury have expands its ranges of ready cooked meals. In UK there are no exit or entry barriers but the market is mature and therefore there is no bounces for a new company or a company from abroadto come and compete in these markets. In contrast M S experienced Exit barriers when under the France law they were not permitted to close their France Stores and make their employees redundant with just a weeks notice. (Ralph, 1996; anon, 2004) New Group Strategy and Structure Subsequently a wide-ranging and comprehensive strategic review of its business, the Board of M S practiced significant changes to the Group strategy and structure in March, 2001. The main basics of this new plan are: Focus on UK Retail Market M S will sell only own brand products so it can guarantee customers the excellent quality, great value and good services. Main theme of the plan is the delivery of considerable improvements in product availability, product value and product appeal thereby regaining the relationships with core customers of M S. Clothing Recovery Plan M S has plans to rebuild the confidence of its customers in the quality And fit of its clothing. It will sharpen pricing by rebalancing the price structure, expansion in the range of entry-price products and also well communicating this to customers. Expansion Food, Home and Beauty Products MS Foods continues to execute well and has rebuild customers trust for providing good quality and convenience. The business is a platform for future expansion and the Company is considering opportunities to get bigger through new locations and business channels. The Home business is increasing strongly, with home furniture and gifts the best growing product areas. Beauty, although relatively small, is also growing rapidly. These two areas offer promising opportunities for progress and will be expanded. Store Renewal Programme M S will go faster the rollout of the successful elements of its new idea format under a plan to renovate more stores sooner and at lower cost. Closer To The Customer As a company we should be in touch with our customers all the time in order to develop an awareness of what our customers think about the company, how they perceive the company and what they expect from the company. This awareness in turn enables us to constantly strive to meet our customers demands and also secure an organizations long-term survival and profitability In order to be more customers based, some of M S stores in big cities will be opened 24 hours a day. On other hand, 125 stores in the UK will be modernised to create a easy-to-shop environment and more attractive for customers. Corporate-Level Strategy (BCG matrix) BCG Matrix is used to conceive the balance of the portfolio of the businesses in terms of relationship between market share and market growth. It is a company in a market that has slow growth and its market share is continuously shrinking. The industry in which M S operates is mature and market is likely to be stable so it is more difficult to gain market share. Its assumed that M S is a decline phase organisation (Stockport,2000). PESTEL And SWOT Analysis Political, Economic, Social, Technology, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL-Analysis) Political Long term decisions are based on stable political surrounding. UK is also a member of European Union, as a result of which the government has to operate to live up to the standards of European Unions structure, hence, ensuring M S a greater scope of economic executions . The open transfer of goods products is another advantage of European Union making the sales operations of M S easier in European counties as there are no barriers to trade to aggravate its sales revenues. Economic British pound is still stronger as compared to the Euro which is why foreign investments for M S are relatively cheaper but expensive for the other foreign organizations willing to initiate in the UK. This is also a reason that several countries are not willing to trade. Social Presently, the population in UK is 61.11 million which after 15 years from today is expected to reach to 65 million. This brings in good news to M S Company as many more customers will be added to its current list, however the population is ageing. (True Knowledge) Secondly there is a dramatic change in the social structure. Medical services progress awareness of living increases life expectancy. Sex educations development increase in the number of professional or working women has led to a decrease in the rate of Birth which are the factors that have been accounting for falling revenues for an experienced company such as M S. Technological New Medias reception an age old internet bring in an evaluated potential opportunity to M S to grow its profits. Some U.S. based organizations are offering online orders where in people can mention their demands preferences which are sent to the production facilities after 2 or 3 working days customers receive their orders. This was simply another example of possibilities by the use of which firms can actually respond to the ever changing preferences in new era. Environmental Products produced by supplier has affect on the atmosphere on how these produce is used and disposed by customers. Merchandisers use a vast range of raw materials to manufacture their products. Because of this, it is critical to handle the usage of these materials with sensitivity and pay proper regard to how they have an effect on natural habitats and bio-diversity. Legal This is related to the legal environment in which firms work. In past years in the UK