Fashion buyer

Fashion buyer Introduction Fashion buyers role is to monitoring the development of a product range targeted at a specific market group and price range. In a small company, buyer may also be involved in the creative and technical areas of developing a product, therefore one criteria to be a buyer is to have product knowledge. The goal of buyer is to deliver consumers a garment with satisfactory in appearance, fit, comfort, quality and price. Technology is said to be the â€Å"foundation of all jobs within the fashion business†. Indeed, technology is extensively used in different processes in the textile pipeline, from fibre to clothing and to consumer. For hundred years, development of fibres and fabrics with specific functions and machineries has been heavily dependent on technology. Digital systems such as CAD are introduced to the design and product development processes. Technology is also essential for communication between retailers, manufacturers and consumers. This study is to evaluate the performance of fabrics during manufacture and use, processes involved in the creation of a garment, the impact of human measurement on the provision of adequate sizing and how CAD system is applied in the stages of product development and visualization and to analyze how technology influents fashion buyers decision on range planning. Creation of garment Before production of garment takes place, the stage of design, product development and sourcing should be completed and provided that all the materials have arrived. There are several processes encompassed in the creation of a garment; beginning with spreading and cutting fabrics, sewing, wet processing and finally applying pressing. Generally before cutting, fabrics including body and interlining, need to be spread and or pre-washed if required, can then be cut into parts and panels, which spreading and cutting can be done by computer-controlled machinery in mass-production and manually for sampling. Spreading is defined as the process of â€Å"superimposing lengths of fabrics on a cutting table† by Glock and Kunz (2005, 402), and â€Å"fabrics may be spread face up, face down or face to face† for there are directional fabrics such as velvet, corduroy and fake fur, even with one or two-way prints and stripes, depending which direction they are viewed and it is important to be distinguished as this will affect the aesthetics of the finished product. Applications of interfacing, which is defined by Frings (2008, p164) â€Å"is a layer of fabric placed directly under the garment fabric for structuring and support†, may be required in different parts such as waistband and pocket openings of a garment especially tailored, helping to maintain shapes and eliminating damages on fabric from radical stretching. Interfacing is also one example of trimmings, and â€Å"use of trimmings varies with each segment of the industry.† (Frings, 2008) Functional trimmings such as elastics and zippers are widely used in sportswear, and decorative trimmings such as embroidery and buttons may be used in childrens wear making the products look more attractive. Stitches are applied to assembling the parts and panels together into pieces. According to British Standard 3870-1:1991, stitches are divided into 6 classes. Class 100 Chain stitch: Brown and Rice (2001) indicated it is flexible but also unravels easily by pulling one end of the thread, mainly used for making button holes. Class 200 Hand stitch: mostly for decorative uses Class 300 Lock stitch: widely used in industry with no problem of seam grin, but puckering, however, more secure and good for setting zippers and pockets. Class 400 Multi-thread chain stitch: can be combined with Class 500 integrating safety stitches with stretchiness. Class 500 Overedge chain stitch: widely used in knitwear industry due to its extensibility Class 600 Covering chain stitch: very extensive and strong and used especially for knitted fabrics. There are variations of stitch types providing different level of functional performance, comfort as well as attractiveness and decision on which types to use is determined by the type of fabric used and purpose of the end product. For example, the combination safety stitch 401.503 is most commonly used for security and neatens the cut edges of both knitted and woven fabrics; hand stitching using thick, colourful threads is very decorative especially for childrens wear. However, sewing faults such as seam puckering and grin, even damages on fabrics may be caused by insufficient use of stitches, thread tensions and machine needles. Moreover, it is mentioned by Chuter (1995, p136) â€Å"a mismatch between thread and fabric causes puckers on washing†, especially for products need to undertake wet processing as a finishing, therefore choice of thread has to be careful particularly in a product designed with decorative stitches, because it cannot be mended once the damages are mad e unless taking out all the seams and start sewing again. The principle of pressing is defined by Cooklin (1997) that is to remove creases from a garment by application of heat, steam and pressure, in order to create a desired final appearance of a product. Pressing may apply during the process of assembling to open seams, or press a hem. However, condition of pressing varies from different fabrics; for example, cotton and linen fabrics requires a hot iron, and can be pressed on the right and the wrong sides, whereas fabrics made from synthetic fibres require a cool iron or they will melt under too much heat. Process of pressing should be held by experts avoiding damages on products. From fibres to fabrics Textile fibres are the basic unit of a garment, contributing to aesthetics, durability, comfort and appearance of a garment. Fibres can be divided into 2 categories, natural and man-made. Natural fibres come from plants consisting of cellulose and animals consisting of protein; cotton, flax, wool and silk are the most commonly used in knitting fabrics. All natural fibres are spun into staple, short fibre yarns (except silk, a filament, long fibre yarn) through specific spinning system accordingly (See Figure 4). Yarns can be twisted into 2 directions: Z for cotton and linen and S for woolen and worsted. It is clarified by Elsasser (2005, p113) that â€Å"twist direction does not affect quality in single yarns.† Man-made fibres, also called manufactured, mentioned by Eberle (2004) can be classified further into cellulosic and synthetics, such as viscose, polyester and nylon, are produced through technology from chemicals (petroleum) and natural sources (wood) that cannot be used in original form, and then into yarns. Elsasser (2005, p14) stated that â€Å"Science and technology have allowed people to create fibres to meet specific end-use applications. For example, the nylon used in auto mobile tired is very different from the nylon used in hosiery.