Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Fast Fashion Free Essays
string(108) " a Spanish company owned by Inedited, Ezra produce its products mainly in Spain and Portugal \(Wood 2010\)\." Introduction The clothing industry, as one of the most globalizes industries in the world (Fibonacci et al 1994), is currently undergoing a restructuring, especially the fast fashion sector. Fashion markets are synonymous with rapid changes and short product life cycles. Therefore, changes in consumer demand for newness and fashion trend force the emergence of fast fashionââ¬â¢ strategy in retailers like Ezra and H;M and shifts in the focus of competitive advantage from price towards quick response. We will write a custom essay sample on Fast Fashion or any similar topic only for you Order Now That is to say, clothing firms, which are adopting global or offshore sourcing strategy, are not noninsured to have more competitive advantages as before. However, the question is: should fast fashion retailers adopt quick response strategy instead of overseas sourcing strategy immediately, or adopt both strategies? In the first section, a literature review of the nature of fashion market and related arguments will be introduced. The overseas sourcing strategy and the quick response strategy will be explained with examples of existing clothing firms in the second and the third section. The fourth section will compare and contrast the advantage and disadvantages of these two strategies. Combining theoretical knowledge with empirical case studies, it is argued that companies could reach the maximum profit by adopting overseas sourcing strategy as well as quick response strategy. 1 . Literature Review Fashion retailers, such as Ezra, H;M, Benton and Marks ; Spencer have revolutionized the fashion industry by creating a concept of fast fashionââ¬â¢. The change in the culture of fashion from haute couture to fast fashion has attracted numerous researchers to identify and explore the nature of fast fashion market (Tokomak 2008, p. 22, Christopher et al 2004, p. 367, soul and -raccoon 2008, Tactile et al 2008). Accordingly, short life cycles, rapid prototyping and high volatility are identified as the key features of the fashion market. Compared to other industries, apparel product manufacturing has unique features, for instance, numerous SKIS (stock keeping unit) in a season, hard to estimate customersââ¬â¢ demand and wide range of products for basic to fashion items Non 2004). All these unique characteristics require a different approach to production sourcing, Soul and Turn-on (2008) pointed out that fast fashion retailers prefer using an opportunity-pull approach to the traditional designer-push model. By adopting the new approach, retailers could respond to the shifts in the market as quickly as possible. As a result, the more continuous production schedule (eight to twelve fashion ââ¬Ëseasonsââ¬â¢) has substituted for the traditional two to four ââ¬Ëseasonsââ¬â¢ calendar (Tactile et al 2008, p. 264, Dickens 2011, p. 316). In relation to global production networks, Dickens (2011) identified the ââ¬Ëcoreââ¬â¢ of a global production network as the circuit of four basic operations, which refers to inputs, transformation, distribution and consumption. Theoretically, the quicker the production circuit flows, the higher the gross margin the company can gain. When we apply the theory into the clothing industry, the cost of production and the speed to response to changes in consumer demand are equally important. Both of them could contribute to the flow of production circuit. Since numbers of studies have elaborated the benefit of production relocation, the implementation of quick response strategy by fashion retailers has attracted the interest of researchers in recent years (Bristle et al 2003, Perry and Shoal 2000, leer and Bergen 1997). However, results of an exploratory study (Bristle et al 2003) shows that the advantages of quick response strategy have not been fully understood by fashion retailers. They tend to implement quick response strategy for internal supply chain management. Moreover, leer and Bergen (1997) tried to use formal model to examine the impact of quick response strategy on fashion retailers. Although there is companies already adopted both strategies, limited attention has been paid to the combined effect of these two strategies by researchers. Hypothesis: In an era of fast fashion, companies that adopt both global sourcing strategy and quick response strategy have better chance to succeed in the fashion looting market. 2. Cost, the most basic consideration. In order to have higher profit margin, one of the most effective ways is to cut down production costs. In view of the low labor cost in developing countries, global sourcing seems to be a good choice to reduce costs. With the development of global production networks and the increasing competition, fast all fashion clothing firms have shifted their manufacturing operations to low lost locations over the past decades. The shifts in the Shares manufacturer Levi Stratusââ¬â¢s global strategy could vividly demonstrate how global sourcing strategy works and affect its supply chain. At first, the company was created in the USA. As it developed and became a global company, they began to employ workers all over the world. However, in face of fierce competition, Levi Strauss started to shift its operation to lower-cost countries in the late sass. By the year 2003, Levi Strauss closed the last four plants in North American and ââ¬Ëhas become an entirely offshore producerââ¬â¢ (Dickens 2011 p. 318). The German fashion company Hugo Boss also provides similar example. In face of high production cost, namely high labor cost in domestic market, more and more fashion retailers choose to outsource their production. Moreover, some fast fashion retailers even have no manufacturing competency (Tokomak 2008). The representatives of this kind of retailers are Gap, HM and Mango. As they do not own any