Mini Project Report-1

On
TRAIDCRAFT

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

Two Year Full Time Master of Business Administration

(Affiliated To A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow)

(SESSION -2022- 2024)

By: Under the Guidance of

Student Name: Manisha Chauhan Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Tandon
I.T.S- Mohan Nagar (Asst. Professor)
Enrollment No. I.T.S- Mohan Nagar
Batch: 2022-2024

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, GHAZIABAD

GT Road, Mohan Nagar, Ghaziabad-201007
www.its.edu.in

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 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, GHAZIABAD

Session: 2022-24

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I hereby declare that this Mini Project-1 Report is my own work and that, to the best of my
knowledge and belief, it reproduces no material previously published or written that has been
accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma, except where due acknowledgement
has been made in the text.

Manisha Chauhan
Enrollment No.
Date:

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 INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, GHAZIABAD

Session: 2022-24

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Ms. Manisha Chauhan MBA (2022-24 Batch) a student of Institute
of Technology and Science has undertaken the Mini Project-1(KMBN-152) on
“TRAIDCRAFT”

The project has been carried out by the student in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the award of MBA, under my guidance and supervision.

I am satisfied with the work of Ms. Manisha Chauhan.

Date:

Academic Mentor’s Name:

Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Tandon
(Asst. Professor)

(Signature)

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

When we set goals for ourselves, there are always obstacles in the way that may
deter us from accomplishing the goals. There are also people in our lives that
are aware of those goals, and encourage us and also support us to continue
regardless of the obstacles, it is now that I can formally thank those people for
doing just that for me, before thanking anyone on this earth, I must first thanks
God for being at my side during this challenging time of my life. I need God to
continue as, after the desire was sometimes there to quit. The spiritual support
has helped to keep me focused. I take this opportunity to thanks Dr. VN Bajpai
Director institute of technology and science for his administrative support.
Thanks to my guide Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Tandon , Asst. Professor, Institute of
technology and science for the support and encouragement through this
process. My Guide was always ready for questions and always had answers for
that. His high level of expectations made me work harder than I have ever
worked in my life-thanks for your knowledge, encouragement and above all
your patience during this process. A Big thanks to the Staff Members of
Institute of technology and science for their valuable support.

Manisha Chauhan
MBA-I Sem.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction ........................................................................... 1

2. Objectives .......................................................................... 3

3. Project Methodology .......................................................... 5

4. Innovation starts from ...................................................... 7

5. Scope of the innovation idea …………………………… 9

6. SWOT analysis of the Design........................................... 10

7. Training needs & 4C’s concept.......................................... 12
8. Testing analysis & Project implementation …………….. 14

9. Activity Plan...........................................................……… 15

10. Conclusion & Future enhancements…………………….. 16

11. Recommendations ................................................................ 22

12. Transferability……………………………………………. 25

13. References ………………………………………………. 34

14. Annexure…………………………………………………. 35

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1. Introduction
Traidcraft, in common with many other Fair Trade organisations, experiences a
number of ongoing issues that are difficult to address with the craft suppliers
(producer groups) including problems with quality, products that are not
responsive to rapidly-changing market trends / client need, inefficient
production processes, and competition from Asian suppliers that are able to
produce similar products at a fraction of the cost.

The production and sales of traditional crafts are becoming increasingly

marginalised by cheaper mass-produced product. The economies of scale
inherent to the industrial sector result in mass production of goods of uniform
quality that are marketed at prices that the artisanal product cannot compete
with easily. Although there are examples of ‘authentic’ crafts finding a client
market that is willing to pay a viable price, this is chiefly confined to art
galleries, museums and the exclusive boutique market. There are few instances
where craft enterprises have successfully developed and evolved
‘contemporary’ products that meet both consumer demand and generate
sustainable and viable incomes.

In order to succeed in today’s highly competitive market, producers need to be

supported to successfully adapt designs, conceiving and evolving new products
in response to changing tastes and preferences. The impetus for and ability of
Traidcraft’s suppliers to initiate new designs and innovate their product range is
in large measure dependent upon external intervention by Traidcraft. These
interventions may be inevitable but nonetheless provide 'only temporary and
transitory support’ and there is a need to develop an approach that enables the
supplier to take ownership of the process of reinvigorating their product range
on a cyclical basis.

