Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management - Research Paper Example As the world has entered the twenty first century, it has experienced revolutionary changes in many facets of business community. The advancements have not only come under experience in the economic, political, and social sectors but they have transformed and modernized the Industrial sector as well. With the increase in globalization, the business and organizations are emerging on a central platform and universal trade and businesses are expanding their operations to international markets. With the Industrial boom, organizations and enterprises are expanding their business operations as with the increase in world population, the demand for goods and services is escalating, and therefore, in order to meet the customer requirements and to gain a competitive edge over competitors, companies are rising (Brunsson, 2008). Whether a small organization or a giant corporation, management is one of the primary, foremost and the most significant aspect that every organization needs. The management refers to a practice or a course of action that involves successful, valuable, proficient, and competent accomplishment of set of actions and tasks via dealing with other people. Management is a process that makes the maximum use of the tangible assets through integrating couple of people or employees collectively under one umbrella in order to achieve and attain the organization’s aims, targets, missions and visions (Brunsson, 2008). The top person of the management requires a lot of devotion, commitment, determination, and hard work in order to thrive and be successful and achieve the desired outputs and results. In order to become the best or the cream of the crop, an individual should possess, widen, extend and increase their management and cross-functional leadership abilities. The primary and principal factors for any manager or an organization are to identify and evaluate the SWOT analysis that represents the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is vital to reveal the strengths that a person or organization possess, and enhance and refine them up. In addition, the weaknesses should come under recognition by the person or the organization so that with the help of different techniques the weakness can overcome. Organizations must try to convert the weaknesses into opportunities so that they can surmount their weaknesses and can have opportunities to grow themselves. Lastly, the threats that t hey have from their competitors present in the market should come under observation intimately and thoroughly. A successful leader develops all the attributes and elements of leadership, communication, conceptual, interpersonal, and technical abilities and proficiencies (Brunsson, 2008). Management is a theory and process that comes under practice by all institutions whether they are educational, business, or governmental and every individual being a student plays an important role in the building and progress of organizations like school and management. Management Functions Management encompasses several functions with it that includes planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating/communicating, controlling/monitoring, and budgeting. Planning is the stepping-stone in any management aspect on which the functions of management come under establishment and creation. Planning can come under implementation for any organization in order to accomplish and achieve the companyâ₠¬â„¢s mission, vision, targets and aims that the organization sets for them to flourish and generate revenues. Planning come under performance in the form of developing strategies and methods that the employee practices towards the achievement of organization’

