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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
41

Cotton utilization in women's apparel : gender, apparel purchase decisions, and fiber composition

Stewart Stevens, Sara Marisa 1976- 21 October 2014 (has links)
A cursory review of domestic apparel production data from ‘Cotton Counts Its Customers’ reports by The National Cotton Council of America showed a discrepancy between the amounts of cotton utilized in domestically produced women’s apparel and that for men’s apparel. It appeared that the men’s apparel sector had a higher percentage market share of cotton than women’s apparel. For both genders, cotton’s dwindling market share was similar to that of diminishing domestic US apparel production overall. Since the majority of apparel in the U.S. is imported, import data was obtained from the United States International Trade Commission and compiled with the domestic apparel data to offer a more expansive view of cotton’s market share and its use separated by gender. The compilation of domestic and import apparel data followed the overall trend of a higher percentage of weight of cotton being used in men’s apparel than in women’s. Challenging apparel categories which may offer potential for expanded utilization with increased performance were Coats, Underwear/Nightwear, Suits, and Dresses. In an attempt to add context to the apparel market data, we explored two stages of the apparel supply chain: the first at the retail setting, the second at the consumer purchase and wear decision level. At the retail level, we investigated the availability of fiber composition information and its use as a part of the assortment offered to consumers. Two stores were selected for this exploratory phase and retail availability by gender and fiber content were physically tallied in the two retail settings. In both retail assortments, there was no emphasis of fiber composition as part of the information offered to the consumer. For the consumer wanting to find cotton apparel in these two settings, prior knowledge regarding the feel or look of cotton would seem necessary to facilitate locating cotton among the assortment of apparel. Fiber blends can offer cotton-like appearance and hand, so fiber composition tags could give consumers certainty regarding the garments they are buying. In addition to the observations above, we also noted in both stores a prevalence of cotton in men’s apparel, and a larger presence of man-made fibers in women’s apparel, which reflects the overall market situation. Finally, the second exploratory stage focused on clothing diaries and a wardrobe inventory provided by a small purposeful sample of respondents to examine the role of fiber composition, cotton in particular, in the individual’s garment purchase and daily-use decisions. The findings suggested that fiber composition was an important part of the daily garment selection process, based upon the daily activity and a set of personal beliefs about what the diary respondent felt that fiber had to offer. Similar to the market data Results, in the Clothing Diary responses males showed a greater tendency to select both 100% cotton Tops and Bottoms than did the female respondents. Overall, cotton appeared challenged by man-made and other fibers when the respondents needed to “dress up”, to attend to athletic activity, or to satisfy the need for specific functionalities such as rapid drying. / text
42

Branding a Finnish apparel brand : An interview study of Finnish retail apparel brand managers

Hoivanen, Heli January 2017 (has links)
The current market for apparel retail goods is continuously getting more competitive due to the increasing amount of actors in the field. In order to stand out in the complex and dynamic market branding has emerged to be companies’ top priority because brands are increasingly becoming more valuable assets to companies’ business performance. However, the topic of brand management usually lacks the consideration regarding practical aspects because of the questions of academics’ access and exposure to the field. Also, it has been said that one of the common obstacles in the Finnish apparel and textile industry is the lack of knowledge in branding and thus, more should be known about branding and the common perceptions of individuals who are working with branding. In light of the above, the purpose of this thesis is to discover and expand knowledge on how Finnish apparel brand managers currently perform branding when managing a Finnish apparel brand. This study is composed of a literature review and an empirical research. In the literature review, issues related to branding are investigated. Brands, brand managers’ work tasks and the changes in today’s branding environment are all considered. In the empirical research the data was collected through semi-structured interviews with five Finnish apparel brand managers, who are managing a Finnish apparel retail brand. Three central themes, a general understanding of an apparel brand and branding, brand managers’ work related tasks and brand managers’ main challenges in branding, were formed based on the various perceptions that research participants associated with branding and managing an apparel brand. The thematic orientations were similar between all of the participants, but some different perceptions occurred when studying the themes in more detail. Finnish apparel brand managers perceive an apparel brand from slightly different angles but they attach similar characteristics to their managed brands such as Finnishness, sustainability and story-telling. All of the Finnish apparel brand managers focus on creating and maintaining an identity for a trademark or products that are offered and ensuring consistency and clarity in all actions around the managed brand. In order to maintain the Finnish apparel brands, the Finnish apparel brand managers carry out several work tasks that revolve around the brand. Also, Finnish apparel brand managers take the branding environment into consideration while managing a Finnish apparel brand including for instance the effects of digitalization and sustainability issues. The challenges of branding are related to implementation of the brand strategy and to communicational issues of the brand message. The findings of this study may assist the practitioners in the field in understanding the importance of branding from a broad perspective and analyzing the managed brand as an integral part of the ever changing branding environment. Also, the results may help to understand the value of establishing a consistent brand strategy as well as understanding the importance of the consumers.
43

