Zaras Fast Fashion Essay Example for Free

Zaras Fast Fashion Essay Absrtact This paper was written for the purpose of researching and illustrating fast fashion strategies which include strategic integrated supply chain, manufacturing and sourcing methods. Fast fashion is explained as a system that involves more control over operations and customer â€Å"strategic behavior† by using the combined benefits of both the â€Å"quick response production capabilities† or â€Å"short production and distribution lead times†, which minimizes clearance items by finding more reasonable balances between supply and demand, and the â€Å"enhanced product design capabilities† or â€Å"highly fashionable product designs†, which plays homage to customer values. This paper also analyzes methods used by fast fashion leader, the Spanish, Inditex owned Zara. A closer look at Zara’s supply chain, market responsiveness, flexibility, technology, pricing and costs strategies and methods are examined and compared to other fast fashion retailers that can appropriately be deemed as competition for Zara. Also, globalization and other operational strategies are discussed that all come together to show the remarkable success of the Spanish company. When thinking of the term fast fashion, one may think of the change in fashion trends and how quickly certain styles can be deemed as in, and the next second, those same styles are no longer looked at as having any resemblance of being fashionable. That would be the definition of a trend or fad in itself; â€Å"an intense but short-lived fashion; craze† (Dictionary.com 2012) . However, â€Å"the phrase ‘fast fashion’ refers to low-cost clothing collections that mimic current luxury fashion trends† (Joy, Sherry, Venkatesh, Wang, Chan, 2012) . It is a system that enables young, trendy customers to quickly attain and keep up with the ever changing latest fashions and trends from the runway, celebrity styles and other trendy inspirations for reasonable prices. Fast fashion is a system that involves more control over customer â€Å"strategic behavior† by using the combined benefits of both the â€Å"quick response production capabilities† or â€Å"short production and distribution lead times†, which minimizes clearance items by finding more reasonable balances between supply and demand, and the â€Å"enhanced product design capabilities† or â€Å"highly fashionable product designs†, which plays homage to customer values, which in-turn persuades customers to purchase full priced items rather than shopping around or waiting for items to go on-sale (Cachon Swinney, 2011, p. 778) . Globalization, Manufacturing and Sourcing Strategies for Fast Fashion Firms According to Mihm (2010) , supply chain, market responsiveness, flexibility, technology, pricing and labor costs are all factors in globalization and manufacturing and sourcing strategies. For instance, firms that are mainly involved with outsourcing and other third parties have less control of their supply chain and hands control to those third parties. On the other hand, firms that predominantly sell their own brands and designs are generally more vertically integrated and have minimal involvement with third parties. These firms can have control over all aspects of their supply chain and are also capable of controlling their sourcing. Fast fashion firms are generally vertically integrated. Mihm (2010) also states that â€Å"fast fashion and market responsiveness seem to be inseparable† and stresses the importance of supplying correct quantities in order to support demand for each individual store. In terms of fast fashion, market responsiveness refers to the speed of respond ing to consumer demand and accurately distributing and supplying appropriate quantities and styles in each store at the right times (p. 56) . Firms can achieve this by research and development (R D), technology, and forecasting. R D normally is in charge of coming up with new products and innovations and an alternative to research is â€Å"imitation† or copying outside products and ideas (Meredith Shafer, 2010) . The imitations strategy is one that mirrors the strategies of fast fashion firms in that ideas and designs for new merchandise often come from runway designs, celebrity fashions and customer input and ideas. Furthermore, fast fashion firms often allow individual stores and locations to have control over store merchandise by using a pull system rather than a push system. The pull system uses the just-in-time (JIT) concept mentioned by Meredith Shafer (2010) . The JIT system lowers lead times and merchandise orders by allowing quick and instant deliveries of exact order quantities, which eradicates having over stock and the need for â€Å"safety stocks† (p. 258) . With many fast fashion firms implementing major globalization initiatives, technology is a key factor in communication, efficient logistics, and business success. Information technology (IT) systems provide the ability to collect and share important information, such as trends, orders, â€Å"production and