Awareness of k+12 Essay Example for Free

Awareness of k+12 Essay Rationale â€Å"Change is avalanching down upon our land and most people are utterly unprepared to cope with it†, states Alvin Toffler. In most countries today, changes are happening so fast that we are at times unable to preserve relevant cultural aspects and values. In the field of curriculum, change is and will continue to be, the factor for any educational undertaking. (Bauzon, 2002) In the new century, the educational environment is rapidly changing and the roles and responsibilities of the teacher s become demanding in the most part of the world. In our country today, the curriculum of our educational system has been revised to meet its demands. According to President Benigno S. Aquino, â€Å"We need to add two years to our basic education. Those who can afford pay up to fourteen years of schooling before university. Thus, their children are getting into the best universities and the best jobs after graduation. I want at least 12 years for our public school children to give them an even chance at succeeding† (www. google. com ). According to the K to 12 Deped Primer (2011), â€Å"K-12 means â€Å"Kindergarten and the 12 years of elementary and secondary education. † Kindergarten points to the 5-year old child who undertakes the standardized curriculum for preschoolers. Elementary education refers to 6 years of primary school (Grades 1-6) while secondary education means four years of junior high school (Grades 7-10 or HS Year 1-4). In addition to this, two years are now allotted for senior high school (Grades 11-12 or HS Year 5-6). Furthermore, the short duration of our basic education program puts Filipinos who are interested to either work or study abroad at a disadvantage. This is because other countries see our 10-year program as incomplete, which then, causes Filipino graduates to not be considered as professionals abroad. The first teacher of the children are their parents. They have a great role in the development of the young. They become part of the environment of learning at home. They follow-up the lessons of their children especially in the basic education. They sent their children to school to be taught, to be trained and to gain knowledge. Parents are supporters of the curriculum. They would like to get the best of his/her investment in education. They are willing to pay the cost of educating their child for as long as their children get the best learning or schooling experiences. They aims to have a children that has a bright future and a changed individual who is easily adjusted to his fast changing world. (Bilbao, p. 80) This study finds it important to research about the awareness of the k+12 curriculum in the parents of the grade 7 students. The parents of the Grade 7students ofCantilan National High School, Madrid National High School – Union Annex, and Surigao Del Sur State University Cantilan Laboratory High School are the respondents of this research. The programs offered by the University are on Level 1 and 2 and it is accredited by the AACUP. In as much as the data that will be gathered in this study will be very helpful to the curriculum experts, managers and administrators who play an important role in shaping the school curriculum and who are responsible in the formulation of the philosophy, vision, mission, and objectives. The result of this study could provide the needed information in formulating possible solutions for reactions of the parents of the grade 7 students of the CNHS, MNHS-Union Annex and SDSSU Cantilan Laboratory High School. Conceptual Framework As shown in figure 1, the first box contains all about the k+12 curriculum and level of awareness of the parents of the Grade 7 students about it. The middle box contains the independent variables which are the parents of the Grade 7 students of the CNHS, MNHS-Union Annex, and SDSSU Laboratory High School. The interaction of the independent and dependent variables is now the awareness of k+12 program in the parents of Grade 7. This is shown in box 3, the output of the study. INPUTTHROUGH PUTOUTPUT FIGURE 1. Schematic Diagram of the Research Paradigm Statement of the Problem This study aims to determine the awareness of k+12 curriculum among the parents of grade 7 students. This aims further how the k+12 curriculum affects the strategies of the teachers and what are the adjustment to prioritize. The main problem seeks to answer the following subsidiary problems. 1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents? 1. 1. Age 1. 2. Sex 1. 3. Educational attainment 2. What is the extent of awareness of parents to the k+12 curriculum in terms of the following indicators? 2. 1. Features of the k+12 curriculum 2. 2. Assessment of the k+12 curriculum 2. 3. Advantage/benefits of the k+12 curriculum to the students 3. Is there a significant relationship between the socio-demographic profile of the respondents and the extent of awareness in the K+12 program in terms of : 3. 1. Features of the k+12 curriculum 3. 2. Assessment of the k+12 curriculum 3. 3. Advantage/benefits of the k+12 curriculum to the students Hypothesis: This study will test the null hypotheses at 0. 05 level of significance. Ho: there is no significant relationship between the socio demographic profile of the respondents and the extent of awareness of the k+12 curriculum. Significance Of The Study This study will benefit the following: Parents —The result of this study helps the parents of the grade 7 students to accept the changes in our educational system today and one of these changes is the k+12 program. Future Researchers—The result of this study will serve as their guide and help them to collect new ideas and information’s, if their study is interrelated with this study. The authors wrote simple words in every section of this book for the readers to understand easily. Scope and Limitations of the Study This study will cover the following limitations: Respondents. Parents of Grade 7 students in Cantilan National High School (CNHS), Madrid National High School-Union Annex and (SDSSU) Surigao del Sur State University-Laboratory High School. Location. The venue of the study is the Cantilan National High School (CNHS), Madrid National High School-Union Annex and (SDSSU) Surigao del Sur State University-Laboratory High School. Time Frame. The time frame within which the study will be conducted is during the school year 2012-2013. Definition of Terms Curriculum. Is a plan for what is to be taught in schools. Curriculum studies are a field of inquiry into how schools programs are developed, implemented, and evaluated. K-12 Curriculum. The program aims to uplift the quality of education in the Philippines in order for the graduates to be easily employed. It also aims to meet standards required for professionals who would want to work abroad. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE To give depth and meaning of the study at hand some related literature and studies taken from articles, books, magazines and periodicals, from different studies and papers read which have bearing on the study conducted and discussed. Related Literature Clearly our country’s ability to provide quality education for its people is hinged to its survival as well as its ability to compete in the global market and be a meaningful partner in the world affairs. (Philippine yearbook, 2003). Though our government created ways and means in order to uplift the quality education that we have, but still it is really a dilemma for every Filipino that our educational system is declining. With this, lots of changes went through, and the teachers as well as the learners are the primary concern of this. The gradual change in curriculum is one of the means to eradicate this decline. As Smithers (2003) said that, â€Å"it has been in contention that teachers should play a more pivotal role in all phases of curriculum-making from initial planning through development try-out, installation, evaluation and revision. More and more classroom teachers are being tapped to serve in school curriculum committees and task force. A perplexed teacher once observed that the curriculum is like a maze in his words â€Å"a complex situation involving a multiplicity of considerations that require profound study†. It is our contention that it is need not to be so stripped to its base essentials, curriculum making is surprisingly simple. (Bruner,2002) According To Bauzon (2002), â€Å"the aspirations of any ideals of any society serve as determinants of the educational system. The aspiration rises only to the level of its people’s aspirations. The most essential instrument in nation building which is education distills the goals in the society. In the school setting, each child learns much more than he is taught as part of the curriculum. Not all learning is the result of the planned experiences in the school. The curriculum of the school includes those experiences for which the school accepts responsibility. These curricular experiences are organized and promoted in order to acceptable objectives and needs of children may be responded adequately. They are planned sequentially so that many learners needs social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical will be prepared. The viable curriculum is based on the recognition that maturation factors and experiential background conditions readiness to learn. Thus, the teacher provides new advices prior to the child’s level of development. (Gronlund,2004). Jerome Bruner emphasizes that here must be an emphasis upon reducing a subject to its fundamental ideas or structure. To grasp the structure of a subject, he argues, one must understand the relationship between facts and ideas which constitute the subject. Structure is important in teaching a subject because it permits a â€Å"massive general transfer† of learning. In short, it allows one to â€Å"learn how to learn†. Related Studies The department of education’s k to 12 program is one concrete response to reverse this steady decline and to move toward its goal of long-term educational reform and sustainable economic growth. The central feature of the k to 12 program is the upgrading of the basic education curriculum to ensure that learners acquire the relevant knowledge and skills they will need to become productive members of society. It seeks to introduce relevant skills development courses and special interest subjects that will suit the personality, strengths and career direction of each learner. (http://www. gov. ph/k+12) In the report of EFA(2002),†As early1925, studies have observed the in adequacy of the basic education curriculum. As one of the most well studied reforms, recommendations of either adding or restoring the grade or adding an extra year to basic education have been put forward. According to the different survey of the curriculum: Monroe survey (1925): secondary education did not prepare for life and recommended training in agriculture, commerce, and industry. Prosser survey (1930): recommended to improve phases of vocational education such as 7thgrade shop work, provincial schools, and practical arts training in the regular high schools, home economics, placement work, gardening, and agricultural education. UNESCO mission survey (1949): recommended the restoration of grade. Education act. Of 1953: under section3, mandates thatâ€Å"[t]he primary course shall be composed off our grades (grades I to IV) and the intermediate course of three grades (grade VTOVII). † Swanson Survey (1960):recommendedtherestorationofgrade7. Presidential Commission To Survey Philippine Education (PCSPE) (1970): high priority be given to the implementation of an11-year program; Recommended program consists of 6 years of compulsory elementary education and 5years of secondary education In one study conducted on the influence of standards on thek+12 teaching and student learning, teachers described in this research were actively pursuing alignment between the content they were teaching (at classroom level, we refer to this as â€Å" teaching curriculum† and the content measured by the various state test. (The Freeman Foundation2006). Based on the k-12 educators study tourprograms funded by theFreeman foundation the overseas programs of the Asian Studies Outreach Program (ASOP) is one element of amulti-pronged, statewide approach to introduce Asian studies in every Vermont school and buildthe leadership needed to support this goal. The overseas program for teachers, the equivalent of a three-hour graduate level course, places a heavy emphasis on content relevant to both the travelexperience and teachers’ curriculum. The program aims to: †¢ increase teachers’ awareness/cultural sensitivity and teachers’ comfort level in teaching about Asia through direct experiences with Asian people, history, and culture; †¢ enhance the quality of teachers’ classroom instruction through increased knowledge ofAsia; †¢ encourage curriculum revision to build a sustained cross-discipline presence for Asia in grades K-12; and †¢ build the capacity of teachers to lead the efforts to include Asia in the curriculum. In selecting participants, ASOP considers areas of the state where participation in the overseas program could introduce or strengthen Asian studies. In addition, ASOP looks at the level ofadministrative commitment and the availability of teams of teachers from a school or district. CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This study will use the descriptive survey method appropriate for profiling the variables of this research. Research Environment As one of the municipalities of Surigao Del Sur, Cantilan is located in the Northeastern area of Mindanao and part of the CARAGA region. it has a qite large and plain are about 10,575 sq. km. facing the pacific ocean on theeasternpart. almost40,000 people comprises the 17 barangays in which the livelihood is mostly derived from agriculture, aquaculture and income of the professionals . as theoldesttownintheprovince of surigao del sur it is the cradle of all the five municipalities. Being centered in education, Cantilan has a lot of schools to be proud of. Among of this are the Madrid National High School-Union Annex,Surigao Del Sur State University and Cantilan National High School. Although Sdssu-Cantilan concentrate for the tertiary education yet it offers a secondary in which they called as the laboratory high school with its limits to100students as of scoolyear2012-2013. on the other hand,thecantialn national high school offers 3 curriculum the ESEP,SPA,and RBEC with 2000 students as its latest enrollees . as an institution of higher learning ,both the schools are known in uplifting a quality education and promoting the growth and development of the students inconsonance with the national development towards quality education. Fig. 2 presents the map of Surigaodel Sur where Municipality of Cantilan is located. Research Design This is a descriptive evaluative or assessment study appropriate for profiling the variables of research which intends to know the level of awareness among parents of the Grade -7 students under K-12 program of Madrid National High School- Union Annex, Cantilan National High School, and Surigao Del Sur State University- Laboratory High School. The data that to be gathered will be recorded, organized, and interrupted in view of the objectives set in the study. Research Respondent This study is confined to all the parents of grade-7 students in Madrid National High School- Union Annex, Surigao del Sur State University-Laboratory High School and Cantilan National High School in the school year 2012-2013. Table 1. Distribution Of The Respondents School Number of grade 7 parents/guardians Number of respondents MNHS-UA 23 11 SDSSU-Lab. H. S. 24 12 CNHS 40 20 TOTAL 87 43 Research Instruments A self made questionnaire is purposely made for the study. It contains two parts. The first part contains the Profile of the parents. These include the name, age, educational attainment, occupation, and monthly income. The second part contains the different questions with regards to the k+12 program. Research Procedures Gathering of Data. The questionnaires will be given to the parents of the Grade 7 students of Madrid National High School- Union Annex, Cantilan National High School, and Surigao Del Sur State University. Statistical Treatment. The following formulas will be used in this study: 1. Weighted Mean This is used to determine the Socio-Demographic Profile of the parents interms of age, educational attainment and occupation. Likewise, weighted mean is to be applied to determine the acceptability of the k+12 program among the parents of the Grade 7 students of Madrid National High School- Union Annex, Cantilan National High School, and Surigao Del Sur State University. 2. Simple Percentage Computation This is used to determine the percentage of the respondents. 3. Pearson Chi-Square This is used to determine if there is a significant relationship of the respondent’s socio-demographic profile and the extent of awareness of the k+12 curriculum. CHAPTER IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA This chapter presents, analyzes and interprets the data gathered from the questionnaire to the concerned respondents. This chapter shows the significant relationship between the socio-demographic profile of the respondents and the extent of awareness of the k-12 curriculum. Relationship Between The Socio-Demographic Profile Of The Respondents And The Extent Of Awareness Of The K-12 Curriculum This section analyzes the result of the respondents’ socio-demographic profile and the extent of awareness of the k-12 curriculum. TABLE 2:Relationship of Respondent’s Age and Extent of Awareness in Terms of the Features of the K+12 Curriculum Features of the curriculum X2 a. The number of years in the basic education is increased up to 13 years including Kindergarten. 12. 481 b. The students will graduate twice because they will earn two certificates: one for completion of the DepEd subjects at Grade 10 and the other for finishing the technical skills subjects integrated into the curriculum. 14. 336 c. New subjects taken by your student Agrarian Reform, Family Planning, NSTP, Philippine Constitution, Physical Educ. , Population Educ. , Rizal and Taxation. 8. 568 d. There are specializations in Science and Technology, Music and Arts, Agriculture and Fisheries, Sports, Business and Entrepreneurship. 8. 881 e. Opportunity to take courses like Internet and Computing Fundamentals, Technical Drawing, Home Management/ Housekeeping, Cooking/ Food Processing, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, Dress Making/Tailoring, Carpentry, Crop Production, Animal Production and Care giving. 6. 790 f. Mother tongue is used as a medium of instruction for Grades 1 to 3. 7. 830 g. Strong collaboration of CHED, TESDA and DOLE in training the Senior High School students. 6. 567 MEAN 9. 3504 X2; DF= 6 12. 592 The table shows the computed X2 in every features of k-12 curriculum in terms of age. The degrees of freedom is 6 and the mean of the computed X2 is 9. 3504, since the mean computed value is lesser than x2 at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ age is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the features of the k+ 12 curriculum. TABLE 3:Relationship of Respondent’s Age and Extent of Awareness in Terms of the Assessment of the Curriculum The table shows the computed X2 in every parts of the assessment of the curriculum in terms of age. The degrees of freedom is 6 and the mean of computed X2 is 9. 7606, since the mean computed value is lesser than x2 at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ age is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the k+ 12 curriculum. TABLE 4:Relationship of Respondent’s Age and Extent of Awareness in Terms of the Advantages/Benefits of the K+12 Curriculum to the Students The table shows the computed X2 in every advantages to the students in terms of age. The degrees of freedom is 6 and the mean of computed X2 is 8. 6699, since the mean computed value is lesser than x2 at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ age is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the advantages/ benefits of the k+ 12 curriculum to the students. TABLE 5: Relationship of respondent’s sex and extent of awareness in terms of the features of the k+12 curriculum Features of the curriculum X2 a. The number of years in the basic education is increased up to 13 years including Kindergarten. 5. 239 b. The students will graduate twice because they will earn two certificates: one for completion of the DepEd subjects at Grade 10 and the other for finishing the technical skills subjects integrated into the curriculum. 4. 143 c. New subjects taken by your student Agrarian Reform, Family Planning, NSTP, Philippine Constitution, Physical Educ. , Population Educ. , Rizal and Taxation. 6. 131 d. There are specializations in Science and Technology, Music and Arts, Agriculture and Fisheries, Sports, Business and Entrepreneurship. 1. 325 e. Opportunity to take courses like Internet and Computing Fundamentals, Technical Drawing, Home Management/ Housekeeping, Cooking/ Food Processing, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, Dress Making/Tailoring, Carpentry, Crop Production, Animal Production and Care giving. 2. 168 f. Mother tongue is used as a medium of instruction for Grades 1 to 3. 3. 503 g. Strong collaboration of CHED, TESDA and DOLE in training the Senior High School students. 1. 946 MEAN 3. 4936 X2; df= 2 5. 991 The table shows the computed X2 in every features of the curriculum in terms of sex. The degrees of freedom is 2 and the mean of computed X2 is 3. 4936, since the mean computed value is lesser than x2 at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ sex is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the features of the k+ 12 curriculum. TABLE 6:Relationship of respondent’s sex and extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the curriculum Assessment Of The Curriculum X2 a. Focused on the learner’s acquisition of effective communication, information, media and technology, learning and innovations kills, and life and career skills. 0. 157 b. Has balanced assessment program. 5. 454 c. Promotion and retention of the students shall be by subject. 0. 530 d. Honor students shall be drawn from among those who performed at the ADVANCED LEVEL. 0. 293 e. The performance of students shall be described in the report card based on the following levels of proficiency: B, D, AP, P, A not their equivalent numerical values. 3. 345 MEAN 1. 9558 X2; df= 2 5. 991 The table shows the computed X2 in every assessment of the curriculum in terms of sex. The degrees of freedom is 2 and the mean of computed X2 is 1. 9558, since the mean computed value is lesser than x2 at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ sex is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the k+ 12 curriculum. TABLE 7:Relationship of respondent’s sex and extent of awareness in terms of the advantages/benefits of the k+12 curriculum to the students The table shows the computed X2 in every advantages to the students in terms of sex. The degrees of freedom is 2 and the mean of the computed X2 is 7. 0027, since the mean computed value is greater than the x2at 5%, there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ sex is not independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the advantages/benefits of the k+ 12 curriculum to the students. TABLE 8: Relationship of Respondent’s Educational Attainment and Extent of Awareness in Terms of the Features of the K+12 Curriculum Features of the curriculum X2 a. The number of years in the basic education is increased up to 13 years including Kindergarten. 27. 967 b. The students will graduate twice because they will earn two certificates: one for completion of the DepEd subjects at Grade 10 and the other for finishing the technical skills subjects integrated into the curriculum. 38. 701 c. New subjects taken by your student Agrarian Reform, Family Planning, NSTP, Philippine Constitution, Physical Educ. , Population Educ. , Rizal and Taxation. 26. 768 d. There are specializations in Science and Technology, Music and Arts, Agriculture and Fisheries, Sports, Business and Entrepreneurship. 17. 201 e. Opportunity to take courses like Internet and Computing Fundamentals, Technical Drawing, Home Management/ Housekeeping, Cooking/ Food Processing, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, Dress Making/Tailoring, Carpentry, Crop Production, Animal Production and Care giving. 26. 446 f. Mother tongue is used as a medium of instruction for Grades 1 to 3. 16. 845 g. Strong collaboration of CHED, TESDA and DOLE in training the Senior High School students. 24. 094 MEAN 25. 4317 X2; DF= 8 15. 507 The table shows the computed X2 in every features of the curriculum in terms of educational attainment. The degrees of freedom is 8 and the mean of computed X2 is 25. 4317, since the mean computed value is greater than x2 at 5%, there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ educational attainment is not independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the features of the k+ 12 curriculum. TABLE 9:Relationship Of Respondent’s Educational Attainment And Extent Of Awareness In Terms Of The Assessment Of The Curriculum Assessment Of The Curriculum X2 a. Focused on the learner’s acquisition of effective communication, information, media and technology, learning and innovations kills, and life and career skills. 28. 956 b. Has balanced assessment program. 28. 448 c. Promotion and retention of the students shall be by subject. 8. 995 d. Honor students shall be drawn from among those who performed at the ADVANCED LEVEL. 23. 507 e. The performance of students shall be described in the report card based on the following levels of proficiency: B, D, AP, P, A not their equivalent numerical values. 19. 981 MEAN 21. 9774 X2; df= 8 15. 507 The table shows the computed X2 in every assessment in the curriculum in terms of educational attainment. The degrees of freedom is 8 and the mean of computed X2 is 21. 9772, since the mean computed value is greater than x2 at 5%, there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ educational attainment is not independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the k+ 12 curriculum. TABLE 10: Relationship Of Respondent’s Educational Attainment And Extent Of Awareness In Terms of the Advantages/Benefits Of The K+12 Curriculum To The Students Advantages/Benefits Of The K+12 Curriculum To The Students X2 a. More emotionally mature, socially aware and Pro-active. 18. 995 b. Acquire mastery of basic competencies. 25. 042 c. Be legally employable with potential for better earnings. 21. 290 d. Students will possess competencies and skills relevant to the job market 13. 974 e. Be globally competitive. 20. 517 f. Every graduate of the enhanced K+12 Basic Education program will be empowered to learn through the program that is rooted on sound educational principles and geared towards excellence and the foundations for learning throughout life. 49. 488 g. Students will be able to prepare their own business for their future. 40. 415 h. Senior High School students will be given an opportunity to do OJT (On the Job Training), internship or apprenticeship 23. 504 i. After graduating Senior High School, graduates will be able to work immediately, even before or without seeking college degree because students will have not only a high school diploma needed for further studies, but also 1 or more certificates needed for immediate employment. 24. 652 MEAN 26. 4308 X2; DF= 8 15. 507 The table shows the computed X2 in every advantages to the students in terms of educational attainment. The degrees of freedom is 8 and the mean of computed X2 is 26. 4308, since the mean computed value is greater than x2 at 5%, there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ educational attainment is not independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the advantages/benefits of the k+ 12 curriculum to the students. CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION This chapter presents the summary of the entire study that serve as the basis for conclusions and recommendations. This includes the statement of the problem, findings, conclusions and some recommendations of the study. SUMMARY This research study seek to find the level of awareness of the k+12 curriculum among the parents of the grade 7 students in CNHS, SDSSU-H. S LAB. , MNHS-UA. The respondents of the study were the parents of the grade 7 students in CNHS, SDSSU-H. S LAB. , MNHS-UA. The researchers limit their respondents to 50% of the population from each school. The study made use of the survey method which was appropriate for the profiling and gathering of data. Moreover, the data were interpreted using the mean, simple percentage computation and the Pearson chi-squared test. Findings Based on the analysis of the gathered data, the different findings in this research study are summarized as follows: 1. The relationship of respondent’s age and extent of awareness in terms of the features ofthe k+12 curriculum, since the mean computed value which is 9. 3504 lesser than x2 at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ age is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the features of the k+ 12 curriculum. 2. The relationship of respondent’s age and extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the curriculum, since the mean computed value, 9. 7606, is lesser than x2 at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ age is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the k+ 12 curriculum. 3. The relationship of respondent’s age and extent of awareness in terms of the advantages/benefits of the k+12 curriculum to the students, since the mean computed value,8. 6699, is lesser than x2 at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ age is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the advantages/ benefits of the k+ 12 curriculum to the students. 4. The relationship of respondent’s sex and extent of awareness in terms of the features of the k+12 curriculum, since the mean computed value,3. 4936, is lesser than x2 at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ sex is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the features of the k+ 12 curriculum. 5. The relationship of respondent’s sex and extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the curriculum, since the mean computed value,1. 9558, is lesser than x2at 5%, there is no enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ sex is independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the k+ 12 curriculum. 6. The relationship of respondent’s sex and extent of awareness in terms of the advantages/benefits of the k+12 curriculum to the students, since the mean computed value,7. 0027, is greater than the x2at 5%, there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ sex is not independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the advantages/benefits of the k+ 12 curriculum to the students. 7. The relationship of respondent’s educational attainment and extent of awareness in terms of the features of the k+12 curriculum, since the mean computed value,25. 4317, is greater than x2 at 5%, there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ educational attainment is not independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the features of the k+ 12 curriculum. 8. The relationship of respondent’s educational attainment and extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the curriculum, since the mean computed value,21. 9774, is greater than x2 at 5%, there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, the respondents’ educational attainment is not independent with the extent of awareness in terms of the assessment of the k+ 12 curriculum. 9. The relationship of respondent’s educational attainment and extent of aware

