Issued also as Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University. / Bibliography: p. 99-100.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Political Science, June 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

The aim of the master thesis is analysis of customer´s consumer behavior in a Second hand shops in Czech Republic. My assistments is processed like a research´s replication of second hand´s life style. This was compared between American and Chinese youth, which its results were recently published in the International Journal of Consumer Studies. Firstly the research is aimed on discovering reasons, why people buy stuffs there. Secondly which concerns or limits affecting buying the used goods and if social groups have influence on a choice of goods. In the end the main result is discovering common features of consumer´s behavior and subsequent customer profiling.

Opinion leadership and opinion seeking are central constructs in academic studies of new product innovations. Fashion opinion leaders as those individuals who accelerate the fashion maturity process by legitimising a fashionable trend and influence other consumers to adopt the new innovative style as a replacement for the current accepted one. Consumers who accept information and adopt new style innovations are called opinion seekers and are important to the diffusion of new fashions because they may act on the information they receive from the opinion leaders. In South Africa, the fashion industry, which consists of a combination of the manufacturing, retail, media and recruitment sectors, generates billions of South African rands per annum, and is the fifth largest employment sector in the country. In fact, the fashion and textile industry in South Africa employed approximately 143 000 people in March of 2005, and contributed 12 percent to total manufacturing employment. Post 1994, it was evident that the fashion industry in South Africa underwent a metamorphosis from a protected market where domestic manufacturers dominated to a market that increasingly faced competition from international sources. During the first decade of democracy, the country joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and opened its creative market to international trade. This saw the industry generate sales of R34 billion, of which 9.4 percent was from clothing sales, and with only 18.7 percent of textiles output being exported. This suggests that the South African retailing industry yields substantial value chain power. There appears to be few published research studies focusing on fashion opinion leadership and opinion seeking amongst the black Generation Y students in South Africa. Owing to the importance of the fashion industry sector, together with the ethnic and cultural diversity of Abstract South Africa, the size of the black Generation Y cohort, and the higher social standing and future earning potential of those with a tertiary qualification, it is important to explore black Generation Y students’ fashion opinion leadership/seeking and fashion involvement. In South Africa, the Generation Y cohort is the first generation to grow up in an era of freedom and constantly changing technology – two forces that serve to broaden the divergence between this fascinating generation and previous generations. In 2013, the Generation Y individuals accounted for an estimated 38 percent of the South African population, and members of the black Generation Y accounted for 83 percent of the country’s Generation Y cohort. The primary objective of this study was to investigate fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst South African black Generation Y students. The target population for this study were male and female black undergraduate and postgraduate students, aged between 18 and 24, and enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame for this study constituted the 23 South African registered public HEIs that existed in 2013. This sampling frame was narrowed down using judgement sampling to two HEI campuses in the Gauteng province – one from a traditional university and one from a university of technology. The Gauteng province was selected over other provinces in the country because it contained the highest percentage of the 23 public HEIs. A self-administered questionnaire was designed based on the scales used in previous studies. Lecturers at each of the two campuses selected to form part of the sample were contacted and asked if they would allow the questionnaire to be administered on their students during lectures. Once permission had been gained, the questionnaires were distributed to students during the scheduled lectures. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items designed to measure their fashion clothing involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking. In addition, the students were asked to provide certain demographic data. Abstract The findings of this study provide valuable insights into fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst black Generation Y students in South Africa. Findings from this study show that there is a significant relationship between fashion product involvement, fashion purchase involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking amongst black Generation Y students, and that females have a significantly higher level of fashion product involvement compared to males. Insights gained from this study will help fashion marketing better understand this cohort’s involvement in fashion, which, in turn, should help them tailor their marketing efforts in such a way as to appeal to this segment in an improved manner. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Opinion leadership and opinion seeking are central constructs in academic studies of new product innovations. Fashion opinion leaders as those individuals who accelerate the fashion maturity process by legitimising a fashionable trend and influence other consumers to adopt the new innovative style as a replacement for the current accepted one. Consumers who accept information and adopt new style innovations are called opinion seekers and are important to the diffusion of new fashions because they may act on the information they receive from the opinion leaders. In South Africa, the fashion industry, which consists of a combination of the manufacturing, retail, media and recruitment sectors, generates billions of South African rands per annum, and is the fifth largest employment sector in the country. In fact, the fashion and textile industry in South Africa employed approximately 143 000 people in March of 2005, and contributed 12 percent to total manufacturing employment. Post 1994, it was evident that the fashion industry in South Africa underwent a metamorphosis from a protected market where domestic manufacturers dominated to a market that increasingly faced competition from international sources. During the first decade of democracy, the country joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and opened its creative market to international trade. This saw the industry generate sales of R34 billion, of which 9.4 percent was from clothing sales, and with only 18.7 percent of textiles output being exported. This suggests that the South African retailing industry yields substantial value chain power. There appears to be few published research studies focusing on fashion opinion leadership and opinion seeking amongst the black Generation Y students in South Africa. Owing to the importance of the fashion industry sector, together with the ethnic and cultural diversity of Abstract South Africa, the size of the black Generation Y cohort, and the higher social standing and future earning potential of those with a tertiary qualification, it is important to explore black Generation Y students’ fashion opinion leadership/seeking and fashion involvement. In South Africa, the Generation Y cohort is the first generation to grow up in an era of freedom and constantly changing technology – two forces that serve to broaden the divergence between this fascinating generation and previous generations. In 2013, the Generation Y individuals accounted for an estimated 38 percent of the South African population, and members of the black Generation Y accounted for 83 percent of the country’s Generation Y cohort. The primary objective of this study was to investigate fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst South African black Generation Y students. The target population for this study were male and female black undergraduate and postgraduate students, aged between 18 and 24, and enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame for this study constituted the 23 South African registered public HEIs that existed in 2013. This sampling frame was narrowed down using judgement sampling to two HEI campuses in the Gauteng province – one from a traditional university and one from a university of technology. The Gauteng province was selected over other provinces in the country because it contained the highest percentage of the 23 public HEIs. A self-administered questionnaire was designed based on the scales used in previous studies. Lecturers at each of the two campuses selected to form part of the sample were contacted and asked if they would allow the questionnaire to be administered on their students during lectures. Once permission had been gained, the questionnaires were distributed to students during the scheduled lectures. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items designed to measure their fashion clothing involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking. In addition, the students were asked to provide certain demographic data. Abstract The findings of this study provide valuable insights into fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst black Generation Y students in South Africa. Findings from this study show that there is a significant relationship between fashion product involvement, fashion purchase involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking amongst black Generation Y students, and that females have a significantly higher level of fashion product involvement compared to males. Insights gained from this study will help fashion marketing better understand this cohort’s involvement in fashion, which, in turn, should help them tailor their marketing efforts in such a way as to appeal to this segment in an improved manner. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Atualmente, a preocupação com o meio ambiente está relacionada à qualidade de vida desta e de futuras gerações, o que torna a busca pelo desenvolvimento sustentável uma responsabilidade coletiva. A competição no mercado e a crescente mudança de perfil dos consumidores, impulsionam as empresas a buscarem soluções capazes de atenuar os impactos ambientais negativos e otimizar os processos produtivos, resultando em fomento da responsabilidade socioambiental, produtos com maior valor agregado e incremento da competitividade. O crescimento da população mundial e o consumo exacerbado aumentaram significativamente a demanda por recursos naturais. A quantidade de resíduos sólidos gerados pelas atividades industriais também cresceu em importância mundial e ambiental, pois estes são produzidos por vários tipos de processos, gerando milhões de toneladas por dia em todo o mundo. A disposição adequada desses resíduos é indispensável para a preservação ambiental. A redução da geração de resíduos, a reciclagem e reutilização de resíduos, e o destarte adequado são fundamentais para a preservação ambiental e diminuição do consumo de recursos naturais não renováveis do planeta. A presente pesquisa tem o propósito de promover a compreensão sobre o gerenciamento dos resíduos sólidos industriais e apresentar um estudo de caso abordando a reciclagem de resíduos sólidos oriundos do setor de manufatura do vestuário, especificamente os retalhos gerados no setor de corte, como alternativa para a redução dos impactos ambientais negativos em consonância com as políticas públicas e o desenvolvimento sustentável. Para atingir esse propósito, mas sem esgotar