there have been a lot considerable legal changes that have affected firms behaviour such as M S. SWOT-Analysis Strengths The Brand of M S is an asset to it in terms of Quality, Style Value for money. The reason for its success and excellent reputation is that M S sell only own brand products. M S identify the changes in customer preferences behaviour under extensive market overview as they are one of the largest retailers in the UK. The self production labelling enables M S to frequently adapt to the unpredictable market conditions which in turn also allows it to save time. Time saving Adaptability is really necessary for a firm to succeed in such fast moving market where time plays a key role. Weaknesses The incomplete product range of M S, unfortunately, sometimes affects its regular customers who then happen to purchase from its competitors. An example of that would be that M S doesnt sell sportswear which consequently forces its customers to buy them from those who sell them. This adds to the disadvantage of M S. An added disadvantage could be mentioned as an example i.e. A customer interested to buy M S sportswear ( if they had it ) might have been interested in buying some gift at the same time because of the presence of sufficient variety, which could have made it extra revenues . However as they dont have sportswear, they are losing on a good opportunity for revenue. Opportunities In order to make profit, M S consider social rethinking as majority of people are getting conscious for natures significance nowadays. TO aim for Long Term success, M S could earn a reputation as a socially conscious firm by producing with the use of environment friendly raw materials natural fibres. The key to success is uniqueness or individuality. According to the recent researches people are on an average are getting heavier taller. What now can convince people to realize the presence of mind of M S is its Adaptability. Threats The big supermarkets or Discounters, despite of not being present in the same market are potential threat to M S as they sell similar products. These products are offered by them for short duration i.e. at a really cheap price for a couple of weeks. Many people advertently buy these low priced products instead of going for a good quality. This strategy of Hit Run adversely affects the businesses of companies like M S. Michael Porter Five Forces Model Porters five forces is a framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It draws upon Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An unattractive industry is one in which the combination of these five forces acts to drive down overall profitability. A very unattractive industry would be one approaching pure competition, in which available profits for all firms are driven down to zero. Three of Porters five forces refer to competition from external sources. The remainder are internal threats. It is useful to use Porters five forces in conjunction with SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). Threat of New Entrants Entering into a New Market needs huge finances to purchase necessary raw machineries, develop new products , hire staves , selling-rooms to build an organized systematic network . Organisations such as Jhon Lewis, Tesco Sainsbury can very easily enter into new markets as the monetary risk for banks are very elevated to assist smaller firms also that they do not have the potential to respond to the defensive attacks of existing firms. Brand Loyalty is no more a threat to new firms, presently, thus making it a threat to M S. Customers use advanced technology to evaluate compare several offers during a short span of time are willing to purchase the cheapest possible product. These Generation X or technology savvy people have been a huge segment targeted by M S, which can be alarming for it. Threat of Substitutes Product substitution Replacement of Firm need to be distinguished while discussing substitution. The decision of a customer to purchase an item then a change in his decision to have another is referred to as Substitution of Product, i.e. A customer might probably buy a jumper if he merely does not like the design of a M S jacket. However, this had no impact to the revenue of M S. Substitution of M S for its competitor is referred to as company replacement. In the example mentioned previously the customer would have bought a new jacket from the competitors of M S. Now this affects the firm revenues. The Bargaining power of the buyers There are several factors on which the power of buyer depends. Unlimited demand is met by countless suppliers in the U.K Retail market. Therefore if the customers are not satisfied they can switch from one company to the other. Because of advanced technical knowledge their age group, the segments of people targeted by M S have adequate earning power. To specify changing demand buyer trends their pattern of spending should be carefully analysed. The customers of M S are mainly based in Britain. If M S turns unsuccessful in the British Market, it cannot compensate it by the revenues in the other markets Marks Spencers Geographical Revenue Region Revenue United Kingdom $ 1,488.6 m Rest of Europe $ 29.6 m North America $ 0.0 Australia $ 4.8 m Middle East $ 8.8 m Asia $ 3.1 m TOTAL $ 1534.9 m Bargaining power of Suppliers Labour costs are high for UK in comparison with that in Eastern Europe, Asia North Africa which is why that several firms have decided to outsource. Therefore there is a pressure on M S to produce high quality products without cutting its costs, however getting the