The Cabinet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Cabinet - Essay Example The 1962 cabinet represented high family-based ties in the political arena. Even though members of the cabinet had different personalities and backgrounds, they share close family relationships in one way or another. For example, the Al-Asabah family and the larger Asil family held a significant proportion of the cabinet over the aforementioned period. Majority of cabinet members came from influential Kuwaiti families. In this respect, dominant cabinet ministers also represented some of the most influential families in the history of Kuwait. Over and above family-based monopoly in the cabinet, a significant number of cabinet members were well off compared to the rest of the population. Majority of cabinet ministers came from wealthy families, and most importantly, they were wealthy themselves. This made them even more influential as far as the politics of the country were concerned. In addition, more than 50% of ministers in Kuwait were in their 30s or 40s in terms of age. This made the 1962-1988 Kuwait cabinet one of the most youthful around the world. Even as Kuwait made critical progress politically, education and literacy levels were still a challenge to the larger populace. Cabinet members had basic education, but most of them lacked advanced academic and professional experience. For example, the number of engineers in Kuwait was significantly low at a time when the newly independent nation was striving to invest heavily in technological development. In 1962, engineers were less than ten in the entire Kuwaiti population. Critical disparities were also evident in regards to where ministers attended their school. Cabinet members with basic primary education attended school locally, and so did members who had secondary education. College and university degrees, however, required that education be accessed outside Kuwait. This shows that some Kuwaiti

Outlook report for Marks & Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Outlook report for Marks & Spencer - Essay Example On the other hand, the market share of Marks & Spenser in Food is 3.9 percent.1 Marks & Spenser Food retailer is considered as one of the UK’s leading high-quality food provider. The company is offering fresh produce, groceries, ready and partly prepared food. Today the company has total 668 stores throughout UK, out of which 156 are simply food wholly owned outlets and 182 are simple food franchises. In order to evaluate the factors based on which Marks & Spenser Food Retailer has been able to sustain its brand name as a value-creating brand, an outlook of Marks & Spenser has been presented here. This outlook will evaluate the various challenges and prospects for the company during the last few years. In spite of the cultural differences, Marks & Spenser Food has been able to operate very efficiently in terms of macroeconomic policies. The company has been able to expand by building strong relationships with other countries. However, during the last few years, because of the worsening macroeconomic conditions, the governments of various states have been introducing different policies, which have affected the operations of Marks & Spenser and other food retailers. The economic conditions and the recession have negatively affected the operations and balance sheet strength of Marks & Spenser. According to the annual reports of Marks & Spenser, in the year 2009, the company has to reduce its dividends by 20.9 percent. The Chairman Sir Stuart has also reported in the annual report that the decision of cutting dividends have been taken because of two reasons; first, economic conditions of the company and second, the need of the company to retain financial strength and flexibility. Moreover, the profits of the company have declined by 40.0 percent because of the conditions on High Street and the important decision of the company to improve quality and value. The social needs of the