Topshop Pricing Strategy and Marketing Plan

Introduction Topshop is a private limited entity which operates within the UK retail and fashion industry. The firm was established in 1964 and its headquarters are situated at London, UK. In its operation the firm deals with provision of a variety of apparels such as footwear, makeup, shoes and accessories (Yahoo Finance 2012).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Topshop Pricing Strategy and Marketing Plan – Report Example specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To attain an optimal market position, Topshop has incorporated a unique strategy which entails product differentiation. The firm has achieved this by integrating the concept of exclusivity and uniqueness. Topshop achieves this by engaging in innovative and creative designing. As a result, Topshop is able to develop fashion products which are sufficiently differentiated. Its differentiation effectiveness has enabled Topshop to attain an optimal market positi on in the fashion industry despite the intense competition from firms such as ZARA and HM. Additionally, commitment to innovation and creativity has enabled Topshop to align itself with changes in the fashion industry (Yahoo Finance 2012). In an effort to understand the external and internal environment with regard to Topshop, this paper details a comprehensive market audit of the firm. The audit is undertaken by incorporating macro and micro environment analysis models such as the PESTLE analysis, the Porters’ five forces and the SWOT analysis. An internal analysis of the firm is also conducted by evaluating the marketing mix strategies adopted by the firm. Marketing mix The success of a firm in marketing its products and services is dependent on the effectiveness with which it has incorporated its marketing strategies (Kotter Schlesinger 2008).The marketing strategies have to take into account a number of variables such as the product, promotion, price and distribution. Pr oduct strategy Topshop has incorporated product diversification as its product strategy. The firm deals in product lines which are composed of a wide range of apparels and accessories in accordance with the customers’ needs. In its operation, Topshop is focused at ensuring that its products are of high quality, style and convenience. Some of the firm’s main product lines include mainline, boutique, and unique (Topshop 2012). One of the main challenges in the apparels industry emanates from its dynamic nature. The rate of change in the industry is very high. To cope with this issue, Topshop is focused at attaining a high level of creativity and innovation. This has significantly contributed towards the firm’s capability in introducing new products to the market.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To ensure that the value of its products is not diluted by ov er-introduction of new products, Topship ensures that only a few pieces of a particular product line are introduced. For example, the firm may only introduce only 300 pieces of a new product which are stocked in specific flagship stores. This strategy is unique in that it contributes towards positioning its products being exclusive, prestigious and scarce (Topshop 2012). Pricing strategy In their purchasing process, consumers are very conscious of product prices. Firms use pricing strategy to communicate the value of their product. In its marketing process, Topshop has adopted premium pricing strategy. The strategy is aimed at communicating the high quality of the firm’s apparels and accessories. Over the years, customers have associated Topshop’s products with value. This has played an important role in the firm’s effort to incorporate premium pricing. Topshop’s premium pricing strategy has succeeded as a result of the unique nature and high quality of i ts products. Promotion strategy Creating sufficient market awareness is one of Topshop’s goal marketing objectives. To achieve this, Topshop has adopted Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) strategy. The strategy is constituted of various marketing communication techniques such as advertising, sales promotion and public relations. In its advertising strategy, Topshop uses both emerging and traditional marketing communication mediums such as print media. For example, when introducing new products to the market, the firm advertises through mediums such as the local dailies in the UK. Additionally, Topshop also engages in outdoor advertising for example by decorating its vans with its products and unique messages aimed at creating market awareness. Below is an example of some of the firms that the firm utilizes. Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Topshop Pricing Strategy and Marketing Plan – Report Example specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Source: (Topshop 2012).  Web. To create a strong brand relationship, Topshop contracts renowned celebrities to endorse its products. When opening its stores in New York, Topshop contracted Kate Moss, a renowned British model, Jennifer Lopez and Jay Z [renowned music artists] to attend the grand opening (Topshop 2012). Their attendance presented an opportunity for the firm to create market awareness. This is due to the fact that the media would sufficiently publicize the event hence creating brand awareness. Topshop’s management team appreciates the role of information communication technologies in creating market awareness. Consequently, the firm has designed an official website through which it posts its products. Additionally, Topshop also promotes its products through emerging social communication networks such as Facebook. By using social networking sites, Topshop has successfully created a sufficient online community. Distribut ion strategy Upon developing products and services, it is paramount for firms to ensure that customers easily access them. Firms achieve this achieve this by incorporating both