The strategic planning of Marks and Spencer

The strategic planning of Marks and Spencer Marks and spencer started from small stalls becomes one of the uks leading retailers with over 15 million people visiting every year. It is giving to its customers great value clothing, high quality, stylish products as well as outstanding quality of food from different authenticated suppliers. The whole of the report revolves around the strategic planning of well renowned company marks and spencer, it will explore the external environment, its existing business plan, major factors affecting it and the strategic option is also given in this report through which it can overcome the predicted barriers. Companies overview Marks and spencer is come to existence in 1894 by the partnership of Michael with Tom Spencer. They employ over 65000 people, running 450 stores and also flourishing international business. In 2007 Marks Spencer (MS) was the UKs largest clothing retailer with a market share of 11.1%. Food sales accounted for 49.8% of its UK business and had a market share of 4.3%. The groups international business accounted for 7.1% of turnover and had grown to 219 franchise stores in 34 territories worldwide as well as 8 wholly-owned stores in Hong Kong and 13 in the Republic of Ireland. During 2007, it opened 36 new stores including the groups largest ever franchise store in Dubai at 52,000 sq ft. and also opened its first store in Taiwan under a joint venture with President Chain Store Corporation. Strategic management provides overall direction to the enterprise so Johnson and Scholes define strategy as follows: Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations.   PEST Analysis Pest analysis is concerned with the environmental influences on a business. The acronym stands for the political, economic, social and technological issues that could affect the strategic development of a business. Political European Committee decision to permit free flow of trade among themselves and other countries under foreign trade regulations makes companies to import their products over time easier than before. MS competitors took advantage of its higher cost structure and bit off some its market share. Economic MS competitors are specialised in niche markets and consumers focus which make them to provide a much better consumers satisfaction. They prefer to import their products from abroad for cost savings, this fact puts MS in a cost disadvantage for a perceived higher quality. Social Consumers concept in the marketplace has changed; they do not sense British products as of high quality. There is a shift in demand for more fashionable clothing. Moreover the price sensitivity of the majority of the consumers has increased leaving MS in a less competitive position. Technological Media played major role of communicating new fashions to the customers. This knowledge can be communicated to the designers and producers, so a manufacturer in Thailand or China can be aware of the current fashion trends in UK. Technology theses days are even more quickly copied than before. Moreover due to the transportation speed a shipment of stock from a country in far Asia will only take a few days instead of a preview time period of over a month. Environmental (Ecological) Selling products produced by suppliers has a much greater affect on the environment on how these products are used and disposed by consumers. Retailers use a huge range of raw materials to produce their goods. Because of this, it is critical to manage the use of these materials sensitively and pay proper regard to how they affect natural habitats and bio-diversity. Legal Offering customers high standards of quality product are essential to meet their requirements. MS are known for delivering world class quality products. Porter 5 Forces Analysis The five force models is basically industry specific within which the firm exists and operates. The rationale behind this model is that industry profitability is not determined by the product quality, nor it embodies high or low technology. It is determined by the structure of the industry. M. Porter, Competitive Advantage of Nations, Macmillan, 1990 Porter explains that there are five forces that determine industry attractiveness and long-run industry profitability. Threat of new entrants New entrants to an industry can raise the level of competition, thereby reducing its attractiveness. The threat of new entrants largely depends on the barriers to entry. High entry barriers exist in some industries whereas other industries are very easy to enter. The most common form of entry barriers are usually the scale and the investment required to enter an industry as an efficient competitor. In consumer product industry this dimension of competition is well prominent. All the existing domestic companies are well set up, reputed, organized and stable manufacturers in the industry and have their own distinct places in the market. A potential entrant may find it uneconomical to take on existing occupants and if it does the gain of market share at the cost of large capital investment besides powerful retaliation of existing manufactures. It may take years (at-least 5 6 years) for an entrant to build reputation for product quality no matter how large its initial advertising campai gn is. Threat of substitutes The presence of substitute products can lower industry attractiveness and profitability because they limit price