Project Report: M&S Summer Shoe Launch for London Fashion Week

This report details a project management plan for Marks & Spencer (M&S) aiming to launch designer summer shoes at London Fashion Week. The report outlines the project's aims and objectives, focusing on assessing customer preferences, achieving a competitive market position, and providing ...Read More

Managing a Successful Business Project

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO1..................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Devising research aim and objectives....................................................................................3
P2 Producing project management plan......................................................................................4
P3 Producing work-breakdown structure and gantt chart............................................................5
LO2..................................................................................................................................................9
P4 Carry out research by applying qualitative and quantitative methods....................................9
LO3................................................................................................................................................12
P5 Analyzing research and data using qualitative & quantitative techniques...........................12
P6 Communicating appropriate recommendations and drawing conclusion.............................20
LO4................................................................................................................................................21
P7 Reflecting the value of research undertaken in relation to meeting stated objectives..........21
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................22
APPENDIX 1.................................................................................................................................24
1. Questionnaire.........................................................................................................................24
2.Project Log Book....................................................................................................................28
3. Performance review...............................................................................................................29
4. Research questions.................................................................................................................30

INTRODUCTION
Globalization can be defined as interaction and integration between people, companies
and Government worldwide. Global interactions leads to increase in exchange or transfer of
ideas, cultures, technology etc. It is a primary economic process of integrating one economy with
that of another economy (Beck, 2018). Moreover, it helps in resolving all the conflicts between
two economies related to any issue prevailing between two countries. Managing a Successful
Business Project help company in framing all business products so that it helps in company’s
growth and increase companies’ profits. Marks & Spencer is a British Multinational company
headquartered in Westminster, London. Company was established in year 1884 by Michael
Marks and Thomas Spencer. Company’s net income as per year 2019 is £37.3 million. Present
report is based on preparation of project management plan in order to launch new summer show
in market before London Fashion Week. The report covers discussion about aims and objectives
to be cover for production of shoes and what are potential buyers and potential competitors who
can affect company’s sales. Time frames for completion of project has been completed through
Gantt Chart and there is small scale research available for meeting aims and objectives. It also
focus on analyzing research and data by using appropriate tools and techniques.
LO1
P1 Devising research aim and objectives
Background of the study
Globalization helps in transfer of goods and services into various international markets. It
helps in creating cultural awareness and adapting to different rules and regulations by effectively
devising new strategies. Globalization helps in attaining higher market share, better competitive
position by doing business in various international markets.
This study will highlight, project management plan and work breakdown structure. It will
also carry out research methodology to carry out study in systematic and reliable manner. Data
will be collected, analyzed and interpreted to find valid conclusion and recommendation.
Marks & Spencer is a British Multinational company headquartered in Westminster,
London. Company was established in year 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer.

Aim
The aim behind conducting current study is to launch designer summer shoes in London
Fashion Week: A study on M&S which will help the company to know what the challenges are
faced by company in launch of new product.
Objectives
There are specified objectives which are derived from the above included aim like
assessing customer’s preferences towards fashion shoes. For launching shoe at affordable prices
in London fashion week taking place on 16th-20th November. To help company to attain
competitive position over rivals by offering exclusive fashion shoes. Then in last giving those
recommendations for strategies that M&S need to follow for increasing customers' experience
and sales level.
P2 Producing project management plan
Project Management Plan is very useful in achieving aims and objectives set by company. It is
very essential to plan for all the various aspects under planning before launching new product in
market. It includes cost, risk, resources, communication mode which will be used in whole
research.
Cost- For conducting research, it is important for researcher to analyze and determine.
Cost must be reasonable and affordable to customers (Henry, 2017). It should be affordable for
customer of all levels. The main purpose of researcher to plan of cost is to make whole research
in an effective manner. For conducting this research it will take approximate £200 and for
launching shoe in London fashion week the company's approximate cost will be £2000.
Scope- In the context of scope it can be said that this research can be used and helpful at
academic as well as corporate level. Globalization is a wider term and by analyzing this research
students and companies can identify factors that can affect their performance level (Pearlson, and
et.al., 2016). This study will help in examining the factors that can affect the company's
performance while launching shoe products.
Time: It is also important for researcher to set and plan for time for this research. For
completing this whole research with efficiently, scholar will take approximate 5 weeks. In the
context of company, for launching its new shoe it will take 6 weeks.