A level :: Design and Technology

A level Objective The challenging task that I have finalised and undertaken for this coursework is to build and test a sensor. I decided to build a sensor, which would automatically change the speed of a fan by using a thermistor. The main objective of the experiment was to monitor and record the voltage change as the temperature changes. Specifically, as predicting that when the temperature increases the voltage would increase and thus the fan speed would increase too, thus causing a cooling effect to the environment. Data Information Thermistors are thermally sensitive resistors and have, according to type, a negative (NTC), or positive (PTC) resistance/temperature coefficient. A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance changes significantly when its temperature changes. A negative temperature coefficient thermistor has a resistance that decreases with increase of temperature. This is the most common type. This is the type of resistor that I shall be evaluating and will be using in my experiment. A positive temperature coefficient thermistor has a resistance that increases with increase of temperature. The resistance of a semiconductor generally decreases with increase of temperature. Semiconductors are therefore used to manufacture NTC thermistors. When the temperature of a semiconductor is increased, the number of charge carriers increases as more valence electrons gain sufficient energy to break free from atoms to become conduction electrons. The number of charge carriers increases as the temperature is increased so the resistance of the semiconductor falls. Semiconductors are used to make a wide range of electronic devices including electronic chips, light emitting diodes and solid-state lasers. Communications, commerce and entertainment have been revolutionised as a result of semiconductor devices. In electrical terms, materials are classed as either conductors or insulators or semiconductors. Semiconductors are solid materials with conductivities in between the very high conductivity of metals and the very low conductivities of insulators. There are a variety of types of semiconductor, including metal oxides as well as elements like silicon and germanium. In insulators, essentially all the electrons are tightly bound to atoms or ions, and none are free to move under an external electric field. In effect, these materials do not conduct electricity at all. In metallic conductors, essentially all the atoms are ionised, providing free electrons, which move freely through the ions and can move under an external electric field. These conduction electrons 'glue' the ions together, and provide non-directional bonding which holds the material together. They become shared amongst all the atoms in the material instead of remaining attached to one atom. Semiconductors differ from both insulators and metallic conductors. Only a small proportion of atoms are ionised, so that although there are conduction electrons they are relatively small in number and the

Evil being Dr Jekyll’s alter ego Mr Hyde Essay

† In each of us, two natures are at war- the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them one must conquer. But in our own hands lies the power to choose- What we want most to be we are† (Robert Louis Stevenson. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1885) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Born in 1850 into a middle class family in Edinburgh, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Father expected his son to follow in the family tradition and become an engineer. Stevenson, however had other ideas. He was fascinated by literature, but to please his family he studied law, yet he never practised as a lawyer fulfilling his ambition to become a writer. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was a product of Robert Louis Stevenson life. Stevenson’s childhood was blighted by illness and as a result he spent much of his time at home under the care of his much loved nurse Alison Cunningham who told him stories of ghosts, body snatchers and heaven and hell. Stevenson as a result became fascinated by the idea of good and evil in every person. Stevenson’s ill health continued for most of his life and as a result he took laudanum and morphine as well as cocaine for chest problems and depression, other factors which may well have affected his life style and his writing. The Stevenson’s family home was in Edinburgh, but as he grew he travelled more and further, London, Bournemouth, France and the continent. Stevenson’s choice of London as the setting for Jekyll and Hyde was the result of the extreme social divide he witnessed there, the wealth and poverty been vividly displayed. The wealthy affluent London being safe like the character of Dr Jekyll whilst areas of social deprivation were constantly under treat of crime evil and disease, evil being Dr Jekyll’s alter ego Mr Hyde This essay will discuss how the Victorians viewed their rapidly expanding cities. It will also explore how Stephenson uses contrasting scenes and weather descriptions to portray good and evil. As a result of the industrial revolution Victorian Britain saw a massive movement of people from the countryside to major cities. Hugh numbers of houses were built to accommodate these people, but towns quickly became over crowded and unhealthy places. Filthy conditions and the spread of disease was rive amongst the poor and working classes. There was high unemployment and no suffrage for the poor, as a result the middle classes felt a revolution was imminent and felt fearful. Robert Louis Stevenson illustrates a divided city in Mr Utterson and Mr Enfields Sunday walk through the streets of London. They travel through a small quite street, it is described using metaphors â€Å"like a fire in the forest† indicating this street is well kept, a sharp contrast to others in the area, the shutters are described as freshly painted, the brasses well-polished and generally clean. This indicates that the inhabitants here are doing well. And yet at the corner of the same street stands a two story building. The building has only a door on the lower storey, the lack of windows indicating this building has something to hide. It is described as baring the features and marks of prolonged neglect. Stevenson uses the words sinister and sordid to describe this building. The fact that a building of such neglect stands on the same street as the affluent properties gives the reader the sense that everything is not going to be as it first appears in this novel. Stevenson uses this description of a affluence street with the uncharacteristic building an unlikely feature of this street, to prepare the reader for the dual character of Dr Jeklyl on the surface a good respectable person, who is able to turn into a alter ego the evil cruel Mr Hyde. Weather descriptions are used by Stevenson in The Carew Murder Case to depict the depraved nature of Mr Hydes character. The maid in the opening paragraph witnesses the murder of Carew. Stevenson uses graphic detail in his description of the weather on this night to create the atmosphere and set the scene. The association between lightness and goodness is clear; the night is described as been cloudless and lit by a full moon. The moon light on Carews face allows the maid to see his face, which she describes as pleasing to watch, a face breathing innocence and old world kindness. His beauty and innocence giving the impression of goodness. This description of Carew makes his fate all the more shocking and sets the scene for the dramatic moment when the maid witnesses the violent murder of Carew by Mr Hyde. Hyde is described by the maid as the complete opposite to Carew, a man she had previously conceived to dislike having an animalistic appearance. Stevenson continues to use weather descriptions to create a sense of foreboding as Mr Utterson travels through the streets of London to the home of Mr Hyde. Though it is nine in the morning the weather is described as foggy ‘like a great chocolate coloured pall lowered over heaven’ and ‘dark like the back end of morning’, the use of fog and darkness implies a veil to hide and conceal evil. He continues saying that the fog is broken up yet for a moment giving ‘a haggard shaft of day light’ this being only a brief relieve from the ‘mournful reinvasion of darkness’, reinforcing the idea of evil doings and the sorrow associated with this. By using weather descriptions in this way the city of London clearly becomes a dramatic backdrop for Hydes crimes. Victorian society was stricictly religious and therefore encouraged people to hide their sins and repress their desires. In this novel Stevenson offered Victorian society not only a psychological horror but a recognision that there is evil inside all of us, not perhaps to the extremes of Jekyll and Hyde but there is a side we hide, a suggestion that we all have a dual personality! Stevenson uses symbolism to create powerful images, for example doors are tradionally powerful and mysterious symbols they represent public and private spheres, things hidden and reveales. Stevenson refers to doors five times in the opening chapter of this novel. What is also relevant is that the Victorians had a â€Å"front door /back door† rule: the front door represented repectability so only those considered important and of high social status entered though the front door. The back door was used for those considered socially inferior, like servants. Stevenson uses this rule to emphasise Hydes’s social inferiority as he is not admitted through the front door of Jekylls home. What is significant here is that although the reader knows Jekyll and Hydeare one and the same, when Jekyll becomes the depraved Hyde he is evil and socially inferior, a lesson in immorility?

Police work with juveniles Essay

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This term paper tackles the issue of police work with juveniles.   For purposes of this paper therefore, juvenile delinquency should be understood to refer to any antisocial or criminal behaviour by children or adolescents (Quint, Andrew Reisig & Mueller, 1996)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On Friday June 1996, a 9 year old and 11 year old boy were charged with the rape of an 8 year old pregnant. In addition, a pregnant girl was shot by another student in St. Louis Miami almost during that time (emergency net news, 1996).   These are just but cases of Juvenile offences that the police have to deal with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Juvenile policing has its roots in 1899 in cook county Illinois, where the first court was created as a result of ideological changes in the cultural conception and strategies of social control during the 19the century; an event that culminated into a century long process of differentiating youths from adults offenders( Quint et al. 1996)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What then is the police role in juvenile policing?   Just like the adult system of criminal justice, the juvenile justice system also has three basic components, the police, courts and corrections (Larry & Welsh, 2004) More often than not, whether or not a juvenile is processed into this system is dependent upon the outcome of an encounter with the police.   It is therefore true to say that, the police serve the role of the gatekeepers to the juvenile justice system.   They thus begin the criminal justice system. Also, upon the arrest of a juvenile offender, the law provides for the police to release the juvenile to his or her parents or take the offender to a court (Quint et al. 1996) A new view has however emerged within the police themselves. Rather than seeing themselves as crime fighters who track down serious criminals or stop armed robberies in progress, many police departments have adopted the concept that their role be maintaining order and being a visible and accessible component of the society(Larry & Welsh, 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Police research and other related studies indicate that these offender of violent juvenile crimes are likely to turn up to world be junior terrorists who can be of rivaled some of the worst terrorist organizations in the world.(Quint et al 1996)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The arrest procedures for juvenile offender differ from place to place but generally, arrest becomes the primary option of securing the juvenile’s attendance to court.   In addition, a written notice can be issued by police for the offender to appear in court (Larry & Welsh, 2004). This is however mostly given to minor offenders.   The investigating officer then notices the parent or guardian about the arrest of the time, date and place where the offender is to appear.   While doing this, the police are supposed to exercise discretion to enhance the child’s rights and divert the child away from the mainstream criminal justice system(Larry & Welsh, 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Search and seizure is another method of police methods of investigation.   The law governing search and seizure is typically the same for both adults and juveniles (Larry & Welsh, 2004). This procedure involves among others photographing, fingerprinting, lineups and record keeping.   Children however, just like adults are also protected against unreasonable search and seizure under the fourth and fourteenth amendments of the constitution (Larry & Welsh, 2004)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also custodial interrogation which requires the offenders   to be questioned often within the presence of their parents or attorney.   This is because any incriminating statement arising from such custodial interrogation can be used at trial (Quint et al. 1996)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Because of the informality that has been built into the system in an attempt to individualize justice, much discretion needs to be exercised.   Daily procedures of juvenile personnel are rarely subject to judicial review except when they violate the youth’s constitutional rights (Larry & Welsh, 2004) and as a result, discretion sometimes deteriorates into discrimination and other abuses on the part of the police.    Too little discretion gives insufficient flexibility to treat juvenile offenders as individuals while too much leads to injustice (Larry & Welsh, 2004).   Police for instance are likely to act formally with African American suspects and use their discretion to benefit whites (Larry & Welsh, 2004). Other factors include environmental factors whereby the police have that in born mentality within them that certain places, or if a child comes form a particular place, then he/she is likely to be an offender.   This stereotypy thus falls under the environmental factors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Police bias can also be as a result of the situation and conditions under which the child is arrested.   If the child brings complications such as putting up a resistance against the arrest and therefore fights the officer, or merely has a bad or negative attitude, then he is likely to be arrested in such a case discretionary justice is likely to take place (Larry & Welsh, 2004). It should be noted also that discretionary decisions are made without guidelines from the police administration. As noted earlier, there are many factors that influence the decisions made by the police about juvenile offenders. among the ones not mentioned include, the seriousness of the offense, the harm inflicted on the victim and the likelihood that the juvenile will break the law again (Larry & Welsh, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The police have however taken the lead in delinquency prevention by employing a number of strategic measures some of which rely on their different powers. Others have relied on schools, the community and other juvenile justice agencies (Quint et al, 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of these strategies of contemporary prevention relies on aggressive patrolling at specific patterns of delinquency.   This is what we refer to as aggressive law enforcement.   The police here target gang areas and arrest members for any violations.   The tactic however has not proved to be effective since in most cases, the results tend to be unsatisfactory (Larry & Welsh, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1996 for example, the Dallas police initiated the strategy, which led to significant reduction in gang activity, targeting truancy and curfew laws but the saturation patrols proved ineffective (Larry & Welsh, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Police have also worked with schools to improve their safety and prevent delinquency in the community through organizations of various programs (Quint et al. 1996). The problem here however lies in the view that is held by some people over police in schools.   These people assert that this infringement on the personal freedoms of students (Larry & Welsh, 2004)   and that schools   should be left to run sovereignly.   There are also others who call for greater use of police in schools, especially those schools that have experienced violent incidents in the past by students against teachers (Larry & Welsh, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Community policing may also be employed here.   Community policing models are put in place aimed at improving relationships between the community and the police.   This will be important since many juveniles will then have a high regard for the police. Conclusion The ever-changing nature of juvenile delinquency thus calls for more experimentation and innovation in policing strategies inorder to prevent delinquency (Larry & Welsh, 2004). Among the first steps therefore should be tailoring policing activities to prevailing local conditions and providing for an enlargement in the community and other stakeholders      References Emergency Net News Service, 1996 http://www.emergency.com/juvycrim.htm Larry J. Siegel, Brandon C. Welsh (2004). Juvenile Delinquency. Belmont, Calif: Thomas Wadsworth Quint Thurman, Andrew Giacomazzi, Michael Reisig and David Mueller (1996). Community based Gang Prevention and Intervention: An Evaluation of the Neutral Zone: Crime and Delinquency

