Career Research Report: UK Retail Industry and Career Development

This career research report delves into the UK retail industry, using Mark and Spencer as a case study. It examines industry trends influenced by globalization and technological advancements, and the impact on M&S's decision-making. The report identifies essential retail skills such as effective communication, market knowledge, and decision-making abilities. A career action plan is developed, outlining the author's goals and skills as a potential sales manager, followed by a personal analysis that highlights areas for improvement. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of business communication and a skilled workforce in achieving sales targets and overall business success. The report also includes references to relevant academic journals and books.

Career Research
Report

INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.............................................................................................................................................3
Career Action Plan................................................................................................................................5
Personal Analysis...................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Business communication is a goal oriented process in which an organization exchange
information or data within or outside the firm in order to accomplish the organizational goal in
an effective and prompt manner within stipulated period of time (McAlpine and et.al., 2016).
However, it is regarded as an integral component for company as it lead them to promote its
product or service and can achieve marketing objective as well in an innovative and creative
style. For this report, UK retail industry has been considered as it is one of the booming and fast
growing sector and in which Mark and Spencer is taken. This firm is incorporated in the year of
1884 and offers wide range of products across the globe. In this study, it involves development
of action plan and personal analysis for overcoming the shortcomings in a better way.
MAIN BODY
Trend influence in retail industry
Due to globalization, there is an intense level of competition or rivalry among companies
within existing marketplace which directly impact over their productivity and proficiency ratio.
In context of Mark and Spencer, it delivers large segments of products like clothing, furniture,
hoe ware and many more in a better quality which enable them to acquire best positioning within
UK retail industry. However, there are several modification which occurred among UK retail
industry in the past decades and M&S’s decision making get impacted that is shown below:
Advancement in technology: In today’s industry, innovation and modernization plays a
vital role as it totally changed the function or operation of business in a positive manner. With
the help of such digitalization, it enable M&S to expand its market share or size in an effectual
manner. Moreover, it help Mark and Spencer to acquire novel ideas or technologies within their
marketing strategies by designing latest application which made easier to customer in shopping
the product through online. Due to which M&S is able to maintain its brand value among UK
retail industry in an impressive and productive manner. Additionally, it assist company to
strengthen its communication towards customer in order to gain competitive advantage (Hartung
and Santilli, 2018).
Rapid growth of globalization: This aspect is very familiar term within UK industry as it
states that it is a process of integration and interaction between nation, people, and companies in

terms of exchanging ideas, trade without any barriers in order to improve the performance of
organization in an improved way.
However, it has been signified from the above trends that for maintaining firm’s brand
value in industry, M&S should have highly skilled and qualified workforce who can put their
best contribution and can come up with novel ideas or tactics in order to enrich organization
profit margin ratio.
Skills and knowledge required
As per the evaluation of market trends or demands, it has been examined that in order to
perform productively within company then an individual must contains accurate retail skill
which lead them to sustain competitively for longer period of time. Retail skills is nothing but an
ability of a personnel to sell the product to customers or vendors in an amended manner for
obtaining profit maximization in a better way.
Effective communication: This phase is regarded as most crucial element as it contains a
potentiality to attract a person or group towards particular brand that benefits company by
increasing its productivity rate. In context of Mark and Spencer, a manpower must require best
communication skill as it help them to build strong relationship with consumers as well as can
make dealings with many vendors which expand the market size of M&S.
Knowledge about market: It is relates with containing information about current or
upcoming market trend and demand in order to make best strategic decision to increase the
volume of M&S sales performance in an improved mode (Al-Husseini, 2014).
Decision making skill: As the market trend and customer taste or preference changes, an
individual should be capable of implementing appropriate decisions in terms of adopting
modification or changes to gain competitive advantage.
Career Action Plan
In this component, I mention my goal and objective as well as my abilities to accomplish
M&S targeted sales in an appropriate time. It is shown in the range of 1-5
Interest Skills Strength Needs
I am
interested to
 Impressive
communication
 I am good in
communication
 Communication

