Textile and Apparel Management publications (MU)
Permanent URI for this collection
Items in this collection are the scholarly output of the Department of Textile and Apparel Management faculty, staff, and students, either alone or as co-authors, and which may or may not have been published in an alternate format. Items may contain more than one file type.
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Framing a Descriptive Profile of a Transformed Apparel Industry: Apparel Import Intermediaries in the United States(Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 2009) Ha-Brookshire, Jung; Dyer, BarbaraPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to confirm empirically the existence of a US apparel import intermediary (AII) identity crisis, and to provide a detailed descriptive profile of AIIs, differentiating them from apparel firms not primarily engaged in importing activities. Design/methodology/approach: A survey study was conducted using a national sample of US AIIs. Based on these firms' executives' responses, a firm identity issue was analyzed and a detailed profile of these firms' business characteristics was developed, using frequency comparisons. Findings: The study confirmed that US AIIs are currently experiencing an identity crisis, as nearly half of the study respondents misclassified themselves as apparel manufacturers or other business types, suggesting a significant distortion in US Economic Census data. The study also provided a descriptive profile of US AIIs, including geographic location and other business operation characteristics. Research limitations/implications: Three fourths of the survey respondents were located in the state of New York. Whether most US AIIs truly reside in New York cannot be known with certainty. Generalization of the study findings to a greater population should be cautious. Practical implications: Confirmation of an AII identity crisis suggests both aggregate and individual firm-level impacts on import activities. The study offers a new term, "intermediary", to replace the US Census Bureau term "wholesaler" to accurately reflect the industry's transformation. Originality/value: The study provides the first empirical support for a US AII identity crisis. The detailed profile of US AIIs offers industry data not available prior to this study.Item Does the Firm Size Matter on Firm Entrepreneurship and Performance? U.S. Apparel Import Intermediary Case(Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 2009) Ha-Brookshire, JungPurpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance is dependent upon firm size within a small- and medium-size enterprise (SME) population, using non-manufacturing, industry-specific empirical data. Design/methodology/approach: Survey methodology was employed, using a national sample of U.S. apparel import intermediary (AII) SMEs. Regression analysis was performed to determine the type of the moderator variable, firm size, and to test statistical significance of the firm size effect on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance measures. Findings: The study's results suggested that the firm size effect was present on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and SMEs' longevity performance; however, there was no statistical significance of the firm size effect on the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and SMEs' creative contribution or profitability performance. Research limitations/implications: Although the study results were based on randomly selected nation-wide surveys, the findings should be viewed as industry- and time-specific; generalization to a larger population, or to other firms, must be undertaken with caution. Practical implications: These findings help to recognize and understand the heterogeneity of the relationship between firm entrepreneurship and performance even within a population of SMEs. Therefore, the results suggest that AII SME managers should put different emphasis on firm entrepreneurship, depending upon specific goals and the firm size. Originality/value: The study shows that different approaches to SME entrepreneurship research are needed to recognize diversity within an SME population. The study also supports that performance measures are not necessarily correlated, thus justification of selection is critical.Item Socially Responsible Consumer Behavior? Exploring Used Clothing Donation Behavior(International Textile & Apparel Association, 2009) Ha-Brookshire, Jung; Hodges, Nancy N.Most research on socially responsible consumer behavior has focused on consumer purchasing behavior, therefore, little is known about it during the product disposal stage. This study sought an in-depth understanding of consumer disposal behavior in a used clothing donation setting. An interpretive analysis revealed that the primary motivation for participants' used clothing donation behavior was the need to create space in the closet for something new. The threat of feelings of guilt played a significant role throughout the process prior to donation, specifically in the decision whether to discard or donate a clothing item. Participants experienced both utilitarian and hedonic values regarding their donation behavior, and these values in turn impacted future donation intentions. A conceptual model based on the study findings is proposed which integrates a Theory of Reasoned Action framework with a consumer values perspective. Study implications and future research avenues are also discussed.Item Apparel Import Intermediaries' Secrets to Success: Redefining Success in a Hyper-dynamic Environment(Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 2008) Dyer, Barbara; Ha-Brookshire, JungPurpose: The purpose of this study was to obtain an immediate and deeper understanding of apparel import intermediaries' (AII) secrets to success in the hyper-dynamic US apparel market environment. Design/methodology/approach: Personal in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 US apparel industry experts who provided an insider's lived experience of the industry. Within a holistic hermeneutic analysis, emergent themes were classified into two broad theme categories: the meaning of success and secrets to success. Findings: The study's informants defined success as a long-term presence, a platform from which they could impact the industry through creative expression. AIIs' secrets to success emerged as (1) immersion knowledge management; (2) simultaneous dual relationship management; and (3) flexibility saturation. Research limitations/implications: Although qualitative research methods are designed for a deeper understanding of the topic of interest, the study findings of an immediate and lived experience within the apparel industry should be viewed within a narrower context than survey research. Practical implications: These findings offer timely best practices for apparel firms' success and furnish insights into some of the rarely accessible elements of firm management. The study's results may also offer guidelines for firms in other industries moving toward the apparel industry model of hyper-dynamism. Originality/value: The study offered a definition and description of a new type of industry environment—hyper-dynamism. The study also revealed for the first time the reality of AIIs, especially how these firms defined success and took action to achieve it. Finally, the findings suggested a possible extension of resource-advantage theory.Item Exploring Learning Experience in Textile and Apparel Management: Study Abroad in El Salvador(International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 2008) Ha-Brookshire, JungGlobal economy has fundamentally changed the nature of business as well as the mission of higher education. Professional academic programmes, such as textiles and apparel, are ultimately responsible for preparing students to be industry-ready and, thus, various curricula have been developed to address this new need of the industry (Fair et al. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal 1990;8(2):29-37). Particularly, experiential learning has shown to be effective at student learning; international experience learning has become popular in the education literature. While most previous research has focused on the process and outcomes of new curricula, the study analysed students' journals from a short-term study abroad curriculum to capture how students grasp, conceptualise, reflect on and experiment with new experiences under an experiential learning theory framework (Kolb, Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development; 1984). Eight themes emerged; two from each of the four learning modes. The findings are discussed and the study is concluded with contributions, implications and future research opportunities.