direct and indirect distribution methods. Topshop has established a number of outlets in the UK to enhance product accessibility. The outlets are effectively positioned to improve customer accessibility. Topshop has also adopted online marketing. Customers can be able to purchase Topshop’s products online. Online distribution has been effective in ensuring that Topshop markets its products to a wide number of potential customers. Market Environment Analysis Macro-environment analysis Firms do not operate in a vacuum but are affected by changes occurring in the macro-environment. Some of the macro-environment factors affecting firm’s operation include political, economic, technological, social, and legal factors PESTLE analysis of the UK Apparels and accessories industry Political environment Ove r the past decades, the UK government has ensured a high level of political stability. This has played a critical role in promoting investment within the country. Most investors are increasingly considering investing in the UK.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The country’s political stability has enabled the UK to be a member of different trading blocs such as the European Union, the G-20 and the Organizational for Economic Co-operation Development. By being a member of such trading blocs, the UK government has been able to provide investors with an opportunity to market their products to a large number of customers. For example, firms such as Topshop can be able to export their products into the member states more cost effectively. This is well illustrated by the fact that the UK has entered into free-trade agreements with other countries such as Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The economic integration between the UK and other countries presents an opportunity for Topshop to access raw materials member countries cost effectively. Economic environment The 2007/2008 global economic recession adversely affected most world economies as a result of the high rate of globalization that is currently being experienced (Gilligan and Hird 2008). The UK was not shielded from the effects of the recession. Consequently, most economic sectors such as the apparels and accessories were adversely affected. The UK has not fully recovered from the 2008 economic recession. The recession made most consumers to adjust their consumption behavior as a result of decline in their purchasing power. Decline in consumers’ purchasing power emanated from increment in the in the level of unemployment. Approximately 580,000 jobs were lost between 2008 and 2010 in the UK (Bell and Blanchflower 2010). The recession has made consumers to increasingly focus on consumption of necessities rather than luxuries. During this period, a significant proportion of UK consumers considered fashion products such as apparels and other accessories as luxuries than necessities. Currently, the firm’s operations will also be affected by the prevailing euro zone sovereign debt crisis. As a result of the crisis, the UK has experienced an incr ement in the rate of unemployment to 11.2% in 2012 (Cha 2012). It is estimated that the non-food retail sector in the UK will experience the lowest growth as a result of the recession. During 2012, the sector will decline with a margin of 0.5% (Verdict 2012). The recession and the sovereign debt crisis have made consumers unable to purchase highly prices products such as fashion products (Verdict 2012). Therefore, there is a high probability of Topshop experiencing a decline in its sale revenue due to reduction in the consumer’s purchasing power. The economic recession has led to an increment in the degree of uncertainty amongst consumers. This is depicted by the rapid rate at which the consumers’ have reduced the rate of consumption (This Money 2012). Social environment Firms operations are affected by the prevailing social trends. Currently consumers have increasingly become conscious of fashion. This presents an opportunity for Topshop to exploit by designing high q uality, unique and valuable fashion products. To align itself with the prevailing social trends with regard to fashion, Topshop undertakes extensive innovation and designing. Technological environment Topshop can benefit from the numerous innovations with regard to social networking technology. For example, the firm can exploit the social tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Tout and You Tube to interact with its customers. Through these social networking sites, the firm will be able to derive a sufficient volume of market information. Such information can be an important source of market intelligence for the firm. Legal environment Firstly, the government has eliminated all taxes on firms that venture in such zones. Additionally, the government issues a 5-year tax holiday to firms that invest in such zones. Incorporation of tax holidays has played a critical role in improving the attractiveness of the zones to investors. By investing in such economic zones, Topshop can be able to attai n high profitability (Delloite 2011). Competitive analysis: Porter’s five forces Threat of entry The UK high end retail market is characterized by a high threat of entry emanating from entry of large retail chains such as supermarkets. Supermarkets are increasingly diversifying their product range by including diverse apparels and accessories. This presents a major challenge for the firm (Key Note 2001). The high rate of technological innovation especially the internet has made it possible for new entrants to venture the UK high end retail market. New entrants are using the internet to venture in the UK market by undertaking online marketing. To survive in an industry characterized by such a threat, it has become vital for Topshop to incorporate online marketing. Threat of substitute The large number of competitors in the UK fashion industry presents consumers with an opportunity to select from a