Spelling Tips The Y to I Rule

Spelling Tips The Y to I Rule Spelling Tips: The Y to I Rule When a word ends in a vowel plus â€Å"-y,† it’s usually straightforward to modify it by adding a letter (or letters); adding â€Å"-ous,† for example, means â€Å"joy† becomes â€Å"joyous.† However, when a word ends in a consonant plus â€Å"y† things get more complicated, which can make spelling challenging. To ensure your written work is error-free, it helps to keep the y to i rule in mind. The Y to I Rule The basic rule is, for any word that ends in a consonant plus â€Å"-y,† change the â€Å"y† to â€Å"i† if adding a suffix or forming a plural. Plurals For plurals, simply change the â€Å"y† to an â€Å"-ies†: Singular Plural Story Stories Candy Candies Hippy Hippies First-Person Singular Past Tense Verbs Forming the first-person singular of a verb ending in a consonant plus â€Å"y† requires changing the â€Å"y† to â€Å"-ies,† while the past tense involves switching â€Å"y† for â€Å"-ied†: Verb First-Person Singular Past Tense Fry Fries Fried Apply Applies Applied Beautify Beautifies Beautified Comparatives Superlatives When an adjective ends in a consonant plus â€Å"-y,† forming a comparative or superlative involves changing the â€Å"y† to â€Å"-ier† and â€Å"-iest† respectively: Adjective Comparative Superlative Tiny Tinier Tiniest Jumpy Jumpier Jumpiest Thirsty Thirstier Thirstiest Forming Adverbs Modifying an adjective to make an adverb involves substituting the â€Å"y† for â€Å"-ily†: Adjective Adverb Happy Happily Lazy Lazily Flimsy Flimsily Exceptions The â€Å"y†-to-â€Å"i† rule doesn’t always work; some variations of â€Å"sly,† for example, can be spelled with either a â€Å"y† or an â€Å"i† (e.g., â€Å"slyest/sliest† and â€Å"slyer/slier†). Moreover, while changing â€Å"y† to â€Å"i† isn’t typically necessary when a word ends with a vowel plus â€Å"-y,† there are exceptions here too (such as modifying â€Å"day† to become â€Å"daily†). As such, although the y to i rule is a good guideline, it’s still important to double-check words if you’re not sure they’re spelled correctly.

How to Train Your Brain to Keep You Healthy in Times of Stress

How to Train Your Brain to Keep You Healthy in Times of Stress A recent study in the Journal of Personal and Social Psychology found that your habits- good and bad- come out in full force during times of stress.  That  means if you’re in the practice of  mindlessly eating junk, you’ll revert to a diet full of Doritos and Frappuccinos when you’re in the middle of a big project; if you’re  already in the habit of a  more virtuous morning oatmeal, you’ll reach for that during busy times. Your body keeps up what it’s used to and what it knows. What can you do? Sculpt your habits carefully- from sleep patterns to gym routines. They just might turn out to be the rock your brain turns to in times of doubt.German researchers hypothesized in 2012 that this phenomenon is due to stress hormones in the brain, which cause it to revert to normal  routines in stressful scenarios, even if that means abandoning its goals. When stressed, the brain  favors the routine and reduces activity in the decision-mak ing part of the brain.The best way to keep our heads in times of stress, then, is to make sure we cultivate the best habits in our downtime. You never know what you can train your brain to do- so start making better choices while you have the conscious chance.It turns out that our behavior is much more important than we realized. It can form the basic building blocks to build our own way out of stress.

Tips to Make Learning German Easier

Tips to Make Learning German Easier The first time most of us come in touch with a foreign language or at least with the need to study it, is in school. But learning a language in school is like learning to swim in one of those Japanese public swimming pools. It is simply an artificial situation and all efforts to make learning a language in a group worth everyone’s while are pretty much bound to fail. They call it the conversational or interactive approach. But isn’t using a language always interactive? And is a classroom really the right place to practice a language? Wouldn’t it suffice to instruct learners on how to learn it own their own and how to find a way to put it to good use? Overhaul your Learning Techniques Most of us get by in school as our brains are learning and survival machines. But only rarely have I come across someone who has actually learned how to learn a language. We all still often rely on those techniques that we have acquired or developed on our own in those times because they simply worked well enough. And it is these learning strategies that you might still use to learn German nowadays. But with the difference that nowadays it is not to improve your grades or to make your parents proud, but to deal with a real live situation. There are but there are two elemental factors that make a significant difference when you are learning German. The Main Keys to Success in German Language Learning The first thing that I demand from every learner is that they will take an exam at the end of our cooperation. And although this goal is just part of their success, it sets a very clear direction, enables us to develop a structure for our actions and sets a measurable time limit to our efforts. Without a clear goal and structure, any language will simply be overwhelming. There are thousands of words to learn, the grammar, and German grammar, in particular, seems impenetrable. When we try to speak we feel like there’s goo coming out of our mouths.   Setting up an exam date right away  does wonders for your learning. The problem is that we usually have no idea how long it will take us to reach a certain level. And that’s why I always recommend†¦ Get a Guide You are not the first to learn another language and there have been many men and women pulling their hair out over the question of how we can learn a new language the most efficient way. Some pulled a bit stronger and came up with miraculous methods which very often claim to teach you a language with very little effort and/or in very little time. Needless to say, you’d better refer to your gesunder menschenverstand, your common sense, when you come across anything that seems too good to be true. Good teachers are among the most undervalued people in this world. If you find a good teacher, you have an invaluable companion by your side. She will fight off the wolves, pick up the pebbles and thorns from your barefoot path and get you to just go a few meters farther when you waver and doubt whether you can reach your goal which still seems so far away. She is your walking cane, the whistled tune on your lips and the umbrella when it rains.   Of course one could also learn German on one’s own with ones proven techniques but I can state that from my experience, learning German with a tutor and with a clear goal makes a big difference. You will still have a lot of work to do but you will suffer significantly less.

Crumbs bakeshop Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Crumbs bakeshop - Assignment Example Due to this philosophy Crumbs Bake Shop is successfully increasing its customers and is becoming a respected and recognized brand of US. Marketing Strategy of Crumbs Bake Shop consist on internet, radio, television and newspaper advertisement along with in-store efforts. Crumbs invests sufficient amount of money for its promotion, brand differentiation, and brand recognition. Crumbs believes that it is the leader in the market of gourmet cupcakes and makes every possible steps to market itself as perfect store of choice for delicious and attractive cupcakes (Randazzo, 2014). CULTURE: USA is a multicultural state but all its cultures love baked products and this is one of the reasons of Crumbs Bake Shop’s success. People of US likes delicious backed products of Crumbs Bake Shop and by fulfilling customers’ demands the company is successfully growing. SOCIETY: The western society is food loving society especially backed food. The society demands cupcakes and other bakery items and Crumbs Bake Shop knows how to meet customers’ changing demands (Moyer, and  Sullivan, 2014). High consumption of bakery food by US’s society creates more opportunities for Crumbs Bake Shop. One of the greatest strengths of Crumbs Bake Shop is its wide variety of cupcakes. It offers more than 50 different types of cupcakes to its customers (Peterson, 2014). The irresistible and delicious items in its menu delight customers and are one of the main reasons for customer retention. Another strength of Crumbs is its online availability; anyone can buy cupcakes from Crumbs Bake shop online. The major weakness of the company is its limited cash reserves. A growing food chain requires extensive amount of money to meet the expenses but unavailability of cash creates problems for the company. Increasing of too many retail shops within short time period and poor management policies are also a weakness

A Property, Market and Class-based Foundation of Disney Essay

A Property, Market and Class-based Foundation of Disney - Essay Example The Walt Disney Corporation conforms to this model suggested by Rifkin. Firstly, it is akin to a gated, networked community where a virtual reality is created through networking. Secondly, the diversification of its capital and business interests – the shift away from property into internet-based leasing, outsourcing and primarily marketing. The third aspect is the shifting emphasis placed on cultural and intellectual capital as opposed to material goods. Rifkin’s theory is grounded in the basic premise that in the age of access, the foundation of commerce is shifting away from the property and out into cyberspace. The Hollywood organizational model is a manifestation of this phenomenon. It consists of individual productions where actors, directors, production personnel, investors and a host of ancillary talent comes together for a short period in order to take advantage of an opportunity offered by a particular market, only to dissolve again once the production is completed (Rifkin 28). For subsequent productions, different elements will be brought together. The idea behind this is a partial synergy of sorts wherein capitalistic self-interest in a networked economy is completely governed by the prevailing market at a particular time.This principle may be seen to operate in the case of Disney, especially in its mergers with other companies that have been carried out at strategic times. Disney’s latest acquisition of a c omputer animation company Pixar is only one of a long line of mergers and strategic partnerships that have helped Disney to adapt successfully to changes in the environment. The creative elements supplied by Pixar when working in synergy with the financial clout of Disney have served to produce a superior product.The strategic move of acquisition of Pixar is a response to the technological environment where success is inherent in intellectual products that are a source of revenue through the provision of the license to access. In a similar manner, Disney and ABC television have merged, in order to strategically exploit the combined market that belongs to both companies through one entity.

Country's economy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Country's economy - Case Study Example The Figure below shows the economic growth in eight major countries from 1870 to 1996. In 1870, Australia was the richest economy whereas Japan was the poorest economy of the sixteen major economies of that time. In the same year, Australia’s real GDP per capita was almost five times that of Japan. Over the following 126 years, Australia’s economy grew by 1.3% which allowed real GDP per capita to increase by 5 times. However, during the same time, Japan’s economy grew by 2.7% which allowed its real GDP per capita to advance by 28 times. Likewise, Figure 11 also shows the progress made by United States from 1870 to 1996. The long-run rate of economic growth of the American economy was 1.7% which allowed it to raise its living standards by 8 times in 126 years. Therefore, the long-run rate of economic growth is an important measure of the nation’s wealth. (Bernanke, 2003) Figure 1: Economic Growth in Eight Major Countries The output of the economy depends up on the quality and quantity of labor and capital and on their productivity. If the inputs are constant, there is no economic growth in the country. Therefore, one of the inputs has to change along with the productivity for a healthier growth rate. The relationship between inputs and outputs of the economy are reflected in the following equation; which also shows the important factors that affect the long-run rate of economic growth. (Bernanke, 2003) Y= AF (K, N) Where: Y = Output of the economy A = Productivity N = Labor K = Capital Requirements Labor Labor refers to the working force of the nation-be it skilled, semi skilled or unskilled. Labor is one of the most important inputs into the economy. A skilled, educated labor force makes a strong contribution to the other factors of the economy. Along with them, the economy also requires semi-skilled and unskilled labor. However, the most important thing is their constant supply to the market. Similarly, the skills acquire must match the demand of the economy. (Bernanke, 2003) Technological Progress Technological progress refers to the ability of the nation to adapt to update infrastructure and equipments. No country can expect to progress without the necessary infrastructure for specific technology. In our globalized world, the economy needs to incorporate up-to-date technology replacing the obsolete machines to match the increasing demands. The smooth flow with the technological progress allows making the necessary progress. (Bernanke, 2003) Investment Investment refers to the capital requirements of the growing economy. The country needs consistent investment to make remarkable progress and achieve long-run rate of economic growth. Therefore, the nation needs to establish an environment that allows the continuous flow of foreign direct investment into the country and a credit history that allows it to raise the debt when needed. However, there needs to be sustainable amount of debt so that it does not hamper the growth in the long run. (Bernanke, 2003) Productivity It is another important factor for consistent long-run growth rate. This component refers to increase in the efficiency and effectiveness of the same labor and capital inputs. Therefore, if the productivity of the nation increases keeping the labor and capital same, the economy will growth by a certain factor. (Bernanke, 2003) Answer 2 Gross Domestic Output (GDP) is defined as market value of all the goods and services produced by a particular nation within the domestic boundaries. (Amadea, 2011) There are four components of the GDP as shown in the following equation: Y = C + I + G + X Where Y = Total output C = Personal consumption expenditures I = Investment G = Government spending X =

The Music Of The Worlds Peoples 3rd Ed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Music Of The Worlds Peoples 3rd Ed - Essay Example The people of the Baaka used music to maintain their culture. To them, music formed a means through which they communicated to the gods and their ancestors. That way, music enhanced their spirituality (Titon et al., 2009). Among the uses of music in the Baaka culture are initiation rituals, healing rituals, and entertainment. Among the instruments the Baaka people use in their music include the harp-zither, cylindrical drums, lamellaphones, the arched harp, and rattles. Others include the musical bow, flute, and water drums. Being a hunting community, the Baraka's music usually revolved around hunting. For example, the molimo ceremony involved a lot of mimicking the sounds of wild animals. 3. Ewe Music Culture and the Agbekor The Agbekor is a West African type of music that involves singing and drumming. It originated as a war dance among the Ewe-speaking people. The music involves a percussion ensemble accompanied by a chorus of singers. The lead drumming is a complex ensemble of dr ums, bells, and rattles. That gives it a rich polyrhythmic texture. According to legend, Agbekor developed from hunters who observed monkeys in the forest. The monkeys would beat drums with sticks and dance. The hunters developed customs and could play the different instrument during certain times. Through performing the monkey dance during some of their hunting rituals, other people were able to learn the dance and later founded it as a proper dance. Originally, the Ewe performed the Agbekor as a war dance.

