...Patagonia Problem Patagonia, a highly recognized brand that manufactures high end outdoor gear, refers to the Fair Labor Association’s accredited monitors for monitoring its manufacturing standards. The conflict of interest arises with the methods FLA uses to monitor its corporate affiliates like Patagonia. FLA allows its affiliates to pick the factories that need to be inspected as well as the inspectors who will be conducting these inspections. The affiliates are also responsible for compensating these monitors. As a result, FLA, which claims to be a third party monitor, ceases to be one thereby allowing its corporate affiliates to monitor themselves. The other issue in the case is that since Patagonia is a privately held company, the standards and procedures it expects of its manufacturers and suppliers are not made public. This lack of transparency does not necessarily help Patagonia back its claim operating 100% organic, since the data that proves it is not available to the public. The third issue is the fact that Patagonia enables farmers to pick their own certifier to certify the cotton fiber and production. This could pose a problem as farmers may jeopardize quality by using certifiers that are cheaper and require fewer and less thorough inspections to cut costs. The totality of these issues raises questions whether Patagonia is genuine in their efforts to promote the use of organic textiles in its effort to tackle the environment crisis or is it another case of greenwashing...
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...Patagonia Case 1. Situational Analysis Purpose of Organization and Product Patagonia is an outdoor clothing company worldwide leader of environmentally responsible business that offers products that are simple, functional and multifunctional. Patagonia’s product line is composed of four main product categories: Sportswear, Technical Outerwear, Technical Knits and Hard Goods. It is an industry leader in technological innovation, that invest in development and tests raw materials to cause the least amount of harm to the environment as possible. Patagonia’s mission statement is: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis”. Promotion Their marketing strategies are quite different from what is customary for an outdoor clothing company. Patagonia’s main idea of marketing is to inform its audience, so they have incorporated educational messages for its consumers instead of just publicity of the brand. Patagonia invests less than 1% of its sales on advertising and marketing. The ethics and the unique vision of the company has especially attracted the attention of the media, and this has led them to get free publicity from the press in many occasions. Price and Target Market Patagonia consumers have a median age of 38 years and an annually average income of $160,000. Basically, its target market are lovers of outdoor sports that are willing to invest approximately 20% to 50% more...
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...The Case of Patagonia Click Link Below To Buy: http://hwcampus.com/shop/the-case-of-patagonia/ This week, you are assuming the role of a human resources consultant, hired by Patagonia to analyze their employees' levels of motivation. Your Assignment Read the Case Application 1: Passion for the Outdoors and for People (end of Chapter 17). After reading the case details, prepare your report for Patagonia managers by answering the following questions: 1. According to Maslow's hierarchy, which basic needs does the Patagonia culture meet? What would it be like to work at Patagonia? (Hint: Go to Patagonia’s website and find the section on jobs.) What’s your assessment of the company’s work environment? (20 points) 2. Use the expectancy theory or the equity theory of motivation to explain how feeling underpaid might affect the work of a Patagonia associate and what a manager can do to increase the employee's motivation. (20 points) 3. What do you think might be Patagonia’s biggest challenge in keeping employees motivated? If you were managing a team of Patagonia employees in the retail stores, how would you keep them motivated? (20 points) Grading Rubric Grading Rubric for Week 6 Case Study: Patagonia Case Study (page 531) This case is worth 80 points. Please name your paper, "LastName FirstName". Understanding 60 Please list each question as it is stated, then respond. Quality of the answers to questions 1–3 will be based on the requirement that you research...
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...The Case of Patagonia Click Link Below To Buy: http://hwcampus.com/shop/the-case-of-patagonia/ This week, you are assuming the role of a human resources consultant, hired by Patagonia to analyze their employees' levels of motivation. Your Assignment Read the Case Application 1: Passion for the Outdoors and for People (end of Chapter 17). After reading the case details, prepare your report for Patagonia managers by answering the following questions: 1. According to Maslow's hierarchy, which basic needs does the Patagonia culture meet? What would it be like to work at Patagonia? (Hint: Go to Patagonia’s website and find the section on jobs.) What’s your assessment of the company’s work environment? (20 points) 2. Use the expectancy theory or the equity theory of motivation to explain how feeling underpaid might affect the work of a Patagonia associate and what a manager can do to increase the employee's motivation. (20 points) 3. What do you think might be Patagonia’s biggest challenge in keeping employees motivated? If you were managing a team of Patagonia employees in the retail stores, how would you keep them motivated? (20 points) Grading Rubric Grading Rubric for Week 6 Case Study: Patagonia Case Study (page 531) This case is worth 80 points. Please name your paper, "LastName FirstName". Understanding 60 Please list each question as it is stated, then respond. Quality of the answers to questions 1–3 will be based on the requirement that you research...
