Monday, December 30, 2019

Taoism And The Philosophy Of Tai Chi Chuan - 1482 Words

1) http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/taoism.html Taoism and the Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan. Taoism and the Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015. This is a summary of the growth of Taoism. This is extremely relevant to my topic and will be an important source. 2) http://www.crystalinks.com/taoism.html Taoism - Crystalinks. Taoism - Crystalinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015. This is an explanation of the philosophy of both modern and ancient Taoism. The section on modern Taoism is not as relevant as the ancient philosophy. 3) http://www.uni-giessen.de/~gk1415/taoism.htm Eastern Philosophy- Taoism. Eastern Philosophy- Taoism. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015. This article compares Taoism to other eastern philosophies. This will be helpful in comparing Taoist beliefs and others eastern religions. These difference may hold valuable insight for how Taoism spread. 4) http://www.artic.edu/taoism/menu.php Taoism and the Arts of China (Art Institute of Chicago). Taoism and the Arts of China (Art Institute of Chicago). N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015. Not very much synthesis here but there is a large amount of raw material. Short essays, art, maps, and other such resources may prove helpful. 5) http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/ BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015. A guide to the ancient religious philosophy of Taoism. This source includes many important details on the history of Taoism. 6) http://www.taoism-directory.org/Show MoreRelatedEssay on Classical Empires Dbq1008 Words   |  5 Pagesreligions unique. Based on the following documents, discuss classical empires. What types of additional documentation would help determine the benefits and difficulties of running classical empires? Historical Background Buddhism and Taoism are both mainly centered in eastern China, and many people are confused between the two. Not very many people understand what Buddhists stand for, but many people only know they live to find meaning, and to reach nirvana. Taoists look to end the sufferings

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Development of the First National Bank - 829 Words

There have been many controversies since the United States declared independence in 1776. One of the many domestic issues that divided American citizens was developing the First National Bank in the late 1700s. Hamilton was in favor, while Jefferson opposed and American citizens chose their side based on what they believed what was best for the country. Hamilton proposed a Report on a National Bank in December of 1790 announcing what the National Bank would include. Hamilton’s proposal included, â€Å"The bank’s stock would be worth $10,000,000. 20,000 shares would be sold privately at $400 per share ... 5,000 shares or $2,000,000 of bank stock would be bought by the U.S. government. The bank would be run by a 25-man board of directors - 20 chosen by the shareholders and 5 by the government. The bank’s president would be elected by the board of directors. Notes and bills (money) issued by the bank would be redeemable on demand ... and would be accepted by the U.S. government for all payments due. The bank’s charter would run for 20 years and would be subject to renewal by Congress. The bank would be allowed to establish branch offices in other cities; its main branch would be in Philadelphia, the nation’s capital† (http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/teachers/lesson_plans/pdfs/unit3_ 4.pdf). Although the first part of the bank bill, establishing a national mint, did pass with ease, supporters and opposers debated the rest of the bill, which included the development ofShow MoreRelatedThe Two Main Economic Philosophies That Have Been Prevalent1254 Words   |  6 Pageslight portrayed upon the Jeffersonian school of thought and more of a positive light shown upon the Hamiltonian school of thought. Over the course of American history both Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian beliefs have influenced the economy, through the banks, the 1920s, World War II, and Reagan. Each of these mindset interpreted the constitution differently causing each to look at the government and the actions of the government in altering ways. Hamilton understood public finance and debt and interpretedRead MoreFederalist Challenges in the 1790s803 Words   |  4 Pagescreated the most trouble for the Federalists and were most significant in the development of the Federalist Party were creating a national bank, how to pay the national debt, and establishing the public credit. Overall, the Federalists faced more of an economic challenge than anything else. Since raising revenue in the United States was one of the first economic issues the Federalists were up against, a solution to national debt had to be found and agreed upon. During the Federalist’s struggle, JamesRead MoreMarketing Sense Of Strategy : Barclays And The National Bank Of Egypt1540 Words   |  7 PagesINTRODUCTION The comparison of two different banks reflect the differentiation and common points among the locals banks of Egypt and International banks such as; Barclays and the National bank of Egypt. Barclays is considered as one of the leading multinational firm originated from United Kingdom and has operations in several different countries whereas National bank of Egypt is one of the oldest commercial banks origins from Egypt. It is considered as a universal bank with different sub categories. NBE hasRead MoreThe Marshall Court1518 Words   |  7 Pagesbroaden the strengths of the national government. Lastly, the Marshall Court was infamous for determining the results of cases that dealt with the interpretation of the Constitution and the importance of contracts in American society. 