† Several man-made fibres are produced to be substitute of particular natural fibres due to economical and environmental factors; for instance, viscose, a manufactured (regenerated) cellulosic fibre made from natural fibres to chemical solution then extruded through spinneret, is also called â€Å"artificial silk† (Elsasser, 2005) for its fineness and luster and it is very much less expensive than silk; acrylic, a synthetic fibre, ha s properties closely resemble those of wool. Subsequently man-made fibres are spun and twisted into filament yarns by different spinning systems according to fibre type, such as melt spinning, dry spinning, wet spinning (see Figure 5) and many others, which can then be constructed into fabrics and used in wide range of apparels. The most common methods of forming a fabric are weaving and knitting, however non-woven fabrics are also widely used in textile industry. Woven fabrics are constructed in an interlacing structure with 2 sets of threads, which is firm and strong with the least stretch; three basic weaves are plain (e.g. chiffon), twill (e.g. herringbone and denim) and satin. Whereas knitted fabrics can be made by machine and hand, are formed with an interlocking structure in weftwise or warpwise direction by loops of threads, allowing significant stretch and drape but can easily lose shape; three basic knits are single jersey, rib and purl. â€Å"The structure of a fabric, or how it is fabricated, affects its aesthetic and functional performance.† (Brown and Rice, 2001) As well as the structure, fibres carrying different properties determine the performance of a fabric, and thereby different end uses. Elsasser (2005) suggested properties of a fibre maybe classified as physical, mechanical, chemical and environmental. â€Å"Physical properties are properties that can be evaluated with the naked eye or with a microscope† (Elsasser, 2005, p14) including cross section (see Figure 7), covering power, hand, luster and pilling propensity. Abrasion resistance, dimensional stability and resiliency are examples of mechanical properties of that can be determined under textile testing procedures. For example, cotton is soft and comfortable, which can be knitted into a lightweight single jersey fabric making into underwear or a heavyweight denim fabric making into jeans; polyester has a high level of resistance to crea ses and water, it can be knitted to make sportswear, outerwear. â€Å"Chemical properties of a fibre determine how it will react when it is exposed to the many substances used in production and in cleaning (Elsasser, 2005, p22) including absorbency and flammability. Environmental properties are the sensitivity of a fibre to climate and insects. â€Å"Most authorities agree that the colour or printed design of a fabric is the most important factor in the customers decision to purchase apparel of furnishings,† expressed by Elsasser (2005, p172). Brown and Rice (2001, p183) mentioned that â€Å"fabrics can be dyed in the fibre, yarn, fabrics, of garment stage† by dyeing and printing. Dyeing is to be processed by soluble colourants penetrating colours to the core of fibres, and printing is adding colours onto fabrics by pigment, insoluble colourants. There are always some instinctive disadvantages of fibres such as cotton wrinkles very easily; combination of fibres knitted into fabrics is one way of offsetting, at the same time enhancing the fabric with better function and performance. For example, polyester is blended with cotton to provide a certain level of crease resistance to a fabric and improve durability; viscose blending with cotton providing a silky appearance. â€Å"Finishes give textile products properties they do not possess naturally† said Elsasser (2005, p189). Besides blending, weaknesses of fibres maybe overcome by mechanical and chemical finishing processes modifying surface, wearing properties and aftercare. Mechanical finishing includes calendering, raising, cropping and compressive shrinkage, which require machinery to achieve. Chemical finishing includes mothproofing, crease recovery, anti static, flame retardant. Calendering is often applied for a smooth surface if the fabric needs to be printed; moth proofing is most likely to apply on woollen products as a finish. Consumers become more concerned about the quality of textile products nowadays, quality of a garment can be controlled by inspecting raw materials and finished products; a set of lab tests and inspections are carried out to assure the quality â€Å"indicating factors such as fabric and seam strength, colourfastness, shrinkage, and other properties† suggested by Kothari (1999, p7) and there are authorities such as British Standards Institute and International Standards Organization to standardize the levels on test methods, performance and the specification. Sizing â€Å"Body type is the fundamental basis of sizing systems. For apparel sizing, body types are classified by body proportions as related to age and gender† indicated by Glock and Kunz (2005, p139), for example toddlers, juniors and women, there are also additional body types classified as petite, tall or plus sizes. It is suggested by Brown and Rice (2001) that age, sex and body types group together into classification generating the sizing system including a size range and there are sizing methods for the majority mass-produced clothing, e.g. size code. Size code can be expressed in letter (S, M, L) or number forms (10, 12, 14), which represents general body size, however, different numbers or letters are used in a particular garment, for example, in mens dress shirts, sizes are indicated according to the collar and the sleeve length measurements such as 16-34. According to the British Standard of body measurement, size code of the garment should be indicated clearly on a label and securely attached to where it is easily readable on the garment. Brown and Rice soon argued it is lack of standardization on apparel sizing and the numerical codes do not necessarily indicate adequate sizes for many female consumers. Glock and Kunz (2005; p141) enlightened that â€Å"size alone does not determine garment fit. Fit is how a garment conforms to or differs from the body. Fit is sometimes described as garment ‘cut. A well-cut garment conforms to the body in a comfortable and flattering manner.