shipping data†, using constant transfer and communication throughout the entire supply chain. IT systems help mitigate â€Å"real-time† communication from consumers to store managers to market specialists and designers, to suppliers and to manufacturing and production facilities, then to distributors, and back to stores and the customers (Mihm, 2010, p. 56) . Moreover, IT systems product lifecycle management (PLM) software, and sourcing programs can keep track of all sourcing and development activities and are designed to react to and handle change and conflict, which helps with flexible suppliers and positively effects production. These technologies speeds up production time, placing communication and processes in real time and allows an ease to the supply chain (Speer, 2006) . Mihm (2010) states that firms in the fashion industry use a technology known as computer-aided design (CAD), which includes laser cutting machines and automated sewing machines that ultimately â€Å"eliminates wasted fabric† and cuts production time; allowing companies to be more efficient by saving time and money. Another way fast fashion firms make use of flexibility â€Å"also includes changes in the construction and coloring processes used to make garments.† â€Å"For example, garments are often dyed after they are constructed thus allowing the manufacturer to produce the best selling colors quickly† (Mihm, 2010, p. 56) . Furthermore, â€Å"improved logistical programs including air freight and expedited customs clearance for imports also fall within the technology factor.† Many fast fashion companies are leaning towards globalization and have highly vertically integrated supply chains and therefore provide their own world-wide souring, and manage their own design, manufacturing, and logistics models. â€Å"All of these influences have dramatically changed the way the apparel business operates in the age of globalization, making the fashion industry appear borderless† (Mihm, 2010, p. 56) . Mihm (2010) states that â€Å"lower labor costs are a major contributing factor to fast fashion since cutting, sewing and fitting are labor intensive, and are integral parts in constructing need high levels of education† and therefore do not require salary or high wages. For example, in China, labor rates are only around 60 cents per hour. â€Å"Additionally, capital equipment costs are very low, making it easy to open an apparel plant almost anywhere† (p. 56) . Along with lower labor costs, it is also important to manage labor times to further mi nimize labor costs and increase efficiency and profitability (Desai, Nasar, Chertow, 2012, pp. 71- 72) . Lastly, a major factor influencing fast fashion and fast fashion retail strategies has to do with keeping merchandise prices at least moderately low. Mihm (2010) mentions that a key factor in keeping prices low is by maintaining low labor costs (p. 56) . Additionally, Desai et al. (2012) discusses the impacts and importance of maintaining control over all costs including; production, materials, labor, transportation, manufacturing and overhead and other costs. Maintaining control over all costs is essential to efficiency, maintaining low product costs and business success. However, many items that may be considered basic and require less production costs, and labor costs and time may still be sold for premium price points do to customer perceived value and brand value (pp. 64-72) . All about Zara Zara, the Spanish fast-fashion retailer belonging to â€Å"Inditex, one of the world’s largest distribution groups†, is one of the leading international fashion companies in the world (Zara, 2012). In 1975, Chairman and founder of Inditex, Amancio Ortega, opened the first Zara shop in Spain and he came up with a philosophy for business success which states, â€Å"‘you need to have five fingers touching the factory and five touching the customer’† (Ferdows, Lewis, Machuca, 2004, p. 106). The philosophy can be said to be the basis for Zara’s business model and retail strategy that successfully runs a fully vertically integrated supply chain by vertically integrating all features of the sourcing and manufacturing process (Mihm, 2010) including, design, production, distribution and sales. By providing constant information about consumer’s demands and desires, customer actions and feedback are the soul of the Zara model (Inditex, 2012), whi ch ultimately allows the company to maintain control of its products from the design stage until the customer purchase stage. Zara has taken retail globalization by storm and now has 1,721 stores all in prime locations in great cities spread across eighty-seven countries. A Closer Look into the Zara Model Because Zara has full control over its supply chain, their sourcing strategy differs from the strategies normally used by companies in the industry (Mihm, 2010). For instance, Zara purchases many of its fabrics and other supplies from Inditex owned companies. The company also owns its own manufacturing and production facilities, which allows the majority