1)

Summarising involves taking the main ideas from a piece of text and rewriting them in your own words. A
summary is significantly shorter than the original text and tends to give an overview of a topic area.

Taking into consideration the case study of Asda it can be said

that...Asda is winning the opening skirmishes in the supermarket price war after reporting an
increase in like-for-like sales for the last quarter.Asda was the first of the "big four" to commit to
lowering prices significantly late in 2013, when it pledged to invest 1bn into cutting prices over
the next five years in order to compete with the rising popularity of the discounters Aldi and Lidl.
The company, which is owned by the world's biggest retailer Walmart, now appears to be reaping
the benefits of that move.
Asda's performance is in marked contrast to Tesco,Morrisons, and Sainsbury's which reported
falls in like-for-like sales of 3.7pc, 7.1pc, and 1.1pc respectively in their most recent trading
updates.

Britain's leading supermarkets are facing unprecedented

pressures as shoppers cut back on spending and switch from
out-of-town stores to smaller convenience stores and the
discounters Aldi and Lidl.
However, despite the rise in sales for Asda, Walmart warned that
sales in the US were flat and lowered its profits forecast for the
year.
2
An important part of reading comprehension is determining what a fact is and what an opinion
is. To understand more completely, let's define each. A fact is a statement that is true and can be
verified objectively, or proven. In other words, a fact is true and correct no matter what. An
opinion, however, is a statement that holds an element of belief; it tells how someone feels. An
opinion is not always true and cannot be proven. In education, children as young as kindergarten
engage in conversation about fact and opinion. Why is this skill important enough to teach? Let's
take a closer look.

There is the fact that Asda's performance is being boosted by its online operations. The retailer is
rolling out click-and-collect points for shoppers, which allow consumers to pick-up online grocery
orders, and expects this service to grow from 10pc of all online orders to 30pc within five years.
On the other hand opinion of the Andy Clarke, chief executive, said: The last quarter has seen
unprecedented change within the food retail sector, and whilst I do not underestimate the
challenge currently presenting retailers, I am proud that our business identified and put plans in
place to respond to these changes early.
They have a clear five year strategy based on everyday low prices and we continue to implement
that strategy with agility and pace.
On the other hand Mr Clarke said: "Innovation, low prices and customer service remain at the
heart of our business and over the coming months and years we will continue to implement and
build on this successful strategy as we constantly look at new and improved ways to run our
business.
3.
An argument differs from a description, a statement of belief or opinion, a hypothetical scenario,
a command, or a mere set of facts. While each of these may have its own intents and purposes,
an argument uses a series of statements to convince a listener or reader that certain facts,
conditions, or positions are true. An arguments premise is an initial or foundational statement or
assumption that sets forth the reason or evidence, and from which the conclusion of the
argument follows.
Despite grocery sales growing at the slowest pace for a decade and rivals reporting a sharp dip
in sales, Asda said the like-for-like sales grew by 0.5pc in the 10 weeks to the end of June.
The company, which is owned by the world's biggest retailer Walmart, now appears to be reaping
the benefits of that move.
Asda's performance is in marked contrast to Tesco,Morrisons, and Sainsbury's which reported
falls in like-for-like sales of 3.7pc, 7.1pc, and 1.1pc respectively in their most recent trading
updates.

"The coffee smelling exercise by Asda has not been easy for
management, but it has been necessary. Asda identified early
growing customer mistrust of the Big Four and their trading
strategies. Whilst an eagle eye was not necessary to us, the
group recognised earlier than its major competitors just why the
limited assortment discounters and high street value retailers
were gaining share apace and, in particular, from the majors;
punters were more alert than the supermarket bosses.

"Accordingly, Asda started a programme or work to simplify its

offer, prioritise pricing and so reducing vouchering and
promotional activity, but also taking a hard look at its cost base."
Task 2
3.

