Zara Questions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Zara Questions - Case Study Example Then, both internal as well as external production flowed into Zara’s central distribution center. From there, the products were shipped to strategically located and attractive stores twice a week, which in a way eliminates the need for warehouses. This way Zara is able to design and reach the finished goods in stores within 4 to 5 weeks, and just 2 weeks for the restocking of existing products. 2. The major competitors of Zara as described in the case study are The Gap, Hennes & Mauritz, and Benetton. The Gap is the U.S. based retailer of casual clothes particularly selling T-shirts and jeans. Its store operations are mainly U.S. centric but its production is internationalized, with 90 percent of their finished products being outsourced from outside the U.S. Hennes and Mauritz is the Sweden based retailer of casual clothes and is regarded as the closest competitor to Zara. H&M has strongly internationalized its operations because of which it generates more than half of its sales from foreign stores. Benetton is the Italy based retailer who mainly manufactured and sold brightly colored knitwear. It outsourced most of its production to subcontractors. The competitors who are not described in the case study include Uniqlo and Primark. Uniqlo is the Japanese retailer of casual wears. It manufactures its products in-house and also sources from its supply units in China and Thai land. Primark is an international food and cloth retailing group, with stores in a number of European countries. It sources its finished products from India, Bangladesh, and others. 3. The major strength of Zara is that it has a broader and optimal vertical scope when compared with its competitors. That is, while Zara owns and operates its production as well as its stores, its competitors due to their narrower vertical scope maximally outsourced their production and even licensed their stores. For example, both The Gap and H&M have outsourced all of their production to Asian countries

Individual report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Individual report - Coursework Example The organization has the strength of being perceived as positive help for those in their older mature years, from ages sixty to eighty. This age group represents more serious risk factors than other groups; the representatives from this population can have problems combined with various other circumstances of his situation have made them vulnerable. Because the organization is perceived as helping the vulnerable rather than taking advantage, a key strength is in public perception. Weaknesses: One potential internal weakness of the proposed expansion for Southwark to UK Circle is that the organizational leadership may perceive the status quo as acceptable, and resist public relations (PR) intervention from an external source. â€Å"One of the greatest problems public relations practitioners face is proving that they make a worthwhile contribution to their organizations. This is especially so during economic downturns when businesses and nonprofits are looking for ways to eliminate ne edless expenses† (Wirth, 2003). Another weakness is that the client base of the organization, on average, does not have a lot of spending power to add to the financial bottom line. They may receive little or no support from the children, and may be a retired veteran of the second World War. There are also complicated gender role relations among the elderly. Retirement may cause a man to miss the more competitive role that he may have played as a breadwinner in society, and one study â€Å"found that men who return to work typically by choice--such as accepting part-time consulting jobs with former employers--are more satisfied with their lives†¦ than men who retire permanently† (Kearl, 2000). Some elderly individuals might be experiencing cognitive changes as well as symptoms of the mental illness of depression, which are serious issues that Southwark/UK Circle cannot help with. Opportunities: In terms of external expansion, Southwark/UK Circle can take advantage o f marketing opportunities to spread the word about the organization, and give it a wider public range of awareness. Through PR, market segmentation, target market selection, and positioning, the organization can become more visible, as well as more economically viable. The first point is market segmentation. This is basically the process of dividing the market for Southwark/UK Circle into categories or groups, based on demographics and other indicators that make each member of a group. For example, a company making cell phones might divide their market of customers (by age, income, gender, etc.) into smaller groups. And as a baseline in relation to these groups, the basic message of the organization remains fundamentally positive: â€Å"Southwark Circle community believes that people can be each others' solution, and backs it up every day, week and month by helping each other out with life's practical  bits and pieces. Southwark Circle is also about  learning new things, and en joying your hobbies and interests with others in the community† (Southwark, 2010). Threats Externally, balance can be sought between different extremes by recognizing that there are many different situations in which a business can succeed or fail that are circumstantial and would be unchanged no matter what the planning structure. There are many businesses that have had core competency but have not been able to expand nationally successfully. Other