of profits stay within Zara and the Inditex group; it also boosts overall company flexibility and allows the full control over the supply chain system that would otherwise be unattainable if the firm did not embody the fast fashion method and mainly outsourced to third parties (Ferdows, 2004, p. 109) . Moreover, only basic items like T-shirts and common woolens are out sourced to, or bought from, manufactures in low- cost areas like Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe (Capell, 2008); the rest of Zara’s products, which are more fashion sensitive, are designed by the 300 in-house designers and are manufactured in Zara manufacturing facilities. â€Å"All finished products pass through the five-story, 500,000-square-meter distribution center in La Corufia, which ships approximately 2.5 million items per week† (Ferdows, 2004, p. 109). Furthermore, Zara production facilities maintain stock piles of neutral fabrics that can be dyed, printed on, or altered for the purpose of speed and convenience to help mitigate design and production times (Mihm, 2010). In terms of production and labor times and costs, Zara has the ability to easily adjust production to the change in demand. The company is able to do this because many of their facilities are highly innovated and specialized, and normally run one single shift per day (Ferdows, 2004, p.109) . It seems that Zara operates its manufacturing facilities using a combination of transformation systems to maximize efficiency. For instance, job shops would be used for smaller facilities that produce more basic and/or custom items. Cellular production systems, that also utilizes JIT, would largely be used for a fast fashion firm like Zara because the system allows the facility to reduce production time and costs, reduce labor time and costs and increase flexibility and market responsiveness and minimizes waste and excess stock. For instance, Meredith Shafer (2010) state that the advantages of cellular production include; reduced setup times, increased equipment capacity that results in lower eq uipment and maintenance costs, and increased floor space. The system also allows increased efficiency to produce small batches of varieties, which ultimately increases flexibility to respond to customer demand, reduces over stock and excess inventory that can take up space, and minimizes lead times and increases throughput times, which improves forecasting and market responsiveness and enhances revenues. Other advantages include greater operational control, lower overall costs and an exclusivity value sense from customers that discourages purchase postponement (pp. 71-72) . Furthermore, like other fast fashion firms, Zara utilizes innovation and IT systems to communicate information through every part of the organization. These IT communication systems are especially important to Zara because their products go from the design stage to store shelves in as little as two weeks. To make this happen, store managers record selling trends, determine customer desires and quickly sends the information to the design headquarters where ideas, innovations and designs for new fashions are created and more appropriate forecasting can be made. The speed and this system automatically gives â€Å"Zara a competitive advantage† (Capell, 2008) . Competition and Competitive Advantage The term competitive advantage refers to any factor that will give a firm a lead on its competitors. This can mean anything ranging from new innovations, ideas and products, costs and pricing, locations and market share, to marketing and operational strategies, and so on. Zara is recognized as being a leader in the fast fashion retail industry and has steam rolled ahead of competitors such as Gap, Express, Uniqlo, and H M. Compared to its competitors, Zara is completely vertically integrated and uses sophisticated IT communication systems for constant and speedy communication, whereas competitors are less involved in ease of communication and still heavily outsource to third parties, which significantly reduces their control over process, time and quality (Desai, 2012 ). This is where Zara gains their biggest competitive advantages, which are speed, quality and customer value. Customer value is a huge advantage for Zara wherein the receive customer support, repeat, satisfied custome rs, and increase revenue. The fact that Zara often produces trends at super speeds, even before they show up in luxury shops, induces Zara as an innovative firm which further attracts â€Å"early adopters† who desire the freshest looks and don’t mind paying higher prices for items that they may value as exclusive (Meredith Shafer, 2010, pp. 14-15). Additionally, Inditex and Zara factory workers are paid more that the industry average (Capell, 2008) . Also, with the smaller quantities of vast varieties of the freshest trends, Zara gains â€Å"85% of the full ticket price on its retail clothing, while the industry average is 60% to 70%.