The perception of Ghanaian consumers of textiles and clothing labels

A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on 105 (53·3% women, 46·7% men) workers in establishments in and around Legon in Accra, Ghana, about their perception of textiles and clothing labels. About 80% were aged between 24 and 44 years and 60% were educated beyond secondary school level. Those who looked for labels while shopping for fabrics were 75%, whereas 83% looked for labels when selecting ready-made clothing to determine the quality, suitability, the fit and the care to be given to the clothes. Chi-square analysis indicated no significant difference between the sexes with regard to perception of textiles and clothing labels. Information items required on labels indicated by the respondents, in order of preference, were fibre content, size/width, manufacturer's/brand name, price, care instructions and country of origin. The Ghana Standards Board (GSB), Ghana Consumers' Association and the Home Science Department at Legon are to assist in enforcing labels on all textiles and clothing. This will enable consumers to shop wisely and get their money's worth. Illiterate consumers are to be studied to determine their criteria for judging the quality of clothing at the point of purchase. This could be used to develop labels for them.     

A typology of Polish consumers and their behaviours in the market for sustainable textiles and clothing

The paper discusses Polish consumers' behaviours in the market for sustainable textiles and clothing. The analysis presented in this article was undertaken because of:

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The decision to invest in a low-wage country: Evidence from Italian textiles and clothing multinationals

In this paper we investigate the firm-specific factors that account for the decision to invest in low-wage countries on the part of Italian firms in the textiles and clothing sector. This analysis is motivated by the fact that our survey data show, between 1990 and 1997, a decline of average employment in parent companies, while that in subsidiaries grew substantially. However, correlation and regression analysis show that employment in parent companies that invested in low-wage countries only seems to be negatively related with employment abroad. Our hypothesis is that investments in cheap labour countries are mainly cost-driven and are undertaken by firms that focus on a low-quality, low-cost strategy. We test this hypothesis through a probit analysis. The evidence suggests that investments to cheap labour countries are more likely to be of a vertical type, being relatively more labour-intensive compared with the parent company. Our hypothesis seems to be confirmed empirically. Investments in low-wage countries are more likely to generate abundant intra-firm trade and to be undertaken by firms with low shares of skilled employment.     

The impact of China's WTO accession on Hong Kong textiles,clothing and its supporting industries

China's accession to the WTO and the ‘Agreement on Textiles and Clothing’ (ATC) which gradually ban the use of quota, will have profound impacts on the textile industry in China. This article attempts to examine such impacts on all textile firms of Hong Kong origin. It briefly examines the impact of WTO on the textile industries in general, the participation of Hong Kong based firms in China's textiles industry, and the competitors from foreign countries. It examines in detail the practice of obtaining Hong Kong quota for textile products that are made in the Mainland by Hong Kong firms. The article argues that there are positive and negative effects of China–s WTO accession for all textile firms of Hong Kong origin. It concludes that the shifting of the targeted market to high-end, high-value-added is the only way of survival for the textile firms of Hong Kong.     

The influence of external design elements on clothing store entry intentions for recreationally and task-oriented female clothing shoppers

This study investigates the influence of the exterior of a clothing store for store entry intentions of potential female recreational and task-oriented clothing customers. First, we analyse the proposed exterior elements of a clothing store that are preferred and affect the willingness to enter the store. Second, we investigate the impact of the most significant exterior elements (e.g. the crowdedness of the store entry and the creative complexity of the composition of the window display) on the entry intentions for recreational and task-oriented potential female shoppers from a self- and other decision perspective. Overall, the results show that task-oriented female clothing shoppers have a higher store entry intention when the store entry is less crowded, and the window display has a creative complex composition. Recreational female clothing shoppers, on the other hand, prefer crowded complex window displays.     

Reengineering--setting a course for radical change

When you pull up anchor and start reengineering, the seas can look a little rough. Here's what the strategist can expect when retooling some of the typical business processes that make up an average company: manufacturing, sales, information technology, back office/support services, and human resources.     

Student preferences for a hybrid course

Higher education institutions face demands to develop and deliver course content through alternate modes of delivery. A variety of course designs have emerged in recent years. One of these is the hybrid or blended course design model where face-to-face instruction is combined with online instruction. Researchers have found negligible differences in student performance between this model and traditional instruction. While performance outcomes are similar, this study shows a clear preference for the hybrid course design.     

Less restrictive trade in textiles and apparel: a position paper

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Designing a financial literacy course for a liberal arts curriculum

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Technology in the textile and clothing industries: implications for developing countries

Textile and clothing production has changed from a craft-oriented skill to a mechanical means of mass-production in the developed world since the Industrial Revolution, but has remained as an artisan-based industry in the Third World. With the availability of modern techniques to developing nations, however, there is a risk that industrialization may eliminate this craft aspect. The end result of its appearance may well be a major loss, both of unique characteristics and of products prized for their originality by connoisseurs of fine textiles.     