The role of the fitting room in apparel quality evaluation by Mzansi Youth female consumers

Vermaak, Maryke January 2014 (has links)
The physical and social space in which a consumer finds herself is a large influencing factor on product evaluation and decision-making (Solomon & Rabolt, 2004:434). De Klerk (1999) states that, although most clothing consumers have a preconceived idea about where to go shopping for clothing and which type of clothing is desired, the final decision-making takes place within the store where consumers need information about the clothing products in order to evaluate the quality and to be able to make the final decision. It is said that retailers need to spend enough money, space and time on fitting rooms as the fitting room can be seen as the point and place where most apparel-based decisions are made (Lee & Johnson, sa:2). Fitting rooms are one of the critical areas in clothing stores; this is where the consumer tries on apparel products, makes evaluations about the products, and decisions to buy these apparel products or not (Rea, Mang & Underhill, as quoted by Baumstarck, 2008:12). The research problem of this study is that in order for consumers to evaluate apparel products effectively and to make apparel buying decisions with which they can be satisfied, the fitting room experience plays a role. However, it is not known how consumers evaluate apparel products’ quality and how the fitting room experience should be in order for the consumers to evaluate the apparel products’ quality effectively. Therefore the purpose of this study was to explore and describe the role of the fitting room experience in Mzansi youth female consumers’ evaluation of apparel products’ quality. The retail experience entails the aesthetic (stimulus, emotion and cognition) as well as functional (synchronising impressions, layout, space, service, furniture & fixtures) aspects. Evaluation of apparel quality comprises intrinsic, extrinsic and behavioural characteristics. The behavioural characteristics include the apparel products’ functional (durability, comfort and maintenance) and aesthetic (stimulus, emotion and cognition) qualities. The justification for conducting this research was that this research could lead to the generation of new information. This information may be used by retailers to enhance the fitting room experience in order to make it easier for consumers to evaluate apparel products’ quality, so that the most appropriate apparel buying decisions can be made and customer satisfaction may be increased. The confirmation/disconfirmation paradigm was used as theoretical perspective for the study. This paradigm was integrated with the literature and the relevant concepts to form the conceptual framework which directed the study. This study was conducted qualitatively where the aim was to explore and describe the phenomenon. Phenomenology was used as strategy of inquiry. The Mzansi youth female consumers, who are part of the Black Diamond consumer group, were used as unit of analysis for this study, as the literature indicates that the Black Diamonds are the fastest growing consumer group within South Africa. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to accumulate the participants of the study. Fifteen females took part in this study. Fortunately data saturation did occur, so no more participants were needed. The researcher used unstructured interviews to gather data as well as a photo-elicitation technique. The photos were used as an external stimulus in the interview process. This ensured data with depth and breadth. Two interviews (approximately 30 minutes each) were held with each participant. The second interview was only conducted after each participant had completed a specific task. The data was analysed by using the five steps suggested by Yin (2011:176). The findings showed that the fitting room experience does play a crucial role in the Mzansi youth female consumer’s evaluation of apparel products’ quality. Furthermore it showed that the Mzansi youth female consumers do have clear expectations regarding the fitting room’s aesthetics and functionality, and also how these two elements should interact and should be in order for the Mzansi youth female consumer to be able to evaluate the apparel products’ quality effectively. The findings further showed that when these expectations are not met by the actual fitting room experience it leads to the Mzansi youth female consumer being dissatisfied and therefore stopping her evaluation of the apparel products’ quality or even leaving the store. Therefore this study came to the overall conclusion that the fitting room is the place where the final decision to buy or not to buy is made, and where decisions about possible future visits are made, irrespective of the rest of the retail environment. It should therefore be treated like the queen of the apparel retail environment, and certainly not like the Cinderella. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Consumer Science / unrestricted
44

