design of the research proposal (1) piyush
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Design of the research proposal
There are key elements when designing a research proposal. A suggestedtemplate, written by the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust isoutlined below.
1. TitleClearly identifying the study and may contain a description of the studydesign as well as the objectives.2. InvestigatorsThe named investigators on the research proposals, ie.all those withvaluable contribution to the work.3. BackgroundThe background of the project including a critical review of the currentknowledge, published and unpublished work, gaps in the evidence and thepotential value of furthering knowledge in this field. The research
hypothesis should also be included in this section, with the explanation of reasons for undertaking the work.4. AimsExpressed as a small number, i.e. 1-4. Concise and precise objectives thatshould follow logically, from the rationale hypothesis for a quantitativestudy and toward the hypothesis for a qualitative study.5. Study DesignDescription of the important elements of the methodology. It may includesome or all of the following:
o The process by which subjects will be sampled
o
The number of groups studiedo Whether subjects/investigators will be aware of which intervention is
being administeredo Whether patients will receive all or only one intervention
o Whether past or current data are collected
o Methods to reduce bias
o The tools used for sampling
6. Subjects/PatientsAll the following information about the study groups should be included:
o A description of the study population, including a rationale
o The methods by which they will be found and recruited
o Inclusion/exclusion criteria
o Sample size
7. InterventionsA full description of the study intervention should be provided:
o Treatment or investigation; the dose, timing, method of
providing, administering and receiving the treatment should bedetailed.Questionnaire or interview; reasons for method and possiblecontamination should be discussed.
o Necessary safeguards and potential risks should be made
apparent, including the methods by which intervention will bemonitored.
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8. End-PointsMeasurement outcomes used to confirm/reject or generate the hypothesis.They should be separated into primary and secondary:
o Primary end-points: those most important to the hypothesis,
there should only be 1 or 2.
o Secondary end-points: provide some support to the hypothesis,but without the expected primary outcome would not prove thetheory.
o The number of end-points should be kept to a minimum, the
inclusion of many variables may hinder the interpretation of thefindings.
o The expected effect of the end-points should be described.
9. MeasurementsAll relevant measurements, investigations and techniques should beclearly and fully described. When there are a variety of acceptedtechniques possible for use, the exact procedure should be defined. Adetailed list of any equipment used should also be included and thereliability of the measurements must be taken into account.10.Study PlanDetails of the order, site and timing of all study procedures. Anyinformation, equipment, treatment and documentation to be given to thepatient or to be collected by the investigator, must be detailed.11. AnalysisThe method of the data analysis should be specified within the protocoland should include:
o timing of data collection, entry and statistical analysis
o method of data entryo data analysis package
o presentation of demographic and outcome data summaries
o the arithmetic, graphical and statistical manipulation of the data
o criteria for statistical and clinical significance of data
12. Ethical IssuesThese are matters relevant to and the methods by which thepatient/subject’s interests will be safeguarded. They include risk limitation,patient study information and confidentiality, methods of monitoring andpossible adverse side effects. (for more detail see section on EthicalApproval)13.Resource RequirementsThe resource implications to the host organisation and any other involveddepartments should be defined in this section. If the study involves co-operation by individuals other than the researchers, or use of equipment or any other resource, then permission for the use of these services must beobtained form the relevant person.In addition the following must be displayed if not stated explicitly on theResources form:
o Timetable/schedule of the research
o Names of the staff
o Staff involved peripherally, such as outpatient/ward staff o All costs (both fixed and semi-fixed)
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14. SupervisionThe proposal should name the individual(s) who will supervise theresearch project and the intended arrangements for the supervision. Alsoany details of a steering group, for example, the role, frequency of meetings, monitoring arrangements and the membership of the group.
15.Dissemination and OutcomeThe intended route for internal and external publication should bespecified. Any implications for future practice and patient care should alsobe suggested.
