The Role Of Zara As A Brand Commerce Essay

The Role Of Zara As A Brand Commerce Essay Zara is a fashion brand from the house of Inditex SA, of Spain, which is one of the leading fashion retailers of the world. Zara started its retail operations for the in 1975, with its first store opened at La Coruna in Galicia, Spain. Presently this is the head office of Zara. Zaras retail operation now extends to about 650 stores operating in 50 different countries. Over the last five years Zaras sales has increased at a steady rate of 25% and Zara as a brand contributes to about 80% of the companys total profits. There are questions that pull forward the need for this research to be undertaken. Some of these questions would be that when most fashion retailers reported negative annual profits due to the global economic recession, how has Zara been able to continuously increase its profitability? What are the strategies employed by Zara? What are the quality control checks employed by Zara? How scalable is Zaras business model and finally what does Zara follow to maintain its high market share and at the same time compete with other fashion retailers? Zara focuses on the apparel business more as a consumption market rather than being a commodity market. Hence Zara focuses on speed and thus looks at continuous reduction of response time. Hence to achieve this Zara has an effective vertically integrated supply chain which is very closely integrated with the customers. It is from here that the latest trends in fashion are identified and the garments are produced accordingly and delivered to stores within a period of 2 weeks. . 1.3 Competitive Priorities of Zara: The identifiable competitive priorities on which Zara has built up its successful business model are as follows: 1.3.1 Fast speed of production: Zara has the ability to transform a fashion concept and place finish products in the stores within a period of 2 weeks. Zara has dedicated teams at stores which allow the retailer to get designer influenced products at a very rapid pace within the stores. 1.3.2 Variation of Production: Zaras value chain comprises of members who dedicated work closely with customers in spotting new trends of demand in fashion. They have the ability to launch new trends, designs and variation of products. 1.3.3 Cost Leadership: Zara produces fashionable range of products at an affordable pricing. When compared to other competitors in the same strategic group, Zaras products are priced lower than GAP and Benetton. The main reasons due to which Zara can achieve cost leadership is because they keep a very low level of inventory in stores. Their efficient distribution system allows them to get products in the store just in time. As a result of which Zara has a high annual inventory turnover. 1.4 Applying Porters Generic Strategy: On application of Porters generic strategy it has been observed that Zara looks at the broad scope of the market. Zara uses a combination of differentiation and overall cost leadership. The ability to produce different range of fashion at a fast pace is the differentiating factor of Zara that gives them a high sustainable competitive advantage. Overall cost leadership is achieved through the vertically integrated supply chain that Zara possesses. Due to the efficient supply chain, Zara can achieve a high stock turnover and at the same time maintain a low level of inventory in stores. 1.5 The practice of Total Quality management and its implementation in Zaras vertical supply chain: 1975-1995: Since its inception in 1975 till 1995 Zara has followed the method of inspection in order to keep a check on the quality of its products. Zaras designing team has worked closely with customers and have spend their time in spotting the latest trends in demand. An instant sketch of the design has been analysed and the accordingly produced. The quality control teams at Zara inspected the designs before placing them in stores. 1995 till date: After 1995 Zara has implemented the practice of Total Quality management. In this practice Zaras vertically integrated supply chain tries to achieve Continuous Improvement of their processes, which includes spotting of the fashion trends, designing, and procurement of their materials, the CAD technology they use for designing, their improved inventory management and finally their centralised logistics and distribution system. Each of the components of the supply chain process has been explained below. From the aspect of employees, Zara invests a lot on the motivation of employees. They mainly hire young people who are creative and can understand the latest trends of fashion. Collectively these two aspects are used to achieve high level of customer satisfaction. 