...Instructor’s Manual CASE TEACHING NOTES Marks & Spencer Nardine Collier and Gerry Johnson 1. Introduction This case study is about why one of the world’s most famous retails, Marks & Spencer, ran into trouble at the end of the 1990s and how it attempted to manage a programme of change to overcome those problems. It is therefore useful to explore issues concerned with organisational culture, strategic drift, strategic choice and the management of change. The case covers both the history of Marks & Spencer throughout the last century and, in more detail, from 1998 to 2004, the period when it moved from a position of market dominance to one in which it was deemed to be a take-over target. The case charts the attempts by its different chief executives to address the problems during this time and, therefore, the various change initiatives that were mounted. 2. Position of the case The case study relates, in particular, to the problems and means of managing strategic change in Marks & Spencer. So it is particularly related to the coverage of strategic inertia and strategic drift in chapter 1 and programmatic design and change in chapter 10. With this in mind it might be taught at the end of the strategy course. However, it could also be used as a case to require students to analyse the reasons for the problems of Marks & Spencer, not only in terms of organisational culture, but also in terms of the market and competitive position of the firm. In this sense it could be...
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...was how busy the place was. There are two major bus routes (MiWay) that run through the intersection and very wide streets that allow for heavy traffic flow. There are also many amenities in the area like multiple grocery stores, a high school down Hurontario Street and many restaurants varying in price and ethnic diversity. The second thing I noticed was how diverse the area was. There were people of almost every race and even many people expressing their religion through clothing. On one of the corners there was even two women...
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...Writing Dr. Carla Lane February 21, 2007 Uniforms in Public Schools Think back to the age of adolescence, was there ever a comment made by other children on the way one dressed or did some teasing occur regarding the lack of current style? Was there an issue of being prejudged or stereotyped by others, including school faculty, based on the clothing one chose to wear? That was then, now remember how it felt. Times have changed and economic status plays such an important role in everyone’s lives, image how children of today feel. Social economics is a hard issue for adults to deal with and yet children are forced to deal with it on a daily basis in schools with their classmates, friends, and even their teachers. What solutions can be offered to change this bias for all children, regardless of age, race, and social status? One suggestion is to put school dress codes in place which would require school uniforms. School uniforms should be mandated in public schools because our children’s self esteem and education should not be determined by the clothes they wear. There is a nationwide campaign for the use of uniforms and the efforts are “gaining momentum”, states Susan Thomas (1994, p. 44). School systems are challenged with many issues, one being “ways to reduce competition over designer labels” (Thomas, 1994, p. 44). It is safe to say that both opponents and proponents of school uniforms agree that there are issues surrounding dress. But the challenge is in...
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...operates the world over has become turbulent, unpredictable and therefore, difficult to exert managerial control. Cultures around the world are constantly influencing each other; hence, the world’s cultures are changing fashion constantly. Also, social, economic, political and legal factors keep changing than before. Competition in the fashion industry is so rife such that the survival of fashion organizations cannot be guaranteed (Stuart, 1995). During the last decade, the developments of new technologies all over the world and growing globalization of countries economies have produced the fastest changes ever. The fashion industry in Ghana, especially, the clothing sub sector (which is the focus of this study) has not been without the effect of economic, political, social, cultural and legal pressures brought to bear on all organizations. In recent years, protectionism has given way to globalization. With that change, Ghanaian clothing sector of the fashion industry has had to compete with imports from low wage countries. Retailers, unencumbered by protectionism, have also seized on the opportunity, often choosing to go directly to offshore manufacturers. As retailers become larger and more globally connected, they continue to build global brands marketed around the world. In doing so, they eliminate many Ghanaian clothing companies from their supply chain. The result has been major market share declines and job losses in the industry. Aug The Ghanaian clothing sector of the...
