Use the Slept Framework to Analyse the Current External Business Environment for Issues That May Affect Your Company.

The business I have chosen for this investigation is ASDA superstore. This is a large chain of supermarkets throughout Britain which retails clothes, merchandise, food, and electronics etc. in this part of my course work I will briefly explain the aims and objectives of ASDA I will also explain the external factors which affect the aims and objectives of the business however I will first be talking about a brief history of ASDA.

Deluxe: How luxury lost its luster, by Dana Thomas, brings a hard hitting, raw look at the world of luxury and the mass demand of luxury that has occurred. The book was published by the Penguin Group in 2007. Luxury is defined by Thomas as truly special, and was only available to the aristocratic world of wealth and old money in western culture. Luxury signified an experience and lifestyle that denotes royalty, fame, and fortune. However, with large companies owning the former family-owned luxury producing businesses, profits are the main goal not the production of luxury. Thomas reveals the unfortunate demise and rise of

products that they assumed to be luxury at the time because it seemed new and

Analyze the external and internal environment for opportunities, threats, strengths, and weaknesses that impact the firm’s competitiveness.

I am required to evaluate the impact of changes in the economic environment on marks and spencer’s in relation to government decisions, policies, spending and economic management

4For this assignment I have selected East Berkshire college. I have carried out research into the environment and internal characteristics of this organisation addressing the following:

From consumer’s perspective, the motivation of their purchasing high-end products is complicated. According to the report of Mintel (Academic.mintel.com, 2013), which showed that the reason why a large number of customs have purchased luxury merchandise in UK. There were 44 percent of female interviewees and 48 percent of male interviewees bought high-end goods due to the good quality. In addition, 31 percent of men and 18 percent of women consider the sophisticated technique

The following case analysis will assess Coach Inc. and its strategy in the accessible luxury brand goods market. The coach strategy focuses on its luxury rivals in matching key quality styles while offering it at a cheaper price. The company offers most products at a 50% off discount price less than other brands which gives them a competitive advantage pertaining to its customer base. Coach marketed its products to middle –income consumers desiring taste of luxury, but also affluent and wealthy consumers with means to spend considerably more on a handbag (Gamble, 2012. P.C-73) .The Company also has several other strategies such as to increase global distribution, improve same store sales productivity and continue its multi-channel business model which includes indirect whole sales to third party retailers but also focuses on direct consumer sales. Coach has done well in the luxury goods industry but the companies profit margin is still below the levels achieved prior to the onset of a slowing economy in 2007 ( Gamble, 2012. P.C-73.The Company had experienced a decline in sales as they are unsure if the company recent growth could remain constant and maintain their competitive advantage with other successful luxury lines Michael Kors, Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana.

Definitions of luxury have continuously changed across centuries, and will likely change as luxury evolves in the years to come. It can be difficult to give a precise definition seeing as luxury is all but static. Looking at luxury in an historical context provides insights on different perceptions and views on the subject. In "The Idea of Luxury: A Conceptual and Historical Investigation", Christopher Berry provides an analysis of the evolution of luxury as a moral concern tracing back from Ancient Greece up to you our age.

The paper will examine the business as if it were being purchased and provide reasoning for the purchase by evaluating the company’s business model and assessing the need for training from the seller. The paper will also provide reasons for the purchase by identifying the issues the buyer should investigate when performing a feasibility analysis and due diligence. The additional reasoning for the purchase will be provided by identifying the areas to negotiate with the seller and the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing the existing business instead of starting a new business in the industry. This week the business choices to conduct research on were Mel’s Country Café, Hope Blooms Flowers and Things, and Gentlemen’s Top Option. The business that I chose to conduct research on is Gentlemen’s Top Option.

Business 's are the most crucial factor to the Australian economy. Without them, the economy would not be. Their core purpose is to meet the ever-growing demands of consumers, both nationally and internationally, through the production of goods and services. The business this report will be focusing on, which not only operates in Australia but in various countries around the world, most notably; New Zealand, however, also with a slowly expanding market-share in both Asia and the Middle East is the Holden/General Motors group, a well established Australian car manufacturing company, in which holds one of the top market shares for the car industry in Australia.

An increasing economic interdependence of national economies across the world experiences a rapid cross-border movement of goods, service, technology and capital. Luxury goods industry, serve as one of the most competitive industry, emerging and developing rapidly all the time. To a great extent, globalization promotes the development of luxury goods industry significantly in spite of the big shock hit by several times of economic crisis.

In this report the business I have chosen to evaluate is Tesco’s. Tesco’s is one of the largest supermarket stores around the world; it has 330,000 staff working in 3,146 stores, there are stores located in China, Turkey and Japan. Research shows that they have stores in 9 other different countries and 27 million people outside of the UK own their own club card to receive offers and discounts from Tesco’s. They sell a range of different products to suit customer’s needs. The products range from food and groceries, their own clothing brand F&F, their own mobile phone network, and also have personal banking. Tesco’s are all

Key managers that can run each business independently but with a group vision are also part of the equation. Additionally the luxury industry is strongly dependent on tourism which is influenced by economy trends. The 9-11 events and the global economy slowdown have had a great impact on the industry. Finally huge investments were done to win strategic position, having an important impact on revenues. Appendix 5 is an example of the proportion of cost and impact on revenues and the stock performance.

Also, as the purchasing power of the common has risen in various markets across the global, the purchasing of luxury products have gone up. For examples, the iPhone, iPod, iPad and the most latest technology, iWatch. Having these products are considered as statues symbols in many societies which have also increased the sales of Apple Inc. products. Another big social influence to the Apple Inc products is the rapid growth of the music industry, which have improved markets over the cyber space as well. The main exclusive music store is the iTunes and it is ahead of any of their competitors. Thus, in all Apple products benefitted from the social aspects as it has started defining a modern individual lifestyle.