1.6 Supply Chain View of Zara: According to McMillan and Mullen (Operations Management Volume 2: 2002), the purpose of SCM is to integrate all tasks associated with the bi-directional flow of materials, information and finance into organized, coherent, managed processes in order to provide end-to-end management and control. One of the pivotal examples that support this view is the Supply Chain Management in Zara. 1.6.1 Design and Production: Zara uses concurrent designing process which integrates members from the entire organisation structure in creating its designs for fashion. This includes members from the procurement team, designers, market specialists and finally feedbacks obtained from sales executives and store manager. The average age of the designing team is 26 years. These designers spot the latest trends from different sources such as fashion shows, magazines and trade fairs. Then they make a sketch of the design and these designs are consulted upon by different members from the procurement and production departments. Only 25% of the total number of concepts are accepted and actually executed. Zaras business processes are integrated and cross functional teams work across all processes. Due to this there is a rapid flow of information which reduces the decision making time and in turn the lead time. 1.6.2 Procurement: 60% of the products produced by Zara are by their own factories. Zara has about 25 factories across the world and most of the plants run on a single shift basis. Thus Zara has unutilised capacity which they use for quick response to increase in seasonal demand. As a result of this Zara can transform their products quickly to the stores even when the demand is high. Although the design and automated manufacturing is done by Zara in house, most of the labour intensive activities are outsourced to reduce overall cost. 1.6.3 Information Systems: Most of the designs developed are done using CAD. This is a major reason for making the manufacturing process rapid. Apart from this ZARA invests considerably on technology in order to aid in the flow of information. Zara store managers posses hand held PDA which they use to send information such as sales figures, order placing and customer feedback to the head office in La Coruna. Based on this designing team confirms the design and sends them across to manufacturing units wherein CAD is used to manufacture the products. 1.6.4 Inventory Management: Zara replenishes its inventory from one of its 650 stores at least twice a week. However the stock quantities are limited so that they ensure not to carry excess inventory. On record Inditex has the least inventory as a percentage of annual sales as compared to Gap, which is its closest competitor. 1.6.5 Centralised Logistics and Distribution: Zara has a centralised distribution unit that operates from its head office in La Coruna. Zara uses all modes transportation for shipment namely trucks, trains and even planes in some cases. Trucks are loaded as per the specific order in the evening and they are dispatched at night at a specific time. 1.7 Employees at Zara: Employees at Zara is one of the main reasons for the effective quick response system of Zara. The HR policies revolve around high level of employee motivation. Zara believes in hiring young and creative people. Employees are Zara are given holistic training across all skill sets and they are also given high incentives. These practices motivates employees to market the brand Zara effectively. 1.8 Value Chain framework of Zara: Based on the above research a value chain frame work of Zara is given below: 2. A comparative study of Zara with Benetton: 2.1 Introduction to Benetton: The Benetton brand was established in the year 1966 by Luciano Benetton as an Italian fashion brand that produces wide array of coloured clothes. The Benetton group has 150 million garments rolling out of their stores and they have a mammoth number of 6000 contemporary stores worldwide. 2.2 Operational Control: Since its inception, until 2004 Benetton had a centralised production and distribution system. It also did inspection of its products and rapid quality checks from 1980 to the mid 2004. However in 2005 the control has become decentralized and Benetton now follows the Total Quality Management practices in its entire value chain. 2.2.1 Continuous Improvement in the Production Process: Benettons production system had undergone a major transformation in the year 2005. It evolved from an organisation based on divisions such as wool and cotton, to a structure based on service units such as planning and quality control. The new production system is flexible, and it integrates all the stake holders in the value chain. Thus it helps in reducing product delivery time and it also optimizes the quality and service levels. In this process there are three teams that work in tandem to deliver greater value to customers. These are the Logistics unit, the quality checking unit and the customer service unit. The customer service unit plays a major role in analyzing customer demands and level of satisfaction. This team has departments which keep a close track on the sales staffs and the store managers, whose inputs are taken into consideration during the production process. The quality checking unit keeps a track of the level of confirmation of specification of each design. Tagging and labeling of the units of garments are also taken care by them. The Logistics team is by far the most important team in the organisation. There is now a new Hong Kong hub that has become fully operational along with the European hub and the U.S hub. Benettons logistic system has now transformed from a centralised system to being a satellite control system. This facilitates the individual hubs to concentrate on their particular regions of distribution and supply the appropriate number of units and the appropriate design at the right time. Since 2005 till date the stores have thus reported low levels of inventory and