levels. The threat of substitute products depends on: Buyers willingness to substitute the relative price and performance of substitutes the costs of switching to substitutes The product category Marks and Spencer has is subjected to great threat as different other companies of UK like Primark deals with the same kind of products. Bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers are the businesses that supply materials other products into the industry. The cost of items bought from suppliers (e.g. Raw materials, components) can have a significant impact on a companys profitability. If suppliers have high bargaining power over a company, then in theory the companys industry is less attractive. The bargaining power of suppliers will be high when: There are many buyers and few dominant suppliers there are undifferentiated, highly valued products suppliers threaten to integrate forward into the industry. Bargaining power of buyers Buyers are the people who create demand in an industry. The bargaining power of buyers is greater when there are few dominant buyers and many sellers in the industry products are standardized buyers threaten to integrate backward into the industry suppliers do not threaten to integrate forward into the buyers industry. At the same time Pull strategy is followed as bottom up approach where end users pull the preferred product. Intensity of rivalry The intensity of rivalry between competitors in an industry will depend on: The structure of competition for example, rivalry is more intense where there are many small or equally sized competitors; rivalry is less when an industry has a clear market leader The structure of industry costs for example, industries with high fixed costs encourage competitors to fill unused capacity by price cutting. Degree of differentiation industries where products are commodities have greater rivalry; industries where competitors can differentiate their products have less rivalry. Switching costs rivalry is reduced where buyers have high switching costs i.e. there is a significant cost associated with the decision to buy a product from an alternative supplier Strategic objectives. Swot Analysis SWOT analysis is an important tool for auditing the overall strategic position of a business and its environment. Once key strategic issues have been identified, they feed into business objectives, particularly marketing objectives. SWOT analysis can be used in conjunction with other tools for audit and analysis, such as PEST analysis and Porters Five-Forces analysis. SWOT ANALYSIS OF MARKS AND SPENCERS Strengths Marks and Spencer is a powerful brand. It has a reputation for value for money, convenience and a wide range of products all in one store. M S has grown substantially over recent years, and has experienced global expansion. The company has a core competence involving its use of information technology to support its international logistics system. For example, it can see how individual products are performing country-wide, store-by-store at a glance. IT also supports M S efficient procurement. A focused strategy is in place for human resource management and development. People are key to M S business and it invests time and money in training people, and retaining a developing them. Weaknesses M S is the Worlds largest retailer and control of its empire, despite its IT advantages, could leave it weak in some areas due to the huge span of control. Since M S sell products across many sectors (such as clothing, food, or stationary), it may not have the flexibility of some of its more focused competitors. The company is global, but has a presence in relatively few countries Worldwide. Opportunities To take over, merge with, or form strategic alliances with other global retailers, focusing on specific markets such as Europe or the Greater China Region. The stores are currently only trade in a relatively small number of countries. Therefore there are tremendous opportunities for future business in expanding consumer markets, such as China and India. New locations and store types offer M S opportunities to exploit market development. They diversified from large super centers, to local and mall-based sites. Opportunities exist for M S to continue with its current strategy of large, super centers. Threats Being number one means that you are the target of competition, locally and globally. à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¢ Being a global retailer means that you are exposed to political problems in the countries that you operate in. à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¢ The cost of producing many consumer products tends to have fallen because of lower manufacturing costs. Manufacturing cost has fallen due to outsourcing to low-cost regions of the World. This has lead to price competition, resulting in price deflation in some ranges. Intense price competition is a threat. Stakeholders Expectation Stakeholders Expectation are those without which our strategic analysis will remain incomplete is about the expectation of stake holders. Stakeholders are those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom the organisation depends. Share holders expectation includes, Corporate governance chain, Formal requirements and boundaries within which strategy is developed, Organisational stakeholders, Other groups (internal and external) which have expectations and potential influence The expectation of the stake holders of M S conflicts between, Short-term profitability versus growth, Family control versus professional managers, Financial independence versus share/loan funding, Public share ownership demands openness and accountability, Cost efficiency may mean job losses, Mass markets may compromise quality, Mass public service provision versus specialist services Generic models for strategic plan According to Porter, Marks and Spencer is followed by a strategic generic model and the main categories are: Cost leadership Diffferenciation Focus Marks and Spencer is a fascinating case of a company that has lost its strategic focus. Its story illustrates how even the strongest of businesses cannot afford to take their eyes off the competition.   