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Research Study Pack
SPECIAL REPORT February 1, 2010, 5:01PM EST
The Value of DesignThe catalyst for this report on the value of design in business
was the outpouring of reader comments that arrived after a
bad-tempered blog post
By Helen Walters
SPECIAL REPORT
The Value of Design
• The Value of Design
• Why Design Matters
• The Value of Design to Startups
• How to Redesign Health Care
• The Role of Design in Business
• Slide Show: World's Most Influential Designers
STORY TOOLS
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Back in December, I published a somewhat bad-tempered blog post.
Titled "Come on Designers. Step Up", the piece was prompted by an article
in The Times of London, in which designers and the design industry were
hauled over the coals for, essentially, being a waste of taxpayers' money. In
this instance, designers had created a new logo for the British National Health
Service that nondesigners quoted in the piece (including British MP Greg
Hands) deemed both unnecessary and expensive.
As I wrote at the time, the thesis of the Times piece was unoriginal and
superficial—yet all too familiar. My irritation stemmed from the fact that the
value of design is clearly still not understood in the marketplace at large. And,
I argued, the responsibility for this disconnect—and fixing it—lies with
designers. "Designers need to step up and fight back and prove their craft is
not a 20th century anachronism," I wrote.
The response was swift, spirited, and fell mainly into two camps. Some
thought I was being deliberately incendiary and borderline irresponsible;
others agreed that perhaps the design industry has an issue. Many quite
rightly pointed out that "design" is a much larger proposition than the graphic
design of this particular rebranding exercise, while there were numerous lively
and articulate defenses of design as a process, not a style or an artifact.
Companies such as Apple (AAPL), Procter & Gamble (PG)and BMW (BMW:GR) were cited as corporate leaders that clearly understand
the worth of good design.
This special report attempts to pick apart the issue a little further, with opinion
pieces on the value of design from those within and outside the profession.
IDEO partner Diego Rodriguez makes the case that good business arises
from a design-centric process that incorporates marketing, research, and
ideas. RKS Design's Ravi Sawhney and Deepa Prahalad outline four specific
areas in which design can create value: understanding the consumer;
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mitigating risk; boosting marketing and branding; and driving sustainable
business practices.
Angel investor Dave McClure is heavily involved in the Silicon
Valley community of consumer Internet companies and technology-driven
startups. He writes a spirited argument in which he makes the case
that design and marketing are, in fact, way more important than
engineeringfor the firms with which he works. And Dr. Jay Parkinson, a
pediatrician and preventive medicine specialist, outlines the role that design
(and disruptive innovation) can play in retooling the U.S. health-care system.
Finally, we put together a list of the 27 most influential designers and design
thinkers making an impact on business today. Featuring the likes of Apple's
industrial design guru Jonathan Ive and British service design specialist Hilary
Cottam, our slide show aims to shine a light on the breadth and scope of the
profession as well as to highlight those whose work is influencing global
business and policy.
Clearly this is just another chapter in an ongoing discussion, but I hope you
find the report useful. Let us know what you think.
User-Driven Brand Design: Establishing a
Convergent Brand ExperienceWritten by Jon Kolko and Ashley Menger
Introduction
Technology-driven interaction design projects have traditionally been built by graphic
artists, usually trained in the classical methodologies of print design, and run by
project managers, usually trained in the classical methodologies of advertising and
marketing. The scope of these projects tends to reflect the corporate cultural
understanding of the importance of brand; traditionally in-your-face, lowest commondenominator companies have neglected the web's inimitable benefits as a marketing
and communication tool and have instead simply mimicked their offline campaigns
online.
And on the most primitive levels, this methodology appears to work. Yum! c Brands
has positioned Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC online in a very traditional and simple
fashion, giving customers the opportunity to view their menu, learn about the fat
content in a thigh of fried chicken (25 grams), and most recently, order a pizza online
from http://www.pizzahut.com.
