Business Project Report: M&S Summer Shoes Launch and Research Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of a business project focused on the launch of Mark & Spencer's (M&S) new summer shoes, specifically targeting the London Fashion Week in 2019. The report begins with an introduction to globalization and its impact on businesses, using M&S as a case study. It outlines the project's aims and objectives, including the goal of producing and marketing new summer shoes to compete with rivals. The report then details the project management plan, covering scope, time, cost, communication, risk, and resources, and emphasizes the importance of project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closing phases. It also includes a work breakdown structure and a Gantt chart to illustrate timelines and stages. Furthermore, the report explores both quantitative and qualitative research methods applied to meet the project's aims, along with the analysis of research data using appropriate tools and techniques, and recommendations for project improvement. The report concludes with an evaluation of the value of undertaking the research to meet stated objectives and contribute to personal learning and performance, followed by references.

Managing a Successful
Business Project

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................1
P1. Project aims and objectives for a chosen scenario...........................................................1
P2. Project management plan that covers aspect of scope, time, cost, communication, risk and
resources.................................................................................................................................2
P3. Work breakdown structure and Gantt chart to provide time-frames and stages for
completion .............................................................................................................................5
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
P4. Small scale research by applying quantitative and qualitative research method appropriate
for meeting project aims and objectives.................................................................................7
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................9
P5. Analyse research and data using appropriate tools and techniques.................................9
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................18
P6. Recommendation of research and data analysis.............................................................18
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................19
P7. Value of undertaking the research to meet stated objectives and own learning and
performance..........................................................................................................................19
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................19
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................20

INTRODUCTION
Globalisation refers to the free movement of goods or services by businesses throughout
the world. It is a process by which companies can expand their business by entering into
different countries in order to offer their services. This report is about Mark & Spencer which
operates its business at international level by offering a wide range of product or services such as
clothing, home furnishing, gift items and luxury food. It is best known for its offerings in high
quality product and now it is planning to launch a brand new summer shoes in London Fashion
week which take place from 16-20 February 2019 (Lawrence and Almas, 2018).This report
contains an explanation about project management plan along with work breakdown structure
and Gantt chart. It also contains information about qualitative as well as quantitative research
method along with several tools and techniques used for research.
TASK 1
P1. Project aims and objectives for a chosen scenario
Globalisation refers to the process through which businesses that are operates at different
part of world started trading at an international scale. It is a medium through which people,
companies and government worldwide interact with people, companies and government all
around the globe. Globalisation is related with the integration of national as well as local
economies which contribute toward interlinking cultural as well as social aspects. It generally
focused toward the movement of knowledge, people and technologies across the international
boundaries which also allows the free flow of political, cultural and environmental discourse.
Mark and Spencer is a multinational British retailer which offer variety of products like clothing,
home products and luxury food items. Company focuses toward offering quality products or
services through maintain their retail chain stores worldwide.
Background of project:-
Globalisation is defined as a process through which a business started operating its
business across the national or international boundaries with an aim to expand business. It
supports company in maximising their customer base by offering their services to people belongs
to other culture or nation which further support in enhancing the profitability of company
(Hoogvelt, 2018). This support organisations to expand their approach by reducing gap among
countries or other geographical area. Mark & Spencer is an international retailer brand which
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offer variety of product to its customers throughout the world which includes clothing, home
furnishing, footwear, gifts and luxury food items. It maintains around 1463 stores across 57
countries throughout the world through managing a range of franchise stores. For maintaining
its position at international level, company put more emphases toward providing high quality
services to its customers in order to maintain a loyal consumer base which further support them
in promoting brand (Colen and Swinnen, 2016). As company believe that a happy customer is
most valuable asset for the company which further advertise its brand as well as quality services
through word-of-mouth. This help in increasing customers bases as well as simplifying the
actions taken by company to approach its potential customers. M&S is now planning to
manufacture and launch a brand new summer shoes by participating in London fashion week
which will held between 16-20 February 2019. This support company in competing with other
brands which are participating in event. Apart from this it also help in enhancing its goodwill and
providing customers bases to make comparison regarding the quality services offered by
company.
Aim of project:
Main aim of this research is “ To produce and market a brand new summer shoes by
participating in London fashion week which take place on 16-20 February 2019. A study on
Mark & Spencer.”
Objectives:
 To produce and market new summer shoes to compete with rival brand.
 To examine the shoes design before launching it.
 To analyse the success of project implementation and provide recommendations to make
changes.
P2. Project management plan that covers aspect of scope, time, cost, communication, risk and
resources.
