The True Metamorphosis Essay Example for Free

The True Metamorphosis Essay The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka offers much to be critiqued, including the reason why Gregor Samsa was transformed into a hideous beetle. The truth is Gregor had put himself into a position of demise long ago. Over the years, he had worked himself into both physical and mental exhaustion. Gregor was the sole provider, and eventually his family grew less appreciative of him. His relationship with his family had gone south. They were no longer as close, and it were as if he had become isolated. In Education for Tragedy, Walter H. Sokel elaborates on that point. According to Sokel, the change from human to insect occurred due to the alienation he faced from his family. That alienation continued throughout the novella, eventually leading to Gregor’s death. Several times, Sokel refers to Gregor as being a â€Å"prisoner†. For example, he writes â€Å"Gregor, an adult, is a prisoner in his own family†¦. On the other hand, he is a total stranger in the family and lives in their midst in the state of exile† (Sokel 164). This quote can be interpreted as saying that Gregor is trapped in his own house, and stuck there with little hope as he is not close with the rest of the Samsas. To further show his disconnect from his family, Sokel writes about Gregor’s decision to lock his door. He states â€Å"When Gregor wakes up as a vermin, his main problem, since he has locked the door of his room, is reaching the others out of his literal seclusion† (Sokel 164). For Sokel, Gregor locking his door shows that he is living in a different world from the rest of his family. Gregor did everything that he possibly could for his family, and they never really opened their arms for him. They enjoyed the rewards Gregor brought them from his labor, but never showed gratitude to him. The metamorphosis of Gregor into an insect did not just highlight how insignificant he was to his family after the transformation, but also proved the insignificance he had to them before the transformation. It is very accurate that Gregor was alienated from the rest of his family. This alienation had occurred as a result of the oath that he took several years ago. He had promised himself that he would exert all of his energy toward getting his family out of debt. Gregor was forced to do this single handedly. Gregors physical metamorphosis is a metaphor for the mental metamorphosis of a man alienated from his family. It is no coincidence that Kafka had transformed Gregor into an insect. The insect that he has transformed into is a symbol created by Kafka that shows what Gregor’s true identity had been all along. Many insects, such as ants and bees, have workers that provide for the rest of their group. Similarly, Gregor must provide for his family. He states that he felt his family was no longer capable of working. His father â€Å"had not worked for the past five years and who in any case could not be expected to undertake too much†, his mother could not work for she suffered from asthma, and his sister for seventeen years â€Å"was still a child† whose life consisted of â€Å"wearing pretty clothes, sleeping late, helping in the house, enjoying a few modest amusements, and above all playing the violin† (Kafka 27). While all three members of his family are at home living their leisurely lives, Gregor is out in the working world. Clearly, there is a huge gap between these two worlds, and that is a factor in why Gregor feels so far apart from his family. It did not help that his job made him miserable. When he wakes up in Chapter 1 as an insect, he is not overly concerned that he is no longer human- instead he worries that he will be late for work. While he prepares, he thinks about how much he hates his job. â€Å"Oh God, what a grueling job I’ve picked! Day in, day out- on the road. The upset of doing business is much worse than the actual business in the home office, and besides, I’ve got the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate. To the devil with it all† (Kafka 4). The working world that Gregor is stuck in is a miserable one where he finds no enjoyment. He is extremely lonely, and feels by himself. Unfortunately for him, those feelings remain unchanged when he does return home. Sokel’s essay also details the role reversal that had occurred between he and his father after his transformation. Sokel writes â€Å"through Gregor’s metamorphosis, the father becomes masterful again and reasserts himself as head of the family. Thus The Metamorphosis is the resurrection and rejuvenation of a father held to be senile. The son, for his part, sinks into a dreadful state, which far exceeds the degradation of senility† (Sokel 165). It is true- Gregor had been transformed into the lowest of life forms. He was imprisoned in his room, and locked away from not just society, but his family as well. His father, meanwhile, became the main provider in the family, becoming a bank messenger. He was not the only one who changed for the better though- the rest of his family did as well. His mother knits clothes to be sold, and his sister has become a salesgirl. By the end of the novel, the Samsas have moved on from their old lives. They take the trolley into the open country, and are prepared to look for a smaller and cheaper apartment, one that they could manage. They now all understand their capabilities, and are no longer the same Samsas who lingered at their home while Gregor attempted to keep the family afloat in terms of money. Gregor should not be forgotten though, as his change was the catalyst for his family’s transformation. Sokel writes, â€Å"Gregor’s metamorphosis is sacrifice† (Sokel 174). He was forced to give up his life in order for his family to find success on their own. His transformation opened up his family’s eyes that they would not be able to survive living the way they did. Is it unfortunate, but their existence at the end of the novella can be attributed to one thing, and that is the demise of Gregor. Had he not been changed into an insect, his family would still linger and accomplish little to nothing at all. The story of Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis seems ridiculous and hard to comprehend at first, but the true message of the story becomes clear toward the end. Kafka wants the audience to see how cruel and uncaring society is. Gregor gave up on his own life to work nonstop just to keep his family afloat, and they were never really appreciative of him. All he wanted was to see his family be able to prosper. In order for this to occur, Gregor had to be sacrificed. Perhaps it is not fair that he had to be turned into an insect and eventually die for his family to realize what was wrong with them. They exploited him to the point where he could offer them nothing else, and he eventually became a burden for them. Nonetheless, without including physical change, Gregor was the character that changed the least. He still showed much care for his family despite the lack of care back, and even in his dying moments, he â€Å"thought back on his family with deep emotion and love†. Kafka wants the audience to see that Gregor was a martyr. His death occurred for the greater good of the family, and that is shown when they are ready to live their new lives.