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The Medium is the Message: McLuhan, not Gore,
invented the Internet
But this strategy ignores basic trends in technology and design: trends towards
convergent media, immersive brand experiences and a world where consumersparticipate in and generally shape the way a company fits into their lives. Established
brand leader Nike has positioned their online experiences as just that - experiences -
and directs consumers from their print ads to their websites, from their websites to
Nike Town, and from these stores back to more printed collateral. Overnight brand
success Mini Cooper has integrated PDA technology in-dash, allowing consumers to
transfer data between their pocket PC and the electronics of the car. And presidential
hopeful Howard Dean has established himself as the first-ever political brand; his
online web-presence incorporates mobile alerts and blogging, and is overshadowed
in impact only by his use of the internet to schedule real-life meetings.
These immersive, multidimensional brand experiences transcend (and sometimes
reject completely) the "web browser" as the method of delivery and instead exploit
each unique medium's capabilities - cellular as portable, print as static, television as
obnoxious and in-store as opportunity. The overwhelming and intangible nature of
designing these large strategies demand attention from individuals with extremely
diverse skill sets. These designers passionately explore from a user, goal and brand
perspective outwards rather than from a product or campaign perspective inwards,
giving them the latitude to allow process to drive product.
The methodology required to understand and develop convergent brand strategy
demands a new, broad and total understanding of three areas of expertise: visual
design, interaction design and user-centered product design. These skills are often
manifested in the fields of Print or Graphic design, Interactive or Web Design and
Industrial Design, respectively. But the demands of the convergent design problem
blur the lines between disciplines, and have created a requirement for process
centered holistic design - a repeatable methodology centered around a thorough
understand of the target user.
In her MFA thesis, Ashley George Menger explores the impact of User-Driven Brand
Design as a way to create a cohesive brand experience targeting a specific enigmatic
audience: teenage girls. As described below, her research and process requires an
in-depth understanding of contextual-based user research, graphic design, logo and
mark creation, industrial design, and interaction design. By allowing user goals and
higher level needs to drive the design process, Menger has created a multi-
dimensional brand that fits dramatically well into the lives of her users, and has
illustrated the success of a User-Driven Brand Design process.
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Process Driven Contextual Design: Teenage Girls Hold
the Keys to Brand?
Designing for teenage girls has long been viewed a daunting task; understanding the
complexity of identity as teens search to integrate Maslow's hierarchy of needs iscompounded in young woman as they struggle to cope with a media blitz of self
image beautification. Popular music, teen magazines and blockbuster movies all
emphasize the need to be thin, popular and successful; teenage self-mutilation is at a
historical high. There is clearly an opportunity to affect social change within this
group while offering products or services to these young woman.
This clinical analysis, while academically correct, does little to direct a designer
towards a solution; pointing out existing problems and identifying a niche market is
only the first, and easiest step, in a long iterative process of design thinking. Given
the emotional quality of the target audience, as well as the technical prowess the
majority of this demographic have grown up with, the only guaranteed method of
understanding the end user is to become one. Menger joins the girl scouts for over a
year, utilizing Goodall-style ethnographic research techniques; she alters her
clothing, her musical preferences and her reading material to mimic that of a thirteen
year-old-girl. By exploiting traditional contextual-based user research methodologies
in search of brand identity, Menger becomes one with her target audience and
accurately identifies a design direction: alleviation of fear within teenage girls,
encouraging woman to purchase and utilize empowering services and products.
Similar to any other brand proposal, Fearless Girl has a logo, a color style and a
rollout plan. But the proposed Fearless Girl brand has a foundation grounded in a
conceptual and pragmatic understanding of audience, needs and goals, and the
planned viral introduction of the brand truly illustrates an understanding of convergent
user-driven design and branding. Quite simply, Menger proposes an introduction of
the brand through chewing gum: simple, cheap, ubiquitous and easily accessible to
the target market. The gum, found in a unique tin, promotes exemplary woman role
models on the back of the container and encourages display of the package; a
"prize" inside (in the form of a sticker, fake tattoo, or hair scrunchy) further promotesthe brand. And the brand itself, marked with the devious Valkyrie-inspired viking
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chomping on hot pink bubble gum, serves to empower and emphasize a truly
empowering statement: Fear Less, Girl!