The School of Design was commissioned to work with one of Traidcraft’s long-
standing suppliers (St. Mary's Mahila Shikshan Kendra, Ahmedabad) in the
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provision of training in design innovation, to both consolidate and sustain
existing creative practice and to support and facilitate the progressive
development of design expertise.

Through an examination of the needs and weaknesses that are evident in the
supplier group, the project sought to illuminate the challenges of co-
collaboration between designer, supplier and Fair Trade Organisation. The
project provided a platform for an analysis of practices needed for successful
knowledge transfer and sustainable entrepreneurship at the grass roots and is
intended to inform strategies that may be adopted across Traidcraft’s network of
suppliers

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2. Objectives
The over-arching aim of the project was to develop and pilot an enhanced way
of communicating with Traidcraft’s artisan suppliers to transfer design
principles and practice. The objective being to support the development of
design skills within an identified supplier group and through the project to pilot
a model for developing design expertise, and approaches that might be
transferable to other suppliers.

The objectives of the project were to:

The over-arching aim of the project was to develop and pilot an enhanced way
of communicating with Traidcraft’s artisan suppliers to transfer design
principles and practice. The objective being to support the development of
design skills within an identified supplier group and through the project to pilot
a model for developing design expertise, and approaches that might be
transferable to other suppliers

• Evaluate existing products, skills and productivity in relation to current

market / sales and scope opportunities

• Identify repertoire of existing skills and abilities; establish and prioritize

developmental needs

• Improve, innovate and diversify the range of products in response to

identified market opportunities, in order to sustain and increase market

share.

• Deliver original ‘added value’ product to the Traidcraft product rare

which meets market requirements of trend, quality and price

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• Develop, transfer and embed sustainable design and product
development processes in Traidcraft and their suppliers to enable the
business to undertake cyclical product innovation, range development and
renewal in future.
• Deliver experiential learning, informed by case studies of comparative
projects / enterprise, and model that supports innovative design practice
and cyclical range renewal
• Cascade project methodologies and interventions via the production of
learning packs, evaluation reports and seminar presentations

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3. Project Methodology
The initial planning between the partners (Traidcraft / NU) was carried out
through email and face-to-face discussion. Traidcraft provided an analysis of
their customer profile and particular characteristics of their market that
distinguish it from the mainstream commercial marketplace. This provided an
understanding of the target market and constraints with regard to a certain
element of conservatism in customer preferences and perceptions of ‘value for
money’ in the purchase of a handcrafted product.

Traidcraft identified St. Mary's Mahila Shikshan Kendra in Ahmedabad, India

as an appropriate group within which the project activities would take place.
The NU consultant undertook an initial scoping visit to this supplier group in
June 2010 to:

• Evaluate existing products, skills and markets

• Identify the types of crafts produced/by volume (capacity) an value

(production costs, price point and sales),

• Assess and prioritise learning and business needs

• Frame the staged objectives for the project informed by evaluation

existing skills-base, products and market penetration, identifying

opportunities (global, regional and local trends)

Two interventions in the form of co-collaboration between the NU consultant

and SMSK’s ‘designer’ were devised and implemented, aimed at delivering
design innovation and product renewal.

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Co-collaboration 1: ‘Inspiration, invention and lateral thinking: design
methods and creative approaches to product development’ (3 days)
December 2010

• Reinforce and enhance existing creative capacity

• Transfer design knowledge, process and creative practices to the supplier

enterpriser in order to improve on their products and business

competitiveness

• Design / product development /innovation / diversification and range

development

Co-collaboration 2: ‘Design Realisation and Prototyping’ February 2011,

supported by student collaboration

• Internal leadership, ‘local ownership’ of design and product development

process

• Range development and ‘added value’, quality enhancement,

Complementary products and / or alternative markets

• Co-collaboration, communication, consultation, negotiation and inclusion,

strategic decision making, risk management

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4. Innovation starts from
St. Mary's Mahila Shikshan Kendra in the Gomptipur district of Ahmedabad in
North-west India was founded by a group of Dominican nuns in 1970. With the
support of an initial grant from OXFAM it was set up to provide stitching
classes to women from the surrounding slums, and went on to establish itself as
a sewing and embroidery centre. The centre employs indigenous craftsmanship
to create the distinctive Gujarati style of embroidery featuring mirror-work and
embroidered motifs of birds, elephants, flowers and foliage. Using locally
produced thread and hand-loom cotton the centre makes products ranging from
bags, cushions, tablecloths, bedspreads and hangings to Christmas decorations
and to a lesser extent simple items of clothing