When Excessive Force Becomes Police Brutality Sociology Essay

When Excessive Force Becomes Police Brutality Sociology Essay There has been an increase in cases of police brutality in recent times. Many people have been injured or have lost their lives due to police brutality in different places in the world. According to Fitzgerald (2007), police brutality can be defined as instances when the police use excessive force against people when undertaking their duties. Different authors have discussed this issue at length and have documented evidence of police brutality in order to discourage the practice. â€Å"Jill Nelson† who has edited the book â€Å"Police brutality: an anthology† is one such person who has assembled several essays which discuss the issue of police brutality at length in the book. This paper aims at analyzing the book â€Å"Police brutality: an anthology† by Jill Nelson. The paper will address the major issues raised by the authors and their conclusions. It will also critique the book and give a personal evaluation at the end of the paper. Book review: Nelson, J. (2001). Police brutality: An anthology. New York: W.W. Norton Co. Publishers Synopsis The authors discuss the issue of police brutality in the American society at length. Different academics, activists, writers and intellectuals have written essays which discuss the issue of police brutality. They have also linked police brutality to racism in the United States (Nelson, 2001: 44-45). The authors trace the history of police brutality to the slavery period and its practice to the modern day society. They then link the incidences of police brutality with racism. They do this through providing readers with evidence on races which experience most forms of police brutality. These races mainly include the black race, although minority races are also seen to be victims of police brutality. â€Å"Professor Katheryn Russell† explains that the police link the black community to cases of criminal activities (Nelson, 2001: 10). It is on this basis that the police use brutality when dealing with the black race. Most of the essays which are discussed in the book share certain features and these are explained as follows; the first is that most of the interactions between the police and minority groups feature abuse of police powers though this is often not noticed. The second feature is that investigative profiling has been taken advantage of by the police to harass young black males. Since there is a perception that most criminals are black, the police take advantage of that to stop and harass many young black people (Nelson, 2001: 43-46). Finally, the book gives recommendations on what should be done to discourage police brutality. Different authors give different suggestions on the issue. Some authors view tougher laws against police brutality as the solution to the problem. Others view more cooperation between the public and the police force as the solution to the problem of police brutality. Summary of book The book begins by giving a historical overview of cases of police brutality over the years. Several cases, most of which occurred in the 1990s are briefly discussed. These include the brutal murder of Amadou Diallo and beating of Abner Louima in New York. Amadou Diallo was shot nineteen times by four New York police officers even though he was unarmed. Abner Louima on the other hand was severely assaulted and sodomized with a broken broom by New York police officers. This happened after he engaged them in a confrontation (Holmes Smith, 2008: 3). The authors analyze the issue of police presence around the black community from the slavery era to the modern times. Historically, there are several instances where police descended on black people using excessive force. During 1900, police beat up black men due to a rumor that a white policeman had been murdered by a black man. The authors explain that police brutality usually involves beatings and use of pepper sprays. It also involves the use of defamatory language and other forms of excessive force when the alleged crime and perpetrator does not warrant the use of the same according to the principle of ‘use of reasonable force. However, there is another aspect to police brutality which is usually ignored. This occurs when racism is committed, and other officers act indifferently, or do not take any measures to prevent police brutality. According to Banks (2004: 44-47), these officers are similarly guilty of police brutality. The authors acknowledge that in recent times, the issue of police brutality over the black population, especially in instances where black policemen and women mete out violence against the black community, is becoming an issue of concern to the white population. This is especially due to the perception that police brutality is a threat to democracy. In conclusion, some authors such as â€Å"Derrick Bell† give suggestions on how the issue of police brutality should be tackled. These include community policing which makes all races have confidence in the ability of the police to perform their work effectively. It involves mutual partnership between the general public and the police. The authors also suggest hiring more black policemen in order to give the black race confidence in the efficiency of the police force and reduce fear of police harassment. Other remedy techniques include mediation when solving complaints by the public against the police, as opposed to only punishing guilty police officers. This is effective since mediation ensures that the two parties have a cordial relationship. Finally, some authors are of the opinion that tougher laws which curb police brutality ought to be passed in order to discourage the practice and restore confidence in the police force. Critique All of the contributors to the articles are either academics, activists, writers, intellectuals or police officers. These are people who have knowledge and experience on the issues which they discuss (Greene, 2006: 890-896). Since they are experts in their own fields, this means that the information which is presented in the book is highly credible. The fact that the information discussed is supported by facts increases the validity of the conclusions made. It also reduces the instances of errors. The research carried out is elaborate, and unlike many other books which rely on secondary research, many facts stated in the book originate from past historical events which are factual and well known. However, it is important to note that all secondary information sources have certain weaknesses. There is a likelihood of bias and error which originates from the researchers. If any of the contributors to the essays was biased in passing judgment or making conclusions, then the bias will be replicated in the book and conclusions made may be inaccurate. However, since the contributors are credible people, chances of such bias occurring are very low. One weakness which may be seen in this book is that it appears to have a one-sided argument. The authors appear to give more weight in instances where police use brutal force against the black race. She therefore neglects cases where brutal force is used against the white race and other races (Cothran, 2001: 64-65). Some people view the cases of police brutality over the black race as isolated cases. These should therefore not be used to generalize the trend as the general police behavior. After all, there are many cases of police brutality when dealing with the white race. In other cases black people are treated similarly to other races. Personal Evaluation Police brutality is a problem which has been experienced over several generations. Although there are