MS lost its way as the UKs leading retailer in the late nineties. Its profits, which had peaked at over 1bn [pounds sterling]. fell by hall as consumers rejected its clothing. In response to competitive pressure from new and existing players, MS made major changes to its strategy in 1998-2000. These included decisions to more away from its St. Michael brand  and to accept credit cards.   By 2004 the company was lacing a huge number of issues, including problems with service standards, dated store formats and the alienation of its traditional customer base. MSs stock was falling sharply. The share price, which had been as high as 650p in 1997, had declined to 270p.   By this time, Rose had unveiled his recovery strategy: selling MS Money: buying the Per Una brand: refunding around 2.5bn [pounds sterling] to shareholders: closing the new Lifestores concept and some Simply Food stores: improving products and services: and broadening MSs appeal and customer base.   Green stated that his offer was final, which meant he would not increase it again for six months unless another bidder appeared. The shareholders decided to back Rose. Green withdrew his offer and the share price fell back to 340p, which was 60p (or a total of 1.3bn [pounds sterling]) less than Greens final offer.  He faced following challenges while doing this right. Increase sales and market share without losing margins. (Rose has been  coy  about this, putting the emphasis on cost savings.)   Cut costs without undermining quality or service. In 2004 MS planned around 300m [pounds sterling] of cost savings, but clearly a proportion of these in 2005-06 would be needed to cut prices to competitive levels.   The recent history of MS highlights the need to manage shareholder value and deliver quickly, especially during turnarounds. In this situation, Rose might find the strategic option grid helpful.   This grid has been used by number of major companies, including Tesco and Diageo, to develop strategies. The options for MS include:   Incremental  strategy This would not really improve MSs long-term competitive advantage and it would be a high-risk approach, because the business would become even more exposed.   Float off food This would make shareholders better off, since the business is probably  undervalued. It would not be inherently hard to do this.   Close more stores This would focus the company on its key outlets, but it might damage the brand and decrease customer loyalty in the process.   Rationalise  the product For example stop selling mens shoes. This would declutter the business and provide an opportunity for growth.   Increase franchise space This would allow in other products, which would create more interest.   Strategy of Marks and Spencer to Improve Performance Marks Spencer plans to spend  £200 million over the next five years on going green strategy as the battle to become the most environmentally friendly retailer steps up. The high street giant, which launches its strategy with an advertising campaign in March, has set some challenging targets, including a pledge to stop sending all waste to landfill and to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 per cent. However, the aspirations will be closely scrutinised by non-governmental organisations, which will want to see if MS will be able to maintain its commitment to them in future years as the deadline to meet its targets near. Stuart Rose, the chief executive, said that he hoped that the cost of the programme would be offset by increased sales. Last year the retailer launched a Behind the Label campaign, which highlighted Marks Spencers environmental and ethical business practices and was one of the retailers most successful advertising schemes. Mr Rose said: We think this is the right thing to do because our customers, employees and, increasingly, shareholders are asking us to. We believe those people will embrace a responsible business. MS has worked on the project for six months, taking advice from Jonathon Porritt, the former director of Friends of the Earth, who said: This plan raises the bar for everyone else not just retailers but businesses in every sector. MSs detailed 100-point plan covers climate change, waste, raw materials, fair trade and healthy living. Elements also include reducing the amount of food imported and labelling those goods flown in, opening a model green factory and four stores and using 50 per cent bio-diesel in its lorry fleet. The retailer also wants to reduce packaging by 25 per cent and to use recycled plastic bottles to make polyester for use in clothing and home furnishings. Rosemary Byrde, global Fairtrade policy adviser at Oxfam, said: Marks Spencer is to be