...outcomes. In doing business so many times an organization must think globally. This might be done to increase sales and/or profits or to lower labor costs. In either case, problems can occur due to ethical and cultural barriers in global expansion. In this paper, I will attempt to show some of what a global organization and a cultural issue that affects their interactions outside the United States by identifying and comparing some of these cultural differences. One company that faces these cultural issues daily is Levis Strauss and Company. Levi Strauss and Company is a large American company found in 1853 and it well known for its denim line. Currently Levis Strauss and Co. has operations in over 110 countries with over half of its corporate revenues coming from outside the United States. In American history, we have all heard complaints of companies in the garment industry hiring underage employees outside the United States and poor working conditions. Levis Strauss and Company has not been left out of these accusations. In the United States, child labor is considered unethical and illegal. Levis Strauss and Companies has established a “Worldwide Code of Business Conduct” along with its “Global Anti-bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy” (Levis Strauss and CO., n d). Within Levis Strauss and Companies “Worldwide Code of Business Conduct it states” These...
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...* * * * * Name :Jeow Zhi How * Student ID :13019914 * Subject Code :MKT2054 * Table of Contents Introduction 2 Social-class microcultures in consumer behavior 2 Implications to marketing practitioners 3 Suggestion for Improvement 4 Conclusion 4 Reference list 5 Introduction Market nowadays is so rapid-constantly changing and so broad. Company needs to adapt to these characteristics of the market and also understanding the consumer’s behavior in the market for them to survive and outrun their competitors. This discussion would further examine the company, Levi Strauss (Levi’s), marketing strategy in the garment industry in the context of Malaysia and also suggestions would be given for improvements. Levi’s first entered into the garment industry in 1873 with the birth of the first pair of jeans. Levi’s has been improving since and now, it is one of the world largest brand-name and also a global leader in jeanswear, according to San Francisco(2014). After gaining reputation as well as high profit, they have been selling other garment products besides jeans, such as clothings, caps, belts, and so on. Social-class micro cultures in consumer behavior A social class is a huge group of people, who have a similar position in an economic system, said by Moffitt(2015). Differentiating, positioning, and targeting different social class plays an important role in marketing. Consumers from different social class have different...
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... | |Aspiration Statement |18 | |Situation Analysis |19 | |Competitive Analysis |20 | |Current Market Need |22 | |SWOT Analysis |23 | |4 P’S of Levi Strauss |26...
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...Consumer Education Campaign Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) announced (17-03-2015) it has saved 1 billion liters of water since 2011 through its Water<Less™ process, which reduces the water used in garment finishing by up to 96 percent. This announcement coincides with the release of LS&Co.’s newProduct Lifecycle Assessment (LCA), an update on the company’s groundbreaking 2007 study that examined the environmental impact of LS&Co. products. The new study analyzed the complete product lifecycle, probing deeper into the environmental impacts of cotton in key growing regions, apparel production and distribution in a range of locations, and consumer washing and drying habits in key markets. The study shows that of the nearly 3,800 liters of water used throughout the lifetime of a pair of jeans, cotton cultivation (68%) and consumer use (23%) continue to have the most significant impact on water consumption. Consumer care is also responsible for the most significant energy use and climate impact, representing 37 percent of the 33.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide emitted during the lifecycle of a jean. The new LCA expands on previous research to better understand the impact of cotton cultivation and includes data from the world’s primary cotton producing countries, including the United States, China, Brazil, India, Pakistan and Australia. It also analyzes consumer care data from new markets, including China, France and the United Kingdom, to understand the costs and benefits...