SMSK supports the livelihoods of approximately 475 women, the majority

working in their homes to produce the embroideries on the cloth. A core group
of workers are employed full-time at the centre, undertaking stamping designs,
sampling, washing and ironing the embroideries, storekeeping, product
manufacture & finishing and packaging for delivery. The women outworkers
come to the centre twice a week to pick up supplies and working from home
enables them to take care of their household duties and children and earn a
living – nearly 40% of the women are the major wage earners for their families.

SMSK aims to provide employment at just wages to these women and

Traidcraft has a longstanding and valued relationship with SMSK that stretches
back over thirty years.

This type of innovation is more common than the 'new-to-the-world' type, and is
often the prime objective of innovation research and development activity.

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Instead of creating a new product and then "selling" it the public, innovative
design is a process of identifying, pinpointing, and understanding the needs of
the user or audience.

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5. Scope of the innovation idea (The Existing Position)

Innovation by design is the utilization of a designer's methods and sensibility to

address the needs of the consumer. Along with this design-driven approach,
strong business strategy and technological feasibility are used to create both
market opportunity and customer value.

SMSK is heavily dependent on export orders, which constitutes 95% of its’

business. The major markets for SMSK’s products are in North America (Ten
Thousand Villages USA & Canada) and Italy (CTM Altromercato), but orders
placed by Traidcraft in 2009-11 accounted for 11% of SMSK turnover.

Sales within the Indian market are more limited. Although sales to Fabindia
represented 5% of turnover in 2009-10, the products are branded with the
Fabindia label and the consumer would be unaware that the embroidered
garments were produced by SMSK.

2nd Year Fashion students were offered the opportunity to collaborate in the
development of design concepts appropriate to Traidcraft’s customer profile,
utilising the technical / creative skills and materials available within the supplier
enterprise in response to identified market opportunities.

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6. SWOT analysis of the Design
As a designer, a SWOT Analysis of a design project allows you to dig deeper
and uncover opportunities for your clients. With the information you gather,
you'll be able to highlight your client's needs and create an effective design
campaign that takes their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats into
mind.

SWOT Analysis can be relevant to everything you do. Including your own
business and every design project, you take on. It helps you develop new
strategies for your designs to tackle. It increases your value, allowing you to
charge more for your services. And It saves you time on future projects for the
same client.

A proper SWOT Analysis should take anywhere between 1 to several hours and
should be performed with multiple people when possible, especially those
higher up in a company.

Inhibitors to business growth

Wholesale pricing: St Mary’s does not appear to suffer from a lack of business
throughput and has an order book that keeps the workers fully occupied. But
given the numbers of women supported by the centre the sales figures paint a
less favourable picture. SMSK’s margin (as calculated in rupees) has not altered
in recent years and has been progressively squeezed due to the pressures of
inflation, rising cost of materials and the fluctuating fortunes of the $, £ & Euro
exchange rates - effectively reducing the purchasing power / value of income
generated by the business.

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Cultural context: The socio-cultural context of the women’s lives impacts on
the ability of SMSK to effectively plan and maintain efficient production.
Family commitments and social obligations such as those arising during the
wedding season, festivals, bereavements and health issues make it difficult to
predict work patterns from month to month. These issues are not unusual in a
sector where work is carried out in the home and earning a livelihood is woven
into and often competes with family duties and concerns. Whilst SMSK is
sensitive to the women’s circumstances, managing production levels and
meeting order times can present difficulties. Sustaining a business model that
integrates and acknowledges the women’s social obligations requires flexibility
from both the supplier and the receiving organisation.

Market awareness: SMSK plays little or no part in the physical presentation /

display and marketing of their works, thus gaining no direct feedback from the
end consumer. The centre’s location coupled with limited resources inhibits
SMSK from marketing their own products. They have no exposure in the local
marketplace but have not explored the potential for promoting and piloting
products in up-market hotels and outlets in Ahmedabad.

