...Intercultural Conflict Management How should we define an intercultural conflict? Is there any difference between a conflict and an intercultural one? The following chapter, which is a summary of the chapter “Constructive Intercultural Conflict Management” (Stella Ting-Toomey, Communicating Across Cultures, 1999, pages 194-197), attempts to answer these two questions. At the end of the chapter, we also include an extract of the “Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory” (Mitchell Hammer, 2002) 1. Definition of intercultural conflicts “Intercultural conflict is defined as the perceived or actual incompatibility of values, norms, processes, or goals between a minimum of two cultural parties over content, identity, relational, and procedural issues. Intercultural conflict often starts off with different expectations concerning appropriate or inappropriate behavior in an interaction episode.” (Ting-Toomey, 1999, p.194). Another author holds a similar view: “Conflicts are always cultural, since we are all cultural beings. Yet the very definition of conflict is challenging because of our cultural ways of seeing”. (Michelle Le Baron and Venashri Pillay, Conflict across Cultures, 2006, page 13). According to Le Baron, conflict occurs at ← the material level, or the “what” of the conflict; ← the symbolic level, the meaning of issues to the people involved, especially those meanings that resonate with peoples' identities, values, and worldviews; ← and the...
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...Personal Conflict Style Inventory How Do I Respond to Conflict? Instructions. Consider your response in situations where your wishes differ from those of another person. Note that statements A-J (Part One) deal with your initial response to disagreement; statements K-T (Part Two) deal with your response after the disagreement has gotten stronger. If you find it easier, you may choose one particular conflict setting and use it as a background for all the questions. Please Note. The reflection this inventory can create is more important— and more reliable — than the numbers the tally sheet yields. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers, nor have we "standardized" this instrument. Some takers agree with the results; others disagree. Whether you like the results or not, you should rely on them for an accurate picture of yourself only after further self-scrutiny and discussion with others. The inventory is merely a tool to enable these larger tasks. Part One Circle one number on the line below each statement. A. WHEN I FIRST DISCOVER THAT DIFFERENCES EXIST, I make sure that all views are out in the open and treated with equal consideration, even if there seems to be substantial disagreement. Not at all Characteristic Very 1 2 3 4 5 6 Characteristic B. WHEN I FIRST DISCOVER THAT DIFFERENCES EXIST, I devote more attention to making sure others understand the logic and benefits of my position than I do to pleasing them. Not at all ...
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...Wal-Mart is not only the world’s largest retailers, but it is also the world’s largest company in terms of revenue ($485 billion USD in 2015) and the world largest private employer with 2.2 million employees. The case describes the growth of Wal-Mart under Sam Walton’s values and leadership and reviews the main functions and operation of the company. Q.1 The retail industry is a highly competitive industry. Although Wal-Mart can rarely be beaten on price, there are many big discounted retail stores such as Target and K-Mart. There are also competitors that offer other advantages such as higher quality (Whole Foods) or better service (Best Buy). There is also little differentiation between the retailers. As seen on Table 2, the sales increase (%) in international markets is higher that of the US market, which means faster growing markets and that the growth can be attributed the industry attractiveness. Table 4 shows that Wal-Mart is doing a lot better in terms of financial performance against its competitors. This means that its performance in more attributable to its competitive advantage rather than industry attractiveness. Competitive advantage has a bigger effect to the performance of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s strategy is low prices and thanks to the huge size of the company, it is able to employ economies of scale in the best way possible. It can negotiate very low prices and offer cost savings to customers. It is also able to import and produce products at very low...
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...The threat of substitute products in the fashion retailing is very high. Customer can buy another piece of garment in turn satisfying the same need. The competitors can even copy the “hit of the season” easily, customer can find similar products in the market with different price positions. The switching cost on the substitute apparel is also very low. What’s more, many female considered shopping as leisure activities. Retailers also lower the switching cost by providing online platform for shopping which in turn provide price information to customer as well. To retain their customers, fashion brand has put a lot of resource on building their brand and establish the perceived value on their product (i.e. level of quality and style). 2.3.3 Bargaining power of customers Customers’ switching costs are low and the brand loyalty is also low in the apparel industry. There are also substitute in the market available to them. However, if we look at the buyer’s concentration to retailer concentration, together with low possibility of customer integration, the fashion retail chain also enforced certain power...