arguments that the book may be one sided and biased against the white race, there is evidence that information presented is true. The number of incidences of police brutality against the black race compared to that against the white race points to bias against the black race. It is true that many policemen and women treat all races equally when undertaking their duties. However it is equally impossible to deny that there is a significant proportion which is biased over the black population and this is something which has been observed historically In order to rectify this problem, more needs to be done to restore confidence by the black community on the fairness of the police. There needs to be more cooperation between black people and white police officers in order for this vice to be broken. This can be achieved through community policing as well as mediation of disputes between the black race and the police (Gerdes, 2004: 184-187). In order to prevent a few rogue policemen and women from tarnishing the name of the police force, tough laws need to be passed in order to discourage police brutality over any race. In my opinion, the book is suitable for a wide range of audience. Students especially in law will find the book very useful since it will present weaknesses which are present in the current justice system. The book will also be very useful to law makers since it provides them with information on weaknesses in the justice system. It will also give them information on racism and this may guide them in making future laws which govern justice. The general public will also find the book insightful since it will present a link between police brutality and racism. This is a perspective which is important to understand if racism is to be eliminated from the American society. References Banks, C. (2004). Criminal justice ethics: theory and practice. New York: SAGE Cothran, H. (2001). Police brutality: opposing viewpoints. Michigan: Greenhaven Press Fitzgerald, S. (2007). Police brutality. Michigan: Greenhaven Press Gerdes, L. I. (2004). Police brutality. Michigan: Greenhaven Press Greene, J. R. (2006). The encyclopedia of police science. Washington: CRC Press. Holmes, M. D. Smith, B. W. (2008). Race and police brutality: Roots of an urban dilemma. New York: SUNY Press Nelson, J. (2001). Police brutality: An anthology. New York: W.W. Norton Co. Publishers

The History Of The Internet :: essays research papers

Term Paper: The History of the Internet The Internet began like most things in our society, that is to say that the government started it. The Internet started out as a experimental military network in the 60's. Doug Engelbart prototypes an "Online System" (NLS) which does hypertext browsing editing, email, and so on. The Internet is a worldwide broadcasting resource used for distributing information and a source for interaction between people on their computers. In 1973, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated a research program to investigate techniques and technologies for interlinking packet networks of various kinds. It then expanded to other governmental agencies and then to higher education. This was called the Internetting project and the system of networks, which emerged from the research, was known as the "Internet." Al Gore is described as "an advocate of the information superhighway". He helped bring it to our national attention that he invented the Internet. It is not true that he invented the Internet but it is true that he had a small part in its development. Since the early sixties, when Al Gore was still in high school, the development of networking technology had already started. It is true that the Internet has grown and flourished tremendously during Gore's tenure, but that hardly means he caused it to happen. The Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The Internet enables communication and transmission of data between computers at different locations. The Internet is a computer application that connects tens of thousands of interconnected computer networks that include 1.7 million host computers around the world. The basis of connecting all these computers together is by the use of ordinary telephone wires. Users are then directly joined to other computer users at there own will for a small connection fee per month. The connection conveniently includes unlimited access to over a million web sites twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. There are many reasons why the Internet is important these reasons include: The net adapts to damage and error, data travels at 2/3 the speed of light on copper and fiber, the internet provides the same functionality to everyone, the net is the fastest growing technology ever, the net promotes freedom of speech, the net is digital, and can correct errors. Connecting to the Internet cost the taxpayer little or nothing, since each node was independent, and had to handle its own financing and its own technical requirements.

Don’t Shoot the Sheriff: An overview of Rastafarians and the Legal System :: essays papers

Don’t Shoot the Sheriff: An overview of Rastafarians and the Legal System Rastafarianism is a way of life†¦ for many it is the only way of life. Growing up under a certain religion instills varying values and understandings into one’s moral fiber. These values are what shape a human’s character. In some countries, the government is trying to tell these peaceful people to disregard their upbringing and to conform to alien ways. Every religious sect has its own traditions and historical rituals that they abide to. In religions, almost everything has significance to it. And anyone concerned about the future of his/her religion, will continue to ensure that these traditions are followed, to preserve their own way of life. Now, most countries have religious freedom clauses in their constitutions that state that anyone living on their soil has the right to practice the religion of their choice. Now this might seem a minuscule fact for someone of a common religion, but to someone of a minority religion, this is all the protection they have from the legal system. This paper is only a taste of the justices and injustices that Rastafarians have faced in legal systems across the globe. Some instances a loophole for the "misfortunate", others an outcry from the oppressed. Every country’s legal system has problems. Some problems are masked with legal terms. Theses are the hardest to overcome. The "land of the free" is what the United States is sometimes referred to as, but for some, this statement seems phonier than an Ed McMahon sweepstakes. In the U.S. case, Belgrave vs. Coughlin, an inmate of the Sing-Sing Correctional Institution in New York, claims his religious rights were revoked. Nekyon Belgrave, a Rastafarian, says the Department of Correctional Services ("DOCS" hereinafter) denied his request to wear his religious head covering known as a crown. A crown is a loose-knit, circular hat that covers the wearer’s dreadlocks (Anderson, 1). Belgrave’s appeal reached the Second Circuit where acting Justice Anthony A. Scaprino Jr. sent the matter back to DOCS saying they overlooked their own regulations denying Belgrave’s request. The matter had already been solved in the precedent of Benjamin vs. Coughlin, 905 F2d 571, where the Second Circuit had agreed with a lower court ruling that denying a Rastafarian’s request to wear a crown did not break the First Amendment, ruling that is was an interest of security (Anderson, 2). This precedent and an August 8, 1990 memorandum stating that regulations allowed the wearing of certain head-coverings, was enough to send the matter back into the hands of the DOCS.