† Because of this, Zara is also able to gain â€Å"higher net margins on sales than its competitors†. For instance, in 2001, Inditexs net margin was 10.5%, Benettons was only 7%, HMs was 9.5%, and Gaps near zero (Ferdows, 2004, p. 106) . Conclusion and Recommendations Overall, Zara is the perfect example for fast fashion retailing. The company truly has taken a step forward in strategies for successful operations, management, globalization and supplying and selling the latest trends at lightning fast speeds with minimal costs and wastes. The only negative that I find with Zara is with their pricing strategy in nations outside of Spain. According to Kumar Linguri (2006) , Zara is considered a low-cost retailer, whereas in countries such as the US, Japan and Mexico, Zara is considered more of a luxury retailer due to pricing differences (p. 82) . Even though pricing differences are based on individual country economics, there still should not be such a disparity in pricing and perceived value between countries. One final suggestion is for Inditex to consider investing in opening distribution centers and/or manufacturing facilities in other market areas to continue the speed in supply chain and lead times in all markets throughout the world. References Capell, K. (2008). Zara Thrives By Breaking All the Rules. Businessweek, (4104), 066. Cachon, G. P., Swinney, R. (2011). The Value of Fast Fashion: Quick Response, Enhanced Design, and Strategic Consumer Behavior. Management Science, 57(4), 778-795. Desai, A., Nassar, N., Chertow, M. (2012). American Seams: An Exploration of Hybrid Fast Fashion and Domestic Manufacturing Models in Relocalised Apparel Production. Journal Of Corporate Citizenship, (45), 53-78. Dictionary.com. (2012). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fad Ferdows, K., Lewis, M.A., Machuca, J.A.D. (November 2004). Rapid-fire fulfillment. Harvard Business Review, 82(11), 104-110 Inditex. (2012). Investors. Retrieved from http://www.inditex.com/en Joy, A., Sherry Jr, J.F., Venkatesh, A., Wang, J., Chan, R. (2012). Fast fashion, sustainability, and the ethical appeal of luxury brands. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body Culture, 16(3), 273-295. doi:10.2752/175174112X13340749707123 Meredith, J.R., Shafer, S. M., (2010). Operations management for mbas, 4. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Mihm, B., (2010). Fast fashion in a flat world: Gl obal Sourcing Strategies. International Business Economics Research Journal, 9(6), 55-63 Speer, J. K., (2006). Top 5 sourcing strategies. Apparel Magazine , 47(12), 32-35. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.limcollege.edu:2357/ehost/detail?sid=4b23db26-6002-4704-9709-23540fa18525%40sessionmgr111vid=1hid=127bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=bthAN=22112593 Zara. (2012). Investors. Retrieved from http://www.zara.com

A Comparison of Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw :: comparison compare contrast essays

Hamlet vs. The Turn of the Screw    Although Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw are very different works, both William Shakespeare and Henry James use the themes of love and ghosts to complicate their work. By having these themes, both authors make the readers question and wonder if the accounts the characters are having really exist. Are these two main characters, Hamlet and the governess , mentally ill or does the stories explain their actions?    The most obvious commonality, between Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw, is the use of ghosts. On one hand, Hamlet speaks with the ghost of his father, Hamlet. When Hamlet firsts sees the ghost he asks, "Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damned,/ Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from Hell,/ Be thy intents wicked or charitable," (I. 4. 40-42). When Hamlet finally meets the ghost and converses with him, the ghost creates a problem that lasts throughout the whole play. On the other hand, the governess sees the two deceased workers, Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. These ghosts also create a problem. Speaking with Mrs. Grose, the governess tells her there was a ghost. After Mrs. Grose asks what the ghost wants, the governess says, "Heaven forbid! The man. He [Quint] wants to appear to them [the children]." Are the ghost real? Do the children see the ghosts and lie?    In both works, love also plays a role. Hamlet's love, Ophelia, sees Hamlet at his worse. To make the people around him think he's crazy, Hamlet visits Ophelia and acts mad. When speaking with her father, Ophelia says, "Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced,/ No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,/ Unaltered , and down-gyvà ¨d to his ankles," (II. 1. 