As there is no distinction between the graphic design of the brand and the brand
itself, the domains have truly converged; additionally, the gap between product and
brand ceases to exist, as the product is traded, collected and consumed all at the
same time. The brand itself, then, is traded, collected and consumed as well!
Technology Supports the Brand; Interaction Creates It
Before introducing an initial product, many marketing plans call for pilot studies or
initial data gathering; having already accomplished this research during the
conceptualization phase, Menger proposes an immediate influx of the brand into as
wide an infrastructure as possible. As the brand grows, innovative follow-on products
are introduced. Chewing gum is a vehicle for recognition; as the brand value of
Fearless Girl grows, so too does the complexity of the Fearless Girl line of products.
And in the spirit of convergence, each product relies on form, imagery and user
interaction to successfully illustrate the brand's message.
The "postcard journal", an innovative approach towards journaling, creates a delayed
relationship between Fearless Girl and the user; noting the popularity of diaries
among her target audience, Menger has developed a system that incorporates
product intertwined with the wonder of a surprise, extending the brand experience
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over time and utilizing a flavor of memory morphing. After creating a journal entry, the
teenage girl mails the postcard to Fearless Girl. The company holds the postcard for
a period of time, and then mails it back to the user.
Brand impression aside, the journal continues the socially conscious message of
enhancing self-image amongst teenage girls; the postcards feature "fearless" woman
chosen from recent history. These woman, although not highly political or well
known, illustrate specific figures chosen for charisma, lifestyle and inspiration; these
include Joyce Hoffman, World Champion surfer, and Peggy Oki, a prominent
skateboarder from the late seventies.
Technology supports the brand, as the back-end organizational techniques
necessary to maintain a successful rapport with the target audience directly mirror
that of a customer-relationship management system. Yet this technical interaction is
a support function for the organization rather than a visible aspect of the product; theuser interaction, although conceptually complex, is broken down into easy-to-follow
instructions.
Fearless Girl : Convergent Thinking Embodied in Brand
The contextual research process discussed above calls for the designer's integration
into the user's culture in order to acquire a primary understanding of the lifestyle and
semiotics. As Menger explores from a user, goal and brand perspective, she is able
to utilize process centered holistic design - a repeatable methodology centered
around a thorough understanding of her target audience. Crossing this cultural divide
enables a unique understanding of the users' emotions and then, returning to the
position of designer, offers the ability of perspective. This process elucidates a true
user-centric criteria to begin the design conceptualization phase and leads to a
product of inherent cultural resonation.
The Fearless Girl brand has been developed by an Industrial Designer, yet focuses
on visual and graphic design to establish a highly unique and focused relationship.
This combination - product, graphic and interaction - is essential to successfully
develop an immersive, multidimensional brand experience. Products can have a
momentary effect on the way people think and feel about themselves. Convergent
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brand thinkers need to acknowledge a product's everyday ability to trigger a mood or
an opinion and the cumulative psychological effect. This consideration will not only
promote well-being, but also prevent situations of the adverse effect. Products that
invite the user and allow for sensory input inspire feelings of ownership, harmony,
and connection; brands that follow this methodology will dictate the convergent,immersive, multidimensional experiences of our near future.
Fashion, Entertainment, and apparel web
design
In a hurry? Use this box to send us a "Quick Quote" request.
Quick Quote
Designing web sites for the fashion, apparel, and entertainment industries is one of the most
challenging assignments that our creative management team handles. To these clients,
image is everything, and the image they portray on their web sites can make or break their
message.
However, image can't be everything in our design – in order to shop, learn, and be engaged
by the site it must follow the same usability rules as any other web site.
What is the number 1 rule in Fashion, apparel, and Entertainment sites? Don't try to be so
cool that your visitors can't figure out how to navigate your web site.
