Assignment Zaras
You are asked to read: Zara: IT for Fast Fashion. Then, you are required to use the following questions to format/organize your response (for the sake of brevity and clarity limit yourself to answering the questions concisely). Please read all the instructions carefully and comply by all of them. Please do not bypass/ignore the instructions or requirements—else points will be deducted.
I. Problem Definition
1a. What is the key problem facing Zara executives?
1b. What are the sub-components of this problem: these are usually a set of decisions they must make involving choices regarding the above problem?
II. Problem Analysis
2a. What is Zara’s competitive positioning strategy (a la Porter, attacking which segment & how, why)?
2b. What is the specific Zara Business Model in relation to its competitors? (please do not re-state what the case text says alone, you should explain!)
2c. What is the fundamental difference in Zara ‘business model’ versus its competitors?
3a. Which part of the generic value chain is the focal point of the case?
3b. There is a critical link between this part of value chain and how it relates to Zara strategy; what is this linkage?
3c. What must go right for the business model and this aspect of the value chain to work in harmony (i.e., alignment)?
3d. Are the overall Zara “business model” and strategy in alignment? Will “they” be in alignment in the short to intermediate future? Why?
4a. What is the key information required to make the value chain-business model-strategy work?
4b. List the underlying data (items) requirement(s) for this key information (underlying inputs for these)?
5a. What type of IT (a la McAfee HBR article) is the focal point of this case?
5b. What benefits does Inditex/Zara get from this focal IT?
5c. In your opinion, what is most distinguishing about Zara’s approach to IT vs. the industry? Is this difference positive or negative? Why?
5d. Can other organizations employ this “approach”? Would it
I. Problem Definition
1a. What is the key problem facing Zara executives?
1b. What are the sub-components of this problem: these are usually a set of decisions they must make involving choices regarding the above problem?
II. Problem Analysis
2a. What is Zara’s competitive positioning strategy (a la Porter, attacking which segment & how, why)?
2b. What is the specific Zara Business Model in relation to its competitors? (please do not re-state what the case text says alone, you should explain!)
2c. What is the fundamental difference in Zara ‘business model’ versus its competitors?
3a. Which part of the generic value chain is the focal point of the case?
3b. There is a critical link between this part of value chain and how it relates to Zara strategy; what is this linkage?
3c. What must go right for the business model and this aspect of the value chain to work in harmony (i.e., alignment)?
3d. Are the overall Zara “business model” and strategy in alignment? Will “they” be in alignment in the short to intermediate future? Why?
4a. What is the key information required to make the value chain-business model-strategy work?
4b. List the underlying data (items) requirement(s) for this key information (underlying inputs for these)?
5a. What type of IT (a la McAfee HBR article) is the focal point of this case?
5b. What benefits does Inditex/Zara get from this focal IT?
5c. In your opinion, what is most distinguishing about Zara’s approach to IT vs. the industry? Is this difference positive or negative? Why?
5d. Can other organizations employ this “approach”? Would it