applauded for leading the way. We look forward to seeing the difference this will make and to other major retailers following suit in the near future. Robert Napier, chief executive of WWF-UK, the conservation organisation, said: Such bold aspirations as outlined by Marks Spencer can only help to drive other supermarkets and the retail sector towards supplying products in a way that protects our planet and sustains the natural resources we depend upon. The first change that MS shoppers will notice is a range of fair trade cotton T-shirts. About 20 million garments will be produced over the next 12 months, accounting for about a third of the worlds supply of fair trade cotton. Retailers fought to seize the green agenda throughout last year as environmental and fair trade issues had become increasingly important to shoppers and regulators. Marks and Spencers Mission, Vision, Values and Objectives Marks and Spencers corporate objectives are incorporated in its mission statement. This outlines what the business is and what it should be. Mission statements set out in writing what the firm wants to achieve and often include information on the values of the business. MS outlines its core business as clothing and Food. Its financial objectives is to deliver shareholder value in terms of increase returns, but also in terms of increase sales and market share in retailing. It beliefs and values are outlined as Our customers continue to see Marks Spencer as the place to shop for special food, produced to exacting standards. MS also sees its workforce as an important part of its plan and also considers modernising its stores as a key corporate objective. Vision: The standard against which all others are measured Mission: Making aspirational quality accessible to all Values: Quality, value, service, innovation and trust MS also outlines its corporate social responsibility in its mission statement and considers the needs of other stakeholders too. We have a strong tradition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) but we want to make sure CSR is integrated into our operations at every level Finally, MS also outlines its strategic intent (vision) in its corporate objectives. MS wants to continue its differentiation strategy by delivering freshness, quality and innovation. Strategic Implementation This process involves distribution of resources (financial, personnel, time, and technology support). The next step involves assigning tasks or responsibilities to specific individuals or groups to make the environment clean and it needs to disseminated into the company effectively and efficiently, monitoring the progress and results. Careful assessment of the process, controlling for variances and making the required adjustments form vital components of this process. Strategy Evaluation As the term suggests, this process includes evaluation of the efficacy of the organizational strategy implemented. Therefore, successful strategic management must include clearly defined objectives, careful assessment of both the internal and external situation to formulate the strategy, implementing the strategy and making the required adjustments as and when required. The company must possess a clear vision of its long term plans or a clear business vision. This also includes assessing the financial and strategic objectives. Financial objectives involve measures such as sales targets and earnings growth. Strategic objectives are related to the firms business position, and may include measures such as market share and reputation. (quickmba, 2007). The Environmental scan includes the following elements: Internal analysis of the firm, Analysis of the firms industry (task environment) and External macro environment (PEST  analysis). After deriving and inferring the information from the environmental scan the company should be able to carefully identify and address its weaknesses and external threats and evaluate its strengths. A competitive edge in the market in the market can be based on cost or differentiation.   The stage of implementation essentially involves distribution and organization of the companys resources and staff motivation to achieve the set objectives or goals. Evaluation and control includes monitoring the strategy and fine-tuning it as required. CONCLUSION After mid 1990s MS began to experience internal problems such as information flow breakdown and together with the fact that top management was concerned with international expansion MS was drifted away from its core values such as consumer care and customer satisfaction. MS failed to recognise that consumers were becoming wiser and its competitions much stronger. Most of consumers consider MS to be old fashioned company, this image has to be changed to be in line with the market demand and regain its lost customers to other competitors. Based on the analyses, the author feels that MS requires to be focus on its strategic plan therefore, in formulate a strategy envirmental analysis is required, which will be analysed through pestle, the current situation of Marks and Spencer is also captured then a strategic plan is constructed to overcome the barriers, then it is implemented and evaluated to ensure long-term success. Business must try and use as many tools as possible in order to come out with the best strategy for the organisation. However, firms must try and evade the limitations of these tools so as to formulate the best strategy.