When we worked on the United way NFL site creating a new site layout and designing a new
interface for the United Way NFL videos, we created an easy-to-follow site map so new
visitors could easily read about what how the United Way and the NFL team up all year long
to help the community. We also devised a way to embed their new TV commercials inside a
football-card type layout for a very special presentation.
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CASE STUDY: Amerex Group
Challenge
Q. How does an outwear company re-launch a brand that has been dormant for years but still
has brand recognition in the industry, and at the same time launch another new brand AND a
new corporate web site?
A. Design a user-focused Web site with valuable features to increase customer conversion,
retention and loyalty of its long-time customer base.
Background
The Gerry Brand has a long and rich history, starting in 1945, when Gerald "Gerry"
Cunningham founded Gerry Mountaineering Equipment Co. In the 1970's, the Gerry
Sportswear Company created the "Super Sweater", the original puffy down jackets. Gerry
continues to be a pioneer in the industry, supplying superior outerwear that combines
versatility, style, and performance.
Amerex Group, the company that owns the Gerry name, also needed to re-design its own
corporate web site, and in addition had a new brand called "Weather Tamer", a family-
oriented line of outerwear to launch. In all, 3 new web sites were needed, all with different
content, audiences, and goals.
Since August 2002, Amerex Group has been working with Business-Edge.com to enhance its
online brand presence, increase functionality and streamline performance to help meet its
growth goals. In addition, Amerex Group also worked with Business-Edge.com to develop a
long-term site strategy to provide a consistent customer experience across all Amerex Group
channels, and deepen relationships with customers to build loyalty.
Solution
Business-Edge.com helped Amerex Group apply a user-centric approach toward its Web site
strategy and development. Through research and workshops, Business-Edge.com and
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Amerex Group collaborated on developing an iterative, long-term site strategy with initiatives
to increase conversion, grow online revenue, and increase customer retention.
Results
Since the web site launches in Fall 2002, Amerex Group has grown in many ways, by
creating licensing agreements with companies such as Gloria Vanderbilt, Rampage, and
Earthbound, becoming sponsors of events such as the 2003 NASTAR ski races, and
increasing and expanding their web presence with Business-Edge.com.
Sample Research Proposal on A comparativecase analysis of Zara and Topshop Company
Fashion industry market as of the present is growing and is booming as there are
sectors focused on the type of business. But, how come low cost fashion
companies do impact in competition within the fashion industry? Is there really
an issue pointing towards these companies such as Zara and Topshop? Fashion
industry can have greater demands from various customer types and due to
globalization, such low cost fashion companies can be in to prove its worth in the
fashion market. The research can be used to determine underlying factors in such
cases to be taken from Zara and Topshop and thus, provide awareness to the
fashion business of such impact in the market mostly, to those first class fashion
companies.
Background
The problem can be that nowadays, low cost fashion companies can possibly
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dominate the industry of today and in the future and the situation for competition
in the fashion industry can amicably be on high demand on such products and
services and that there is evidence of business risks as possible. The interest of
the paper will be to determine how low cost fashion companies impact the
competition within the fashion industry in the aspect of its market stance. There
should be awareness and assessment on the presence of the two low cost fashion
companies, Zara and Topshop will be considered as the focus for this study.
Amicably, it is also imperative for this research to determine and evaluate such
customer views with regards to the two low cost fashion companies (Zara and
Topshop) and in thus, the study can involve such frequent shoppers of those
companies and from such responses can possibly linked and indicate as to why
these low cost companies do impact such competition within the fashion market
industry.