high stock turnover rate. 2.2.2 Customer Satisfaction perspective: Since 2005, Benetton has also rejuvenated the concept of shopping experience by providing a new range of concept stores. Some of them are the Pentagram concept for glamorous clothes and the Cool concept for producing casual lines of clothing. Aspects of visual merchandising are taken better care of in order to strengthen the shopping experience of customers and developing stronger relationships with them. 2.2.3 Employees: With the implementation of TQM in 2005 the organizational functioning and structure has also been majorly transformed. Benetton now looks at hiring young individuals who takes the challenge of a fast paced environment. In 2005 a new project called the Wanna Sell? was introduced as a part of the training and development programme. In this project young and enthusiastic individuals were chosen and put into teams to attend sales workshops. During the 2008 economic meltdown Benetton continued to provide their staffs with incentives and thereby encouraging then to work with greater passion. 3.1 The Comparative Quality timeline: 4 SWOT Analysis of Zara: 4.1 Strengths: Vertically Integrated Supply Chain Quick Response System Integration of IT in the Information System Efficient Distribution Facilities Presence of Brand Globally 4.2 Weakness: Overdependence of Inditex over Zara as only one brand Lesser efficient supply chain management in U.S than Europe. (A negative effect of centralization) Location of Shops: It is often seen that Zara has too many shops in the same geographic area, thus causing canibalisation of its own sales. 4.3 Opportunity: Moving out to emerging markets such as Brazil and India where people are now more conscious of fashion. 4.4 Threats: Competitors such as HM who are also rapid innovators of fashion. In certain countries such as India, China and some of the Middle East nations there are companies that produce fashion at a high price but keeping a low cost. 5 Recommendations: 5.1 Decentralisation: Looking at the fact that Zara faces certain challenges logistically in markets such as United States and certain parts of Asia, Zara should now go for a decentralised structure in their distribution channel. As we have seen in the case of Benetton, due to the decentralised structure Benetton can efficiently manage their operation on such a large scale. For a company like Zara which is looking to penetrate the emerging markets, it should bring about a decentralised structure in the following ways: Zara should build controlling units of Distribution and Production in every geographic region where it has its operations. In this way it would help Zara to concentrate on each and every region rather than controlling the entire business from their headquarters in La Coruna. Zara should not bring about any change in the overall Supply Chain View which it now follows. 5.2 Six Sigma Practices: Being a high innovator of fashion, Zara should consider Six Sigma practice in order to mitigate the risks of innovation. It has been a proven track record that through Six Sigma companies have been able to reduce a high amount of their process costs, according to Six Sigma Academy companies save $230,000 per project by applying six sigma practices. Six Sigma practices help in improving ongoing processes of an organisation very effectively. For an organisation like Zara, at the present situation the application of Six Sigma will complement their high level of innovation that they do in order to bring in new fashion to the market continuously. Six Sigma practices can be implemented through in Zara through the application of DMAIC model. The DMAIC model can be elaborated as Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control of the processes in Zara. Define: The new fashion that has to be developed should be defined properly according to the specifications, the technology to be used to manufacture and the budget required for carrying out the designing process. Also the defining process must include the tasks that individuals within the supply chain must undertake. Measure: Measure the time taken to complete the entire manufacturing process for every product line (i.e. the new fashion that has been conceptualised). It is also important to measure the extent to which the measurements of the finished garments match with that of the defined plan. Analyse: Analysis is to be made from the perspective of the product movement. The time taken to complete the entire process of shipment is to be monitored, and a continuous effort should be made in reducing the shipment time. Improve: Areas of improvement in Zara comprises of confirmation of specification of measurement, reduction in production time, reduce in transportation or shipment time, improve the quality of service at stores, improve facilities at store and the store ambience and reduce the time taken for checkouts at stores. Control: Control in the organisations processes are to be brought about through a balanced score card that is customised for Zara balancing the four stake holders perspective. These four stake holders include the learning and innovation perspective comprising of Zaras ability to innovate new lines of fashion; the level of customer satisfaction; the financial performance of the company and the operational effectiveness of the supply chain system of Zara.