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...Patagonia case If the class focus on cultural control, the following assignment questions are appropriate: 1. The objective of Patagonia, Inc. seems not to be to maximize shareholder value. What is Patagonia’s primary objective? Is this appropriate? We think the primary objective of Patagonia is to make everything sustainable in the company, to create a flexible and freedom-working environment. To meet the employee’ satisfaction and do contribution to planet. Yes, they are focus on the sustainable growth between 3%-5% but not the profit. So they are using the revenue in order to maintain that system. 2.Patagonia has a strong culture. Does this culture ensure that Patagonia employees will work hard and act consistently in the corporation’s best interest? If not, what must Patagonia managers do to shore up the company’s control system? Initially, we think this strong culture will ensure that Patagonia employees work hard because they are given the incentives to stimulate them to work hard in order to take leisure. But also when the company wants to make some changes, it is difficult to convenience the employee act consistently in corporation’s best interest because the company culture favored minimum bureaucracy and maximum informality. If the class focus is on planning and budgeting processes or open book management systems, the following assignment questions are appropriate: 1. Evaluate Patagonia’s Workbook Process. Would you recommend to Patagonia’s management...
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...Muhammad Ateeb Khan 260362190 Patagonia Case Company Objectives: To earn sufficient profit by delivering innovative, excellent, useful products and service to customers without the pursuit of growth for growth’s sake. To reduce or reverse the environmental harm caused by company operations Strategy: Designing high-quality outdoor equipment and clothing. “Quality” is the way of doing business for Patagonia. This includes Quality products, quality service and quality life of employees. Internal Controls: The company initiated a program called “The workbook process” that was aimed to get the employees actively involved with the companys performance and also to assess which work groups were meeting their targets and which weren’t. The Workbook process involved making every department’s and corporation’s plan visible to all employees and encouraged employees to become actively involved in the planning and operating review process. This process also made monthly department and corporate financial and operating repots visible to all employees. This new system was initiated as an improvement to the company culture of concern for employees’ quality of life, which in turn reflected motivation to serve company objectives The Company uses results controls to monitor and direct the actions of its employees. The workbook process was designed for this very reason so that employees can be fully aware of the objectives their group needs to accomplish for the financial year and...
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...What Darwin Didn’t Know: Darwin's First Clues: By David Quammen, Photograph by Luciano Candisani, MInden Pictures Summary The journey of young Charles Darwin aboard His Majesty's Ship Beagle, during the years 1831-36, is one of the best known and most neatly mythologized episodes in the history of science. Darwin visited the Galápagos archipelago in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and there beheld giant tortoises and finches. The finches, many species of them, were distinguishable by differently shaped beaks, suggesting adaptations to particular diets. The tortoises, island by island, carried differently shaped shells. These clues from the Galápagos led to conclude that Earth's living diversity has arisen by an organic process of descent with modification or evolution, as it's now known, and that natural selection is the mechanism. His theory developed slowly, secretively, and his book, The Origin of Species, didn't appear until 1859. Many scientists, along with some Victorian clergymen, resisted its evidence and arguments for decades afterward. The reality of evolution became widely accepted during Darwin's lifetime, but his particular theory, with natural selection as prime cause, didn't triumph until about 1940, after it had been successfully integrated with genetics. Apart from those clarifications, the most interesting point missed by the simplified tale is this: Darwin's first real clue toward evolution came not in the Galápagos but three years before, on a blustery beach...
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...The Case of Patagonia Company Patagonia was founded in 1957 by Yvon Chouinard, an avid and renowned outdoorsman. With the superiority of Yvon’s designs, by the late 1960s Chouinard Equipment had an estimated 80% of the US market for climbing hardware.In the late 1960s Yvon shifted his attention to the sale of quality outdoor clothes. His company continued to grow slowly until 1972 when the clothing line took off.(Merchant,Stead 2012) We began to grow at a rapid pace; at one point we made Inc. Magazine's list of the fastest-growing privately held companies. That rapid growth came to a halt in the summer of 1991, when our sales crimped during a recession and our bankers, themselves in trouble and up for sale, called in our revolving loan. To pay off the debt, we had to drastically cut costs and dump inventory. We laid off 20% of our work force–many of them friends and friends of friends. And we nearly lost our independence as a company. That taught us a major lesson. We have kept growth – and borrowing – to a modest scale ever since.(Patagonia,2014) "Rapid growth and maximization of corporate profits were not among Patagonia’s goals. Yvon Chouinard explained publicly that the only reason he and Malinda had not sold the company was that they were “pessimistic about the fate of the world and felt a responsibility to do something about it.".(Merchant/Van der Stead/2013,pg.342) 1. The objective of Patagonia, Inc. seems not to be...
