Background: The Swedish fashion industry grows steadily, today it’s populated by many small and medium sized companies. Due to the big clothing chains dominant position small businesses risks to be ousted out of the fashion industry. Smaller companies may find it difficult to reach out to the customer by traditional advertising because their budgets are often smaller. It is therefore important for smaller companies to create loyal customers. If the smaller sized businesses in the fashion industry do not follow the rapid developments in society and focus on building strong brands and relationships, they will have problems with surviving in the long run. Problem definition: Which communicative factors are important in the choice of brand strategy to create a long-term survival for small and medium-sized companies in the fashion industry? Purpose: The purpose of the essay is to analyse and evaluate the brand as a communications tool for building a brand image. Method: The data which is being used in the essay is collected from interviews with companies and survey of each company's existing and potential customers. Theoretical perspective: Relationship Marketing Perspective and Transaction Marketing Perspective Theories: Brand Strategies, Total Communication, Brand Equity, Involvement Theory, Service Value Profit Chain. Empiric: The empirical data is primary data gathered from interviews with a representative for each company and from the questionnaires distributed to the customers of each company. Analysis: The analysis is an interpretation of the empirical material collected from interviews with each company and customers survey. Each company is being analysed along the characteristics that emerges in the theory chapter. Results: The results of the study show that the companies use a mixture communication form consisting of one-and two way communication. The results from survey show that the customer is highly involved and therefore it is important for companies to maintain a relationship perspective. Conclusions/Discussion: In order to achieve a long-term survival, it is important that smaller companies work from a relational consumers approach. In that way companies can create loyal consumers which can later on contribute to good Word-Of-Mouth. In its turn this can generate new consumers.

Social entrepreneurship is a promising approach in addressing social issues, however, it is still relatively new to consumers. There is an increase in demand for products that have a positive social reputation. In order to reach consumers, social enterprises need promotion.  It is crucial for social enterprises since they are competing for public awareness of the company itself and its social mission. Social enterprises are addressing social issues and striving to reach their missions through different activities. There is  little research available of perceptions and purchase decisions of different consumer groups regarding social entrepreneurial activities. The purpose of the thesis was to examine how consumers perceive social entrepreneurship activities within the fashion industry and consequently, how consumers’ purchase decisions are affected by these activities. To fulfil this purpose, existing literature was reviewed and an online questionnaire was conducted. Total amount of 235 people living in Sweden participated in the questionnaire.    Promoted social entrepreneurship activities were observed through the Social Entrepreneurship Map and the results showed that activities related to ‘Job creation’ and ‘Help focus’ sector were the ones represented in the fashion industry. It was discovered that the promoted social entrepreneurship activities within ‘Job creation’ sector were triggering more positive associations than ‘Help focus’ activities. Despite the positive overall perception of the activities, the majority of consumers had not purchased products from social enterprises. The results showed that overall consumers were willing to purchase products from companies engaging in social entrepreneurship activities. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between purchase decisions and willingness to buy in the future. The more consumers had purchased products before, the more willing they were also to purchase in the future.

Modebranschen är en ständigt föränderlig bransch som präglas av långa ledtider, osäkra prognoser och starkt trendfokus. Ahlvar By Frida Ahlvarsson är ett svenskt modeföretag som verkar inom just denna bransch. Ahlvar upplever precis som många andra små modeföretag problem kopplade till branschens uppbyggnad. Problemen som företaget upplever är främst ekonomiska men har också att göra med höga lagernivåer och hög arbetsbelastning. I detta arbete görs en granskning av Ahlvars inköpsprocess med hjälp av Business Process Management (BPM) för att identifiera orsakerna bakom de problem som företaget upplever. Det fastslås att företagets ekonomiska problem främst är kopplade till höga produktionskostnader medan de höga lagernivåerna främst beror på avsaknaden av statistiska prognoser. Den höga arbetsbelastningen verkar i sin tur ha att göra med det faktum att det som enmansföretag är svårt att handskas med inköpsprocessens många steg och parallella processer. För att identifiera lösningar till dessa problem presenteras teori kring inköpsprocesser och även information om hur tre liknande modeföretag arbetar. De tre andra företagen är Filippa K, Företag X och House of Dagmar. Tillsammans med teorin görs en jämförelse mellan dessa tre och Ahlvar. Jämförelsen visar att det finns många likheter mellan företagen och att mycket av deras arbetssätt har goda kopplingar till teorin. Dock i identifieras även vissa markanta skillnader mellan Ahlvar och de andra företagens arbetssätt. Utifrån jämförelsen fastslås tre huvudsakliga rekommendationer för hur Ahlvar ska förändra sin inköpsprocess i syfte att förbättra sin ekonomiska situation med hjälp av en mer effektiv försörjningskedja. Rekommendationerna är att företaget bör hitta fler leverantörer, byta leverantörsland från Kina till ett eller flera länder i Europa och att börja göra enklare prognoser på tidigare års försäljning. Som en följd av bytet av leverantörsland rekommenderas även företaget att förändra sitt val av transportslag från flygplan till lastbil och båt vid frakt av produkter.