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These pressures have been caused by a variety of factors including increased population growth and a heavy reliance on fossil fuels forRead MoreRelationship Between Financial Development And Economic Growth Using Time Series Modeling1303 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationship between financial development and economic growth using time series modeling. For each of the four case-countries three types of Vector Autoregression (VAR) models will be developed except for the case of Serbia where only VAR related to credit institutions development will be developed since data related to stock market development indicators were unavailable to author. For the case of Croatia, Slovenia and China three separate VAR mo dels will be applied. First, bivariate VAR model to exploreRead MoreFinancial Emergency During The World Economic Forum1371 Words   |  6 Pagesmoderate economic development amid 2009. As per IMF, the economy of Bahrain dealt with the financial emergency well. As a consequence of financial emergency Bahrain encountered a sharp fall in oil costs, a fixing of worldwide capital markets and decrease in provincial and neighbourhood land markets. Amid the 2010 as indicated by IMF, Bahrain s GDP has grown up to 4% in areas such like lodgings, eateries, producing, financial enterprises, transport, correspondence, and development, wholesale and retailRead MoreCorporate Social Respinsibility in Alhilal Bank866 Words   |  3 Pagesactivities on the environment. Alhilal Bank is an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government, one of the newest local banks open on 2008,the goal is to build different bank with exciting environment, fresh and smart banking. Honestly, responsibility and integrity are important part in Alhilal bank. Moreover, Alhilal bank have some mission such as provide to the UAE national growth by raising confident profile of Islamic banking internationally. This bank applies many corporate social responsibility

Friday, December 13, 2019

Zara Fast Fashion Free Essays

The Spanish retail chain Zara has unique supply chain management practices that enable it to gain a competitive advantage over other fashion retailers in the industry. Zara’s rapid response time enables the firm to quickly respond to changing fashions while deliberately under producing products. This strategy, which is supported by competencies in logistic management, design and information systems, allows the company to maintain less inventory and higher profit margins and is a key factor to Zara’s success. We will write a custom essay sample on Zara: Fast Fashion or any similar topic only for you Order Now The firm should continue to add value by seeking new opportunities to expand in the retail market and maintain their sustainable growth. Financial Analysis Being aware of a company’s financial health and profitability of its competitors is highly essential for everyone interested in engaging in business with Inditex. In this part of the paper, through analysis of 4 key ratios and return on invested capital, we are going to discover some of the company’s drivers of sustained competitive advantage. The 4 key ratios will focus mainly on company’s liquidity, activity, solvency and profitability, while ROIC will show how well the company manages the capital invested in operations of the business. In order to measure ability of Inditex to meet its short term obligations and to assess liquidity, it is important to calculate current ratio. As shown in exhibits section below, in 2001, Inditedx had 1. 02 million in current assets, while Gap and HM had 1. 48 and 3. 4 million Euros in current assets for every Euro in short-term debt. This indicates that Inditex’s main competitors demonstrate greater ability to meet current payments of debt; therefore liquidity is not one of the company’s success drivers. When it comes to comparing company’s sales to various assets categories it is significant to take a look at the total assets turnover. This ratio indicates how efficiently assets are being used to support sale. From 1999-2001, this ratio increased by 1. 2%; however it was still below industry performance. Currently Inditex is industry leader with total assets turnover of 1. 8. This shows that company’s recourses are being well managed and that company is able to realize high level of sales from its investments in property, plant and equipment such as manufacturing facilities. Debt to equity ratio is used for solvency evaluation. The main purpose of this ratio is to show company’s ability to repay long-term creditors. As shown in exhibits section, this ratio decreased from 1999-2001, however, when compared to its rivals, Inditex confirmed to have the best leverage among them. When it comes to company’s financial flexibility and profitability it is highly essential to calculate Net Profit Margin ratio. This ratio measures how successful a company has been at the business of making profit for each euro earned. As presented in the exhibits section, Inditex was and still is an industry leader with Net Profit Margin ratio of 10. 6% in 2001 and 13. 10% in 2010 which means that company has currently â‚ ¬. 3 of net income for every dollar sale. In addition, according to Inditex’s income statement, we could see that company is delivering higher net income due to its ability to keep operating expenses and COGS much lower than competitors. Furthermore, the company is able to gain sustained competitive advantage by making its own products, efficiently covering lower advertising expenses and maintaining cost-effective number of employees per store. In order for Inditex to maintain continuous growth it is important to keep its profit margins at the high level. Last but not least ROIC (Return on Invested Capital) gives a good judgment on how well a company is using its money to generate returns. Inditex ROIC varied through past couple of years but is currently able to earn around 7% on each euro invested. From the exhibit table below, we could conclude that the company is making wiser investment decisions than its competitors. SCP Analysis Zara competes in a monopolistically competitive industry due to the number of players. No business in this type of industry has total control over the market price and there are no barriers to entry and exit. Because of its monopolistically competitive playing grounds, Zara’s conduct is to increase its market power by producing demand for its heterogeneous products. Through differentiation