Early Childhood Curriculum Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Curriculum Essay While being in this course I have learned about the different curriculums, philosophies and theories. In this paper I will be discussing how to develop an appropriate curriculum for preschool children. This paper will include the following topics: the theories and/or philosophies of Montessori; concepts learned throughout this course, how to apply them into an early childhood classroom focusing on the understanding components to design a curriculum for a preschool classroom based on ages 3 to 5 year old children. First let’s discuss the philosophies of  both Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget. Maria Montessori ideas and beliefs are embedded throughout every early childhood program and her influence on our thinking about curriculum has been profound. She was a tireless child advocate and believed that all children deserve a proper education. Montessori insisted that through proper early education, underprivileged and cognitively impaired children could be successful if they were given a chance to learn. She was one of the first to establish a preschool for poor and mentally retarded children in Rome; these preschools were called â€Å"Casa  dei Bambini†, which translated in English as â€Å"Children’s House. † Dr. Montessori proposed that children that are at risk and the notion that society had a moral responsibility to devote resources to early child intervention. Our textbook states that. â€Å"Montessori embraced and expanded Froebel’s kindergarten concept; she felt that children were natural learners and should drive much of their own learning. She asserted that children should be grouped in multiage (2 ? to 5 years) classes to allow flexibility and opportunities for peer mentoring. Montessori developed an  extensive set of â€Å"didactic† materials and lessons designed to be attractive to children and used by teachers to teach specific concepts and skills. She adapted furniture to child size as a gesture of respect for the unique needs of early learners† (Jaruszewicz, 2012). I agree with her philosophy and theory, because children do need the freedom to learn at their own pace and not to be pressured to do what they see other children do. It is also important the classroom learning environment to be attractive so that it will draw the children to be there and learn new and exciting things. In order to use the teaching method, the teachers must be trained to work with all children and understand that no one child develops the same as another. The other philosopher that I will discuss is Jean Piaget. A contemporary of both Montessori and Dewey, Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget proposed a theory of cognitive development that initiated a constructivist view of curriculum (Jaruszewicz, 2012). Piaget conducted several experiments with young children that proved that their mental concepts are learned through trial and error experiences. Young children will continue to do  things that they have been told not to do, until the consequence of their actions has been reached. For example, when a parent tells their child not to stack the building blocks up too high or they will fall on them which could lead to them being hurt; the child continues to do that the same thing over and over again to see if what their parent said is true. Once the child has seen the building blocks fall over on them is when they have learned that they don’t need to do that. His work confirmed early learning as distinct from other developmental periods, implying, therefore,  that materials and activities for young children should reflect the idiosyncratic way in which they think and process stimuli (Jaruszewicz, 2012). Piaget proposed that cognitive development occurs in four different stages, three of which occur during early childhood. In the sensorimotor stage, infants and toddlers process experience and begin to coordinate movement through sensory exploration. Preoperational thinking of preschoolers emerges spontaneously, as they are internally motivated to make sense of their environment by testing ideas and theories in play and  exploration with materials (Jaruszewicz, 2012). Piaget and Montessori are the main philosophies that stood out to me in this course the most. Next I will discuss the Core knowledge preschool sequence curriculum and the areas inside it. With strong focus on challenging, but appropriate content, the Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence and Teacher Handbook is unique among early childhood programs. It outlines a cumulative and coherent progression of knowledge and skills in all developmental areas and integrates developmentally appropriate practices for both content and instruction. Using the core knowledge curriculum helps with creating appropriate activities that prepare the preschool age children to learn. Children are always ready to learn; as long as the teacher understands that, each child will be eager to learn in new and exciting ways. It is important for teachers to make sure that the information that they wish to teach the children in the classroom is appropriate and fun. The Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence Curriculum focuses on five different areas: Social Skills, Early Literacy skills in reading and writing, Mathematics, Science and Visual Arts. It is important for children to learn how to interact with other children their age early in their lives to develop their social skills. One of the many things I love about Montessori is that Montessori teachers see the whole child-developmentally, academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. There is a myth out there that says simply placing children in the same room and having them do activities helps them develop social skills. I disagree. Developing social skills needs to be a value in the classroom as well as modeled by the teachers/adults who are around  the children. Using manners, demonstrating what Montessori called Grace and Courtesy and always being respectful of the child are key ingredients to helping a child develop social skills. There are several ways to help expand children’s social skills. The activity that would be used to develop social skills would be to have the children sit in a circle on the floor, pass an object around each child to take turns telling the class something about them. Whether it is there name, favorite color, parents name, how many sibling they may have, etc. When are playing together in  the classroom they learn to take turns, shared things and playing with others in general helps them develop social skills. The development of language in early childhood classrooms is an umbrella for the Montessori curriculum. The teachers and parents consider activities on the shelves of the Language area as the heart of actual language learning. The techniques used in a Montessori classroom are different when it comes to teaching language and literacy. Teachers, parents, and administrators need to recognize communication as the foundation for the meaningful  development of language concepts and skills. Effective communication depends on authentic relationships between communicative partners. Teachers have the responsibility (actually, the opportunity) to develop and expand learning relationships with young children. This is truly the ultimate opportunity to make a difference. Seen in this light, conversations with young children on the playground, during field trips, on the way to the bathroom, in the midst of conflict resolution, during lessons, and countless other times create the context for the development of language skills. Relationships of trust are built between children and teachers and among peers. Classroom work further contributes to language concept and skill development within this context of meaningful communication. It is important to talk children especially infants constantly, so they can develop a strong sense of vocabulary. Children catch on to everything that they may hear. So it is definitely important to be cautious what language you use around children. Printed materials and images are strongly important in an early childhood classroom. These materials make the classroom attractive to  children as well as make them want to learn about what those images and books mean. Phonemic awareness is part of a balanced literacy program, and can be developed in several ways during shared reading and shared writing. Shared reading and shared writing typically occur during the language arts time block, but may also occur during content-area learning. On to my favorite subject any grade level or age is mathematics. In an early childhood classroom, teaching young children mathematics somewhat easy and in some cases not so much. Getting children ages three to four year olds to learn their numbers and one to one  correspondence can be a challenge, but it requires patience to teach the children the meaning of number awareness. Provide children with authentic, hands-on learning experiences-DO NOT USE WORKSHEETS. In preschool you should play to the childrens natural curiosities and look to your students interest to guide lesson planning. You are setting up children for a lifetime of learning and you should create excitement around what you. Also, the more hands on the activity is, the more learning styles you are engaging, and the more the child enjoys it the more they will  learn and retain! Create activities that children are actively involved in learning something new, such as how to count and recognize numbers. Numbers are not the only thing that children can learn that is related to mathematics. Shapes are how to perceive and recognize them are important as well. Teaching children about shapes and how many sides each one has involves numbers as well. Mathematics and Language go together because you are using vocabulary words to decide the shapes, numbers, etc. In conclusion, this paper touched on some important factors to help develop a  developmentally appropriate curriculum for preschool/pre-K age children. It is important to provide activities for young children and make sure the environment is a positive, warm and inviting one that children will want to come to school and learn new things. In this paper I discussed the standards for each core knowledge area to develop an appropriate curriculum for young children. References Jaruszewicz, C. (2012). Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators. In C. Jaruszewicz, Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education.