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...Patagonia has created a strong brand and a sustained competitive advantage through focusing on the product quality to meet tough expectation of customer and win their trust and loytalty, while at the same time reducing the environmental damage. This environmental position of Patagonia contributes to strengthen the company's uniqueness against competitors by differencing it from others in a market where technology improvement has become increasingly challenge. Patagonia uses incremental innovations approach to improve existing products and processes, as new technical systems for their apparel and gear for instance. The company chosed to maintain high margin with command prices 20% above their competitors. Inside the company, Patagonia's employees showed high satisfaction and fidelity, which led to much lower turnover comparing to other rivals. Finally, the firm differentiates itself from other major competitors by focusing on customers who are knowledgeable about their sports and outdoor activities (niche market of dirtbags) and willing to pay additional amount for superior quality. It is true that Patagonia's environmental position contributed to company's competitive advantage in positive ways, such as strengthen the company's uniqueness against rivals. Also we could believe that business and sustainability seems to be compatible when we se how the positive and improved image of Patagonia helped it to gain legitimacy with stakeholders; or when its competitors are making...
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...Principles of management | Passion for the Outdoors and for People | CASE APPLICATION 1 | | Juan Uzcategui. | 10/22/2014 | 1. According to Maslow's hierarchy, which basic needs does the Patagonia culture meet? What would it be like to work at Patagonia? According to Maslow’s hierarchy, the basic needs that the Patagonia culture meet is the Esteem because it allows the employees to be confident, self-esteem, allow them to achieve their goals by coaching its managers, and by training the managers to define expectations, communicate deadlines, and then let employees figure out the best way to meet those after being well trained. Also the respect of others, and respect by others is very important for an organization that wants to keep its employees motivated. None of the employees have private office. If an employee does not want to be disturbed, he or she wears headphones. That is a great way to show that everyone is equal and that each one of them are allow to do anything the feel like doing but always respecting each other. What would it be like to work at Patagonia? Work at Patagonia would be a paradise especially for people that like the beach, people that have kids, and for people that does not like to be wearing office clothes at all times. The beach lovers have a big advantage to work for Patagonia because they already are in their favorite place and being able to catch some waves and some sun in the middle of the workday is just fantastic, it makes...
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...| 2012 | | PATAGONIA CASE STUDY | Table of Contents PART 1 Discuss the management control system in the Patagonia Company. Explain and discuss the nature, context, evolution, elements, processes, strengths, weaknesses/problems of the management control system at Patagonia (including a critical evaluation of the Workbook Process). Page 3 PART 2 Would you recommend to Patagonia’s management that they continue with or discontinue the Workbook process? Explain your reasons and make recommendations for any changes needed. Whether to enhance the existing process or to replace it? If you recommend continuing the process, what would you replace it with?) Page 7 PART 3 Would you like to work at the company? Explain your reasons. (Note: group members can disagree on this. Reasons for and against (if any) should be explained.) Page11 PART 4 Discuss the management control system in the Patagonia Company. Explain and discuss the nature, context, evolution, elements, processes, strengths, weaknesses/problems of the management control system at Patagonia (including a critical evaluation of the Workbook Process). What makes Patagonia different from many corporate organisations? Everything! Patagonia is a very successful business that has grown at a sensational pace. What is interesting about Patagonia is that the founder’s motivation was never solely about making money...