and cost leadership, Zara attempts to increase market demand by offering new items weekly while keeping a low inventory, thus making its products unique and attractive to consumers. Because of its backward vertical integration model, Zara creates a strong synergy throughout its production process. Zara has sustained a competitive advantage globally by expanding into new markets and becoming more efficient. In a onopolistically competitive industry, Zara is expected to make profits in the short run but will break even in the long run because demand will decrease as average total costs increase. This means in the long run, a monopolistically competitive firm, such as Zara, will make zero economic profit (AmosWEB, 2001). Porters Five Forces Barriers to Entry: Due to the recent recession and weak economic market, many new players have avoided entering the retail industry. Zara has taken advantage of this opportunity to be the first to enter into many markets across the world before its competitors. With the economic future improving, Zara will be facing more and more competition especially in the United States. Rather than implementing new strategies on how to differentiate itself even more, Zara will need to focus more on creating brand awareness and staying on top in the game. Zara has been the odd ball in the industry with its creative business model but with more and more retailers quickly catching on and critiquing their business model to match the economy changes, Zara faces intense competition. Unlike other retailers, for example Gap and HM, Zara needs to fight threats around the globe. In the states, Zara competition is intensified with American retailers because many customers still do not know who Zara is or what it offers. In Europe, Zara is like a Macys for us in the states so the brand awareness is there but competition is still also high. Many retailers in Europe offer the same products as Zara, at the same or similar prices; therefore Zara needs to find ways to keep ahead of competition. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Zara is famous for its business model of just in time inventory. No other retailer can produce a garment from scratch and have it hanging in the stores within weeks than Zara. Zara also distributes large number of shipments to its stores around the world twice a week. All merchandise is shipped from Spain and all stores receive shipment on the same days, Monday and Thursday. Zara produces nearly 16,000 new designs a year which is much more than leading competitors. With the constant changing apparel Zara keeps its inventory levels extremely low. Zara customers know that if they see something in the store to buy it right then and there because tomorrow that garment will not be there. US customers are still adapting to this quick turnaround time. With their advanced technology, Zara knows what its customers want and will deliver that to them within 2 weeks’ time. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Zara manufactures all its clothing in house. This way it has control of the entire process and can make changes more quickly and efficiently when needed. After the garments are cut and ready for assembly, Zara sends out the fabric to different sewing companies to assemble the pieces. There are many competitors that Zara can choose from when deciding where they want its clothes put together which makes the bargaining power weak. Zara also took control of this process by taking over Comditel. Comditel is in charge of nearly the entire garment process. Once the garments are ready and fully assembled they are then stored in Zara’s own distribution centers. From the distribution centers they are then shipped around the globe to the thousands of Zara stores. Like many other aspects of Zara’s business model, the distribution center moves even more quickly. Once the garments are in the distribution centers, they only stay there for a maximum of 3 days before be sent out to the appropriate destination. Substitutes: Some may describe Zara as a higher end replica of fashion forward items. The items featured on Prada, Chanel, and St. John runways will be replicated in 2 weeks in Zara stores at a much more affordable price but poorer quality. Therefore, there are not many substitutes that customers can use because a majority of the products are out of the price range of many customers. This is a huge benefit for Zara because its customers are willing to pay a much less price for a lesser quality replica. Competition: Zara’s direct competitors include HM, Gap, and Benetton. HM offers nearly the same products as Zara to its customers, but a much lower quality and price. For those customers who are price sensitive, HM would be their choice of retailer. The Gap possesses more competition in the states because it has been around longer and has its loyal customer base which is hesitant to shop elsewhere. Even though these retailers give Zara a run for its money, none of them can keep up with Zara’s business model. Other retailers do not have in house production like Zara and ship their production to other countries for the cheap labor costs. This does save money but it increases time. Time is money so while others are still in production stage, Zara is already selling out of the garment. VRIO Analysis We can use the VRIO framework to determine the competitive potential of Zara’s resources and capabilities. As we analyze Zara’s resources and capabilities, it is evident that Zara has built a highly effective, self-reinforcing business system. Three elements in particular – (1) extensive vertical integration, (2) the company’s flat management structure, and (3) exceptional communication and coordination throughout the business system – allow Zara to successfully execute its â€Å"Very Quick Fashion Follower† business model. Each of the three make the grade of being Valuable, Rare, costly for competitors to Imitate, and for which the company has Organized to take advantage. Extensive Vertical Integration: Zara prides itself in its vertical integration, with near full control over its value chain through to the end-user. The company owns or closely controls its manufacturing and distribution facilities, manages its own logistics and