Historical cost accounting Essay Example for Free

Historical cost accounting Essay Advantages †¢Historical cost accounts are straightforward to produce †¢Historical cost accounts do not record gains until they are realized †¢Historical cost accounts are still used in most accounting systems Disadvantages †¢Historical cost accounts give no indication of current values of the assets of a business †¢Historical cost accounts do not record the opportunity costs of the use of older assets, particularly property which may be recorded at a value based on costs incurred many years ago †¢Historical cost accounts do not measure the loss of value of monetary assets as a result of inflation. Current purchasing power accounting Advantages †¢CPP method adopts the same unit of measurement by taking into account the price changes. †¢Under CPP method, historical accounts continue to be maintained. CPP statements are prepared on supplementary basis. †¢ CPP method facilitates the calculation of gain or loss in purchasing power due to the holding of monetary items. †¢CPP method uses common purchasing power as measuring unit. So, the comparative study is easy. †¢ CPP method provides reliable financial information for taking management decision to formulate plans and policies. †¢CPP method ensures keeping intact the purchasing power of capital contributed by shareholders. So, this method is of great importance from the point of view of the shareholders. Disadvantages †¢CPP method considers only the changes in general purchasing power. It does not consider the changes in the value of individual items. †¢CPP method is based on statistical index number which cannot be used in an individual firm. †¢ It is very difficult to choose a suitable price index. †¢CPP method fails to remove all the defects of historical cost accounting system. †¢The use of general price index for CPP method is questioned. While general price index deals with consumer goods, business is interested in the price movement of producer goods. Current cost accounting Advantages †¢More relevant †¢Provides up to date information with financial markets †¢Takes inflationary adjustments into account. â€Å"Critics have argued market value(current cost) reveals economic realities that are hidden by historical cost accounting. †¢Investors and creditors also prefer the market value accounting. â€Å"the information about the market value at the reporting date, the changes in that value and the components of that change- all provide the investors the valuable information for his decision making.† †¢In F/S, easier to view and determine whether the asset or liability is at risk or not Disadvantages †¢Unreliable   Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Volatile, when market price of an asset and liability is not available, the value is estimated (inappropriate) Continuously contemporary accounting Strengths †¢CoCoA provides information about an entitys capacity to adapt. Chambers considers such information crucial for effective decision making †¢It solves the additivity problem-there is a common basis of valuation (net-market values) so it makes logical sense to add the various asset values together. †¢There is no need for arbitrary cost allocations through depreciation. Weaknesses †¢Not all assets will have a readily determined market price-hence a deal of subjectively will be involved. †¢Some assets can generate income within a particular entity, but have little or no value to anybody else (for example, the case of the blast furnace). The value in use of such assets is ignored. †¢It values assets on the basis of the separate disposal of the respective assets. The implication of this is that assets which cannot be separately sold are deemed to have no value-for example, goodwill. This attribute of CoCoA has attracted a great deal of criticism. †¢CoCoA has never had widespread acceptance within the business community and hence there would be numerous obstacles to its implementation. †¢Because CoCoA would represent a radical departure from current methods of accounting, its adoption could cause major social and economic implications. †¢People are used to preparing and reading historical cost accounting reports, hence there would be a need to re-educate them about the strengths and limitations of CoCoA-this might be costly. †¢If an entity does not expect to sell an asset, it is questionable whether the selling price is really that relevant. †¢Tied to the above point, valuing all assets on the basis of selling prices has been criticised if it is considered that the entity is a going concern. †¢Determining the market price of unique assets introduces a degree of subjectivity into the accounting process.

Brand architecture and branding analysis

Brand architecture and branding analysis A brand is name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller and to differentiate them from those of competition American marketing Association 1960. A brand is name, symbol, logo, design or image or any combination of these, which is designed to identify product or service. Kotler et al, 1999 Brand distinguishes a companys product from its competitors and an identified product or service that closely satisfies customers needs and wants. Brand is an asset to a company and reflects the quality of customer service. Branding is all about the customers trust of the product or service and makes the segmentation easier for the company. The difference between a company and its competitors should be communicated by brand, because it makes a company unique. BMW, Toyota, Luis Vuitton, NEXT, Debenhams, Nike and Coca Cola are the well-known brands that command price premium and stimulate deep customers loyalty. Branding Branding is the collection of actual and emotional characteristics associated with a particular identified product or service that differentiates it from the rest of marketplace Hand-out notes by tutor Anthony smith Branding is an important aspect of marketing to build a strong image of a company. Mercedes Benz is an automobile brand that commands a premium with their engineering, performance, quality, customer service and after sales service. Toyota shares all these characteristics but still they were not positioned as premium in the customers mind. Toyota then created Lexus as a premium brand with the collaboration of both Toyota and Lexus shared engineering, design elements and customer service. How-to-branding.com Brand Architecture Brand architecture refers to the hierarchy of brands within a single company. It is the interrelationship of the parent company, subsidiary companies, products, and services, and should mirror the marketing strategy. Kompanigroup.com How an organization structures various products, services or other entities within its portfolio and how they relate to one another. Brandinstitue.com In the growing economy we can see different companies merging with each other and form the strategy for each of the targeted group in which every product can carry its own brand name. Good and clear brand architecture leads a company towards brand positioning and also helps to get sustainable competitive advantage. There are three different types of brand architecture strategies. Corporate/Monolithic Branding Strategy In this strategy company takes on a unified brand for all product categories and targeted market. This strategy creates simplicity, and cost deficiencies can be achieved as opposed to multi-branding architecture, in which a corporate brand plays a smaller role. Microsoft, Intel, Disney, CNN, SONY, Nike, Virgin and coca cola etc. are the best examples of corporate branding. Corporate banding makes the advertising easier for the company as they just advertise their name and slogan. . Coca cola is recognizable in every continent of the world through its red curved bottle and logo. SONY is a corporate brand as its name is attached to everything, from its DVDs to play station. The founder of SONY, Akio Morita, once said: I have always believed that the company name is the life of an enterprise. It carries responsibility and guarantees the quality of the product. Therefore corporate strategy leads a company to sustainable financial outcomes. Brandingstrategyinsider.com . Adhistry.wikispaces.com Google.co.uk Multi/Individual Branding Strategy Multi Brand Strategy refers to a marketing strategy under which two or more than two similar products of a firm are marketed under different brand names. Finance.mapsofworld.com It is very difficult for a brand to position itself in a diversified environment where the customers needs and wants are different. Therefore, company can fill different market segments through diversifying its product