factories, the only way for them do produce their products is outsourcing. The success of these retailers without factories proves the feasibility of global sourcing strategy. By contrast, when most retailers were busy outsourcing their production to lower cost countries, some fast fashion retails still insist on domestic sourcing strategy, for instance, Ezra, Benton and Marks Spencer. They held the view that ââ¬Ëmarket legibility and lean inventories may be more important than cheap laborââ¬â¢ (Tokomak 2008). However, could efficiency really overcome the lost in higher production cost? Maybe no one could answer this question. If we take Ezra as an example and find out where Ezra produce the products, we could develop our own view. As a Spanish company owned by Inedited, Ezra produce its products mainly in Spain and Portugal (Wood 2010). You read "Fast Fashion" in category "Fashion" Whereas their competitor found suppliers from worldwide low-cost countries, Ezra choose to produce products near its domestic market. That maximizes time efficiency. In fact, the unit labor costs in these two countries were low enough in the sass (Tokomak 2008), therefore, there is no need for Ezra to outsource its productions to other locations. It has the similar competitive advantage as other companies have, besides, by domestic sourcing and producing Just-in-time, Saraââ¬â¢s production cycles are much faster than its competitors. In this respect, it is better for Ezra to adopt the domestic sourcing strategy. However, recent years, the geography of Saraââ¬â¢s production network has become diverse. Ezra started to outsource and 34 percent of its production was carried out in Asia (Dickens 2011). Similar situation have also occurred in Benton and Marks Spencer. On one hand, the unit labor cost among European countries has increased in recent years. On the other hand, the supplier firms in countries like Turkey, India and Asia have gained the ability to meet the higher requirement of flexibility and speed. It is inevitable for fast fashion retailers sourcing from these countries. However, companies should also be aware of the potential risks and hidden cost brought by overseas sourcing. Global sourcing strategy requires close coordination of RD, manufacturing, and marketing activities on a global basis. Managing geographically separated RD, manufacturing, and marketing activities, those companies face difficult coordination problems of integrating operations and adapting them to different legal, political, and cultural environments in different countries (Daniels et al 2013). Furthermore, separation of manufacturing activities involves an inherent risk that manufacturing in the value chain will gradually becomes neglected. Such neglect can be costly as continued involvement in manufacturing tends to lead to pioneering product design and innovation over time. An effective global sourcing strategy calls for continual forts to streamline manufacturing without sacrificing marketing flexibility. 3. Time, the growing consideration. With the wide spread of fast fashionââ¬â¢ principle, fast fashion retailers are aware of the importance of efficiency. They notice that consumer demand is changing more rapidly and customers more discerning about quality and choice. Although a substantial cost advantage can be gained by adopting overseas sourcing strategy, it cannot compress time in the supply system. To solve this problem, companies tend to choose the quick response strategy, which focuses on providing shorter lead times. According to Bristle et al (2003), quick response strategy was first developed as a result of the need to compete with offshore manufacturers in the USA. The quick response strategy emphasizes on flexibility and product velocity and relies on a measure of trust in sharing information (Barnes and Lea-Greenwood 2006 p. 63). In addition, while maximizing the diversity of products, quick response could minimize lead-times, expenditure, cost and stock of inventory. Quick response is not merely about reducing lead-time by the use of domestic or nearby sourcing strategy, it also involves the ability to gather latest information and use real-time data to understand the needs of the consumers. To some extent, quick response help to sho rten the product cycle times and decrease risks and inventories at each stage of manufacturing and retailing operations. The Spanish Ezra, as mentioned before, is ââ¬Ëan excellent example of a vertically integrated retailer using quick response methodsââ¬â¢ (Bristle et al 2003). Despite successful application of the concept ââ¬Å"fast fashionâ⬠in H;M and Top Shop, Ezra utilizes the ââ¬Å"fast fashionâ⬠strategy in all aspects dominant, fast fashion in Ezra meaner, within only two weeks from concept to sales faster than any other company. Unlike most of its competitors, Ezra still produces most of the products in Spain and Portugal and only outsource basic items in lower cost countries. By adopting quick response strategy, Ezra focused on creating a short, flexible, tight and innovative supply chain and tried to balance the higher labor cost by shorter (3-6 weeks) lead times. As a result, Saraââ¬â¢s short deliveries have made it ââ¬Ëas much as 12 times faster than the competitionââ¬â¢ (Newsweek 2001, p. 36, cited in Tokomak 2008, p. 30). Ezra launches almost 11000 new products in a year, which meaner the update speed is about two or three times a week. In 2005, sales grew by 21 percent over the prior fiscal year in Ezra, which makes Inedited ahead of HM for the first time (Daniel et al 2013). The good result indicates that domestic sourcing still works as long as the company finds out a way to compensate for the losses in production cost. Having witnessed the successful experience of Ezra, competitors started to follow the lead of Ezra. For instance, Benton now replenishes stores once a week, Forever 21 Inc. And Unique are able to get new products in store thin 6 weeks (Ordered and Johnson 2008). Another example that worth to be mentioned is the Next brand in the ELK. Base on the quick response strategy, the company uses a limited edition approach to accelerate the update speed. Moreover, in order to respond to the changes in demand as soon as possible, next has even purchased part of a multi-national clothing supplier to enable constantly changing ranges by reducing lead time (Bristle et al 2003). As we can learn from the case studies, time becomes a priority consideration in the fashion market. The adoption of quick response method should be able to make manufacturer to ââ¬Ëadjust the reduction of different styles, colors and sizes in response to retail sales during the seasonââ¬â¢ (Seen 2007). 