transportation, and wherever possible owns its own stores (except for in markets with high risk or barriers to entry). This integration brings value primarily through speed-to-market, as Zara has achieved significantly shorter cycle times than its peers. Full vertical integration is rare in the apparel industry, which typically sees companies foregoing direct involvement in elements of the value chain (e. g. , HM outsourced all of its production, and Benetton sold the bulk of its production through licensees). It would be extremely costly for a competitor to imitate Zara’s vertical integration, and even if they were able to do so it is unclear how much or how soon they would profit from it, as much of Zara’s advantage comes from the degree to which it has developed its integrated organization over many years. Flat Management Structure: While the drive, insight, and guidance provided by founder Amancio Ortega and other top executives have obviously been crucial to the success of Inditex, it is the structure and incentives they have put in place that truly drive Zara’s exceptionality. Zara’s management structure is very flat, with autonomy and significant incentive-based compensation for store managers, thus closely aligning their interest with that of the company. This structure adds value to the company through diligent hands-on management at the local level, something so rare that Zara’s CEO noted that the availability of store managers capable of handling these responsibilities was â€Å"the single most important constraint on the rate of store additions. † The structure would be highly difficult for ompetitors to imitate, as it has been built into the culture and processes of the company over several decades. Zara has certainly proven that it is able to organize around the flat structure model – in fact many of the company’s business processes depend on the communication and input of enabled employees at the edges of the business system. Exceptional Communication and Coordination: From early on, Zara developed a focus on com municating and coordinating activities up and down the value chain and across functions. This capability focused on speeding important information on customer preferences and trends to the store network, and feedback on successful and unsuccessful products back up the line to headquarters. Exceptional communication and coordination are crucial to maximizing the value derived from Zara’s vertical integration and flat management structure. A look at the more disjointed businesses systems of peers such as The Gap and Benetton demonstrates how rare it is for all of a company’s capabilities to simultaneously reinforce each other, and how difficult it would be for them to imitate Zara. Zara has successfully organized to coordinate its activities around the fast communication of accurate information – about designs, customers, competitors, and micro- and macroeconomic factors – both up the line to top management and to the edges of the network where store managers and employees interact with its customers. Each of these three capabilities passes the VRIO test, indicating that they are indeed key competencies for Zara. Four Actions Framework In order to understand how Zara created a new value for both the buyer and the company, we utilize the Blue Ocean 4 Forces Analysis. Starting with what factors Zara raised above standard, we see what is also Zara’s key resource, the company’s application of vertical integration. While Zara is involved in both backward and forward integration, what sets it apart is precisely its backward integration into manufacturing. For instance, its competitors Gap and HM are both practicing forward integration and unlike Zara, outsourcing their production. Zara is also constantly in communication with employees at the edges of its business system such as store managers in order to better identify and track customer preferences and trends. The company encourages increased frequency of customer visits with its short cycle times; customers flock to the stores in order to catch the current fashion trends and product lines. In addition, the company also raised responsibility and accountability for store managers by hiring experienced employees promoted within which the CEO believed was a necessary judgment especially for store additions. Zara increased market saturation leading to better economies of scale thus significantly cutting costs and raising higher awareness and increasing sales. On the other hand, Zara reduced several factors well below the industry standard in order to cut costs and increase customers’ willingness to pay. For instance, the company decreased the failure rate for new products with its intensified product testing program which included store-level personnel in the process. Zara also reduced its cycle time for design which enabled the company to offer the customer new designs in four to five weeks and existing products in two weeks; the industry standard for this process was six months for design and three months for manufacturing. A pioneer in its industry, Zara proudly enjoyed engendering revenues at full price with only 10%-15% of its sales generated at discount prices compared to its European industry at 30%-40%. Lastly, Zara reduced its ad spending below industry standard at 0. 3% of its revenue while its competitors advertised 3%-4%. Although it is relatively unlikely for an apparel company to create factors that its industry has never offered, Zara formed a distinct vision among its competitors. The company was the first within its main rivals to saturate international markets as fast as it did. Zara is a global apparel retailer with a truly international scope. While from 1980’s to 2011 HM added eight countries to its international expansion, and Gap five, while Zara was at thirty two countries. In the competitive apparel industry, Zara managed to eliminate what its competitors continuously took for granted. The company focused on a flat management system which allowed capturing trend preferences directly from the customer and applying to mass markets. Eliminating the separation between merchandising and manufacturing was especially beneficial to a fast and productive design team. Strategic Vision Based on