Compare and contrast the supply chain management...

The purpose of this essay is to discuss different supply chain management approaches taken by HM, Benetton and Zara. It is first necessary to explain what a supply chain management means. Supply chain management involves planning, design, maintenance and control of the flow of materials and information along the chain in order to efficiently satisfy customers requirements (Schroeder, 2000). Such an approach, of looking at the entire supply network helps organisations identify their competitive advantages and parts of their processes that contribute the most to the performance objectives that are of the greatest importance to the customers (Slack et al., 2007). It also helps to develop long-term strategies for the company based on the†¦show more content†¦Traditional fashion retailing was seasonal, with two collections being launched for the spring and summer period and another for autumn and winter. Only Benetton may be described as following this pattern. The company introd uces two basic collections per year and supplements them with small flash collections that are being put into the stores in the middle of the seasons to attract customers (Boddy, 2005). HM and Zara rejected the traditional model and switched to a seasonless cycle where new designs are being introduced throughout the year. Zara mastered this strategy to the extremes by bringing new designs to customers in small batches on a weekly basis. Successful designs will be modified and another batch sent to customers while those that did not meet with customer interest will be moved out of stores within two weeks (Tiplady, 2006). HM also introduce new designs on a rolling basis like Zara but the company does not apply this strategy to all its products. Fast-fashion garments account for one quarter of HMs cloths, whereas the remaining three quarters are basic, everyday clothes that once designed are being produced in much larger quantities (Tiplady, 2006). Another difference between HMs and Zaras approach and Benetons strategy is the design range offered. All three companies operate world-wide. Zara and HM however do not differentiate their products depending on where the garments will be sold.Show MoreRelatedCase Study : Supplying Fast Fashion1299 Words   |  6 PagesCase Study: Supplying Fast Fashion Question: Compare and contrast the approaches taken by HM, Benetton and Zara to managing their supply chain. Introduction How often do you purchase new clothes for yourself? How much would you pay for them? Fashion garment industry have been changed rapidly by a brand new business concept which is sustainability. It implements well in our actual life, people always expect discounted goods or on sales product near seasonal transition, some fashion branding understoodRead MoreDebonairs Pizza Product-Market Expansion Growth Strategies27204 Words   |  109 Pages4. 5. WELCOME MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL INTRODUCTION TO MANCOSA THE MANCOSA MISSION OUR VISION MBA PROGRAMME STRUCTURE 5.1 Overall Programme Objectives 5.2 Programme focus 5.3 Module description and rationale PROGRAMME ADMINISTRATION 6.1 Programme Management 6.2 Programme registration 6.3 Registry and despatch 6.4 Finance 6.4.1 Fee payment 6.4.2 Payment of fees and other dues 6.4.3 Re-enrolment 6.4.4 Payment plans 6.4.5 Additional fees/charges 6.4.6 Deferrals 6.4.7 Miscellaneous costs 6.4.8 CancellationRead MoreReed Supermarket Case32354 Words   |   130 Pagesvideo case studies Multiple choice questions to test your learning Annotated links to relevant sites on the web An online glossary to explain key terms Flashcards to test your knowledge of key terms and definitions Classic extra case studies that help take your learning further We work with leading authors to develop the strongest educational materials in marketing, bringing cutting-edge thinking and best learning practice to a global market. Under a range of well-known imprints, including FinancialRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 PagesTourism Industry Evolution and Revolution in the Hi-Fi Sector Amazon.com ï £ ©2007 - Early 2009 The Formula 1 Constructors Web Reservations International: Challenging Industry Norms Manchester United FC: Continuing Success but at What Cost? Hermes Fund Management, Total and Premier Oil: The Responsibility and Accountability of Business From Small Town Pharmacy to a Multinational Corporation: Pierre Fabre, Culture as a Competitive Advantage Cordia LLP: Service Reform in the Public Sector 170 175 180 183 193

Generational Diversity At The Workplace Essay - 1886 Words

Generational Diversity at the Workplace In Kathryn Tyler’s article â€Å"The Tethered Generation,† in Society of Human Resources Magazine, she asserts that people born between 1978 and 1999, also known as the Millennial Generation, would bring challenges to the workplace, attributing early access to technology and a â€Å"perpetual connection to parents† as causes. The article’s central tenet is that through technology, this generation’s â€Å"tethered† relationship with peers and parents has shaped communication, decision making, and need for connectivity. Tyler identifies the following Millennial traits as challenges to organizations: â€Å"unrealistic expectations with respect to goal-setting and planning;† â€Å"only adequate professionalism and work ethic, creativity and innovation, and critical thinking and problem solving;† and lack of autonomy and â€Å"sense of self-reliance.† The article ends by recommending that human resource management prepare for the Millennial’s â€Å"high maintenance† and their parent’s â€Å"helicoptering† with policies and training programs (Tyler, 2007). This is a well written-article that uses as supporting evidence neuroscience researching findings, anecdotes, quotations from authoritative figures, and survey statistics from HR managers. If I were a manager of the Baby Boomer or Gen X generation, Tyler’s recommendations might alleviate anxiety about the inevitability of navigating the generational gap with younger employees. 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Positioning the Tata Nano †Case Memo Free Essays