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...economy. Larger companies typically have more resources to hire staff dedicated to supporting the management of employees than do smaller companies, which often lack formal HR departments to provide similar support. This does not eliminate the need to attend to people issues in smaller companies; rather line managers or company owners must perform HR practices in addition to their other activities. Also, smaller businesses often do not have the resources to provide the same level of pay, benefits, and training opportunities to employees as larger companies. 2. Although small companies often do not have the same type or level of resources enjoyed by larger companies, the importance of effectively managing employees may be magnified in smaller companies. With a smaller staff, managers may expect employees to display greater autonomy and discretion. As a result, the types of knowledge, skills, and abilities that employees may need in small versus large companies, even for the same job, differ. Furthermore, in contrast to large operations, in a small company, the performance of each employee is likely to have a larger, more direct impact on company success. 3. Yes, it would influence my decision about how to manage my employees. The pressures of managing employees in a young, startup company are different from those in a mature organization striving to protect its established market share and competitive position. The objectives and needs of companies at different stages...
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...Levi Strauss & Co. and China From: Case Studies in Business Ethics 5th ed. Al Gini (pp. 294-298) The market that is the people's Republic of China consists of more than 1 billion consumers and offers low production costs, but its human rights violations have long been condemned by international bodies. In 1993 Levi Strauss & Co. (LS & Co.) faced one of its more difficult decisions in a long corporate history. Would it continue to conduct business in this enormously promising market or honor its relatively high ethical standards and withdraw? Levi Strauss: History and Ethical Stance Founded in the United States in 1873, LS&Co. enjoyed consistent domestic growth for generations and began overseas operations during the 1940s. The company became the world's largest clothing manufacturer in 1977 and achieved $2 billion in sales by the end of the decade. Having offered stock to the public during the 1970s to raise needed capital, management decided fourteen years later to reprivatize in a $2 billion leveraged buyout, the largest such transaction to date. Management's reasons included its heightened ability to "focus attention on long-tem interests (and)… to ensure that the company continues to respect and implement its important values and traditions." By 1993, LS&Co. Produced merchandise in 24 countries and sold in 60. LS&Co. has been a leader among U.S.-based corporations in recognizing the importance of business ethics and community relationships. Two...
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...Level 6 Diploma in Business Management Studies Title: Unit 3: Principles in Strategic Management Assessor: Submitted By (Student Name): Student ID: Number of words: 2955 Table of Contents Part 01 2 Introduction 2 I) Strategy Setting Process 2 II) Elements affecting the plan 4 iii) Future Directions 6 Part 02 7 2.1) Strategy Implementation 7 2.2) Plan for the Stakeholders. 8 Part 03 9 Part 04 11 Introduction 11 4.1) Action Plan for an operational area 11 4.2) Effects of a Change of an Operational Area 11 References 13 Web References 14 Part 01 Introduction A strategy is a must element which must get right from the beginning. A strategy will involve setting up the most important driving guideline to achieve an organisational plan or an organisational objective. Therefor a thorough understanding of organisational reach to strategy setting process and the strategic elements setting process. The underneath answers will provide the guidelines to the highlighted problems of current processes and the possible processes along with a future amendments to them with examples. About the Company History of the company. Products/Services they offer. Customer segments it serves. Competitors Vision and mission of the company and the strategy of it Business Philosophy Organisational Structure Growth of the company in terms of sales and profits ...
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...we want to move a company. These aspects are a generalization of all the markets and they only have to be used to give an idea or to follow a certain order. There are always individual issues of each market. It’s also proposed to try to attack a market from its weakest point. The article suggests seeing the market from 5 different angles: Customers, Suppliers, Aspiring Entrants, Substitutes and Rivalry. Depending on each market we can find different strengths on one o more characteristics. These may allow having a more or less profitable company in a certain market, and also making easier the choice of any action a company of deciding what to do. 2. Please give an example of how the Five Competitive Forces influence a company you are researching. *This question I didn’t know how to answer it because I don’t have the company I’m researching; as I’m abroad, I didn’t pick up one. So I’m not sure what are we researching. 3. What has Google been doing that demonstrates the value of managing human resources effectively? Why do employees stay with Google? Google works hard in creating a work place where people can feel free and imagine innovating ideas. It (Google) tries to make the employees feel confortable, without any other issue in which to think about it; so they can focus on their job. It promotes unique abilities, and try to make all workers feel part of more than a group, giving them a feeling of care, and responsibility for the company. In this way, the...
