Product knowledge of fabric sales personnel: a comparison of three measurement methods

This study was designed to compare responses of fabric sales personnel to three types of product knowledge measures. These measures were: (1) written test items on a questionnaire; (2) oral items administered by a researcher posing as a consumer; and (3) projective items that require estimation of other clerks' knowledge. Fifty-four clerks participated in the consumer interviews and 100 completed a questionnaire containing the written test and projective items. Forty clerks completed all three measures. In contrast to some of the findings regarding the measurement of attitudes, estimation of other people's knowledge was not found to be a useful indicator of the estimator's own knowledge. Furthermore, the consumer interview and written test methods were found to produce similar, but not completely interchangeable, results. A major implication of these findings is that one should consider the objectives of the measurement process in selecting a method for measuring product knowledge.     

The Performance Effects of Modular Production in the Apparel Industry

This article identifies and explains differences in performance between two widely used alternative work methods-module and bundle production—in the basics sector of the apparel industry. This research is based on interviews with managers and surveys of worker attitudes and perceptions. We find that a team production system in the apparel industry, called modules, performs better than the traditional bundle system on such measures as quality, costs, and responsiveness to retailers. Modules also perform better than bundles in reducing work-in-process inventory and throughput time. We argue that performance improvements are realized through coordination among the team members as a result of their ability to self-regulate work, eliminate bottlenecks, resolve conflicts, help one another solve problems, and make improvements in the production process.