77-79). Soon, his mother and the king think Hamlet is insane. Is Hamlet really crazy? In The Turn of the Screw, the ghosts appear to the governess while she is thinking about the master, her infatuation, or his heir, Miles. The governess states, "...the only way to be sure he knew would be to see it, and the kind light of it, in his [the master`s] handsome face" (James 23). Suddenly Peter Quint appears in a high window. A Comparison of Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw :: comparison compare contrast essays Hamlet vs. The Turn of the Screw    Although Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw are very different works, both William Shakespeare and Henry James use the themes of love and ghosts to complicate their work. By having these themes, both authors make the readers question and wonder if the accounts the characters are having really exist. Are these two main characters, Hamlet and the governess , mentally ill or does the stories explain their actions?    The most obvious commonality, between Hamlet and The Turn of the Screw, is the use of ghosts. On one hand, Hamlet speaks with the ghost of his father, Hamlet. When Hamlet firsts sees the ghost he asks, "Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damned,/ Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from Hell,/ Be thy intents wicked or charitable," (I. 4. 40-42). When Hamlet finally meets the ghost and converses with him, the ghost creates a problem that lasts throughout the whole play. On the other hand, the governess sees the two deceased workers, Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. These ghosts also create a problem. Speaking with Mrs. Grose, the governess tells her there was a ghost. After Mrs. Grose asks what the ghost wants, the governess says, "Heaven forbid! The man. He [Quint] wants to appear to them [the children]." Are the ghost real? Do the children see the ghosts and lie?    In both works, love also plays a role. Hamlet's love, Ophelia, sees Hamlet at his worse. To make the people around him think he's crazy, Hamlet visits Ophelia and acts mad. When speaking with her father, Ophelia says, "Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced,/ No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,/ Unaltered , and down-gyvà ¨d to his ankles," (II. 1. 77-79). Soon, his mother and the king think Hamlet is insane. Is Hamlet really crazy? In The Turn of the Screw, the ghosts appear to the governess while she is thinking about the master, her infatuation, or his heir, Miles. The governess states, "...the only way to be sure he knew would be to see it, and the kind light of it, in his [the master`s] handsome face" (James 23). Suddenly Peter Quint appears in a high window.

Building Effective Teams & Daniels and Daniels

As part of determining the effectiveness of a team, the team’s performance needs to be carefully measured. However, measuring the performance of a traditional team, where all members work in the same place in a single location, is different from measuring the performance of that of a global-based team. There are many factors that need to be considered when it comes to these measurements. It is important that the differences be considered in order to create a fair measurement of each member’s performance.Daniels and Daniels (1993, p.  46) said that â€Å"establishing a global system of measuring performance allows alignment of global stages in the company so that any given individual employee knows at any given point in time how his/her performance is contributing to the global business objectives and strategy. † Being a member of a global-based team, there are certain skills that management would desire for the member to have in order to work effectively with t he team. These characteristics and skills need to be exhibited by the members and can be used to determine the performance of each member. The different skills are discussed briefly below. Diversity ToleranceGlobal-based teams would have members belonging to different races, different nationalities and culture. In short, the team is diversified when it comes to its members. For the members of this kind of team to work properly, each of them needs to understand the nature of the team and be willing to work with people from different countries. Teamwork Willingness As with any type of team, members should all be team players. Each team member should know how to cooperate and contribute to the success of the team in attaining its goals. Etiquette Work etiquette is very important especially in a team-based organization.Each member is expected to work with each other. Though the work ethics of each member may differ from the other, the general and standard rules should still be observed. Listening Skills This is a very important skill that any individual should possess, especially when working with teams. Listening to others means that you are respecting their views, thoughts and decisions. You may not totally agree with them but you are sending the message that you are welcoming the idea when you listen. This skill is also crucial for a team’s success. Stress Resistance Stress comes with any type of work.People get stressed due to pressure. But most of the people who are usually stressed are those that cannot manage their time wisely. It is important for a team and each