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...managers recognize that a strategic plan is a directional map for where their companies are headed and how they intend to get there. However, it is much harder for them to understand what goes into the strategic planning process, how the strategy-making task is best performed, and the full impact of the process the planning team goes through to develop the strategic direction of their organization. Strategic planning is best done when a company looks at its past, present, and future in light of its related environment. It is the process of thinking about the company and its related environment as an integrated whole. A process during which an executive "planning team" is organized to consider three key questions on a continuous basis: 1. What is our business? 2. Where do we wish to arrive, and when? and 3. How do we get from here to there? In a personal interview, Karen Poppe, Vice-President of Human Resource Management at Wall Drug, discussed the importance of organizing a strategic planning team to guide the long-term direction of a company. The planning team at Wall Drug consists of six key management people covering finance, personnel, and marketing. Clearly the success of those planning efforts is reflected in Wall Drug's average annual growth rate of 25% over the last five years. What is our Business? The process of defining the mission of company is a time consuming, tedious task requiring patience and persistence....
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...PROJECTS MFM (07-09) Name: Aditi Mishra Organization: Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd. Project Title: Devising a floor plan to optimize sales OBJECTIVE _ To study & create a feasible floor layout plan on excel for Goregaon stand alone- HC (matched to scale with the actual floor plan) to work as a monitoring tool to identify problem areas. _ To calculate & analyse the Hit ratio for Jan-march period age wise & department wise for both the warehouses of LS for Goregaon store to confirm if the low SPF pockets are due to absence of merchandise on floor. _ GAP analysis for product- Furniture & Household in terms of FMS, SMS. _ To do a service gap survey with the help of SERVQUAL system. _ Competitor’s survey (Home stop & Hyper city) on options, retail space allotted & brands present to study their focus areas. FINDINGS & SUGGESTIONS _ WAREHOUSE _ All location Inventory controllers should send the damages and loss data to the corporate office every Saturday. _ While sending the data, Inventory controllers should discuss the circumstances under which the loss or damaged occurred with the Store manager. _ The review of cause, analysis of data should be done to find out the lapse in the control system. _ Drill down the exact cause and recommend penalization of the concerned staff in case of frequent damage by staff. _ Overall stock holding was less in the off sale period since most of the expected consignments were delayed & more discounts...
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...When Ethics Collide: Managing Conflicts Across Cultures PAUL F. BUllER JOHN J. KOHLS KENNETH S. ANDERSON Nike-one of the fastest-growing companies in the world-has been stymied recently due in part to consumer reaction to conflicts involving management practices in its suppliers' factories in the Far East. Among the accusations-poor working conditions, low wages, enforced over time, and harsh, sometimes brutal, discipline and corporal punishment. Levi Strauss & Co. was recently confronted with the challenge of how to deal with contractors in Bangladesh that employed young children, a legal practice in Bangladesh, but one contrary to Levi's company policy. The fact that these chil dren were often a sole or significant source of their family income further complicated the mat ter. Tony Anderson, Chairman and CEO of H. B. Fuller Company, was faced with a decision re garding the company's responsibility for illegiti mate use of one of its products. Resistol, a tolu ene-based glue, has become an addictive drug of choice for many Central American street chil dren. These "Resistoleros" inhale the glue and often experience violent reactions and serious health problems, including kidney failure and brain damage. ness practices. Ethical conflicts may involve a variety of issues: • bribery and extortion, as in the highly publicized case of Lockheed, which made $12.5 million in payments to Japanese agents and government officials to secure an impor tant order from Nippon Air...
