Financial Information for Business Decisions Essay - 1

Financial Information for Business Decisions - Essay Example Marks and Spencer’s well established business attracts a great deal of consumer base irrespective of demography. The company’s main business consists in selling fabric items and clothing for men, women and kids’. The company, by applying prudent marketing techniques, has been able to grab market share of around 11.0%2 by value and 11.2%3 by volume. Marks and Spencer has also been actively involved in the business of marketing and selling edible products which has earned the company immense revenue in the past few years. Through its unmatchable food quality, Marks and Spencer is now regarded as one of the finest when it comes to quality food products. Operating Performance of the Company Marks and Spencer has been actively involved in the marketing of fresh meals and canned food items. The company also earns a good portion of its revenue through selling some of the finest wines and other affordable grocery products as well. In the recent past the company has been able to renew its food range and now offers a diverse variety of products to its customers. This change in strategy has been of benefit to the company which has caused an increase of 1.8%4 in sales revenue from food business. During the financial year 2010, the company progressed by leaps and bounds. ... The table below compares the financial results of Marks and Spencer, for the last five financial years from 2010 till 2006. Particulars8 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 Group Revenue 9,537 9,062 9,022 8,588 7,797 Operating Profit - Continuing Operations 852 871 1,211 1,046 850 Profit from ordinary activities before taxation - continuing operations 703 706 1,129 937 746 Profit for the year 523 507 821 660 523 As can be observed from the above analysis, the financial outlook of the company has improved in the last five years. The group revenue has shown an inclining trend which pertains to the opening of new stores and outlets of the company. The company has expanded its operation both in and out of England over the past couple of years. Marks and Spencer is actively involved in overseas sales, and fluctuation in exchange rate has had a significant impact on the revenue of the company. The company was able to shrug off the recent global meltdown .The gross profit to sales ratio for the year e nded December 31, 2010 was 8.93%9 which has decreased by 0.67% during the current year. Despite the decrease in gross profit to sales ratio, the net profit of the company has increased by ?16.210 million. The primary reason behind the increase in the net profit is the fact that during the current financial year the company did not incur any cost during the current year on corporate restructuring. The increase in net profit is due to the fact that during the current year the company did not incur any exceptional cost which it had incurred during the year prior to that on strategic restructuring. If we analyze the financial year 2009, there has been a major decrease in the profit after tax. This

Economy and Nightlife Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economy and Nightlife - Essay Example Today, we can witness a number of changes and growing trends that characterize the economies of varied countries. Globalization and the growth of industries have led to a new culture of sorts---the infusion of night-life and the MNC culture in various countries, especially the developing nations that are growing accustomed to these changes. This cultural change has brought about an impact on the economy and the market conditions, as well. This paper strives to highlight this new phenomenon and links nightlife to the growth of the economy. The blossoming of 'night-life' and such other related phenomenon took place in the 1980s, when companies began looking for across-the-border initiatives and began perceiving the whole world as a global village. Let us analyse the causes for the growth of night-life, in order to comprehend its importance and how it has been an instrument of change in affecting the economy. Firstly, the changing structures of the cities contributed immensely to the linear setting up of producers and consumers. For instance, the central market areas of cities were cleared and shifted to other regions, which led to a change in not only the physical structure, but also in the culture of the cities. " Later on, this led to the capital construction and restructuring of cities, that paved way for greater potential. Hanging on in many cities in the mid-1970s the central business districts (CBDs) represented a fixed capital that companies were extremely reluctant to write off. This was not just in terms of buildings but also of land." (Harvey, 1985a; 1989). Secondly, growing competition among various cities to create a mark and an image for themselves, not only on the national level, but also in t he newly found global market led to a number of changes. In addition it created tensions within the local polity as planners trained to deal with the city as a system of objective factors (Hall, 1988) were faced with notions of urban cultures and spaces that few were equipped to deal with. Thirdly, the boom in consumption and the growth of the importance of consumerism led to this new culture. The cities oriented themselves in terms fo consumption and not production, which led to a new lease of cultural milieu. In the 1980s the (unevenly) revalorized city centre emerged as a new landscape of buildings, enterprises and signs concerned with the organisation and exploitation of consumption. This economy of consumption (distribution and marketing), unlike the economy of the production and exchange of goods (manufacturing and trade) had a much looser relationship to the local area. [Cities and the Night-time Economy, ANDY LOVATT & JUSTIN O'CONNOR]. Finally, the newly emergent culture as a result