According to TITSCHER et al. (2000), content analysis is "the longest established

method of text analysis among the set of empirical methods of social investigation"
(p.55). However, there does not seem to exist a homogenous understanding of this
method at present, but originally the term "referred only to those methods that
concentrate on directly and clearly quantifiable aspects of text content, and as a rule
on absolute and relative frequencies of words per text or surface unit" (TITSCHER et
al., 2000, p.55). Later, the concept was extended to include all those procedures
which operate with categories, but which seek at least to quantify these categories
by means of a frequency survey of classifications (ibid.).
The essential message in any well-written document is easy enough to identify. Try it
with the following excerpt from a presentation on Canada's seafood inspection
systems.
Canada has one of the world's most respected fish inspection and control systems.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sets the policies, requirements and
inspection standards for fish products, federally registered fish and seafood
processing establishments, importers, fishing vessels, and equipment used for
handling, transporting and storing fish. All establishments which process fish and
seafood for export or inter-provincial trade must be federally registered and must
develop and implement a HACCP-based Quality Management Program (QMP) plan.
A processing establishment's QMP plan outlines the controls implemented by the fish
processor to ensure that all fish products are processed under sanitary conditions,
and that the resulting products are safe and meet all regulatory requirements.
Canada's fish-inspection and control system contributes to Canada's worldwide
reputation for safe, wholesome fish and seafood products

2.
The essential message is made up of three ideas:

 The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is one of the world's most

respected inspection and control systems.
Any company that processes seafood for internal or external trade
must be registered with the CFIA and have a plan outlining what controls
they use to ensure their products meet all regulatory requirements.
Canada's inspection and control system contributes to its reputation
for safe, wholesome fish and seafood.
We could turn these statements into the following summary:
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) contributes to Canada's reputation for
safe seafood by requiring that all fish and seafood processors meet the agency's
safety requirements.
This summary is about 20% of the original because the original itself is short. With a
longer original, a summary might be 5% or less. But length is less important than
informative value: an effective summary gives readers just what they need and no
more.
The language of the summary puts the original ideas into new words. If statements
are taken directly from the original, they are enclosed in quotation marks.

An effective summary captures the most important information

The important information usually includes controlling ideas (purpose statements

and topic sentences), major findings, and conclusions or recommendations.
It usually doesn't include any of the following: non-essential background
information; the author's personal comments or conjectures; introductions; long
explanations, examples, or definitions; visuals; or data of questionable accuracy.
An effective summary is highly readable

People read summaries to get the information they need as efficiently as possible.
In a large document, the summary may be the only part a reader actually reads.
Make sure to write in a readable, clear style. Translate specific details into general
statements (e.g., instead of "47.3% of respondents polled said they agreed or
strongly agreed that food labels should include information about the percentage of
transfats the food item contained," summarize to "Almost half of respondents want
food labels to include transfats").
An effective summary can stand on its own

Think of your summary as a highly condensed version of the source document. All
the extras have been squeezed out, but the essential meaning should still be there.
A reader should be able to read, understand and find the essential meaning by
reading your summary. Readers should have to turn to the source document only if
they need more detailnot to get the main ideas.
An effective summary is faithful to the original

As a rule, add nothing to the original. Avoid adding comments or modifiers that add
meaning that was not in the original (e.g. "The authors correctly point out," "The
report seems to suggest," "This important recommendation").
An effective summary is as concise as possible

Use the fewest words possible that still preserve all the essential meaning.
Whatever you do, don't sacrifice clarity for economy.

Task 3
a.
The discussion section of the report takes a broad view of the research and
puts it in a wider context. The discussion section moves from the narrow
specific focus of the research to a more general view. It must clearly show
how the results found lead to the conclusions being drawn and therefore
how these conclusions should be understood. This should include any
limitations that might cause problems with any claims being made as well
as any possible explanations for these results.
The elements included in the discussion section text and the order in which
they are presented may differ from department to department. However,
the list in the following box is typical and provides you with a good model
(adapted from: Weissberg & Buker, 1990, p. 138; Hopkins & Dudley-Evans,
1988; Swales & Feak, 1994).
There's something slightly intimidating about the two Aldi bosses standing on the platform of Atherstone railway
station in Warwickshire.
The joint managing directors have made short work of attacking the profits of the Big Four supermarkets, making
the privately-held German company a formidable player on the British grocery scene.
Yet the pair are uncomfortable in the spotlight. It has taken a year of wrangling before they agreed to their first
major UK interview.
Aldi UK delivered a record market share of 4.8 per cent, according to the latest Kantar research figures, having
stolen middle-class shoppers from Waitrose and Sainsburys.
If the UK giants were hoping for any relief, they are likely to be disappointed, with the firm planning major new
investment here.