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7. Training needs & 4C’s concept

The 4Cs are customer, cost, convenience and communication. By learning to

use the 4Cs model, you’ll have the chance to think about your product from a
new perspective (the customer’s) and that could be very good for business.

During the course of the scoping visit, an extensive array of products was
displayed, which demonstrated the considerable skills of the women. SMSK has
established a reputation for the superiority of its’ embroidery, underpinned by
the strict application of quality control resulting in consistently high standard of
its products. However, many of the designs have changed little over the years,
design styles and colour combinations that have moved on from tradition but no
longer surprise the market. The woman are comfortable with stitches they know
and familiar patterns and a certain level of resistance to change is inevitable but
a lack design and product innovation expertise places SMSK at a disadvantage
in the volatile conditions of today’s globalised market. The consumer is spoilt
for choice and constantly seeking fresh ideas and distinctive designs that
combine fine craftsmanship and originality. SMSK needs to nurture and
develop in-house design expertise to strengthen its capacity to respond to trends
and buyer / consumer preferences and innovate to both stay ahead of the
competition and move its products up the ‘value-chain’.

In order to reinforce and enhance existing creative capacity of SMSK within the
time constraints of the project three key objectives were identified:

 Understanding of design principles and processes – developing the

ability to generate and produce specific designs independently.
 Product development and innovation (utilizing materials readily
available within the production centre) - to successfully adapt designs,
conceiving and evolving new products in response to changing tastes and

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 preferences. This may be an adaptation / enhancement of an existing
product, a combination of designs, or a new idea generated by varying the
base fabric and / or development of new motifs / shapes / products.
 Product identity - Brand identity, USP and ‘added-value’ – the cultural
narrative behind the product may be an equal selling point

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8. Testing analyisis & Project implementation

A twin–approach was adopted in the implementation of the project.

Firstly to provide SMSK with a ‘quick win’ in the delivery of fresh
design ideas through the production of product ideas / samples with the
involvement of BA Hon’s Fashion students and secondly, to co-
collaborate with the in-house ‘designer’ at SMSK to facilitate local
ownership in the generation of design concepts for the home-ware
market.

The training on the ground at the supplier group was initially planned as a
series of two workshops with a core group of participants. However, it
became apparent during the scoping visit that SMSK did not have an
organisational model that would enable the release of several members of
the core group of women to attend a formal workshop. There is a clear
demarcation of roles between Mr. Vijay, who is the only member of the
workforce that is engaged in drafting designs and the core group of
women who produce the sample embroideries / products. There
INNOVATION PROJECT REPORT, Consultancy contract (ref: 1405C)
8 was no plan to alter this division of labour, to identify and develop
incipient design skills in other core workers to create a wider team of
‘designers’. Thus the interventions focused on developing the design
skills of Vijay, in-house self taught ‘designer’, facilitating his
understanding of design methods as a means to evolve, innovate and
enhance the product range, creating new styles and ‘added value’ without
losing the key characteristics of fine embroidery skills and attention to
quality control reflected in SMSK’s products.

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9. Activity Plan

Co-collaboration 1
Dec 2010 Ahmedabad

‘Inspiration, invention and lateral thinking: design methods and

creative approaches to product development’ targeting in-house
designer at SMSK

- Transfer of design principles and practice

- Development of design concepts through the adaption of existing
products, exploring colour, varying of motif, and placement / spatial
relationship of design elements

Co-collaboration 2
Feb 2011 Ahmedabad

‘Design Realisation and Prototyping’

- Production of sample cushion covers from designs emerging from

the first intervention
- Development of complementary design for wall hanging

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10. Conclusion & Future enhancements

Co-collaboration 1
(December 2010)

In discussion with Traidcraft, it was determined that the design training

should concentrate on exploring motifs and fabric qualities without a
specific product in mind. Within the circumstances on the ground in
Ahmedabad, it swiftly became clear that this approach would need to be
rethought.

Firstly, Vijay could not grasp the concept of working without the
parameters provided by the shape, size and purpose being defined. It
proved to be far more productive to look to the current range of products
to consider ways in which these could be adapted to diversify,
complement or generate new product that would display the exquisite
skills of the embroiderers but create a new feel to the product.