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...logic that underlies their interrelationships. Exhibit 6.6 in the text clearly presents the major components of the model and their interrelationships. Students should be able to discuss these "flows of influence." The theory of reasoned action identifies two main influences on behavioral intentions--Aact and SN that is attitudes toward the action and subjective norms. Different promotional strategies, such as those used by The Gap, can try to change consumers’ attitudes and/or their subjective norms. For instance, if the weak BI is due to negative attitudes toward purchasing clothing from The Gap, advertising needs to focus on the specific negative beliefs about the consequences of buying and using the product. Alternatively, The Gap could try to use social influences to impact subjective norms by communicating social acceptability by wearing clothing from The Gap. 7. Use the example of “The Gap” to distinguish between the multi-attribute attitude model and the theory of reasoned action. How could each model contribute to the development of a more effective marketing strategy at The Gap? This review and applications question forces students...
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...wearing of the design. No matter how we look at fashion, this particular art is constantly changing right before our eyes. As you watch a person walk down the street and you view their attire, you are doing the same thing walking around an art gallery viewing portraits. You are looking at someone’s passion for design. You are viewing their creation in different mediums. Using different textures in the art of fashion is like using oil or watercolor in painting. with showing the connection between fashion and architecture. The design of clothing can be compared to the designing of a sculpture. The sculpture of human figure such as a King or Pharaoh relates to that time period, or period style, just as a piece of clothing relates to and era or time period. The design of clothing varies from each of these time periods. The “casual” clothing designed in the Middle Ages 800-1200 of the Romanesque Period was of long loose garments. Just as in a vertical line on a painting they stood tall in these long gowns and extended their dress by wearing tall head dresses. The colors they would wear seem to be of a dark, dull nature being mostly of blues, greens, and browns. Both men and women dressed in garments that were almost identical to each other (Hansen 1956). The cloaks and loose garments are seemed to lack the visual element of color. With color giving us much pleasure you are not as drawn to this design. The common women of this time period rarely had jewelry to decorate...
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...and socialization. The lost generation was an “organizing concept for people dislocated by both modernization and modernity” and it was found in the interwar periods (Ward). People found themselves losing their character and meaning in life, until the idea that sparked their minds that would be the turn of the century and others would then follow, validated in the quote, “Life thus improved becomes a living model for others to imitate” (Monk 19). Craig Monk demonstrated how individuals in the lost generation began to alter their morals, thus triggering the changes soon to come in the 1920’s. The idea of living life to the fullest without turning back was the key ideal during the turn of the century for many. The lost generation sparked individuals around the nation to live their life differently, due to the fact that time was not guaranteed and neither was...
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...that the company is in the clothing industry there is and will always be some strict competition. Three competitors to the Ralph Lauren, Polo company that I intend to incorporate into this research are: 1.) Lacoste- A retail clothing company that was founded in 1933 by the legendary tennis player Rene Lacoste. 2.) Abercrombie and Fitch- An All-American retail clothing company that was founded David T. Abercrombie in 1892. 3.) Calvin Klein- A retail clothing company that was founded in 1968 by Calvin Klein. All three companies are publicly traded and have been in competition with Ralph Lauren Polo for quite some time now. History: Ralph Lifshitz was born on October 14, 1939 to a middle class Jewish family living in the Bronx. Throughout some point in Ralph’s life he changed his last name to Lauren for personal reasons. His mother had always envisioned Ralph to become a rabbi when he was of age however; Ralph chose not to pursue that life. Ralph’s father also was a part of his life and was an artist and a housepainter. The company that Ralph Lauren started was titled “Polo”. This began approximately around the late 1960’s. Lauren started out as a clothing salesman selling clothes for other people’s clothing stores and clothing lines. Mainly he sold men’s gloves, suits, and ties. Ralph got tired of selling other people’s clothing and wanted to get in the business his self and begin creating his own clothes that he could sell. At the time he had no experience in...