b.
in academic writing, arguing and discussing is often part of a larger piece of writing. In arguing and discussing, you are expected to
present two or more points of view and discuss the positive and negative aspects of each case. On the basis of your discussion, you

can then choose one point of view and persuade your readers that you are correct. This means giving your opinions (positive and
negative) on the work of others and your own opinions based on what you have read and learned. You need to evaluate arguments,
weigh evidence and develop a set of standards on which to base your conclusion.

ldi and Lidl are winning because of the following (largely interlinked
factors):

- the most important is the focus on a core line of products. They focus on
the products that most shoppers buy most of the time. At it's most basic
this is about 700 lines that provide almost all of a household's weekly
grocery needs. This is then augmented by a slightly longer tail that takes the
number of lines to about 1500 - 2000. Compare this to the 30,000 plus that
a big Tesco might carry.

- there was a time when the effectiveness of the 'long tail' was a much
trumpeted management theory. Wrong. In the bricks & mortar world the
long tail leads to maximisation not of profit but unprofitable shelf space
and logistics complexity.

- too many lines also leads to shopper confusion (as has been shown both
experimentally and in the real world.) This has a tendency to push shoppers
towards the less-fuss-as-possible mode of shopping, which often means
buying what stands out most prominently. And what's that? Lines on
promotion. So here both supplier and grocer lose out as there is a gradual
downshift towards promotion-driven shopping.

- Lidl and Aldi are the embodiment of shopper simplicity, which actually
makes the shopping experience more pleasant even if the environment is

austere. Everyday low prices; simple buying decisions; a minimum time

spent in-store, and yet all shopping needs are fulfilled.

c)

A cause-effect relationship is a relationship in which one event (the cause) makes another event
happen (the effect). One cause can have several effects. For example, let's say you were
conducting an experiment using regular high school students with no athletic ability. The purpose
of our experiment is to see if becoming an all-star athlete would increase their attractiveness and
popularity ratings among other high school students.
Cause

Aldi has developed a huge cult following, with fans online sharing tips
and tricks for how to shop there.
Here are a few reasons people love the brand.

1. Low prices
Groceries at Aldi are "shockingly cheaper" than those at Wal-Mart,
according to a study by Cheapism. They're also cheaper than those at
industry darling Trader Joe's.
About 90% of the products at the grocer are private label. By
eliminating the middleman, Aldi can pass the savings on to
consumers.
Aldi sticks to private labels and offers fewer items than the typical
grocery store, a strategy also used by Costco. While the typical store
offers 40,000 items, Aldi offers just 1,400.
Selling fewer items increases sales volume and helps drive discounts.

2. Fast checkout lanes

Aldi's German founders valued efficiency, and it shows in stores.
Produce is packaged together and sold so cashiers don't have to weigh
items at checkout. Even Aldi's private-label packaging is designed for
easy scanning with its checkout systems.
This means that customers spend less time waiting to check out.
effects:

When you consider that Aldi and Lidl grew sales by 11% and 12.5%
respectively, though, Tescos performance hardly stands out. The German
discounters (they hate the term) have succeeded in making themselves a
mainstream option for British shoppers. They havent poached many of
them in their entirety 94% of their customers also shop regularly at one of
the major grocers but they have certainly taken a share of their spend.

d.
A feature of academic writing is the need to be cautious in ones statements in order to
distinguish between facts and claims. This feature is termed 'hedging'. Hedging can be
defined as the use of linguistic devices to show hesitation or uncertainty and to display
politeness and indirectness. Hedging is absolutely crucial in good academic writing and
hedged words are said to account for 1 in every 100 words.
When writing for academic disciplines it is necessary not only to show that you are able to
write in a formal, abstract fashion, but also that you are able to show the extent to which
you believe in, or are prepared to stand up for, what you are reporting/claiming.

Read more at http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/aldi-lidl-will-continuegrow/future-business/article/1386497#8J9AxqpyfFVQ68iG.99

http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/1136897/tesco-overhauls-youtubepresence-social-strategy-rethink#BOyEmlP5YAWxgqGs.99