† Silhouette of a garment is often determined by anthropometrics, which is a set of measurement of human body establishing the size, shape and proportion of the body in order to provide and improve for better fit, physical comfort and performance of a garment. Fit is evaluated by Brown and Rice (2005) that can be controlled by five elements: grain, set, line, balance and ease. In order to establishing a good fit, the grain line of fabric needs to be parallel to the length of body; bias may be cut to achieve special effects. A garment with poor set will have wrinkles and folds pinpointing the locations of the fit problem, which the wrinkles caused cannot be eliminated by ironing. Twisted side seams is one example of distortion of the structural lines of the garment where side seams are meant to be hanging down and perpendicular to the floor and this may be caused by poor design or construction. Garments should balance from the front, back or sides and follow the silhouette of the body. Garment containing adequate ease should allow room for ordinary movements such as walking and breathing, and yet it is sometimes a style for a garment to be designed and made with extra fullness. In addition, stretch fabrics are particularly selected for conforming the exact body silhouette than rigid fabrics and manipulation of body scanning technology is introduced in recent years, obtaining more than a hundred measurements of a body in only few seconds and provided with this data, an absolute fit garment can be produced. CAD CAD (Computer Aided Design), an interactive computer design system extensively used in the clothing and textiles industry, is often used together with CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture). They can be distinguished by â€Å"CAD is generally used to support the creative processes in the design studio and CAM is used in the manufacturing process to control machinery or system (such as grading, lay planning or pattern cutting).† (Gray, 1998, p2) and it is suggested by Aldrich (1992, p84) that it has â€Å"an ability to simulate visual impressions†. CAD technology was originally developed for textile industry, and soon introduced into all processes in clothing industry â€Å"from apparel and textile design, pattern making, grading, garment production through to merchandising and data management.†(Burke, 2006, p157) The first stage in the process is often apparel and textile design. Designers uses CAD system in creating fashion illustration by simulating and designing textiles (wovens, knits, prints) and sketching silhouette of garments, presenting visual images of moodboards, colour palettes, fabric swatches, fabric draping, trims, embroidery motifs, stitch structures, scanning and editing images as well as producing higher quality of printouts. Pattern creation is the next stage in the clothing process. As CAD is a computerized system, it enables technicians â€Å"to scan, digitize in or create pattern blocks on screen and redesign pattern pieces where necessary† (Aldrich, 1992, p95), which makes pattern making very much convenience than it was before. Once the basic pattern is digitized into the computer and by inputting a size chart, â€Å"grading, or how each pattern shape changes to allow for different sizes, is automatically achieved.† (Aldrich, 1992, p83) With the digitalized system of pattern developing and grading, a lay plan (also called a marker), which is a cutting template, can then easily be generated of how the patterns should be laid out together â€Å"as closely and efficiently as possible† (Eberle, 2004, p145) to maximized usage of the fabric during the manufacturing process. Depending on the width of the fabric and pattern sizes, the lay can be planned into single size or multi-size. In addition, CAD is also used throughout the supply chain for communication between retailers, suppliers and customers. CAD can be integrated with other information technology systems, generating 2D designs to 3D, carrying out processes excluded in design and manufacturing stage, such as collecting sales orders and controlling stock as well as planning and visualizing shop floor layouts. Discussion Being a fashion buyer, there are some crucial factors of technology which have to be taken into consideration when a new range of products is under development. In term of range, every season retailers have various product categories as ‘fashion, ‘seasonal and ‘staple styles, different terminology maybe used in different retailers, such as ‘classic or ‘key items. Seasonal items are designed in specific themes for weather changes and traditional events including Halloween, Christmas and Easter, usually individual collection is designed for each category. Staple items are usually the basic styles selling in the previous season with more or less the same fitting however minor changes, such as style (from crew neck to V-neck) and colour combos. Fashion items are the unique and trendy items in the collection which only sell for a particular season and buyers are responsible for the selection of the collection including the outlook of items, fabrics used, colo urways by forcasting future trends. Goworek (2001, p20) defined range planning is that â€Å"the stage where buyers define the detail of the range that is to be offered to the customer in terms of styling, fabric, design details, suppliers and prices.† In the stage of planning, buyer needs to make decisions on the followings: Theme, fabrics, trims, patterns and colours to be used in each style; depending on what season and style the garment is in, different types of fabrics and colours may apply accordingly achieving specific outlooks. Size range for individual styles; most of the retailers usually have specific target market groups which the size range is based. However measurements sometimes vary slightly for fashion items. Range selection; the styles to be manufactured, the amount and ratio of styles such as tops and bottoms to be included in each category collection; there are usually hundreds of styles designed every season and only 60-70 styles are in final production list. Origin of the products; buyer considers the techniques to be used in the garments and decides where to place the bulk orders according to the manufacturers capabilities. Selling price; price to be sold in the stores â€Å"A product at any level must achieve the correct balance between price, quality, creativity and wearability†, said by Tungate (2004, p226). â€Å"Quality of textile and apparel products can prove decisive in the success or failure of companies in the fiercely competitive global market† stated by Kothari (1999, p1). Quality to the consumers means fitness for purpose such as comfort, warmth. Comfort can be performed by different sectors of a garment: fabrics, and design fitting. Fabric is the main component for comfort, which influences the presentation of a garment at the same time. Inadequately used fabric may result in not