4. Comparison between overseas sourcing strategy and quick response strategy One of the biggest differences is that overseas sourcing strategy uses cost as a competitive weapon while quick response strategy uses time. As we known, both cost and time are the keys for retailers to gain more market share and profit; The dilemma for fast fashion companies is: Whether fashion retailers should outsource production overseas for lower production cost or keep manufacturing nearby to facilitate speed. As highlighted earlier, the fashion market is volatile and unpredictable. Quick response strategy emerges in such an environment. Compared to overseas sourcing strategy, which faces long transport times and difficulty in controlling over production, quick response strategy enables retailers to cope with uncertainty or changes in the fashion market. On the other hand, although domestic sourcing provides companies from paying for higher logistic cost and other hidden costs, offshore sourcing secures lower cost inputs, (Christopher et al 2004). It is argued that fast fashion companies need to adopt strategies that optimally mix overseas sourcing ND quick response to win the market. The changes occurred in Marks Spencer over these years could help us understand the advantages and disadvantages of both strategies. As a major British retailer, it chooses to use local suppliers for decades. However, in face of the downward pressure on price, it abandoned its domestic sourcing strategy and started to relocate production overseas (Christopher et al 2006). Accordingly, the average hourly labor cost in the I-J is nine times higher than in Morocco and even nineteen times higher than in China, Pakistan and Indonesia. After adopting oversea suppliers, Marks Spencer on noticed that they overlooked the related problems, such as the cost of transportation, the need to forecast styles, colors and volumes in advance and the risk of stock inventory. Facing the challenge of adopting global sourcing, Marks Spencer tend to use ââ¬Å"dual supply chainsâ⬠. By combing global sourcing strategy and quick response strategy, ââ¬Å"fashionable itemsâ⬠are manufactured in locations with a journey time no more than four days. For ââ¬Å"basic itemsâ⬠, for which demand is easier to be predicted, Marks Spencer continue producing them in lower cost locations (Christopher et al 2006). Likewise, Ezra has also adopted both strategies for its supply chain. Today, price is no longer the determined factor that concerned by customers. Many companies consider not simply price but also quality, reliability, and technology of components and products to be procured. These companies design their sourcing decision on the basis of the interplay between their competitive advantages and the comparative advantages of various sourcing locations for long-term gains. By contrast, they care more about the quality, design and the level of popularity. Therefore, companies have to find the balance between cost and time. If fast fashion tillers make good use of these two strategies, like MS and Ezra did, the negative effect could be covered to a large extent. Conclusion Volatile markets, short product lifestyles and high product variety are the characteristics of today are clothing industry. This essay mainly discusses the adoption of two common strategies- global sourcing strategy and quick response strategy, in fast fashion clothing sector. Although most companies already have chosen outsourcing strategy to maintain the competitive advantage, the nature of todayââ¬â¢s fashion market forces companies to consider the importance of speed and flexibility. The analysis of both strategies with the help of real companiesââ¬â¢ experience shows that both of them have positive and negative effects on fast fashion retailers. However, overseas sourcing strategy and quick response strategy are not mutually exclusive. In practice, the successful examples of MS and Ezra have proved the feasibility of combing global sourcing with quick response strategy. How to cite Fast Fashion, Essays
Fast Fashion Free Essays
string(108) " a Spanish company owned by Inedited, Ezra produce its products mainly in Spain and Portugal \(Wood 2010\)\." Introduction The clothing industry, as one of the most globalizes industries in the world (Fibonacci et al 1994), is currently undergoing a restructuring, especially the fast fashion sector. Fashion markets are synonymous with rapid changes and short product life cycles. Therefore, changes in consumer demand for newness and fashion trend force the emergence of fast fashionââ¬â¢ strategy in retailers like Ezra and H;M and shifts in the focus of competitive advantage from price towards quick response. We will write a custom essay sample on Fast Fashion or any similar topic only for you Order Now That is to say, clothing firms, which are adopting global or offshore sourcing strategy, are not noninsured to have more competitive advantages as before. However, the question is: should fast fashion retailers adopt quick response strategy instead of overseas sourcing strategy immediately, or adopt both strategies? In the first section, a literature review of the nature of fashion market and related arguments will be introduced. The overseas sourcing strategy and the quick response strategy will be explained with examples of existing clothing firms in the second and the third section. The fourth section will compare and contrast the advantage and disadvantages of these two strategies. Combining theoretical knowledge with empirical case studies, it is argued that companies could reach the maximum profit by adopting overseas sourcing strategy as well as quick response strategy. 