Case Study Analysis of Casual Togs

IntroductionThe present-day business environment is characterized by shift magnitude battle in diverse industries. In this regard, it is vital for disposals to ensure that solely their functions or departments argon aligned towards cosmos ahead of their rivalrys (Rugman et al., 2012). There is a wide range of problems that may adversely affect the progress and competitiveness of schemes. These complicate structural problems, confabulation, counselling loves and run shorture to embrace change. stipulation that on that point is no fixed access code to concern that is ideal for completely organizations, each phoner has to ensure that it adopts the most ideal approach, which cornerstone be stubborn by some(prenominal) concomitantors in the internal and external factors that argon particular to the participation (Hill et al., 2014). Businesses similarly need to ensure that they are flexible decent to promptly change in answer to the adjustments that might be pickings place in the tastes and preferences of their clients or even the tactical manoeuvre that their competitors in the manufacturing are using. Companies that are not flexible passable might fail to bear on their relevance towards their signal market segments and lose their competitive bound (Carter et al., 2013).This report presents a baptistry analysis of effortless apparel, a womens apparel comp whatever that is known for its moderately priced products. Most of the gripeers products are blouses, shorts and knit dresses. In the analysis, the report highlights the problems that are beingness set about by the association and the factors that might take a crap contributed to these issues. The importance of addressing these issues in a business is that it provides a guidance or basis for formulating strategies that entrust help to improve the alliances performance. The report withal provides recommendations for Cy, perfunctory togs principal stockh gray-hea deder, on the changes that he require to make in the bon ton. It as well provides recommendations on how the friendship should change its focus practice, anatomical structure and response to change, so as to avoid a recurrence or the problems it faces.The write up problems facing the firmWith reference to the graphic symbol study of free-and-easy Togs, there are a cast of problems that are currently being faced by the company. One of these is that many of its products are being returned by consumers because of their depression type. For any business, the type of products that are offered to clients is among the key attributes that determine its performance in the market (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). For unremarkable Togs, this also led to the loss of a study portion of its old hard-core consumers. It also posed a gainsay to the company in realizeing new clients. Consequences of this issue include a subside in the companys revenue and its overall brand military st rength in the perseverance. It has also been outlined in the case study that the company also faces stiff competition from companies that have long been in the apparels patience as substantially as new upcoming ones.An otherwise(a)(a) issue that faces effortless Togs lies in the human resource department. The company has failed to attract the necessary skills for it to run successfully. This is evidenced by the halt in the social organisation of the companys distribution centre in the middle of the construction, which was attributed to the fact that the company did not get a qualified person who could carry off the construction project. In addition to this, two of the companys designers resigned. This contributed to a drop in the companys overall take in its nine centres by approximately 15%. The fact that Andy Johnson, the companys budget manager and Sol Green, the market analyst could not converse to one another also clearly depicts a communion error among the employee s in the firm. Judy, who was the companys vice death chair, is also depicted in the case study as being aggressive in her communication with other employees.There are several incidents mentioned in the case study that highlight the failure by a section of the companys executives and employees to embrace change. For instance, Judy objected most of the proposed changes, arguing that they were either too expensive or that they had been suggested by incompetent case-by-cases. Another incident was when Andy rejected innuendos that were do by Bill Smith, his assistant, on new approaches that could be used in the bit and analysis of daily sales printouts so as to make break up sales forecasts.Even though there are several other issues that are faced by occasional Togs in its operations, trio main issues have been outlined in this section. These include the decline in the companys competitiveness, human resource issues and the resistance to change among a section of the companys sta ff.Causes of the ProblemsThe first problem about the company is the fact that it is losing its old customers, and more of its products are being returned as a result of either abject quality or late speech to customers. For any business to efficaciously win over the loyalty of its target customers, it has to be dependable in foothold of the products and services it delivers (Dervitsiotis, 2011). Prolonged incidences of poor quality products and services or inconsistencies tend to repel customers. As originally mentioned, there is high competition on the apparel and fashion industry, which also adds the purchasing power of buyers. Failure of one company meet consumer expectations, disregardless of how slightly the gap may be, will make even the loyal customers to switch brands (Talib et al., 2011). Late delivery of products to customers also denotes the incompetence of the department that is concerned with the delivery of the companys products.Another issue that is affecting C asual Togs lies in the human resource management approaches. With reference to the case study presented, there is evidence of a lack of equal of opportunities for calling advancement in the company. An example is Andy, who had raceed with the company for 15 years without any advancement because was not related with the other managers and was also of a unlike nationality. According to Choi et al. (2012), one of the causes of employee turnover is the failure of organizations to provide all the employees with a chance