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...May 20, 2013 Table of Content Summary 2 Introduction of Zara 2 Porter’s Six Forces model in Zara 3 Existing competitors 4 The bargaining power of suppliers 4 The bargaining power of customers 4 Potential competitors 5 Alternative products or services 5 The power of cooperative dealer 6 IT is the heart of ZARA mode 6 Track fashion with the information base 6 Information standardizing and optimizing design 7 Zara’s competitive advantage – based on value chain perspective 8 Design 8 Marketing 9 Conclusion 12 ZARA's Informational Rapid Response Mechanism and Fast Fashion Summary In recent years, with the unique marketing strategy, fast fashion apparel business has developed rapidly in the world. Some of enterprises engaged in the fast fashion business have obtained considerable sales and global business expansion, it can be said that fast fashion has been become one of the most valuable fields in the clothing industry, and carrying out fast fashion business has become an ideal choice for clothing enterprises to develop rapidly and create performance (Hayes & Jones, 2006). In this paper, it chose an international fast fashion clothing brand--ZARA of Spain, which is characterized on marketing and has won widely recognized worldwide, as the research object. Through the analysis of the brand's marketing strategy, it interprets the universal business model used the fast fashion clothing brand to do business. This paper adopts the method of...
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...TO: CEO of Gap Inc. FROM: Andre’ Snead I have conducted a company analysis on Gap Inc. and my findings resulted in the following recommendations to improve their sales for the next three years: * Gap Inc. need to produce a better advertisement campaign that relates more to their customers. * Fashion and brand-conscious consumers who shopped at retailers such as Gap tended to be emotionally driven in their purchasing behavior and were influenced by marketing efforts that showcased the store’s latest trends. According to Exhibit 1, buyers bargaining power is strong because they control what they purchase and from what retailer they purchase from. Buyers are more inclined to make wiser purchases because of the state of the economy. By producing a better advertising campaign, Gap Inc. can entice an emotionally driven customer that sees a commercial or a billboard to make a purchase. * Social media have taken over the lives of many consumers in America. This is another area that Gap Inc. should focus its advertisement strategy. By utilizing Facebook and Twitter, Gap Inc. can reach out to millions of their customers and increase their brand image, which is a key success factor in the retailing industry. (See Exhibit 2). * Gap Inc. should focus some of its resources and assets on producing plus-sized clothing in the United States market. * By 2010, the plus-sized segment in the clothing store industry reached 27 billion dollars. The number...
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...Station. The G-Smart Coffee Station will provide consumers the ability to brew a variety of coffee flavors and styles including café americano, latte, cappuccino and espresso. It allows consumers to operate the G-Smart Coffee Station manually, with a programmable timer or from an application installed on a personal smart communication device. The G-Smart Coffee Station will greatly assist consumers to better manage their time and enhance the quality, productivity and convenience of their daily lives by reducing the amount of time brewing and by providing them with an exquisite cup of coffee. Product Description and Classification Product Description and Support of the Mission Company G Mission Statement “We enable consumers to improve the quality and convenience of their lives by providing high-quality, innovative electronics solutions.” True to our dedication to be an industry leader in providing the highest of quality electronic products to our customers, Company G’s G-Smart Coffee Station provides consumers the ability to brew a variety of coffee flavors and styles and can be operated manually or remotely over a wireless network. The innovative design allows for the storage of three separate flavors of pre-ground coffee for brewing up to four pre-programmable styles of coffee including café americano, latte, cappuccino and espresso. Once the coffee style selection is made, the G-Smart Coffee Station responds to the desired coffee strength selected by the user, feeds...
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...continuous, narrative style within each question. Keep section headings. 2) The questions in the outline are to help you analyze the case and develop your own thought. 3) Limit your memo to three pages of text. Diagrams and tables do not count as part of the three pages of text. Do not use bullet points. 4) Double-check your grammar before submission. It matters! 5) Upload your write-up in Word format to WISE. What can we learn from this case? 1) Barriers to imitation (entry): it illustrates how fit among numerous activities, tradeoffs between positions, historical commitments, and threats of retaliation by other players can deter imitation. Interestingly, the retaliation threats come from both immediate rivals and downstream “partners.” 2) Different types of imitation attempts: “Straddling” by Compaq and IBM, “repositioning” by Gateway, and potentially new entry by some members of the channel. 3) The case allows us to quantify Dell’s cost advantage and estimate the portion of that advantage which is threatened by the imitation attempts of others. 1. Environment a. Threat of New Entrants: It is low. Because high technology industry is highly competitive with continuing developments. Costumers are more likely to purchase on famous brands and be loyal to those familiar brands. So there is little room for new companies with no constantly technology developments and innovations. b. Bargaining power of suppliers:...