Project management refers to the practice of planning, initiating, executing, managing
and controlling the work performed by team in order to achieve specific goals or certain success
criteria within specific time period (Lingard and McGregor, 2014). It generally worked toward
ensuring that the project get accomplished successful as planned. Project management plan
consists of set of activities that are required to be perform in order to achieve set objectives. It
work toward efficiently guiding all the aspect of project from its inception to finish date with an
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ideal aim of delivering particular outcome on required budget or time. Project management
includes scope, size, time, cost, quality etc. But apart from this project management is a step by
step process which is required to be followed by manager in order to achieve desired result.
M&S is currently planning to enhance its brand image at international level by launching a new
product i.e. summer shoes by taking participation in London fashion week 2019. So, in order to
achieve success in this project, company is required to follow stages that are explained below:
Project initiation:- It is the first and foremost stage of project management under which
the idea behind the project is define at a broad level. Project initiation phase usually begins with
the a business case and then the feasibility of project is get determine (Brown, 2017). Under this
step, team of M&S is required to explore and discuss about their project with team members.
Apart from this they should try to analyse the feasibility of project in term of finance, technology
and resources. Initiation stage of the project include several steps such as development of
business case and undertaking feasibility study over that case to determine its validity. After
analysis project charter get established and team is formulated, after all these phase get reviewed
by the project manager to formulate an effective team and provide them direction to work
further.
Planning phase:- This stage is consider as a key to success of project management which
focuses over formulating action plans which depict about the activities that are required to
perform by management team in order to achieve desired objective. Under this stage Mark &
Spencer is required to set goals related to their product launch using SMART objectives which
ensures that goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound. This support in
identifying the cost, resources required, quality and cost of project.
Project execution phase:- This stage is consider as the practical implication of plans
which are being formulated by the project manager in earlier stage. At this execution phase the
main role of Mark & Spencer's project manager is to keep work on track, manage timelines,
organise team members and ensures that the work must be performed as per the plan.
Project monitoring and control phase:- This stage focuses toward measuring the
performance as well as progress of the project in order to ensure that everything happens in an
planned manner. In order to monitor the project effectively, project managers of Mark & Spencer
must use key performance indicators for determining that whether the project is on track or not
(Twining, 2017). This can be done over the findings that whether company is able to achieve the
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estimated profit or not. KPI's will support Mark & Spencer in determining the area that require
attention or modification in order to achieve their pre specified goals.
Closing phase:- This is the last stage where project manager hold a meeting in order to
determine what went will and what went wrong in current project which is very helpful in
understanding the mistakes so that the proper measures can be taken in future. Under this stage
after finishing the production of their summer shoes, Mark & Spencer is required to create a
checklist of actions that doesn't get accomplished and try to work over it. This support in
ensuring that work has been done in an efficient manner which further support in accomplishing
their project goal.
Advantages of project management:
Project management plays an essential role within the success of a project as it supports a
manager to ensures that the actions performed by its team contribute toward the accomplishment
of planned objectives (Scrinzi, 2017). Following are the importance of using project
management:
 It support in prioritising the resources that are required to perform tasks and ensure its
proper utilisation.
 Project management help in ensuring that the actions performed by the team members
are on the right track and support in accomplishing planned objectives.
 It assists in maintaining a consistent interaction between customers, suppliers and
staff members.
 Project management is very essential in controlling the tasks performed within the
project and aligning them toward the accomplishment of desired goals.
Hence, project management is very essential as it support Mark & Spencer in delivering
the expected outcomes effectively and in timely manner.
Project management plan is defined as a formal document which is used to manage the
project execution. It is blue print of project which describe about the set of actions that are
required to perform by team members in order to accomplish particular project along with the
people who are liable to perform that action (Gangopadhyay, 2017). It contains the tasks which
are essential to define, prepare, integrate and coordinate the different sort of planned activities.
During the development of project there are some important aspects that are required to be
consider and those are explained below:
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 Scope of the project:- Mark & Spencer offers a wide variety of products through
maintaining a range of franchise stores. So, the scope is also very broad for company as
by launching its new summer shoes M&S will be able to increase its brand image among
customers and also able to attract new customers which help in increasing sales,
profitability and consumer base. Apart from this the scope for researchers is also wide, as
this research will support in developing knowledge and understanding related to global
market in researcher which will be helpful in future projects. Objective, Purpose and deliverable of project:- Main objective of Mark & Spencer
behind launching its brand new summer shoes in London Fashion Week 2019 is to
increase awareness about the product and position it in the mind of customers. By
participating in this event company will be able to attract large number of customers
toward this product and also get media attention which help in promoting this design. Cost:- This factor describe about the costs that will be incurred during the execution of
project as it involve a range of activities. In order to launch its new shoes design in
London Fashion Week 2019, Mark & Spencer experience expenses such as labour cost,
infrastructure cost, resources required, estimation of risk and many more that are required
to include in cost structure (Zajda, 2015). Apart from this research includes the cost
related to group of activities that are being performed by researchers throughout whole
study. The estimated cost for the research is 4500£. Time:- This factor is describe about the time required to accomplish the project
effectively. In order to develop and launch its brand new summer shoes, Mark & Spencer
require around 6 months so that it can design its product effectively and make customer
aware about its presence through promotional activities. On the hand, researcher required
around 6 weeks to complete research over this topic of globalisation and its role in
organisational profitability. Communication:- It include the medium that are being used by project manager of M&S
in order to communicate about project plan with its team members which includes
conference call, meetings, presentations, email etc. On the other hand researcher uses
meetings, conferences etc. to communicate about their research. Risk:- It includes risk that may be faced by Mark & Spencer while executing its project
related to the money, technology, resources etc. which may leads to failure of project. On
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the other hand, researcher may find risk related to the low budget, improper time
management, limited resources or not adequate information (Herrschel, 2014).