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...Patagonia Case Study - Harsha Narravula Patagonia has a unique culture when compared to other corporate companies. They seem to simplify their values around 3 key cultural elements, caring about environment through corporate responsibility and furnishing profits by producing high quality and innovate products. These values were not just a marketing campaign but were well established/ visible throughout the company through visual artifacts, communication and pursuing business strategy in line with the values. It is these strong values that have set the company apart from competition and helped the company during economic down turns (values create identity, Lencioni, Pg6). These corporate values were so strong and dominant that it affected day to day business (Concept of core values, Lencioni, Pg6). Top level management, CEO’s and board members were hired in line with the culture and shared the same values that have existed. Deviation from the values sometimes has resulted in rapid turnover of top level management. This strong culture stemmed from its founder Yvon Chouinard establishing strong set of values that had initially worked well for the company (Strong Culture, Greenberg, 371). Due to the continued success, these values permeated through the company even without Yvon being involved in a formal position (Organizational memory, Greenberg, Pg 375). As stated above the corporate responsibility to environment is a core value that the company practices. The...
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...för- och nackdelar med varje område av kontroll utifrån kursboken. Strukturen för detta uppdrag är sådan att i det första kapitlet, är kontrollerna av Patagonia Inc. i varje område av ledningens kontroll före arbetsbok processen utvärderas. Det andra kapitlet är en analys av arbetsbok processen som ett kontrollverktyg. I det tredje kapitlet problemen i arbetsbok processen diskuteras mer i detalj. 1.1 Analys av resultaten, action och människor kontroller av företaget Patagonia Inc. hade genomfört olika kontroller i sin verksamhet från alla tre områden av ledningens kontroll. Distinkt former av resultatkontroll kunde ses på det sätt anställda kompenseras för sitt arbete. Varje anställd hade individuella årliga mål MBO-typ och ordnade utvärderade sina underordnade prestationer och utifrån det, gav dem löneökningar från en höjning pool. Dessa exempel representerar enkla och effektiva sätt att belöna de anställda för goda resultat, men kontrollerna verkade sakna styrbarhet och begriplighet. Till exempel i 1997 en bonus pool av $ 80.000 höjde oro bland anställda i bolaget eftersom det inte fanns någon riktig kunskap om önskat resultat och om hur man kan påverka de önskade resultaten. Dessutom var resultatet kontroller mäts subjektivt av chefer och överordnade, vilket kan leda till en snedvriden utfall. Action kontroller i Patagonia Inc. ingår femåriga miljömål för varje avdelning som övervakas av chefer i avsevärd detalj. Detta skulle kunna ses som en förutlösning översyn, eftersom...
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...1 Patagonia Case Assignment Patagonia Case Assignment MSOD 617 Louise Keefe, Ron Milam & Laura Woodward September 23, 2013 2 Patagonia Case Assignment Patagonia’s “futuring” capability Based on the case study provided, Patagonia is more values based than future based. They are less concerned about specific future scenarios and more focused on a values-based approach to their business, focused on sustainability. “SMO’s (Sustainable Managed Organizations) need to look at short-, medium, and longterm business horizon, and there is a specific purpose for each. The long-term view considers possible future strategic intents and the operating assumptions that will drive them whereas short-term futuring guides adjustments to the current strategic intent.” (Lawler & Worley, 2011, Ch. 5, page 111/449-ibooks). While Patagonia appears to be looking for new technology to make their products even less impactful to the environment, they are not actively engaging in scenario sessions. They did bring up the fact that the generation that currently fits in their “core” is aging. They were bringing in “outside talent” to discuss which might imply disconnect on their part to longer-term need for change. “SMO’s focus their futuring process on three effectiveness areas: financial performance, social value, and the natural environment.” (Lawler & Worley, 2011, Ch. 5, page 113/449ibooks). Patagonia is focused on four: Quality, financial, social, and environment. They seem to have hit the...
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...Patagonia, Leading a Green Revolution Case Study, pg. C-6 September 16, 2013 1. The company’s mission statement declares their determination to “build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis”. This company has proven that charging a premium price for ecofriendly products is a solid business model and they follow it. Based on what I have learned about Patagonia and Yvon Chouinard’s ideals is they do not have to choose between business practical and environmental friendly, with their creativity and innovation they have both. This company really gives you what they promise on their products, they build useful things that last, repair what breaks and recycle what comes to the end of its useful life. Demand for environmentally-friendly services and products continue to grow, consumers are willing to pay high prices in exchange for high quality and sustainable products. Patagonia’s success is a testament to its viable business model. 2. Patagonia must remain true to Yvon Chouinard’s vision after he leaves. The company should continue to provide its core beliefs and values into every product it produces. Maintain innovative designs, exceptional quality, and environmental ingenuity is the key to continue being profitable and successful. The Patagonia philosophy must continue to preach leading a green revolution and their online The Footprint Chronicles to allow customers to track where all Patagonia’s...
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