Business and Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business and Sustainability - Essay ExampleAlso, Wal-Marts presence in 13 multinational securities industrys including the UK, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and China, it also aloneows Asda to foray easily into new markets. (Barnes 2004) The Wal-Mart umbrella not only provides Asda with a watertight brand image but also fuels the smart sets top line growth.Asdas George apparel line started as a small unknown brand in 100 ASDA stores. It is now the second largest clothing retailer in the UK by volume selling in more than 250 stores in the UK. Furthermore, George now has a presence in five other countries including Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Japan and the US. George products are available for men, women, and children and include apparel, shoes, handbags and even eyeglass frames in have stores. (DesJardins 2006) The George brand, known for style and quality, continues to grow in popularity as a favorite fashion choice crosswise the globe. Strong brand image f George allows the gr oup to extend the brand into other product lines.Asda is the second largest chain f supermarkets in UK with a market share f 16.8% as f February 2007. Furthermore, the company outperformed the rest f the retail sector for the first time in three years in terms f growth dictate. The overall growth rate f the company was recorded at 9% for the fiscal 2007. Asdas competitors on other hand recorded a low growth rate during the same period. (Thomas 2003)For instance, Sainsbury recorded a growth rate f 7.8%, Tesco (7.2%), Morrisons (3.9%) and Somerfield (-3.8%). This was primarily due to attracting one cardinal new customers through its checkouts and re-evaluation f its customer offer and pricing strategy. Asda can leverage this growth to push enhance its revenues and profitability. (DesJardins 2006)Evaluation f ASDAs non-financial reporting practicesAsda has recalled many products in the last year. In August 2007, Asda recalled 115,000 Chinese-made childrens bottles in response to a c ustomer complaint regarding the breaking f caps f the bottle. The yellow, pink and orange sloping reusable bottles are aimed at children aged three upwards. The recalled bottles were initially priced at 1.25 each then decreased to 63p. Earlier in February 2007, Asda recalled its George kids snow boot as due to a problem with the toggle that tightened it. Additionally, Asda recalled all batches f its own-brand 500g packs f Simply Porridge due to possible cross contamination with nuts in November 2006. The touched packs contained nuts, which makes this product unsafe for individuals who are allergic to nuts. Product recalls such as these would adversely affect the collective image and investor confidence.Online obtain has steadily grown in popularity in the UK. It has been estimated that by 2012 online sales will attach by 320%, to 60 billion per annum and would account approximately 20% f all retail sales in the UK. Although the company provides online services, it has a signif icantly lesser market share than its peers. For instance, the companys biggest competitor, Tesco has 66% f the Ks online shopping market. The companys weak presence in this stream f business denies it he opportunity to gain market share in this rapidly growing sector. (Fisher