We had the opportunity on the first day to visit the National Institute of
Design (NID), where we were able to view the contemporary bespoke
products generated by graduates of the Institute, which are sold through a
shop located within the campus2 . The use of scale in some of the cushion
designs drew attention to these products and I suggested that we look at
SMSK’s selection of cushion covers with a view to exploring the
difference that scaling up motifs and / or sections of existing pattern
makes to the design impact of a product.

We looked at a number of their existing designs and agreed that we

would play with ‘Banyan Tree & Birds’ cushion, enlarging sections and
elements of the ‘tree’ to fill the whole cushion and adopt a more neutral

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colour palette. These steps generated new designs that had quite a
different character from the original cushion and Vijay was able to see
and understand how by simply changing scale and colour you could
reinvent the product range

There was also an exhibition of prizewinning craft / textiles in the

Institute’s gallery, demonstrating the imaginative ways in which a
number of the artisans had combined both craftsmanship and design to
produce unique garments and stunning home-ware products.

In relation to experimenting with fabric qualities, the Sisters and I

investigated locally available cottons but amongst the cloths on sale at
their local fabric suppliers there was little choice and nothing that we felt
to be at all suitable except for Khadi. Khadi fabric is increasingly
expensive, more highly priced than the handloom cotton SMSK employs,
and proved to be less stable as a ground for embroidery. So with regard to
the key issues of price-point and functionality it is less fit for purpose
than the handloom. If SMSK were to explore a variety of fabric weights
consideration needs to be given to not only how the fabric handles stitch-
work but also what additional training the seamstresses might need.

Co-collaboration 2
(February 2011)

During the course of the second visit, the design concepts and swatch
produced in December were further worked-up and completed as sample
– adding piping to the cushions completed the product renewal and once
again Vijay could see how a simple addition introduced a new look to the
finish of the product. Design is not necessarily about major changes; even
small shifts can make the difference between a product that catches the
eye and one that fades into the general milieu of products

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Taking the new cushion designs and manipulating scale as the starting
point, we then worked on combining and reorganising these designs to
generate a singular wall hanging – replacing the birds with butterflies (as
requested by Traidcraft). It was evident during this process that Vijay is
very adept as a draughtsman and has a feel for line and rhythm in design
but when confronted with introducing a new motif (the butterfly) he
showed less judgment. In combining design elements the outline shapes
and style of motifs needed to complement and play off each other but – to
use Sr. Lucia’s words Vijay’s butterflies ‘look like an invasion of a
squadron of mosquitoes’ which somewhat jarred within the curves of the
leafy banyan tree. Nonetheless, the design concept and visual structure
for the hanging was a good response to the design brief and a little
additional work (post-visit) resolved the ‘butterfly’ issue.

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Trial sample manufacture of garment & accessory designs

The Traidcraft brief for the development of designs for garments and
fashion accessories was offered as one of the options within the 2nd year
Fashion project focused on the theme of Craftsmanship and interested
final year students were also invited to participate.

At the outset of the project, Hilary Anderson from Traidcraft gave a

presentation to the cohort of students – setting the brief in the context in
order to facilitate the student’s understanding of Traidcraft’s customer
profile and the nature of the products, skills and working environment of
SMSK.

A group of eight students opted to undertake the Traidcraft brief,

producing initial ideas and design concepts for presentation and selection
by Traidcraft. After the initial design conceptualisation phase, two
students, Julia specialising in textiles and the Lauren specialising in
womenswear, were selected and encouraged to combine their ideas and
skills to collaborate in the further development and refinement of designs
for jackets and bags. They were supported and guided throughout the
project by both their fashion tutors and Morin Douglas.

A further critique and product selection took place in December and the
final patterns and specifications were produced together with decisions
regarding placement and styles of embroidery taken in preparation for the
students’ visit to St Mary’s INNOVATION PROJECT REPORT,
Consultancy contract (ref: 1405C) 11 During the course of the visit the
students took responsibility for overseeing the sample production of the
two jacket designs, tote bags and a clutch bag – all of which were

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discreetly embellished with a more refined and stylish embroidery look.
The products aimed to be equally attractive to Traidcraft’s traditional
customer base and to a younger market, seeking to maintain customer
loyalty and generate sales amongst a new generation of consumers
seeking to support craftsmanship, fair trade and be fashionable.