our analysis, Inditex has proven to be financially stable and can successfully manage its capital invested in its operations. Therefore, to maintain their sustainable growth and continue to add value, Inditex should use their commercial team’s micro/macro evaluations to seek new country market opportunities. They should to continue to use one of the three modes of entry; company-owned stores, joint ventures, and franchises, to open additional stores in European countries that have high apparel markets. Italy, Germany and United Kingdom are markets that show promise, especially Italy because of its high per capita spending on apparel. As discussed in our analysis, one of Zara’s core competencies is its extensive vertical integration, and because the case mentioned a second distribution hub already being built in Zaragoza, Spain, it can support additional European stores without being subject to diseconomies of scale. Increasing the density of Zara’s store locations in Europe will achieve logistic efficiencies. Zara keeps transportation costs low on the supply side, since most of the production takes place in Spain. Efficient distribution and inventory systems help Zara minimize costs. Demand based production means there is very little inventory in Zara’s supply chain, which results in lower working capital requirements and lower supplier opportunity costs. Another market that has potential is the United States. With changing consumer behaviors as a result of globalization, there are growth options available for specialty retailers like Zara. For example, Gap’s current ratio of 2. 18 is higher than Zara’s 1. 71; however Zara’s 13. 10% net profit margin is preferred over Gap’s 8. 21% (as illustrated in Exhibit A-1). Therefore, as long as Zara can maintain its low production and overhead costs, which are high for its competitors, they should be able to compete in the US market. Inditex should invest in prime locations in major cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles to maintain its positioning strategy. Zara should most likely develop a second central distribution center in America. Zara can strategically locate its central distribution center in or near countries where manufacturing can be done with cheap labor cost, such as Mexico. The close proximity of the distribution center to the American market will decrease logistics and help maintain Zara’s model of fast fashion and economies of scale. Internet retailing is another market opportunity that Inditex should consider. Zara can reach consumers faster and easier in the countries they are trying to expand into. This method can also help gauge consumer preferences from country to country. The internet retailing market will increase sales revenues and has a very low business risk considering the products are already being produced for the retail stores. Zara’s online shop would complement its stores, adding an extra level of service for its customers. It would also expand its customer base to reach areas where stores are not located. Patrons can shop from anywhere in the world and at any time of day or night. This essentially means more shoppers and more sales for the business. Based on our analysis, the monopolistically competitive industry structure is not the key factor driving Zara’s significant performance. Zara has leveraged its key resources to combine low price with product differentiation to create value and succeed in this industry structure. Zara has been able to increase the customer’s willingness to pay by constantly rotating its merchandise and creating a climate of scarcity and opportunity for customers. In conclusion, Zara has the potential for sustainable growth due to its competitive advantage and its ability to increase customer’s willingness to pay while decreasing its opportunity cost. The company keeps its operating income high, has a solid business model with unrivaled synergy and has various opportunities for expansion in the retail industry. Zara must continue to re-invent their image in order to stay fresh in the apparel industry and as long as they maintain their core competencies, they will continue to succeed. How to cite Zara: Fast Fashion, Essay examples Zara Fast Fashion Free Essays Inditex – Zara: Fast fashion Case analysis Company Structure and Goals Overview Zara’s vision on growth and global strategy -Building up fixed assets -Vertical integration -No advertising, creating premium stores -Fashion follower – QR to fashion trends -Strongly customer oriented -Stable growth -Markdowns half the average (15% as supposed to 30% ) -Pricing market based Business model: -Vertical operations and downstream activities -Multi-chain concept -Creative design team -Competitive advantage – Sustainable growth As attachment: Porter’s Five forces; Company structure; Financials) Problem Statement Growth challenge – 20% per annum expected, 76% of equity value implicit on Inditex’s stock price was based on expectations on future growth. Failure to deliver expected growth results might cause a serious offset in company’s market capitalization. Room for non-local growth – in average a retailer was present in 10 countries while e. We will write a custom essay sample on Zara Fast Fashion or any similar topic only for you Order Now g. a pharmaceutical company averaged operations in 125 countries. Problem statement is: In what geographical area(s) should further Zara expansion follow? Should there be another logistics-distribution centre created as increase of operations might cause dis-economies of scale? Should it acquire additional chains given the complexity of managing those and the risk of own-product-replacements? Preserve the margins; (visible threat to the sustainability of Index’s competitive advantage) Evaluation of the alternative solutions 1. Growth challenge: Notes: not much potential on the local market; -different markets require different positioning -though costs grow as distance grows, prices also change (margins are kept) -50% of all export is to developing countries -Zara shopper visits the store 17 times a year, average is 2-4 times -Creating a climate of scarcity and opportunity in stores Evaluate growth options in different markets: Spain Europe str4 – production in North