selling, for example an evening gown designed to be shiny and drapes well should use satin or silk not twill fabric, as the garment is worn next to skin, twill fabric is not appropriate for its surface is rough and uncomfortable to wear. Being attractively dressed is not the only reason for people to wear clothes; functional properties such as protection and keeping body warm is also a crucial factor and fabric should be appropriately used in apparel, additional finishing can be applied depending on purpose of garment, may be for different events and weathers, for example, a rain coat should have a waxed finish on the fabric surface protecting body from wet. Therefore, fabric sourcing is an essential process for new development; buyers should have background and update knowledge on fibres and fabrics as there is â€Å"continuous development of specialized fibers or fabrics for specific functions† (Kim and Johnson, 2009), as well as the technology in manufacturing. Since buyers may not be an expert on textiles, designer and the fabric technologists usually participate in the stage of fabric sourcing, it is important to distinguish the fibre contents and the constructions of a fabric as it is under British Standard that the fibre content must be clearly and accurately shown on a label stating what the garment was made of as well as the care instructions. Quality of the fabrics is tested by the authorized laboratory such as SGS, ITS ensuring fabrics achieving the standard of certain requirements in order to satisfy consumers. Brown and Rice (2001, p183) pointed out that â€Å"dyeing and printing are merchandising decisions as much as technical decisions because colour is critical to consumers when considering which garment to purchase.† When consumers first walk into shops, the first component appears to them is colour and the patterns of the garment. Buyers should always keep track on the fashion trend and the latest technology of dyeing and printing as well as competitors movements before making decisions as wrong decisions made may result in no sales and lose money, it is clearly shown by the failure case study of Marks and Spencer choosing the colour ‘grey to be the theme colour of its products. On the other hand, when making decisions, buyers should take into account the cost of the finishings needed to be applied to the fabrics and products, some finishings require special machinery for which not every manufacturer will have and for those who have, will demand a higher price for produci ng. For example, an additional cost of mercerizing process will be added to manufacturing the cotton fabric. Also, most of the time, fabrics are to be dyed into required colours and the cost of the fabric should include the dyeing cost, however for a product designed with garment dye finishing will cost more as manufacturers do not own a dyeing mill. Labour cost will also includes due to the constructions of the products using complicated machinery such as the cost of sewing in lock stitch will be less than sewing five-thread decorative overlock stitch. Cost can be eliminated in such minor sections to keep the whole production cost down, for one of the duties of buyer is to keep manufacturing cost down in order to make most profit for the company. Manually prototypes are manufactured with designated materials, colours and prints, then fitted on a model for buyers and designers reviewing if there should be any amendments, and while clothing designers use CAD systems together with other IT systems such as V-stitcher to perform ideas and stimulate designs by editing details, it is a more convenience and less time-consuming way to visual prototypes and change the materials, colourways, print patterns, trims and even the silhouette of a garment in a 2D and 3D computerized system as efficiency is crucial in this fast fashion industry. However, these digital systems are not affordable for every company. Consumers are concerned about apparel sizing and fit, they tend to purchase garments make them look well dressed and it is indicated by Brown and Rice (2005, p154) that â€Å"manufacturers aim to produce apparel that consistently fits their target market because apparel that fits increases sales and customer satisfaction† as well as gaining customer loyalty for they can expect to find a good fit as found before. The size range of garments available in store maybe different between retailers depending on what their target customer is. Moreover, garment measurements also vary between styles according to the perception of fashion, for example, the latest trend for womens top is oversized, measurement on shoulder of the fashion items will be bigger than a basic crew neck t-shirt. In order to achieve good fit, 3D body scanner can be applied to collect measurements of a model in the retailers target market group and transferring into computer data and collaborating technology of body scanning and V-stitcher, an avatar representing specific target market group is developed in V-stitcher system. Together with CAD system, where patterns are prepared, designers and buyers can review the styles on the avatar by different poses and movement and amend the fitting if necessary. Constructions of a garment can also be demonstrated in this collaboration system by putting specification of stitches and seams onto the prototypes. Nevertheless, it is difficult to examine the suitability use of stitches and seams without an actual finished prototype is produced. Conclusion This study illustrated the application of technology in the clothing and apparel industry from fibres to fabrics and to finished products, it is indeed used throughout all stages by designers, buyers and manufactures with digital and manual systems. Fibres and fabrics are being developed continuously, design and product development processes are becoming more and more dependent on the digital technology systems as demonstrated by Lectra, it is very useful to creating all the virtual images of designs, colourways and materials and generating into a collection in a computerized system. Technology is demonstrated as an advancement of this fast fashion industry. In order to success in the new product development, fashion buyers are responsible for making decisions for a complete collection of styles, based on researching the market for the latest trends, the consumer behaviours, and the most important is the application of technology. Design may be the key factor of a successful product, however, will not succeed without assistance with technology. The key elements of technology that influents fashions buyers decision in a new product development will be the technology achieving better fit and better quality to a garment.