o tema, que é complexo e abrangente, foram delimitados os seguintes objetivos específicos: (1) Classificar os resíduos sólidos na manufatura do vestuário; (2) Pesquisar algumas empresas que compõe o ciclo do desfibrado têxtil; (3) Pesquisar a aceitação do tecido reciclado pelo consumidor de moda; (4) Pesquisar a utilização do desfibrado na produção de peças acústicas para o setor automobilístico; (5) Identificar os desafios e limitações encontrados na utilização do desfibrado têxtil; No Brasil, a forma mais comum de reciclagem de resíduos têxteis é a desfibragem mecânica, cujos produtos finais são denominados fibras desfibradas que serão destinadas à produção de tecidos reciclados para vestuário de moda e decoração, não-tecidos, mantas acústicas para o setor automobilístico, e estopas, panos (para uso industrial, de limpeza de maquinário e materiais). A metodologia de pesquisa empregada está fundamentada em uma abordagem qualitativa de natureza teórico-empírica, que utiliza como método de pesquisa o estudo de caso. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica, pesquisa documental e realização de entrevistas com os atores-chave do setor de reciclagem têxtil. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, verifica-se, que através do processo de reciclagem os resíduos sólidos industriais originários da indústria têxtil são uma oportunidade lucrativa de mercado viabilizada pela logística reversa. A pratica da reciclagem agrega valor aos resíduos sólidos, prolonga a vida de bens ambientais esgotáveis e a vida útil de aterros, além de gerar empregos propicia a economia de energia e diminuição da poluição dos compartimentos ambientais / Nowadays, the concern with the environment is related to the quality of life for this, and the coming generations, which makes the pursuit for sustainable development a collective responsibility. The competition in the market and the change of the consumers profile, force the companies to search for solutions that are able to diminish the negative environmental impacts, and optimize the productive processes, fomenting the socio-environmental responsibility, products that aggregate more value and the increase of competition. The increase of the world`s population, and the exaggerated consumption elevated the demand for natural resources. The amount of solid waste generated by the industries activities also have reached an elevated degree of importance, environmental and worldwide, as these are produced on a large scale every day. The adequate disposal of such waste is necessary for the preservation of our environment. The reduction of the waste generation, recycling, and reutilization of these waste and the correct discard, are the basis for the preservation, conservation and saving of consumption of non-renewable natural resources. This paper intends to promote the comprehension of the textile industry\'s solid waste management and to present a study for the recycling of solid waste generated from the clothing manufacture, more specifically in the snippet sector, as an alternative to reduce the negative impact against the environment, according to the public policies and its sustainable development. In order to achieve this goal, but not exhausting the subject, as i tis complex and comprehensive, the following milestones were defined: (1) Classify the solid waste in the clothing manufacture; (2) Research some companies that compose the textile shredded cycle; (3) Research the acceptance of the recycled cloth for the fashion consumer; (4) Research the utilization of the shredded in the production of acoustic parts to the automotive sector; (5) Identify the challenges and limitations found in the utilization of the shredded cloth; In Brazil, the most common way of textile waste recycling is to use mechanical process to shred the cloth, process on which the final product is called shredded fiber, that are destined to the production of recycled cloth for fashion clothing and decoration, non-woven, acoustic parts to the automotive sector, oakum, fabric (for industrial usage, for material and machinery cleaning). The research methodology applied, is based on a qualitative, theoretical and empirical approach, that uses the case study as a mean. The data collection was based on bibliographic research, documentary research, and interviews with the key players of the textile recycling sector. According to the results achieved, it is possible to verify that through the recycling process, the solid waste generated from textile industry, are a profitable opportunity, made possible by the reversal logistics. The recycling activity adds value to the solid waste, enhances the lifecycle of the non-renewable environmental assets and the landfills\' lifecycle. It also generates job positions and saves energy, minimizing the pollution of the environmental compartments

The term ¡§Fast Fashion¡¨ has been under the spotlight since the Zara Empire emerged. Zara is one of the clothing retailers under a Spanish textile design, manufacturing and distribution group, the Inditex Group. Zara accounts for 70 to 80 percent of Inditex¡¦s retail sales on average. The founder, Amancio Ortega, has become the richest man in Spain and also one of the world¡¦s richest people. Inditex has 3207 stores located in 63 countries all over the world up to the fiscal year 2005. Zara has made elite fashion accessible to the mass market and has decreased the lifetime of clothing by providing customers new clothes to pick out every five to six weeks. In other words, Zara has made trendy clothing become disposable stuff. Studies and the garment industry call this phenomenon-- ¡§Fast Fashion¡¨. This study aims at clearly defining ¡§Fast Fashion¡¨, and analyzing Zara¡¦s positioning strategy and business model. By analyzing Zara¡¦s unusual structure, this study comes to a conclusion that clothing retailers would need some resources and core capabilities to implement fast fashion positioning strategy. However, fast fashion positioning strategy is not necessarily a competitive advantage for every clothing retailer.

