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“Fast Fashion” Retail Strategy Flying Off the Racks

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ordering two clothing collections a year is so last season. The latest successful retail model is “fast fashion,” used by companies such as Zara. Professors Victor Martínez de Albéniz and Felipe Caro explore this hot business strategy, explaining how companies can use assortment rotation to increase consumer spending and gain competitive advantage.

Offshoring Facts Correct Common Myths

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Offshoring raises fears of jobs lost to low-wage economies. But the true extent of offshoring is notoriously difficult to measure. In their paper, “Offshoring: Facts and Figures at the Country Level,” Pablo Agnese and Joan Enric Ricart review the most conventional indices the economic literature has produced and employ them to provide an overview of the extent of the phenomenon for a selection of countries.

Tips to Cut Costs Without Sacrificing Your Supply Chain

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Supply chains – the lifeblood of many businesses – are in danger of running dry in today’s economic climate, with recent high-profile business failures being attributed to breaks in the chain. The Cost of Control report explores how the relationship between finance and procurement may shed light on wider operational strengths and weaknesses. The study also provides tips for tackling the challenges of financial operations and the supply chain.

Taking the Big Leap

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Skydiving holds valuable lessons for business: meticulous training, courage, managing teams, selecting the best people and, above all, a sense of mission to take the big leap. These ideas serve as the inspiration for a new book, written in the form of a novel, in which a man learns to sort out the family-run holding that he manages by confronting another challenge: breaking the world record for free falling in formation.

Nike: Just Do it – But How?

Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

“Just Do It” is undeniably one of the most popular slogans of our age. So when Nike’s regional operations team for Europe, Middle East and Africa sought to adapt its supply chain, there was perhaps no better call to action. But in aiming to meet a tough target – to offer five times the semi-customized apparel for amateur soccer teams – the new challenge facing the company was, “Just how to do it?”

Financial Pressure Threatening U.S. Hospital Care

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Health care systems are one of many institutions under financial strain worldwide. IESE’s Núria Mas finds that those most under siege are hospitals in the United States providing health care to people who cannot afford it. The rapid rise of managed health care systems poses a threat to these providers of the most basic services.

Why Outsourcing Strategies Change

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What leads companies to outsource their production? Is it only a matter of costs? A pioneering study by Alberto Bayo, José Enrique Galdón-Sánchez and Ricard Gil finds that changes in the competitive environment – such as market share or price level and product quality – are what spur changes to a business's outsourcing strategies.

The Orphanage: Can Cinematic Success Be Systematized?

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Spain’s film industry has struggled for years to hold its own against the powerful tide of American fare. Yet, in 2007, it was a modest Spanish horror film, The Orphanage, which became the year’s biggest box office hit, beating even the Hollywood blockbusters. What were the keys to its success?

Offshoring: Nothing to Get Alarmed About

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Offshoring of services is an unstoppable process, though some see a sinister side to the cost-saving benefits: jobs are being destroyed along the way. IESE Prof. Joan Enric Ricart and Pablo Agnese analyze offshoring from a local and global perspective and weigh up the arguments: is it an opportunity, a threat or a revival of the old concept of comparative advantages?

Logistics in Spain: Challenges and Opportunities

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The high price of petrol may, in fact, be the shock that pushes companies to reassess their distribution networks and come up with better logistics. That is one of the findings of a new report on the logistics sector in Spain. IESE Prof. Marc Sachon and research assistant Jesús Arturo Orozco interviewed the logistics managers of 130 companies to reveal the current situation the sector is going through and the trends that will mark its future. It is the first report of its kind to be produced by IESE's International Center for Logistics Research (CIIL), in collaboration with Logitrans.