Digital Institutions to Support Data-Driven Circularity Innovation : The Improvement of Textile and Apparel Recycling Processes through Blockchain Technology

Schliephake, Hanna Josephina, Niemann, Charlotte Laila January 2021 (has links)
Purpose - The purpose of this master thesis is to explore if and how blockchain technology can improve textile and apparel recycling processes. It further aims to investigate which institutional and infrastructural preconditions have to be met for it to do so. This research seeks to extend the understanding of the technology’s potential and to derive theoretical and managerial implications. Design/ Methodology/ Approach - The study applies a qualitative, explorative research approach, following a deductive research strategy. Thereby, a theoretical framework was derived based on the results of a literature review. Primary data was collected using the method of semi-structured expert interviews and analysed using the method Thematic Analysis. The sample contained experts from different entities of the textile and apparel recycling industry, namely textile waste collectors, textile waste sorters, textile-to-textile recyclers, manufacturers, recycling experts and digital service-providers. Findings - The results show that blockchain technology in fact holds the potential to improve industry processes through its ability to verify data and assign value. However, the findings suggest that the main challenges of the textile and apparel recycling industry are grounded in its institutional complexity. Therefore, the lack of sufficient infrastructure, information exchange and value creation inhibit the industry from using blockchain technology to its full potential. Implications - To overcome this, it is advised that the individual industry players must collaborate to fulfil the essential institutional and infrastructural requirements. This means creating an inter-organisational network that relies on the exchange of recycling-relevant information, uniform data structures and unified norms and practices. Originality/ Value - Scientific research lacks a coherent understanding of the relation between blockchain technology and textile and apparel recycling. This research bridges this gap by illustrating the industry’s challenges and exploring blockchains potential to address them, while laying out the institutional and infrastructural preconditions for blockchain to contribute to an improved textile and apparel recycling.
45

Online Impulse Buying Behavior with Apparel Products: Relationships with Apparel Involvement, Website Attributes, and Product Category/Price