wide range of products. During periods f economic recession consumers can easily access fashion products from supermarkets and other retail outlets. Supplier bargaining power The suppliers bargaining power is relatively low. Topshop mainly deals with its own branded apparels and accessories. Consequently, the firm is not mainly dependent on suppliers for its finished products. However, the firm outsources raw materials from different sources. For example, the firm accesses its supplies from different countries by importing. As a result of its global reputation, Topshop is able to negotiate for significant discounts. Buyer bargaining power The large number of industry players coupled with the fact that supermarkets are stocking diverse apparels has significantly increased the consumer’s bargaining power (Gilligan and Hird 2008). This arises from the fact that consumers can switch to other apparels and accessories product at a relatively low switching cost. The high consumer bargaining power means that Topshop has to develop customer trust in order to sust ain its sales growth. Additional, the firm has t ensure that it stocks high quality products. This will aid in developing the eve f customer loyalty. The figure below illustrates a summary the industry’s characteristic. Degree of rivalry– The lucrative nature of the industry coupled with the large number of industry players has significantly increased the degree of rivalry in the UK fashion industry. Micro-environment analysis: SWOT analysis of Topshop The chart below illustrates Topshop’s, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths Brand image– The firm has managed to nurture its brand image. Creativity and innovation- Top shop is cognizant of the fact that its customers are fashion sensitive. International brand-The firms’ products have been endorsed by celebrities. Customer experience– The high quality of the firm’s products coupled with the in-store atmosphere developed enables the firm to deliver unique custo mer experience. Weaknesses High cost of operation –The firm has a large human resource base and store space which increases cost of operation. Management challenges- The large size of the store and the numerous product lines presents a major challenge for the firm. Opportunities New market segments – Topshop can increase its sales revenue by targeting new customer categories such as the youth. Collaborating with celebrities– The firm can improve its brand image by collaborating with renowned celebrities. International expansion– Topshop can increase the volume of its sales revenue through international expansion. Brand expansion– Expanding its product line y focusing on men clothing will increase the firm’s sales revenue. Threats Competition- The firm faces a major challenge emanating from increased international competition especially from the top designers and fashion icons such as Next Limited, Wearhouse, River Island, Unite Benton, ZAR A and H M. Economic recession- Occurrence of a recession may affect the firm’s profitability due to decline in volume of sales. Conclusion From the above analysis, it is evident that Topshop has been very effective in its operation. Its success has arisen from adherence to quality, innovation, creativity and maintenance of product value. As a result, the firm has been able to attain a high level of customer satisfaction. Topshop has been successful in marketing its apparels and accessories products through formulation and implementation of effective marketing strategies. As a result, the firm has been effective in positioning itself in the market. Despite this, the firm faces numerous challenges emanating from the external environment. To effectively position itself in the market, it is paramount for the firm to continuously conduct a comprehensive market audit. The audit will aid in formulation of effective marketing strategies thus enhancing its competitiveness. Referenc e List Bell, D. Blanchflower, D. 2010, UK unemployment in the great recession.  Web. Cha, A. 2012, European financial crisis has ripple effect on US businesses. Web. Delloitte: Taxation and investment in United Kingdom 2011. Web. Grundy, T. 2006, ‘Rethinking and re-inventing Michael Porter’s five forces model’, Strategic Change, vol. 15, pp. 213-229. Gilligan, C. Hird, M. 2008, International marketing: strategy and management, Taylor and Francis, New York. Key Note: UK clothing footwear 2001 market review,  2001. Web. Kotter, J. Schlesinger, L. 2008, ‘Choosing strategies for change’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 2, pp. 130-150. This Money: Moody’s could downgrade UK’s ‘AAA’ credit rating in early 2013 if the economy fails to shape up. Web. Topshop: Marketing: the Topshop way,  2012. Web. Verdict: UK retail 2012 beyond 2012.  Web. Yahoo Finance: Topshop company profile 2012. Web. This report on Topshop Pricing Strategy and Marketing Plan was written and submitted by user Marcel Heath to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Morality according to Aristotle and Hobbes essays

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Quantitative Comparison of Learning Environment Effect

