Levi Strauss Strategic Choices

Levi Strauss is the largest apparel company in the world, with annual sales of $7.1 billion in 1996. It produces and markets jeans and casual sportswear in the United States and more than 60 other countries. Thirty-nine percent of its revenues and 60% of its pretax profits came from abroad in 1990. It has successfully marketed its jeans to foreign consumers in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. It bases its success on a unique global strategy that refocuses attention on …

…Link computer system. This system allows retailers to transfer sales and inventory data from bar-coded clothing directly to Levi's central computers. The data are analyzed and used for restocking retail outlets, production scheduling, and inventory management. By orchestrating a wide range of variables including product design, manufacturing systems, advertising, computerized control systems, and organizational structures Levi Strauss has established a successful global business. It developed global competitive advantage by integrating operations in many different countries.