Analyze a recent (last 12 months) business article Research Paper - 1

Analyze a recent (last 12 months) business article - Research Paper Example As pertains to this assignment, focus shall be on an article published by The Wall Street Journal. The article highlights how companies are cushioning themselves against paralyzing incidences such as natural disasters to ensure continuity of business while keeping the bottom line ‘protected’. The writer has included viewpoints from CEOs/CFOs of a few global companies and their take on the importance of reinforcing the supply chain. The article stems from the fact that multinational companies have had to incur enormous expenses because of natural disasters. This has been after a long history of establishing cost-moderated links. The awareness on a need to strengthen the supply chain arises from the earthquake that hit Japan in 2011. This is because the earthquake led to a shortage of electronic and car parts; forcing companies to think up other sources. This led to exposing the vulnerability of the supply chain but the next action is still a matter of great deliberation as establishing dual sources is seen to affect the bottom line of companies largely (Murphy). Moreover, because the supply chain of most multinational companies is disciplined, some CEOs find it hard to establish new links. This implies that the next logical thing would be to push the suppliers to ensure their own supply chains are sustainable in the event of natural disasters and other paralyzing risks. For example, Jabali Circuit a manufacturer of electronic parts, advised its suppliers in Japan to consider de-clustering their factories that is, not having them close to the factories. This guarantees that companies can still rely on their regular supply links when a natural disaster occurs (Murphy). However, de-clustering would force the suppliers to incur huge costs in terms of setting up and streamlining new networks of operation. Nevertheless, this increment in expenditure is minimal considering

The Music Of The Worlds Peoples 3rd Ed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Music Of The Worlds Peoples 3rd Ed - Essay Example The people of the Baaka used music to maintain their culture. To them, music formed a means through which they communicated to the gods and their ancestors. That way, music enhanced their spirituality (Titon et al., 2009). Among the uses of music in the Baaka culture are initiation rituals, healing rituals, and entertainment. Among the instruments the Baaka people use in their music include the harp-zither, cylindrical drums, lamellaphones, the arched harp, and rattles. Others include the musical bow, flute, and water drums. Being a hunting community, the Baraka's music usually revolved around hunting. For example, the molimo ceremony involved a lot of mimicking the sounds of wild animals. 3. Ewe Music Culture and the Agbekor The Agbekor is a West African type of music that involves singing and drumming. It originated as a war dance among the Ewe-speaking people. The music involves a percussion ensemble accompanied by a chorus of singers. The lead drumming is a complex ensemble of dr ums, bells, and rattles. That gives it a rich polyrhythmic texture. According to legend, Agbekor developed from hunters who observed monkeys in the forest. The monkeys would beat drums with sticks and dance. The hunters developed customs and could play the different instrument during certain times. Through performing the monkey dance during some of their hunting rituals, other people were able to learn the dance and later founded it as a proper dance. Originally, the Ewe performed the Agbekor as a war dance.

Operation Managerment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operation Managerment - Essay Example Customer analyze employer in detail and hope that they build up excellent organizers at the entire levels, constantly engender confidence by open, sincere and apparent behavior, genuinely engross workers in decision-making and offer continuous advice, allow for collective exchanges in the place of occupation as long as intentions are conveyed, provide resourceful HR methods, willing to accept sundry and varying conditions and confer first choice to figure out and congregate customer needs (Cho and Park, 2003). I might prefer to be employed in Marketing Research field as it offers broad range of information used to classify and describe marketing issues; engender, treat, and appraise marketing events; supervise marketing performance; and advance understanding of marketing trends and methods. Due to the assimilation and alignment of the methods the organizations now meet their user needs splendidly.

