The Importance of Responding to Change in the Business World – D1 Assignment
The Importance of Responding to Change in the Business World – D1 Assignment
Clarks is a British business which sells shoes. Over time they have had to respond to changes in the business world in order to keep their stores open and to still make a profit. They have done this in a number of ways.
Firstly, in 1863 the business had to modernise and they did this by introducing a sewing machine instead of hand stitching all the shoes. This meant that the shoes could be made much quicker, which helped them respond to the demand.
Secondly, in the 1900s when the war was going on, leather was hard to get a hold of so they created a unique, hinged wooden sole so they could still carry on producing shoes, and making a profit. During this time period, they also recognised changes in society. This was that women were a new major consumer, as the Victorian days had been left behind and female ankles were now on show. Therefore, Clarks started producing shoes for women that showed their ankles as a response to this change.
Thirdly, in the 1940s the business had a period of rapid growth and the workforce they were using was too small to meet the demand so they opened 15 factories in neighbouring towns. This meant that they could have a much larger workforce that could produce enough shoes to meet the demand. New shops were also opened including their first flagship store in Regent Street, London.
Fourthly, they have made sure that they keep coming out with new products so people don’t get bored, and that their shoes are still fashionable to the time era, in order to ensure that they sell as many as possible. For example, in 1950, the Desert Boot was created using innovation and still remains a global icon today.
In the 1990s there were major changes in world trade. Clarks realised that the company could no longer stay competitive whilst manufacturing in the UK. They responded to this by moving some of the production to Portugal, but they realised that this was not
Clarks is a British business which sells shoes. Over time they have had to respond to changes in the business world in order to keep their stores open and to still make a profit. They have done this in a number of ways.
Firstly, in 1863 the business had to modernise and they did this by introducing a sewing machine instead of hand stitching all the shoes. This meant that the shoes could be made much quicker, which helped them respond to the demand.
Secondly, in the 1900s when the war was going on, leather was hard to get a hold of so they created a unique, hinged wooden sole so they could still carry on producing shoes, and making a profit. During this time period, they also recognised changes in society. This was that women were a new major consumer, as the Victorian days had been left behind and female ankles were now on show. Therefore, Clarks started producing shoes for women that showed their ankles as a response to this change.
Thirdly, in the 1940s the business had a period of rapid growth and the workforce they were using was too small to meet the demand so they opened 15 factories in neighbouring towns. This meant that they could have a much larger workforce that could produce enough shoes to meet the demand. New shops were also opened including their first flagship store in Regent Street, London.
Fourthly, they have made sure that they keep coming out with new products so people don’t get bored, and that their shoes are still fashionable to the time era, in order to ensure that they sell as many as possible. For example, in 1950, the Desert Boot was created using innovation and still remains a global icon today.
In the 1990s there were major changes in world trade. Clarks realised that the company could no longer stay competitive whilst manufacturing in the UK. They responded to this by moving some of the production to Portugal, but they realised that this was not