Question

Video: >> Well, definitely when Holden came out we were the new and improved outerwear. For the first 5 or 6 years it was people just waiting to see and they still do. I mean a lot of our accounts come in and say "I can't wait to see the collection. What have you done this year? What new fabrics, what new designs do you have?" So, yeah, it really affected the industry as well. I mean we had competitors at our big shows showing pieces of their lines. This is our Holden piece, this is our Holdenesque garment. We've been kind of labeled as the person or the brand that pushes that, the style portion of technical [inaudible]. Hi, I'm Mikey LeBlanc. I'm the founder of Holden and I'm one of the guys that helps with marketing around here. >> I have a pretty solid background in both development and design. So I actually do really get excited about technology and working, you know, whether it's with the fabric mill or with a garment manufacturer on taking something that everyone does every day and doing it slightly different and how are we going to do it different and how are we going to present it to the market in a way that's still acceptable and functional. Hi, I'm Nikki. I'm the design and development manager at Holden Outwear. >> When we started the company in 2002, Scott and I wanted to make a natural fiber, waterproof, breathable fabric, which didn't exist. So, we had a ton of vendors. Every time we'd met with a fabric supplier we would say "Do you have anything natural, waterproof, breathable?" They're like "Okay, you're like, you're crazy". So, basically we had to put the pieces together. We developed the world's first natural fiber, waterproof, breathable fabric in 2005, which was a hemp poly mix fabric. We won a ton of awards for it and, you know, we had our major competitors again chasing us right after that. [ Music ] >> I think our denim that we're doing is really exciting. You know a lot of companies in the outer market are doing cheap nylons that are printed to look like denim and we're actually doing a true cotton 12 that is denim and, you know, laminated with the 20k water proofing and is performing on the mountain as, you know, high performance outerwear and also looking like a real true jean when someone wears it. >> Yeah, we're a small brand and we aren't able to, you know, have all pieces of the puzzle. We don't own factories, we don't own the fabric mills, we can't fill a factory so we've got to have really great relationships with all of our vendors. >> This is 100% polyester twill two layer. >> It's definitely getting harder and harder to be able to push our vendors to do new development. Costs are going up, you know, and they don't want to develop something that may in turn not get used. >> We may go in with a new design they've never seen and they're like, "Well, that's not possible". And then you say, "Yes", and they say "No", and you say "Yes, this is how". And then they're like "Wow, cool", and then their brains start working and they're like "Wow this is great. This is something new our factory can do and offer to other people". >> And that's how we do our business is to be able to, you know, push our manufacturers or our vendors in ways that they aren't pushed. That's how we come up with something new.

Questions:

1) Mikey talks about the difficulty of getting fabric manufacturers to create new fabrics. Mikey describes the process by saying that when he goes to vendors and asks them for something new, they say no, and then he tells them how it should be done. For the fabric manufacturers, this is an example of a change driven by _____conditions. (global, internal, external, or technical)

2) In general, Mikey and Nikki are proactive, making planned changes at Holden Outerwear. Which of the following actions are consistent with this approach? Check all that apply.

A) Mikey and Nikki see how the environment is changing, and they match their actions to environmental changes that have already occurred.

B) Mikey and Nikki imagine what should be rather than working with what is.

C) Mikey and Nikki actively analyze the environment and try to predict upcoming opportunities or threats.

D) Mikey and Nikki look for problems in the organization. When they find one, they determine why the problem exists and what the most appropriate solution would be.

3) Which of the following are related to characteristics Mikey must have in order to promote change at Holden? Check all that apply.

A) Mikey cares about how his employees are treated, and he wants to do the right things for them.

B) Mikey is always clearly in charge, and nobody is willing to question what he says.

C) Mikey is known for his ability to think outside the box—he always has new ideas.

D) Mikey has a sense of humor about himself and the things that happen at work.

Answer 1

1- external conditions

2-

B) Mikey and Nikki imagine what should be rather than working with what is.

C) Mikey and Nikki actively analyze the environment and try to predict upcoming opportunities or threats.

3-

A) Mikey cares about how his employees are treated, and he wants to do the right things for them.

C) Mikey is known for his ability to think outside the box—he always has new ideas.

D) Mikey has a sense of humor about himself and the things that happen at work.