Relevant Literature
A consumer preference for brands with a global image, even when quality and
value are not objectively superior, has been proposed as a reason for companies to
consider global brands (Cited from, Shocker et al., 1994; Taylor and Raymond,
2000). Therefore, Fashion Company needs to identify the response of consumers
worldwide to its global advertising for such specific consumer segment. For
instance, the fashion industry for women is particularly relevant in terms of
examining the feasibility of cross-national segmentation. Research indicates that
females tend to be more fashion conscious, be more knowledgeable about fashion
brands (Cited from, Blyth, 2006), and read more fashion magazines than male
consumers (Cited from, Chamblee et al., 1993; Putrevu, 2004). This implies that
marketers need to pay special attention to women when expanding and
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advertising fashion brands to international markets. The fashion industry is
characterized by a considerable amount of standardized advertising. In fact,
global advertising in fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle helps create the
image of a designer brand name for fashion goods, such as apparel, accessories,
and perfume, and has been used by many leading firms (Cited from,Blyth, 2006).
Increasingly, some fashion marketers have discovered that their advertising is
directly linked to retail sales and strong retail performance (Cited from, Callan,
2006).
Fashion lifestyle segmentation
In recent years, it has been suggested that we are seeing the emergence of a new
group of consumers who have similar preferences and buy similar brands that are
promoted globally as well as in local media. These new consumers have been
referred to as "global consumers," who exhibit similarities to people in other
nations in terms of lifestyle and consumption patterns (Cited from, Hassan et al.,
2003). Although differences abound in music, values, and cultures, some have
argued that commercial advertising on mass media (TV, magazine and internet)
has contributed to a global consumer culture, particularly for global brands (Cited
from, Arnold and Thompson, 2005). In various contexts, it is important to
examine whether evidence really shows support for the notion of global consumer
context. Thus, again, it is important to examine whether fashion segments cut
across national boundaries. Lifestyle segmentation has received considerable
attention in fashion products, such as clothing, accessories, and sportswear.
Fashion lifestyle is defined as consumer attitudes, interests, and opinions related
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to the purchase of fashion products (Cited from, Gutman and Mills, 1982;Ko et
al., 2006). In a study of the female apparel market in the USA , Shim and Bickle
(Cited from, 1994) outlined three fashion lifestyle segments:
symbolic/instrumental users, who are younger, innovative, fashion-conscious, and
represent higher social class level; practical/conservative users, who are oriented
more toward comfort and function than toward fashion or appearance and are not
likely to enjoy shopping; and apathetic users, who tend to patronize discount
stores. In another study from the USA, Kim and Lee (Cited from, 2000) identified
six fashion lifestyles price-consciousness, fashion-consciousness, information
seeking, self-confidence, attitude toward local stores, and time-consciousness and
was related to different segments that sought benefits from catalog shopping. As
Lee et al., (Cited from, 2004) divide TV home shoppers into four segments based
on fashion lifestyle the aesthetic group, the economic fashion innovator group,
the showy uncritical group, and the fashion-uninterested group and discuss their
different responses to product advertising on TV home shopping. Finally, Ko and
Mok (Cited from, 2001) found that fashion lifestyles have significant effects on
advertising effectiveness in an Internet shopping context (Cited from, Ko and
Park, 2002). The low cost companies can be guided by philosophy
of producing fashionable cheaply made clothing, but adapts its
clothing lines to each country and ensures that stores are
permanently restocked. To strengthen brands that involve such
mixture of fashion and cheapness, there can be collaboration
among celebrities and famous designers available at low prices.
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Thus, for instance, Hennes and Mauritz there can be the support
of singers such as Kylie Minogue and Madonna and Chanel
designer Karl Lagerfeld have all worked with H&M and their
collections have sold out in hours. Hennes and Mauritz reported
then, such sales of €8.6 billion approximately $11.9 billion,
putting it slightly ahead of its nearest rival in the clothing retail
industry, Spanish group Zara, as the principle remains the
same: fashion and quality at the best price. The emergence of
international low-cost fashion chains such as Hennes and Mauritz
is linked to shopping trends as the success of these brands is
evidently down to their low prices, which is the main point.
(Cited from, The Local, 2007 in Business Region Goteborg) The
people and the environment where people live in are affecting
the changes in fashion. These changes are influenced by celebrity culture,
demand for cheap, fast fashion and the ever-increasing demand to help save the
planet. Fashion brands realize the needs and act upon it to keep people interested,
and to keep people from buying their brand. However, the regular consumer
doesn't know about seeding, so therefore she believes that the celebrity has
bought into a brand they trust.