range. VW, PG, Unilever and Diageo are the best examples of multi branding. PG is the prime example, having a multiple shampoo brand to influence different customers, like head shoulder for dandruff, Pentene for healthy hear and Sassoon for professional saloon experience. Through multi branding a company can target more than one segment in the market and fill the price gaps. Multi branding is a good strategy but sometime it fails because of the poor management. Due to failure it could harm the family brand name. VW took many years to change the negative brand image of Skoda from the customers mind. Helen Meek. et al, 2001 Google.co.uk Endorsed Branding A brand that carries the endorsement of a source brand (the parent company). Brandbuild.eu Endorsements add integrity and assurance of the indorsed sub brand in customers mind without overpowering it with its own association. Endorsed branding is suitable for the company, using varied product portfolio, e.g. Nestle, Cadbury, Unilever etc. Nestle written on the Kit Kat, Cadbury written on Dairy Milk to provide credibility and assurance to the product. Some companies give independence to the endorsed brands like Unilever give freedom to the Heartbrands such as Feast, Magnum and Cornetto and they have their own marketing campaigns and target market. Some companies has firm relationship between company name and product, e.g. Ford does it with the model Mustang, people using either the brand name Mustang or the full name Ford Mustang. Google.co.uk Brand Elements Brand elements are those trademarkable devices that identify and differentiate the brands. There are certain elements of a brand, like names, logos, symbol, characters, slogans, design, features etc. some important elements are mentioned below. Kotler et al, 1996 Brand Name Name is the most significant element of the brand. This is the only part of the brand which should never be changed. It help customers to identify distinguish product from competitors. It is not necessary the brand name is associated with the company and can be different. But if the brand name is linked with the quality of the product either high or low, then all good must be of the same standard. MS is the prime example of providing quality products through St Michael Brand as one can see its tag on the cloths and food and household goods as well. Brand Image Brand image is fundamental way through which a customer recognises and believes a brand. It gives a company an identity and creates a better image in the mind of the customers. Brand image is unique that clearly reflects the image of the organisation and different from the competitors. To build a right image in the customers mind, the company must have to focus on brand identity. Brand Personality Brand personality is the goodwill of the brand. It is associated with the benefits and attributes of the brand. Brand personality is unique and long lasting; it is the emotional attachment of the consumers with the product, e.g. Sony and Panasonic, both are the giants of electronic sector, although both got same features, some peoples prefer one of the other because of their trust on the product by long time. Brand Association Brand association is the relative strength of consumers positive feelings towards the brand Lasser et al, 1995 Associations, according to Aaker (1991) represent the bases for purchase decisions and for brand loyalty. The way consumers perceive brand is a key determinant of long-term business-consumer relationships. Hence, building strong brand perceptions is a top priority for many firms today. Morris, 1996 It is the perception of the customers towards a brand attributes and quality. Brands can be associated with the name, colours, symbols, attitudes, expressions and sound etc. Mercedes Benz is associated with the luxury drive and excellent engineering, Nike with its Slogan, Nokia with its sound, and Coca Cola with its red colour, Colgate toothpaste with cavity protection and Microsoft with Bill Gates. Renault has launched a successful campaign for its model Clio and used the famous French footballer Thierry Henry and Sesame Steet in the Va Va Voom advertisement. This campaign resulting attract more male customers than females. This is how celebritys association to the brand benefits organisation. Kotler et al, 1996 Brand association gives the basis of buying and brand loyalty to the customers. Companies always try to associate their brands with the positive things to create good image of the product in the mind of customers. Brand association developed if the product is desirable, durable and satisfies the customers needs. Positive customers perception about the product makes a brand stronger. It is formed on the basis of Product attributes, Advertisement, Relevant price, Quality, Celebrity and big entity association, Competition and Display points. Brand positioning Positioning is the place in consumers mind that you want you brand to own. For example, Hallmark caring shared, and Disney Family Fun entertainment. Positioning is not what you do to a product; positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. Ries and Trout, 1981 Brand positioning is successfully built through continuous communication with the customers about the product to its targeted market, through advertisement, brand name and its packing. Brand positioning refers to the position in the customers mind, it does not relate to market position. Brand positioning is associated with the market segmentation. The right market segment is to be targeted for the brand positioning. Brand positioning is all about a customers perception about the product. There are certain ways for a brand to be positioned, e.g. offering specific benefits, targeting a specific segment, pricing and distribution. Brand positioning is an important concept in which a company can decide where it wants to position its brand in its field relative to competition. Brand positioning is a thinking that guides a company to build a relationship between the brand and customers. Brand positioning gives space in the customers mind, so the company become in the better position to control over its own brand image. Price and quality are the most common attributes are considered in the brand positioning. To get a good position in the customers mind the company introduce brand of a good quality with on competitive price. The quality of the product must be at least equivalent or better from the competitors. Quality perception is the most powerful element of the brand positioning. Once a company is successful in building a powerful perception of quality will result in building a powerful brand. Psychological element is dominant to some extent in building a quality perception as some peoples psyche is that the product with high price tag is of good quality. Communicating brands through their specific features is another way to position brands, e.g. Clinic all clear, Dare to wear Black or Pakistan and India surf excel is advertised as stain remover, Surf Excel hena. Culture is another strong aspect to the brand positioning. Different companies use cultural symbols to differentiate products from their competitors. Examples including, Air India advertise through Maharaja, Tata tea, Hamara Bajaj etc. Treedeuce.com Brand Extension Brand extension is a marketing strategy in which a firm that markets a product with a well-developed image uses the same brand name but in a different product category. Brandexpress.net When a firm uses its brand in another product form, or even within another product class, then the firm is stretching the brand (also referred to as brand extension). Iain Ellwood Virgin is the good example of brand extension as they sell everything from records to airline travel, to cola drinks to wedding parties from clothing to cosmetic and computers. This is successful in brand extension because it has the ability to connect the customer directly and give them values. Many firms attempt to extend their brands but all the brand extensions are not suitable or desirable. An extended brand always works best in a top to down direction. It is always easy for a company to bring brand extension from relatively cheaper product line. Ralph Lauren and Gucci are the best example. Ralph Lauren extended from luxury clothing to jeans and bed linen while Gucci brand is extended from luxury clothes to oven gloves, cooking aprons and dog toys. An extended brand has a low introductory cost because the customers, traders and retailer are well aware of the product. Brand extension brings options to the customers through variety of products. If the product is of lower quality, will result in damaging in overall brand value. Iain Ellwood