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There was perhaps less of a collaboration between Vijay and the students,
the amount of work to be completed within the week necessitated the
students adopting more of a supervisory / directing role. In order to
complete the sampling within the time available, they worked through
Vijay, who translated instructions to the externally contracted tailor and
directions given to the embroiderers and seamstresses. SMSK does not
have an in-house tailor with pattern cutting skills, which creates a reliance
on outsourcing. Although the tailor was quite capable, there was room for
improvement with regard to reliability in terms of fully understanding and
following instructions. The erratic timekeeping of the tailor also slowed
down the sampling process and as he worked out of his own premises,
avoidable mistakes and / or necessary adjustments that would have been
picked up through supervision could not be addressed during the course
of the manufacturing process. If SMSK were to grow the garment side of
the business there would be a need to consider employing a tailor on-site
at the centre but presently the sales generated from garments does not
justify such an investment.

The students bonded with the women and each task was undertaken with
enthusiasm and diligence – and the students were stunned by skills and
speed of the women in their work. Gaining an understanding of all of the
stages of production and taking responsibility for overseeing the sampling
was an invaluable learning experience for the students. By the end of the
week, together with the women they had produced the jackets, bags and
embroidery samples and all of this was accomplished in parallel with the
centre continuing to work on current orders – a hive of activity.

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11. Recommendations

Based on the idea of creating “tandems” between host local institutions

and international ones, textile students from the National Institute of
Design (NID) were invited to participate in the project. Fourteen students
and their tutor attended the first intervention in December. This was the
first time that any of them had visited SMSK. This provided the
opportunity for the students’ to familiarize themselves with the
production processes, develop motifs for embroidery facilitated by the
NU consultant and working together with and guided by the women to
learn basic stitches and embroidery skills.

It was hoped that this might lead to the ongoing involvement at SMSK of
one or two NID students, providing mutual benefit and a presence on the
ground between interventions, promoting the possibility of forging lasting
local relationships. The workload pressures of their studies at NID did not
allow for further student involvement but a member of the faculty, Pavitra
Shyam attended both interventions and stated her intention to maintain
contact with St Mary’s on an informal basis.

The NID has played and continues to play a prominent in documenting

the craft heritage and contemporary situation of the artisans across India
but its’ resources are severely stretched. It is INNOVATION PROJECT
REPORT, Consultancy contract (ref: 1405C) 12 unlikely to be in a
position to dedicate sufficient time to provide long-term support to any
single enterprise.

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Embedding design innovation:

Development of design expertise is an iterative process requiring the

gradual withdrawal of support mechanisms until such time as
entrepreneurial expertise is fully embedded and the supplier group is able
to fully own the process of designing and evolving new product ranges.

The project injected fresh product ideas and approaches to reinventing the
product offering but if the supplier group is to a move towards being a
design-led business the model of cocollaboration for strategic design
innovation and market understanding needs to be built upon through
developing strategic partnerships with appropriate local / regional Design
Institutions to provide follow-up support to the supplier group.

It would be advantageous for additional members of the workforce to

undertake design training embracing not only drawing skills and design
processes but also to develop CAD skills. This would need to be handled
sensitively lest Vijay feel that his current position of authority be
undermined but as part of the business development strategy it is
important that a knowledge and understanding of the value of design
innovation is more widely held within the organisation.

Market opportunities and diversification:

There are benefits to be derived from identifying opportunities to promote
and pilot products in the local / regional markets. However, the
acquisition of marketing, branding and product presentation skills to
support the exploitation of local / regional opportunities would be
important to successfully competing within this market.

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Added Value and Product Identity:

The ability to offer authentic and creative cultural products, which are
packaged and presented to the consumer ways that tell a story, promoting
the cultural narrative and uniqueness of the product, is clearly
advantageous in moving the products up the value chain.

Succession planning:

The supplier needs to develop a succession plan to ensure continuity in

the provision of organizational, production planning & quality control
and design expertise to sustain the business in the long-term. The
imminent retirement of Sr. Lucia will leave a knowledge gap that needs
to be addressed.

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12. Transferability

The situation analysis would be a key component to inform the ways in

which the model may need to be customised to take account of:

- The cultural context

- Business situation of the supplier group

- Level of skills and specialist expertise / material requirements

- Products, price point and productivity - current market, turnover and

trends

- Any special needs / circumstances that need to be considered

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The cultural context

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of

people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music
and arts. ... The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn
derives from the Latin "colere," which means to tend to the earth and
grow, or cultivation and nurture.

