INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

2021 – 2022

Assignment: HBR-1

Group number: 17-18 Team number: 10

Tutorial lecturer: J. Shin

Student: Natasa Mrlinova Student number: S4796217

Student: Click here to enter text. Student number: Click here to enter text.

Date: 11 October 2021

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THE CEO OF CANADA GOOSE ON CREATING A HOMEGROWN
LUXURY BRAND
Canada Goose is a multinational company with almost 4000 employees, with its
headquarters in Toronto. They are focusing on luxury-made clothing (mostly jackets). The
company was established and in 1957, meaning it is over 60 years old. It is a family business,
so you can tell that the company has a strong relations bond.

The dedication of the CEO can be seen since his graduation because as stated in the article
the CEO wanted to travel, meaning he needed some money as a lot of students do. So, he
started to work in that company to make some money for telling which is close to me,
because I was working at a bar and saving money for traveling too. Another thing that he
said is that accomplishing “Made in Canada” company could become a global luxury business
and it, in fact, did. Labels are in this era important, to some people more to some less, and
having “Made in Canada” label on your jacket could be a huge competitive advantage,
because a lot of Canadian companies left, and they mostly do efficiency seeking.

Therefore, I would like to move to one of the weaknesses I found in the article, that the
brand is luxury. As we had global Covid-19 pandemic and a lot of people lost their jobs, it is
harder to purchase such luxury item. I understand that for the company it is important to
have such a high price due to quality of the fabric. Not all people lost their job but that does
not mean the company’s revenues did not decreased. There is not much you can do because
this was not a company’s fault. Also, a lot of people are not living in countries where they
need such warm clothes. Meaning this can be a downside too. I know that the company is
mostly focusing on jackets but having a little broader selection would prosper them. For
instance, in Spain where the cold weather is not that harsh a lighter jacket would be sold
much more than the jacket, which can last until minus forty degrees. That also applies to
Baffin, a company that Canada Goose acquired. Their boots are a very high quality, but they
also target more towards wintery footwear.

That being said I would like to move to strength I found in the article which is a quality of the
items. As the CEO, Dani Reiss, said himself the quality of the items is so strong the jacket can
last up to a decade. With this trait having a sustainable global business it is important to not
have a mass production and it is important to prioritise quality over quantity. People who
order such item are expecting to wait maybe longer time to have it delivered. This was
achieved, as mentioned before, by prioritising quality over quantity. Having a mass
production, in this company, could easily lead to having less demand which can climax to
using no-so-quality fabrics and letting down customers, which are exacting a high-quality
item. But because they use a valuable textile their item can be passed from generation to
generation.
In conclusion, having such a high element in fashion industry can be very destructive. You
need to have a good plan and good vision to the future. As for the global pandemic no one
was expecting it and, as I stated before, it was not a company’s fault. And for Canada Goose I
think their business is going great and they have a great CEO, who has a great point of view,
since he was working there as an employee too. Some advice for the company would be not
to fall for mass production and to preserve their prioritising quality over quantity. But I do
not think it will be problem since the company is working over 60 years.