Caragunis

History
“ Quiksilver designs, produces and distributes clothing, accessories and related products for young-minded people and develops brands that represent a casual lifestyle–driven from a boardriding heritage. Quiksilver's authenticity is evident in its innovative products, events and retail environments across the globe.
Quiksilver's primary focus is apparel, footwear and relatedaccessories for young men and young women under the Quiksilver, Roxy, DC Shoes, Raisins, and Radio Fiji labels. Quiksilver also manufactures apparel, footwear and related accessories for boys (Quiksilver Boys and Hawk Clothing), girls (Roxy Girl, Teenie Wahine and Raisins Girls), men (Quiksilveredition and Fidra) and women (Leilani swimwear), as well as snowboards, snowboard boots and bindings underthe Lib Technologies, Gnu, DC Shoes, Roxy and Bent Metal labels. Quiksilver's products are sold throughout the world, primarily in surf shops, skate shops and other specialty stores that provide an authentic retail experience for our customers” (Quicksilver Inc. Homepage).
Quiksilver was originally developed in 1969 by Australian surfers Alan Green and John Law. Their sole intention was tomake durable and comfortable boardshorts for surfers. They were not satisfied with the boardshorts that were available to them, which restricted movement while surfing. So the started from scratch and developed a light-weight boardshort that allowed the surfer to move more freely and help the sport progress.
The success of Quiksilver can be traced back to two individuals, pro surfer JeffreyHakman and fellow surfer Robert Mcknight. After graduating from USC with a degree in Business McKnight decided to go to Hawaii and visit with Hakman. While relaxing in Hawaii the two discussed the possibility of starting their own business within the surf industry. In 1976, Greene and Law allowed licensing rights of Quiksilver to Hakman and McKnight. The six year old company out of Australia wasnot turning a profit so Greene and Law agreed on the terms of a one percent of sales for the first three years, and three percent thereafter. McKnight then borrowed $20,000 from his father and started the company with 600 pairs of boardshorts. Three days later all 600 pairs had been sold and the company took off.
This company is of interest to me because this is the lifestyle that I havealways lived. Growing up at the beach I took up surfing, which eventually progressed to skating, and snowboarding. The industry is great to the public and is always looking for ways to help these sports progress. I have many friends who work in manufacturing; I have friends who are sales representatives; friends who work at surf shops, and friends who compete professionally and are sponsored.Chapter 1 - The Strategic Management Process
Quiksilver's strategy can be seen as an emergent strategy because the company was established almost unintentionally. The company was initially created by two unsatisfied consumers who decided that the only way they were going to get the right boardshorts, were to make them themselves. It was then acquired with the intent of hopefully making enoughmoney to support the surfer lifestyle. Not really having to work and always being able to surf whenever and wherever. The success of Quiksilver was never intended to be what it is today. With sales reaching just under a billion dollars and retails stores worldwide. Since the beginning Quiksilver has committed to the development of innovative products that reflect the lifestyle that the companyencompasses. It is this drive and commitment to the sport that keeps Quiksilver one-step ahead of the rest. Especially now that they have recently acquired DC Shoe Co, one of the largest skateboarding shoe manufacturers in the industry. This just goes to show that Quiksilver is still on the rise.
Chapter 2 - External Analysis: The Identification of Industry Opportunities and Threats –...