COO is a construct that refers to the country which a consumer associates a certain product or brand as being its source, regardless of where the product is actually produced. Scholars like Magnusson et al. (2011) argue that COO is a salient cue in consumers’ product evaluation and purchase intention. In contrast, Usunier (2006; 2011) and Samiee (2010) criticize the COO effect, by explaining that due to multinational production, integrated worldwide supply chains and global branding there are other cues that have become more salient in consumers’ decision- making process. The purpose of this thesis is to extend the understanding about the relationship of COO in consumers buying process. The research questions followed: To what extent does country of origin influence consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intention? To what extent does the level of involvement affect the relationship between country of origin and consumers’ product evaluation? To what extent does the level of involvement affect the relationship between country of origin and consumers’ purchase intentions. Applying a deductive approach, a quantitative research has been chosen for this thesis involving survey as the source for data collection in order to test this research four main concepts: COO, product evaluation, purchase intention and product involvement. The findings indicated that COO has a significant direct effect in consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intention. The results also indicated on that when consumers’ perceive products to be low involvement, the COO effect is greater in consumers’ decision-making process.

Ma réflexion est basée sur les nouveaux problèmes des vêtements dans une société post-moderne notamment en utilisant les notions du collage, d'assemblage, du patchwork, du montage, de la récupération, du recyclage et du métissage des genres, des époques, des cultures, des styles, des matières, des couleurs, des formes dans la mode vestimentaire. L'objet de ma recherche est axé sur l'assemblage de la nouvelle esthétique des modes d'assemblage cousus et non cousus et l'étude des bouleversements esthétiques générés par l'intégration de l'art du patchwork et du collage sur la voie vestimentaire à partir de mixage des matériaux empruntés de la vie courante. Il s'agirait d'investir les fonctionnements d'une esthétique de reconstruction et de déconstruction dans les œuvres collagistes et voir la nouvelle identité de la Haute Couture métissée qui a bouleversé les rapports traditionnels entre le créateur, l'œuvre, les techniques et le coupé cousu. / My thinking is based on emerging clothes in a post-modem society using the concepts of collage, assemblage, patchwork, installation, recovery, recycling and mixing of genres, eras, cultures, styles, materials, colors, shapes in fashion clothing. The purpose of my research is focused on the assembly of the new aesthetic modes of assembly and not stitched sewn and study of aesthetic upheavals generated by the integration of the art of patchwork and collage on track dress from mixing of materials borrowed from everyday life. It would invest the workings of an aesthetic reconstruction and deconstruction in collage works and see the new identity of the Haute Couture mixed that changed the traditional relationship between the creator, the work, techniques and cut and sewn.