Quantitative Comparison of Learning Environment Effect CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 4.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the data analysis and interpretation also purpose of this study was to compare the learning of developmental mathematics course which received instruction in two different environments to determine whether mathematic online course enhanced their learning. Specifically, the study investigated whether there was a significant difference in mathematics online course as measured by the exam of students enrolled in mathematic classes receiving traditional instruction, with online instruction. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the analysis with an alpha = .05 level of significance. 4.2 T-Test: Paired Two Samples for Means: Paired data tests engage taking exam score without online course and with online course students participate the mathematic course from the same large number (n=60) of object and operating a hypothesis test on the differences between the without online course and with online course samples. TABLE 1 student’s result 4.3 SPSS Annotated Output: The paired samples t-test is hypothesis test of the difference two groups means based on the means of two paired samples. Under this test, the two samples are compared in such a way, that the elements in one sample are matched or paired with the elements or paired with the other sample, thereby helping in doing a precise analysis in finding out whether any significant difference exists in the two series. In our analysis, under paired samples t-test, the two samples are: Exam score with online course Exam score without online course Thus, the paired sample t-test has been used to compare the means of the abovementioned two variables. As such, it helps in finding out if there is a statistically significant difference between the Exam score with online course at which trading took watched video on Moodle tool and the Exam score without online course. For the paired samples t-test, we state the null hypothesis that there is no significant mean difference between the two series and hence the two series do not statistically differ the alternate hypothesis is the two series differ from each other significantly. So, the hypothesis can be stated as follows: H0: m =0 H1: m ≠ 0 Where, mean is difference between the two series. The alternative is two-tailed at a signification level of 5% (ÃŽ ±=0.05). That this study used SPSS to conduct the paired samples t-test. The SPSS output is shown in this table which views that difference Exam score with online course and Exam score without online course is significant or not. In the Paired Samples Statistics Box, the mean for the WithoutOnlineCourse is 16. The mean for the WithOnlineCourse is 21.3667. The standard deviation for the WithoutOnlineCourse is 6.44874 and for the WithOnlineCourse, also 8.15997 . The number of participants in each condition (N) is 30. Paired Samples Test Box This is the next box as will views. It contains info about the paired samples t-test that the conducted. There will be most interested in the value that is in the final column of this table. Take a look at the Sig. (2-tailed) value. Correlation This is the correlation coefficient of the pair of variables indicated. This is a measure of the strength and direction of the linear relationship between the two variables. The correlation coefficient can range from -1 to +1, with -1 indicating a perfect negative correlation, +1 indicating a perfect positive correlation, and 0 indicating no correlation at all. (A variable correlated with itself will always have a correlation coefficient of 1.) You can think of the correlation coefficient as telling you the extent to which you can guess the value of one variable given a value of the other variable. The .160 is the numerical description of how tightly around the imaginary line the points lie. If the correlation was higher, the points would tend to be closer to the line; if it was smaller, they would tend to be further away from the line. Sig This is the p-value associated with the correlation. Here, correlation is significant at the .05 level. Std Error Mean Standard Error Mean is the estimated standard deviation of the sample mean. This value is estimated as the standard deviation of one sample divided by the square root of sample size: 9.55739/sqrt(30) = . 1.74493. This provides a measure of the variability of the sample mean. Sig (2-Tailed) value This value will tell us if the two condition Means are statistically different. Often times, this value will be referred to as the p value. In this example, the Sig (2-Tailed) value is 0.005. If the Sig (2-Tailed) value is greater than 0.05 It is means there is no statistically significant difference between two groups. it can conclude that the differences between condition Means are likely due to chance and not likely due to the IV manipulation. If the Sig (2-Tailed) value is less than or equal to .05. You can conclude that there is a statistically significant difference between your two conditions. You can conclude that the differences between condition Means are not likely due to change and are probably due to the IV manipulation. What does the t-value and two-tailed P-value how do they compare to each other? Is this information significant enough to say that with online course came from the same family as without online course? A two-tailed P-value of 0.6, for example, would mean that there is a 0.6 (or 60%) chance that the two groups of score come from the same group. In other words, there is a 60% chance that the average score of the exam in each group is the same and would say that there is no significant difference between the ages of the two populations. The traditionally accepted P-value for something to be significant is P Larger t-values translate into smaller P-values. So the larger the t-value is the more likely the difference is significant. A critical t-value is the minimum t-value you need in order to have P 4.4 Testing Hypothesis: The results as reported in Table indicated there was statistically significant difference for method of instruction, p-value=0.005. Therefore, Null Hypothesis was rejected. There was a statistically significant difference in exam scores of without online course group and online course group mathematic courses, when adjusting for the effect of exam scores. Therefore was statistically significant difference in exam. 4.5 Finally With online course and without online course test scores of the group was compared. The average score in with online course was 21.3667, whereas the average score in the without online course was 16. This can be seen in figure 3. The P value two-tail test is used to