Jana M. Hawley

Measuring customer‐based brand equity: empirical evidence from the sportswear market in China

Purpose – This study seeks to examine the practicality and applications of a customer‐based brand equity model in the Chinese sportswear market.Design/methodology/approach – Based on Aakers well‐known conceptual framework of brand equity, this study employed structural equation modeling to investigate the causal relationships among the four dimensions of brand equity and overall brand equity in the sportswear industry. The present study used a sample of 304 actual consumers from Chinas two largest cities, Beijing and Shanghai.Findings – The findings conclude that brand association and brand loyalty are influential dimensions of brand equity. Weak support was found for the perceived quality and brand awareness dimensions.Research limitations/implications – Future research needs to be done if the results are to be expanded into other regional Chinese markets in light of the significant gaps between different regions. Further research also could strengthen this analysis by adding performance measurement in...

Digging for Diamonds: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Reclaimed Textile Products:

Recycling textiles is a process that affects many entities. It avoids the punitive costs of landfill, provides employment, helps charity, and moves clothing to areas of the world where it is needed. This study uses systems theory as a theoretical framework. The purpose of this study is to present a conceptual model and a schematic of the textile recycling process for postconsumer apparel and textile waste. The conceptual model presents the categories of sort classifications and suggests that an inverse relationship exists between the volume of goods and the value of goods. The schematic presents the wide variety of textile recycling markets that are available for the sorted goods. This research is based on nearly 5 years of qualitative data collection.

Creating brand equity in the Chinese clothing market

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of eight selected marketing activities in creating brand equity in the Chinese clothing market.Design/methodology/approach – A shopping centre intercept survey is conducted to collect data in the two largest Chinese cities, Beijing and Shanghai. The empirical tests, using a structural equation model (SEM), support the research hypotheses.Findings – The results indicate the positive effects of store image, celebrity endorsement, event sponsorship, web advertising, and non‐price promotions on brand equity in China as well as the detrimental impact of frequent price promotions.Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to consumers in Beijing and Shanghai.Practical implications – The findings answer the following questions: how do foreign clothing brand suppliers develop effective brand strategies for the China market? Should marketing activities designed to build brand equity be modified to accommodate different attitudes or behaviors in C...

Explaining multi‐channel consumer's channel‐migration intention using theory of reasoned action

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how attitudes and subjective norms predict channel migration across the three channels based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA).Design/methodology/approach – A self‐administered questionnaire was administered to the participants comprised of staff, faculty, and students from four different universities in the southern and midwestern USA. The survey instrument was administered online and a total of 503 completed surveys were obtained.Findings – TRA was successful in predicting channel‐migration intention in brick‐and‐mortar stores, catalogues, and the internet. Utilitarian beliefs were more relevant in predicting attitude toward channel migration for all three channels. Normative beliefs for bricks‐and‐mortar stores and catalogues were significant in predicting subjective norms, the relationship was negative. Attitude and subjective norms were the predictors of the channel‐migration intention for all three channels.Research limitations/implications – Th...

Apparel product development: measures of apparel product success and failure

Purpose – The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how the performance of apparel products is measured in the apparel business so as to contribute theoretical understanding and the companys capacity of apparel product development.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research method was employed. Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with 27 individuals who have developed apparel products in the US apparel and retail industries. Emergent themes were classified into Griffin and Pages “core success and failure measures” including customer acceptance, financial performance, product‐level, and firm‐level.Findings – Findings revealed that the performance measures for apparel products are multidimensional. The combination of consumer acceptance and financial performance measures, especially sales and profitability, served as critical measures for apparel product performance. Both long‐ and short‐term performances were considered.Research limitations/implications – The small, convenience and p...

Technology’s Impact on Creative Traditions: Pieceful Co-Existence in Quilting

Technology shapes both the meaning of quilts and the process of quilting. By using technology, the quilter molds her art form and ultimately preserves the values that quilting holds. For this study, we sought to investigate the influence of Internet technologies on quilters, using Behuniak-Long’s (1994) framework of the interaction between technology and three key social values (patience, connectedness, and expression). The source of data for this study was an electronic bulletin board that consisted of 1192 messages posted by 52 members of an on-line quilting group. Qualitative analysis of the electronic bulletin board messages was conducted, and findings indicate that quilters have adopted and used technology to enhance their lives without sacrificing social values and are maintaining the integrity of their work. By adopting technology on their own terms, they maintain the social values that quilting represents to them.

Consumer value structures reflected in clothing advertisements

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to construct consumer value structures for clothing.Design/methodology/approach – Using content analysis, a total of 301 advertisements from the New Yorker and Esquire magazines are analyzed during one representative year out of each of the last four decades.Findings – Consumer values reflected in clothing ads are identified as functional, social, emotional and epistemic. Functional value dominated throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, but showed a decreasing trend. By the 2000s, emotional value had overtaken functional value in emphasis. Consumer consequences and product attributes, which fell under each of the consumer values, are also revealed. Of all the consumer consequences, high quality was connected the most frequently with functional value. At the same time, high quality served as an intermediary qualifier for symbols of social status, a consequence of social value. Fabric was the attribute linked most frequently to functional and social consequences.Pract...

Border Crossing: Active and Deep Learning in a Large Global Consumption Class

This article describes how a class on global consumers was transformed into an interactive class using both active and deep learning techniques. Good teachers understand that to achieve a level of lasting learning, students must be engaged on many levels. While much has been written about active learning, the concept of deep learning is limited, particularly when applied to a large class setting. This paper describes active and deep teaching strategies and provides learning exercises for their integration into the classroom. Analysis of open-ended student responses and end-of-semester quantitative responses indicated that active learning enriched the learning experiences and resulted in a deeper understanding of key concepts, thus supporting the idea that these techniques can be incorporated into a large lecture setting with relative ease and can make a significant impact on learning.

The Commercialization of Old Order Amish Quilts: Enduring and Changing Cultural Meanings

Traditional Amish culture is an enduring culture that is characterized and driven by a simplicity that is sharply contrasted with the complex daily lives of contemporary mainstream Americans. Yet, Amish culture is not static; rather it is a dynamic culture that has realized change primarily driven by increased interaction with the non-Amish who have become interested in Amish-made products. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how quilts, a symbol of traditional Amish culture, have become a catalyst that has contributed to both change as well as perseverance in Amish culture. This research is based on a year of ethnographic participant observation in an Old Order Amish settlement. The commercialization of Amish quilts has created an important economic connection to the complex outside world and as a result has contributed to both enduring and changing cultural meaning.

A Typology of Creativity in Fashion Design and Development

Abstract Creatively harnessing the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times, and translating its influence into unique, timely, and marketable merchandise has been the key to survival of fashion-focused companies since the dawn of the twentieth century. We combined a cognitive perspective on creativity with cultural materialism to develop probing questions for a grounded theory study of the question: How does the creative process for design and development function in the global fashion industry of the twenty-first century? A typology for creativity in fashion design and development emerged from data gathered in a series of in-depth interviews in an international context. We defined Leadership Creativity and Adaptive Creativity at extreme ends of a continuum. Leadership Creativity overrules current archetypes and shifts the sector in a new direction while Adaptive Creativity integrates existing paradigms into a direction the sector is already trending. This typology outlines eight descriptive attributes relating to the environment in which fashion design and development functions, and designates distinct components of those attributes that categorize the creative type. The majority of work in fashion design and development today reflects Adaptive Creativity. Specifically naming and describing these attributes and the interplay between Leadership Creativity and Adaptive Creativity, the typology lends structure to otherwise ambiguous parameters related to creativity in fashion design and development.