Africa, turkey and East Europe. US – production in Mexico and the Caribbean subjected to retailing oercapacity, less fashion-forward than Europe, demands larger sizes and exhibits considerable internal variations Japan – no quotas to restrict imports, produced in China. – teenage market segment considered as the trendiest in the world Italy – fashionable, visit stores frequently and spend more on clothing 2. Change in marketing strategy Current: Three types of entering a market: company owned stores, joint ventures, franchising Strategy is standard across the countries -No adv -One big shop central city (capital) Followed by smaller ones (spreading around the country) -Shop windows used excessively -Products do not differ much from country to country -Model is downstream -No knowledge is shared -From design to stores within 4-5 weeks , industry average 9 months -Due to product testing, failure rate only 1% compared to industry average of 10% 3. Change in pricing strategy Current: Prices vary on the different markets, due to transport costs (all supplied from the base in Galicia) – this changes positioning Lower mark-down than industry average How to cite Zara Fast Fashion, Papers Zara Fast Fashion Free Essays 1. Features of Zara’s business model that affect its operating economics: †¢Zara owns much of its production and most of its stores, while competitors Gap and HM own all of their stores but outsource all of their production. Benetton, on the other hand, owns all of its production but goes to market through licensing agreements. We will write a custom essay sample on Zara Fast Fashion or any similar topic only for you Order Now †¢Zara places more emphasis on backward vertical integration. Production runs are short and inventory is strictly controlled. This is in contrast to industry trends of high volume production. Zara’s product cycle time from the design phase to the manufacturing phase is 4 to 5 weeks while the industry average is 6 to 9 months. The short cycle time enables Zara to commit to a bulk of its product much later than its competitors. 85% of Zara’s in-house production occurs after the season has started in contrast to 20% in-house production of traditional retailers. †¢Zara’s pricing is lower than its competitors, but profit margins are higher due to direct efficiencies gained from a shortened, vertically integrated, supply chain. At Zara, a high inventory turnover rate results in minimal obsolescence costs, clearance sales or mark downs. Zara estimated 15%-20% of total sales as markdowns/close-outs vs. 30% to 40% for its competitors. This helps to preserve a strong profit margin and bolster market image as a â€Å"must buy now† destination. †¢Zara’s advertising expenses are minimal (avg. 0. 3% of revenue) compared with 3% to 4% for other specialty retailers. These helps lower expenses and preserve strong profit margins. Zara, in turn, invests more money in renovating its storefronts and buying prime real estate for store locations. At Zara, 75% of display merchandise is turned every 3 to 4 weeks which corresponds to the average time between customer visits. The average Zara shopper visits the chain 17 times a year. In contrast, the competition records an average of 3 to 4 customer visits per year. Zara’s image creates a â€Å"sense of urgency† and forces loyal customers to che ck in frequently for the latest fashions. 2. Zara’s Quick Response Capabilities – Upstream and Downstream activities: †¢Zara’s quick-response capability is based on improving coordination between retail stores and product manufacturers. This coordination allows Zara to respond faster to fashion trends, thus creating a competitive advantage for Zara. Effectively utilizing information technology and vertically-integrated manufacturing facilitates Zara’s quick response capability. Upstream Activities: †¢Design Teams continuously track customer preferences via data sent electronically from individual storefronts. Additionally, sales data is sent upstream from the stores to give instant feedback on Zara’s new product lines generating replenishment orders for sold product. This instant upstream feedback, coupled with Zara’s rapid product development gives Zara a compelling market advantage. †¢Zara sources fabric and finished products from external suppliers using purchasing offices in Europe and Hong Kong. 50% of the fabric remains undyed to facilitate in-season updating via Comditel, a subsidiary of Inditex that manages the dyeing and patterning of unfinished fabric. Delaying production of unfinished fabric allows information flowing upstream to influence Zara’s production. 40% of all garments are manufactured internally or by subcontractors located near Zara’s headquarters. This 40% represents the most fashionable, time-sensitive garments that Zara considers risky. Zara’s local production network facilitates flexibility and risk-taking on fashion trends. Downstream Activities: †¢Zara owns its own distribution center in Arteixo. All merchandise from both internal and external suppliers passes through this distribu tion center. Shipments occur twice a week to each store. Items move through the center very quickly. For example, a vast majority of items are at the center only a few hours and no item stays at the center for more than three days. †¢On average, Zara spends 0. 3% of its revenue on media advertising, which is focused on opening season and end of season sales. †¢Product cycles through the stores rapidly, with new designs arriving every three weeks. This fast turnover results in a significant reduction of discounted merchandise. †¢Display shelves are sparsely stocked creating a sense of urgency (â€Å"buy now†) in the minds of shoppers, resulting in immediate sales. Location is critical for Zara to attract repeat customers. Stores are occasionally relocated in response to ever-shifting popularity of shopping districts and traffic patterns. 