control if the mean score of with online course and without online course tests are significantly different. Is the learning mathematic course with online course significantly better or worse? The P value is greater than t value which establishes that scores in with online course test are significantly different and higher than the scores in without online course test. This supports the premise that with online course Choices is effective instruction strategy to impart the importance of Hawler Institute of computer and concept of video technology. Therefor there was a statistically significant difference in exam scores, decidedly two methods The analysis of tests responses shows that the instruction methodology of imparting the concept of technical debt through with online course choices is effective. At the following figure 4.4 as shown rate of students participate with online course increased. Figure 7 online course CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION In view of the writing and the discoveries of the current study, a few conclusions can be drawn concerning developmental mathematics online course. The results of this study indicate that video technology can using for development mathematic online course. The mere presence of video online course does improve student learning mathematic lecture. Students have an interest in utilizing technology for a variety of purposes including academics. Online video course have the potential to be useful tools to improve learning. They provide educators the opportunity to create and record courses then upload on Moodle tool. Also give opportunity to student for participate mathematic course without missing lecture. SUMMARY Many students enter college without the mathematics skills and knowledge to successfully meet their educational and career goals (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2003b). Most colleges and universities offer developmental mathematics courses and other services to prepare these students for college-level mathematics courses. Developmental mathematics courses have been taught with the traditional lecture method used for years in most college-level courses (Armington, 2003; Kinney and Kinney, 2003; Maxwell, 1979; Miles, 2000; Roueche and Kirk, 1974). Educators are concerned about the low pass rates (Boylan, Bonham, and White, 1999; Trenholm, 2006; Waycaster, 2001; Wright, Wright, and Lamb, 2002) and are exploring alternative instructional approaches in order to increase the number of students who stay in school or institute, pass a class mathematic course, and graduate. Video mathematic online course make conceivable a variety of new showing methodologies, permitting students to have decisions about when, where, and how they learn math. The review of literature indicated a need for further studies on the impact of video record and uploaded on Moodle tool on the learning of developmental mathematics course. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in the academic performance of students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course using traditional instruction with mathematic online course. Students’ mathematics course at the end of the course related to be exam at the Institute Hawler for Computer. Therefore, the exam, which measured mathematical performance with online course with without online course, was used as the Hypothesis in the analysis. T-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means adjusted the means of the exam paired groups. Null Hypothesis case there was significance difference in the mathematics lecture for developmental mathematics course using traditional lecture and video record and uploaded on Moodle then students participate with watched video online. The independent variable was method of instruction, and the dependent variable was the exam score. At the .05 level of significance, there was significant difference between the exam scores of students who completed a traditional developmental math course and watched video online course on Moodle tool. DISCUSSION LIMITATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY: The following recommendations for further investigation were based on the findings of this study. To further validate the findings of this research, the study should be replicated with a larger sample and in other developmental subject courses. Also recommended add same technology for learning in the institute Hawler for computer. REFERENCES Surname: KHUDHUR Name: WSHYAR OMAR Place and Date of Birth: TaqTaq, Erbil Kurdistan Iraq /1ST July 1983. Gender: MALE Address: STATE IRAQ, ERBIL – GOVERNORATE, KOYA CITY Language: KURDISH, ENGLISH Marital Status: MARRIAGE E-mail: [emailprotected] Mobile Phone: +90 548 873 7683, +964 772 159 7828 B.Sc. Software Engineering, Koya University Erbil, Iraq

Juvenile Justice :: essays research papers fc

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Management, Organisations and People Module Report Essay

Introduction: The aim of this report is to provide an explanation to ‘Mimi Vasquez Hair and Beauty’ managers’ approach to leadership and go on to explore his relationship to his work group and how they have developed over time. It will first outline the methodology used to conduct this report and then go on to introduce the managers and workers and explain how their current work roles have developed over time. Subsequently, the report will provide an explanation to ‘Mimi Vasquez Hair and Beauty’ managers’ approach to leadership and go on to explore his relationship to his work group. To conclude the report, there will be a quick summary of what has already been mentioned and some limitations of the findings, methodology and related theories used in the report. The beauty salon which was named after its manager is privately owned and located in Chiswick in West London. In addition, it has two other branches located in Ealing and Hammersmith, both also within the West