Ch. 3 - Ethics & Social Responsibility

Doc Marten's is not neccaserily a brand that most people would consider as ethical. After doing some research on the brand I found out that they do have a strong ethical policy and a supplier code of conduct with which they aim to not only ensure the highest possible standards of business behavior but work with suppliers to exceed these standards. Things such as no child labor and no discrimination is printed in the code of conduct. 
On the policy section on the Doc Martens website they say
"Our attention to ethical issues in our suppliers' factories is on going. We focus on implementing improvements by ensuring that key issues are dealt with by the people who are actually responsible for making the changes."
*Doc Martens have also started to stock a vegan collection in two different boot styles. They used vegan friendly materials to make these boots. 

Ch. 2 - Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Dr Martens boots were introduced to this country almost about 50 years ago. Till this day they are still  a staple piece in many peoples closets. For the first couple of years after their introduction to Britain, Dr Martens were very much working men's boots, worn by postmen. Later in the 90s Doc Martens re appeared on multiple celebrities like will smith who was seen wearing them in the fresh prince of bel air.

Other celbrities like kate winslet and uma thurman were seen sporting these boots. Over 100 million pairs of Dr. Martens shoes have been sold from 1960 to 2010, and in 2010, the company offered 250 different models of footwear. One of the companies strategies is to be very diverse. They have made boots in about every color and have been trying out different patterns on boots. They have also brought out different shoes such as sandals and kids shoes. In 2012 it was assessed as being the eighth fastest-growing British company.

 

Ch. 1 - Overview of Marketing (Brief History and Mission Statement)

While Dr. Martens are known as a distinctly British boot, the original doctor was German. Dr. Klaus Maertens invented the shoe's signature air-cushioned sole with the hope of improving Germany's standard-issue WW II army boot. Maertens sold his patent to a British shoe manufacturer in 1959. One year later, on April 1, 1960, after the addition the classic yellow stitching and trademark AirWair tag to the back of the boot, the first pair of Dr. Martens hit High Street. The cherry-red, eight-eyelet boot became a fast favorite of blue collar Brits, adorning the feet of factory workers, postmen and police officers.
By the early 1970s, Dr. Martens had become a trademark of Britain's burgeoning punk-music movement. And now it seems that Doc's are making a fashionable comeback to our generation; so this is your chance to take out those docs from the back of your closet and start wearing those bad boys!

*The inventors of the Dr. Martens air-cushioned sole understood their key to success was knowing teenagers will always have a primal urge to be different.