Quality- Quality is called an important part and factor which should be considered by
researcher while making a project management plan (Shaw, 2017). Quality shows an extent to
which excellence of something can be measured. By maintaining quality, it can increase
effectiveness of research and accomplish its goals. For maintaining quality, the researcher will
use bench-marking for this research and the company will use KPI for launching shoe in London
fashion week.
Communication- There are various channels of communication such as E-mail,
advertising, social media platforms, newspaper etc. All this modes help researcher and the
company to connect them with their customers and also connect all activities of research. For
communicating, researcher will use E-mail and the company will make an effective use of
Meetings and E-mail.
Risk: It is important for researcher to keep all factors and risks in mind related to
globalization and that can occur while conducting research. There are several types of risks that
involves in conducting research such as theft of data, government regulations etc. So it is
important for scholar to minimize and analyze risks and measure them.
Resources: Resources also play a vital role in making and conducting research in
appropriate and effective manner. By making an effective use of resources, scholar can make this
whole research about globalization and launching a new product effective. For this, researcher
will use stationery, laptop, storage devices etc.
P3 Producing work-breakdown structure and gantt chart
Work breakdown: Work breakdown structure for every company is essential because it
leads to show clear instruction that which work is to be done. It leads to from starting of work
from bringing raw materials by company to end of finished goods (Siami, 2015). It includes all
departments such as raw material, work in progress, finished goods etc.

Gantt Chart- It is a graphical representation of your project work which emphasis from
the start date of the project and also the date where project will get over. This also represent that
which task has to be completed on what date so that proper planning can be done to finish the all
tasks on time. This chart can help to schedule the work on time and manage the size and type of
the projects within the given time frame (Fung, 2016). In this project of bringing the new product
before Lon don Fashion Week must be launched in order to beat to its existing customers.
Time Scale

Milestone plan
Milestone Due date Justification
Analyzing of competitive
market
11th August It is expected to be complete
till 11th august for taking
appropriate actions.
Designing of some items 20th August The actual date is 22nd august
but it required to complete
before the expected date for

knowing effectiveness.
Making a budget 30th August As London fashion week
taking place on 16th-20th Nov,
so it is important to make
budget few months ago.
Monitoring and completion plan
Activities Monitoring and evaluation Time
Marker research For evaluating and monitoring
this activity, the company will
hire a special and authorized
person.
5 days
Analyzing of competitive
market
By using appropriate tools like
PESTLE, Porter's 5 forces
analysis model, this activity
can be evaluated.
6 days
Making a budget It can be evaluated by financial
manager who has enough
knowledge and experience.
4 days
LO2
P4 Carry out research by applying qualitative and quantitative methods
Research methods are systematic approach which are used in order to conduct research
on the basis of particular objective. These methods can help researcher in smooth working by
bringing new ideas by applying different tools and techniques of research methodology. It helps

in evaluation on the present study and on that basis implement different methods on their
respective places. First and foremost step is to collect all data in the form of Questionnaire in
order to collect all the valuable information related to launch of summer shoe in market can be
collected from Global Markets. For conducting effective research different research styles can be
used and a group of population can be targeted for investigation or doing survey. Questionnaire
was handled through emails and in survey total 30 customers were taken in order to investigate
as sample during the project.
Research type:
There are mainly 2 types of research such as qualitative and quantitative. Both types of
research are based on different methods and philosophies.
Quantitative research
Quantitative research is based on numerical data and figures. In this type of research, all
information's are collected by questionnaires, survey and manipulating preexisting statically data.
For conducting this research, scholar will make use of quantitative research as it will take views
of managers of Marks & Spencer's company about the topic of globalization and launching a
new product. The main feature and aim of using this type of research is to identify the
relationship between one things to another. It may be descriptive and experimental.
Qualitative research
Qualitative research is wholly based on feelings, views & emotions on individuals. This
type of researcher seek correlation & attempts to control the environment in which the
information and data are being collected to avoid the risk of variables. Qualitative method is also
being used by researcher.
Hence, both qualitative and quantitative tools have been applied for addressing concerned
research issue. On the basis of this aspect, qualitative data related to customer’s preferences as
well as attitude has been gathered and analyzed. Further, quantitative research has also been by
presenting the responses of respondents in tabular as well as graphical format.
Research philosophy:

It is a method that tells about the way data has to be collected and analyzed. Data is
gathered by researcher with a research method which is known as Research philosophy. These
are of two types’ interpretivism and Positivism. interpretivism can be defined as qualitative
aspects in which models and theories are used and research is done with the help of small
samples. Positivism refers to hypothesis formulation and large samples are taken and both
qualitative and quantitative data are taken into account. This study have used interpretivism in
doing research and collected qualitative data to identify that M&S should whether go for
launching its new product in London Fashion Week or and how will it be beneficial for
company.
Research Approach:-
It is a method which is having different steps to determine the way research have to be
conducted. It is having two types of approaches to do research i.e. Inductive and Deductive. In
inductive research approach no formulation of hypothesis is involve in research. It directly starts
with research question and consider the aims and objective of research process (Lune, 2016). In
Deductive approach formulation of hypothesis is there that needs to accepted or rejected. In this
research to identify wheat are benefits available if M&S is launching summer shoe in London
Fashion Week, will it be attracting more number of customers for company.
Research design:-
It is generally a plan to answer the questions related to the given research. There are three
categories in research design Descriptive, Exploratory and Casual research. Descriptive research
can be defined as the study of population and its characteristics with help of techniques like
survey, observations etc. In this research no Hypothesis is formulated. This study shows that
company should go for launching its summer shoe in Event or not and what will be new
marketing techniques that will help company to launch its product in better way (Bernard, 2017).
This method helps in doing research in effective manner by focusing on the aim and objective.
Data collection
In order to launch summer shoes during London fashion week successfully, data has been
gathered from primary sources. For this purpose, survey will be conducted on targeted customers

via questionnaire. Through this, business unit would become able to offer summer shoes to the
customers as per their preferences.
Sampling:-
It is another method in which particular unit is selected from a large population so that
research can be done by studying about the samples and analyzing different items. Samples must
be selected in a precise manner so that it can results in finding of correct facts and figures related
to research. For this study, random sampling method is been used which helps in gathering
samples randomly for research and there is no particular criteria to collect samples as a result
there is no bias selection of samples. 30 samples have been gathered in this report from random
customers of Marks and Spencer's '(Taylor, 2015).
Data analysis
For evaluation purpose and presenting gathered responses in an appropriate manner both
qualitative as well as quantitative techniques have been applied. Accordingly, thematic
perception test technique has been applied for presenting gathered responses in an appropriate
manner. In other words, several themes have been prepared referring responses gathered through
questionnaire. Further, responses have also been supported through tables and graphs.
Limitations of Research Methodology
Researcher have to face several problems as to complete research from the expected date
is not in the hand of researcher. Due to theft of data, government regulations, researcher took few
days more from expected date. Sample size also was too much as it is depended on the nature of
problem and globalization is a wider term. If researcher had taken sample size small then
statistical tests applied on that data may not identify accurate results. It may be possible that
researcher may not have previous experience about research and research methods that can be
used at the time of research.
LO3
P5 Analyzing research and data using qualitative & quantitative techniques
Theme 1: Maximum number of respondents prefer high range / budget range shoes.

Particulars Frequency of respondents Percentage of respondents
High range / budget 14 46.67%
Min-range 7 23.33%
Designer 9 30%
Total 30 100.00%
Interpretation: From above conducted research it can be infer that, 46.67% of the
participants said to agree on the fact that, customers tend to wear High range / budget range
products which are good in quality and have trendy style. Remaining 30% said that, they like to
wear designer shoes because they are stylish and adds to the standards and personality of the
individual.
Theme 2: Maximum number of respondents refer to spend £200-350 on designer shoes offered
by the company.
Particulars Frequency of respondents Percentage of respondents
£50-200 8 26.67%

£200-350 10 33.33%
£350-500 7 23.33%
Above £500 5 16.67%
Total 30 100.00%
Interpretation: From above conducted research it can be infer that, 33.33% of customers
said that, they spend about 200 to 350 Euros on the designer shoes provided by the companies.
26.67 % respondents has said that they spend 50 to 200 Euros on the designer shoes. 23.33% of
respondents have accepted that they spend 350 to 500 on designer shoes of well-known
organization and there are only 16.67% people spend more than 500 Euros on designer shoes.
Theme 3: M&S, is the most preferable brand.
Particulars Frequency of respondents Percentage of respondents
Nike 5 16.67%

Adidas 6 20%
Sketchers 4 13.33%
Puma 5 16.67%
M&S 10 33.33%
Total 30 100.00%
Interpretation: From above conducted research it can be infer that, M&S is one of the
preferable brand because it designs comfortable and designer shoes at economical price. Other
participants said that, Adidas also offer good quality shoes which are long lasting. Remaining
customers like puma and Nike because they offer great grip and comfort.
Theme 4: Designs, influences more while purchasing shoe.
Particulars Frequency of respondents Percentage of respondents
Price 7 23.33%
Brand name 9 30%