Marks ; Spencer Group Anaylsis Essay Example for Free

Marks ; Spencer Group Anaylsis Essay Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 2 Marks and Spencer Group plc Company Overview COMPANY OVERVIEW Marks and Spencer Group (MS or the company) is one of the leading retailers of clothing, foods and homeware in the UK. The company operates in more than 40 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It is headquar tered in London, the UK and employs 78,169 people. The company recorded revenues of ? 9,740. 3 million (approximately $15,158. 8 million) in the financial year ended April 2011 (FY2011)*, an increase of 2. 1% over FY2010. The operating profit of MS was ? 836. million (approximately $1,302. 5 million) in FY2011, a decrease of 1. 8% compared to FY2010. The net profit was ? 612 million (approximately $952. 5 million) in FY2011, an increase of 16. 3% over FY2010. *The financial year ended April 2, 2011 was a 52-week period whereas the financial year ended April 3, 2010 was a 53-week period. KEY FACTS Head Office Marks and Spencer Group plc Waterside House 35 Nor th Wharf Road London W2 1NW GBR Phone 44 20 7935 4422 Fax Web Address http://www. marksandspencer. com Revenue / turnover 9,740. 3 (GBP Mn) Financial Year End April Employees 78,169 London Ticker MKS Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 3 Marks and Spencer Group plc Business Description BUSINESS DESCRIPTION MS is the holding company of the Marks Spencer Group of companies. The company is one of the UK’s leading retailers, with more than 21 million people visiting its stores each week. MS offers clothing and home products, as well as foods, sourced from about 2,000 suppliers globally. It operates through both wholly owned stores and franchise stores. As of FY2011, the company operated 703 stores in the UK. MS operates over 361 owned and franchised stores in over 42 territories. Though the company primarily repor ts its revenues in terms of geographic segments (UK and international), its operations can be categorized under two divisions: food and general merchandise. The food division concentrates on four main areas: fresh, natural, healthy food; special celebration products; authentic ready meal ranges; and exceptional ever yday food such as Oakham chicken. It operates a chain of 163 Simply Food owned stores and 202 Simply Food franchise stores in high streets, motorway service stations, railway stations and air por ts in the UK. The general merchandise division of the company is categorized into two segments: clothing and home. The clothing segment offers womens wear, mens wear, lingerie, childrens wear, and accessories and footwear. Some of the prominent brands offered by this segment include Autograph, Limited Collection, Collezione, Blue Harbour, Girls Boutique, Per Una, Ceriso, Adored, and Truly you. The home segment offers homeware and home accessories, kitchen and tableware, lighting, and furniture products. In addition to selling products through regular stores, the segment also offers catalogue services. M;S offers its products and services online as well as through flagship stores, high street stores, retail park stores, M;S outlets, Simply Food stores, and Simply Food franchised stores. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 4 Marks and Spencer Group plc History HISTORY M;S was founded in 1884 as a stall in an open market in Leeds, the UK. Then known as Marks Penny Bazaar, it was the household goods, haberdasher y, toy, and sheet-music business of Michael Marks, a Jewish refugee from Poland. In 1894, he took Thomas Spencer as a business par tner. In 1903, MS was registered as a private limited company. Although a clothing design depar tment had first been set up in 1938, it was not until after the Second World War that it became fully developed under a leading designer. In 1973, the company entered Canada, and bought Peoples Depar tment Stores and DAllairds, a national womens wear retailer, both of which it later sold. The company also had direct retailing investments in Canada. It tried to move south of the border in 1988 with the purchase of Brooks Brothers, but the US operation never took off as the company had hoped. Five franchised stores were closed down in Turkey in 1999 when the franchise par tner Turk Petrol Holding couldnt meet its bank obligations and collapsed. Later in the year, Marks and Spencer Canada, after 25 years of business, closed its 38 stores. The company sold its US clothing chain Brooks Brothers for $225 million in 2001. In 2003, MS announced the launch of its more credit card. Alongside this, Marks Spencer Financial Services was re-branded Marks Spencer Money. In 2004, MS completed the sale of Marks Spencer Retail Financial Services Holdings (MS Money) to HSBC. During the course of 2005, the company opened 31 Simply Food stores as well as closed the Lifestore project in the UK. MS expanded the Simply Food format with the acquisition of 28 stores on a leasehold basis from Iceland Foods for a consideration of ? 38 million (approximately $76. 3 million) in 2006. In the same year, MS sold Kings Super Markets, its only non-MS branded business to a US investor group consisting of Angelo, Gordon Co, MTN Capital Par tners and Mr. Bruce Weitz for $61. 5 million in cash. In 2007, MS and two of its long-term suppliers decided to star t the development of MS first eco-factories, pioneering innovative methods of sustainable manufacturing. One factor y in Sri Lanka would make lingerie and two factories in Nor th Wales would manufacture furniture upholster y. In the same year, the company launched its own branded LCD widescreen TVs. This range was in addition to the existing collection of Sony TVs currently available at M;S. Fur ther in the year, M;S launched school wear made from recycled plastic bottles. The companys first standalone home store in Lisburn, Nor thern Ireland was launched in 2007. In the same year, MS launched Big Tall, an exclusive online mens wear offering more than 450 items online ranging from tailoring to knitwear to casual shir ts and trousers. Also in 2007, M;S reduced saturated fat level as much as 82% in more than 500 companys products. The company reduced saturated fat levels in products including sandwiches, ready meals, crisps and savor y snacks. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 5 Marks and Spencer Group plc History Towards the end of 2007, a new Made to Measure shir ts ser vice was launched by MS, which allowed customers to design a tailor-made shir t within 21 days. The company added new products to its mens wear por tfolio in FY2008. M;S also launched climate control underwear featuring temperature regulating technology developed by NASA, expanded Collezione brand collection by introducing new shoes, wool and cashmere mix trousers. M;S reinvigorated its Blue Harbour brand to attract 35 to 44 year old men. Also in FY2008, the company star ted to freeze its ready meals for international sale and launched a range of 70 lines in eight countries. Later, the company also launched a 25-piece capsule collection called GD25 from Per Una. In 2008, M;S removed ar tificial colors and flavorings from its entire food and soft drinks range. In the same year, the company improved the quantity of space in a number of major out of towns and city centre stores through store extensions and also added 35 stores to its Simply Food por tfolio, including 25 BP franchised stores. A new flagship store in new Westfield Centre at White City, West London was opened at the end of 2008. To fur ther progress in Asian markets, the company opened its first 38,000 square feet store in Shanghai. M;S then entered into a par tnership with Scottish and Southern Energy, as per which M;S Energy would supply electricity and gas to domestic customers and reward them with M;S store vouchers for helping the environment by reducing their energy usage. M;S announced plans to close 10 of its Simply Food stores in 2009. The company opened Food to Go outlets in Hong Kong in the same year. Also in 2009, M;S announced plans to enter new categories in the Indian market, with the launch of luggage and footwear for men. The company introduced a Ramadan and Eid fashion collection in all the 13 stores throughout the Middle East in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman in 2009. Fur ther in the year, M;S launched personalized greetings cards business online. The company also announced to open its second mainland store in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province in southern China. M;S also launched a beer and cider range to complement its wine selection. M;S launched a revamped version of its website in 2009, the first major update since 2007. Fur thermore, in 2009, the company began to offer its online international deliver y service to 73 more countries as par t of a drive to grow annual sales of M;S Direct. The company began its offering within the homeware sector in 2009. M;S announced plans to open a store in Marbella, Spain by the end of 2009. In the same year, M;S and India-based Reliance Retail planned to open approximately 50 stores in India in the following five years under the banner of their joint venture company Marks ; Spencer Reliance India. Later in the year, the company outlined plans to cut costs by ? 50 million (about $150 million) by optimizing its supply chain and IT systems. M;S also announced plans to open a new store at the Swords Pavilions shopping center in the Dublin Airpor t, Ireland, in 2009. The company opened its new 22,000 square feet store at Morpeths Sanderson Arcade in the same year. MS decided to launch Simply Food in Western Europe. Fur ther in 2009, the company announced plans to sell a selected range of around 400 branded grocery and household products in all of its UK stores, following a 16-month trial in its stores in the Nor th East and South East of England. In 2010, MS launched a new Home Energy Service division that would offer customers a suite of energy efficiency products and services. Building on the success of MS Energy, which was servicing Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 6 Marks and Spencer Group plc History over 125,000 homes, the company would roll-out a number of new products including bespoke energy advice, renewable energy solutions such as solar panels and heat pumps, and energy efficient heating solutions. In the same year, MS announced a program to be the worlds most sustainable retailer by 2015, launching 80 major new commitments under M;S eco and ethical plan, Plan A. The new commitments will mean that the company ensures all MS products become Plan A products with at least one sustainable quality. This program will also enable the companys 2,000 suppliers to adopt Plan A best practice and encourage M;S customers and employees to live greener lifestyles. Fur ther in 2010, M;S launched a new version of www. marksandspencer. om designed specifically for use on mobile phones and mobile devices—the first mobile site from a major UK high street retailer. Through this, the company aims to expand its multi-channel offering. During the same year, M;S launched England Football team suit exclusively in M;S stores, to take advantage of the football World cup spending. The company opened its new 1. 1 million square feet distribution centre at ProLogis Park Bradford in the UK in 2010. Thi s warehouse in the UK will serve all the companys stores with furniture products and store equipment. Later in 2010, MS launched a range of Solar PV and Solar Thermal water heating solutions. Fur thering the sustainability initiatives, the company also announced that it will use polyester made from recycled PET drinks bottles instead of virgin polymer to make more than 300 million clothing care labels a year. Towards the end of 2010, MS announced plans to move into rail distribution to reduce its carbon footprint. More than 300,000 general merchandise products per week would move from road to rail distribution. The company also opened a new shopping center in Vilnius, Lithuania at the end of year. In April 2011, MS opened its greenest ever store at Ecclesall Road in Sheffield. This is the first store of a number of new Sustainable Learning stores planned by the company as par t of its drive to become the worlds most sustainable major retailer by 2015. The company opened 20 stores in the UK during FY2011, including 17 Simply Foods. In international, M;S opened 49 new stores and closed 15 stores. During the same period, the company entered the Egyptian market with a 28,000 square feet store in the Dandy Mega Mall in Cairo. The company, in July 2011, launched a new iPad application for its investors. This application will provide investors with latest M;S financial news. In the following month, M;S signed a traceability deal with Historic Futures. As per the deal, Historic Futures will provide the company full traceability on ever y single clothing and home product it sells. M;S is the first major retailer to commit to full traceability for non-food products. In September 2011, M;S opened a new store at Westfield, Stratford City with the latest ‘Only at Your M;S innovations and customer experiences. In the following month, MS launched its new French website, http://www. marksandspencer. fr/, marking its first international transactional website. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 7 Marks and Spencer Group plc History The company, in November 2011, opened its new flagship store at 100 Avenue des Champs-elysees in Paris. MS, in February 2012, launched its outlet format on its website at www. marksandspencer. com/outlet. MS Outlet will permanently offer a selection of more than 1,300 quality MS clothing products with up to 40% off the regular high street and online prices. In the same month, the company recalled four products (Crispy Prawn Wonton, Crispy Vegetable Balls, Prawn Baguette Toast, and Prawn Siu Mai Selection) from its Chinese range due to mistake in ‘use by’ date. In March 2012, the company, announced plans to launch a new website for its Irish customers, http://www. marksandspencer. ie/. In April 2012, MS announced that it will accept secondhand clothes at UK outlets in order to recycle into other fabrics or reuse overseas by the Oxfam charity in an aim to cut waste. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 8 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employees KEY EMPLOYEES Name Job Title Board Marc Bolland Chief Executive Officer Executive Board 975000 GBP Alan Stewar t Chief Finance Officer Executive Board 550000 GBP Kate Bostock Executive Director, General Merchandise Executive Board 590000 GBP John Dixon Executive Director, Food Executive Board 540000 GBP Steven Sharp Executive Director, Marketing Executive Board 655000 GBP Laura Wade-Gery Executive Director, Multi-channel E-commerce Executive Board Amanda Mellor Group Secretar y and Head of Corporate Governance Executive Board Rober t Swannell Chairman of the Board Non Executive Board Vindi Banga Director Non Executive Board Miranda Cur tis Director Non Executive Board Jeremy Darroch Director Non Executive Board 85000 GBP Steven Holliday Director Non Executive Board 85000 GBP Mar tha Lane Fox Director Non Executive Board 70000 GBP Jan du Plessis Director Non Executive Board 70000 GBP Clem Constantine Director, Proper ty Senior Management Tanith Dodge Director, Human Resources Senior Management Dominic Fr y Director, Communications and Investor Relations Senior Management Jan Heere Director, International Senior Management Nayna McIntosh Director, Store Marketing and Design Senior Management Steve Rowe Director, Retail Senior Management Darrell Stein Director, Information Technology and Logistics Senior Management Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Compensation 450000 GBP Page 9 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies KEY EMPLOYEE BIOGRAPHIES Marc Bolland Board: Executive Board Job Title: Chief Executive Officer Since: 2010 Mr. Bolland has been the Chief Executive Officer at Marks and Spencer Group since 2010. Previously, he was the Chief Executive Officer at Morrisons Supermarkets from 2006 to 2010. Prior to this, Mr. Bolland worked at Heineken for 20 years in various management roles, including Executive Board member and Chief Operating Officer, and responsibility for operations and business development in the US, France, Italy, Spain, the Caribbean and Latin America. He also ser ves as a Director at Manpower. Alan Stewart Board: Executive Board Job Title: Chief Finance Officer Since: 2010 Mr. Stewar t has been the Chief Finance Officer at Marks and Spencer Group since 2010. Before joining the company, he was the Chief Financial Officer at AWAS, an aircraft leasing company. Mr. Stewar t spent 10 years at HSBC Investment Bank before joining Thomas Cook in 1996, where he held various senior roles, including Chief Executive at Thomas Cook UK. Mr. Stewar t joined WH Smith in 2005 as Group Finance Director. He also ser ved as a Non Executive Director at Games Workshop Group. Kate Bostock Board: Executive Board Job Title: Executive Director, General Merchandise Ms. Bostock is the Executive Director of General Merchandise at Marks and Spencer Group. She joined the company in 2004. Previously, Ms. Bostock was the Product Director for Childrenswear at Next from 1994. She also ser ved as the Product Director for the George brand covering all areas of clothing and footwear at Asda. John Dixon Board: Executive Board Job Title: Executive Director, Food Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 10 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Since: 2009 Mr. Dixon has been the Executive Director of Food at Marks and Spencer Group since 2009. He joined the company as a Store Management Trainee. Mr. Dixon held various senior roles at the company for over 20 years, including Executive Assistant, Chief Executive, and Director of Home and MS Direct. Steven Sharp Board: Executive Board Job Title: Executive Director, Marketing Mr. Sharp is the Executive Director of Marketing at Marks and Spencer Group. He joined the company in 2004. Previously, Mr. Shar p served as the Marketing Director at Asda, the Bur ton Group, Booker, and Arcadia Group. Currently, he is a Non Executive Director at Adnams. Laura Wade-Gery Board: Executive Board Job Title: Executive Director, Multi-channel E-commerce Since: 2011 Ms. Wade-Gery has been the Executive Director of Multi-channel E-commerce at Marks and Spencer Group since 2011. Prior to this, she worked at Tesco and held a variety of senior roles, including Chief Executive Officer of Tesco. com and Tesco Direct. Ms. Wade-Ger y also held various roles at Gemini Consulting and Kleinwor t Benson. She has also been a Non Executive Director at Trinity Mirror since 2006. Amanda Mellor Board: Executive Board Job Title: Group Secretary and Head of Corporate Governance Ms. Mellor is the Group Secretary and Head of Cor porate Governance at Marks and Spencer Group. She joined the company in 2004 as the Head of Investor Relations. Ms. Mellor spent her early career in investment management at James Capel before becoming a Director within its Corporate Finance team. She then served at Rober t Fleming, Investment Banking prior to joining The Bur ton Group as the Director of Cor porate Relations and Investor Relations. Robert Swannell Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Chairman of the Board Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 11 