Culture contact, contact between peoples with different cultures, usually

leading to change in both systems. The effects of culture contact are
generally characterized under the rubric of acculturation, a term
encompassing the changes in artifacts, customs, and beliefs that result
from cross-cultural interaction.

Cultural contact between different groups can have a dramatic effect on

the economic, social, and political lives of one or more of the groups
involved. Conflict, disease, loss of resources, cultural change, and
assimilation can lead to the depopulation of a culture.

In addition to its intrinsic value, culture provides important social and

economic benefits. With improved learning and health, increased
tolerance, and opportunities to come together with others, culture
enhances our quality of life and increases overall well-being for both
individuals and communities.

Culture defines people's values, beliefs, and personal interests. Culture is

important because it allows people to maintain a unique identity society.
Many cultures have common interests, while others may have customs
that differ greatly from that of another.

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Culture is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions,
attitudes, and behaviors shared by a group of people. Culture is the
behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of—generally
unspoken and unwritten—rules for how they will work together in a
workplace.

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Business situation of the supplier group

The supply chain is examined in the context of supplier relationship

management and how supply chain performance can contribute to
business success. The supplier relationship management (SRM) process
at strategic level provides the structure for how relationships with
suppliers will be developed and managed. To achieve the marketing,
manufacturing and sourcing strategies are reviewed, in order to identify
supplier segments that are significant to the organisation’s success both
now and in the future.
The supplier network is a key part of business success since it will
impact: the quality of products, product availability, time to market for
new products, and access to critical technology.

By reviewing these strategies, management identifies the supplier types

with whom the firm needs to develop long-term relationships. Then there
follows the identification criteria for the segmentation of suppliers.
Segmentation criteria include profitability; growth and stability; the
criticality of the service level necessary; the sophistication and
compatibility of the supplier’s processes; the supplier’s technology
capability and its compatibility; the volume purchased from the supplier;
the capacity available from the supplier; the culture of innovation at the
supplier; and, the supplier’s anticipated quality levels. The final stage is
to provide guidelines for the product and service agreement.

Deciding the most appropriate collection of components to supplier

relationship is dependent on a number of aspects, which may evolve over
time to full partnership. Good two-way communication, a dedicated
partnering focus, careful monitoring, focus on mutual improvement and a

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common vision are vital, as are fair treatment and responsiveness on both
sides.
Level of skills and specialist expertise / material requirements

In this new world, it is impossible for us to know all that there is to know,
yet access to the skilled and knowledge base is increasingly readily
available. So what will make us developed skill specialist, rather than
poor ones, is that our knowledge is more relevant, and more current, and
is applied more efficiently and effectively.

The work-place has also changed, with the result that in business and
management are expected to have a wider range of skills. We
increasingly work in teams on projects and much of what we do is virtual
rather than tangible. As one project ends, another begins, and so we move
from project to project, from team to team, and from one work-place to
another. Indeed, for many, the increasingly itinerant nature of work leads
us into several different careers during our working lives. These are
strong, compelling reasons for professional development skills for
manager, but there are many more.

A better informed and more sophisticated public is demanding a higher

duty of care and level of service from skilled workers.

Linked to this is the increasing risk of claims for negligence from

professionals deemed to have ‘failed’ in their duty or given poor advice.

Within organisations, modern quality management systems demand that

qualified people are in place to make decisions.

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If we do not respond to this challenge, we face the prospect of becoming
irrelevant. If, as skill professionals, we assume that our old time-served
competences will last a lifetime, we will find ourselves becoming
candidates for redundancy. The organisations we work for equally run the
risk of failing to provide the new products and services that the market
requires, resulting in decline. And so we need to learn continually as we
work. This requires a skill set all of its own, a skill set we need to learn
for ourselves as teachers and mentors, and a skill set we need to instil into
our learners for their future benefit.

Products, price point and productivity - current market, turnover

and trends

Product refers to the physical goods or the intangible services that you
offer, but there’s more to it than that. It’s also about the experience that
users and customers have with your product.
All of the four elements are centered around the customer. It is important
to know who your audience is and what they care about. Create buyer
personas. Conduct customer research. Learn as much about your current
or potential customer base as you can. This will help you make decisions
that are more likely to resonate and appeal to your target audiences.
All of the four elements are centered around the customer. It is important
to know who your audience is and what they care about. Create buyer
personas. Conduct customer research. Learn as much about your current
or potential customer base as you can. This will help you make decisions
that are more likely to resonate and appeal to your target audiences.