Designs 14 46.67%
Total 30 100.00%
Interpretation: From above conducted research it can be infer that, 46.67% of the
customers prefer design and style of the shoes as one of the most preferable choice while
purchasing shoes. It helps in add to the personality of the individual. 30% of customers say that,
brand name adds to the standard and quality of the product.
Theme 5: Both Online and offline modes are preferred by the customers while taking decision
about the purchase of shoes
Particulars Responses % of responses
Online 15 50%
Offline 15 50%
Total 30 100%

Interpretation:Outcome of survey shyows that customers prefer to buy products from
both the medium online as well as offline. Referring this, it can be presented that M&S can attain
success by offering designer shoes in London Fashion week.
Theme 6: Customer prefer to buy shoes when they found innovative one
Particulars Responses % of responses
On festivals 6 20%
According to the requirements 10 33%
When found designer shoes 14 47%
Total 30 100%

Interpretation: Graphical presentation clearly exhibits that usually cuistomers prefer to
buy shoes when they found innovative one rather than on the basis of requirements. By
considering this, it can be mentioned that M&S can get competitive advantage by offering
designer shoes to the customers.
Theme 7: Maximum number of respondents like to wear Stilettos and casual shoes.
From above conducted research it can be infer that, most of the participants like to wear
Stilettos because they are trendy and classy. It helps in enhancing the personality of the
individual. Casual shoes are most preferred because it can be worn daily and are way to
comfortable.
Theme 8: Comfort and design of the shoe, is the most important feature while buying shoes.
From above conducted research it can be infer that, most of the participants like to buy
those shoes which are very comfortable to wear and has strong grip to walk comfortably. People
also take into consideration the design of the shoe. It should look classy and attractive while
wearing any pair of shoes.
Theme 9: Customers prefer to purchase products from London Fashion Week
Particulars Frequency %
Yes 25 83.33%

No 6 16.67%
Total 30 100%
Interpretation: From above data it can be interpreted that 83.33% of customers prefer to buy
products from London Fashion Week. On the other side, 16.67% customers said that product
offered in London fashion week are usually expensive.
Theme 10: Customers agreed that innovative products are sold in London fashion week
Particulars Frequency %
Strongly agree 8 26.67%
Agree 10 33.3%
Neutral 7 23.3%
Disagree 3 10%
Strongly disagree 2 6.7%
Total 30 100%

Interpretation: From the above data it can be observed that 33.33% customers agreed and
26.67% strongly agreed that innovative products are offered in London Fashion Week. On the
other hand, 16.7% customers entailed that innovative products can be found on online sites as
well.
P6 Communicating appropriate recommendations and drawing conclusion
Conclusion
From the above research report, it can be concluded that M&S should go for launching its
new summer shoe in London Fashion Week. It will be helping company to increase its profits
and also attracting more number of customers for company which will ultimately lead to increase
in sale of company. There is qualitative research method used in order to make research on
whether to launch summer shoe in event or not. Main aim of research was to know that whether
company should go for launching its product in London Fashion Week or not. Thus, M&S
should go for launching its new product summer shoe in event because it is highly beneficial for
company. This study also concludes that, there are various competitors of the company which
influences the performance of the Marks and Spencer.
Recommendations

 It is recommended to M&S that focus need to be placed on the adoption of budgetary
control techniques. This in turn helps company in maintaining effectual control on cost.
Through this, firm would become able to offer summer shoes to the customers at
affordable price and thereby maximizes both sales as well as profitability.
 M&S is also advised to lay more emphasis on R&D which in turn helps in identifying
customer’s views and requirements in relation to summer shoes. By applying R&D
strategy business unit can provide customers with innovative summer shoes and thereby
gain competitive advantage over competitors.
 It has been evaluated that 53.33% respondents said that, the company will be able to
increase their profit by launching new summer shoe in London Fashion Week.
LO4
P7 Reflecting the value of research undertaken in relation to meeting stated objectives
From the above research I can say that I have learned too many new things by conducting
this research. I know the importance of developing globalization along with its critical impacts
on the company's performance. It was an interesting task to carry out this study which in turn
helps in broadening the gaps on the particular subject matter. I have gained immense knowledge
on this area of study. It was interesting to carry out data analysis by taking viewpoints of various
authors. I have conducted questionnaire which will improving my coordination capabilities. On
the other hand I can put more my emphasis on improving body language and communication
skills. I have scheduled all my tasks in a time frame. I have also learned that each step of
research play an important role and that should be played in a specific order. Data collection or
sampling play a vital role because without collecting data it is not possible for researcher to
conduct and gain outcomes. I have faced various challenges while carrying out this study is time
constraints and lack of financial resources. I have focused on scheduling a time frame to carry
out all task in a systematic and reliable manner. I have attained all the goals and objectives of the
study.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Beck, U., 2018. What is globalization?. John Wiley & Sons.
Bernard, H. R., 2017. Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative
approaches. Rowman & Littlefield.
Ding, R., 2016. Successful Project Decision-Making. In Key Project Management Based on
Effective Project Thinking (pp. 75-94). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Fung, M., 2016. Decreasing Interruptions at the Bedside.
Henry, W., Albrecht, H. and Soup, J., 2017. 2. President’s Report 3. Upcoming Events 4. Items
from the Collection Shoe Last 5. Past Events.
Lune, H. and Berg, B. L., 2016. Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. Pearson
Higher Ed.
Mihas, P., 2019. Qualitative data analysis. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.
Online
Pearlson, K. E., and et.al., 2016. Managing and using information systems, binder ready version:
a strategic approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Shaw, J., Paine, L. and Killough, D., 2017. Quality assurance of podiatric management of
diabetic foot ulceration demonstrates the need to standardise practice. The Diabetic Foot
Journal 20(2). pp.78-82.
Siami-Irdemoosa, E., Dindarloo, S. R. and Sharifzadeh, M., 2015. Work breakdown structure
(WBS) development for underground construction. Automation in Construction, 58,
pp.85-94.
Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A
guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.