1 . Literature Review Fashion retailers, such as Ezra, H;M, Benton and Marks ; Spencer have revolutionized the fashion industry by creating a concept of fast fashionââ¬â¢. The change in the culture of fashion from haute couture to fast fashion has attracted numerous researchers to identify and explore the nature of fast fashion market (Tokomak 2008, p. 22, Christopher et al 2004, p. 367, soul and -raccoon 2008, Tactile et al 2008). Accordingly, short life cycles, rapid prototyping and high volatility are identified as the key features of the fashion market. Compared to other industries, apparel product manufacturing has unique features, for instance, numerous SKIS (stock keeping unit) in a season, hard to estimate customersââ¬â¢ demand and wide range of products for basic to fashion items Non 2004). All these unique characteristics require a different approach to production sourcing, Soul and Turn-on (2008) pointed out that fast fashion retailers prefer using an opportunity-pull approach to the traditional designer-push model. By adopting the new approach, retailers could respond to the shifts in the market as quickly as possible. As a result, the more continuous production schedule (eight to twelve fashion ââ¬Ëseasonsââ¬â¢) has substituted for the traditional two to four ââ¬Ëseasonsââ¬â¢ calendar (Tactile et al 2008, p. 264, Dickens 2011, p. 316). In relation to global production networks, Dickens (2011) identified the ââ¬Ëcoreââ¬â¢ of a global production network as the circuit of four basic operations, which refers to inputs, transformation, distribution and consumption. Theoretically, the quicker the production circuit flows, the higher the gross margin the company can gain. When we apply the theory into the clothing industry, the cost of production and the speed to response to changes in consumer demand are equally important. Both of them could contribute to the flow of production circuit. Since numbers of studies have elaborated the benefit of production relocation, the implementation of quick response strategy by fashion retailers has attracted the interest of researchers in recent years (Bristle et al 2003, Perry and Shoal 2000, leer and Bergen 1997). However, results of an exploratory study (Bristle et al 2003) shows that the advantages of quick response strategy have not been fully understood by fashion retailers. They tend to implement quick response strategy for internal supply chain management. Moreover, leer and Bergen (1997) tried to use formal model to examine the impact of quick response strategy on fashion retailers. Although there is companies already adopted both strategies, limited attention has been paid to the combined effect of these two strategies by researchers. Hypothesis: In an era of fast fashion, companies that adopt both global sourcing strategy and quick response strategy have better chance to succeed in the fashion looting market. 2. Cost, the most basic consideration. In order to have higher profit margin, one of the most effective ways is to cut down production costs. In view of the low labor cost in developing countries, global sourcing seems to be a good choice to reduce costs. With the development of global production networks and the increasing competition, fast all fashion clothing firms have shifted their manufacturing operations to low lost locations over the past decades. The shifts in the Shares manufacturer Levi Stratusââ¬â¢s global strategy could vividly demonstrate how global sourcing strategy works and affect its supply chain. At first, the company was created in the USA. As it developed and became a global company, they began to employ workers all over the world. However, in face of fierce competition, Levi Strauss started to shift its operation to lower-cost countries in the late sass. By the year 2003, Levi Strauss closed the last four plants in North American and ââ¬Ëhas become an entirely offshore producerââ¬â¢ (Dickens 2011 p. 318). The German fashion company Hugo Boss also provides similar example. In face of high production cost, namely high labor cost in domestic market, more and more fashion retailers choose to outsource their production. Moreover, some fast fashion retailers even have no manufacturing competency (Tokomak 2008). The representatives of this kind of retailers are Gap, HM and Mango. As they do not own any factories, the only way for them do produce their products is outsourcing. The success of these retailers without factories proves the feasibility of global sourcing strategy. By contrast, when most retailers were busy outsourcing their production to lower cost countries, some fast fashion retails still insist on domestic sourcing strategy, for instance, Ezra, Benton and Marks Spencer. They held the view that ââ¬Ëmarket legibility and lean inventories may be more important than cheap laborââ¬â¢ (Tokomak 2008). However, could efficiency really overcome the lost in higher production cost? Maybe no one could answer this question. If we take Ezra as an example and find out where Ezra produce the products, we could develop our own view. As a Spanish company owned by Inedited, Ezra produce its products mainly in Spain and Portugal (Wood 2010). You read "Fast Fashion" in category "Fashion" Whereas their competitor found suppliers from worldwide low-cost countries, Ezra choose to produce products near its domestic market. That maximizes time efficiency. In fact, the unit labor costs in these two countries were low enough in the sass (Tokomak 2008), therefore, there is no need for Ezra to outsource its productions to other locations. It has the similar competitive advantage as other companies have, besides, by domestic sourcing and producing