Caterpillar is one of the biggest non-sporting footwear companies in the world with its brand CAT. This is basically a construction and mining equipment manufacturing company that extended their brand in this potential segment. It was perceived that it is the biggest mistake of the caterpillar but the extension was a big success. Sometimes the brand extension, implemented incorrectly due to less understanding. LEGO is a Danish toy manufacturing company, decided to extend its brand and launched its own product line of cloths, watches and video games but it was ignored by its target market, that result half of its employee are redundant back in 2004. Kotler et al, 2001 Michelin and Goodyear are the French companies, famous for making rubber tyres and having a number of brand extensions. Michelin brand extensions are car and cycle related product, footwear and clothing, sports and leisure and personal accessories. On the other hand Goodyear becomes the partner of the Adidas to make a series of driving shoes. Kotler et al 2001 We can see normally financial services providers have not attempted to extend their brands, and only concern with their original market. On the other hand, there are too many non-financial service providers extended directly to the financial services. E.g. Tesco extended its market to Tesco banking and Tesco insurance. Benefits of branding To customers People buy brands, because they are well aware of the quality of the product and save time and efforts. Buying a branded product can give customers a peace of mind and credibility. Most of the branded products have warranty policies, which gives customers assurance of a quality product. Some big companies having product replacing policies, e.g. DeWalt a power tool manufacturing company, replace the product immediately in case of damage. To intermediaries/stakeholders There are certain benefits of branding to different stakeholders, that directly/indirectly effecting the organisation. Multinational organisations always have the strategy for social, environmental and economic issues. Companies contribute to the societies in which they operate. Brands follow government regulations to minimise any adverse effect to the environment. Employees always attract to innovative companies where learning opportunities are always there. Supplying goods directly to retailers, companies distribute goods through agents or distributers. Distributers get long-term agreements from the known brand companies. Retailer can get benefits from overall marketing campaign. Sustainable competitive advantage When two or more firms compete within the same market, one firm possesses a competitive advantage over its rivals when it earns (or has the potential) to earn a persistently higher rate of profit. Grant, 2002 It is very important for every organisation to be successful in long term. Effective corporate branding is certainly the main source of getting sustainable competitive advantage in the market. Worlds famous corporate brands do not sell products, they sell concepts, e.g. Coca Cola does not sell a soft drink, it sells enjoyment and Microsoft does not sells computers, it sells possibility. Brand designers create a corporate brand identity through promotional material and advertising campaign to establish a corporate identity. There are certain brand characteristics that lead a company to get sustainable competitive advantage. A well designed logo and a strong identity system can give a company an edge over its competitors. Brand Identity A unique set of brand associations that the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain. These associations represent what the brand stands for and imply a promise to customers from the organisation members. Aaker, 1996 Brand identity is the way a company aims to identify or position itself or its product or service. Kotler et al, 1999 Brand identity is the first thing that a customer experience and plays a major role in getting a sustainable competitive advantage in the market. Brand attributes are is a bag of features that shows the personality of a brand and these attributes help to create brand identity. Brand identity is supported by emotional and unique elements and values, serve to distinguish the brand in the market, especially for progressively competitive environments, service organisations and recreational sectors. Brand identity creates a distinct identity that is very hard for the competitors to duplicate. The main elements to build a strong brand identity are human resources, organisational culture, organisational structure, stationary, company cards, company dà ©cor, packing, catalogue, market and innovation etc. Kotler et al, 1999 Brand loyalty Brand loyalty is considered as ultimate reward for a brand as it is another factor which leads a company to get a sustainable competitive advantage. Customers always prefer to buy those brands they are loyalty with, even though that is expensive and have close substitutes in the market. Apples iPod is a product to listen mp3/mp4 music, and the big electronic giants like Sony, Panasonic and so many other companies have same product with same features at the relatively low price than Apples iPod. Majority of the customers buy iPod just because they are loyal with the brand. Brand Equity Brand is a symbol of extremely precious part of legal property, that can control consumer behaviour and it also provides the protection of persistent future revenues to the firm. Brand equity is called the amount that is directly or indirectly accrues by these various benefits. Kapferer, 2005; keller, 2003 Companies invest huge amount of money to develop brand equity. Brands with high equity win the space in the market because of the uniqueness, reliable services and continuous and effective relationship with the customers. Stronger brand image takes a company to financial advantage through the brand equity. Brand equity leads a company to charge perineum prices for the product to raise their profit margin.

Hamlet is not Insane in Shakespeares Halmet Essay -- essays research

"Alas he's mad" (3:4:108) How far do you agree with the statement that Hamlet is mad? A great controversial talking point of the play Hamlet is whether he was mad or in fact making people think he was mad. I disagree with Gertrude's statement that Hamlet is mad. I ask you what the definition of madness, the relatively permanent disorder of the mind, a state of mind characterized by the inability to distinguish right from wrong. Indeed Hamlet only acts mad in front of certain people such as his mother, Polonius, Ophelia, Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who he knows are spying on him. I think Hamlet by using his mad faà §ade hides his real intentions and motivations from his enemies and people that will give away information, thus driving them to madness instead. Causing Ophelia to drown, Polonius stand behind that curtain, Gertrude to drink from the poisoned cup and Laertes to put poison on his blade. Shakespeare uses Hamlets fake madness as a catalyst for the surrounding characters demise. As Gertrude says when hamlet confronts her, about marrying his uncle. ?Oh Hamlet thou hast left my heart in twain.? (3:4:154) Ophelia certainly is driven mad, partly by her father?s emotional manipulation on her, but also I believe by hamlets, denying of their love, and taunting after he finds out she is used to spy on him. Claudius I believe does, have reluctance and sometimes portrays the characteristics of a mad man, when he finds out he has been tricked by Hamlet, after the Mousetrap he shows the manic tendencies. This could be equated to anyone in the same situation. Even Claudius and Polonius believe Hamlet is not insane,- ?Love? His affections do not that way. Nor what he spake, through it lacked a form a little. W... ...the end of the play Hamlet does being to become unstable, maybe like many characters in other Shakespearian plays (Macbeth) they become enwrapped in their plan and thus become what the have pretended to be, this is shown maybe in the way in how at the end Hamlet delays no more, he has had enough. Hamlet is such a complex character originally in the play its hard to determine his exact motives, even the audience in his monologues feel there are motives and emotions deep inside that he holds back. I think Hamlet is a character that Shakespeare had many emotional feelings about. The idea that his son was called Hamlet and whether there alone is a connection. In this play I think Hamlet is trying to get the message across of how the Elizabethans poorly treated mental illness patients by treating it as something more demonic and locking them up in poor professional care.