member to have a good sense of time management in order to avoid getting stressed as it affects the performance and productivity of the whole team. Problem Solving and Conflict Handling One of the skills that a mature and experienced professional should have is the ability to handle most of the problems that may occur. Being able to make wise decisions to solve problems is desirable in any t eam structure.The diverse culture and nationalities of the members would also produce conflict more often than expected. Thus, it is important that each member of the team should be able to effectively handle these conflicts and come with resolutions that are amenable to everyone. To measure the performance of the team and its members in terms of the skills mentioned above, I would suggest having a balanced scorecard that encompasses all aspects of performance. The above skills are some of the competencies that each member should possess as an individual and would comprise 50% of the scorecard. The remaining 50% would be quantitative performance, i.e. adherence to the set metrics, and shareholder value. The first 50%, which are composed of the qualities described above, can be measured through peer feedback. Team members get to assess one another in terms of the above skills and rate each other accordingly. Of course, this is done anonymously. Feedback from other team members can re ally help in the assessment of each member’s performance in terms of the different qualities above. Other than peer feedback, managers and supervisors can also add their own observations of the member since there can be times that peer feedbacks become subjective.Another method of evaluating these skills, perhaps, is assessment through case study and defense. Members will be given a scenario, internal or external, that commonly happens in the business and the team and be asked to accomplish the goal described in the scenario. The scenario and the goal can be made to encompass all or most of the qualities stated above. Each member then submits a comprehensive answer and response to the case study. Managers can now evaluate each member’s capability based on the responses received. Each member will also be given the chance to defend his/her responses in a discussion with the supervisor.These performance measurement tools suggested may be presented to the upper management for approval. Perhaps, a sample feedback form and case assessment can be provided for the director to better appreciate the tools being suggested. Team and Individual Performance A team’s performance may be an indicating factor of how each member of the team works. Rewarding the team as a whole when a goal is accomplished is a good way to boost their confidence. However, each individual’s performance should also be rewarded accordingly. A team performing well as whole does not necessarily mean that every member is doing an exemplary job.If individual rewards are given to top performers, other members will also be motivated and be encouraged to work harder to also gain achievement and rewards. That would mean a much better performance that awaits the team. Analysis In my research for the above discussion on suggestions for performance measurement tools, I have come to realize that performance is not only measured in terms of what the member can do and how productive the member is. It is also important to assess different skills sets and competencies that relate to the way a member does the job and work with other people.Since in a global-based environment physical interaction may be very limited, the skills mentioned above would compensate for this and contribute to the overall success of the team. The skills mentioned above can actually be summarized into two major things: total respect for each other despite the differences and ability to work as a team with common goals. These things should be made known to the employees at the very start of building this kind of team. In fact, these skills should also be part of the qualifications in recruiting potential members of the team.With the skills mentioned above, there are some which are based on cultural differences such as diversity tolerance and conflict handling. These measurements can be better understood by the employees by explaining clearly to them the purpose of these measurement criteria. I t should be made clear to them that the purpose of these criteria is only to ensure that the employees are working well with each other despite of the differences and are able to resolve on their own the different conflicts that may exist among different members.These measurement tools can also assure them that there will be no bias on rewarding individuals just because of their cultural background; assessments will be done in an objective manner. References Daniels, J. L. & Daniels, C. N. (1993). Global Vision: Building New Models for the Corporation of the Future. USA: McGraw-Hill Professional. Mitchell, C. (2000). A Short Course in International Business Culture. Novato, CA: World Trade Press.