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...Case #6 Back ground of Lululemon: They are a company that designs and retails athletic clothing. They produce fitness pants, shorts, tops and jackets for yoga , dance , running, and general fitness. Lululemon serves customers globally through on line and retail stores. They sell high quality product with high prices compare to other retail stores. They have market in North America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Chip Wilson open and design/ yoga studio in 1998 in Vancouver, British Columbia 1. What is the company vision/ mission and objective? * Vision: The store to be community hub where people could learn and discuss the physical aspects of healthy living form yoga and diet to running and cycling, plus the yoga related mental aspects of living powerful life of possibilities. (Not just selling the products to the customers. Their goals is to let the customers discuss about their physical activities to have a healthier life and wearing their product to exercise. ) * Mission : one of the providing people with the components for living a longer, healthier, and more life. (The purpose of its present business is distinctive community based strategy that enhances the brand and reinforces guest loyalty. The components giving to people help them exercise and become fit with stylish sport wear from Lululemon) * Objective: Assembled a management team with a mix of retail , design , operations, product sourcing, and marketing experience form such leading apparel...
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...US AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY ANALYSIS [pic] Written By: Jennifer Duhaney & Presented to: Professor Kurt Wurthman March 17th, 2011 MAN 4720 1. Industry Overview The US automobile industry has evolved over the years from steam engines, to internal combustion engines, to gas powered engines, and presently the newest innovations, alternative fuel engines, and electric cars. Henry Ford built the first car in 1896, (Gale, 2003). and then revolutionized the industry when he invented the assembly line.(David Highfill, Matt Baki, Sean Copus, Matt Green, Jennifer Smith, Matt Whineland). This invention allowed mass production which lowered the costs of automobiles for consumers. The industry includes a number of car manufacturers competing with each other in their competitive priorities, and competitive capabilities to capture market share. The major players in the industry are, the big three US automakers, Ford Motor Company, DaimlerChrysler, and General Motors. The major Japanese players who are also a part of the US auto industry are Toyota, Nissan and Honda. Ford, Chrysler and GM account for approximately 76% of US passenger Vehicles, Toyota, Nissan and Honda, Subaru and Mitsubishi account for 18%. The European automakers, BMW and Mercedes makeup nearly 2%. (Global Foresight, Inc. 2006 Report on Industry Trends). Over the years several mergers and acquisitions occurred within the industry and contributed to this global view. Some of the mergers and...
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...that including three generic strategies and five forces. Third, some of IT applications are really help the Zara to make their business more efficient, the applications will be applied in the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) will emphasize a speed supply chain for Zara, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Finally is about the relationship between Zara and Peter Drucker’s theory, Zara and Andrew McAfee’s theory, Zara and Hey’s theory. The last part will conclude where is Zara today and make brief recommendations. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Zara and Michael Porter’s Model 5 Generic Competitive Strategies Analysis for Zara 5 Five Forces Analysis for Zara 6 Suppliers Bargaining Power 6 Buyer Bargaining Power 7 Threat of New Entrants 7 Threat of Substitute 8 Industrial Competitors 9 The Value Chain of Zara 10 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) 11 Supply Chain Management (SCM) 11 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 13 Zara and Peter Drucker’s theory 13 Zara and Andrew McAfee’s theory 14 Zara and Tony Hey’s Theory 15 Conclusion 16 Recommendations 16 Appendix 18 References 19 Introduction Inditex is a largest fashion ground in Spain and owns 9 brands around the world, such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka and so on. Zara is the most successful brand for the Inditex group. The data from Harvard Business...
