Pestle - Political

Collaborative

Pestle Analysis – Political Section

The political side of Marks and Spencer could affect clothing in a vast amount of ways. When looking at the ‘Per Una’ range, some aspects that may arise could cause disruption and have an impact on the production and manufacturing stages as well as the sales in retail.

Marks and Spencer have their own strong policies when it comes to trading. Since 1999, they have been part of an organisation known as ‘Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)’. http://www.Corporate.marksandspencer.com

M and S believe in fair partnerships with their suppliers and others within their supply chain. Providing M and S keep their prices fair and ethical as promised, the company has more of a chance of keeping things in good working order.

Marks and Spencer are becoming renowned for their political trends ensuring that they meet the criteria for the recovery of the economy. Some of these key trends are:

·         Health

·         Sustainability

·         Climate Change

·         Ethical Trading

By following government policies, M and S are able to meet the demands to encourage healthy lifestyles from schemes such as:

·         Natural enrichment

·         Nutritional enrichment

·         Healthy eating advisers

·         Health campaigns

·         Diet and health information

·         Lifestyle information

(pg 42) http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/documents/publications/2010/How_We_Do_Business_Report_2010

Other government policies that may affect Sales in the M and S ‘Per Una’ collection could be the rise in VAT; up to 20% from 17.5% from 4^th January 2011.

‘An awareness of the methodology and key indicators within the cycle of a terrorist attack is paramount to competently prepare, prevent and respond to such acts. These key concepts are delivered by Rutherford Training Consultants through a partnership of continual progressive improvement with industry stakeholders.’

http://www.rutherfordsecurity.co.uk/terror_awareness.pdfAnother aspect to consider is terrorism as terror threats become more frequent, manufacture and the importation of products from abroad could be delayed. Marks and Spencer could take action from training courses that could prepare them in extreme cases.

With stakeholder expectations on the rise for an overall eco friendly system, Marks and Spencer have pushed ahead to meet targets in their business using a ‘Plan A’ strategy; which helps to maintain their goals for sustainable society. M and S take control of their business by using the views of their stakeholders. M and S state in their report, ‘The views of our stakeholders – customers, shareholders, employees and suppliers guide our policies’.