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Since: 2011 Mr. Swannell has been the Chairman of the Board at Marks and Spencer Group since 2011. He joined the company in 2010 as a Non Executive Director. Prior to this, Mr. Swannell was a Senior Independent Director at The British Land Company, and 3i Group. He spent over 30 years in investment banking at Schroders/Citigroup. Mr. Swannell was previously the Vice Chairman at Citi Europe and Co-Chairman at Citis European Investment Bank. Vindi Banga Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2011 Mr. Banga has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2011. He is currently a Par tner at Clayton Dubilier ; Rice, a private equity investment firm. Prior to this, Mr. Banga spent 33 years at Unilever, where he held several senior positions, including President of the Global Foods, Home and Personal Care businesses, and was a member of the Unilever Executive Board. He also serves as a Non Executive Director at Thomson Reuters and Maruti Suzuki India. Miranda Curtis Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2012 Ms. Cur tis has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since February 2012. She is currently the Chairman at Waterstones, and a Non Executive Director at Liber ty Global. Ms. Cur tis has also been a Non Executive Director at National Express Group since 2008. She also serves on the Boards of the Institute for Government, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Camfed (the leading African girls’ education charity). Jeremy Darroch Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2006 Mr. Darroch has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2006. He also ser ves as the Chief Executive at British Sky Broadcasting. Previously, Mr. Darroch ser ved as the Chief Financial Officer at British Sky Broadcasting. Prior to this, he was the Group Finance Director and Retail Finance Director at Dixons Retail (formerly DSG International). Marks and Spencer Group plc MarketLine Page 12 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Steven Holliday Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2004 Mr. Holliday has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2004. He is the Group Chief Executive Officer at National Grid. Prior to that, Mr. Holliday served as the Director of UK and Europe and was responsible for the UK Elect ricity and Gas businesses. He is also the Chairman of the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy. Prior to joining National Grid, Mr. Holliday was an Executive Director at British Borneo Oil and Gas. Previously, he held several senior positions at Exxon Group. Martha Lane Fox Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2007 Ms. Fox has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2007. She is the UK’s Digital Champion, the Chairman of Race Online 2012, and a Non Executive Director at Channel 4 Television. Ms. Fox is founder and Chairman of Lucky Voice, and of her own grant-giving foundation, Antigone. She was co-founder of lastminute. com. Jan du Plessis Board: Non Executive Board Job Title: Director Since: 2008 Mr. du Plessis has been a Director at Marks and Spencer Group since 2008. He is the Chairman at Rio Tinto. Previously, Mr. du Plessis was the Chairman at British American Tobacco and a Non Executive Director at Lloyds Banking Group. He also ser ved as the Chairman at RHM from 2005 to 2007. Mr. du Plessis was previously the Group Finance Director at Richemont, a position he held until 2004. Clem Constantine Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Proper ty Mr. Constantine is the Director, Proper ty at Marks and Spencer Group. He joined the company in 2006. Mr. Constantine was appointed the Group Proper ty and Retail Planning Director at Arcadia Group in 1999. He was appointed to his first finance directorship in 1993, for the IS brand at the Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 13 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Bur ton Group, and moved through several other finance directorships with variable responsibilities including systems and retail. Mr. Constantine was trained as a Char tered Accountant at Stoy Hayward, and joined Debenhams in 1989 as a Financial Analyst. Tanith Dodge Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Human Resources Since: 2008 Ms. Dodge has been the Director, Human Resources at Marks and Spencer Group since 2008. She was formerly the Group Human Resources Director at WH Smith since 2003. At WH Smith, Ms. Dodge was also responsible for Public Relations, Communications and Post Office Operations. Prior to this, she was the Senior Vice President Human Resources for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at InterContinental Hotels Group. Ms. Dodge also served as the Human Resources Director at Diageos two business divisions. She was also the International Human Resources Manager at Prudential Corporation. Dominic Fry Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Communications and Investor Relations Mr. Fry is the Director, Communications and Investor Relations at Marks and Spencer Group. He joined the company in 2009. Prior to this, Mr. Fr y ser ved at Tulchan Communications. In 1996, he was appointed the Communications Director at J Sainsbury and ser ved in the same role at ScottishPower from 2000 to 2005. In 1989, Mr. Fr y became the Communications Director at ATT in the UK before moving from there to head up communications at the Channel Tunnel in the mid 90s. He star ted his career in 1982 working in PR consultancy at Traverse-Healy ; Regester and then Charles Barker. Jan Heere Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, International Since: 2011 Mr. Heere has been the Director, International at Marks and Spencer Group since 2011. He joined Inditex in 2002 where he held a several international roles, most recently as General Manager for Inditex Russia. During 2000–02, Mr. Heere held various senior management roles at Zara, Groupo Inmobiliario Lupaco, and Charanga. He began his career at Manpower in Spain in 1997. Nayna McIntosh Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 14 Marks and Spencer Group plc Key Employee Biographies Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Store Marketing and Design Ms. McIntosh is the Director, Store Marketing and Design at Marks and Spencer Group. She joined the company in 2005. Prior to this, Ms. McIntosh was par t of the Management Team that set up the per una brand in 2001. Previously, she served as the Sales and Marketing Director for the George brand at Asda stores. Before joining George, Ms. McIntosh was at Next for four years as a Divisional Executive for the South of England. Steve Rowe Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Retail Since: 2008 Mr. Rowe has been the Director, Retail at Marks and Spencer Group since 2008. He joined the company in 1989 and held a variety of positions in store management, having previously worked at Topshop as a Store Manager. Mr. Rowe joined Head Office in 1992 as a Merchandiser for Menswear. In 1998, he was promoted to Category Manager in the Furniture Depar tment. In 2001, Mr. Rowe led the team developing the Home Growth Strategy, working with McKinsey Consultants, and became Head of Home categories in 2003. He was promoted to the Director of Home a year later in 2004. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Rowe was also responsible for Beauty and New Business Development. Darrell Stein Board: Senior Management Job Title: Director, Information Technology and Logistics Mr. Stein is the Director, Information Technology and Logistics at Marks and Spencer Group. He has been working in IT for 17 years star ting his career at the company in 1990. Mr. Stein re-joined M;S in 2006 as the IT Director. From 2001 to 2006, he ser ved at Vodafone, becoming IT Director for Vodafone UK in 2004. Prior to this, Mr. Stein was Vodafones UK Network Director and Global IT Strategy and Architecture Director. From 1996 to 2001, he ser ved at Ernst Young, leading a number of major IT and Change Programmes in the financial services, retail and utility sectors. In 1994, Mr. Stein joined Mars as a Project Manager. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 15 Marks and Spencer Group plc Major Products and Services MAJOR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES MS is one of the leading retailers of clothing, foods and homeware in the UK. The companys key products and services include the following: Products: Womens wear Mens wear Lingerie Childrens wear Footwear Food and grocery items Homeware and home accessories Kitchen and tableware Lighting Furniture products Services: Credit cards Car, home, travel, and pet insurance Personal loans Brands: Autograph Limited Collection Collezione Blue Harbour Girls Boutique Per Una Ceriso Adored Truly you Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 16 Marks and Spencer Group plc Revenue Analysis REVENUE ANALYSIS Overview The company recorded revenues of ? 9,740. 3 million (approximately $15,158. 8 million) in FY2011, an increase of 2. 1% over FY2010. For FY2011, the UK, the companys largest geographic market, accounted for 89. 7% of the total revenues. M;S generates revenues through two business divisions: food (51. 5%% of the total revenues in FY2011), and general merchandise (48. 5%). Revenues by division* During FY2011, the food division recorded revenues of ? 4,499. 4 million (approximately $7,002. 4 million), an increase of 1. 9% over FY2010. The general merchandise division recorded revenues of ? 4,233. 6 million (approximately $6,588. 8 million) in FY2011, an increase of 2% over FY2010. *The revenue breakdown by division is only for the revenues from the UK market. Revenues by geography The UK, M;S largest geographical market, accounted for 89. % of the total revenues in FY2011. Revenues from the UK reached ? 8,733 million (approximately $13,591. 2 million) in FY2011, an increase of 1. 9% over FY2010. International operations accounted for 10. 3% of the total revenues in FY2011. Revenues from international operations reached ? 1,007. 3 million (approximately $1,567. 7 million) in FY2011, an increase of 4% over FY2010. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 17 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis SWOT ANALYSIS MS is one of the leading retailers of clothing, foods and homeware in the UK. The company has expanded its food product offering significantly in the recent years. New products launches, focus on expanding healthy products, promotions, and competitive prices are all helping the company attract customers in a highly competitive market. However, surge in shoplifting could negatively impact the cost structure for MS. Strengths Weaknesses Expanding food offering Strong market position in the clothing segment Geographical expansion to increase the addressable market and reduce vulnerability to mature UK market MS etched a highly effective CSR strategy MS legacy stores and systems are a ompetitive disadvantage Declining general merchandise division sales due to inadequate stocking Opportunities Threats Online channel continues to boom and will enable MS to boost revenues Focus on China and India can lead to expansion in two of the fastest growing markets Surge in shoplifting losses costs the retailers and customers Weak consumer spending in the UK Rising labor cost in the UK Strengths Expanded food offering The company has expanded its food product offering significantly in the recent years. In 2009, MS consistently highlighted it is cheaper than Waitrose on a basket of 1,200 items by about 2%. The company, in 2009, decided to invest in its margins in order to provide its customers better value. As a result of this, MS saw improved perceptions of value by its customers. The company, in FY2011, launched around 1,800 new products in food and positioned itself as the UK’s leading high quality food retailer. The key product launches of the company include Taste Italia, and Made Without Wheat range of gluten-free bread and cakes, With the success of Made Without Wheat product range, the company launched gluten-free sandwiches, sausages, stuffing, and crisp bakes. As of FY2011, the company offered 125 gluten-free products. MS also became the UK’s second largest favorite health food brand with the launch of its Simply Fuller Longer range which encourages customers to manage their weight with a menu plan. The gross margin of food division increased by 20 basis points to Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 18 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis 30. 8% in FY2011. This was mainly driven by better management of promotions and waste. Fur ther, in the four th quar ter of FY2012 ended March 2012, MS launched 500 new products in the food division. The sales in this quar ter increased by 3. 1%, The company’s promotions such as roast dinner for ? 5 ($7. 8), Dine In, etc offered its customers with great value solutions for special occasions. MS’ food division has been performing well in a ver y competitive market and against tough competitors. By launching innovative products and with an expanded food offering, the company has been able to attract the customers in a highly competitive market. Strong market position in the clothing segment MS has a strong market position in the clothing segment. With more than one in 10 clothing items bought from MS, the company ranks amongst the three largest clothing retailers in the UK. According to a repor t released by Verdict (Datamonitors retail arm) in May 2012, M;S is known for its product quality. The company was ranked first with a score of 49 for its product quality above the market average of 23. According to another repor t released by Verdict in April 2012, M;S enjoys highest conversion rate of 50. 7% and is very successful in conver ting visitors to loyal main users through its varied product offer, in-store service and garment quality. This indicates that M;S is a trustwor thy brand, which all main users would return to knowing that the quality, fit, and ser vice are reliable and consistent. The retailer has recognized that its core market of predominantly mature customers has been especially hard hit by rising core costs of living, falling interest on savings and worse prospects for pensions, and in reaction has lowered its entr y prices to compete more effectively with high street/value operators and supermarkets, helping to maintain the loyalty of its main users and prevent them from shopping elsewhere. Verdict, in its repor t in March 2012, ranked, M;S seventh in the global depar tment store market with a share of 3. 2%. This market leadership enabled M;S to excel throughout the economic downturn, while other mid-market retailers are pressured from the ever expanding value players. Leading market position indicates access to a large customer base and also popularity of M;S offering in the clothing segment. Going forward, this market position would enable the company to drive revenues as consumer spending recovers. Geographical expansion to increase the addressable market and reduce vulnerability to mature UK market With a por tfolio of over 361 owned and franchised stores in 42 territories MS continues to grow its international business. This mix of ownership models and countries enabled the company to perform well in FY2011, even when individual markets were weak. Fur ther, during FY2011, the company entered the Egyptian market with a 28,000 square feet store in the Dandy Mega Mall in Cairo. MS international business grew by 4% in FY2011 despite tough economic situation. As an established retailer in a mature market, it is going to be hard for M;S to continually deliver significant increases in UK sales. However, in the long run, its international business offers an oppor tunity for high growth. By generating much higher volumes, it can deliver margin benefits with suppliers. With production costs rising, this will be an advantage in the UK. International expansion will enable the company to access multiple sales points for most of the product ranges. This is especially relevant for clothing and homewares segments. Also, through expansion in the international markets M;S can reduce Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 19 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis vulnerability to mature UK market. The company can also par ticipate effectively in some of highest growing markets such as China and India. All these factors would enable the company to reduce the overall business risk and facilitate increased revenues. M;S etched a highly effective CSR strategy M;S has to its credit an effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. CSR has been gaining prominence not just among the stake holders and governments but the consumers as well. The company has the highest propor tion of consumers believing it to be a responsible retailer and this can largely be attributed to the success of its Plan A, a ? 200 million (approximately $320. 3 million) 100-point plan launched in 2007 with five areas of focus: climate change, fair par tnership, health, sustainable raw materials, and waste. In FY2011, the company included two more areas in its Plan A: involving customers, and making Plan A how we do business. In the last few years, initiatives launched under the Plan A banner include launching the companys first eco-store, encouraging suppliers to set-up eco-factories, removing hydrogenated fats from its ready meals, increasing the propor tion of organic food, reducing the salt content of its produce, cer tifying a larger percentage of its fish as originating from sustainable populations, and beginning to sell recycling and composting bins. It is the high profile presence of Plan A in adver tising campaigns, product labeling and store signage that gives MS one of the best consumer perceptions of a retailer for social responsibility. The campaign works not just as a direct to consumer channel, but also because of the positive coverage it creates. Perhaps more impor tantly, it has publicized all of these initiatives extensively. In 2008, MS launched a TV adver tising campaign focusing on its ethical, environmental and health-conscious credentials, highlighting that it only uses free range eggs and that its products are now free from ar tificial colors and flavorings. Other, more innovative, ideas have included a joint venture with Oxfam to promote the recycling of old clothes. In addition, more controversially, the retailer introduced a 5p charge for carrier bags at all of its food depar tments in 2008. Though many consumers resented this charge, it has undoubtedly boosted MS reputation as an ethical retailer. Overall, sculpting its CSR strategy into such a high publicity campaign, divided into such clear action points and highly visible benefits, has seen the company move to the forefront of responsible retailing. In FY2011, the company launched Indigo Green, its first range of clothing made using more sustainable fabrics. In April 2012, the company announced to accept secondhand clothes at all the UK outlets except Simply Food stores, to recycle them into other fabrics or to reuse them in order to cut waste. Plan A has seen CSR become core to M;S principles in the eyes of the consumer and it has reaped the benefits of this, gaining shoppers as a result and repor tedly saving more than ? 70 million (approximately $108. 9 million) in efficiencies gained in FY2011 compared with ? 50 million (approximately $77. 