production outsourced can be of great help as cheap labour can be appointed. . Competitive Rivalry An increasing number of foreign retail chains zero in on UK as a starting point to make it big in Europe. Example Giordano , a Hong Kong based clothing retailer is very successful plans to open operate stores in UK for its European expansion . Marks Spencer has been facing the counter-attack by Tesco Sainsbury in the recent past. Debenhams Marks Spencer have spent a lot of money for the development of their online operations. Every possible measure to earn profits should be seemed in an Industry as this where so many firms produce the name products are only identified by their marked labels. Future   Strategic Direction As mentioned earlier we know that M S has a very wide market especially in the UK. It has been successful since decades. The only weakness it has is lack of variety of product offerings in its current market. Using Product Development as its strategic choice will enable M S to produce additional products to cover a wider segment from its existing market. As M S is reputed Brand, the additional products like sportswear will be equally popular. Acceptability or the outcomes of Product Development strategy is another aspect that needs to be measured. If M S adopts the strategy of Product development it will be avoiding the risk of losing its market share . This will increase the value of shareholders assets. Feasibility, now we need to evaluate the relativity of Product Development strategy with the organizational capabilities its resources. Using its present capabilities all M S is supposed to do is to increase its line of products from its production houses. Current capabilities resources will serve he purpose. For future, the aforementioned strategic choice has to be evaluated analysed in terms of suitability, acceptability feasibility. Suitability specifies whether or not the strategy of product development will suffice M S strategic situation. M S being an experienced player can easily access the broad market overview and adapt to the changes in consumer behaviour preferences. This can be a method to add to the benefits of M S in the short long run. To cut costs M S can rely more more steps towards outsourcing its production in underdeveloped or developing Nations without compromising on the Quality of its products. Online participation of M S on a large scale will add advantage to it over its competitors as a huge segment of customers served by M S is technology savvy. The promotion of Quality of M S through Internet can make a difference when it comes to saving its revenues being lost to the mail discounters or cheap supermarket clothing. UKs membership in the European Union is an advantage to M S as it provides an easy format of operation for European companies.

Candides Growth Essay -- Philosophy

In the story "Candide" Voltaire uses satire to criticize the philosophical views of the enlightenment period and illustrate his outlook of how an individual should view their own existence by Candide's character development throughout the story. Voltaire is able to do this by introducing Candide into two contrasting philosophical views of characters that play a large role in his life, Pangloss and Martin. At the beginning of Candide's quest he followed Pangloss's theory of the best of all possible worlds. Pangloss's ideas hinder Candide on his satire filled journey to find Cunegonde because he is overly optimistic. On his journey his outlook changes by the pessimistic influence of Martin. Which helps him develop into his own character at the end of the story. The first theory that Candide is introduced to is the oracle of the house that he was raised in Dr. Pangloss. Voltaire writes that " Pangloss gave instruction in metaphysico-theologico-cosmoloonigology" this is a satire of the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz (Lawall "Candide" 520) . Leibniz created the doctrine of optimism which claims "which holds that our world is the best of all those possible" (Strickland 18). Lloyd Strickland states "the most obvious objection to optimism, namely that this world contains far too much evil to be plausibly identified as the best. claimed, for instance, that Voltaire's aim in Candide was to refute, or confound Leibniz by 'bombarding him, so to speak, with the evil of the world" It is obvious to the reader that this is Voltaire's motive (Strickland 19). Voltaire continues to insult Leibniz view by writing "He proved admirably that there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause and that in this best of all possible worlds the Baron... ...tudies 31.2 (2002): 199. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Feb. 2012 Lawall, Sarah. The Norton Anthology of World Literature "Candide". 2nd. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2002. 522-580. Print. Kasten, Madeleine, and Curtis Gruenler. "The Point Of The Plow: Conceptual Integration In The Allegory Of Langland And Voltaire." Metaphor & Symbol 26.2 (2011): 143-151. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. Putnam, LuElla. "Boredom, Insignificance, And Death In Voltaire's Candide, Charles Baudelaire's The Flowers Of Evil, And Paulo Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die." Atenea 30.1-2 (2010): 67- 78. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2012 Strickland, Lloyd. "False Optimism? Leibniz, Evil, And The Best Of All Possible Worlds." Forum Philosophicum: International Journal For Philosophy 15.1 (2010): 17-35. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2012.