Just-in-time, Saraââ¬â¢s production cycles are much faster than its competitors. In this respect, it is better for Ezra to adopt the domestic sourcing strategy. However, recent years, the geography of Saraââ¬â¢s production network has become diverse. Ezra started to outsource and 34 percent of its production was carried out in Asia (Dickens 2011). Similar situation have also occurred in Benton and Marks Spencer. On one hand, the unit labor cost among European countries has increased in recent years. On the other hand, the supplier firms in countries like Turkey, India and Asia have gained the ability to meet the higher requirement of flexibility and speed. It is inevitable for fast fashion retailers sourcing from these countries. However, companies should also be aware of the potential risks and hidden cost brought by overseas sourcing. Global sourcing strategy requires close coordination of RD, manufacturing, and marketing activities on a global basis. Managing geographically separated RD, manufacturing, and marketing activities, those companies face difficult coordination problems of integrating operations and adapting them to different legal, political, and cultural environments in different countries (Daniels et al 2013). Furthermore, separation of manufacturing activities involves an inherent risk that manufacturing in the value chain will gradually becomes neglected. Such neglect can be costly as continued involvement in manufacturing tends to lead to pioneering product design and innovation over time. An effective global sourcing strategy calls for continual forts to streamline manufacturing without sacrificing marketing flexibility. 3. Time, the growing consideration. With the wide spread of fast fashionââ¬â¢ principle, fast fashion retailers are aware of the importance of efficiency. They notice that consumer demand is changing more rapidly and customers more discerning about quality and choice. Although a substantial cost advantage can be gained by adopting overseas sourcing strategy, it cannot compress time in the supply system. To solve this problem, companies tend to choose the quick response strategy, which focuses on providing shorter lead times. According to Bristle et al (2003), quick response strategy was first developed as a result of the need to compete with offshore manufacturers in the USA. The quick response strategy emphasizes on flexibility and product velocity and relies on a measure of trust in sharing information (Barnes and Lea-Greenwood 2006 p. 63). In addition, while maximizing the diversity of products, quick response could minimize lead-times, expenditure, cost and stock of inventory. Quick response is not merely about reducing lead-time by the use of domestic or nearby sourcing strategy, it also involves the ability to gather latest information and use real-time data to understand the needs of the consumers. To some extent, quick response help to sho rten the product cycle times and decrease risks and inventories at each stage of manufacturing and retailing operations. The Spanish Ezra, as mentioned before, is ââ¬Ëan excellent example of a vertically integrated retailer using quick response methodsââ¬â¢ (Bristle et al 2003). Despite successful application of the concept ââ¬Å"fast fashionâ⬠in H;M and Top Shop, Ezra utilizes the ââ¬Å"fast fashionâ⬠strategy in all aspects dominant, fast fashion in Ezra meaner, within only two weeks from concept to sales faster than any other company. Unlike most of its competitors, Ezra still produces most of the products in Spain and Portugal and only outsource basic items in lower cost countries. By adopting quick response strategy, Ezra focused on creating a short, flexible, tight and innovative supply chain and tried to balance the higher labor cost by shorter (3-6 weeks) lead times. As a result, Saraââ¬â¢s short deliveries have made it ââ¬Ëas much as 12 times faster than the competitionââ¬â¢ (Newsweek 2001, p. 36, cited in Tokomak 2008, p. 30). Ezra launches almost 11000 new products in a year, which meaner the update speed is about two or three times a week. In 2005, sales grew by 21 percent over the prior fiscal year in Ezra, which makes Inedited ahead of HM for the first time (Daniel et al 2013). The good result indicates that domestic sourcing still works as long as the company finds out a way to compensate for the losses in production cost. Having witnessed the successful experience of Ezra, competitors started to follow the lead of Ezra. For instance, Benton now replenishes stores once a week, Forever 21 Inc. And Unique are able to get new products in store thin 6 weeks (Ordered and Johnson 2008). Another example that worth to be mentioned is the Next brand in the ELK. Base on the quick response strategy, the company uses a limited edition approach to accelerate the update speed. Moreover, in order to respond to the changes in demand as soon as possible, next has even purchased part of a multi-national clothing supplier to enable constantly changing ranges by reducing lead time (Bristle et al 2003). As we can learn from the case studies, time becomes a priority consideration in the fashion market. The adoption of quick response method should be able to make manufacturer to ââ¬Ëadjust the reduction of different styles, colors and sizes in response to retail sales during the seasonââ¬â¢ (Seen 2007). 