Background: Even though the fashion industry has grown to become one of the most digitized and consumed industries in the world, it seems to be an issue for physical fashion companies to break through within ecommerce. This is due to the lack of ability for physical companies to adapt to the digital development and the changing customer behavior prevailing on the internet. E-commerce has gone from selling goods and comparing prices online, to provide valuecreating experiences for customers. As a result, the competition has drastically increased, which makes the customer able to easily move and choose between a variety of e-commerce platforms. As an increased understanding of customer experience in e-commerce can provide profit-sharing competitive advantages, it is important for physical fashion companies to take customer preferences into account. Purpose: The aim of this study is to generate an understanding of valuecreating activities in e-commerce and what customers value on ecommerce platforms. Methodology: This thesis is based on a qualitative research strategy with an abductive research approach. The empirical material has been collected by means of semi-structured interviews and observations with seven respondents in the ages between 19 and 40 years. Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, it is necessary for fashion companies to maintain an utilitarian and hedonic approach to generate value-creating activities. The conclusions indicate that the utilitarian activities should be designed in a standardized manner, while the hedonic activities rather should keep an unique and distinctive approach.

Brand loyalty has long been an important factor for companies’ sustainability and profitability, as it is less expensive to retain existing customers than acquiring new ones. In correlation to the importance of brand loyalty, there is a new vast generation, called the millennials’ or generation Y coming in to the market that is different than any generation before. This generational cohort has shown tendencies of being very disloyal, yet not all authors agree. Furthermore, some positive evidence has been found that millennials consider brands as a way of expressing their own identity and are driven by a need of having a trendy social image. The role of brand identity has therefore been chosen as an important key factor to examine this generation’s brand loyalty. Due to the poor research and the complexity of understanding millennial’s brand loyalty, the purpose of this study is to acknowledge the role of brand identity and to enhance the knowledge about brand loyalty of millennials when it comes to fashion brands.The research is of a quantitative and deductive nature where the primary data of the study was collected through surveys. 108 people participated in the study and the participants were millennials between an age interval of 18-38 years. The result of the study shows that there is a link between brand identity and brand image and that there is a positive relationship between brand image and brand loyalty. Moreover, comparing the brand image of two companies H&M and Ralph Lauren to the respondents’ brand loyalty towards the fast fashion and luxury fashion industry showed a correlation of equivalent loyalty towards the two industries. However, the respondents that were loyal towards the luxury fashion industry were shown to have a higher general brand loyalty.The findings of this research provide evidence that millennial can be loyal, but their loyalty may differ depending on the industry. Therefore, millennials display equal loyalty to the fast fashion and to the luxury fashion industry, but overall loyalty of luxury fashion followers is higher in general.

O design geralmente está associado ao fator estético e funcional dos produtos. Porém, desde a década de 90 este conceito tem mudado e o significado deste termo tornou-se mais abrangente. Atualmente, esta palavra associa-se a fatores estratégicos nas organizações. O objetivo da pesquisa visa estudar a inserção da gestão do design no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos de empresas de confecção de Araranguá. O referencial teórico desta pesquisa mostra que nas grades curriculares das faculdades de design ainda não se enfatiza suficientemente a gestão nos cursos da área, impossibilitando que os designers desenvolvam habilidades gerenciais. Sobretudo, o presente trabalho visa analisar como as empresas de confecção de Araranguá, no Estado de Santa Catarina, inserem o design em seus processos. A análise foi realizada através de uma comparação com o Modelo de Gestão de Design apresentado pelas autoras Bruce; Cooper e Vasquez (1999) como elemento norteador desta pesquisa. O estudo de caso englobou cinco empresas desenvolvedoras de produtos de moda cuja análise dos dados qualitativos resultou em sugestões de melhorias para cada empresa estudada. / The design factor is usually associated with aesthetic and functional products. However, since the 90's this concept has changed and the meaning of this term has become more embrasing. Currently, this word is associated with strategic factors in organizations. The objective of the research aims to study the inclusion of design management in the process of product development companies making Araranguá. The theoretical framework of this research shows that in the curriculum of the schools of design still is not enough emphas is on management courses in this area, becoming impossible for designers to develop management skills. Above all, this reserach also aims to analyze how fashion industries in Araranguá, Santa Catarina State, use design. The analysis is performed through a comparison with the Management Model of Design presented by the authors, Bruce; Cooper e Vasquez (1999) as a guide element of this research. The case study comprised five companies that develop fashion products whose qualitative data analysis resulted in suggestions for improvements for each company studied.

