Exotic Fashions

MGW1010 ASSESSMENT TASK 1

An interview was conducted with the CEO of Exotic Fashions, a brick and mortar women’s clothing store, where questions were asked on her work in practice and how it relates to the theoretical explanations of a top level manager. The following is an analysis of the different skills required of a top level manager, why ‘people skills’ is so critical and how this CEO motivates and leads her employees in order to give Exotic Fashions the best chance of success. This essay also looks at how the growing importance of customers and social media impact on the work of the CEO of Exotic Fashions.

The CEO of Exotic Fashions claims that even in her span as CEO, her jobs and duties has changed due to the constant change in technology

Such skills include imagination, thinking ‘outside the box’, analysing complex situations, understanding issues and solving problems. For example the CEO of Exotic Fashions has to constantly deal with ever increasing trade tariffs, the weakening rand, increased competition (mainly from low priced markets (China City)) and the constant change in fashion. In the fashion world, Robert L. Katz’s skills are considered a crucial requirement for CEO’s in top-level management positions. Conceptual skills are different from technical skills and human skills. All three types of skills play important roles in certain situations or for certain purposes, but conceptual skills heave the broadest application because they can pertain to virtually anything. (http://snehsoni.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/essential-skills-for-managers/) This CEO constantly comes up with ideas for new products and new processes. She is able to examine these complex issues and formulate specific, effective courses of action. (Pavett, C.M. & Lau, A.W. (1983). Managerial work: The influence of hierarchial level and functional specialty, Academy of Management Journal, 26,

Managing customer relations is a crucial aspect of her job and her main focus is to deliver consistent high quality clothes on a regular basis as this is crucial for survival in this competitive field. The functions of the CEO are to plan for innovation in order to keep the customers interested an excited; she conceptualises to combat mediocracy and complacency which is the downfall of many businesses. She needs to organise how and when to implement innovation before using her ‘human skills’ to encouraging (leading) her employees to be aware and act on opportunities to be innovative whilst monitoring and helping where possible with her technical skills all the processes in Exotic