to attain their ultimate career goals. The aggressive nature with which Judy addresses employees in the organization also intimidates the employees and lowers their self esteem. This has an adverse effect on the organisational commitment of employees and has and ultimately, affects their levels of productivity (Adler, 2013 Lutgen-Sandvik & Tracy, 2012).The issue of rigidity and failure to embrace change has also contributed to the problems being faced by Casual Togs. One of the organisational aspects that have led to this is the fact that Cy, the companys president gave all the departmental heads the freedom to make decisions that they considered to be fit for the organization. Whereas it rear end be argued as an approach that is relevant to the present-day business environment, it poses a scrap to decision making when rapid change are to be made because the opinions of every departmental supervisor have to be considered (Myers et al., 2012). These factors have affect the effectiveness with which Casual Togs adjusts in response to the changes in the market, hint to its dwindling performance. This shows the need for organizations to be flexible enough to maintain its relevance to the target markets (Dervitsiotis, 2011).This section has presented some of the main factors that have led to the creation of the issues that faced by Casual Togs. These include the failure of the company to stick to quality in the design of its products and the fai lure to motivate employees, which adversely affects their levels of commitment. several(prenominal) measures have to be put in place to ensure that the earlier mentioned issues have been overcome.Suggestions for changes to be implemented by Cy, Casual Togs chairmanIn regard to the issues that have been earlier identified, there are different approaches that ought to be used to change the current situation of the organization. With regard to the quality issues that have led to a loss of clients by the company and change magnitude returns of goods, the direct measure that has to be taken is to ensure that the designers of the companys apparel products pay attention to detail so as to get up the quality of the products (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). There is also a need to intensify the quality management process to ensure that defective products are minimized (Rosenfeld, 2012). As presented in the case study, market research that is carried out chiefly focuses in the levels of sale s that should be expected in certain seasons. However, it is also vital for the organization to incorporate the on-going trends in fashion so as to effectively address customer demand (Witell et al., 2011).Human resources in any organization are among the most valuable assets, and have a key region towards its overall success. However, it is vital for organizations to motivate them so as to maturation their productivity and organizational commitment (Bratton & Gold, 2012). One of issues that are evident at Casual Togs is that employees from a certain nationality are more likely to be promoted than the other employees. In this regard, Cy, the companys president, needs to ensure that an equating policy is implemented to provide all employees with an equal chance of promotion within the organizational ranks (Giuliano et al., 2011). This will not only motivate employees to work more, but will also attract apt job seekers.The management meetings that were held between managers and o ther departmental leaders within the organization were knowledgeable, mar with emotionally charged arguments, shouting and door slamming. This is a clear indicator of the failure to recognize authority an order during these meetings. It is also quite flimsy that such meetings met the intended object lenss. To avoid recurrence of such scenarios, the companys president needs to change the way board meetings are held from informal to formal (Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012). This will instil a sense of order, and will increase the possibilities of attaining the goals set to be met in the meetings.In the presented case, there is evidence of hoo-hah of departmental operations by managers or vice presidents of different departments. An individual from a different department could question an action carried out in another department that has no connection to his. Whereas there is need for cross-functional communication and cooperation within an organization (Hongjun & Yajia, 2012), such m ental disorders as those depicted at Casual Togs are destructive. To limit this, the companys president needs to change the structure of the organization (Deb, 2009).Suggestions to prevent future issues at Casual TogsTo prevent future problems from occurring at the organization, it is necessary for Casual Togs to ensure that it makes the necessary adjustments. These include structural changes, management practices and their response to changes taking place in the competitive environment. Suggestions for change are provided in merely detail below.Management course sessionThere are a number of changes that ought to be made in the management practices of Casual Togs. The individual in management that raises concern in the case study is Judy, the vice president. Her aggression towards employees, as well as her interference with operations crosswise all departments within the organization, has to be addressed. Given that she is among the majority shareholders in the company and related to the president, there is no orifice of sacking her from the position she holds. Instead, she needs to be encouraged to attend management seminars so as to improve her employee management approach (Bratton & Gold, 2012). Rather than being autocratic in her management and aggressive in communicating with other employees in the organization, she needs to change and become a persuasive or democratic in her management and assertive in communication (Adler, 2013). In persuasive management, managers provide a clear explanation to their employees as to why they have made a certain decision. In democratic management, employees are allowed to make suggestions in the decision making process, and the opinion with the highest votes is selected (Hill et al., 2014). By being assertive in communication, points or arguments are firmly put across to other employees, but respect is still maintained (Adler, 2013).Cys approach of management is too lenient to departmental heads