History and Advantages of High Fructose Corn Syrup Essay -- Artificial

The History and Advantages of High Fructose Corn Syrup HFCS is a popular sweetener used in processed foods. It is composed of approximately 50% fructose and 50% glucose. It is made from corn starch with the use of enzymes to convert glucose to fructose. It has many advantages over cheap sugar, including, but not limited to, lower price, longer shelf life, low freezing point, and enhanced taste and texture. Corn refinement was first discovered circa 1860, and was soon followed by the development of corn syrup. Important advantages took place in the 1920’s with the use of enzymes, but it was not until the mid-1900’s when the crucial glucose isomerase enzyme was discovered. Industrial production of HFCS began in the 1970’s and today the industry is huge. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener used in many consumer products. Because it is as sweet as sugar, yet cheaper, HFCS is used in many processed food products. Like sugar, it has four calories per gram and has no added artificial or synthetic materials. HFCS is made from corn refinement. First, starch must be separated from the rest of the corn. The starch is then treated with the enzyme glucose isomerase, which converts glucose into fructose. Fructose is an isomer of glucose; both have the empirical formula C6H12O6, but in different bonding. Glucose and fructose bonded together make sucrose, commonly known as table sugar. However, they are found separately in HFCS. Supporters of HFCS claim that it causes no more harm to the body than sugar does because both HFCS and sugar have fructose and glucose in approximately one to one ratios. There are three main types of HFCS: HFCS-42, HFCS-55, HFCS-90. HFCS-42 is 42% fructose and 50% glucose. It is the least sweet of the ... ... Shaft." Freedom Daily Apr. 1998. The Future of Freedom Foundation. 25 July 2006 . Path: James Bovard; FFF articles; The Great Sugar Shaft "Corn Subsidies in United States." Environmental Working Group's Farm Subsidy Database. Nov. 2005. Environmental Working Group. 25 July 2006 . Path: Top Programs; Corn Subsidies. HFCS Facts. 25 July 2006 . "High Fructose Corn Syrup." Learn about Kosher. OU Kosher. 25 July 2006 . "Vignette 4 Bioprocess Engineering for High-Volume Products: The Case of Corn and the Wet-Milling Industry." Putting Biotechnology to Work: Bioprocess Engineering. 1992. 27-29. The National Academic Press. 25 July 2006 .

Investigatory Projects Essay

An investigatory project is basically any science experiment where you start with an issue or problem and conduct research or an investigation to decide what you think the outcome will be. After you’ve created your hypothesis or proposal, you can conduct a controlled experiment using the scientific method to arrive at a conclusion. What Kind of Investigatory Projects Are There? In order to conduct a great investigatory experiment, you have to ask an interesting question and be able to conduct an experiment that can hopefully answer that question. The harder and more intriguing the initial question is, the better the resulting investigation and experiment will be. I’ve listed a few examples below of some of the best investigatory experiments out there, so hopefully you’ll have no problem coming up with an idea. Project #1: Making Soap Out of Guava Basic hygiene should be available to everyone, but what about people who live in areas without easy access to grocery stores or pharmacies? This is a great question that makes you think about scientific alternatives to store-bought soap. Below is an example project that creates soap from guava leaf extract and sodium hydroxide, but there’s no shortage of materials you can use to replace the guava, like coconut oil or a fat like lard, butter or even the grease from your kitchen. Project #2: Used Cooking Oil as a Substitute for Diesel We all know how lucrative the oil business is, but what if the next huge innovation in oil was sitting right inside your kitchen cabinet? With the high prices of regular gasoline and diesel fuel, the possibility of creating a usable diesel fuel from household cooking oils is pretty exciting. Although creating diesel fuel out of cooking oils that will run a BMW may sound like a reach, it still makes for a great project. And who knows, maybe in doing this you’ll actually figure out what was missing from previous attempts. Being an instant billionaire doesn’t sound too bad to me. Project #3: Create Another Alternative Fuel If biodiesel isn’t your forte, you can try making oxyhydrogen gas or creating hydrogen gas via electrolysis or vice versa, creating electricity from hydrogen gas. Project #4: Purifying Used Cooking Oil Speaking of oil, if you use it to cook, you know that a lot of it