Rhee, Young-Ju 13 November 2006 (has links)
The potential use of the Internet for apparel retail marketing is extremely viable (Murphy, 1998); however, most of the journal papers on apparel Internet shoppers are limited to the comparison of demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics between shoppers and non-shoppers (McKinney, 2004). Little empirical research has addressed the role of impulsiveness in online apparel shopping behavior. In the past, impulse buying was considered as something bad and consumers felt guilty after impulse buying (Ainslie 1975; Levy 1976). However, most researchers now no longer view impulse buying as a negative phenomenon because studies showed that impulse buying satisfies a number of hedonic desires (Piron 1991; Rook & Fisher 1995; Thompson, Locander, & Pollio 1990). Impulse buyers exhibited greater feelings of amusement, delight, enthusiasm, and joy (Weinberg & Gottwald, 1982) and often felt uplifted or energized after a shopping experience that involves impulse buying (Rook, 1987; Gardner & Rook, 1988; 1993) because impulse buying can provide the enjoyment of novelty and surprise, and the ability of mood alteration (i.e., breaking out of negative mood state) (Gardner & Rook, 1988; Rook, 1987). Recognizing the positive feelings generated from impulse buying and considering the increasing frequency of college students'' Internet shopping (Seock, 2003), one strategy to create competitive advantages in the apparel market of college students is to understand the variables related to impulse buying and based on the understanding provide a website that generates pleasurable shopping. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between online apparel impulse buying behavior and apparel involvement, apparel website attributes, and product category/price. The data were collected using an online survey with a structured questionnaire. To recruit participants, 37,590 e-mails were sent to six universities located in different regions of the United States. A total of 687 college students responded to the survey including 284 online apparel buyers, 194 non-online apparel buyers, and 209 non-apparel website visitors. When the impulsiveness of online apparel purchases in general was used to divide the participants into impulse buyer and non-impulse buyer groups, the Chi-square test results showed that there were significantly more female respondents in the impulse buyer group than in the non-impulse buyer group. However, when impulsiveness of last purchase was used to divide the participants into impulse purchase and non-impulse purchase groups, the results showed no significant difference between the genders. For other results, the findings were all consistent. Respondents in the impulse buyer and purchase groups than the non-impulse buyer and purchase groups had a greater amount of total monthly income and spent more money on apparel products. The impulse buyer and purchase groups visited websites that sold clothing/accessories more frequently and purchased more apparel products online over the past six months than the non-impulse buyer and purchase groups. These results suggest that impulse buyers are an important segment of the apparel online market. Four hypotheses were put forward to test the relationships among the variables. Before the proposed hypotheses could be examined, the factor analysis was first conducted to determine the constructs of apparel involvement and website attributes. The results showed that apparel involvement consisted of three factors (i.e., sign value/perceived importance, pleasure value, risk importance/probability) and website attributes consisted of four factors (i.e., website design, product presentation, promotion, product search/policy information). The results of MANOVA showed that the impulse buyer group perceived the sign value/perceived importance and the pleasure value of apparel involvement significantly higher, and perceived the risk importance/probability of apparel involvement significantly lower than the non-impulse buyer group. Based on the results, H1 was supported. Impulsive and non-impulsive online apparel buyers differed significantly in their apparel involvement. For H2, the results indicated that the impulse purchase group evaluated the website where they bought the last apparel item significantly better in website design, product presentation, promotion, and product search/policy information than the non-impulse purchase group. Based on the results, H2 was supported. The evaluations of the attributes of websites where impulse purchases and non-impulse purchases of apparel products were made were significantly different. Test of H3 showed that some product categories purchased by the respondents in the impulse purchase group were significantly different from those bought by the non-impulse purchase group. Categories such as shirt/blouse and belt were bought more frequently by the respondents in the impulse purchase group whereas shoes were bought more frequently by those in the non-impulse purchase group. The respondents in the impulse purchase group bought more items that cost less than $25 than those in the non-impulse purchase group. Based on the results H3 was supported. The product categories purchased by the impulse purchase group and non-impulse purchase group were significantly different. The multiple regression results showed that the sign value/perceived importance of apparel involvement contributed the most in explaining impulsiveness of online apparel buying behavior, followed by product price, risk importance/probability of apparel involvement, and product presentation of website attributes. Other factors, such as the pleasure value of apparel involvement and website attributes in website design, promotion, and product search/policy information, had no significant linear relationships with the impulsiveness of online apparel buying behavior. Based on the results, H4 was partially supported. From the results of the present study, it is concluded that apparel involvement, website attributes, and product price are closely related to the impulsiveness of consumers'' online apparel buying behavior. This study is beneficial to researchers and marketers by identifying possible psychological reasons for impulse buying as well as suggesting strategies to develop an apparel website that facilitate impulse buying behavior. / Ph. D.
46

Supply Chain Management (SCM) Practices and Their Impact on Competitive Advantage in the Bangladeshi Apparel Sector

Bari, Md Sadaqul 20 September 2019 (has links)
No description available.
47

Strategy to increase apparel supply chain demand responsiveness : Reshoring can be a way

Alam, Rafif Ul January 2022 (has links)
Contrary to other industries, the fashion and textile sector is confronted with complex supply chain issues. The ultimate objective of the fashion and textile industry is to reduce costs while increasing consumer satisfaction and achieving long-term corporate success. For this, the supply chain evolved into a more agile form to take advantage of responsiveness with various strategies. The proximity manufacturing approach is one of them. Given this context, reshoring as a management technique to increase supply chain demand responsiveness (SCDR) has gained substantial attention in the fashion and apparel industries. considering that the purpose of this study is defined as to strategize the factors of reshoring and supply chain demand responsiveness (SCDR) in the apparel industry. This study reveals the factors of the apparel manufacturing supply chain. By attaining these factors a supply chain can achieve responsiveness attributes. It also accumulates data regarding positive factors that drive the reshoring of apparel manufacturing. Moreover, connections between these two factors have been established which illustrates the influence of reshoring on achieving demand responsiveness of the apparel supply chain.
48

Fostering the professional development of Saudi female students: implications for educators in apparel and textiles programs in Saudi Arabia