Finding the Truth in Gretchen Moran Laskas’s The Midwife’s Tale Essay

Finding the Truth in Gretchen Moran Laskas’s The Midwife’s Tale The prologue to Gretchen Moran Laskas’s novel, The Midwife’s Tale, begins with her narrator protagonist, Elizabeth, telling readers, â€Å"Mama always said that most of being a good midwife was in knowing the family history. Not just the birthing story of any given woman--although that was a good thing to keep in mind--but the whole history.† Assuming the â€Å"whole history† is a thing possible to know in the first place, a dubious aim in itself, Moran Laskas’s novel ends up reading as a sort of family history: at times exultant, heartbreaking, occasionally comic, and more than once bone-chillingly grim. Beginning at the turn of the century and ending roughly forty years later as the Depression enters its last stages, Laskas’s novel follows the passions, failures, and triumphs of sometimes-midwife Elizabeth and the small group of mountain folk and family she shares her life with along the banks of Kettle Creek. Feeding her readers a painfully, if beautifully, detailed fare of the arduous lives endured by turn-of-the-century Appalachians, Moran Laskas serves up a novel that journeys between sorrow and triumph without ever indulging in sentimentality as her characters try to survive poverty, mountain life, a world war, an influenza epidemic, and the Depression. With image-rich descriptions of Appalachia’s natural landscape, Moran Laskas shares the stirring, at times comic, rural language of Elizabeth and the novel’s other midwives, Elizabeth’s mother and maternal grandmother, to construct a believable, if sometimes haunting world that periodically resembles a feminized utopia as much as it does an historical account of life in the mountains. Although Moran Laskas’s p... ...being told may very well be something other than what appears to be real, consequently implying a possible difference between reality and truth. While Moran Laskas is probably not hinting at a postmodern spin on the unreality of knowingness or the ultimate absence of a universal â€Å"truth,† her novel does, nevertheless, suggest a kind of nebulous and unstable relationship between the reality we are initially dealt, the choices we make, and the arguable degree of control we have over our destiny. Using Appalachian folklore, consistently rich language, and a heroine who defies sympathy or sentimentality, The Midwife’s Tale generates for its readers a story of women who face and overcome physical and emotional hurdles that would otherwise cripple the strongest among many. Work cited Gretchen Moran Laskas, The Midwife’s Tale. New York, New York: The Dial Press, 2003.

The Use of Appetite Suppressants Essays -- Health Diet Weight Loss Ess

The Use of Appetite Suppressants In the past two decades, Americans and most of the Western world have become obsessed with losing weight. Countless diets, weight loss strategies and gimmicks have been and remain on the market and cost Americans billions of dollars every year. The media perpetuates this ideal of thinness and so people continue in desperate attempts to shrink their bodies. People have gone to extreme measures such as stomach stapling, liposuction and starvation diets to try and take off excess weight. Many Americans are willing to do whatever is necessary to look a certain way, no matter what the cost. Sometimes these costs outweigh the benefits of losing weight. Oftentimes, when people diet and lose weight, they end up going off the diet and gaining the weight back. This leads to a perpetual cycle of yo -yo dieting. Nevertheless, the quest for losing weight remains a priority in many people’s lives. One of the options that many people have taken in attempt to lose weight is the ingestion of various appetite suppressants. The logic behind this is that if one takes an appetite suppressant, they wont feel hungry. Without hunger, the person will ingest less food and by ingesting less food, the person will lose weight. The concept is actually quite simple and has been around for many years. Hunger is â€Å"the physiological need of an animal for food (Lasagna, p.132).† Appetite, on the other hand, is â€Å"the psychological motivation for food intake- which is independent of the individual’s nutritional state (Lasagna, p.132).† An appetite suppressant attempts to lessen a person’s psychological motivation for food, even though there might be a need for food intake for nutritional reasons. Phenylpropanolamine, ... ...rs. New York, N.Y. Morgan, J.P. (1986). Phenylpropanolamine: A critical Analysis of Reported Adverse Reactions and Overdosage. Jack. K. Burgess, Inc. Fort Lee, N.J. Fillmore, C. M. et al. (1999). Nutrition and Dietary Supplements, Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am, 10, (3), 673-703. Silverstone, T. (1986). Clinical Use of Appetite Suppressants, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 17, (2-3), 151-167. Wellman, P.J. (1990). A Review of the physiological bases of the anorexic action of phenylpropanolamine, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 14 (3), 339-355. Greenway, F.L. (1992). Clinical Studies with phenylpropanolamine: a metaanalysis, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 55, 203-205. Alger, S. et al. (1993). Effect of Phenylpropanolamine on energy expenditure and weight loss in overweight women, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 57, 120-126.

