Inquiry Based Learning in the Retail Industry: Analysis of Marks and Spencer

Inquiry Based Learning
(Business)

Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.............................................................................................................................................3
Retail Trends...........................................................................................................................................3
Analysis of Marks and Spencer...............................................................................................................5
Recommendations...................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Inquiry based learning can be defined as an approach to learning that mainly focuses on
the overall role of the student in the learning process. This type of learning involves the teacher
not telling the students what to do and rather encouraging them to share their ideas as well as ask
questions (Akuma and Callaghan, 2019). Organization chosen for this report is Marks and
Spencer, which is a multinational British retailer of household as well as clothing products
(Cairns, 2019). The company was founded in the year 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas
Spencer and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The report explains the different
trends in the retail industry along with the background of the chosen company. It also includes a
SWOT analysis of the company based on the primary data. Lastly, the analysis of the company
against retail trends as well as the recommendations are also included in the report.
MAIN BODY
Retail Trends
Industry Data and Literature Search
One of the fastest growing industries, the retail industry has transformed to a great extent
over the last few years. Retail basically includes how do producers sell their goods as well as
services to the customers in the market. The retail industry in the UK is one of the largest
employers within the company and thus, contributes to the overall economic development of the
nation to a great extent (Chen and Yang, 2019). Different retail products can be sold to the
customers through different mediums such as malls, shops, departmental stores etc. In the United
Kingdom, the retail sector offers employment across customer services, retail management,
distribution, visual merchandising, warehouse, logistics as well as supply chain. It can be said
that the retail industry is a fast growing as well as a pressured growing environment that is
majorly focused on making profits as well as satisfying the needs of the customers.
Trends in the Retail Industry
As a result of many factors, the retail industry is experiencing a massive amount f change
in its operation. Not only this, but the behavior of the consumers is also changing with their
overall expectations getting higher. Keeping this in mind, it is important for the retailers to