Discrimination :: Essays Papers

Discrimination Janet Smith awoke early morning to prepare for her job interview at Britax Vision Systems. She started the coffeepot in the kitchen and returned to her bedroom to sort through her wardrobe. After careful consideration, she decided on a navy blue pantsuit with white trim and matching dress shoes. After Janet had taken her shower, she dressed and went back to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. Deciding on an English muffin, she sat down at the table to enjoy it along with her coffee. Janet finished her breakfast, brushed her teeth, and continued readying herself for the meeting. Once her morning ritual was complete, Janet got into her blue Escort and drove to Britax with the sound of Jimmy Buffet in her ears. Upon arrival, Janet parked her car in the guest parking lot and turned off the ignition. Giving herself another look over in the mirror, along with a few words of encouragement, she headed towards the main building. After she had entered through the double glass doors, she approached a nearby desk. Behind the desk sat a young, light-brown haired woman. The nameplate on her desk read Ashley. Ashley was an attractive girl with bright green eyes with blue speckles at the edges. She wore a cranberry vest along with a matching skirt that, to Janet, seemed much to short for an office job. After a few seconds of waiting, Ashley looked up at Janet questioningly. â€Å"Hi, I’m here for my interview. My name is Janet Smith and I have an eleven o’clock appointment†, she said confidently. The young girl opened a small leather book at the right edge of her desk and began scanning the pages. A moment later she returned her attention to Janet and instructed her to be seated across from the door to her left. There were five seats lined against the wall, each with black backing and gray upholstery. A man with dark hair and eyes sat farthest to the left. He wore gold-rimmed glasses that had slipped down his nose in the course of his reading. A Time magazine lay open on his lap. He scanned the pages slowly, although Janet suspected that he wasn’t really reading at all, but rather trying to pass time. Janet chose the middle seat and placed her purse on the chair beside her. She began thinking about her family. Her husband Mark had just had his 34th birthday, making him two years older than she.

Human Resources †Employing and maintaining staff Essay

Human resources is a department which is a key component for any size business as it’s responsibilities affect the whole business The main responsibilities of the Human resources department can be split into 4 areas, Employing and maintaining staff, Training for new employees, Procedures, laws and legislation and Providing a safe working environment. The recruitment process is important: because it ensures that everyone in the business follows the same procedure . The best possible candidate is hired and reduces the risk of hiring a unsuitable candidate , saves further recruitment costs . Makes sure money and time are being used efficiently and effectively . The Recruitment process : the steps involved in finding and appointing new employees A vacancy arises Vacancies occur in a business because of maternity/paternity, death, retirement , dismissal , promotion , expansion . A job description is written or revised based on the job analysis . Job analysis – to see if it’s necessary or can be shared by other employees . it allows HR to become ware to any changes that many need to be made in the job description . They do this by reviewing the job . This is important because it makes sure the job description is correct and includes all the responsibilities/tasks , so you can get the best possible candidate . A person specification or job profile is written Person specification – skills/attributes of the person (eg communication, the ability to work as a team , hold a driving license ) / Educational and vocational qualifications , such as GCSES and NVQS . This is to eliminate people that wouldn’t be suitable for the job , this saves money and time . it is important because it makes sure you don’t get the wrong candidate , ensures you get the best possible candidate . Serves as a measure which the applicants can be judged against . It helps to design the advert , select in interviews and short list . A decision is made about whether to recruit internally or externally Internally in large business – notice boards , emails , website – intranet , memos , appraisals , meetings and newsletters . Externally – local and national newspapers , Job recruitment agency , radio advert , company website , trade journals – specialist magazines , job centres , social media –twitter and Facebook . You need to consider these factors when deciding whether to recruit externally or internally : cost , target audience and how quickly you need them . This is important as you need to know if the job can be completed within the business by being spread out over employees , even though you would have to pay them for the extra hours they are doing . It would save money as you do not have to pay for the advert , you could send around an email or put a notice on the notice board . You could do 1 on 1 interviews rather than panel interviews . In panel interviews there is more staff , that are not doing their job because they are interviewing so replacement have to paid for . Advertisements are drawn up and placed in appropriate media Design job advert – includes job title and hours , skills/qualifications required , key duties , where the job is , how to apply and where to send the application . All of this information is important because they may have a busy lifestyle and be unable to do flexible hours , lack certain skills and qualifications . When the candidates view the advert they can decide for themselves if the job is unsuitable for them , this lowers the recruitment costs and the business does not have to waste time and money interviewing and sorting though the candidates application . The key duties, location , how to apply and where to send application are stated because on the candidate needs to be able to do these duties , reach the location and apply . Application forms are issued and/or cvs and letters of application are requested . The applicants will need to complete an application form / letter of application and cv . They are sent out to the applicants and the applicants return to them to the correct business within the business . This helps with short listing . The job description and person specification are compared against to check for correct qualifications . The application form is the best to judge against , as they all have the same layout so this makes them quicker to judge against . There is also no discrimination as all candidates are given the same questions . Short listing takes place Short listing – selecting the candidates who best meet the qualities , qualifications and experiences requested on the job description . Primark and other large companies make applicants take an aptitude test and selection questions as this saves time and money . Interviews are held and assessment and testing takes place Factors to consider before the interview : Who will interview the candidates? Most likely the supervisor of the member / staff responsible for them/ store manager / HR manager . Is it going to be a One to one or panel interview . Panel interview is more fair as it is less biased . Where will you interview the candidates ? Make sure here is no interruptions , quiet and accessible for disabled candidates . What questions will be asked . All the candidates get asked the same questions , reduces discrimination . Judged on all the same questions , easy to compare . Need to cater to all , eg Deaf people . How to ensure fairness in the interview? What tests will you run , aptitude and psychometric tests? This is important because in the application form a candidate could lie and say they are confident as they are sitting in front of a computer screen . Many mistakes are made in the interview and it is easily to judge the candidate a nd tell when they are lying . Selection takes place and someone is appointed You should seek references from previous posts , to ensure that the candidates have been honest throughout , and not omitted to inform prospective employer of any issues that many effect his/her ability to do the job . This isn’t done at the beginning as the candidate may have a current job and wouldn’t want their employer knowing unless they have an interview . This is important as if the candidate is not chosen they can call up and ask why they were not chosen , to ensure there is no discrimination against the candidate and there a valid reason for the selection . Contract of employment – rates of employment , hours to be worked , holiday entitlement , sick pay procedures , duties Letter of appointment : offer , job title , pay , start date , where to report to and other relevant information. Maintaining staff Staff retention It is important for a business to keep it’s staff because this will minimise disruption to other employees , as other employees will have to pick up the duties of that job whilst the recruitment process is being done . The new employees will not be trained so this can cause the customers to get annoyed at the bad customer service . The trained employees will have to be constantly looking over the new employees this can decrease productivity . The recruitment process is costly and time consuming , on average it costs  £2000 to recruit per person. It is costly because of the training costs and other factors . The longer the employees are there , the more familiar they will become with the businesses policies and the better they will get with the customers . A business such as Primark can encourage staff retention by having monetary rewards which will include discounts or a pay rise linked to them achieving a target / an appraisal . They can have flexible working schemes which allow staff to start and finish work later/earlier. The business needs to make sure the business has a safe and suitable working environment that is not detrimental to physical or mental health . Staff should be praised upon and recognised , they can be valued within the employee of the month . All staff should receive a fair pay with opportunities for promotion . If the staff retention is bad the labour turnover is high so this may put off future candidates from applying because they can see the labour turnover so will wonder so many people are leaving . They will assume the business isn’t that good as there are many problems making the employees leave so the business will not get the best candidates for the job . The recruitment process is expensive and is done in the certain steps to ensure the best candidate is chosen , this would make this process a waste of time . If employees are covering roles there is less time to spend with customers so this will affect the customer service . Appraisals Appraisals can also be done , this is an examination of an employees performance over a period of time , this is carried out by the employees line manager . An appraisal report will include the strengths of an employees , the development needs of an employee , a report on the achievement of objectives set at the previous appraisal and an action plan using the weaknesses to identify training needs. Labour Turnover HR measure how successful they are retaining staff by looking at the labour turnover for each year . Labour turnover is the proportion of employees leaving a business over a period of time . HR will analyse the results and look at the trends to decide on what action they think will be appropriate . This is important as the business needs to know if their staff retention is good or bad , as this affects the money in the business . High levels of labour turnover will indicate a problem within the business , HR will look at the main issues and take steps to address them . Low levels of labour turnover will indicate that the business is keeping it’s employees satisfied or that unemployment is high so fewer people are leaving for other jobs . To identify issues HR will carry our exit interviews so they discuss with the employee why they have left the business , and if HR can do anything to make them stay or improve the business for the future so this does not reoccur . Grievance HR must design and set up this the grievance procedure , they must ensure the process allows complaints to be dealt with quickly and fairly . This must ensure all staff have access to this . This is important so both the employer and employee are satisfied . Ensuring employees are trained as necessary in accordance with job role and business procedures The importance of training It is important for a business to train all its staff so the employees know how to operate in house systems such as operating tills. Also to make sure the business is remaining competitive and keeping up with customer requirements such as learning how new styles and cross selling. The staff need to be aware of the companies polices affecting legalisation , and health and safety . This also motivates staff as they can now operate efficiently. They will also have the same training as the rest of staff so they won’t feel left out and unmotivated . If the employees are motivated , they will give better customer service . This makes the business more competitive as the customers would go to their business over a competitor with bad customer service . This would allow the business to make higher quality goods and sell for higher prices . The more training an employee gets the more productive and efficient the employee can be , therefore there are lower costs for the business and mor e profit being made . So they can charge lower prices and attract more customers . Induction training The main aim of induction training is to make sure the employee feels motivated as soon as they join the business , and become familiar with their position to increase productivity . In induction training there are many things that need to be covered including aims and objectives and the history of the business. They will need to met key staff so when they start actually working there they will know who everyone is and where to go if they have problems . This is important because the employee is less likely to remember all the rules and policies if they put in a room and made to listen to them for the first day . Employees that do not get induction training will be unable to integrate into the team easily . They will fail to perform to their highest , have low morale and reduced productivity . All the information is broken down into different sections , each should be delivered by a different member of staff . A brief introduction into the business’s history allows senior management to be introduced to the new employee . Future plans for the business could be explained here , the idea of working at a focused , determined and fast-moving business is very motivating . Shortly after administration will step in and go through the contract of employment , this will include disciplinary / grievance/ sick pay procedures , what to do if you are unable to attend work , hours of work , rates of employment ,holiday entitlement and duties. Staff handbooks are given out , pension schemes and uniform