Positioning the Tata Nano – Case Memo Introduction: Tata Motors Limited (TML), a part of Tata group, a highly respected conglomerate has a product that will revolutionize the way India travels. The team was successful in delivering a car that meets the goal price of 1 lakh rupees. People welcomed it with high pre bookings and initial sales. We will write a custom essay sample on Positioning the Tata Nano – Case Memo or any similar topic only for you Order Now But it has been found that the car didn’t hit the target market. The initial excitement faded away leading to drastic downfall in sales. We have analyzed the case to bring out the strengths and marketing strategies that TML can play to improve upon its sales. Strength: . At 1 lakh, price is the major strength of Nano. It has been priced between the cheapest car and a bike. 2. Fuel efficient car in the Indian market. 3. Easily accommodate a family of four. 4. Tata group is the most respected corporates in India. This gives TML an advantage as people trust the brand. 5. The compact design provides easy maneuverability in the congested city traffics. Weakness: 1. Positioning of the product as a cheap car. 2. Capacity limitation due to postponement of new factory lead to lottery based delivery. 3. Absence of enough TML dealers to cover the length and breadth of the country. . Low margin for the dealers. While TML provided 4 to 10 percent dealer margin for Nano the dealer margin w as only 2 to 3 percent. Opportunities: 1. TML team views nano as an opportunity to provide a safer means of transport to a typical Indian family which rides on a motorcycle. The two wheeler segment presents itself as a great opportunity to nano to tap in. 76 % of automobile sales is in two wheeler market. 2. A large percentage of Indians lie in the middle class income range. Presently their disposable income is on the rise due to better job opportunities. The fact that this section of people doesn’t have a car and also prefer to own one if affordable provides TML with unprecedented market opportunity. 3. Rising fuel prices will be advantageous to Nano as it is fuel efficient when compared to other cars in the same segment. 4. The new Sanand factory will help achieve the scale of operation . Threats: 1. The major threat for Nano is from the cars placed in mid-sized segment. Paying a bit more customers get a larger car with bigger engine and a longer track record. 2. Incidents of some Nanos catching fire also deterred customers from buying the car. Although the fire was due to foreign electronic particles it did dampened the market sentiments. 3. Nano missed its target market and it was catering to a market of second car buyers. 4. The advanced versions which were well above 1 lakh were selling more than basic model. This led to critics criticize that Nano might increase the congestion in roads. 5. Political threats like Singur land problem. The SWOT analysis of Nano provided a picture of the product and the brand. We have used 4 Ps of marketing mix to further analyze the different aspects of Nano. Product: While developing Nano the whole team had one objective to provide a low cost car without compromising on the quality of the car. TML went on with the following strategies to achieve this goal. 1. Nano was the most fuel efficient and economical car. 2. Three models are available: Nano, Nano CX and Nano LX. Nano had only the basic features without power steering, power windows etc. The other models had extra features. 3. The car was designed to accommodate more in less space. Engine was kept in rear portion to achieve this goal. 4. The suppliers were also roped into the design. They made light weight , low cost parts designed especially for Tata Nano. 5. Nano had parts supplied from 100 suppliers. The suppliers viewed this as a new opportunity to develop their capabilities. 6. The engines for Nano were developed by TML itself. Tata nano has a 624 cc 2 engine cylinder. The car as a product achieved its stated goals. But unexpected incidents of some Nanos catching fire led to build up of negative outlook on the quality of the product. Tata did took steps to ensure the quality of the product. 1. It fitted additional safety parts in every nano. . TML had four nanos touring all over India to prove that their product is capable of withstanding all conditions. TML could have gone for safety certifications but the cost prevented it from providing basic safety measures like air bags and anti-lock brakes. Pricing: Pricing is the USP for Nano. The whole product evolved around the goal price of 1 lakh. Apart from the lower price of Nano TML also had cut dealership marg ins. 1. Only the basic model was priced at 1 lakh while the other variants CX and LX were priced at 157,808 and 181,438 rupees. 2. Dealer margins for nano were between 2 to 3 percentage with a 1 percent discount off the full dealer cost if the dealer paid cash up front. 3. Although nor confirmed by TML it is believed that manufacturer margin was around 15 percent. The basic model with 1 lakh pricing failed to lure the customers while the advanced models with higher prices had more takers. Distribution: 1. Inadequacy of dealerships was bothering TML as they couldn’t reach out to the target market. 2. TML had 214 dealerships spread over 28 states in the country. 3. TML followed an unique model for pre bookings. It took leverage of other Tata group companies. The pre booking forms were made available in Croma ,Westside stores, World of Titan and Tata Indicom exclusive stores. In addition the pre booking can be done through online or from SBI banks. 4. The land problem led to capacity limitation. The initial production was limited to 50,000 nanos. 5. A lottery system was used to allocate cars to people who had pre booked it. 6. TML had an idea to promote entrepreneurial engineers to assemble the car at a rural location where distribution was not available. But this idea was dropped due to concerns on warranty. Promotions: Promotion of nano was a major task ahead of Ratan Tata. TML needs to adjust its marketing strategies in order to sell the volume of cars that could be produced with the new plant. The following are the ways in which the product was promoted. 1. Right from the beginning Nano was promoted heavily by advertisements. The car was advertised as cheapest car in the market. 2. TML concentrated on the price aspect alone in its campaigns. This had negative impact on the minds of customers that the car may not be on par with its qualities. TML should make sure to change the perception of customers so that they don’t view nano as low cost car but an affordable car with quality standards. The quality standards and safety measures have to be promoted vigorously as the people expect these features when investing 1 lakh rupees. Conclusion: TML has a product that will help the millions to get a decent and safe way to travel. Unlike the second car buyers, the middle class i. e. the first time car buyers will view nano as a way to travel along with family. It leads to high expectations on safety and quality since individuals never risk the safety of their family. TML has to make sure that the product is rightly positioned as the one with necessary quality standards and high safety measures to rope in a middle class customer. How to cite Positioning the Tata Nano – Case Memo, Essay examples