Reflections on Kinsey, the Movie

Every scene in the film was worth paying attention to.   The plot that is based on the real life story of Prof. Alfred Kinsey is unusual and enlightening.   The movie has effectively depicted the life of the professor and has shown the audience his struggles in his research on   human sexuality.   Kinsey manifested how taboo the subject of sex and human sexuality was during the late 1940’s.   Moreover, the film has clearly shown how complicated it was to explore the subject and to impart the information to the public. Thus, efforts of Prof. Kinsey to let out in the open all about the subject have created noise during the said period. There was a part in the film where he stated that people are anxious and guilty over sex because they are not aware of how others engage in it.   Because of his research on human sexuality, he was accused of aiding the communist aim of weakening and deteriorating the youth of America.   Furthermore, the book he wrote about the sexuality of the human male created chaos, even at the national level.   At the same time, however, his works opened the minds of its readers. In addition, all the key actors in the movie have portrayed their parts well.   Liam Neeson in particular, effectively played the role of Prof. Alfred Kinsey.   Meanwhile, my favorite character in the movie is Prof. Kinsey’s wife, Clare McMillan whom he fondly called â€Å"Mac†.   She described herself as free spirited, which in the film, was actually depicted.   She is extremely supportive to Prof. Kinsey in all that he does. There was a scene in the movie where I admired how Mac’s emotional weakness manifested strength.   It was when she showed Prof. Kinsey how hurt she was when he slept with a male friend, Clyde.   Here, she questioned Prof. Kinsey where marriage and family stands amidst all these human sexuality research that he has gotten obsessed with. Though she was supportive of Prof. Kinsey’s endeavors, she appeared to disagree at some aspects and ensured to let Prof. Kinsey know.   One surprise however was when she also agreed to have sex with Clyde.   It was not clear to me why she exactly did that but it seems she wanted to let Prof. Kinsey feel how she did when, he in the first place, slept with Clyde.   As she also enjoyed the act, perhaps she has also learned to take Prof. Kinsey’s reasons for sleeping with him. I think Prof. Kinsey became obsessed with the subject of human sexuality because of his eagerness to create change by increasing the awareness of people on the subject of human sexuality.   As mentioned, sex was then taboo.   It appears that Prof. Kinsey wanted to unravel all secrets regarding human sexuality and let these all out into the open.   Prof. Kinsey was aware of the chaos that was certain to happen but still aimed to let the people know the diversity and richness of human sexuality. As I understand it, his interest in the subject all started when he himself encountered difficulty in engaging in sex as shown in the scene where they first made love. He thought of consulting with an expert and has eventually managed to work on their sexual relationship.   Meanwhile in the university, he spoke with some students and learned that they had a lot of incorrect notions on sex.   He suggested to the academe that sex education should be part of the curriculum.   The teaching body, however, was adamant to this idea.   He then held a marriage course given to the engaged-to-be-married couples where he started teaching about sex, in a scientific and methodical approach. One can see the intensity of his drive to research on this matter when he dramatically shifted focus from studying wasps to studying human’s sexual acts, homosexuality, sexual rituals, extramarital and premarital sex. In addition, he used his own body for research when he inflicted pain on himself by cutting his foreskin, intending to grasp why others find pleasure in pain during sex.   He even created a team, which later on seemingly became guinea pigs, as they engaged in group sex. After watching the film, I realized that humans may be â€Å"animals†, as Kinsey maintains, but   have morals that have delineated decent form indecent, the socially unacceptable and acceptable.   This makes us distinct from dogs, pigs and other animals.   I think Prof. Kinsey went overboard in looking at sex objectively.   We still are subject to emotions and feelings.   I also learned that though science aims to quantify all things, human sexuality is still, most of the time, governed by morals and social norms.   There still are boundaries and limitations.      