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APPENDIX 1
1. Questionnaire
Demographic information
Name…..
Age….
Gender…..
Q.1 Which kind of shoes do you prefer to purchase?
 High range / budget ()
 Min-range ()
 Designer ()
Q.2 How much do you refer to spend on designer shoes offered by the company?
 £50-200 ()
 £200-350 ()
 £350-500
 Above £500 ()
Q.3 From the following list, which one is the most preferable brand for you?
 Nike ()
 Adidas ()
 Sketchers ()
 Puma ()
 M&S ()
Q.4 Which factor influences you more while purchasing shoes?

 Price ()
 Quality ()
 Brand name ()
 Designs ()
Q.5 From which medium do you prefer to buy shoes?
 Online ()
 Offline ()
Q.6 When do you prefer to buy shoes?
 On festivals ()
 According to the requirements ()
 When found designer and exclusive patterns ()
Q 7. Which type of shoes do you like to wear?
Q 8. According to you what is the most important quality do you prefer while buying shoes?
Q.9 Do you prefer to purchase products from London Fashion Week?
 Yes ()
 No ()
Q.10 Do you agree that innovative products are sold in London fashion week?
 Strongly agree ()
 Agree ()
 Neutral ()
 Disagree ()
 Strongly disagree ()

2.Project Log Book
Week
No.
Date
Identified
Update on weekly research (including new ideas or change
in project direction)
1 03.06.2019
In the first week, I found the appropriate and the best topic.
2 10.06.2019
In second week, I tried to make aims and objectives.
3 17.06.2019
In third week, I Gathered appropriate informations.
4 24.06.2019
In fourth week, I used different types of catalogs to find
books and other media.
5 01.07.2019
In fifth week, I made an effective use of books & journals for
gathering relevant information.
6 08.07.2019
In sixth week, I analyzed data which I collected.

Week
No.
Date
Identified
Update on weekly research (including new ideas or change
in project direction)
7 15.07.2019
In seventh week, I made market research related to topic.
8 22.07.2019
I made several designs of products and made standard format.
9 29.07.2019
By using different techniques I completed research studies.
10 05.08.2019
Finally, I completed research.
3. Performance review
Performance Review
What was the project supposed to accomplish?
Research aims and Objectives.
 “To identify the factors that influence customers to buy new summer shoes
launched at London Fashion Week: A study on Marks & Spencer”.
 Did the project succeed in its aims? How do you know? Specifically, please outline any evaluation and
assessment undertaken.
Yes. Through its deadline I came to know.
What things do you think worked well and why? Evaluate all aspects of the project (e.g. initial inception,
project activities and project outcomes) from a range of perspectives.
Selection of Research methodologies is done well.
 What problems emerged during the project and how were they tackled? Was there timely identification of

issues and resolution during the project process?
 No any problems.
 What did you learn from undertaking the project?
 Reliability and viability of data in research.
How would you rate your performance as Project Manager?
10/8.5
 What strengths and weaknesses of your performance did you identify?
 Strength- Communication, computer and technical skills
 Weaknesses- lack of listening skills. High level of frustration.
 How will this inform and support your continuous professional development?
 Through Email.
4. Research questions
Q.1 What is the appropriate strategy for launching shoe in London fashion week?
Q.2 What factors affect company's performance in the context of launching summer shoes?