Impact of Fast Fashion on the Global Business Environment

Environmental Impact of the Fashion Industry

All written assessments, where practical and possible, must be submitted via Turnitin unless otherwise instructed by the Lecturer. (Please DO NOT put this assessment specification into Turnitin or it will match many similarities with other students’ submissions.)

Alternative submission method (if applicable): Late submission of the assessment will result in a late penalty mark.

Penalties for late submission: Up to one week late, maximum mark of 40%. Over one week late, 0%. Only the Extenuating Circumstances Panel may approve a change to submission dates.

Recognise the major forces shaping the global business environment and gain an understanding of the changing global business environment;

• Apply relevant business models (Porter’s Diamond, Value Network, Five Forces, etc.) within the context of an international environmental analysis (PESTEL);
• Identify and critically evaluate the reasons why organisations engage in international trade;
• Assess markets in action, understanding their micro-economic and macroeconomic foundations, different market structures and their influence on firm strategy, long-run and short-run changes, and major features of the current international economy.

It has been noted that the second most polluting industry in the world is the fashion industry. This is because the production and distribution of the different garments, fibres, and crops used in this industry all contributes to different forms of environmental pollution of the soil, water and air. Some of the reasons for this high level of pollution have been the overproduction of fashion items and the unsustainable use of its raw materials. Most of this rapid consumption has been attributed to demands by customers in predominantly western countries. This pollution has been exacerbated by the recently developed concept of fast fashion, where retailers have embarked on the idea that produces have to design, market anddistribute clothing at the cheapest price possible to ensure it can be quickly and cheaply available to customers. Because most of these clothing are often produced in less developed countries with loosely regulated labour markets in conjunction with poor environmental standards, this has brought in additional concerns linked to labour exploitation. More broadly, some of these companies who have contracted production to factories in some countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Turkey, Ethiopia, Botswana, Rwanda, etc for export to predominantly developed countries are often accused that one of the reasons that they have been able to make economic success is because they have not only been flaunting environmental standards, but have exploited cheap labour in those countries.

In light of the discussion above and using a particular case study, briefly answer the followingquestions:

1. a) Critically analyze the changes that the company have made in the last few years to theirbusiness model to self-regulate and adapt to some of the concerns raised by the different stakeholders above.
2. b) Critically explain if these changes have/will give the company some form of competitive advantage position and provide any relevant recommendations to management of this organisation.

You should use the academic frameworks learnt in class such as PESTEL, SWOT, Porter’s 5 Forces, Product Life Cycle, Porters Value chain, etc and should focus on just ONE case study.

NOTE: The guidance offered below is linked to the five generic assessment criteria overleaf.

1. Engagement with Literature Skills

Your work must be informed and supported by scholarly material that is relevant to and focused on the task(s) set. You should provide evidence that you have accessed an appropriate range of sources, which may be academic, governmental and industrial; these sources may include academic journal articles, textbooks, current news articles, organisational documents, and websites. You should consider thecredibility of your sources; academic journals are normally highly credible sources while websites require careful consideration/selection and should be used sparingly. Any sources you use should be current and up-to-date, mostly published within the lastfive years or so, though seminal/important works in the field may be older. You must provide evidence of your research/own reading throughout your work, using a suitable referencing system, includingin-text citations in the main body of your work and a reference list at the end of your work.

Guidance specific to this assessment: students are expected to use at least 15 academic references to support their work and they should be selected from a variety of credible sources. Peer reviewed articles from top rank journals and books are particularly recommended and they can be used in conjunction with  some credible online sources. The reference list should follow Harvard referencing technique and student should try to pay attention to detail when organising their references in text and in the reference list.

2. Knowledge and Understanding Skills

At level 4, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the underlying concepts and principles associated with your area(s) of study. Knowledge relates to the facts, information and skills you have acquired through your learning. You demonstrate your understanding by interpreting the meaning of the facts and information (knowledge). This means that you need to select and include in your work the concepts, techniques, models, theories, etc. appropriate to the task(s) set. You should be able to explain the theories, concepts, etc. to show your understanding. Your mark/grade will also depend upon the extent to which you demonstrate your knowledge and understanding.

Guidance specific to this assessment: The student will need to select and apply the relevant global business environment concepts, techniques, models, theories, etc that are linked to the task. They can introduce and discuss the issues identified and its impact on the fashion industry in light of the impact of the fashion industry to the wider environment and the criticisms that this has brought to key players in this industry.

3. Cognitive and Intellectual Skills

You should be able to present, evaluate and interpret qualitative and quantitative data, in orderto developlines of argument and make sound judgements in accordance with basictheories and concepts of your subject(s) of study.You should be able to evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems related to your area(s) of study and/or work. Your work must contain evidence of logical, analytical thinking. For example, to examine and break information down into parts, make inferences, compile, compare and contrast information. This means not just describing what! But also justifying: Why? How? When? Who? Where? At what cost? Youshould provide justification for your arguments and judgements using evidence that you have reflected upon the ideas of others within the subject area and that you are able to make sound judgements and arguments using data and concepts. Where relevant, alternative solutions and recommendations may be proposed.