The Louvre :: Essays Papers

The Louvre T h e A r t M u s e u m s of P a r i s Paris is renowned worldwide for its art museums. There are so many, each with its own unique pieces of art, this report will only cover two of Paris’ most famous museums. Which are of course The Louvre and Museum d’Orsay. The Louvre History The Louvre was originally built in 1190 AD as a fortress for protection to the city of Paris during the Crusades. It was a fortress for nearly 500 years until it became an elegant palace. By the 1400’s France’s Royalty gathered at The Louvre to enjoy banquets and tournaments. Elaborate gardens were added along with an aviary and many wild, exotic animals. In 1415 France was captured by the British and The Louvre was ravaged by vandals. It fell into disrepair and was left unoccupied for nearly 150 years. This is when Francis the first tore down the original structure and erected an exquisite and prosperous palace. Every king since then on added an addition to The Louvre. It also served as their home until the French Revolution of 1789. The Louvre officially became a museum in 1793. The government opened it to the public which no longer meant art was only available to the upper-class. All through the previous centuries the government had collected priceless pieces of art and now displayed them in The Louvre. The collection was growing so big that more buildings had to be built to display the great and precious collection that was accumulated over so many years. This period was known as â€Å"The Restoration† as Napoleon established remodeling of the interior and exterior of the Louvre and eliminated all the shops that filled the Louvre from the 18th century. The Louvre Today Today The Louvre is one the World’s most famous Art Museums. It houses many famous masterpieces such as: The Mona Lisa Winged Victory of Samothrace Venus De Milo The Seated Scribe

Mt. Lemmon

Mt. Lemmon towers 9000 feet above sea level starting at the foot of the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, Arizona. This unique eco-environment can be compared as a trip from Mexico to Canada in 25 miles with regards to vegetation distribution (Dotucson). On the base of the mountain range, the dominant vegetation resembles that of a desert landscape, all the desert plant and wildlife co-exist among the ever creeping metropolitan city limits. Saguaro cactus abounds standing tall against the backdrop of the enormous mountain range (Azentertain, 2006). As one treks to go upward from the wide base, bushes and smaller plant varieties and grasses are observed to flourish. This vegetation is relatively widely distributed among wind blown rock formations. Going further up to the peak of the mountain, the scenery drastically changes to become a dense forest of aspen trees, pine and fir, which cover the upper portion of the huge land mass. These forest landscapes predominantly occupy regions up to the snow covered areas during winter seasons. The very unique environment characteristic of Mount Lemmon may be attributed with the physical factors of the mountain. Apparently, the lush vegetation in the upper part of the mountain receives adequate amounts of rain water to support its forest. However, some related factors in the form of boulders and contour variations may have trapped the water in the upper part, making the base areas dry and scarce with water. This causes the bottom landscape to have a desert ecosystem. The Aspen fire in 2003 may be seen as a factor in changing the vegetation of the mountain. A good number of remaining trees may not be able to support the watershed in a certain time segment since many trees and animals have died of the fire. However, the burned forest materials will serve as elements to further nourish the soil. This will eventually give better vegetation conditions for other plants and animals in the future. References: AZentertain. 2006. Mt. Lemmon, AZ-the long drive into another world. Retrieved May 13, 2007 from http://emol.org/tucson/mtlemmon/information.html. Dotucson. Mt; Lemmon. Retrieved May 13, 2007 from http://www.dotucson.com/visit.asp?qry=431. Â   Â  

Shortening Lead-Times to Create an Agile

1. Introduction The last decade has witnessed a significant transformation that fast fashion has become a key feature in current fashion industry. Although it was regarded as a niche concept offered by a few winners such as Zara and H&M, fast fashion has now been adopted as a key operation mode by many brands in the fashion market (Baker, 2008), using advanced and more efficient supply chains to be more responsive to changing trends towards customer demand. Hence, Fast fashion brands perform relatively better than other fashion brands in various aspects. (Mattila et al. 002: 340 – 351) Esprit is a fashion brand owned by Esprit Holding Ltd. , manufacturing apparel, accessories, footwear and housewares under the Esprit label. In the previous fashion market, Esprit is generally recognized as the originator of fast fashion. As one of the pioneers in the fashion industry, however, Esprit has lost its way in recent years. (Best Retail Brands, 2012) â€Å"In essence, Esprit is a str ong and profitable brand, but the brand has gradually lost its soul over the past few years,† Ronald Van Der Vis – chief executive of Esprit admitted. News. com. au, 2011) The company is now focused on a brand revival with significant investment planned for marketing and the retail experience, as well as plans to exit some European markets and sell off the U. S. business. (Best Retail Brands, 2012) The most notable action is that the company has appointed Jose Manuel Martinez Gutierrez, who was group director of distribution and operations at Zara, as the CEO position in September 2012. This evidence shows that Esprit is going to struggle with fast fashion leaders like Zara and H&M.From an operational perspective, agile supply chain strategies have been relatively well studied, and can yield significant value to firms through faster supply chain. (Fisher and Raman 1996) Esprit has started realizing that how to make its products and services to reach customers in the sho rtest time is most important in today’s fashion market. As a result, rapidly changing competitive fashion market and dynamic customer expectations require Esprit to seek agility in its whole supply chain. This paper focuses on the brand reformation in the aspect of creating agile upply chain for Esprit, with an analysis of the key problem that Esprit is currently facing and provide three solutions, which are: 1. Designing new products following fashion shows 2. Establishing smaller-scale operational mode 3. Using quick response strategy 2. Literature Review 2. 