Sensitive Information About Essay Writing Samples for Tech Mahindra That Only the Pros Know Exist

Sensitive Information About Essay Writing Samples for Tech Mahindra That Only the Pros Know Exist New Step by Step Roadmap for Essay Writing Samples for Tech Mahindra Narrative writing is easily the most simple type of work. Also remember this kind of essay requires you to write from your own perspective, so utilize suitable words to express your own mindset. A book could possibly be listed, but it doesn't mean that you want to absorb the entire thing. Our writers also undergo a string of other training that could truly convince us they are fantastic for the job. So you've just realized that you're a couple of hours away to your homework submission deadline and don't have any clue where to begin or ways to get from the mess you're going to land into. As a consequence, you get a good deal of free time and completed homework. And three, we don't only test, train and pick out the best writers. Essay Writing Samples for Tech Mahindra Secrets That No One Else Knows About The major part and conclusion are the two most necessary elements of the essay that show your comprehension of the topic. The conclusion is just one of the vital pieces of the narrative essay. The introduction, usually, outlines the principal concept, sets the tone for a great many work, and introduces the range of problems under consideration. The coming of the essay needs to be bright and attract attention. The rules for writing an excellent essay are the same. Denote for yourself what will be the principal portion of the essay, and what's the auxiliary material. A huge conclusion section is a huge minus, which says that you can't summarize your thoughts concisely. To prevent this, it's required to look closely at how the expert authors do without repeating the words indicating the major character or the sequence of events. The bluechip criteria The simple fact that the Mahindra Group is made up of a plethora of companies seems to question the whole notion of focus. Mahindra Satyam, formerly called Satyam Service Company Limited, is among the thriving worldwide company and information technology services company. The company is now facing plenty of competition from different players in the campaign management program publishing. This way, it would be able to dominate the market which would get the company more sales and thereby more revenues. The 5-Minute Rule for Essay Writin g Samples for Tech Mahindra Get your creative juices flowing by brainstorming all the potential ideas you can imagine to deal with your college essay question. When you surf our site for recommendations that may help you write your own essay, you will come across many helpful tips. The very first and the most essential idea is to bear in mind that you're writing a story, not only an essay. Moreover, both editions have a bibliographic essay that examines the strengths and weaknesses of the principal source collections on this subject, and as such. There's numerous essays completed by them. We recognize our customers need reliable essay writing help but can't afford exorbitant fees, and that's why we've designed our service to coincide with low prices with higher quality so that you don't need to compromise on the potency of the help you will receive from our cheap essay writing service. You may even opt for an available writer to communication panel, which gives you an immediate communication between the author and the customer. It's only normal to be anxious about hiring an on-line essay writer as you can't ever be sure whether you are employing the suitable service or not. Global student loans let you cover until the overall cost of your education making it a good approach to have the money that you need! Regaining Agricultural dynamism is the crucial goal in eleventh Five year program. In the past ten years or so, South Africa showed a stable financial growth among the people. In order to construct a logical chain, you are in need of a plan of writing. This fashion depends on overall social and financial dynamics. Thus, before the last document for development of the computer software would be accepted, the feedback would be taken from a number of the possible users to make sure that all their needs are sufficiently met. The human element is inherent to each market, but the system of counterchecks lets us eliminate its possible adverse effect. The conclusion should include a synthesis or a succinct summary. One have to bear in mind a specific regularity in using verbal forms. You should start your work with the analysis of the topic, on the grounds of the analysis of the topic of the essay, you pick the material, the principal facts, and the important points of your paper. Describe some tasks that you've accomplished over the last two years which do not have any connection to academic studies.

Reasons Why Teens Choose to Have an Abortion

Teens facing an unplanned pregnancy choose abortion for similar reasons as women in their twenties and thirties. Teens ask the same questions: Do I want this baby? Can I afford to raise a child? How will this impact my life? Am I ready to be a mother? Coming to a Decision A teen considering abortion is influenced by where she lives, her religious beliefs, her relationship with her parents, access to family planning services, and the behavior of her peer group. Her educational level and socioeconomic status also play a role. According to the Guttmacher Institute, the reasons teens most often give for having an abortion are: Not wanting their lives changed by the birth of a babyNot being able to afford a babyNot feeling mature or responsible enough to raise a child Parental Involvement Whether or not a teen opts for abortion often hinges on a parents knowledge and/or participation in the decision-making. Thirty-four states require some form of parental permission or notification for a minor to obtain an abortion. For teens whose parents are unaware that their daughter is sexually active, this is an additional obstacle that makes a difficult decision