Marks and Spencer

Abstract Currently, the retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) is not only well-recognized among the UK citizens, although its branches are well established across the globe with many product categories available. During recent years, it has been found that the sales growth of Marks and Spencer’s merchandising, which has been its oldest and most important sector, has been in decline while the growth of M&S’s food sector has increased at an impressive pace. This study will attempt to find the factors responsible for the declining sales in clothing and the rising growth in food of Marks and Spencer, and hope to shed some lights on which areas the company should focus on to fix this decline in sales. The method will rely on the literature reviews of article from credible sources as well as published books. The paper will be analysed in two sections: factors affecting a sales slump in clothing, and factors affecting the rapid sales growth in the food department. 1. Introduction Established in 1884, Marks and Spencer has grown from a single-market company to a multinational corporation that has many branches around the world, including in England, the United States, and Thailand (www.marksandspencer.com, 2014). Not only has the 130-year-old corporation expanded across the globe, but it has also increased its product diversity as well. Although it began as a merchandising business, M&S currently sells a range of products, including women’s lingerie, sportswear, cosmetics and food. However recent sources, including Ahmed (2014), Ficenec (2014) and Pinnington (2014) have observed that the sales of the clothing division of M&S has been declining in recent years while that of the food department has increased; for instance, Ahmed (2014) at the BBC found that clothing has gone down by 1.5 percent in 2014, while a like-for-like sale of food has gone up by 1.7 percent in this time. Ficenec also added that the decreasing sales in the clothing department has be en going on for up to three years. As of late 2013, the sale of food accounted for more in the total sales of clothes, with 55 percent against 45 percent respectively (Ruddick, 2013). For the clothing department, this event could be classified as relative product failure (Dibb et al., 2006). Though one may argue that the drop in sales might be an industry trend for that year, Primark was found to receive a 5 percent like-for-like increase in sales during this time (Ruddick, 2013). Therefore, marketing problems in M&S’s clothing department have emerged as an interesting research topic. This report will discuss several marketing factors that could account for the widening sales gap between Mark and Spencer’s food and clothing divisions, focusing primarily on the UK. The study is divided into two discussions of the factors affecting the sales slump in clothing and will discuss the factors affecting the rapid growth in sales for the food department. Elements analysed in this paper include marketing variables, such as: target markets and customer profiles, price, quality and product positioning. Finally, a conclusion on the relevance of the examined factors towards the sales diversion will be made. 2. Literature review Marketing strategy can be defined as an organisation’s strategy that combines all of its marketing goals into one comprehensive plan. A good marketing strategy should be drawn from market research and focus on the right product mix in order to achieve the maximum profit potential and sustain the business. According to the Business Dictionary (2014), the marketing strategy is the foundation of a marketing plan. Marks & Spencer is one of the oldest supermarkets in the UK. Established in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds, the company became the first British retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over ?1 billion. It has delivered to more than 30 countries from its UK site and has 8 International websites and 644 UK stores (www.marksandspencer.com, 2014). Various sources, including Ahmed (2014), Ficenec (2014) and Pinnington (2014) have observed that Marks & Spencer as a company has been expanding and diversifying its products so that it includes foodstuffs as well as clothing and plastic materials. 3. Methodology This study took place in Middlesex University on the pre-sessional programme in August 2014. It was completed by a group consisting of three people from the pre-sessional course, these were: Mohammed, Maram and Buk. We chose Marks and Spencer Company from FTSE 100 because M&S is one of the most popular and oldest companies in the UK. It also offers a wide range of products such as food or clothes. Once we had selected this company, we performed research in the library to find out the factors that made sales grow for Marks and Spencer, and why this was greater for food than clothes. After that, the researchers interviewed others at Middlesex University. We performed secondary research by using websites and search engines, like Google scholar. We also looked at a database of Middlesex University as well as library catalogue to find sources that were related to our research and supported our ideas towards answering this question. We found many credible sources such as journals articles, books, newspaper and website. ? 4. Findings The researcher explored for sources that would be useful for this report. Three articles were found that are used in this report and were widely useful because they provided updated information. Further information was extracted from the company website, which was cited as particularly useful for historical information about the company and its origins, and also its subsidiaries. Moreover, it was found that book were used to provide general information and the views of academic sources. From these sources, it was identified that there is clear disparity between the sale of food and sale of clothing in Marks and Spencer Company. This was observed from various sources, including Ahmed (2014) who notes that while food sales were on the rise, clothing sales were falling. Ahmed from the BBC found clothing sales have dropped by 1.5 percent in 2014, while like-for-like sales of food rose 1.7 percent. However, there are several reasons for this disparity which will be explored in the foll owing section. 5. Discussion and Analysis There is a clear disparity between the sale of food and clothing in Marks and Spencer Company. Various sources such as Ahmed (2014) from the BBC saw that while food sales were on the rise in M&S, clothing sales were falling. Ahmedfound that the sale of clothing dropped by 1.5 percent in 2014, while like-for-like sales of food rose 1.7 percent. However, there are several reasons for this disparity. The first factor, or the reason for the success of the food sales in M&S, is the diversity of items in the food range and also the quality of the food. These were identified as the most important reasons that helped promote the sale of food products at M&S. The company’s success in the sale of food can also be attributed to the popularity of microwavable foods, which have provide to be the most popular product in the food sales (Tresidder, 2010). A further reason that can be attributed to the success of the food sales in M&S is due to the marketing campaigns surrounding them. The advertising for the food can be seen as one of the primary reasons for the success of the food sales in M&S. The adverts appear on websites, television and marketing texts and all have an effect on promoting the M&S food products to consumers. As a result, the company actually relies on the M&S logo to attract consumers along with the company slogan – â€Å"this is not just food.† Kress (1996) and Van Leeuwen (2001) describe how this could be a good way to market the product and is a modern way to attract consumers. Furthermore, this marketing campaign can contribute to create effective promotional images on the TV which will lead on to higher sales of M&S food. Among the factors that have helped the growth of sales of food products is the location and quality of the product. These are all factors that have been cited as attributing to the increase in sales of food products; however, the decline of the sale of clothing products is not entirely associated with the success of the food products but, more so, poor handling of the clothing line. For example, it has been argued that M&S clothing range has been guilty of poor product positioning, both in stores, shop windows and in marketing texts (Tresidder, 2010). Furthermore, the clothing department website has been criticised for being overly complicated and difficult to navigate (Ahmed, 2014). Therefore it could be suggested that the M&S clothing department learn the lessons of effective pricing, advertising and use of branding tools, such as slogans, used by the food department, to halt this decline and reverse the movement of their sales growth. 