1 The conception of fast fashion Fast fashion is a contemporary term used by fashion retailers to acknowledge that designs move from catwalk to store in the fastest time to capture current trends in the market. (Bruce et al. 001) In an operational level, Barnes and Lea-Greenwood (2006) defined â€Å"Fast fashion† as a business strategy which aims to reduce the processes involved in the buying cycle and lead times to get fresh fashion product into stores, in order to satisfy consumer demand. 2. 2 Agile supply chain in fast fashion The supply chain is central to the creation of fast fashion. If suppliers cannot respond quickly enough, inefficiency will occur, and clothing will be unsalable and finally result in the increase of inventory.Fashion market has been defined that it has four characteristics which are short life-cycles, high volatility, low predictability and high impulse purchasing (Martin et al. 2004), as a result, building up agile supply chain is highly essential in today’s fashion market. Bruce et al. (2004) has described agile supply chain that it is shorter, more flexible and demand driven than the normal supply chain. Christopher et al. (2004) pointed out that agile supply chain is driven by information such as market demand and information sharing between businesses in the supply chain. 2. 3 Three critical lead-timesAccording to Martin et al (2004), retailers should c oncentrate on using different ways to improve the quality of forecast to cope with various uncertainties from the market. However, because the vitality of market demands, the prediction of forecast will always be accurate in fashion market. As a result, the way of reducing lead-time should be found rather than just relying on the market forecasting. 2. 3. 1 Time-to-market In the highly changeable fashion industry, life cycles of fashion products have been reduced, which means that there is a need for firms to reduce the time-to-market of new products to get market at the fasted speed.Time-to-market is defined as the length of time taken in product development process from product idea to the finished product. (Garel, 2003) Griffin (2002) used time-to-market to analyze its relationship with the degree of product complexity and originality. In which product complexity and originality were found be related with multifunctional teams and the use of formal process. Sherman et al. (2002) presented that the quantity of people, such as suppliers, top management people and multi-functional teams who involved in the process is highly associated with time-to-market. It is also important to point out that Martin et al. 2004) has drawn a figure presenting the risk that companies will confront if slow to market. 2. 3. 2 Time-to-serve According to Martin et al. (2004), time-to-serve could be understood as the time to capture customer’s order and deliver the product to retail stores. Time-to-serve applies both principles of lean thinking and just-in-time process to time compression. However, it also inspects the incurring of costs and adding of value with proceeding time. This offers enterprises with a more comprehensive perception where progress can be made in order to reach a higher service levels concerning availability. Marcelo, 2011) Bergvall-Forsberg and Towers (2007) suggest that sourcing garments closer to consumer markets, particularly in Europe, could shorten the time-to-serve. 2. 3. 3 Time-to-react Time-to-react is one of the lead-times given by Martin et al. (2004), which means the time to adjust the output of the business in response to volatile demand. Because most supply chains are driven by ordering, understanding what customer actually request and do the quick response is a challenge that many fashion retailers are facing. (Martin et al. 2004) Forza and Vinelli 1997:125) has defined that â€Å"Quick response strategy acts on the single phases/activities throughout the entire chain-right from the producers of yarn up to the sales outlets-with the aim of reducing the time spans that elapse from the textile design stage to the purchasing of the garments by the final consumers†. Time-to-react can be accelerated through the tenet of quick response strategy, which has been divided into three parts: reducing excess stock from raw material to market, declining the risk of new product forecasting and speeding up the delivery. Birtw istle et al. , 2003) 3. Problem After decades of development, Esprit has become a mature, well-known and international fashion brand that offers customers various kinds of fashion products. However, as showed in the annual report of Esprit in 2011, the net profit of Esprit Holding Ltd. was 79 millions, has slumped sharply by 98%, compared with the same period last year. Moreover, Esprit has closed more than 100 physicals stores in the most areas of North America and some areas of Europe and China because its meager sales. (News. com. au, 2011)These situations directly result in the loss of customers and the damage of its brand image. In the current dilemma of Esprit, Weixiong Cheng, the executive vice-president of ME&CITY, considered that speed and flexibility are the most essential factors in this changeable fashion market, however, with conservative design and sluggish supply chain, Esprit failed to response to ever-changing market needs, whereas the leading fast fashion retailer such as Zara and H&M is struggling to continuously bring fresh fashion goods to customers, which have brought unprecedented competitive pressure to Esprit.Stephen and Aikaterini (2011) point out that because the fashion industry is characterized by intense and dynamic competition, participants are obliged to develop innovative structures and processes supporting market growth, maintaining competitive advantage and exploiting new product sectors and consumers. Martin et al. (2004) consider that the big gap between traditional fashion and fast fashion is the agility of the supply chain. Esprit puts too much emphasis on unique brand’s image, while ignoring the speed and flexibility in the market. The low-speed of updating new products can’t meet consumers demand.So it not only misses the best sales opportunities but also increases the risk of inventory. In this context, Esprit must find some ways to recover. 4. Solutions Martin et al (2004) explain that through effectivel y manage three critical lead-times; the competitive advantage of enterprises can be improved. They are time-to-market, time-to-serve and time-to-react. The speed of Esprit’s supply chain could be improved through these three aspects. 4. 