O design geralmente está associado ao fator estético e funcional dos produtos. Porém, desde a década de 90 este conceito tem mudado e o significado deste termo tornou-se mais abrangente. Atualmente, esta palavra associa-se a fatores estratégicos nas organizações. O objetivo da pesquisa visa estudar a inserção da gestão do design no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos de empresas de confecção de Araranguá. O referencial teórico desta pesquisa mostra que nas grades curriculares das faculdades de design ainda não se enfatiza suficientemente a gestão nos cursos da área, impossibilitando que os designers desenvolvam habilidades gerenciais. Sobretudo, o presente trabalho visa analisar como as empresas de confecção de Araranguá, no Estado de Santa Catarina, inserem o design em seus processos. A análise foi realizada através de uma comparação com o Modelo de Gestão de Design apresentado pelas autoras Bruce; Cooper e Vasquez (1999) como elemento norteador desta pesquisa. O estudo de caso englobou cinco empresas desenvolvedoras de produtos de moda cuja análise dos dados qualitativos resultou em sugestões de melhorias para cada empresa estudada. / The design factor is usually associated with aesthetic and functional products. However, since the 90's this concept has changed and the meaning of this term has become more embrasing. Currently, this word is associated with strategic factors in organizations. The objective of the research aims to study the inclusion of design management in the process of product development companies making Araranguá. The theoretical framework of this research shows that in the curriculum of the schools of design still is not enough emphas is on management courses in this area, becoming impossible for designers to develop management skills. Above all, this reserach also aims to analyze how fashion industries in Araranguá, Santa Catarina State, use design. The analysis is performed through a comparison with the Management Model of Design presented by the authors, Bruce; Cooper e Vasquez (1999) as a guide element of this research. The case study comprised five companies that develop fashion products whose qualitative data analysis resulted in suggestions for improvements for each company studied.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE_Carlos_Eduardo_07_03_2017.pdf: 3832983 bytes, checksum: 89e588bade19d0adc1bc8ca3e779958b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-19 / Não recebi financiamento / This thesis aimed to elaborate a proposal of a business model with strategies´ innovation for micro and small companies, researching companies of the fashion segment located in Goiânia, Pontalina and Taquaral de Goiás-GO, for the facing the current competitive market. The research was motivated by the observation and experience of the difficulties presented by companies in the industrial segment, particularly those in the fashion segment, to understand the context of innovation, identify their occurrences in internal (operational) and external (strategic) factors and to integrate them to the practices of business management. In addition, mainly, to use them for the development and definition of innovation strategies as mechanisms of competitive advantage and insertion in the market. Looking this perspective and considering the globalized world, where micro and small Brazilian business are inserted which has been causing intense transformations in the business environment and which has led companies from all over the world to reconfigure themselves and seek ways to foster competitiveness, we have sought to analyze the innovation with a systemic and integrated way to the strategies and models of management of the companies evaluating the performance of the strategic and operational factors, observing its structural aspects, processes, products, commercialization competitiveness and socioeconomic sustainability among others. The information was raise through a questionnaire application that allowed characterizing the occurrences of innovation in the operational and strategic factors of the companies surveyed. Considering this, sought observe the learning and knowledge factors that stimulate the innovative processes and presenting a business model proposal with innovation strategies for micro and small business, taking into account the requirements of the importance, significance and relevance of innovation for these enterprise. In this way, it tried to establish the adherence between