Economics 101LON

Coursework No. 1 (Final Grade: 40%)

Title: Primark offers clothes from ethical sources to customers.

Introduction

One of the topics that has received the greatest attention in recent years in business, economics, and politics is ethical clothing sourcing. Is it moral for businesses to purchase low-cost manufactured goods from developing nations? On this subject, you will write a business-standard report. The report counts as coursework and contributes 40% to the student’s grade.

Context

You have been requested to prepare a report on Primark’s ethical sourcing policy as a government-employed economist (see above for coursework title). You’ve made the decision to produce a report using economic language and analysis rather than a general explanation.

Preparation

Review the following BBC News items as a starting point for your report’s research:
Primark sales are expected to improve AB Foods’ performance (8 September 2014).
• Primark extends payments to victims of the Rana Plaza collapse (October 24, 2013).
Linked to UK sweatshops: Primark (12 January 2009).
Research

Please find and research additional papers from the following publications in order to get good grades:

Economics and the business environment (Sloman: basic text), Financial Times, Economist

words used

Approximately 2000 words in a report with a business-standard format!

Format
1. A cover sheet with the following information: 1. Module name and number 2. Tutor 3. Coursework
Name and ID number of the student
2. Pages numbered in the bottom right
3. Prelude
a. A one-paragraph introduction to the problem
a. A description of your report-writing process (one paragraph)
4. Section headings
5. Brief sentences: six lines, two points, and a conclusion
6. At least one graph, table, and pertinent image are included as illustrations.
7. Suggestions to the
8. Conclusions, which include additional suggestions and observations.
9. Reflections on preparation, formatting, and research, as well as general learnings
10. Resources
11. There are a total of 10 references, including: 1. The core text (Sloman); 2. The Financial Times; 3. The Economist.
Appendix, 12.

Schedule for marking

(i) A purposeful and succinct preface or introduction 10 (ii) Explaining how this fashion store’s market functions economically by exhibiting terms like demand and supply, price mechanism, incentives, market equilibrium, and equilibrium price and quantity. 10 (iii) Detailed explanation of the demographic demand pattern: Do some customers purchase these clothes more frequently than others? 5 (iv) A discussion of potential reasons for and results of changes in supply and demand in this market 5 (v) Comparison with well-known clothing retailers, illustrative and explanatory of: a. own price; b. income elasticity for various demographic groups. 10 (vi) Primark’s market failings are explained in detail, focusing in particular on ethical grounds. List and explain potential government intervention strategies to address these market shortcomings in item 10 (vii). 10 (viii) Explain how such government involvement might impact consumer demand for Primark’s products and talk about the options’ advantages and disadvantages. 10 (ix) Recommendations to both the government and the company 10 (x) reliable news services and appropriate sources for your study, excluding internet sources with dubious or ambiguous provenance. These sources should include academic, commercial, and government publications and journal articles. Coventry University uses Harvard style, 5 (xi). Format in 5 (xii) 5 (xiii) Thoughts 5

Notes: The module grade for this assignment is 40%.
Date of the last submission: see Moodle