even more stressful. The majority of teen abortions involve a parent in some way. 60% of minors who have abortions do so with the knowledge of at least one parent, and a large majority of parents support their daughters choice. Continuing Education...or Not The teen who worries that having a baby will change her life has a good reason for concern. Most teen mothers lives are negatively impacted by the birth of a baby; their educational plans are interrupted, which subsequently limits their future earning potential and puts them at greater risk of raising their child in poverty. In comparison, teens who choose abortion are more successful in school and are more likely to graduate and pursue higher education. They typically come from a higher socioeconomic family background than those who give birth and become teen mothers. Even when socioeconomic factors are taken into consideration, pregnant teens are at a huge educational disadvantage. Teen mothers are significantly less likely to complete high school than their peers; only 40% of young women who give birth before age 18 earn a high school diploma as compared to other young women from similar socioeconomic situations who delay childbearing until age 20 or 21. In the long run, the prospects are even grimmer. Less than 2% of teen mothers who give birth before age 18 go on to earn a college degree by the time they turn 30. Access to Abortion Providers Choice is not a choice when theres little or no access to abortion. For many teens in the U.S., obtaining an abortion involves driving out of town and even sometimes out of state. Limited access shuts the door on abortion for those without transportation or resources. According to the Guttmacher Institute, in 2014 90% of counties in the United States had no abortion provider. Estimates of women who obtained abortions in 2005 indicate that 25% traveled at least 50 miles, and 8% traveled more than 100 miles. Eight states were served by fewer than five abortion providers. North Dakota has only one abortion provider. Even when physical access is not an issue, the parental consent/parental notification laws which exist in 34 states in effect limit access for an underage teen unwilling to discuss the decision with a parent. Teen Pregnancy Before Legalized Abortion The fear and hesitancy teens express at the thought of discussing pregnancy with their parents is deeply rooted in our culture. Past generations regarded teen pregnancy as something deeply shameful. Prior to the legalization of abortion, a pregnant girl or young woman was often sent by her family to a home for unwed mothers, a practice that began in the early 20th century and remained until the 1970s. To maintain the secret, friends, and acquaintances were told that the girl in question was staying with a relative. Teens who were afraid to tell their parents they were pregnant often grew desperate to end their pregnancies. Some attempted self-induced abortions with herbs or toxic substances or sharp implements; others sought out illegal back alley abortionists who were rarely medical professionals. Many girls and young women died as a result of these unsafe abortion methods. Lingering Shame With the legalization of abortion with the Roe v. Wade decision in 1972, safe and legal medical means became available to most of the population, and the procedure could be done discreetly and quietly. Although the shame of teen pregnancy lingered, abortion was a way for a teen or young woman to hide her sexual activity and pregnancy from her parents. High school-aged girls who kept their babies were the subject of gossip and pity among students and parents. Media Depictions of Teen Pregnancy and Abortion Today, those views seem strange and outdated to the many teens who choose to become teen mothers. Mainstream media has come a long way in normalizing the idea of teen pregnancy. Films such as Juno and TV series such as The Secret Life of an American Teen feature pregnant teens as the heroines. Much rarer are depictions of teens choosing abortion—a taboo subject in the eyes of Hollywood. Because teen pregnancy has become almost commonplace in many high schools, the pressure to keep it a secret no longer exists as it did in past generations. More and more teens are choosing to give birth, and a type of reverse pressure now exists, with many teens believing that teen motherhood is a desirable situation. The very public pregnancies of famous teens such as Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin have added to the glamour of teen pregnancy. Thus for some teens, the decision to have an abortion may be a choice that is criticized by peers who only see the excitement of being pregnant and having a baby. Children of Teen Mothers Teens who choose abortion because they recognize their own immaturity and inability to care for a baby are making a responsible decision; it may not be one that everyone agrees with, but it also cuts short a cycle that is on the rise in the U.S. -- children giving birth to children. More and more studies indicate that children born to teen mothers begin school with significant disadvantages in learning, do poorer in school and on standardized tests, and are much more likely to drop out of school than the children of women whove delayed childbearing until they reach their twenties. Abortion remains a controversial topic, and a pregnant teen considering abortion often finds herself in the proverbial situation of being between a rock and a hard place. But when finances, life circumstances and rocky personal relationships prevent a teen mother from being able to raise her child in a loving, safe, and stable environment, terminating a pregnancy may be her only viable choice. Sources: In Brief: Facts on American Teens Sexual and Reproductive Health. Guttmacher.org, September 2006.Stanhope, Marcia and Jeanette Lancaster. Foundations of Nursing in the Community: Community-oriented Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2006.Why It Matters: Teen Pregnancy and Education. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, retrieved 19 May 2009.