Investigating sustainable supply chain practices within the luxury brand market
- Authors: Colesky, Yolanda
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Business logistics -- Management Retail trade -- Management , Fashion merchandising Physical distribution of goods -- Management Clothing trade
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14917 , vital:27902
- Description: Luxury fashion brands seem to contradict sustainability. The values of sustainability are commonly associated with terms such as sharing, collaboration, austerity, and collective thinking. Luxury, however, is associated with excess, self-indulgence, delight and decadence (Kapferer & Bastien, 2012:360). Further paradoxes exist where the apparel of the luxury consumer is often manufactured by labourers in low wage-paying producing countries. High wastage is evident in the seasonality of the fashion industry. However, work opportunities are created by the fickleness of the fashion industry and the constant need to own the most current designs (Black, 2012:8). Owing to the high visibility of luxury fashion and the contractions between one -- on the one hand -- supplying income to families by way of employment and -- on the other hand -- not complying to sustainable international human resource practices, fashion brands are the focus of many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that use the mass media to expose any social wrongdoing in the industry. Luxury fashion brands are constantly in the spotlight, as highlighted in articles posted by the Clean Clothes campaign, a custodian for employees in the global garment industries; Greenpeace; and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). An example of such practices was when Greenpeace reported in 2009 that shoe brands such as Timberland and Clarks were manufactured from leather sourced from the hides of cattle in illegally deforested areas in Brazil. This provided negative publicity for these luxury shoe brands as well as for the Brazilian government that was financing this project (Vurro, Russo & Perrini, 2009:609). The luxury fashion brand industry, as well as the consumers of luxury fashion labels, are accused -- often only for the sake of sensationalism -- of living in the lap of luxury whilst maintaining a supply chain that is riddled with unsustainable practices. The social structure and hierarchy of patrons within a community have, since the Middle Ages, been signalled by the clothes they wore. Social class was a birthright. Today, sporting luxury brands continues to serve as status symbols, but unlike mediaeval times, it is not limited to people with a high social standing at birth as one can work for status, and purchase the items because one deserves them. (Han, Nunes, & Drèze, 2010:15). In 2009, during the International Herald Tribune (IHT) Suzy Menkes, the fashion editor at The Herald, called for “luxury”’ and “fashion” to be separated. Luxury prides itself in its handcrafted garments manufactured by respected tradesmen in the industry. The outcome is that the manufactured goods are made to last a lifetime (Gibson, 2012:23).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Colesky, Yolanda
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Business logistics -- Management Retail trade -- Management , Fashion merchandising Physical distribution of goods -- Management Clothing trade
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14917 , vital:27902
- Description: Luxury fashion brands seem to contradict sustainability. The values of sustainability are commonly associated with terms such as sharing, collaboration, austerity, and collective thinking. Luxury, however, is associated with excess, self-indulgence, delight and decadence (Kapferer & Bastien, 2012:360). Further paradoxes exist where the apparel of the luxury consumer is often manufactured by labourers in low wage-paying producing countries. High wastage is evident in the seasonality of the fashion industry. However, work opportunities are created by the fickleness of the fashion industry and the constant need to own the most current designs (Black, 2012:8). Owing to the high visibility of luxury fashion and the contractions between one -- on the one hand -- supplying income to families by way of employment and -- on the other hand -- not complying to sustainable international human resource practices, fashion brands are the focus of many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that use the mass media to expose any social wrongdoing in the industry. Luxury fashion brands are constantly in the spotlight, as highlighted in articles posted by the Clean Clothes campaign, a custodian for employees in the global garment industries; Greenpeace; and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). An example of such practices was when Greenpeace reported in 2009 that shoe brands such as Timberland and Clarks were manufactured from leather sourced from the hides of cattle in illegally deforested areas in Brazil. This provided negative publicity for these luxury shoe brands as well as for the Brazilian government that was financing this project (Vurro, Russo & Perrini, 2009:609). The luxury fashion brand industry, as well as the consumers of luxury fashion labels, are accused -- often only for the sake of sensationalism -- of living in the lap of luxury whilst maintaining a supply chain that is riddled with unsustainable practices. The social structure and hierarchy of patrons within a community have, since the Middle Ages, been signalled by the clothes they wore. Social class was a birthright. Today, sporting luxury brands continues to serve as status symbols, but unlike mediaeval times, it is not limited to people with a high social standing at birth as one can work for status, and purchase the items because one deserves them. (Han, Nunes, & Drèze, 2010:15). In 2009, during the International Herald Tribune (IHT) Suzy Menkes, the fashion editor at The Herald, called for “luxury”’ and “fashion” to be separated. Luxury prides itself in its handcrafted garments manufactured by respected tradesmen in the industry. The outcome is that the manufactured goods are made to last a lifetime (Gibson, 2012:23).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Livelihood strategies in rural areas of Makhoaseng village