4. Comparison between overseas sourcing strategy and quick response strategy One of the biggest differences is that overseas sourcing strategy uses cost as a competitive weapon while quick response strategy uses time. As we known, both cost and time are the keys for retailers to gain more market share and profit; The dilemma for fast fashion companies is: Whether fashion retailers should outsource production overseas for lower production cost or keep manufacturing nearby to facilitate speed. As highlighted earlier, the fashion market is volatile and unpredictable. Quick response strategy emerges in such an environment. Compared to overseas sourcing strategy, which faces long transport times and difficulty in controlling over production, quick response strategy enables retailers to cope with uncertainty or changes in the fashion market. On the other hand, although domestic sourcing provides companies from paying for higher logistic cost and other hidden costs, offshore sourcing secures lower cost inputs, (Christopher et al 2004). It is argued that fast fashion companies need to adopt strategies that optimally mix overseas sourcing ND quick response to win the market. The changes occurred in Marks Spencer over these years could help us understand the advantages and disadvantages of both strategies. As a major British retailer, it chooses to use local suppliers for decades. However, in face of the downward pressure on price, it abandoned its domestic sourcing strategy and started to relocate production overseas (Christopher et al 2006). Accordingly, the average hourly labor cost in the I-J is nine times higher than in Morocco and even nineteen times higher than in China, Pakistan and Indonesia. After adopting oversea suppliers, Marks Spencer on noticed that they overlooked the related problems, such as the cost of transportation, the need to forecast styles, colors and volumes in advance and the risk of stock inventory. Facing the challenge of adopting global sourcing, Marks Spencer tend to use ââ¬Å"dual supply chainsâ⬠. By combing global sourcing strategy and quick response strategy, ââ¬Å"fashionable itemsâ⬠are manufactured in locations with a journey time no more than four days. For ââ¬Å"basic itemsâ⬠, for which demand is easier to be predicted, Marks Spencer continue producing them in lower cost locations (Christopher et al 2006). Likewise, Ezra has also adopted both strategies for its supply chain. Today, price is no longer the determined factor that concerned by customers. Many companies consider not simply price but also quality, reliability, and technology of components and products to be procured. These companies design their sourcing decision on the basis of the interplay between their competitive advantages and the comparative advantages of various sourcing locations for long-term gains. By contrast, they care more about the quality, design and the level of popularity. Therefore, companies have to find the balance between cost and time. If fast fashion tillers make good use of these two strategies, like MS and Ezra did, the negative effect could be covered to a large extent. Conclusion Volatile markets, short product lifestyles and high product variety are the characteristics of today are clothing industry. This essay mainly discusses the adoption of two common strategies- global sourcing strategy and quick response strategy, in fast fashion clothing sector. Although most companies already have chosen outsourcing strategy to maintain the competitive advantage, the nature of todayââ¬â¢s fashion market forces companies to consider the importance of speed and flexibility. The analysis of both strategies with the help of real companiesââ¬â¢ experience shows that both of them have positive and negative effects on fast fashion retailers. However, overseas sourcing strategy and quick response strategy are not mutually exclusive. In practice, the successful examples of MS and Ezra have proved the feasibility of combing global sourcing with quick response strategy. How to cite Fast Fashion, Essays
Saturday, April 25, 2020
University Education Is Not Overrated free essay sample
Education Opens Doors An University Education opens doors. These opportunities branch into the aspects of finance, employment, family and societal skills/ an enhanced lifestyle. Societal skills Firstly, a university environment exposes students to a rich cultural and social environment. This gives every student a chance to interact with people coming from varying geographical, social and financial backgrounds. In the act of meeting new people, you learn new things and new ways of learning things. Most importantly, a university matures a person to live and interact with others in a social milieu. Finance Secondly, according to statistics on average annual salary, individuals who attend college earn more as a result of their higher levels of education. In fact, university graduates earn more than twice as much as high school graduates. Some studies have found that university graduates with a bachelors degree earn 80% more per year than those with only a high school degree. We will write a custom essay sample on University Education Is Not Overrated or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Specifically the Us Bureau Census reported in 2004 that, on average a university graduate earns $54,704, significantly more than the $30,056 earned annually by a high school graduate. Another way of viewing these numbers is that, according to the Postsecondary Education Opportunity Research Letter (PEORL), the lifetime income of families headed by individuals with a university degree will be approximately $1. 6 million more than the incomes of families headed by individuals who are high school graduates. Also, according the the PEORL individuals who attend and graduate from university have greater work opportunities and tend to have skills that can be easily applied in different work settings and different geographic locations. In other words, they have many more work options, which helps stabilize their income in fluctuating economic times. Employment University education offers employment opportunities. The Postsecondary Access research project states Individuals who attend and graduate from university are employed at higher rates and with greater consistency. Individuals who havenââ¬â¢t graduated from high school are three times as likely to be unemployed than someone with a university degree. For young adults between the ages of 20 and 24, the unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2009 for high school graduates was 2. times as high as that for university graduates. Family Not only does a university education open up