1 Design new products following fashion shows The first solution is designing new products following recent fashion shows.A successful supply chain should be sensitive to the market and response to the product design as soon as possible. Compared with copy the design from other fast fashion brands, depending on fashion shows to design new products will be faster. So the time to design new products will affect the speed of fashion supply chain directly. Yinyin (2010) consider that â€Å"fast fashion† is a new term used to describe clothing collections that are based on the most recent fashion trends. It means the popular fashion factors will change rapidly which lead to the short life-circle of fashion products. The product is often ephe meral, designed to capture the mood of the moment: consequently, the period in which it will be saleable is likely to be very short and seasonal, measured in months or even weeks†(Martin et al. 2004). It requires that suppliers should grasp the fashion trends and design new products in short time. Fast fashion companies employ a large number of designers and buyers; they are responsible for collecting a complete range of fashion information and getting inspiration from fashion shows. Also, Hines and Bruce (2001:123) state that, the-term trend is closely related to future designs.The right decision should be made on the design and style of the clothing (Forza and Vinelli, 1997). If a company can catch the first opportunity to reach new market, it would be succeed in sales. With the advances in mass communication, consumers can easily keep up with the latest fashion trends (Liz and Gaynor, 2006:260). Mass consumers not just like â€Å"cheap†; in fact, they are more intere sted in â€Å"trendy and inexpensive. † For instance, easy chic, and short-term trend is often associated with the popular elements in a particular season, such as a particular color.Minxun (2012) points out that Esprit makes transition to be a fast fashion brand; the key point is product design that is not only new but also fast. It means Esprit should follow the fashion trends and meets the consumers’ demand to design products soon. In order to forecast the consumers taste, the Esprit designers should refer to some famous shows that contain the fashion ideas, trends and colors for the new season’s textile designs (David et al. , 2006). Esprit should not following other fashion brands, being the first one to entry new market. 4. Establish smaller-scale operational mode In traditional fashion companies, the total time in manufacture process is considerable which enormously lengthen the order to delivery cycle. The underpinning reason for this long manufacturing time largely lies in the batch-based production and shipping methods. Companies want to pursue cost-minimization and every step is quantities-processed separate from each other in the total manufacturing process. In previous years, about 80 percent of Esprit’s business in Europe is the wholesale rather than retail (Kailath T, 2002).This led to the European headquarters inclined resources to order-placing meetings. Esprit’s order-placing conferences from beginning two times a year became four times a year, until the final 12 times a year, and each time there was three months for lead-time (Kailath T, 2002). The traditional economic batch-quantities methods could truly minimize their costs of manufacturing as well as the costs of shipping. But this viewpoint of cost is too narrow and enterprises would ultimately lose their advantage competitiveness compared with those fast-fashion brands.Esprit needs to change its existing manufacture and shipping patterns urgently if th e company attempts to transform its existing operational system. It must abandon its conventional economies of scale principle both in manufacturing stage and shipping stage. Fast changing, small amount and a high variety of products are commonplace for fast fashion brands. The successful fast fashion brand ZARA, it remains about 30 percent of spare capacity rather than maximizing the use of its productivity (Andres M, 2003).ZARA gives up the pursuit of economies of scale and takes small quantities of production and distribution methods. Whether ZARA and H & M, an artificially created shortage of supply, not only helps cutting down products’ lead-times but also encourages consumers to buy the commodities quickly. Also, small-scale production increased flexibility of the production line in order to better respond to changes of customer needs. If Esprit wants to transform into a fast fashion brand, it must abandon its conventional bulk production style which just pursuing econo mies of scale.The company should cut down its outputs and increase the diversity of products. The adoption of lower output and higher variety of production could help Esprit drive higher service levels in terms of availability within the shortest possible time. Another critical problem in Esprit’s supply chain is its shipping time that largely delayed the time-to-serve. Company’s former underpinning philosophy of pursuing the economies of scale kept the costs of shipping down to some extent, but may ultimately self-defeating for missing the best sales opportunities and increasing the risk of inventory.The best way to solve this problem is to accelerate the commodities’ transport speed even though sacrifice some cost consideration. Fashion represents to be fast. Take successful fast fashion brand ZARA for example, for the sake that products can be shipped to regions outside of Europe within 48 hours. The company is willing to pay two percent of high airfreight co st price. In France, Germany, Italy, Spain and other EU countries, ZARA transport its products mainly by truck with an average of 36 hours to the chain stores.The sales in these areas occupy 70 percent of company’s total sales. As for the remaining 30 percent of sales, the company sends its products through airway to distant countries and regions such as Asia for the sake of improving the transport speed (Marcelo R, 2011). ZARA’s chain stores in China have their separate order rights the same as other stores all over the world, even a section only book one piece of clothing, ZARA could also guarantee to send it to the store within 48 hours (Marcelo R, 2011). If Esprit wants to reform ts operational system and earn much more profits in fashion market, the company must make efforts to curtail the products’ shipping time to gain competitive advantages compared with other fashion brands. What’s more, the shorter transporting time could help Esprit lower its s upply chain risk. 4. 