Alzahrani, Sarah G. January 1900 (has links)
Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Joy M. Kozar / Today, home economics in Saudi Arabia, in particular, apparel and textiles programs (AT) typically emphasize two major areas: apparel design and textile science. However, AT programs in Saudi Arabia need to evolve to help students take advantage of new job opportunities in the apparel retail sector. Establishing an apparel merchandising track in AT programs in Saudi Arabia will provide women with better preparation to succeed in the industry. Until recently, most female graduates of home economics programs in Saudi Arabia were prepared for teaching positions. The purpose of this study was to develop an apparel merchandising program for the AT discipline in Saudi Arabia. Qualitative data were collected in three phases to examine the focal points of choosing the new curricula: (a) the nature of the subject matter, (b) the nature of society, and (c) the nature of individuals. In Phase 1, the content of the top apparel merchandising programs in the US was examined to explore the nature of the subject matter. In Phase 2, the perceptions of industry professionals in Saudi Arabia were explored by interviewing 21 human resource managers and apparel store managers. Finally, the AT students’ needs to succeed in the apparel industry were examined by interviewing 17 female students. The data were analyzed by utilizing the word-based technique as well as comparing and contrasting responses to each question. The findings for all three phases were combined and compared to identify the knowledge and skills that need to be added to the new apparel merchandising track for AT discipline in Saudi Arabia. Results of the study indicated that all three phases reported the importance of considering hard skills, or content and process knowledge, and soft skills, or professional attitude and skills, in preparing AT student for the apparel retail industry. AT major knowledge, business knowledge, mathematics, as well as professional skills (e.g., communication, commitment, teamwork, English language, lifelong learning, and experience) are found to be essential for the success of Saudi women in the apparel retail industry. For AT educators in Saudi Arabia, this knowledge and skills have to be addressed in the apparel merchandising program.
49

Competition Among Domestic Apparel Manufacturers

Simpson, Mary 01 January 2017 (has links)
Apparel manufacturing characterizes a sustainable means of creating employment and encouraging economic growth; however, 86% of U.S. apparel manufacturing companies and 74.7% in North Carolina have closed since the late 1990s. Less than 3% of apparel bought in the United States is domestic. The purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies used by American apparel manufacturing business leaders who produce competitive products using Porter's diamond theory as the conceptual framework. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 4 business leaders from an apparel manufacturer that had been in business a minimum of 5 years in North Carolina. Member checking and transcript review were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings. Data were coded using a qualitative analysis software. Coded data were analyzed to identify themes. The results led to 3 major themes: technology, time, and brand development. The findings revealed that apparel manufacturing business managers used technology to produce competitive apparel products by owning the fiber, fabric, and technologies in the apparel products and shortened lead-times to the retailer. New knowledge from this study could contribute to social change through improved opportunities for apparel workers, improved business strategies among apparel manufacturing business leaders, and increased demand for apparel products produced in the United States. The findings from this study may also contribute to positive social change by potentially increasing business prospects for apparel manufacturers, suppliers, auxiliary businesses, thereby increasing revenue in North Carolina and the United States.
50

The influence of brand incongruity on females’ perception of the properties of bi-national apparel products

Diedericks, Lizette January 2013 (has links)
This study investigated the influence of brand incongruity on females’ perception of the properties of bi-national apparel products. A survey was conducted across Tshwane, a major urban area in South Africa, to provide empirical evidence of female consumers’ reliance on brands in the context of an emerging economy where global brands have become widely available and easily accessible in recent years. Data was collected by means of convenient sampling and through self completion of a structured questionnaire by 322 willing, working females. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, factor analysis, ANOVAs and post hoc tests. This study confirmed the significance of brand names as a cue of the functional performance related properties of female apparel and concluded that the relevance of brands for status related purposes is secondary to females’ use of brands to infer the functional and performance attributes or to deduce the eco friendliness of apparel. This was true for all the age, income, and education levels or population categories. Although extant research confirms the importance of brands to convey status and to boost consumers’ self image, i.e. serving as an extension of an individual’s self, this study revealed that females do not primarily use brands for status purposes. Brands are mostly trusted to provide good fit, durability, comfort and good quality. Consumers do not necessarily seem familiar with the majority of apparel brands that are widely advertised. However, the majority of consumers preferred the country of manufacture (COM) and the country of origin (COO) of brands to match. Overall, they preferred brands originating from Western countries as the COM, and were more approving of locally manufactured goods than apparel manufactured in Eastern countries. As a simplifying strategy, consumers’ ignorance about the COM of global brands is probably addressed by opting for brands associated with Western COM. Brand incongruence may therefore have noticeable consequences for brand equity in a highly competitive global market and this should be addressed through clever marketing initiatives to prevent dismay and brand switching. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Consumer Science / unrestricted

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