- Authors: Lehlapa, Kgotsofalang
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Rural development -- South Africa Rural poor -- South Africa , Poverty -- Developing countries Sustainable development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18156 , vital:28581
- Description: Despite the establishment of local municipalities, rural villages are still under-developed. Under-development is an economic situation in which there are persistent discriminatory customary laws, high inequality, low levels of income and employment, low consumption, high dependence, weak community structures, little or no access to resources and inadequate services. Rural communities have not reached a satisfactory stage of economic development. This is due to the fact that these communities start from a low developmental base. They require assistance from government and other development agencies, such as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in order to achieve economic stability and a sense that they are living a meaningful life. The fundamental purpose of this study is to gain better understanding of rural livelihoods, and unpack efficiency of policy interventions that assist people in rural areas to pursue livelihood strategies that could help them to reduce poverty. The study mainly used documents from Statistics South Africa and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) documents from Elundini Local Municipality that made it possible to access socio-economic information about the village. The study found that, education levels, hawkership, welfare grants, Expanded Public Works Programme, livestock production and migration are strategies that determine livelihood in Makhoaseng village. The socio-economic conditions such as low levels of education, age, lack of access to basic infrastructure have effect on poverty and kind of livelihoods pursuit in different households. These conditions hinder people in the village to meet their basic needs. On the hand, the agricultural sector has a potential to boost Local Economic Development (LED) in the village. Lack of financial and social support from the government and private sector causes deficiencies in agricultural sector. Moreover, the village has weak structures with strong patriarchal norms. This confirms the need for holistic support from the government because few private sectors are willing to invest in such village. The implications are that, without community interest in education, attainment of better educational qualifications, skills and jobs will remain a challenge in the village. Other sectors of the population such as women will remain disadvantaged if community structures do not abandon patriarchal norms. Rural people are not waiting for government or development agencies to come up with interventions but they are engaging in some economic activities such as hawkership and wool production that enable them to go out of poverty. The government must partner with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to support community economic initiatives. On-farm activities ought to be intensified by venturing into mutton and beef production in the village. Government and development agencies must support women hawkers by developing them as cooperatives and explore other economic opportunities such as stone brick making and thatch for roofing. Low levels of education worsen the low living standards and create high dependency in the village. These conditions force the majority of the households in the Makhoaseng village to pursue involuntary livelihood strategies, while very few pursue deliberate livelihood strategies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Lehlapa, Kgotsofalang
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Rural development -- South Africa Rural poor -- South Africa , Poverty -- Developing countries Sustainable development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18156 , vital:28581
- Description: Despite the establishment of local municipalities, rural villages are still under-developed. Under-development is an economic situation in which there are persistent discriminatory customary laws, high inequality, low levels of income and employment, low consumption, high dependence, weak community structures, little or no access to resources and inadequate services. Rural communities have not reached a satisfactory stage of economic development. This is due to the fact that these communities start from a low developmental base. They require assistance from government and other development agencies, such as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in order to achieve economic stability and a sense that they are living a meaningful life. The fundamental purpose of this study is to gain better understanding of rural livelihoods, and unpack efficiency of policy interventions that assist people in rural areas to pursue livelihood strategies that could help them to reduce poverty. The study mainly used documents from Statistics South Africa and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) documents from