3 Lead-time reduction by â€Å"Quick response† strategy Quick response strategy has been adopted by a growing number of fashion retailers in order to improve the company’s competitive advantage. Esprit makes sales forecast and then outsources to third parties half a year in advance.However, the market environment may change during this period; therefore, the lead-time must be shortened in order to risk reduction. Figure 1 Merchandise, data and financial transfer with quick response Source: taken from Quick response in retailing: components and implementation (1995, P. 13) As we can see from figure 1, Customers go to the store to purchase the products or services they need. The purchasing information will be collected, such as style, color, and number. Then this buying information would be sent to vendor for analyzing.Fernie (1994) suggests that the development of IT technology can ensure the implementation of the quick response strategy. For instan ce electronic data interchange (EDI). Suppliers manufacture products in accordance with the order requirements, transportation to retail stores through distribution channels. Esprit would be suggested to use the designs of their offshore suppliers. And Esprit buyers will make ultimate selects from these designs. Furthermore, the ultimate decisions making are based on analyzing historical sales data.In practice, celebrities, pop stars and fashion events have affected the design of the products. In this way, a large amount of money and time will be saved. Quick response strategy gives close attention to an effective and efficient delivery process of goods from suppliers to customers with minimum lead-time. It aims at the high profits, low risk, changing demand and attractive products. The short product life cycle, demand uncertainty and fierce competition are the characteristic of fashion industry. In this environment, market mediation is becoming more and more important. Fisher (1997 , P. 07) point out that an accurate prediction makes a good match between the demand and supply of the products. The ultimate goal of the implementation of the quick response strategy is to meet the customers demand. Therefore, Esprit Buyers and sales staffs should track and analyze recent sales data promptly, so as to recognize the best-selling styles and slow-moving style. For these best-selling items, buyers could inform the supplier’s design team to produce similar styles as quick as possible. For those slow-moving items, managers could take markdown or discount strategy, which could relieve the inventory pressures.In addition, when fashion companies choosing suppliers, the speed and flexibility should be taken into account, not just low cost (Fisher, 1997, P. 108). Esprit could combine local manufacturers with outsourcing to low-cost producers. More specifically, the high-tech products and core products could be manufactured in local factories. As for basic products, the y could be produced in low-cost regions. For example, the suppliers of North Africa provide trendy clothing within three weeks at a low price (Birtwistle et al. , 2003) Indeed, multi-sourcing is a good way to outsource.Furthermore, the relationships among stakeholders influence the effect of the implementation of quick response strategy. On one hand, they are independent of each other; on the other hand, they share information and support each other. Figure 2 Physically Efficient Versus Market-Responsive Supply Chains Physically Efficient ProcessMarket-Responsive Process Primary purpose Supply predictable demand efficiently at the lowest possible costRespond quickly to unpredictable demand in order to minimize stock outs, forced markdowns, and obsolete inventory Manufacturing focusMaintain high average utilization rateDeploy excess buffer capacity Inventory trategyGenerate high turns and minimize inventory throughout the chain Deploy significant buffer stocks of parts or finished go ods Lead-time focusShorten lead time as long as it doesn’t increase costInvest aggressively in ways to reduce lead time Approach choosing suppliersSelect primarily for cost and qualitySelect primarily for speed, flexibility, and quality Product-design strategyMaximize performance and minimize costUse modular design in order postpones product differentiation Source: taken from What is the right supply chain for your product? (Fisher, 1997, P. 08) It can be seen from this chart, buyers concerned about the procurement budgets, discount management and increased margins. Manufactures pay more attention to the volume of orders, production scale, as well as timing. For distributors, the new products must be picked and delivered to consumer precisely, cheaply and as quickly as possible (Birtwistle et al. , 2003). By this way, Esprit would achieve the purpose of inventory reduction and short lead-time, as well as fewer forecast errors. 5. Advantages and disadvantages AdvantagesDisadva ntages Design new products1.Occupy market share firstly and make profits 2. To be the market leader of fast fashion and gain consumer loyalty. 1. New products are risky because of the uncertain forecast. 2. The complex clothing manufacture lead to the high cost Establish smaller-scale operational mode 1. Decrease the lead-time in supply chain 2. Win more competitive advantages for the company 3. Decrease the risk of supply chain1. Lose the cost advantages that bought by the economies of scale 2. Lose part of the profits 3. Increased product ranges lead to the rising of cost Lead-time reduction by â€Å"Quick response† strategy . Reduce inaccurate forecasts 3. Helping to keep a safety stock 4. Sales and profits will be boost by quick response strategy 5. Consumers’ satisfaction will be improved1. To some extent, the product quality is ignored. 5. 1 Advantages 5. 1. 1 Advantages of designing new products First of all, short time-to-market leads to the sales increase. If a company can catch the first opportunity to reach new market, it would occupy the market share in the first time and be successful. Martin et al. (2004) consider that the supplier make the new products early will make greater profits than later.Otherwise, the early entrant makes much less obsolescent stock. Secondly, early entrant can to be the market leader and gain consumer loyalty. Gabszewicz et al. (1992) indicated that brand loyalty does confer considerable first-mover advantage, consistent with â€Å"hard to follow† results. If the Esprit can design the popular fashion clothing faster than others, it will be stand out in various fast fashion brands. After consumers admiring the fantastic design and amazing speed, it will replace Zara and become the leader of fast fashion. In long term, consumer loyalty is very important to against the strong competition. . 1. 