6. Conclusion In conclusion, M&S has faced several issues in the Department of clothing, as sales fell dramatically; yet the sale of food products continue to rise. Several contributing factors to this pattern have been discussed, including effective branding, marketing for the food products, and poor product positioning of the clothing items. However, 7. Bibliography Ahmed, K. (2014) â€Å"M&S chief Bolland says results ‘not good enough’†, BBC News Business, 8 July 2014. Accessed online at: http://www.bbc.com/news/28205935 [accessed 03/08/2014]. Dibb, S. (2006) Marketing: Concepts and Strategies, Houghton Mifflin Company: ISBN. Ficenec, J. (2014) â€Å"Question share tip: Hold Marks & Spencer on strong food sales†, in The Telegraph, 9 July 2014. Accessed online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/10955632/Questor-share-tip-Hold-Marks-and-Spencer-on-strong-food-sales.html [accessed 03/08/2014]. Marks and Spencer, Official Website. Accessed online at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/?intid=gft_company [accessed 18/08/2014]. Marks and Spencer Abstract Currently, the retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) is not only well-recognized among the UK citizens, although its branches are well established across the globe with many product categories available. During recent years, it has been found that the sales growth of Marks and Spencer’s merchandising, which has been its oldest and most important sector, has been in decline while the growth of M&S’s food sector has increased at an impressive pace. This study will attempt to find the factors responsible for the declining sales in clothing and the rising growth in food of Marks and Spencer, and hope to shed some lights on which areas the company should focus on to fix this decline in sales. The method will rely on the literature reviews of article from credible sources as well as published books. The paper will be analysed in two sections: factors affecting a sales slump in clothing, and factors affecting the rapid sales growth in the food department. 1. Introduction Established in 1884, Marks and Spencer has grown from a single-market company to a multinational corporation that has many branches around the world, including in England, the United States, and Thailand (www.marksandspencer.com, 2014). Not only has the 130-year-old corporation expanded across the globe, but it has also increased its product diversity as well. Although it began as a merchandising business, M&S currently sells a range of products, including women’s lingerie, sportswear, cosmetics and food. However recent sources, including Ahmed (2014), Ficenec (2014) and Pinnington (2014) have observed that the sales of the clothing division of M&S has been declining in recent years while that of the food department has increased; for instance, Ahmed (2014) at the BBC found that clothing has gone down by 1.5 percent in 2014, while a like-for-like sale of food has gone up by 1.7 percent in this time. Ficenec also added that the decreasing sales in the clothing department has be en going on for up to three years. As of late 2013, the sale of food accounted for more in the total sales of clothes, with 55 percent against 45 percent respectively (Ruddick, 2013). For the clothing department, this event could be classified as relative product failure (Dibb et al., 2006). Though one may argue that the drop in sales might be an industry trend for that year, Primark was found to receive a 5 percent like-for-like increase in sales during this time (Ruddick, 2013). Therefore, marketing problems in M&S’s clothing department have emerged as an interesting research topic. This report will discuss several marketing factors that could account for the widening sales gap between Mark and Spencer’s food and clothing divisions, focusing primarily on the UK. The study is divided into two discussions of the factors affecting the sales slump in clothing and will discuss the factors affecting the rapid growth in sales for the food department. Elements analysed in this paper include marketing variables, such as: target markets and customer profiles, price, quality and product positioning. Finally, a conclusion on the relevance of the examined factors towards the sales diversion will be made. 2. Literature review Marketing strategy can be defined as an organisation’s strategy that combines all of its marketing goals into one comprehensive plan. A good marketing strategy should be drawn from market research and focus on the right product mix in order to achieve the maximum profit potential and sustain the business. According to the Business Dictionary (2014), the marketing strategy is the foundation of a marketing plan. Marks & Spencer is one of the oldest supermarkets in the UK. Established in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds, the company became the first British retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over ?1 billion. It has delivered to more than 30 countries from its UK site and has 8 International websites and 644 UK stores (www.marksandspencer.com, 2014). Various sources, including Ahmed (2014), Ficenec (2014) and Pinnington (2014) have observed that Marks & Spencer as a company has been expanding and diversifying its products so that it includes foodstuffs as well as clothing and plastic materials. 3. Methodology This study took place in Middlesex University on the pre-sessional programme in August 2014. It was completed by a group consisting of three people from the pre-sessional course, these were: Mohammed, Maram and Buk. We chose Marks and Spencer Company from FTSE 100 because M&S is one of the most popular and oldest companies in the UK. It also offers a wide range of products such as food or clothes. Once we had selected this company, we performed research in the library to find out the factors that made sales grow for Marks and Spencer, and why this was greater for food than clothes. After that, the researchers interviewed others at Middlesex University. We performed secondary research by using websites and search engines, like Google scholar. We also looked at a database of Middlesex University as well as library catalogue to find sources that were related to our research and supported our ideas towards answering this question. We found many credible sources such as journals articles, books, newspaper and website. ? 4. Findings The researcher explored for sources that would be useful for this report. Three articles were found that are used in this report and were widely useful because they provided updated information. Further information was extracted from the company website, which was cited as particularly useful for historical information about the company and its origins, and also its subsidiaries. Moreover, it was found that book were used to provide general information and the views of academic sources. From these sources, it was identified that there is clear disparity between the sale of food and sale of clothing in Marks and Spencer Company. This was observed from various sources, including Ahmed (2014) who notes that while food sales were on the rise, clothing sales were falling. Ahmed from the BBC found clothing sales have dropped by 1.5 percent in 2014, while like-for-like sales of food rose 1.7 percent. However, there are several reasons for this disparity which will be explored in the foll owing section. 5. Discussion and Analysis There is a clear disparity between the sale of food and clothing in Marks and Spencer Company. Various sources such as Ahmed (2014) from the BBC saw that while food sales were on the rise in M&S, clothing sales were falling. Ahmedfound that the sale of clothing dropped by 1.5 percent in 2014, while like-for-like sales of food rose 1.7 percent. However, there are several reasons for this disparity. The first factor, or the reason for the success of the food sales in M&S, is the diversity of items in the food range and also the quality of the food. These were identified as the most important reasons that helped promote the sale of food products at M&S. The company’s success in the sale of food can also be attributed to the popularity of microwavable foods, which have provide to be the most popular product in the food sales (Tresidder, 2010). A further reason that can be attributed to the success of the food sales in M&S is due to the marketing campaigns surrounding them. The advertising for the food can be seen as one of the primary reasons for the success of the food sales in M&S. The adverts appear on websites, television and marketing texts and all have an effect on promoting the M&S food products to consumers. As a result, the company actually relies on the M&S logo to attract consumers along with the company slogan – â€Å"this is not just food.† Kress (1996) and Van Leeuwen (2001) describe how this could be a good way to market the product and is a modern way to attract consumers. Furthermore, this marketing campaign can contribute to create effective promotional images on the TV which will lead on to higher sales of M&S food. Among the factors that have helped the growth of sales of food products is the location and quality of the product. These are all factors that have been cited as attributing to the increase in sales of food products; however, the decline of the sale of clothing products is not entirely associated with the success of the food products but, more so, poor handling of the clothing line. For example, it has been argued that M&S clothing range has been guilty of poor product positioning, both in stores, shop windows and in marketing texts (Tresidder, 2010). Furthermore, the clothing department website has been criticised for being overly complicated and difficult to navigate (Ahmed, 2014). Therefore it could be suggested that the M&S clothing department learn the lessons of effective pricing, advertising and use of branding tools, such as slogans, used by the food department, to halt this decline and reverse the movement of their sales growth. 