 Resources:- For completing its project effectively Mark & Spencer resources such as
finance, personnel, technology etc. On the other hand researcher require resources like
computer, internet connection, stationery, finance etc.
P3. Work breakdown structure and Gantt chart to provide time-frames and stages for completion
Work Breakdown structure:- It refers to the deliverable oriented breakdown of project
into smaller or manageable component in order to accomplish the project objectives effectively.
Work breakdown structure help in outlining the activities that are required to perform in project
and the person who are responsible for performing these operations.
Illustration 1: Work break down structure
(Source: Work break down structure, 2019)
Gantt Chart:- It refers to the horizontal bar chart which is generally used to illustrate the
schedule of activities that help project manager to plan, coordinate and track the task is
performed under the project (Abbas and Yigit, 2015). Gantt chart is graphical representation of
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activities that are required to perform in project along with time taken by them. This support in
effective planning of activities and sequencing them as per their priorities.
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TASK 2
P4. Small scale research by applying quantitative and qualitative research method appropriate for
meeting project aims and objectives
Research methodology refers to the set of techniques that are being used to determine,
select, process and evaluate the information about a particular topic. This section allows
researcher to critically evaluate overall study to determine its reliability and validity (Yu, Byun
and Lee, 2014). Research methodologies are of two types:-
Qualitative:- It is defined as a method of research where an understanding regarding the
underlying opinion, reasons, motivation is created by collecting non numerical data. Qualitative
research is an in depth enquiry which work toward identifying the social phenomena within their
natural setting.
Quantitative:- It refers to systematic and empirical research which generally try to
investigate about observable phenomena via mathematical, statistical or computational
techniques (von Furstenberg, 2017). Quantitative research generally focuses on analysing the
data which is collected through polls, surveys, questionnaire etc.
Data collection:- It refers to the process of collecting information related to a particular
topic or area of study. Data collection method are of two types which are explained below: Primary:- It refers to the data collection method where the information collected directly
by the researcher and not with the help of any other previously done research it is
collected for the first time ever.
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 Secondary:- It refers to the data collection methodology where the summary, synthesis
and collation of existing conducted research is used to collect information regrading the
current topic of research.
Sampling:- It is defined as the process under which statistical data is being observed
which is collected from selected group of peoples. There are generally two types of sampling
such as probability and non probability sampling. In this current research probability sampling is
used where group of people are selected randomly i.e. 10 respondents which are staff members
of Mark & Spencer.
QUESTIONNAIRE
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Contact no.:
Email id.:
Q1) Due you have some knowledge about globalisation?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Describe about the methods to increase profitability in M&S?
a) Business expansion
b) Promotional activities
c) Target new market
Q3) Does production and marketing of new summer shoes will help M&S in competing
with rival brand.
a) Yes
b) No
Q4) What benefit Mark & Spencer will get by launch its summer shoes in London fashion
week 2019?
a) Increase in product awareness
b) Market expansion
c) Direct interaction with customers
Q5) What are different factors which M&S must consider while checking its summer
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shoes design before launching it into fashion week?
a) Quality
b) Durability
c) Comfortability
Q6)Does globalisation support Mark & Spencer in achieving competitive advantage?
a) Yes
b) No
Q7)What are the major risk that may be faced by Mark & Spencer while operating at
international level?
a) Political
b) Legal
c) Cultural
d) technological
Q8) Does globalisation is beneficial for growth and profitability of Mark & Spencer?
a) Yes
b) No
Q9) What are the different ways through which Mark & Spencer can overcome from risk
arose?
a) Market research
b) Culture awareness
c) Knowledge of legislations
Q10)Recommend the way through which M&S can achieve success through project
implementation and changes that are required.
Ethics, reliability and validity:- While conducting research it is very essential for the
researcher to conduct its investigation in an ethical manner (Belke and Rees, 2014). They must
ensure that the confidentiality should be maintained and information should be disclosed in an
ethical manner. Apart from this, researcher must collect the information which is more reliable
so that accurate data can be consider which support toward bringing positive outcome. In
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