Contemporary Management Issues

Introduction Over the last 129 years M&S has grown from a single market stall to become an international multi-channel retailer. They now operate in over 50 territories worldwide and employ almost 82,000 people. Remaining true to their founding values of Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trust, we work hard to ensure our

• Customers Retail merchandise stores attract many different It is not sustainable due to: • rivals' similar competitive strategies • low barriers of entry into the market • the absence of a differentiation strategy When examining competitive advantage, it is also important to consider the market and take into account the existing competition against larger firms.

The market environment consists of both the macro environment and the micro environment. On macro environment the firm need to follow it and they can’t to control it. It consist variety of external factors that is economic, social, political, legal and technological. In the macro environment the firm

Which of the following most accurately describes your company 's plant operations? | | | The company makes most all of its footwear materials and components in-house and uses 25-person assembly lines to make branded shoes at the rate of 5000 pairs per week.

• Efficiency • Quality • Innovation • Responsiveness to Customers One of the first things Lululemon does right is efficiency, and outsourcing. Lululemon designs their products in Canada, but products are now being made in countries like China, Indonesia, Peru, Israel, and Bangladesh. Besides outsourcing, Lululemon also has technological advances. Lululemon has the option to purchase products online, which includes free shipping from the factory. Since they offer free shipping directly from their factory, it saves on costs, shipping time, and resources.

Recommendations Competition being one of the major issues that often must be addressed in the business world, it is important for a firm to learn on ways to reduce the impact of the competition. Competition is definitely an important factor in helping a business

making the power of the supplier high. 70-75 percent of Under Armour products come from only 8 suppliers that manufacture and distribute their product. Making a product such as athletic shoes is the least difficult part of being in this industry, making a product worth buying and competing at the global level is where most fail when attempting to enter the market.

1. HQ contacts the supplier and tells them how much of each product the company needs.

Suppliers. They have many strategic manufacturing plants all over the globe. They have plants that build the equipment that is the best fit for that particular country. This also, creates a supply chain designated for each location. This eliminates issues of getting the parts to the location on a timely basis. Being a large manufacturing company each location is able to get the supplies it needs through a contract. This is where they work on getting the best price available.

Existing Competitors. Rivalry among competitors within an industry use price discounting, new products, marketing, and other techniques to be competitive. Profitability of an industry suffers from high rivalry. The intensity with which companies compete and the basis on which they compete determine to which degree rivalry brings down an industry’s profitability (Porter, 2008). Pure competition is considered by economists as a competition with a high

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Definition A company is said have In order to achieve competitive advantage, a firm must perform one or more value-creating activity that is more superior compared to other competitors. Superior value is created through lower costs or superior benefits to the buyers.

Credit terms: using independent Finance Companies which can also offer interest free periods Rental of certain products instead of purchasing e.g. computers Promotion There are several ways that HN promotes products to the consumer. • TV and Radio advertising • Newspaper Advertising • High Quality glossy brochures inserted in newspapers and letterboxes • Low budget brochures inserted in newspapers and letterboxes • In-store point-of-sale opportunities Place HN stores are located as Retail Stores across several urban areas of cities where his target markets can conveniently access them. The Stores in all HN brands have their products grouped in Departments (e.g. TV and computers etc) so customers can easily access and compare the product range.

5. To establish additional sources of supply. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. That is why we make contingency plans, and that is s why working with multiple suppliers is a good thing. Shoe and athletic apparel giant Nike, is one of many examples. It contracts with more than 700 factories in 52 nations. Having such a broad supplier base ensure that supply chain disruptions in one factory or region can be absorbed by suppliers in other regions, and thus minimize the impact to Nike.

Competitive advantage is explained by Mahoney and Pandian (1992) as the function of industry analysis, organizational governance and the firm’s effects in the form of resource advantages and strategies. In order for a firm to be competitive it must adapt to the volatile business environment and through strategic management decisions establish a competitive advantage that will ultimately produce superior performance relative to its competitors (Akimova 2000).

Technology Production of Uniqlo base set up not only in China, but also slowly passed into other Asian countries as well. The production facilities absolutely dispersed, assuring the application of the quality management system of goods through multinational technology. Uniqlo send