within the organizatio ns. This has also stirred the way in which he handles suppliers, who often take advantage of his leniency to secure tenders even though they are supplying products at a higher price. Even though his consultative approach to management allows departmental heads to take part in decision making, there is still a need for him to exercise authority, especially when holding meetings with them (Diefenbach & Sillince, 2012).Structural ChangeBefore making a suggestion on the structural changes that ought to be implemented in the organization, it is vital to chance upon the organizational structure of Casual Togs as depicted in the case study. Based on the informal nature of meetings between departmental heads and the companys president and the lack of a clear pecking order of authority in the firm, it discount be argued that the organizational structure of the company is adhocratic (Deb, 2009). Even though such a structure is ideal in encouraging creativity and innovation among employees and effectively adjusting with the changes in the market, it also has several demerits. These include a difficulty to solve routine problems that may rustle in the organization, an unclear line of authority and high exposure of the organization to risk (Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012). With reference to the case study, even though Judy is the vice president, she seems to have more authority that the companys president, Cy.In this regard, the company needs to consider changing its structure to a more formal and well structured bureaucratic structure (Dervitsiotis, 2011). Even though such structures are known to limit innovation and creativity within the organization, it may be ideal for Casual Togs for a number of reasons. These include moderation the decision making process, reduction of the exposure to risk and the acknowledgement of a certain structure of authority that has to be adhered to (Bratton & Gold, 2012). Implementing such a structure is likely to eliminate the emotionally charged informal meetings scenarios and also the interference of individuals like Judy in all organizational departments.Responding to Changes in the Competitive EnvironmentBased on the fact that the apparels industry is highly competitive and dynamic, it is also necessary for the company to be flexible enough and ready to implement changes that will maintain its relevance to the target markets (Rugman et al., 2012). One of the measures that have to be undertaken to attain this objective is to intensify market research and carry it out on a regular basis. This could be through seeking customer feedback or canvas the changing trends through observation. Market research also involves studying the tactics or strategies that are being used by competing companies in the industry (Witell et al., 2011). It is through these market research efforts that the Casual Togs will be able to adjust its product designs and marketing strategies to fit the market preferences eon at the same time ens uring that it effectively competes with other players in the market.Maintaining a competitive edge in the industry also depends on the skills that the company has in its human resource force (Dervitsiotis, 2011). It is important for Casual Togs to hire employees that are not only qualified, but also innovative enough to come up with designs that will be well certain by the target markets. Innovation can also be nurtured among employees in the organization by utilizing appropriate motifal and reward strategies (Wright et al., 2012). Workers at Casual Togs also need to be informed on the inevitability of change in organizations, and why they should always be ready for it. By so doing, resistance to change among employees will be reduced. Some of the changes that may need to be implemented at Casual Togs include technological advancements in the production of its apparel and alteration of product designs to glow the needs in the market (Myers et al., 2012).Conclusion and Recommenda tionsConclusionThis report has presented a case study analysis of Casual Togs, a fashion business that mainly deals in the manufacture and distribution of womens apparels. After two decades of operation, the companys performance in the market dropped due because of a number of reasons, which have been highlighted in the report. One of these is the poor quality of products, which led to an increase in the volume of returned products. It also led to the withdrawal of many old customers. Another issue that has been identified is the failure to keep employees motivated enough to increase their organizational commitment. The causes of these issues at Casual Togs have also been presented in the paper, as well as some suggestions on how the president of the company can make the necessary changes to improve the situation at the company. Suggestions that have been provides comprise of management changes, structural changes and how the company can respond faster to changes and competition in the market. Further recommendations that can improve the companys brand position are presented hereunder.RecommendationsIn order for the company to good luck charm to a wider market and increase its returns, it needs to consider expanding its product line. As opposed to the current products that only target ladies, Casual Togs can also consider introducing mens and childrens clothes. As presented in the case, the products that the company distributes are mainly shorts, blouses and some knit dresses. Introduction of other female apparel like skirts, trench coats and pants can also be advantageous for the company.The case has also highlighted the high costs of production that the company incurs. Though some of these costs are inevitable, the company can reduce the overall costs by using appropriate draw production strategies, which are aimed to minimize the cost and maximize production. Some of the approaches that can be used include minimization or even body waste of errors in the design and production of products and standardization of work processes.In terms of human resource management, the company needs to ensure that it hires and strives to maintain talented and innovative employees that will contribute towards its progress in the market. Some of the approaches to motivation include offering them a reasonable remuneration and rewarding them for rummy contribution. 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