the business practice and the academic knowledge, establishing the relationship between the innovation, looking for to integrate to the strategies and models of management of the companies. It also sough associated it with the concepts and theoretical studies obtained through a bibliographical, theoretical and conceptual review on the themes of innovation, strategy, competitiveness, business model and micro and small enterprises. It was an empirical research, of an exploratory descriptive nature, of an applied nature, with quantitative approach insofar as it observed numerical and qualitative aspects, insofar as it collected information through individual interviews. The data collection was carry out with 45 companies from the fashion segment of Goiânia, Pontalina and Taquaral de Goiás-GO. It was take through a structured questionnaire applying in-depth interviews, the data were process and analyzed using the Survey Win 4.0, and the Excel software is resulting in the characterization of the operational and strategic factors that allowed the presentation of the business model proposal with innovation strategies. This research will contribute to promove some reflection and to improve the understanding of elements that can compose the innovation strategies aimed at micro and small companies. / Esta tese objetivou elaborar uma proposta de modelo de negócio com estratégias de inovação para empresas de micro e pequeno porte, por meio da realização de um estudo nas empresas do segmento de moda dos municípios de Goiânia, Pontalina e Taquaral de Goiás-GO, para o enfrentamento do atual mercado competitivo. A pesquisa foi motivada pela observação e vivência das dificuldades apresentadas por empresas do segmento industrial, particularmente as do segmento de moda, para entender o contexto da inovação, identificar as suas ocorrências nos fatores internos (operacionais) e externos (estratégicos), integrá-las às práticas de gestão empresarial e, principalmente, utilizá-las para o desenvolvimento e definição de estratégias de inovação como mecanismos de vantagem competitiva e inserção no mercado. Nesta perspectiva e considerando o contexto de mundo globalizado onde as micro e pequenas empresas brasileiras estão inseridas, que vem causando intensas transformações no ambiente dos negócios e que levou empresas do mundo todo a se reconfigurarem e buscarem formas de fomentar a competitividade, buscou-se analisar a inovação de forma sistêmica e integrada às estratégias e modelos de gestão das empresas avaliando a atuação dos fatores estratégicos e operacionais, observando seus aspectos estruturais, de processos, produtos, comercialização, competitividade e sustentabilidade socioeconômica entre outros. As informações foram levantadas por meio da aplicação de questionário que permitiu caracterizar as ocorrências da inovação nos fatores operacionais e estratégicos das empresas pesquisadas, observar os fatores de aprendizagem e conhecimento que estimulam os processos inovativos e apresentar uma proposta de modelo de negócio com estratégias de inovação para as micro e pequenas empresas, levando em conta os requisitos da importância, do significado e da relevância da inovação para estas empresas. Buscou-se, desta forma, estabelecer a aderência entre a prática empresarial e o conhecimento acadêmico, estabelecendo a relação entre a inovação integrada às estratégias e modelos de gestão das empresas, associados aos conceitos e estudos teóricos obtidos por meio de revisão bibliográfica, teórica e conceitual sobre os temas inovação, estratégia, competitividade, modelo de negócio e micro e pequenas empresas Tratou-se de uma pesquisa empírica, de caráter descritivo exploratório, de natureza aplicada, com abordagem quantitativa na medida em que observou aspectos numéricos e qualitativa por coletar informações por meio de entrevistas individuais. A coleta de dados foi realizada com 45 empresas do segmento de moda dos municípios de Goiânia, Pontalina e Taquaral de Goiás-GO, por meio de questionário estruturado aplicando entrevistas em profundidade e os dados foram tratados e analisados utilizando os softwares SurveyWin 4.0 e Excell obtendo como resultado a caracterização dos fatores operacionais e estratégicos que permitiram a apresentação da proposta de modelo de negócio com estratégias de inovação. Esta pesquisa irá contribuir para a reflexão e melhor compreensão de elementos que podem compor as estratégias de inovação voltadas para empresas de micro e pequeno porte.