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...Problem: How should Pine Street Inn Director Lyndia Downie proceed to persuade the Board of Directors and staff to change their long term organizational strategy? Background: Boston Pine Street Inn has come up against a funding issue forcing Director Lyndia Downie to make a change to the Boston Pine Street Inn. Boston Pine Street Inn is a homeless shelter that is made up of five facilities with 715 beds. 450 of the beds are standard emergency shelter beds and the rest “transitional” beds (Varley, 2013). It also managed 280 units of lightly staffed housing. With a budget of $27.5 Million, roughly 46% of it going toward emergency shelter beds and 16% to permanent housing, Pine street served 15,00 homeless people a day and 12,00 annually (Varley, 2013). Funding began to decline in the early 2000’s (Varley, 2013). In 2004 Pine Streets revenue fell from $29.6 million to $26.9 million. This led Director Downie and the Board of Directors to commission 2 studies to help find an answer to help balance the budget and use the funding wisely and efficiently. The studies commissioned were a Length of Stay Study and a Cost benefit analysis study. The studies showed great insight to where money was being spent and where resources were being allocated. The cost benefit analysis study showed that they had two programs, the Nursing Clinic and the Clothing program, were programs that could be outsourced and save Boston Pine Street Inn $1 million. The Nurse Clinic cut was not taken lightly...
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.........................................................................................6 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………….6-7 References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8 Addendum…………………………………………………………………………………………………...…9-10 Abstract My interview was with Patrizia Florino, who is the proud owner of a small clothing store for women in Anaheim, California. Patrizia grew up in southern Italy until the age of 24 and has been living in California ever since. She‘s always had a passion for the fashion industry, working several jobs in retail stores and even doing some modeling. Patrizia learned throughout working in the fashion industry is she cared about clothes the most and could only express herself if she had her own clothing store, so that’s exactly what she did. Having family and friends in Italy helps to drive her business, which is called “Amore Italia” meaning Love Italy. Throughout my interview at times I felt as though I was back in Italy, Patrizia runs her store with beliefs and work ethics as only Italians can do. Interview with Patrizia Florino In March 2011, Patrizia Florino opened up her clothing store called Amore Italia in Anaheim, California. Amore Italia means Love Italy and is a sole proprietorship. She has been an employee for corporations and franchises before but says there all the same thing, there is someone you always have to answer and...
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...with an organized student protest at Georgetown University, where author Pietra Rivoli, who is a professor of finance and international business, is watching the students arguing statements. This immediately captures my attention as it begins to describe a common characteristic of a major University that I live near and attend many events at. The University’s organized peaceful protest allowed the public speaking through protesting on the topic of the evils of big corporations and the explanation of how these big corporations, Globalization, The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the international Monetary Fund (IMF) are exploiting workers all around the world. One speaker alluding to “sweat shops” particularly caught the attention of the author by exclaiming, “Who made your T-Shirt”? This statement sparked Rivoli’s intrigue that is a great use of foreshadowing for what the story will lead to. The traveling of thousands of miles and across multiple continents to find out “who” really did make these shirts. We all wear our everyday cotton “tee’s” without giving a second thought about the journey each T-Shirt had to go through in order to make it here to the United States. This sets the foundation for the rest of the book and explains its purpose. The first stop in this journey isn’t on foreign soil where I expected the book to lead off, but rather here in the Continental United States at the Reinsch Cotton Farm in Smyer, Texas. Having served with many people from Texas, people often...
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...- Anthropology Assessment/Task 1 Many changes have occurred in non-developed countries and societies since World War II. Many of these changes are due to globalization. Globalization is the development of integration and interaction among societies and cultures of different nations, a method motivated by international trade and investment and assisted by information technology (Globalization101, 2014, para. 1). Western countries and societies have invaded non-western areas with their beliefs and ways of doing things. This has dramatically changed how non-western societies do business, communicate, dress, eat and conduct life. The following three examples will demonstrate how globalization has impacted contemporary non-western societies and cultures. The first example will reveal how India’s wardrobe has been westernized. The second example will demonstrate how the introduction of McDonald’s to Japan has changed the way they approach meals. The third example will show how the media drove the Chinese government to allow international adoption. Example 1 The media and marketplace has caused India’s traditional wardrobe of men and women wearing dress to be quickly left behind and replaced with westernized clothing. The traditional Indian attire is becoming obsolete in both boys and girls and being replaced with (blue jean) trousers via market and cable network (Singh, 2013). Before globalization had an impact on India’s choice of clothing, their traditional wardrobe included fabric...