London area and owned by the same manager. All three of the beauty salons are relatively small in size making satisfactory profits and located just off the high streets in quieter areas. The first branch was opened in 1999 in Chiswick and the others followed on 5 years later, the Hammersmith branch being the newest. Method This report was conducted using both primary and secondary research. The primary research was collected directly from the manager and team members by interviewing them. By so doing, the research collected was new and wasn’t research that had already existed. Secondary research was collected through the use of books, the internet and articles and hence looking at existing data. Findings and discussion Behavioural theory As the manager, Mimi Vasquez, supervises and manages the overall performance of his staff and the business. His current work role is to analyse and recommend developing strategies on how to improve the quality of their services e.g. more speed and efficiency in cutting hair and accuracy with mixing colours of hair dye. These two examples are some of Mimi’s main targets and he wishes to have met these goals by July 2011. Mimi also examines ways to achieve his business goals of maximising profits and acknowledges that compensations and rewards have worked well in the past as they motivate and encourage staff to work better: Every year he elects 2 people as the most improved and most enthusiastic team members and rewards them in the form of bonuses and HMV vouchers. His work role also involves instructing his team members and allocating them to different parts of the salon when the day gets busy Moreover, this has played a great role in the development of Mimi’s leadership within the business. Yukl (2006, p5) defines leadership as- Leadership is the process wherein an individual member of a group or organization influences the interpretation of events, the choice of objectives and strategies, the organization of work activities, the motivation of people to achieve the objectives, the maintenance of cooperative relationships, the development of skills and confidence by member, and the enlistment of support and cooperation from people outside the group or organisation. Yukl’s definition very closely matches Mimi’s approach to leadership in the sense that it emphasizes the importance of ‘people skills’ and the social influence that leadership can have. One theory to provide evidence for this is the behaviour perspective. This theory claims that people become leaders because of what they do and this can be split into two different categories: task behaviour and relationship behaviour. Task behaviour places the main focus on the degree to which a leader emphasises productivity targets, goal accomplishments and maintaining standards. These behaviours can also be called ‘production-centred’ and it can be seen in Mimi’s leadership style when he uses HMV vouchers to motivate his staff to work harder and faster. Mimi has also said that rewards gave his staff an incentive to work and this played a crucial part in keeping them happy and full of energy, even towards the end of the day. Furthermore, relationship behaviour focuses on manager’s actions that show concern for their staff and their welfare as opposed to behaviours that concentrate on completing tasks. Although this contrasts to task behaviour, this can also be seen in Mimi’s leadership approach in the sense that he aims to improve his staff’s skills and help them gain more confidence in their job role. Trait perspective The controversy in defining leadership has enabled many different theories to be developed in an attempt to explain the meaning of a leader within a business or an organisation. Bratton (2010, p363) cited that ‘individuals who occupy leadership positions possess superior qualities or attributes compared with the traits possessed by non- leaders’. This view is known as the trait perspective and its’ theories such as the ‘great man theories’ focus mostly on positive characteristics such as stamina, intelligence and fluency in speech. Research in 1974 by Stogdill showed that socioeconomic factors also played a great role for example, very few corporate leaders had fathers who held a low class position or who were paid quite poorly. Stogdill also found that intelligence and fluency in speech were very closely related to leadership and used these traits to differentiate leaders from followers. He then concluded that there were ‘specific patterns’ of traits that occurred in some people which gave them an advantage when seeking a leadership position. Shabina and Mario also described their manager to hold very positive characteristics such as friendly, talkative, enthusiastic and organised and wasn’t like the other staff members at ‘Mimi Vasquez hair and beauty’ in the sense that he was much more determined. This therefore justifies why Mimi is a leader. In addition, research into ‘substitute’s for leadership’ claim that there should be a distinct difference between the leader and the followers in a business and there should be inflexible rules and formalized areas of responsibility in order to prevent the followers from being guided by their peers and replacing their existing leader. This would occur if the followers realized that their peers had the skills equivalent to their leader and they decided to follow them instead. Keith Grint (2005) also argues that successful leadership- Is not a list of innate skills and competences, or how much charisma you have, or whether you have a vision or a strategy for achieving that vision, but whether you have a capacity to learn from your followers. This again, provides evidence against the trait perspective stating that this is not what makes an effective leader. The shared/super leadership theory The founding of Mimi’s other branches, helped him gain experience which developed his role even further as he had to identify problems, make choices and