“电子商务概论”课程实验教学内容及体系建设初探

电子商务概论课程实验教学内容应根据不同的专业培养目标和课程教学目标予以区别对待。建设科学的实验教学体系,设计可行的实验教学内容有助于提高本课程的实践教学效果。     

Sustainable clothing: challenges,barriers and interventions for encouraging more sustainable consumer behaviour

Research with consumers has revealed limited awareness of the sustainability impact of clothing (Goworek et al., 2012). Semi‐structured interviews conducted with a range of experts in sustainable clothing to increase understanding of the challenges for sustainable clothing revealed that a focus on sustainability alone will not drive the necessary changes in consumers’ clothing purchase, care and disposal behaviour for three reasons: (i) clothing sustainability is too complex; (ii) consumers are too diverse in their ethical concerns and (iii) clothing is not an altruistic purchase. The findings identify the challenges that need to be addressed and the associated barriers for sustainable clothing. Interventions targeting consumers, suppliers, buyers and retailers are proposed that encourage more sustainable clothing production, purchase, care and disposal behaviour. These interventions range from normalizing the design of sustainable clothing and increasing the ease of purchase, to shifting clothes washing norms and increasing upcycling, recycling and repair.     

Using simulation to establish appropriate vaccination rates and copayment policies from a cost perspective

Making the best decisions on vaccination policy during influenza seasons can be critical in minimizing overall costs for an insurance company. Using administrative data, company records, and published reports for the flu season during 2007–2008, a simulation model is developed to mimic the spread of influenza in children, to calculate the cost of vaccination, and the cost of treatment for infected children. The model is designed to allow for sensitivity analysis with different scenarios of vaccination rates and is implemented in a healthcare insurance company located in Southeast region of the USA. The experimental results show several advantages of simulation methodology, including its ability to mimic the complex behavior of a spreading influenza in a selected population group, while testing a range of alternative solutions for different disease scenarios. Based on the historical data, the proposed simulation suggests a vaccination policy that could significantly reduce the overall cost of the vaccination program.     

Gender as a moderator of the relationship between materialism and fashion clothing involvement among Indian youth

The research examines the role of gender in moderating the relationship between materialism and product involvement with fashion clothing among the Indian youth. The Richins materialism scale and the product involvement and purchase involvement scales developed by O'Cass were used to understand the behaviour of Indian youth towards fashion clothing. The sample (n = 254) comprised of university students from different parts of India. The findings indicate that Indian youth do not possess a high level of materialistic tendencies. Gender has a moderating influence on the relationship between materialism and involvement with fashion clothing. Young men and women differ with respect to their involvement with fashion clothing and even more with regard to their involvement with the purchase of fashion clothing, with women reporting a higher level of involvement in both cases.     

Consumer behaviour reflected in store and clothing selection criteria: a pilot study in Canada and England

Similarities and differences in selected clothing acquisition behaviour at two independent sites have been investigated using the Engel, Blackwell and Miniard consumer behaviour model as the conceptual framework. Similar clothing values orientations were found, supporting the assumption of a common Anglo-root culture at both sites. The paper focuses on an outcome of the values issue, namely store selection criteria and clothing evaluative criteria used by university students in Winnipeg, Canada and Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K. Respondents at both sites rated the store selection criteria and clothing evaluative criteria in similar orders of importance. Significant Spearman rank correlation coefficients for store selection criteria (r_s= 0-95) and clothing evaluative criteria (r_s= 0-88) suggest that the common Anglo-root culture of the Winnipeg and Newcastle participants has more influence on the alternative evaluative stage of the decision-making process than marketing stimuli and strategies found at each site. When individual criteria were compared across sites, only three of the ten store selection criteria gave statistically different responses, while three of the 21 clothing evaluative criteria were found to be statistically different.     

Quest for the eco‐apparel market: a study of mothers' willingness to purchase organic cotton clothing for their children

The purpose of this study was to examine what consumer characteristics are related to willingness to purchase and selection of children's organic cotton clothing (OCC). A survey was conducted on mothers of pre‐schoolers to collect data on mothers' environmental characteristics, involvement with OCC and children's clothing, children's clothing purchasing behaviour and willingness to purchase OCC. A buying scenario experiment was used to examine whether price and other product characteristics influenced the participants' selection of OCC. It was found that a mother's environmental concerns, environmental purchasing behaviour and recycling behaviour significantly affected their involvement in OCC, which further significantly determined mother's willingness to purchase OCC. However, mothers were not willing to pay a premium for purchasing children's OCC. A majority (59.5%) of the mothers who selected OCC in the buying scenario indicated fabric softness was the main reason for their selection. Preparing environmental education materials for consumers and producing OCC with high quality and good performance would help improve the acceptance of OCC in the market.     

Quantitative content analysis as a method for business ethics research

The aim of this article is to discuss quantitative content analysis as established in communication sciences as a method for research in business ethics. We argue that communication sciences and business ethics are neighboring disciplines, which allow the transfer of quantitative content analysis from communication sciences to business ethics. Technically, quantitative content analysis can be applied through human as well as software coding. Examples for both applications are provided and discussed. We make reference to the software solutions ‘Leximancer’, ‘Crawdad’, and ‘Wordle’, and examine their suitability and limitations with regard to ethical questions for researching business ethics. We recommend a mixed-method approach, combining human and software coding. Furthermore, we propose a three-step process that discusses quantitative content analysis as a method for business ethics, including an ethical research objective, and most importantly, concluding with ethical reasoning and interpretation of the quantitative results.