employ in
sales
department as
a Sales
Manager of
M&S, as I
believes that
this sector
helps me to
enhance my
potentiality in
a better way.
skill
 Customer
relation
 Decision
making
 Managing
business
complexities
as I can attract
more customer
towards brand
and make them
retain for
longer period
of time.
 I am also best
in customer
relation which
I can prove by
maintaining
brand name
among large
number of
population in
an amended
way (Hartung
and Vess,
2016).
skill : 4
 Customer
relation: 5
 Decision
making: 3
 Managing
business
complexities: 3
Personal Analysis
As per the above action plan, I came across with various areas of improvement which I
can attain by making use of available resources in an effective and competent manner. My
personal analysis as Sales Manager of Mark and Spencer are given as below:
Skill Needs for improvement Actions for improving
Decision making skill In order to acquire best
position within industry,
decision making skill is
regarded as an important
ability. As per my evaluation,
To improve the same, I attend
several seminars and
workshops as well as take
initiative to perform
practically by evaluating

I analyzed I am not effective
to make strategic decisions
which hinders to maintain
M&S brand value among
marketplace.
marketing trend and on the
basis take corrective action
which help me to M&S
overall performance.
Managing business
complexities
It is one of the crucial role
which a Sales Manager must
require and I am lacking in
the same. As it empower an
individual to identify
alternatives to cope with all
sort of challenges or rivalries
within industry.
To tackle over this weakness,
I will make use of all training
and development programs so
that I can utilize proper
marketing tools for gaining
competitive advantage in an
improved way.
Communication skill As I am good in this but still
there is a scope of
improvement because it most
essential element for Sales
Manager in coordinating or
interacting business activities
to customers and employees
as well.
To enhance this, I will utilize
conferences or various soft
skill session which help me to
present marketing ideas to
population in a clearer
manner.
Customer relation In this also I believe there is
yet to improve more as it help
Sales Manager to maintain
long lasting relationship with
population in an impressive
manner (Przytuła, 2015
Pyo, 2014).
I will attend workshops, and
take participate in
management games which
help me to handle different
attitudes of consumers in an
easy manner and I can
enhance the M&S brand
value within marketplace.

CONCLUSION
To recapitulate the above discussed report, I signified that business communication
contains a significant role as it enable an organization to attain its desired goal in a prescribed
time period in an amended way. Moreover, highly skilled and talented workforce can put their
best effort for an accomplishment of targeted sales margin in an innovative and creative style.
Hence, with a usage of action plan it help me to identify own strength and weakness as well as
enable them to determine several methods for improving their shortcomings in a better manner.
With the help of personal analysis, it assist me to strengthen my motivation level as well as aid
me to cope up with all challenges in a better mode which reflects in company’s growth.

References
Books and journals
McAlpine, L and et.al., 2016. Becoming a PI: agency, persistence and some luck!. International
Journal for Researcher Development. 7(2). pp.106-122.
Al-Husseini, M., 2014. Research as a student: is it worth a try? An insightful experience from a
Middle Eastern student. International Journal of Medical Students. 2(2). pp.71-73.
Przytuła, S., 2015. Migrants, assigned expatriates (AE) and self-initiated expatriates (SIE)-
dfferentiation of terms and literature-based research review. Journal of Intercultural
Management. 7(2). pp.89-111.
Pyo, S. H., 2014. A study on measuring the benefits of public libraries. Journal of the Korean
Society for Library and Information Science. 48(2). pp.307-329.
Hartung, P. J. and Vess, L., 2016. Critical moments in career construction counseling. Journal of
Vocational Behavior. 97. pp.31-39.
Hartung, P. J. and Santilli, S., 2018. My Career Story: Description and initial validity
evidence. Journal of Career Assessment. 26(2). pp.308-321.