The tertiary sector gives an incentive of a higher profit margin as compared to the rest of the two sectors. A firm needs to achieve productive and allocative efficiency in the case of primary sector; as profit margins are slightly low in this area. In the same way, transformation of raw materials into goods has been the task for the secondary sectors. E.g. manufacturing and assembling steel into car.
‘Slower labor productivity growth in Europe than in the United States since 1995 reverses a long-term pattern of convergence. This has a negative impact on the turnover as it leads to lower growth contributions from investment in information and communication technology.’ (Bark, O’Mahony and Timmer, 2008)
On the other hand, the retail industry is central to the UK’s economy: it employs in the region of 2.9 million people – 11% of the total UK workforce – and in 2010 UK retail sales stood at over £293 billion. Yet it is clearly facing severe challenges at the moment. (Barry Knight). The high street retail market has been experiencing a downfall over the last couple of years. The most important factor is the rate of inflation, particularly in relation to commodity prices. The rising Value Added Tax (VAT) and National Insurance have drastically affected the consumer spending. This decreases the disposable income of the consumers with retailers suffering as a result. As stated by Knight that the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium, UK retail sales values for May 2011 were 2.1% down on a like-for-like basis compared with the same month a year earlier. Furthermore, it looks unlikely that conditions will ameliorate quickly as the perpetuating low interest rates and relative support from the banking sector are still maskin...
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Levy, Michael, Barton A. Weitz, and Dhruv Grewal. Retailing Management. ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Print.
The US employment rate has improved over the past years creating a leveled economy market allowing for society to have a more stable income than they have had in recent years. This improvement helps the retail industry to have a growth in the market.
despite the vanishing jobs Americans’ productivity is on the rise and Americans still lead the
The government forecasts that by 2019, the GDP will rise of 0.2%. The consumer’s behaviour towards this economic recession will change and therefore affect the retail industry. Harrods will need to spend more money and investment in order to float or maintain business sustai...
Dieppe, A., Dees, S., Jacquinot, P., Karlsson, T., Osbat, C., "Ozyurt, S., Vetlov, I., Jochem, A., Bragoudakis, Z., Sideris, D. and Others. 2012. Competitiveness and external imbalances within the euro area.
As the retail industry is confronted with extraordinary challenges (Deloitte LLP, 2011), firms are facing increased competition. Porters leading authority on competitive strategy is largely accountable for the increased importance to a firm’s strategy. The retail industry is becoming highly saturated as the world is becoming smaller; this point alone makes strategy a vital component to a firms success.
It seems that everybody is worried about their financial situation and the economy. Unfortunately, few people really understand the power of the dollar. Unlike the average American, Economists have a real understanding when it comes to money. Economists study how people spend money for private companies and how to improve the economy for the government. I have always been interested in traveling and how people spend money globally, and that is why I was considering becoming an economist.
Bibliography: Lawson, A. (2013). Analysis: Is Asda’s five-year strategy the right one?. [Online] Retail-week.com. Available at: http://www.retail-week.com/sectors/food/analysis-is-asdas-five-year-strategy-the-right-one/5054989.article [Accessed 23 Jan.
Imlay, T. (2006). Challenges in today’s u.s. supermarket industry. Microsoft Retail and Hospitality, Retrieved from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa479076.aspx
The key macroeconomic variable which affect the retail industry are: Economic output, productivity, unemployment/employment, inflation, and budget balances and finance. Economic output is used in terms of short run business fluctuations and long term growth. The Oxford English dictionary defines economic output as “relating to the science of economics; relating to the development and regulation of the material resources of a community or nation” and “that which is produced in an industry or process” (OED Online, 2007)...
12. Raman, K., and Naik, P.A., (2005), Integrated Marketing Communications in Retailing, [online] Available at: http://ramanassoc.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/IMC_in_Retailing.26100503.pdf, Accessed on: 1st April 2014
After the economic downturn in the 1980’s Ireland experienced a increase in employment which in turn then boosted competitiveness and caused rapid economic growth. This continued until 2000 when Ireland became level with western world in terms of wage levels. The growth was expected to gradual slow down, but con...
Looking at the future: As our economy, slowly, heading to recovery, the retail sectors of our economy still struggling with stagnant wages, fear of spending, and consumer’s lack of confidence. Being the optimist that I am, I believe
The nature of the business of retailing puts retailers at a assumed risk of incurring costs because products are bought with the assumption that consumers will purchase. Additionally there are external factors that may also pose risks such as natural disasters, theft, spoilage and fire. In other circumstances retailers also extends financial credit to customers in the form of credit sales which facilitates the smooth transition from retailers to the marketplace. Retailers are in constant contact with customers which gives them the opportunity to research and study buyer’s behaviour. This involves collecting information about changes in customer preferences, perception and shifts in the demand curve. Through advertising within their stores retailers are able to exhibit and introduce existing and new products to the marketplace. Ultimately retailers are in the business of selling products to customers to achieve their goals of generating
The advancements in the technological world have allowed supermarket chains and other national stores to quickly dominate the market and are driving out the concept of the ‘local stores’. This surge in the market has seen shares rise and profits bulge with the three main contenders in mind being Sainsburys, Safeways and Tescos who now serve the whole of the UK between them and are the household names of the shopping world. The ICT input to these businesses is vital in that it provides speedy service; controls stock levels and will even allow bank balance transfers to be carried out with minimal difficulty or technical experience.