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...1........2........3........4........5........6........7 DOMINATING TYPE a) My company would use its influence over its ICI to get its channel conflict management ideas accepted. b) My company would use its authority over its ICI to make a channel management decision in its favor. c) My company uses its channel-related expertise for its ICI to make a channel management decision in its favor. d) My company is generally firm in pursuing its side of channel management issues comparing to its ICI. e) My company sometimes uses its channel-related power to win a competitive channel situation with its ICI. 1........2........3........4........5........6........7 1........2........3........4........5........6........7 1........2........3........4........5........6........7 1........2........3........4........5........6........7 1........2........3........4........5........6........7 OBLIGING TYPE a) My company would in general try to satisfy the needs regarding the channel issues of its ICI. b) My company would accommodate the wishes regarding the channel issues of its ICI. c) My company would give in to the wishes regarding the channel issues of its ICI. d) My company would allow concessions regarding the channel issues to its ICI. e) My company would go along with the suggestions regarding the channel issues of its ICI f) My company would try to satisfy the expectations regarding the channel issues of its ICI. 1........2........3........4........5........6........7 1......
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...TEACHING MODULE THE FUTURE OF FASHION DECEMBER 2010 This teaching module was independently written by the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program with the generous support of THE FUTURE OF FASHION: SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH THE LENS OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY* By: Jennifer Johnson & Gina Wu Companies across all industries are facing the challenges of business sustainability, debating how best to address these risky issues while also embracing their opportunities for competitive advantage. This Teaching Module uses the context of the fashion industry to discuss topics that are shaping the future of all industries. These topics include sustainable resource management, the challenges and opportunities of global growth, workforce management, and the role of ethical consumption in business. The fashion industry offers a compelling case study for exploring business sustainability issues. In the fashion industry, as in many industries, success requires highly developed sourcing, design, manufacturing, and marketing chains. Increasingly, success also means incorporating sustainability in resource and labor management, as firms realize that long-term corporate survival will depend on new ways of doing business. Climate change, resource challenges, new technologies and dramatic shifts in the global economy are already impacting the industry. The nexus of these concerns allows students to explore sustainability challenges while providing a framework for discussing new business...
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...------------------------------------------------- Company Report: Gap Inc. and Business Ethics Depestel Caroline Milijana Zlatic s0101027 s0100470 Professor S. Hughes Year: 2012-2013 3th Bachelor Applied Economics 1. Executive Summary The topic of this paper is business ethics within Gap Inc., a multinational retail – clothing company. The foundation of its corporate ethical approach is summarized in the Code of Conduct . This paper outlines the ethical problems Gap Inc. faced in the last years and more important, the solutions they found in order to remain a successful company. It shows how large companies deal with common issues like child labour and sweatshops. In the first place, this report points out several examples of the problems had to deal with. These points, among which an important lawsuit and documentary, illustrate that their Code of Conduct is not sufficient enough to name Gap Inc. a model corporation in terms of business ethics. Secondly, it is essential to make an overview of the resolutions for the problems that Gap created over the years. In answer to the critics on child labour and employee abuse, they launched a campaign in which they support several organizations. Furthermore, Gap increased its corporate responsibilty by creating several multi-stakeholder initiatives. The quick solutions Gap came up with show that a big company can limit its economic damage when ethical issues occur. To maintain...
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...Student ID: 1420412 Assignment: 1 Levi’s Strauss Case Study Levi's Strauss has been going the extra mile to phase in HRM into the mainstream management activities. This has brought a definitive competitive edge to the company and has remodeled the workforce mindset. The employees’ influence at all levels, the human resource flow, the reward and work systems are so elaborated that we feel that employees becomes naturally committed, more to the company itself, than to their career or pay. There is a paternalist approach to employee welfare and policies are well integrated with genuine consultations and sincere involvements at all levels of management. All these approaches have nonetheless been cost-effective as the dress-code policy or the benefits for the gay’s shows very well. The company appears harmonious in terms of relationships at all levels. One can get the impression of a quasi-total cohesion between the strategic planning for the company and the HRM, marketing, production and financial units. However as we look deeper into the aspiration statements we still can find some "unfinished businesses". They are very few and still on the agenda of the management. Let us first analyse what have currently been done and then analyse what has not yet been implemented or has not been mentioned and is being assumed. We now analyse the positive aspects at 4 levels namely the strategic integration, the commitment of the workforce, the flexibility and availability and the quality of...
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