requirements are explained. On the job training This training is given whilst the employee is doing their regular duties . It is done on a normal working day in the normal work place . A demonstration can be done this is working alongside an experienced employee and showing them what to do and what standard the work needs to be done to. Job shadowing is similar , the employee will watch an experienced member of staff perform the duties . The employee will have to watch carefully so when they are their own they can perform the tasks to the same standard . Observation is where the employee will perform their tasks are usual whilst being watched and then they are given feedback at the end . Coaching is where the employee learns new skills and have the chance to practice the skills with a coach before actually doing them at the workplace . The coach will watch them perform the skills and give feedback till the employee can perform the skill to a high standard . Mentoring is another option , the employee will be paired with an experienced member of staff and they can discuss the employee’s progress and problems. . On the job training is important because training occurs whilst you are doing day to day duties so training is less disruptive to productivity . You can also do computer based training which is commonly used in health and safety training , it is training through a computerised program . This is relatively cheap and easy to organise . In-house training can be carried out by a member of staff, they will be given the task of training other employees , this could be linked to new legislation .This ensures everyone is aware of new policies . There are disadvantages to this method they include employees not taking the training as seriously because they are just doing normal duties . Another member of staff may teach the employee a bad habit which they will pick up and do . The member of staff may not have received training on how to train effectively so their training could be a waste of time and ineffective. As the training is being done within the workplace there are more distractions so this could make the learning environment very difficult . Off the job training This training is usually done away from the normal workplace , they will not being doing their usual duties so they can focus their full attention onto the training . An external training agency can be brought in or an employee can carry out the training . As the employee is away from their normal work environment it is easier to focus and harder to get distracted . The employee is given the opportunity to discuss ideas with employees from or outside the business , this allows them to bond better as a team. Although there are disadvantages which include the cost , the cost would be higher if you hired an external trainer , there is lost productivity . Even though the employee is being trained , they are not doing their usual duties . HR must be able to identify training needs , not all employees need the same amount of training as they may have previous experiences . This is important as it reduces costs as the business will not have to pay for unnecessary training . New training is needed when there are new systems , new company policies , after illness periods , maternity , promotions and changes in the law/ health and safety . Costs The cost of on the job training includes that the employee will be less productive during the training period , if the trainer is a fellow employee they will not be doing their job and the training may disrupt other employees and decrease productivity over the whole department. The cost of off the job training includes the cost of the course , travel expenses , loss of productivity whilst the employee is on the course , other members of staff may become resentful as they have not been sent on the course so there will be a decrease in efficiency. If the training is on going , the costs will keep getting higher . Ensuring the business follows procedures, laws and legislation HR is responsible for ensuring that the business is operating within the employment laws , this includes the equality act 2010 , employment rights act 1996 and the health and safety at work act 1974 . The employees must be trained on these policies and trained again when there are new changes in the law . HR needs to understand the implications of not following the law .This is important as the business can be prosecuted if they fail to do so and they can be involved in a tribunal . Also the business can get a bad reputation and limit the employees willing to join the business . Corporate social responsibility and ethics can lead to customers not thinking the business is ethical and there will be a loss in sales . The employment rights act of 1996 sets out an employees basic rights , and includes the right to a contract of employment , holiday and maternity provision . The equality act of 2010 , tells employers that they may not discriminate on the grounds of race , age , religion , sexual orientation , sex, or disability against employees when recruiting , paying or promoting . The health and safety at work act of 1974 , sets out the requirements for keeping people safe in the working environment , this includes keeping accident books and recording visitors to a business. HR needs to look at these acts when doing tasks . When creating grievance / disciplinary procedures , adverts , job description , person specifications and short listing , the equality act is needed to help . When doing interviews , short listing and adverts , the employment rights act should be looked at . The health and safety act helps when doing the interviews and risk assessments , such as Primark does , they use this to make sure younger / disabled employees are safe and not working over time. Providing a safe working environment It is important to provide a safe working environment so there are no injuries caused to anyone , this is Primark’s job . The employee needs to ensure it’s own safety by working and behaving safely in Primark . An unsafe working environment can lead to a bad reputation to customers , this will cause a sales loss . A bad reputation can also put off potential employees , the recruitment process is time consuming and expensive so it is necessary that Primark does not limit the candidates . There is an accident book, which must be completed every time an injury occurs whether is it a minor or major injury . Every time a visitor enters the business , they must log on a visitor book . In the case of an emergency such as a fire , everyone must be evacuated and the business needs to know if everyone is safely out the building . If a visitor did not log onto the book , the business would be completely unaware that there person was there. In a visitor book , there are a few sections to fill out , this can vary business to business . Most often your name , reason for being there and who you are there to see and proof of identification are required . This is important as it makes sure no one at the workplace is put into danger . Fire safety is important when trying to make your workplace as safe as possible , this includes carrying out a fire risk assessment of the premises and reviewing it regularly , as well as telling staff of any risks you may find . Appropriate fire measures must be put in place and maintained , this includes a plan for emergency . All staff must receive fire safety instructions and training . All staff must be trained on a certain type of equipment before they use it . This is important as this reduces injuries , and if they are taught how to use it correctly they can work faster compared having to figure it out by themselves.