goes to waste. But what if you could clean that oil and use it over and over again? Not only would that save money, but it would also benefit the environment since most people do not properly dispose of used cooking oil (no, pouring it down the drain doesn’t count). Your project goal would be to research methods of filtration or purification and test it on cooking oils. To easily demonstrate which method works best, try cooking some food in the oil produced by each one. Good food can go a long way when it comes to winning people over. Project #5: Alternative Methods of Producing Iodized Salt In areas isolated from the sea, IDD or Iodine Deficiency Disease, is very common. Since these areas do not have easy access to marine foods or grocery stores, the population becomes very susceptible to the disease due to a lack of iodine in the diet. In order to combat this, researchers and doctors have begun infusing iodine into regular table salts. If not iodine is readily available, it can be chemically made either with sulfuric acid and alkali metal iodide or hydrochloric acid and hydroxide peroxide. But perhaps there are other more accessible ways to create an iodized salt that people could make at home. Project #6: Making Biodegradable Plastic Plastic bags are actually illegal in Santa Monica, CA (and soon to be Los Angeles) because of their threat to the environment due to insane resistance to biodegradation. I didn’t think they were that bad, but one plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to break down completely, and it can even ruin your car along the way. So, creating a better biodegradable plastic bag would be a huge achievement. The only question is how one would go about doing so, and what materials could be used? That’s the question you can answer for your project. This project used cassava starch as an effective component for a biodegradable plastic, but you could try using a few different starches and see what works best. Project #7: Solar Water  Purification One of the biggest world problems is finding clean water. While we in the states can find purified or drinkable tap water almost anywhere, millions of people around the world don’t have access to clean drinking water. A few students decided to investigate a potential purification process using the sun’s energy and an aluminum sheet. And if you’re an overachiever, you can step it up a notch and try purifying pee instead. Project #8: Perfecting the Paper Bridge Of course, an investigatory project doesn’t always have to answer such grand questions. This experiment looks to discover how to build the strongest paper bridge by varying how the pieces are held together. So, the question is, â€Å"How do design changes affect a load bearing structure?† Project #9: Making Instant Ice It’s summer time and the degrees are already hitting triple digits in some areas. When it’s this hot, there are few things better than a glass of ice chilled water or lemonade. But what happens if you don’t have ice? Can you create your own ice or cool drinks quickly by another method? Check out this clip from King of Random. Cool, huh? But how does it work? Is there any other way to replicate this? Well, let the investigation begin. Project #10: Increase the Shelf-Life of Fruits and Veggies Extending the shelf-life of perishable fruits and vegetables can make a huge difference for small farmers, street-side vendors and even your average Joe—groceries aren’t cheap. What is an inexpensive and easily accessible way to make produce stay fresh longer? That’s the question behind this great investigatory science project featured here. While these researchers focused exclusively on chitosan coating on bananas, you can branch out (no pun intended) and try an assortment of other fruits, veggies and possible coating materials. Project #11: Slow the Ripening of Sliced or Chopped Produce You could also focus your project on keeping fruits and vegetables from  browning after they’ve already been cut up. There are various methods and materials you can use to slow down the ripening process, such as honey and lemon juice. Your project could revolve around finding the best option, and testing out some of your own browning-prevention solutions to see if you can come up with a better one. Project #12: Improve Memory by Thinking Dirty If my memory was any good I would be fluent in Spanish and never need to look up the Quadratic Formula again. But my problems are more superficial, like forgetting where I put my keys or what time my dentist appointment was supposed to be. There are folks out there who do suffer from real memory problems, so figuring out how to help improve memory makes for a great investigatory project. There are tons of studies on memory and memory loss that you can research. But for