3. Why might Zara fail? Zara could fail due to falling into what is known as the â€Å"growth trap. † In the beginning, Zara established itself as selling medium-quality fashion clothing at affordable prices. Zara went on to gain a competitive advantage in the industry by developing a quick response capability while at the same time maintaining low customer pricing. As Zara begins to expand internationally, the potential to lose their competitive advantage increases. For example, in South America, Zara had to present a high-end rather than a mid-market image. This goes against the image of medium quality fashion at affordable prices that Zara had built and maintained since their inception. As Zara continues to grow, their stores may eventually be found on every street corner around the world. As a result, Zara runs the risk that their products may become less unique in the eyes of the consumer. According to the â€Å"growth trap,† efforts to grow can blur uniqueness, create compromises, reduce fit, and ultimately undermine competitive advantage. In the end, Zara runs the risk of becoming an ordinary retail chain as they lose sight of their competitive advantage and become more like every other retail player. In order to maintain their market share, Zara should remember their roots and focus on the excellence of their existing chain with very minimal increases in selling space. How to cite Zara Fast Fashion, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Lightning And Static Essay Example For Students

Lightning And Static Essay Lightning is a discharge of static electricity in the atmosphere, which causes a bright flash of light. When lighting goes through the air, it heats the air to degrees hotter than the suns surface about 50,000 degrees fahrenheit. This heating causes the air to expand and contract. This causes the sound called thunder. Lightning is caused by a build up of negative ions in the atmosphere which discharges into the ground causing the negative ions to go with the positive ions in the ground. Static electricity is negatively and positively charged atoms. A static charge on the other hand is a individual atom with a negative or positive charge. There are three types of charges negative positive and neutral. Negative and positive ions attract. But two negatives repel each other, just like two positives will. Neutrally charged ions can attract to both negative and positive ions, because they have and balanced charge of negative and positive ions, this means it has the same amount of negative and positive ions. This is where the following rule is true opposites attract, and likes repel. Static electricity is generated when two different objects are rubbed together and some electrons are stolen from one object and then start to collect on the surface of the other object. The object that loses electrons becomes positively charged, because electrons are negatively charged and there is an absence of electrons and too many protons. Now because opposites attract and like repel the reason hair stands up when you rub something on it can be explained. When something is rubbed in a dry place, the thing takes electrons from your hair, leaving your hair with a positive charge it stands up as far away as possible from the other positively charged hairs. There reason there is little static electricity in areas with a high humidity, like the Virgin Islands, is because the humidity in the air is a conductor of electricity, so it helps trancfer the free electrons to an area that can accept electrons, like the earth so not many free electrons stay on any object that is saturated. Static electricity can be use to do many things, one of these things is keeping down air pollution by putting an electrode in factory smoke stacks so that the dust will collect on the electrode. Lightning and static can be hazardous. lightning is harmful, some people think it does not have any threat from a distance, like when a lighting storm is up to ten miles away. The most lightning strikes take place under the lightning storm where the rain is raining the hardest. Signs to tell if lightning is going to strike in your area are, If your hair stands up you hear static popping or crackling, and if you feel you body tingle due to ions moving through your body the static on portable electronic things increases suddenly, you smell the smell of statically charged air, or you see static sparks sparking in the air around you. Things to do inside to keep from getting hurt while in a lightning storm are, get away from doorways outside, porches, windows, and good conductors of electricity. A void phones that are not cordless and if it is a cordless phone avoid it if it is on the cradle. Do not touch things that use electricity unless they are unplugged. Do not stand near or lay on concrete walls. Do not use a metal building for shelter. And dont go into the basement because the electricity can travel through the ground. To not get hurt outside, go inside if you hear thunder, if the sky looks threatening, and stay inside for at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder. If you are caught outside and do not have shelter close to you during a lightning storm, you should crouch to the ground, get onto the balls of your feet, put your hands on your knees, put your head between your knees, make yourself as small as you can, and try to have as little physical contact to the ground as you can. Static electricity has been known about for some time. Some time around the year 600BC the Greek Mathematician named Thales was might have been the first to record that amber rubbe d with fur would attract small light objects. In 1733 C.F. de Cistenay Dufay named the two charges of static, resinous electricity due to too many electrons, and electron deficiency electricity. Now static electricity is discovered to be a source of many problems in industry. . Static can cause problems in Industry, like in the production of plastic materials, and the transportation or use of flammable liquids. With the production of plastic materials the plastic can cause the production machines to clog, and thin strips of plastic to stick together and clog machines. With transporting or using flammable liquids a static spark can igniht a whole container of the liquid. .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e , .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e .postImageUrl , .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e , .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e:hover , .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e:visited , .