The Illegality Of The War On Afghanistan International Law Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1223 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war The war against Afghanistan is illegal. The US, assisted by Canada and Britain is bombing Afghanistan and will perhaps use additional force with ground troops for the stated purpose of capturing or killing Osama bin Laden and others associated with his organization and of toppling the Taliban government. No international or national law or policy legalizes these. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Illegality Of The War On Afghanistan International Law Essay" essay for you Create order attacks on Afghanistan. No resolutions of the United Nations Security Council or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization could provide a legal justification for these attacks and none do. The war against Afghanistan violates international law including the Charter of the United Nations (The Charter), the Geneva Conventions and the relevant provisions of the eleven International agreements dealing with the suppression and control of terrorism. The attacks by bombing and the use of other military force are war crimes pursuant to the Rome Statute. THE CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS (THE CHARTER) The Charter prohibits the use and the threatened use of any force in their international relations. The Charter specifically prohibits the use of force to topple foreign governments. It goes without saying that all national and International laws forbid the killing of non-combatants (i.e. arguably all Afghanis) the bombing and other use of force in Afghanistan will inevitably kill and injure large numbers of non-combatants. The October 11 edition of the Vancouver Sun reports 200 people in Afghanistan killed in US bombing raids including 4 United Nations employees. October 13, 2001 reports indicate a residential area hit by a missile. Mass killing of non-combatants is considered by the world community to be the most egregious of crimes. The Preamble to the Rome Statute, in reference to such crimes states, Mindful that during this century millions of children, women and men have been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock that conscience of Humanity. The United State s, United Kingdom, Canada and Afghanistan are all Member States of the United Nations. The Charter of the United Nations imposes on members the binding obligation to settle disputes in a manner that ensures the maintenance of peace and justice. Article 2 of the Charter prohibits the use or threatened use of force against another state. [See below] The Article 2 prohibition applies to all force and is a rule of customary international law. As such the Article 2 prohibition is universally binding even on the few states not members of the United Nations. The Article 2 prohibition has been reiterated in numerous resolutions of the UN General Assembly. For example on 17 December 1984 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution affirming the inadmissibility of the policy of State terrorism including actions by States aimed at undermining the sociopolitical systems in other sovereign states. This resolution specifically prohibits the use of military action and contains the demand: th at all States take no actions aimed at military, intervention and occupation, forcible change in or undermining of the socio-political system of States, destabilization and overthrow of the their Governments and, in particular, initiate no military action to that end under any pretext whatsoever and cease forthwith any such action already in progress. The fact that the attacks on Afghanistan are in response to horrific crimes believed to have been committed by people believed to be hiding in Afghanistan does not provide any legal justification whatsoever. The Charter is based on the belief that international law should not be enforced at the expense of international peace. Neither can international law be enforced by the commission of more crimes.2 The Preamble to the Charter states the purpose of the United Nations is to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.3 SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS The United Nations Security Council, (Security Council), the body with primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, passed two resolutions regarding the September 11 attacks: resolution 1268 on 12 September 2001 and Resolution 1373 on 28 September 2001. Neither resolution authorizes the use of force. Resolution 1373 (2001) adopted by the Security Council at its 4385th meeting on 28 September 2001 (incorporating the earlier resolution of 12 September) affirms the responsibility of Member States to take only those measures that are: in compliance with national and international law including international human rights standards to prevent and suppress terrorist attacks and to take action against the perpetrators. Security Council Resolution 1373 specifically restricts member states to actions that are authorized by law and in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. Canada is already largely in compliance with the directives conta ined in Resolution 1373 and has promulgated regulations under Canadas United Nations Act to implement provision of the resolution, including prohibiting financing and fundraising and for freezing the assets of terrorist organizations. Article 51 of the Charter defines Member States right of self-defence. This article neither authorizes bombing and armed force as self-defence nor bestows legal authority for the US to wage war. Article Si gives Member States the narrow power to defend themselves against a continuing armed assault until such time as the Security Council intervenes to maintain and restore peace and security. Article Si of the Charter does not create any right to make retaliatory attacks or to engage in the use of force to repel anticipated armed attacks. The right to self-defense in Article 51 is restricted to actions that are necessary to, repel and proportionate to an ongoing armed attack and only exists until the Security Council takes measures to restore peace an d security. The right to self defense is restricted to self defense action and is further restricted to those actions necessary to maintain international peace and security and must be carried out in accordance with the Charter. The entire Charter is based on the premise that Member States must maintain international peace, security and justice and may not use force to settle international disputes or to remove foreign governments. Article 51 does not displace the obligation imposed on States by Article 2.4 NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION RESOLUTIONS Media coverage also infers that some legal authority for the use of armed force against Afghanistan or the Taliban was created by the resolutions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). That assumption is entirely false and is made clear from its resolution below. NATO, a regional organization with the goal of restoring and maintaining the security of the North Atlantic area, resolved on September 12 2001 that the September 11 attacks were covered by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and therefore all NATO members will consider the September 11 attacks as an armed attack against all NATO members. The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations will assist the Party or P arties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such actions as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. Any such armed attack and all measure taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to respect and maintain international peace and security. Article 5, The Washington Treaty.