Zorya, Slavic Goddess of Light

In Slavic mythology, Zorya (pronounced ZOR-yah and spelled in myriad ways, Zaryi, Zoria, Zorza, Zory, Zore) is the Goddess of the Dawn and the daughter of the sun god Dazbog. In different tales, Zorya has between one and three different aspects, appearing at different times of the day. She is Zorya Utrennyaya (Dawn, the Goddess of the Morning Star) in the morning, Zorya Vechernyaya (Dusk, the Goddess of the Evening Star) at evening, and the otherwise unnamed Zorya (the Goddess of Midnight).   Key Takeaways: Zorya Alternate Names: The Auroras,  Zora, Zaria, Zarya, Zory, ZoreRough Equivalents: Aurora (Roman), Titan Eos (Greek)Epithets: The Dawn, the Spring-tide Sun, or Thunder-goddess, The Three SistersCulture/Country: Slavic  Realms and Powers:  Control over dusk, dawn; protectors of warriors; responsible for keeping the lion-dog god Simargl in chainsFamily: Daughter of Dzbog, the wife of Perun, or the wife of Myesyats; sister(s) to the Zvezdy Zorya in Slavic Mythology The dawn goddess Zorya (Light) lives in Buyan, a legendary paradisaical island east of the sunrise. She is the daughter of Dazbog, the god of the sun. Her main responsibility is to open the gates of her fathers palace in the morning, to let him create dawn and travel through the skies, then to close the gates after him at dusk.   Zorya is also the wife of Perun, the Slavic god of thunder (generally equivalent to Thor). In this role Zorya  dresses in long veils, and rides into battle with Perun, letting down her veil to protect her favorites among the warriors. In Serbian tales, she is the wife of the moon (Myesyats).   Aspects of Zorya Depending on the version of the tale, Zorya is one goddess with two (or three) aspects or instead is two (or three) separate goddesses. When she is two goddesses, she is sometimes illustrated as standing on both sides of her fathers throne.   In her dawn aspect, she is called the Morning Star (Zorya Utrennyaya), and she is a lusty maiden, full of energy. In her dusk aspect, the Evening Star (Zorya Vechernyaya), she is more sedate but still seductive. Some tales include her third aspect in which she has no other name, referred to as simply Midnight (Zorya Polunochnaya as translated by writer Neil Gaiman), a shadowy indistinct figure that rules over the darkest part of the night.   Keeping the World Together Together the two or three sisters guard a deity who is sometimes unnamed and referred to as a hound or a bear, and sometimes named as the winged lion deity Simargl. Whoever he is, the deity is chained to Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor, and it wishes to eat the constellation. If it breaks loose, the world will end.   Three Sisters   Scholars such as Barbara Walker note that the Zoryas are an example of a common feature of many different mythologies: the Three Sisters. These three women are often aspects of time (past, present, future) or age (virgin, mother, crone), or life itself (creator, preserver, destroyer).   Examples of the three sisters can be found in several legends like Slavic, in that they derive from Indo-European languages. They include Irish tales of the Morrigan and in Briton tales of the Triple Guinevere or Brigit of the Britons. Greek mythology has three Gorgons and three Harpies, among others. The Hittites and Greeks both had versions of three Fates (the Moirai). Shakespeare used three weird sisters to warn Macbeth of his fate, and, perhaps more to the point, Russian playwright Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) used Three Sisters (Olga, Masha, and Irina Prozorov) to illustrate what he saw of the past, present, and future of Russia. Zorya in Modern Culture   Renewed interest in Slavic mythology was brought to the west by the work of British writer Neil Gaiman, whose novel American Gods features many Slavic gods, including the Zoryas. In the book and television series, the Zoryas live in a brownstone in New York with the god Czernobog.   Zorya Utrennyaya is an old woman (Cloris Leachman in the series); she is not a good liar and a poor fortune teller. Zorya Vechernyaya (Martha Kelly) is middle-aged, and tells fortunes in the twilight and evening; and Zorya Polunochnaya (Erika Kaar) is the youngest, who tells no lies at all and keeps watch on the sky through a telescope.   Sources   Dixon-Kennedy, Mike. Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend. Santa Barbara CA: ABC-CLIO, 1998. Print.Monaghan, Patricia. Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines, Volume 1 and 2. Santa Barbara: Greenwood ABC CLIO, 2010.Ralston, W.R.S. The Songs of the Russian People, as Illustrative of Slavonic Mythology and Russian Social Life. London: Ellis Green, 1872. Print.Walker, Barbara. The Womans Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1983. Print.