Elundini Local Municipality that made it possible to access socio-economic information about the village. The study found that, education levels, hawkership, welfare grants, Expanded Public Works Programme, livestock production and migration are strategies that determine livelihood in Makhoaseng village. The socio-economic conditions such as low levels of education, age, lack of access to basic infrastructure have effect on poverty and kind of livelihoods pursuit in different households. These conditions hinder people in the village to meet their basic needs. On the hand, the agricultural sector has a potential to boost Local Economic Development (LED) in the village. Lack of financial and social support from the government and private sector causes deficiencies in agricultural sector. Moreover, the village has weak structures with strong patriarchal norms. This confirms the need for holistic support from the government because few private sectors are willing to invest in such village. The implications are that, without community interest in education, attainment of better educational qualifications, skills and jobs will remain a challenge in the village. Other sectors of the population such as women will remain disadvantaged if community structures do not abandon patriarchal norms. Rural people are not waiting for government or development agencies to come up with interventions but they are engaging in some economic activities such as hawkership and wool production that enable them to go out of poverty. The government must partner with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to support community economic initiatives. On-farm activities ought to be intensified by venturing into mutton and beef production in the village. Government and development agencies must support women hawkers by developing them as cooperatives and explore other economic opportunities such as stone brick making and thatch for roofing. Low levels of education worsen the low living standards and create high dependency in the village. These conditions force the majority of the households in the Makhoaseng village to pursue involuntary livelihood strategies, while very few pursue deliberate livelihood strategies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Selecting an appropriate process for the formulating of an operations strategy for Bridgestone/Firestone, Port Elizabeth plant, in a changed market environment
- Authors: Jeena, Umesh
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Tire industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Management , Bridgestone/Firestone (Firm)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10945 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011325 , Tire industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Management , Bridgestone/Firestone (Firm)
- Description: The research problem addressed in this study was aimed in assisting the management of Bridgestone/Firestone, Port Elizabeth plant, in selecting an appropriate process for the formulation of an operations strategy. The author embarked on a literature survey to gain understanding of the challenges that are occurring in the market environment. The theories and techniques around operational strategies were extensively researched in an effort to effectively and efficiently assist the management of Firestone in achieving a competitive advantage over rival competitors. Other areas of focus include the content, development, principles and concepts in developing an operations strategy. The author details the process of the formulation of an operations strategy as well as the discussion of four models/procedures deployed in organisations that would enhance strategy formulation. It is evident from the findings of the empirical study that a high percentage of the respondents “agree” that the strategy deployed within Bridgestone/Firestone, Port Elizabeth plant is appropriate, yet an alarmingly high percentage believe it to be “ineffective.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
- Authors: Jeena, Umesh
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Tire industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Management , Bridgestone/Firestone (Firm)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10945 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1011325 , Tire industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth -- Management , Bridgestone/Firestone (Firm)
- Description: The research problem addressed in this study was aimed in assisting the management of Bridgestone/Firestone, Port Elizabeth plant, in selecting an appropriate process for the formulation of an operations strategy. The author embarked on a literature survey to gain understanding of the challenges that are occurring in the market environment. The theories and techniques around operational strategies were extensively researched in an effort to effectively and efficiently assist the management of Firestone in achieving a competitive advantage over rival competitors. Other areas of focus include the content, development, principles and concepts in developing an operations strategy. The author details the process of the formulation of an operations strategy as well as the discussion of four models/procedures deployed in organisations that would enhance strategy formulation. It is evident from the findings of the empirical study that a high percentage of the respondents “agree” that the strategy deployed within Bridgestone/Firestone, Port Elizabeth plant is appropriate, yet an alarmingly high percentage believe it to be “ineffective.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
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