Atualmente, a preocupação com o meio ambiente está relacionada à qualidade de vida desta e de futuras gerações, o que torna a busca pelo desenvolvimento sustentável uma responsabilidade coletiva. A competição no mercado e a crescente mudança de perfil dos consumidores, impulsionam as empresas a buscarem soluções capazes de atenuar os impactos ambientais negativos e otimizar os processos produtivos, resultando em fomento da responsabilidade socioambiental, produtos com maior valor agregado e incremento da competitividade. O crescimento da população mundial e o consumo exacerbado aumentaram significativamente a demanda por recursos naturais. A quantidade de resíduos sólidos gerados pelas atividades industriais também cresceu em importância mundial e ambiental, pois estes são produzidos por vários tipos de processos, gerando milhões de toneladas por dia em todo o mundo. A disposição adequada desses resíduos é indispensável para a preservação ambiental. A redução da geração de resíduos, a reciclagem e reutilização de resíduos, e o destarte adequado são fundamentais para a preservação ambiental e diminuição do consumo de recursos naturais não renováveis do planeta. A presente pesquisa tem o propósito de promover a compreensão sobre o gerenciamento dos resíduos sólidos industriais e apresentar um estudo de caso abordando a reciclagem de resíduos sólidos oriundos do setor de manufatura do vestuário, especificamente os retalhos gerados no setor de corte, como alternativa para a redução dos impactos ambientais negativos em consonância com as políticas públicas e o desenvolvimento sustentável. Para atingir esse propósito, mas sem esgotar o tema, que é complexo e abrangente, foram delimitados os seguintes objetivos específicos: (1) Classificar os resíduos sólidos na manufatura do vestuário; (2) Pesquisar algumas empresas que compõe o ciclo do desfibrado têxtil; (3) Pesquisar a aceitação do tecido reciclado pelo consumidor de moda; (4) Pesquisar a utilização do desfibrado na produção de peças acústicas para o setor automobilístico; (5) Identificar os desafios e limitações encontrados na utilização do desfibrado têxtil; No Brasil, a forma mais comum de reciclagem de resíduos têxteis é a desfibragem mecânica, cujos produtos finais são denominados fibras desfibradas que serão destinadas à produção de tecidos reciclados para vestuário de moda e decoração, não-tecidos, mantas acústicas para o setor automobilístico, e estopas, panos (para uso industrial, de limpeza de maquinário e materiais). A metodologia de pesquisa empregada está fundamentada em uma abordagem qualitativa de natureza teórico-empírica, que utiliza como método de pesquisa o estudo de caso. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica, pesquisa documental e realização de entrevistas com os atores-chave do setor de reciclagem têxtil. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, verifica-se, que através do processo de reciclagem os resíduos sólidos industriais originários da indústria têxtil são uma oportunidade lucrativa de mercado viabilizada pela logística reversa. A pratica da reciclagem agrega valor aos resíduos sólidos, prolonga a vida de bens ambientais esgotáveis e a vida útil de aterros, além de gerar empregos propicia a economia de energia e diminuição da poluição dos compartimentos ambientais / Nowadays, the concern with the environment is related to the quality of life for this, and the coming generations, which makes the pursuit for sustainable development a collective responsibility. The competition in the market and the change of the consumers profile, force the companies to search for solutions that are able to diminish the negative environmental impacts, and optimize the productive processes, fomenting the socio-environmental responsibility, products that aggregate more value and the increase of competition. The increase of the world`s population, and the exaggerated consumption elevated the demand for natural resources. The amount of solid waste generated by the industries activities also have reached an elevated degree of importance, environmental and worldwide, as these are produced on a large scale every day. The adequate disposal of such waste is necessary for the preservation of our environment. The reduction of the waste generation, recycling, and reutilization of these waste and the correct discard, are the basis for the preservation, conservation and saving of consumption of non-renewable natural resources. This paper intends to promote the comprehension of the textile industry\'s solid waste management and to present a study for the recycling of solid waste generated from the clothing manufacture, more specifically in the snippet sector, as an alternative to reduce the negative impact against the environment, according to the public policies and its sustainable development. In order to achieve this goal, but not exhausting the subject, as i tis complex and comprehensive, the following milestones were defined: (1) Classify the solid waste in the clothing manufacture; (2) Research some companies that compose the textile shredded cycle; (3) Research the acceptance of the recycled cloth for the fashion consumer; (4) Research the utilization of the shredded in the production of acoustic parts to the automotive sector; (5) Identify the challenges and limitations found in the utilization of the shredded cloth; In Brazil, the most common way of textile waste recycling is to use mechanical process to shred the cloth, process on which the final product is called shredded fiber, that are destined to the production of recycled cloth for fashion clothing and decoration, non-woven, acoustic parts to the automotive sector, oakum, fabric (for industrial usage, for material and machinery cleaning). The research methodology applied, is based on a qualitative, theoretical and empirical approach, that uses the case study as a mean. The data collection was based on bibliographic research, documentary research, and interviews with the key players of the textile recycling sector. According to the results achieved, it is possible to verify that through the recycling process, the solid waste generated from textile industry, are a profitable opportunity, made possible by the reversal logistics. The recycling activity adds value to the solid waste, enhances the lifecycle of the non-renewable environmental assets and the landfills\' lifecycle. It also generates job positions and saves energy, minimizing the pollution of the environmental compartments