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...FISHER and the occasion gave the company the impetus to pause and assess its history. The company had enjoyed phenomenal success in its first quarter century: its growth in revenues and profits had been driven by both the strong brand loyalty of its core customers, and the opening of fifty retail stores dedicated to the brand. The company was consistently recognized as one of the best companies to work for and had an impressive environmental sustainability and social responsibility record. However, a startling discovery had emerged. The median customer age was currently at 59 and increasing each year, keeping pace with the age of the company’s visionary founder, Eileen Fisher. Despite the company’s best efforts to design age-less clothing to appeal to multiple generations, as Fisher herself aged, so too had the customer base. The company found itself stereotyped as a brand for older, and, to some extent, customers with larger body types. Old worried that the brand could eventually become extinct if actions weren’t taken to attract a new generation to the brand. The company embarked on a strategic project to develop a new brand expression that would set the foundation for the future direction of the company. The project resulted in a brand repositioning. Edgier brand communications and more contemporary ways of merchandising...
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...Post 1945 Welfare State. In 1834 the Poor Law Amendment Act was introduced. The Amendment Act was aimed at ensuring the poor and needy had homes, food and clothing. Homes, food and clothing where provided in return for labour in the work houses, adults and children worked for several hours in the day. The children did receive education in the work houses, in return for their labour. The aim was that the outcome of being unable to support yourself or family was so harsh and severe, that it would stop anyone from wishing to enter (The National Archives, 2014: 1). The Second World War saw a shift from the Poor Law to the Welfare State through the Beveridge Report. “No one, not even Beveridge himself, ever planned the Welfare State, nor has it been a direct outcome of any political or social philosophy”, (Bruce, 1961: 13). “It has been in fact no more than the accumulation over many years of remedies to specific problems which in the end have reached such proportions as to create a new conception of governmental responsibility”, (Bruce, 1961: 13).” The Beveridge Report of 1942 was the culmination of a review of the whole of social security provision in Britain commissioned by the Wartime National Government”, (Alcock, 1987: 51). The Wartime National Government only set out to tidy Britain up, not to make the huge changes Beveridge reported were required. Beveridge found that Britain had five giant evils to slay. Want (poverty), idleness (employment), ignorance (lack of education)...
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...Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion, ed. Anna Reynolds. London: Royal Collec-tion Trust, 2013. 300 pp. illus., over 320 colour. £45.00. ISBN: 978-1905686445(hb).‘In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion’, described as the Royal Collec-tion’s first exhibition of royal fashion, presented the visitor with an impressive numberof Tudor and Stuart portraits, most of which were drawn from the Queen’s Collection.Over sixty pictures, some very well known and others less so, were used to exploreclothing worn by the English monarchy and nobility between 1485 and 1714. Thevirtue of selecting paintings spanning approximately 230 years of English and thenBritish history, ranging from Henry VII to Queen Anne, made it possible to focussharply on how royal fashions changed over a significant period of time. And thesewere turbulent times that saw the rise and fall of two royal houses, queens regnant aswell as kings, a minority, a regicide, and the Restoration. Against this context, maleclothing evolved from the doublet and hose worn with a long gown (favoured by HenryVII), to being accompanied by a short, semi-circular cloak worn nonchalantly on oneshoulder (by the reign of James I), to the coat, vest and breeches. This forerunner tothe modern three-piece suit was introduced by Charles II and became really estab-lished under William III. By contrast, female attire saw fewer major changes. Women’sclothing was dominated by the gown although the cut of the bodice and sleeves and theprofile of the...
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