opportunities for the actual graduates as according to the Postsecondary Access research project: the children of university-educated individuals are more likely to graduate from high school and attend university and have higher cognitive skills, which means the families of the unive rsity graduates are also given opportunities through this. Also Among parents who had gained a university education 68% read to their children daily as opposed to 41% of high school graduates. This is opening literary opportunities up for the offspring of the university educated individuals. Also child obesity is a huge problem primarily in New Zealand and America. National American studies show The frequency of obesity among the children from high school graduate households increases from 14% between the ages of 2 and 5 to 22% between the ages of 6 and 11. The frequency of obesity among the children from a university graduate household increases from 6% between the ages of 2 and 5 to 14% between the ages of 6 and 11. This is a significant difference in child obesity between the two households. By the risk of obesity being limited, children are being given opportunities to be healthy and thrive. Enhanced Lifestyle Gaining a university education can also lead to an enhanced life in all aspects. American Public Health studies show compared with high school graduates, university graduates have longer life spans, better dietary and health practices, greater economic stability and security (which nable an individual to bear minimal financial stress), greater knowledge of government, greater community service and leadership, more volunteer work, more self confidence, and less criminal activity and incarceration. In addition, University graduates have greater participation in leisure and artistic activities. All of these factors contributing to an enhanced lifestyle for a university graduate. They even supposedly have a greater use of seatbelts.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Juvenile Justice Essays
Juvenile Justice Essays Juvenile Justice Essay Juvenile Justice Essay The Juvenile Criminal Justice System and Adult tribunal system have many simalities and differences. While the Juvenile Justice system is more concerned with rehabilitation of the Juvenile so he wont contine with more offense when he become an grownup. the grownup tribunal sytem is looking expression to penalize the grownups with more rough clip. and effects. They portion similarlites such as procedural precautions to protect their rights and besides they both have the right to councel to assist support they self. Even though both tribunal system are ment to rehabilate and penalize or detour condemnable from more crimal behaviour we need they both to maintain America safe and to contine our chase of felicity. The juvenile justness system and the grownup justness system portion their commonalties and differences. For illustration. the juvenile justness system makes it the point to rehabilitate alternatively of penalizing juvenile delinquents. However. one must take into consideration that penalty is still a executable construct within the juvenile system. but it is used providentially as a last resort. In cases of penalty for a adolescent who is accused of an flagitious offense. he or she may be tried as an grownup ( Goldstein. 2007 ) . Harmonizing to Dr. Goldstein ( 2007 ) there are some similarities between the two justness systems as he states that the constabularies. bench. and corrections have discretion relation to determination devising in both systems. For those grownups and juveniles that admit guilt there is a system of procedural precautions to protect their rights. Additionally. other commonalties between the age separated groups include supplication bargaining. every bit good as the right to hearings and entreaties. However. when grownups are tried for offenses. they are tried in the grownup tribunal. while juveniles are tried in the juvenile tribunal. Other differences exist. as Goldstein ( 2007 ) further provinces that juvenile proceedings are non viewed as condemnable. and that juvenile records. tribunal hearings. etc. are confidential and non usually accessible ; grownup records are public. Most juveniles receive probation after strong belief and the juvenile system in entire is much like the intermediate countenances of grownup corrections. Once a juvenile wrongdoer is placed on probation he/she will be ordered to take part in some educational. guidance or damages plans while on probation. Probation officers attend the schools the juveniles attend. to minimise the potency for more condemnable activity ( Clear T. Cole G. Reisig M. 2009 ) . The juvenile correctional system warrants and receives more attending than the grownup systems. Why non nip offense in the butt when it is present in younger wrongdoers to minimise the potency of future felons? When immature kids see that they have clip to reform and populate a better life. I believe for the most portion they will. Both juveniles and grownups have the right to advocate in tribunal proceedings. Nevertheless. juveniles may be represented by tribunal appointed advocators who look out for the juvenileââ¬â¢s best involvement. as a parent would for his or her kid ; with right ways to assist the kid rehabilitate. In the instance of grownup tests. tribunal appointed advocators may be stand foring the accused. but the best interest lies in cut downing or predating the sentence. non rehabilitate ( Goldstein. 2007 ) . In the instances of both groups. a traditional advocate may be hired to stand for the person While due procedure is given to all ( juveniles and grownups likewise ) . juvenile wrongdoers seem to be helped out more than grownup wrongdoers. Besides. kids tried as juveniles can non be sentenced to adult gaols or prisons. There are many arguments over these and the other aforesaid patterns. with critics and advocates on all issues. but I personally think the system is good and it can merely acquire better with clip.