6. Conclusion In conclusion, M&S has faced several issues in the Department of clothing, as sales fell dramatically; yet the sale of food products continue to rise. Several contributing factors to this pattern have been discussed, including effective branding, marketing for the food products, and poor product positioning of the clothing items. However, 7. Bibliography Ahmed, K. (2014) â€Å"M&S chief Bolland says results ‘not good enough’†, BBC News Business, 8 July 2014. Accessed online at: http://www.bbc.com/news/28205935 [accessed 03/08/2014]. Dibb, S. (2006) Marketing: Concepts and Strategies, Houghton Mifflin Company: ISBN. Ficenec, J. (2014) â€Å"Question share tip: Hold Marks & Spencer on strong food sales†, in The Telegraph, 9 July 2014. Accessed online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/10955632/Questor-share-tip-Hold-Marks-and-Spencer-on-strong-food-sales.html [accessed 03/08/2014]. Marks and Spencer, Official Website. Accessed online at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/?intid=gft_company [accessed 18/08/2014]. Marks and Spencer Case Study: Marks and Spencer, Ltd. (A) Marks and Spencer has a reputation of greatness and quality in the U. K. Their five tenets of operating principals are the cornerstone of the company’s strength in the industry. They fostered strong human relations with its customers, suppliers, and staff through offering selective range of high-quality merchandise at reasonable prices, encouraging suppliers to use top-notch modern technology, growth, and cooperation to enforce the highest standard of quality.Breaking down Porter’s Five Forces identifies the competitive forces in Mark and Spencer: 1) Suppliers: M&S is not dependent on suppliers as other stores are, due to M&S producing and selling its own branded products. Raw products are supplied, which is an advantage for its margins. They have an astounding and long (some relationships dating back to 40 years) reputation with their suppliers, which allows for discounts. 2) Buyers: Buyers have a substantial influence by shoppin g around, forcing M&S to continue in supplying high quality garments and food products at reasonable prices. ) Threat of Entry: Even though M&S has a very loyal customer base, online shopping was just at the early stages in the early 1990’s along with other super markets establishing a one-stop shop for all customers’ needs. 4) Substitutes: Threat of substitutes is high due to buyers’ looking for cheaper alternatives in other competitive outlets. Also, because M&S focused on essential clothing, and less on fads or trendy lines, competitors were quicker to react in offering more trendy clothing lines. ) Competitive Rivalry: M&S has fierce competition from other food, clothing, and home wares retailers; such as supermarkets Tesco, Asda, and J. Sainsbury. Due to M&S commanding market strength in the U. K. , M&S expanded overseas. They had shared success in other countries, but also were also presented with challenges. For instance, France viewed M&S brand as old-fa shioned. Looking at Exhibit 13, the market share of clothing and footwear by age group were as followed: 15-24 age group (5. 9%), 25-44 age group (13. 9%), 45-64 (21. 3%), and 65+ (23. 6%).M&S focused on getting more of those younger buyers into the stores where they see first-hand the service they provide; but if M&S focused less on fad and trends (which is attractive to the younger demographic) the efforts in marketing are wasted. Out of the five locations in France, only Paris was showing promising performance. With M&S strong performance in U. K. , it can’t expect its brand presence in U. K. to spill over to other countries. As noted, M&S never reached its full potential even though it acquired/purchased interests of other department stores.What if M&S invested more into marketing and â€Å"perusing the public to buy† instead of just relying on the products to sell itself? What if M&S invested more into clothing lines that follow trends and fads, to tap into the yo unger demographic? For instance, take chains such as H&M or Forever 21: offering affordable trendy clothing that cater to younger buyers. M&S can still offer well-designed and quality clothing lines, but now attract the younger and older buyers that are into trendy fashions; but it is very crucial they don’t abandon their loyal customer base.What if M&S closed stores that had small market share and minimal profit (some territories in Austria and West Europe), and invested more into extending the market share in other countries? Also, during the 90’s, the world-wide web came into existence along with online shopping, allowing M&S to extend its services and marketing (which I was surprised there was no mention of it in the case). Source: Marks and Spencer, Ltd. (A) (1994). HBR 9-391-089, by Cynthia A. Montgomery Marks and Spencer Case Study: Marks and Spencer, Ltd. (A) Marks and Spencer has a reputation of greatness and quality in the U. K. Their five tenets of operating principals are the cornerstone of the company’s strength in the industry. They fostered strong human relations with its customers, suppliers, and staff through offering selective range of high-quality merchandise at reasonable prices, encouraging suppliers to use top-notch modern technology, growth, and cooperation to enforce the highest standard of quality.Breaking down Porter’s Five Forces identifies the competitive forces in Mark and Spencer: 1) Suppliers: M&S is not dependent on suppliers as other stores are, due to M&S producing and selling its own branded products. Raw products are supplied, which is an advantage for its margins. They have an astounding and long (some relationships dating back to 40 years) reputation with their suppliers, which allows for discounts. 2) Buyers: Buyers have a substantial influence by shoppin g around, forcing M&S to continue in supplying high quality garments and food products at reasonable prices. ) Threat of Entry: Even though M&S has a very loyal customer base, online shopping was just at the early stages in the early 1990’s along with other super markets establishing a one-stop shop for all customers’ needs. 4) Substitutes: Threat of substitutes is high due to buyers’ looking for cheaper alternatives in other competitive outlets. Also, because M&S focused on essential clothing, and less on fads or trendy lines, competitors were quicker to react in offering more trendy clothing lines. ) Competitive Rivalry: M&S has fierce competition from other food, clothing, and home wares retailers; such as supermarkets Tesco, Asda, and J. Sainsbury. Due to M&S commanding market strength in the U. K. , M&S expanded overseas. They had shared success in other countries, but also were also presented with challenges. For instance, France viewed M&S brand as old-fa shioned. Looking at Exhibit 13, the market share of clothing and footwear by age group were as followed: 15-24 age group (5. 9%), 25-44 age group (13. 9%), 45-64 (21. 3%), and 65+ (23. 6%).M&S focused on getting more of those younger buyers into the stores where they see first-hand the service they provide; but if M&S focused less on fad and trends (which is attractive to the younger demographic) the efforts in marketing are wasted. Out of the five locations in France, only Paris was showing promising performance. With M&S strong performance in U. K. , it can’t expect its brand presence in U. K. to spill over to other countries. As noted, M&S never reached its full potential even though it acquired/purchased interests of other department stores.What if M&S invested more into marketing and â€Å"perusing the public to buy† instead of just relying on the products to sell itself? What if M&S invested more into clothing lines that follow trends and fads, to tap into the yo unger demographic? For instance, take chains such as H&M or Forever 21: offering affordable trendy clothing that cater to younger buyers. M&S can still offer well-designed and quality clothing lines, but now attract the younger and older buyers that are into trendy fashions; but it is very crucial they don’t abandon their loyal customer base.What if M&S closed stores that had small market share and minimal profit (some territories in Austria and West Europe), and invested more into extending the market share in other countries? Also, during the 90’s, the world-wide web came into existence along with online shopping, allowing M&S to extend its services and marketing (which I was surprised there was no mention of it in the case). Source: Marks and Spencer, Ltd. (A) (1994). HBR 9-391-089, by Cynthia A. Montgomery