8 million) in FY2010. In addition, MS improved energy efficiency in its stores by 23% and warehouses by 24% in FY2011 compared to FY2007. It also improved the fuel efficiency of its deliver y fleets by 20% and total carbon emissions have been reduced by 13%. The company now recycles 94% of all the waste it generates from its stores, offices and warehouses. The total waste is down by more than a third. MS also met its sustainable standards by sourcing 90% of wild fish in FY2011 (62% in FY2010) and 76% of wood in FY2011 (72% in FY2010). Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 20 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis By actively promoting a products greener attributes (for example fewer, more recognizable and natural ingredients), retailers such as M;S have positioned products as improving ones personal environment while benefiting the global environment too. Many of their successes have come from emphasizing the former rather than the latter, especially as consumers often associate ethics with a sense of wellbeing. In terms of the issues that concern consumers, the sustainability of natural resources is a major fear, as are climate change and the fairness of sourcing arrangements. Consumers are also attracted to products with health benefits and there is a clear trend that consumers can be persuaded to par t with more money in return for products with a positive impact, not just to them personally, but also to wider society. Indeed, differentiating between products becomes harder and harder to achieve, Verdict expects consumers to turn to auxiliary considerations such as ethicality and sustainability to guide their choices. Consumers are no longer purely satisfied with how a product looks and functions; they want assurances over aspects such as nvironmental impact, hygiene, safety, and fairness. In light of the above mentioned trends where the customer choices are increasingly guided by the sustainability issues, MS will benefit due to its reputation of being a responsible retailer. Weaknesses MS legacy stores and systems are a competitive disadvantage MS suffers some competitive disadvantages compared to Tesco, which has been able to drive earnings before int erest and tax (EBIT) growth even in the mature UK market. Tesco benefits from supplier power and state-of-the-ar t IT, supply chain and systems compared with MS legacy systems. The supermarket retailer has been able to break up the demand cur ve with metro, express and big box store formats out of town and on the high street. Moreover, Tesco stores have been carefully designed with consistent store layouts in order to facilitate store navigation. Extra back room store space has also been allocated to allow for smooth execution of its picking and distribution model. Tesco sells both own label and branded goods (food and non-food) in a bid to drive up footfall and sales conversion. MS legacy stores are inconsistent in terms of layout. Store size tends to dictate product availability, while a lack of back room store space does not facilitate the same style supermarket pick and delivery model. The legacy systems and stores of MS are constraining effective servicing of customer demands on a consistent basis. This is placing the company at a clear competitive disadvantage compared to a formidable opponent, Tesco. Declining general merchandise division sales due to inadequate stocking The company’s general merchandise division sales declined in recent times, MS’ general merchandise division sales decreased by 2. % in the four th quar ter of FY2012 ended March 2012. This was mainly due to shor tage of stock in its stores, Due to this, the company was also not able to meet customer demand for 300,000 knitwear garments under the MS Woman label. It only sold Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 21 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis 100,000 knitwear garments during this period. Fur ther, in times of high demand, inadequate stock could hamper the sales of the division and result in loss of sales to competitors. This not only affects the revenues of the company but could also result in shift of customers to its competitors. Opportunities Online channel continues to boom and will enable MS to boost revenues Online retail sales in the UK have grown significantly over a period of time. According to Office for National Statistics, non-seasonally adjusted average weekly value for internet retail sales in the UK was ? 414 million (approximately $644. 3 million) in Februar y 2010, this increased to ? 573. 6 million (approximately $892. 7 million) in February 2012, representing an increase of 18%. Internet sales accounted for only 8% of the total retail sales (excluding fuel) in Februar y 2010. This figure increased to 10. 7% in February 2012. The growing desire for convenience is seeing shoppers buy more online, especially in the category of food and grocery. Consumers have also become savvier, using the internet more to get the best deal they can. Voucher codes, and cashback sites have been instrumental in this. Additionally, improved deliver y and fulfillment options have been encouraging consumers to shop more online. The company operates in the internet channel through MS Direct where the products are offered through website and newly launched Shop Your Way facility, a new ordering service that has been rolled-out in 444 stores (including 151 in Simply Foods stores) during FY2011, allowing customers to place orders either in stores, online or over the phone, for deliver y to either a nominated address or free of charge to their nearest store. MS Direct’s sales increased from ? 413 million (approximately $642. 8 million) in FY2010 to ? 543 million (approximately $845. million) in FY2011, an increase of 31. 5%. Fur ther, in the first half of FY2012, MS Direct’s sales increased by 11. 7% with more than three million visitors per week. Thus, by leveraging its online presence, MS can cater to the requirements of a growing number of customers who are looking for convenience and better deals over the internet. Focus on China and India can lead to expansion in two of the fastest growing mar kets China and India are two economies which are recording highest growth rates which, in turn, are expected to aid the retail market growth in these two countries. Asias retail sales are estimated to increase with China driving the growth. According to the preliminary estimation, the gross domestic product (GDP) of China was CNY47,156. 4 billion ($7,285. 7 billion) in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 9. 2% at comparable prices. The fast pace economic development in China coupled with the rise of the middle class income group and their increasing disposable income have fur ther pushed up the demand for several consumer goods. According to National Bureau of Statistics of China, the total retail sales reached CNY18,391. 9 billion (approximately $2,841. billion) in 2011, representing a year-on-year nominal growth rate of 17. 1%. Fur ther, according to industr y estimates, the countr ys total retail sales are expected to increase from approximately CNY20 trillion ($3 trillion) in 2012 to approximately CNY26 trillion ($4 trillion) in 2016, representing an increase of about 30%. Strong Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 22 Marks and Spe ncer Group plc SWOT Analysis underlying economic trends, population growth and the increasing wealth of individuals are key factors that contribute to the retail market expansion in China. The retail industry in India is large owing to a large population and is set to grow as several factors contribute. According to the industry sources, the retail sales in India are forecast to grow from around $411 billion in 2011 to $804 billion by 2015. The key factors behind the forecast growth include strong underlying economic growth, population expansion, increasing wealth of individuals and the rapid construction of organized retail infrastructure. Also, as middle and upper class consumer base expands, there will also be oppor tunities in Indias second and third-tier cities. The greater availability of personal credit and a growing vehicle population are to improve mobility which will also contribute to a trend towards retail sales growth. M;S is strengthening presence in India and China as par t of its geographic expansion and for some time to come, these countries would be the key contributors to the companys international expansion strategies. The company in with par tnership with Reliance Retail, an established retailer in India, can tap into this lucrative market while expansion in China also continues. Indian and Chinese markets would provide a huge potential revenue base for MS. Threats Surge in shoplifting losses costs the retailers and customers The UK retailers are exposed to increased costs of shoplifting. Shoplifting has assumed massive propor tions in recent times. According to industry estimates, retail crime costed UK stores ? 1. 4 billion ($2. 2 billion) in 2011. There are about two million thefts per year, which concludes to an average of more than one per minute. According to another industr y repor t, the thefts across the UK stores increased from ? 4. 2 million ($6. 5 million) in 2009 to ? 5. 1 million ($7. 9 million) in 2011, an increase of 20%. Long-term trends also show the figure is likely to continue rising. As a result, retailers have been increasing their surveillance spend. This is increasing the costs for retailers as well as for the end consumers. The shoplifting losses are adding to the costs for the retailers and the customers have also been bearing the brunt. The surge in shoplifting could negatively impact the cost structure for MS as well. Weak consumer spending in the UK The UK market is suffering from weak consumer spending. The European debt crisis added more downward pressure to the growth prospects of the UK. According to Eurostat, the UK economy grew by 0. 7% in 2011 and is expected to grow by 0. 5% in 2012. In addition, the UK has witnessed high unemployment rate. According to the Office of National Statistics, the unemployment rate for the three months period November 2011 to January 2012 was 8. 4% with 2. 67 million unemployed people in the UK. Increasing unemployment rate is expected to fur ther put pressure on the economy of the UK. High inflation, led by the increase in VAT to 20% and public spending cuts reduced disposable Marks and Spencer Group plc MarketLine Page 23 Marks and Spencer Group plc SWOT Analysis income, leading to a fall in consumer spending on discretionary items. Consumers have been cautious with their spending especially due to soaring petrol prices, tax increases and uncer tainty over jobs. The UK is the key market for MS. In FY2011, the UK accounted for 89. 7% of MS total revenues. Thus, the sluggish consumer spending and high unemployment rate in the UK could affect most of the non-food retailers and lead to reduced sales volume or shrinking profit margins. Rising labor cost in the UK Labor costs are rising in the UK. In recent times, tight labor markets, increased over time, government mandated increases in minimum wages and a higher propor tion of full-time employees are resulting in an increase in labor costs, which could materially impact the companys results of operation. The National Minimum Wage (NMW) Regulations came into force in 1999 and since then the NMW rates have been increased annually. The national minimum wage increased from ? 5. 93 per hour ($9. 23 per hour) in October 2010 to ? 6. 08 per hour ($9. 46 per hour) in October 2011. Fur ther, the national minimum wage is expected to increase to ? 6. 19 per hour (9. 63 per hour) from October 2012. In FY2011, MS employed 78,169 people. Increasing labor costs can adversely affect the companys operating costs as its wage bills would escalate. This, in turn, could impact its margins adversely. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 24 Marks and Spencer Group plc Top Competitors TOP COMPETITORS The following companies are the major competitors of Marks and Spencer Group plc ASDA Group Limited Debenhams plc H ; M Hennes ; Mauritz AB J Sainsbury plc NEXT plc Selfridges plc Tesco PLC Gap, Inc. , The French Connection Group Plc House of Fraser Group Plc John Lewis Par tnership plc Arcadia Group Limited Home Retail Group Plc Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 25 Marks and Spencer Group plc Company View COMPANY VIEW A statement by Rober t Swannell, the Chairman of the Board at Marks and Spencer Group, is given below. The statement has been taken from the company’s Annual Repor t for FY2011. I feel ver y privileged to be Chairman of this unique company and at such an exciting time in our evolution. Since joining Marks ; Spencer in October and assuming the role of Chairman in Januar y, I have spent much of my time getting to know the business better – meeting our employees, shareholders, customers and suppliers. I first became deeply involved with M;S during the unsolicited takeover attempt in 2004, when I led the advisory team that helped put the M;S case to its shareholders. It was then I learned first hand about this unique company: about the extraordinarily strong relationship it has with its many stakeholders and about its very special ethos. This ethos is a reflection of the high standards our customers expect from M;S – trusting us not only to deliver great value, great quality products but also to do the right thing – socially, environmentally and ethically. We know that putting Plan A at the hear t of how we do business is not just the right thing to do; it is also fundamental to our long-term success. Performance In a challenging marketplace M;S has continued to grow, with underlying profits up 12. 9% on the year. We delivered this by staying true to our heritage of quality and innovation, reminding our customers what makes M;S special. This year Marc Bolland set out a clear medium-term plan for the business, after extensive discussions with colleagues and us, the Board. This is covered in detail in Marc’s review. From day one, I have been struck by the passion and commitment of our people. I am delighted that this year we are paying a bonus to all employees to thank them for their energy and enthusiasm in what has been a difficult trading environment. Dividend We are committed to delivering consistent returns for our shareholders. To this end we have adopted a progressive dividend policy, with dividends broadly covered twice by earnings. We intend to pay a final dividend of 10. 8p per share (last year 9. 5p) in respect of the 2010/11 financial year. Governance Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 26 Marks and Spencer Group plc Company View This year we returned to the traditional governance structure of a separate Chairman and Chief Executive, providing clarity between Marc Bolland and me, with regard to our respective roles. Put simply, I run the Board and Marc runs the business. The Board has a wide range of responsibilities. There are three that I think are par ticularly impor tant for the success of the business: first, to debate and agree our strategy and hold the executive team accountable for its execution; second, to ensure that we have the most talented team to execute this strategy and that we plan effectively for succession; and third, to set the tone for governance, which is par ticularly impor tant at M;S where ‘doing the right thing’ is an integral par t of our ethos. My ob is to ensure the Board has the right mix of skills and talents and to ensure that it works effectively as a team towards shared goals with the right mix of enquir y and suppor t of the executive directors from the non-executive directors. During the year we commissioned a formal Board evaluation from an independent consultant, the findings of which are outlined in the Governance section. This process highligh ted the real enthusiasm of the directors in suppor ting a shared ambition: to guide M;S to the ver y best future. We know that you expect high standards from M;S; it’s our responsibility to learn how we can improve. This review was an impor tant par t of that journey. As stated in our 2009/10 Annual Repor t, we reviewed the senior remuneration structure this year. Following extensive shareholder consultation, we believe we now have a framework that is both relevant to today’s M;S and fully aligned with our strategy. The Board Over the last year the Board has been strengthened by a series of executive appointments. In May 2010 Marc Bolland joined the business as Chief Executive, assuming the day-to-day running of the business from Sir Stuar t Rose in July. In October Alan Stewar t joined as Chief Finance Officer and in February we announced the appointment of Laura Wade-Gery as Executive Director, Multi-channel E-commerce; she will join the Board in July. Whilst the Board features some new faces, these changes have taken place around a core of executive and non-executive directors that has remained stable over recent years. I would like to pay par ticular tribute to Sir Stuar t Rose. When he became Chief Executive in 2004, M;S was at a low ebb. He restored confidence in M;S, re-established its values and built a strong business. The solid platform from which Marc is now implementing his plan is a credit to Stuar t’s energy and tireless commitment to M;S over the last seven years. The smooth management transition – the meticulous handover to me and the suppor t of Marc – is also a credit to Stuar t. In that connection, I would also like to thank Sir David Michels, and the Nominations ; Governance Committee he led, for managing a change of leadership over the past year that was accomplished quietly and effectively. David has decided to step down from the Board at the end of his second term in February 2012, but I am delighted that he will continue his role as Deputy Chairman until then. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 27 Marks and Spencer Group plc Company View I must also thank Louise Patten for the significant contribution she has made over the last five years, playing an impor tant role in each of our Board Committees. As Louise reaches the end of her second three year term on the Board, she has decided not to seek re-election at the upcoming AGM. Looking ahead Our priorities for the year ahead are clear. We have a plan and it is now our collective job to make it happen. The Board will concentrate on delivering exemplary governance at the highest level to enable our executive team to drive this strategy forward. The economy still gives us reason to be cautious. Yet in difficult times, our core values of Quality, Value, Ser vice, Innovation and Trust matter more than ever to M;S customers. These values remain at the hear t of our strategy and I therefore look forward to the future with confidence. Marks and Spencer Group plc  © MarketLine Page 28 Marks and Spencer Group plc Locations and Subsidiaries LOCATIONS AND SUBSIDIARIES Head Office Marks and Spencer Group plc Waterside House 35 Nor th Wharf Road London W2 1NW GBR P:44 20 7935 4422 http://www. marksandspencer. com Other Locations and Subsidiaries Marks and Spencer International Holdings Limited Great Britain GBR Marks and Spencer (Nederland) BV NLD Marks and Spencer (Ireland) Limited IRL Marks and Spencer (Asia Pacific) Limited HKG Marks and Spencer Simply Foods Limited Great Britain GBR Marks and Spencer Marinopoulos Greece SA GRC Marks and Spencer SCM Limited