provide alternatives actions to his initial plans. His role development throughout the years has been quite significant and his responsibilities have duplicated allowing him to improve his time management and organisation. Mario and Shabina are two team members of the salon who were also interviewed. Mario is a professional hair stylist whose work role involves restyling and cutting clients’ hair, dying, permanent hair straightening, Brazilian hair blow drying etc. His work role is crucial to the business as he has qualities and skills that require a lot of training and experience in order to gain. Mario’s work role has developed over the years as his experience has allowed him to move up the ladder in regards to the styles and haircuts he can confidently perform. The number of clients he reserves on a daily basis has also increased over the past 6 years of working at the salon showing an improvement in his abilities. He is now responsible for his own clients as before he would only deal with Mimi’s clients and help around. However, he is still in a lower position to Mimi and is usually responsible for making sure that Mimi’s clients are booked in for the dates and times they requested, making sure none of the time slots clash with one another. The Shared/super leadership theory suggests that excellent leaders are those who help their followers develop by acting as their teacher rather than keeping all of their knowledge to themselves. To add, Peter Senge(1990) also stated that ‘leaders are designers, stewards and teachers’ which supports the view. Mimi has constantly trained his team members, in particularly Mario and this also adds towards the statement that Mimi is an effective leadership. Fiedler’s leadership contingency theory Shabina is the only beautician at ‘Mimi Vasquez Hair and Beauty’ and her role involves taking care of her own customers and making her own bookings as well as offering all of the services; waxing, laser hair removal, threading, massages etc. Her role doesn’t involve anything to do with hair, and she works in her own room downstairs. However, Mimi is her manager also and so it is her responsibility to follow all of his guidelines and instructions. Her role has developed over the past 3 years as she first started out as an assistant, cleaning around and helping the beautician. She then worked her way up by gaining experience and qualifications and developed her role into a full-time professional beautician. Fiedler’s leadership contingency theory proposes that the effectiveness of the leader depends on whether the leadership style is matched with the followers and the environment. It is based on 3 main assumptions: 1) leader-member relations, which relate to whether the leader receives support, respect and trust of the followers; 2) task structure, which relates to how structured the tasks performed by followers are; 3) position power, which relates to the formal authority that the leader can exert through the use of punishment and rewards. This theory can explain Mimi’s leadership style as it explains why Mimi’s leadership is effective and hence how he has been able to successfully run the business for so many years. In relation to this theory, Mimi is placed to be known as a relationship-orientated leader and so it explains that his team members have been able to develop throughout the years because of his concern for them. The situational leadership theory Mimi’s relationship to his group is fairly hierarchical where he would force influence upon others to do something that they otherwise wouldn’t. This hair and beauty business is a good example as it shows how Mario takes responsibility for making bookings for both, his and Mimi’s clients. The group itself had developed over the years as they have slowly started to work as a team, helping each other and finishing each other’s jobs off when the salon gets busy. In 1999, manager Mimi’s Vasquez’s main roles were to simply open and close the salon, receive payments for the service provided and order raw materials such as; hair dye, scissors, wax etc. Now, with the growth of the business, all of the team members in the salon have developed their roles as they have had to cover for each other and enhance coordination skills. The situational leadership model is where the leaders’ leadership style depends on the maturity of the followers; it can explain that why Mimi trusts his staff to look after his salon whilst he is in a different branch. The friendly nature of the business also allows Mimi to be less formal and more flexible with rules and procedures. Bratton (2010, p.370) states that ‘Follower maturity is determined by the ability and willingness of the followers to accept responsibility for completing their work’. The fact that each team member has their own set of responsibilities proves that their levels of maturity are very high and hence can explain why Mimi’s rules are quite flexible, according to Mario and Shabina. Conclusion The report has explored Mimi’s approach to leadership using the behavioural, trait, shared/super leadership, contingency and situational theories and it can clearly be seen that leadership is not easily defined and its effectiveness isn’t easily measured. It has also outlined the work roles of the manager as well as the team members and explained how their roles have developed. To conclude, although the report gives a sense of idea of what Mimi’s leadership approach may be, in reality it is very hard to accurately describe using only one theory. Appendix Bratton, J. (2010) Work and organisational behaviour. 2nd edn, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Grint,K.(2005) Leadership: limits and possibilities, Basingstoke: Palgrave Senge, P.M.(1990) The Fifth Discipline. New York: Currency/Doubleday Yukl, G.(2006) Leadership in organizations.6th edn, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall

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