your investigatory science project, you will want to come up with your own hypothesis based on that information and test it out. Does using colors to form associations help with memory? Does linking an image with a memory increase its hold in the carrier’s head? What about drinking grape juice or sniffing rosemary? These are the types of questions you may look to answer. Project #13: Improving Social Anxiety by Manipulating the Body & Mind Science experiments don’t always have to include chemicals or test tubes. The science of the mind can be just as interesting. So what’s the investigation consist of? Can you truly affect the way you act and feel by simply changing your posture? Does acting a certain way manipulate the mind drastically enough to actually change the way you feel? Project #14: Kitchen DNA Extraction You may think studying DNA is only for professionals with super expensive lab equipment, but you can actually extract DNA from any living thing with a few basic ingredients you probably have in your kitchen like dish soap and rubbing alcohol. Decide on something to vary, like different fruits and vegetables or types of dish soap, and come up with a hypothesis regarding which will allow you to collect the most DNA material. Project #15: Make Homemade Glue from Milk With milk, white vinegar and baking soda, you can make your own glue right at home. Make it an investigatory project by changing up the recipe and testing  which results in the strongest glue. You could also try varying the ingredients to make it dry faster, or work on different materials (wood vs. plastic vs. paper). Project #16: Make a Battery Out of Fruits and Vegetables How can you power a small light or device without electricity? You can make a DIY battery with a few different types of fruits and vegetables. Anything from a lemon to an apple, potato, or even passion fruit will work. Pick a few different fruits or vegetables and form a hypothesis as to which will make the battery that puts out the most energy or lasts the longest. Once you’ve built your batteries, hook up a volt meter to read the output and see which one is the best.

How to Study for Objective Test Questions

Objective test questions are those that require a specific answer. An objective question usually has only one potential correct answer (although there may be some room for answers that are close), and they leave no room for  opinion. Objective test questions differ from subjective test questions, which have more than one potential correct answer and sometimes have room for a justified opinion. Objective test questions may be constructed as a list of possible answers, requiring the students to recognize the correct one from the list. These questions include matching, true/false, and multiple choice. Other  objective test questions, like fill-in-the-blank questions, require that the student recall the correct answer from memory. How to Study for Objective Questions Objective questions with short, specific answers require memorization. Flashcards are a helpful tool for this process. However, students should not stop with memorizing terms and definitions, as memorization is only the first step. As a student, you must gain a deeper understanding of each term or concept in order to understand why some potential multiple choice answers are  incorrect. Imagine that you need to know the effects of the Emancipation Proclamation for your history test. To succeed on the test, It is not enough to remember what the proclamation  did  accomplish. You must also consider what this executive order  did not  do. For example, you should know that the proclamation was  not  a law and that its impact was limited. This knowledge will help you predict which  wrong  answers might be presented on the test and will enable you to outsmart any trick questions. Because you should go beyond memorizing answers for your test terms, you should team up  with a study partner  and  create your own  multiple choice practice test. Each of you should write out one right and several wrong answers. Then, you should discuss why each potential answer is correct or incorrect. Tackling Objective Test Questions Ideally, you have studied hard and you know all the answers. Realistically, however, there will be some questions that you find a little tricky. Sometimes, a multiple choice question will have two answers that you can’t quite decide between. Don’t be afraid to skip these questions and answer the ones you feel most confident about first. That way, you know what questions you need to spend a little more time on. The same goes for matching style tests. Eliminate all the options you know are wrong and mark out the answers youve already used. This process will make the remaining answers a little easier to identify.