All of the four elements are centered around the customer. It is important
to know who your audience is and what they care about. Create buyer

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personas. Conduct customer research. Learn as much about your current
or potential customer base as you can. This will help you make decisions
that are more likely to resonate and appeal to your target audiences.

These four factors can be controlled by a business to a certain extent.

When “mixed” or blended strategically, they can produce desired
behaviors from your target audiences (i.e. signing up as a subscriber or
making a purchase).

It can also help businesses further understand their product and service
offerings and the best ways to plan for a successful launch and marketing
strategy.

It is critical to choose the right price for your product or service. If your
product is underpriced, consumers may question its effectiveness or think
that it’s “too good to be true”. On the other hand, if you price your
product too high, consumers may see it as overpriced and unnecessary.
Unless you are an established luxury brand like Coach or Chanel, you’ll
find it hard to make a sell.

There are a number of pricing strategies that businesses employ. Some

models are: bundle, subscription, competitive, economy, discount, and
psychological pricing.

The strategy that you choose should be based on the value of your
product, the production and distribution costs, consumer demand and
competitive landscape.

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Price is also heavily influenced by your consumers. Of course, you need
to price to make a profit. However, if your target market is in the middle-
income bracketfor a handbag is unrealistic.

Another option for businesses is to sell through an intermediary─a

wholesaler or reseller. If you sell through Walmart or Amazon, you
would fit into this category. The advantage of working with a wholesaler
is that they tend to have a wider distribution network and larger customer-
base.

Although it makes it possible to reach more customers, you lose some of

that customer connection that is associated with direct sales. It can also be
extremely difficult and lengthy process to land a deal with big name
wholesalers like Walmart.

Increasing productivity is a constant source of worry for employers. I

remember the ideology that one of my previous bosses adhered to; he was
attempting to squeeze all the juice out of his employees and scowled at
them every time they took a break or talked to each other. Let me say that
turnover rate and absenteeism (as well as presenteeism!) were very high
in that company. Nothing to help productivity here!

If you are an assiduous reader of this blog, then you’re already aware of a
few management practices to incorporate in order to enhance employees’
productivity, such as setting realistic goals and allocating functions that
correspond to employees’ strengths. But have you ever thought about also
integrating practices that are somewhat less conventional?

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Process models and design principles play a major role in the
development of a product. With every process and principle having their
own benefits, deciding the right combination is a challenging task. In this
case study, existing design methods and design principles were tailored
through a Design Innovation (DI) process to achieve rapid response
system critical for project completion. This paper explores in detail how
the DI process was formally made instrumental for an industrial
development. Pohlmeyer's ContinUE model was used as a systematic
guide on the critical stages along the DI process to capture user needs.
The success of the project and implementation of the DI process was
tested via the user satisfaction recorded towards the end of the process.
With a total of 326 target users, the analysis showed that the diverse user
needs identification methods results in different insights. Design theory
and other methodologies such as prototyping principles were also
demonstrated to be valuable and practical in developing and delivering
design solutions. The combination of design theories and process can lead
to successful implementation at an industrial level.

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13. References

www.google.com
www.saypan.in
www.toptal.com
www.templates.office.com
www.bechelorstudies.com
www.creativemarket.com
www.lucidpress.com
www.pinterest.com

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14. Annexure

Dear Respondent

I am writing this to invite you to a brief survey conducted by me on the

valuable topic of “TRAIDCRAFT” I am a student of MBA, and as a part
of my course I have to submit my dissertation on a particular topic. I
choose this topic that how to develope new business skills on this
platform (traidcraft) and how to influence others by selling and
purchasing of products. I know that this is a busy time of year for you,
but I hope that you will take just a little time to participate in this brief
web survey. The data gathered from this survey will be extremely
beneficial for future studies. The survey will be conducted in anonymous
form, where all your identity and answers will be completely confidential.
Your respondent key will be used for tracking purposes only.

Thank you for sparing your valuable time.

Regards
Manisha Chauhan

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