Monday, March 2, 2020
Reserved Words in Java
Reserved Words in Java Reserved words are words that cannot be used as object or variable names in a Java program because theyre already used by the syntax of the Java programming language. If you ttempt toà use any of the words below as identifiers in your Java programs, youll get an error like the one below. List of Reserved Java Keywords abstract assert boolean break byte case catch char class const continue default double do else enum extends false final finally float for goto if implements import instanceof int interface long native new null package private protected public return short static strictfp super switch synchronized this throw throws transient true try void volatile while *Theà strictfpà keyword was added to this list in Java Standard Edition version 1.2,à assertà in version 1.4, andà enumà in version 5.0. Even though goto and const are no longer used in the Java programming language, they still cannot be used as keywords. What Happens If You Use a Reserved Word? Lets say you try to create a new class and name it using a reserved word, like this: // you cant use finally as its a reserved word! class finally { à à à public static void main(String[] args) { à à à à à à //class code.. à à à } } Instead of compiling, the Java program will instead give the following error: expected
Friday, February 14, 2020
Communication final project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Communication final project - Essay Example This essay is an attempt to summarize and apply Emory Griffinââ¬â¢s ideas about personal friendship and communication. If what has been mentioned above is true, it is certain that the first and most important among the fundamentals of friendship is shared personal love. Griffin specified the actual range of varied ideas of love among authors in an effort to find an equivalent broad range of understanding of the essentials of communication and mutual love in friendship. Griffin describes ââ¬Ëpersonal loveââ¬â¢ or what he specifically referred to as ââ¬Ëintimate friendshipââ¬â¢ as a human relationship that has ââ¬Å"a life of its own that is greater than the separate lives of the two friendsâ⬠(Griffin, 1987, 214). This definition apparently includes personal awareness by each on the otherââ¬â¢s distinctive self-identity. It has been argued that since intimate friendship us a special type of deep-seated love, it will in fact frequently transform into deep-seated love and create desire, or love, for what the completely loved individual requires as instrumental objectives or as way to these objectives. Love will encourage actions. Griffin reminds that intimate friendship, of its essence, will be fundamental love, specifically, imbued with sentiments of love such as bliss, pleasure, sweetness, warmth, or in several instances, forgiveness and sympathy. Making friends and keeping them requires a lot of uphill struggles. Elements like acceptance, patience, understanding and love determine friendship in its best. The main thing that grows as roots to the mentioned instruments is communication; nevertheless, reminds Griffin, communication has also its limitations. Not all communication efforts can strengthen, mend, and revive broken relationships; it can also destroy a good friendship. Communication should then be used with extra caution by making use of judgment. Griffin
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Quiz 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1
Quiz 4 - Assignment Example Nixon (1974) outcome was influenced by then President Richard Nixon who authoritatively and defiantly interfered with the investigation process regarding the controversies surrounding the Democratic Party (Greenburg 58). Besides, the implementation of court policies is influenced by the Congress. As a supreme organ, Congress has a lot of say on exactly how judicial policies can be implemented in the country. However, this might at times go against the interpretation of the lower courts (Abraham 397). Lastly, the implementation of court decisions is influenced by the discretion of the lower courts. Since it is the Supreme Court that make decisions, their interpretations are always left for the lower courts. This does not effectively work because most of the decisions are vague and might not be properly interpreted by the judges of the lower courts. According to the US constitution, judiciary should be an independent institution. Meaning, it is free to discharge its duties without an unnecessary influence from any person or organ of the government (Beard 71). However, there are several occasions in which the judiciary has suffered retaliatory attacks from the Congress and president. For instance, in 1937, February, President Roosevelt Franklin retaliated the Supreme Court over its decisions regarding New Deal legislation. It was a very controversial attack that really shaped the political and judicial climate of the
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