2 Advantages of establishing smaller-scale operational mode In manufacturing stage, the company should cut down its outputs and increase the types of products. This practice could fundamentally decreases the lead-time in supply chain and wins competitive advantages in this rapidly changing fashion market. While in shipping stage, the adoption of some faster transporting ways such as airways and the establishment of a much quicker delivery system could not only shorten the lead-time but also improve delivery flexibility to cope with various changes.The shipping system will inevitably occur transportation breakdown due to some unexpected situations such as bad weather conditions. The traditional bulk transportation would unavoidably suffer huge losses when facing such cases. However, the smaller-amount modes of transportation can minimize such losses to a certain extent. 5. 1. 3 Advantages of quick response strategy Esprit will benefit lot from quick response strategy. Firstly, it can reduce inaccurate forecasts base on the previous sales data. Secondly, it could be very helpful to keep a safe ty stock. Thirdly, sales and profits will be boost by this strategy.Last but not least, consumer satisfaction will be improved. These benefits will enhance the competitive advantage. 5. 2 Disadvantages 5. 2. 1 Disadvantages of designing new products following fashion shows Shelby, H (2011) consider that the new product innovation is risky comes from the observation that only a fraction of new products become commercial success. Even though the new products are design depending on the consumers demand, it is hard to collect all the consumers’ hobby. On the other word, sometimes the survey data shows only represent a part of consumers’ taste.It is very difficult to make sure that others are willing to buy the new products. â€Å"It has been estimated, for instance, that between 60 and 90 percent of new products end their totally withdrawn or left unsupported† (Booz et al, 1968). So it has a high risk to be the number one or the fastest one which produce the new de sign clothing. Yen et al (2011) points that with the increasing number of new products introduced more frequently as well as the smaller volumes per product, the pool of skills required for clothing manufacturing is becoming more complex. It leads to high-cost as the result.For the different new design clothing, suppliers should change the supply chain frequently. That will cost a lot and can’t sell in high price that result in making little profit. 5. 2. 2 Disadvantages of establishing smaller-scale operational mode The solutions showed above in time-to-serve part are not without their inherent shortcomings. First of all, the company would lose its cost advantage that bought by the economies of scale. Then, because of the lower yields, company's production may not be able to meet the demand of the market. As a result, Esprit may lose this part of profits.Last but not least, company has to invest much more money to diversify company’s product range as well as create a much quicker transportation system. All these innovations would average up products’ costs ultimately. 5. 2. 3 Disadvantage of quick response strategy Quick response strategy emphasizes particularly on fast and effective. To some extent, the product quality is ignored. For instance, the multi-sourcing is difficult to guarantee uniform quality, and inevitably rejects into the market, that would lead to customer dissatisfaction and the frequently returns. 6. ComparisonSimilaritiesDifferences Design new products VS Establish smaller-scale operational mode 1. Shorten the lead-times 2. Average up the cost of products Different influence on risk Establish smaller-scale operational mode VS â€Å"Quick response† strategy 1. Speed up the distribution cycle 2. Improve consumers’ satisfaction 3. Decrease inventory risk Different influence on cost Design new products VS â€Å"Quick response† strategy 1. Boost sales and margins 2. Enhance the brand loyalty Different i nfluence on risk 6. 1Design new products VS Establish smaller-scale operational mode There are ome similarities between these two solutions. On the one hand, both of them aim at shorten the lead-times in the supply chain. On the other hand, the two solutions would average up the cost of products. The obvious difference between these two solutions is the influence on risk. The solution proposed in time-to-market part would increase the products’ risk, while in another solution, supply chain’s risk would be reduced. 6. 2Establish smaller-scale operational mode VS â€Å"Quick response† strategy The similarities between Time-to-serve and Time-to-react can be presented in three aspects.Fundamentally, these two solutions all speed up the distribution cycle that from manufacturing to the end-customers. Next, consumers’ satisfaction would be improved. Last, they all could help Esprit to decrease inventory risk. Their main difference lies in cost. Solution propose d in Time-to-serve section would cut down company’s cost while another one would increase it. 6. 3Design new products VS â€Å"Quick response† strategy The brand loyalty would be enhanced by these two methods. In addition to this, the sales and margins would be boosted. These advantages would make the company stand out in various fashion brands.As the mentioned former solution above that there is a hazard about the risky new products. Nevertheless, the later one lowers the risk of products management. 7. Conclusion In this paper, fashion supply systems are characterized by three critical lead-times: time-to-market, time-to-serve and time-to-react, which are highly essential to building up an agile supply chain. However, in the consideration of the current fast fashion industry and the today’s situation of Esprit, how to react to the target market in the right time is a priority that Esprit should mainly focus on.As apparel markets have become more varied and cha ngeable in the present retail environment, there is a transition from a production-driven to a market-driven approach in the fashion industry. (Bhardwaj, 2009) Hence, in order to survive, Esprit has to sustain competitive objectives by ensuring the brand meet the market demand. The quick repose strategy is a must for Esprit to equip it with agility to fight against the leading fast fashion brands at its first step. Reference Baker, R. (2008). Retail sector focus-fashion:following fast fashion. Marketing magazines , 37. Birtwistle, G. , Siddiqui, N. , & Fiorito, S. S. 2003). Quick response:perceptions of UK fashion retailers. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management , pp. 118-128. 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