Zara spanish clothing company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Zara spanish clothing company - Essay Example The above operational characteristic of Zara is considered as one of its major competitive advantages towards its rivals. The firm has also managed to fully avoid outsourcing, a target that has not been achieved by other retailers. In this context, British retailers, like H&M and Benetton, and USA retailers, like Walmart and J.C. Penny, prefer outsourcing all parts of their supply chain, apart from the quality control phase (Ray 2010, p.324). On the other hand, the above retailers seem to have different competitive priorities from Zara. Indeed, these firms focus more on the development of high quantities of clothes, aiming to avoid sending new ranges to their stores on a daily basis, a common practice in Zara (Gourdin 2006). Rather, they set specific time points for sending new ranges to their stores; these ranges will be appropriately aligned with the market demands, in terms of quantity and quality. There are retailers that have tried to minimize the time spent between the producti on line and the store, like Mango, a Spanish retailer, (Leeman 2010); however, still, the time of response to the customers’ needs is more than in Zara. Keeping the standards of their brand name, meaning the characteristics of their products as of their design and quality, is the key competitive priority for retailers in the particular industry. For Zara, responding to the preferences of customers on a continuous basis is the key strategic priority, as reflected in the firm’s supply chain strategy. Currently, Zara is able to launch a new collection quite rapidly; in fact, the average time required for the firm’s new ranges to reach its stores is about 15 days (Rushton and Walker 2007). Moreover, the firm keeps certain of its facilities spare, meaning its trucks and warehouses, so that it is able to respond to emergent market needs without having to wait for completing a pending order (Mangan, Lalwani

Transcendental Meditation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Transcendental Meditation - Essay Example The practice of Transcendental Meditation is one of the varieties of Sanskrit mantras consisted of short words or phrase that when repeated in thought is expected to help the practitioner still the activity of thought and find a deeper level of consciousness. Here, one understands that the basic process of TM is not very different from other forms of meditation, starting with a deep body and mind relaxation for 20 minutes daily, followed by the â€Å"seven-step process,† wherein the first three can be self-taught and the last four, instructed. In order to practice Transcendental Meditation, an individual needs to be initiated by a teacher. This initiation involves sessions of formal instruction, followed by a ceremony in which the applicant makes monetary and other offerings and receives his mantra, selected by the teacher on the basis of the meditator’s temperament and occupation. As previously mentioned, at least a million Americans are initiated today, underscoring TM’s widespread appeal. Transcendental Meditation’s appeal to people is anchored on its recognition that there is a hunger for spiritual vision in the modern world, particularly in the West, which is, then, infused with the spirit of practicality. Firstly, TM has benefited from the tradition that has been cultivated by the practice of yoga by Maharishi’s predecessors, the Eastern mystics, Vivekananda and Yogananda. Then, according to Coward, Hinnells, and Williams, Maharishi emphasized the practical aspect of meditation instead of its religious context.