Information on Zara
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Source of image:
From: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ifc_Zara_20071110.jpg>
Zara is a successful fashion chain store for the Spanish group owned by Spanish
tycoon Amancio Ortega as the group is headquartered in Spain, where the first
Zara store opened in 1975. Today, Inditex is probably the world's fastest growing
retailer with over 3,100 stores around the world in over 70 countries the Zara
format taking around 1,000 of those stores. In March 2006, the group
overtook Sweden's Hennes & Mauritz to become Europe's largest fashion
retailer. For instance, it is claimed that Zara needs just two weeks [1] to develop a
new product and get it to stores, compared with a nine-month industry average,
and launches around 10,000 new designs each year. Zara has resisted the
industry-wide trend towards transferring production to low-cost countries.
Perhaps its most unusual strategy was its policy of zero advertising; the company
preferred to invest percentage of revenues in opening new stores instead. Zara
was described by Louis Vuitton as "possibly the most innovative and devastating
retailer in the world". Zara has also been described as "Spanish success story" as
reported by CNNnews. The clothing industry followed design and production
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processes that required long lead times, often up to six months, between the initial
design of garment and its delivery to retailers. This model effectively limited
manufacturers and distributors to just two or three collections per year. Predicting
consumer tastes ahead of time presented inherent difficulties, and producers and
distributors faced the constant risk of becoming saddled with unsold inventory.
The company's instant fashion model, which completely rotated its retail stock
every two weeks, also encouraged customers to return often to its stores, with
delivery day becoming known as "Z-day" in some markets. The knowledge that
clothing items would not be available for very long also encouraged shoppers to
make their purchases more quickly. Moreover, such article written in
theBusinessworld magazine describes Zara's fashion strategy as follows: "Zara
was fashion imitator. It focused its attention on understanding the fashion items
that its customers wanted and then delivering them, rather than on promoting
predicted season's trends via fashion shows and similar channels of influence,
which the fashion industry traditionally used." (Cited from, Zara: Spanish
Season, Businessworld) As the shortening the product life cycle means greater
success in meeting consumer preferences. (Cited from,Zara's Secret for Fast
Fashion, Harvard Business School Working Knowledge for Business Leaders)
Thus, if design doesn't sell well within week, it is withdrawn from shops, further
orders are cancelled and innovative design is pursued. No design stays on the
shop floor for more than four weeks, which encourages Zara fans to make repeat
visits. An average high-street store in Spain expects fans to visit three times per
year. That goes up to 17 times for Zara (Cited from, Zara: Taking the Lead in Fast
Fashion, 2006 in Business Week).
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Zara's success story
While retailers concentrate their money and efforts on building a brand image
through advertising campaigns, their lack of control over sub-contractors has left
many open to accusations of using sweatshop labor when unacceptable practices
are uncovered at factories producing their merchandise. The company's success
lies in it having total control of every part of the business. It designs, produces
and distributes itself. By controlling the entire process from factory to shop floor,
Zara can react quickly to changing fashion trends and customers' tastes, providing
innovativeness that has takenEurope by storm. Shoppers addicted to the Zara
brand know exactly when the deliveries will be arriving at their local shop and
some even turn up before opening time on delivery days to be the first to pick up
the latest lines. (Cited from, Zara, Spanish success story, CNN,15 June 2001) The
company's success is proof that it is still possible to build a massive brand by
doing no more than meeting a market need. It has achieved this without any
advertising or promotion and without outsourcing its manufacturing to countries
where labor is cheap.
Source: CNN.com Europe Business (June 15, 2001)From:
<http://edition.cnn.com/BUSINESS/programs/yourbusiness/stories2001/za
ra/>
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Labels: Consumer Attitude Research Proposals, Health ResearchProposals, Marketing Research Proposals
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