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...Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Company’s Current Strategy 1 2.1. Vision 1 2.2. Mission 1 2.3. Objectives 1 2.4. Corporate level strategy 1 2.5. Business level strategy 1 3. Evaluation of Current Strategy Performance 2 3.1. Competitive performance 2 3.2. Financial performance 2 4. External Analysis 3 4.1. General external environment 3 4.2. Industry situation analysis 4 4.2.1. Industry structure 4 4.2.2. Industry directions and trends 4 4.3. Competitive situation analysis 4 4.3.1. Competitive forces (Porter analysis) 4 4.3.2. Key competitor’s analysis 4 4.4. External analysis conclusion 5 5. Internal Analysis 5 5.1. Company’s resources, capabilities, competencies, and competitive advantages 5 5.2. Value chain analysis 5 5.3. Marketing Strategy and competitive position 6 5.4. Is the company competitively stronger or weaker than key rivals? 6 6. Problem Statements 6 7. Formulation and Discussion of Strategic Alternatives 6 8. Strategy Recommendation 7 1. Introduction Le Chateau, a specialty retailer, who has been in business since 1959, has managed to vertically integrate its value chain to achieve financial stability while targeting the middle market. With tough competition in the industry, Le Chateau has struggled with marketing its brand and international expansion. 2. Company’s Current Strategy 3.1. Vision Le Chateau plans to market to the post-baby boom market while still...
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...same one dollar fee. ANALYSIS Netflix, Redbox and Competitors Netflix is the world’s largest subscriptions service for streaming of online movies and TV episodes as well as sending DVD’s through mail. Redbox has over 22,000 kiosk locations within the continental United States and United Kingdom with DVD rentals and the cost of one dollar a day to its customers. New Entrants Ease of entrance is a main factor in the strength of both Redbox and Netflix, in the number of competitors, now with mostly online video streaming you only need computers, software and servers and distribution rights to enter the market. With more companies and competition Netflix and Redbox do not have to fight over customers. Buyer Bargaining Power The buyer bargaining power is increased with more entrance it is more likely that the consumer will have the choice to purchase a product with the lowest price. So value in terms of what you get for the cost can become the focal point of Netflix, if they continue to distribute more movies and television shows than its competitors Netflix will remain the market leader...
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...Chapter 1: Defining the Supervisor's Job Chapter 2: Understanding Supervisory Challenges in the New Millennium Chapter 3: Establishing Goals Chapter 4: Organizing an Effective Department Chapter 5: Acquiring the Right People Chapter 6: Designing and Implementing Controls Chapter 7: Solving Problems and Making Decisions Chapter 8: Motivating Your Employees Chapter 9: Providing Effective Leadership Chapter 10: Communicating Effectively Chapter 11: Supervising Groups and Work Teams Chapter 12: Appraising Employee Performance Chapter 13: Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Work Environment Chapter 14: Handling Conflict, Politics, Employee Discipline, and Negotiations Chapter 15: Dealing with Change and Innovation Chapter 16: The Supervisor's Role in Labor Relations Chapter 1 Outcomes After reading this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Explain the difference between supervisors, middle managers, and top management. 2. Define supervisor. 3. Identify the four functions in the management process. 4. Explain why the supervisor’s role is considered ambiguous. 5. Describe the four essential supervisory competencies. 6. Identify the elements that are necessary to be successful as a supervisor. Chapter 2 Outcomes After reading this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Explain how globalization affects supervisors. 2. Describe how technology is changing the...
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...STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT MGMT E -5000 WALMART CASE ANALYSIS BY Indhu SEPTEMBER 19th, 2012 SWOT Analysis of Wal-Mart: (2008- 2010) EXTERNAL ANALYSIS: Significant findings on the PESTEL analysis were:(Refer Fig 1 ) * Socio Cultural factor: One of the most important concerns among consumers during that period was price. Since its establishment Walton focused on Everyday low prices (EDLP) and always geared towards the low- income groups of the society. This provided Walmart better opportunities and helped them gain a competitive advantage in the industry. * Demographic factor: Another opportunity facing the industry was that Consumers (working Mothers and other American workers) wanted ease of shopping (fast, efficient and one-stop shopping). Walmart provided its customers with what they want in the Walmart supercenters combined with its wholesale unit “Sam’s Club”. * Technological Factor: Heightening of Internet users (70% of the population) and more people were comfortable shopping online. This yielded both favorable (lower over head costs and convenience to the customers with wide choices of items and prices that were appealing) and unfavorable (Walmart has invested heavily on the infrastructure like the EDI links and POS systems) circumstances. * Economic Factor: Domestically the U.S market had a very slow growth. Although the economy was said to be in recession it favored the growth of the organization because it offered consumers commodities at a...
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