O objetivo principal desta tese é desenvolver um framework de formação e integração de indivíduos e equipes na gestão de design para empresas da indústria do vestuário, sustentado pelos conceitos de competências (competências individuais, coletivas e organizacionais). Para alcançar o objetivo geral, foram elaborados os objetivos específicos, que correspondem aos cinco artigos constituintes desta tese. O primeiro artigo tem como proposta identificar as competências e delinear como estas relacionam-se e articulam-se no âmbito da Gestão de Design, por meio de uma revisão sistemática de literatura, identificando inter-relações e conexões possíveis sobre o tema em questão bem como aspectos relacionados às competências e à gestão de design. O segundo visa propor um modelo conceitual que evidencie relações e conexões entre aspectos atrelados às competências individuais, coletivas e organizacionais na gestão de design. Já o terceiro artigo objetiva investigar o entendimento dos especialistas sobre competências em gestão de design, assim como as articulações e fatores intervenientes no contexto da indústria do vestuário da região sul do Brasil. Este artigo também apresenta como objetivo conhecer a estruturação das equipes de design e o relacionamento destas com a organização, identificando quem são os agentes participantes destas equipes. O quarto artigo visa a sistematizar o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos e seus envolvidos, identificando fases e atividades do profissional de design que são determinantes para a ocorrência da gestão de design no contexto analisado. Para finalizar, o quinto artigo tem como objetivo relacionar o modelo conceitual ao processo de desenvolvimento de produtos e suas fases bem como as atividades do profissional de design, resultando em um framework representativo da indústria do vestuário. Este artigo também objetiva avaliar a aplicabilidade do framework proposto para viabilidade e melhor estruturação da gestão de design em empresas da indústria do vestuário, pela ótica de especialistas do setor envolvidos com a gestão de design. A metodologia utilizada neste trabalho tem caráter exploratório. Em um primeiro momento, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de literatura, de natureza aplicada e, em um segundo momento, uma pesquisa qualitativa, a partir de um estudo multicaso, com realização de entrevistas em profundidade. Como resultado, foi desenvolvido um framework de formação e integração de indivíduos e equipes na gestão de design para empresas da indústria do vestuário, sustentado pelos conceitos de competências. / The main purpose of this thesis is to develop a framework for training and integration of individuals and teams in design management for companies in the apparel industry, supported by the concepts of competencies (individual, collective and organizational). In order to achieve it, specific purposes were developed, which correspond to the five constituent items of this thesis. The first article is to show how competencies relate and articulate within the Design Management, through a systematic literature review, identifying inter-relationships and connections possible on the subject in question as well as aspects related to competencies and design management. The second proposes a conceptual model that provides evidence about relationships and connections between aspects linked to individual, collective and organizational competencies in design management. The third article aims at investigate the understanding of experts on competencies in design management, as well as the joints and intervening factors in the context of apparel industry in southern Brazil. In addition, this paper presents the objective of ascertaining the structuring of design teams and the relationship of these with the organization, identifying who the participant agents of these teams are. The fourth article aims at systematize the product development process and its stakeholders, identifying determinant moments for the occurrence of design management in the analyzed context. Finally, the fifth paper aims at relate the conceptual model to the product development process and its determinant moments, resulting in a representative framework of the apparel industry. This article also aims at evaluate the applicability of the proposed framework for feasibility and better structuring of design management in companies in the apparel industry, from the perspective of industry experts involved with the design management. The methodology used in this study is exploratory. At first, a systematic literature review of applied nature was developed and, in a second phase, a qualitative research from a multi case study with in-depth interviews was conducted. As a result, we developed a framework for training and integration of individuals and teams in design management for companies in the apparel industry, supported by the concepts of competence.

O design geralmente está associado ao fator estético e funcional dos produtos. Porém, desde a década de 90 este conceito tem mudado e o significado deste termo tornou-se mais abrangente. Atualmente, esta palavra associa-se a fatores estratégicos nas organizações. O objetivo da pesquisa visa estudar a inserção da gestão do design no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos de empresas de confecção de Araranguá. O referencial teórico desta pesquisa mostra que nas grades curriculares das faculdades de design ainda não se enfatiza suficientemente a gestão nos cursos da área, impossibilitando que os designers desenvolvam habilidades gerenciais. Sobretudo, o presente trabalho visa analisar como as empresas de confecção de Araranguá, no Estado de Santa Catarina, inserem o design em seus processos. A análise foi realizada através de uma comparação com o Modelo de Gestão de Design apresentado pelas autoras Bruce; Cooper e Vasquez (1999) como elemento norteador desta pesquisa. O estudo de caso englobou cinco empresas desenvolvedoras de produtos de moda cuja análise dos dados qualitativos resultou em sugestões de melhorias para cada empresa estudada. / The design factor is usually associated with aesthetic and functional products. However, since the 90's this concept has changed and the meaning of this term has become more embrasing. Currently, this word is associated with strategic factors in organizations. The objective of the research aims to study the inclusion of design management in the process of product development companies making Araranguá. The theoretical framework of this research shows that in the curriculum of the schools of design still is not enough emphas is on management courses in this area, becoming impossible for designers to develop management skills. Above all, this reserach also aims to analyze how fashion industries in Araranguá, Santa Catarina State, use design. The analysis is performed through a comparison with the Management Model of Design presented by the authors, Bruce; Cooper e Vasquez (1999) as a guide element of this research. The case study comprised five companies that develop fashion products whose qualitative data analysis resulted in suggestions for improvements for each company studied.