...Introduction In the global competitive marketplace today, the demands of customers for quality of services and products are ever increasing. The reason why quality is imperative is because companies need to survive in aggressive markets and maintain a competitive edge (Dale et al, 2007). Although there are many definitions of quality, they all accept the notion that customers define quality. It is said that many people know quality when they see it. Crosby (1979) believed that quality is not comparative and a product either conforms to requirements or it does not. Juran (1988) defines quality as fitness for use. Total quality management (TQM) is a new way of perceiving about the management of organizations (Chorn, 1991) and an inclusive way to improve organizational performance in total and quality (Hunt, 1993). Satisfying customer needs and understanding their future requirements is the crux of total quality management, and customer is the major reason for an organization’s existence. Organizations have embraced the cause of quality by believing that quality can offer new opportunities for competitive advantage to the competitors (Kelemen, 2003). Furthermore, quality influences the organization by influencing all organizational members. The pursuit of quality alters the way jobs are designed and roles and responsibilities of the employees (Victor et al., 2000). David Garvin (1984) has identified eight dimensions of goods’ quality including performance, features, reliability,...
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...European Research Studies, Volume XIV, Issue (2), 2011 “Carolina Herrera” Internationalization Strategy: Democratic Luxury or Maximum Exclusiveness? Cristina Calvo Porral1, Domingo Calvo Dopico2 Abstract: The Company Carolina Herrera has identified a market niche that demands garments, apparel and accessories and to which it can offer a somewhat differentiated product with excellent quality. This market niche is the target of several companies such as Loewe and Vuitton, which may be clearly identified as the leading companies and worldwide references. In this scenario, the question of which internationalization strategy must be pursued to access the luxury fashion product market should be raised. A Benchmarking analysis was carried out for the purpose of identifying best commercial performances of leading worldwide Brand names to determine the marketing planning strategy. Results show the companies’ recognition of a globalised luxury and the discovery of a global market niche with huge growth potential, such as luxury handbags, make us state that there are still growth opportunities that have not been exploited. Key Words: Internationalization, Benchmarking, Branding, Fashion Markets JEL Classification L21, M30, M31 1 2 University of A Coruna, Faculty of Economics, Spain, email: ccalvo@udc.es University of A Coruna, Faculty of Economics, Spain, email: domingo@udc.es 4 European Research Studies, Volume XIV, Issue (2), 2011 1. Introduction ...
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