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e:active { border:0!important; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e:active , .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9198fda96228ba4e960d88a2f8ab3b8e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: BUS 640 Week Two Assignment Paper EssaySome techniques were developed to help prevent static problems with the production of static , the two major techniques are chemicals, or the use of carbon and or metal fillers. With the chemical way of controlling static the chemicals are mixed with the molding palettes or powder. The second way is to apply the chemicals directly to the surface of the plastic that has the molding. These two chemical methods work, because they help distribute the static into the air, by increasing the conductivity of the plastic. With the metal/carbon filler method you mix in the metal or carbon pellets in with the molding pellets/dust. This way works because it helps bring up the conductivity of the plastic molded with the fillers. Although these techniques for getting of the static may sound good, there are drawbacks, like with all good things. The chemical method corrodes the machinery and lets bacteria and/or fungus to grow in the product or production equipment it also easily wear out. The metal/carbon filler has its own set of problems, They either work themselves out of the product, because the fillers dont mix well with the plastic, and cause the work areas to get dirty (can be a major problem in some areas). The fillers also make plastic opaque, so that will make it difficult to track while being produced. This is bad because the product would need to be tracked to see how efficient the work is going. There are three major techniques for preventing static electricity in the transportation storage transference and use of flammable liquids. The first way is by bonding two containers when transferring the liquid between th em. What you do in bonding is you take something that can conduct electricity and you connect it between the two containers. What bonding is to do is make the static charges in the containers about equal, so that there will not be much static potential energy, and no sparks will form while transferring liquid, most of the transferring pumps that are made have special grounding things in their transfer hoses. Another way to prevent static electricity build up in the storage of conductive containers of the liquid is to ground them. You can ground things by connecting the containers on metal, or conductive material that is some how driven into the ground, but you must make sure that the container is in direct contact with the material or metal. The third way for controlling static electricity is by using non-conductive material so that it will be rather hard for any static to build up in the containers. There are some problems with these techniques though. The first two methods are not reliable because a good connection between to metal surfaces is hard to maintain, and the third method has some problems too, certain types of containers might not be able to take heat or shock. There are some inventions made to make static electricity, like the Van de Graaf generator, AKA tin can generator, made by Dr. Robert Van de Graaf. This generator can generate some 100,000 to 10 million volts of electricity. Although this generator was made in 1935, it was not the first one. There were other static electricity generators like Von Buschs generator, which was made in 1893, and is a generator made with two pulleys and a belt running between them, which rubs on a charge collector comb inside and a sphere that has been insulated. Another static electricity generator is Roulands generator. Roulands generator was made in 1785, this generator has a ribbon running between two pulleys with a charge collector tube in the middle. These three generators can be used to see how much static can effect some certain types of materials. The three generators might not work in humid places because the water in the air might help conduct the static charges to a place where they can easily be taken in by positively charged ions. .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 , .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 .postImageUrl , .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 , .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7:hover , .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7:visited , .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7:active { border:0!important; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7:active , .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7 .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u46b7353af1a5996c47656b900f7c14c7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: What I've Learned as a Foreign Exchange Student EssayLightning can be dangerous and may hurt you badly and even kill you if it gets to you, But all Lightning is, is a enormous charge of static electricity. Static electricity can charge in many different places, as long as there is poor grounding, poor conducting and plenty of negative and positive charge ions to go transfer to and from. There will be static charges where ever more than one atom with at least two or more electrons and protons are, as long as they orbit each other and occasionally steal electrons from each other and then give them back, as long as this happens there will be static charges. Index (in order of appearance)Definition of Lightning, 1What Makes Lightning, 1What Makes Static, 1Definition of Static electricity, 1Uses for Static, 2Lightning Safety, 2Static History, 3Static Hazards, 3Static Prevention in Plastic Production, 3Static Prevention in Fuel, 4Static Generators, 5Static Ideas, 5Static and Lightning conclusion, 5Bibliographywebsite: http://www.pluginstorage.com/html/save_the_boards.htmlwebsite: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/er/mhx/lightng.htmwebsite: http://www.nhoem.state.nh.us/mitigation/section_iii.htmwebsite: http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/static.htmlwebsite: http://www.jci.co.uk/ControlStatic.htmlwebsite: http://www.amasci.com/emotor/statelec.html(used to get more