Leslie Davis Burns

PREDICTING THE RETENTION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Survival analysis was used to model theretention of 8,867 undergraduate students at OregonState University between 1991 and 1996. Attrition wasfound to increase with age, and decrease with increasing high school GPA and first-quarter GPA.Non-residents had higher attrition rates than didresident and international students, and students takingthe Freshman Orientation Course appeared to be atreduced risk of dropping out. Statistically significantassociations of retention with ethnicity/race andcollege at first enrollment were also noted. Aproportional hazards regression model was developed topredict a students probability of leaving school basedon these demographic and academic variables. Theseanalyses are helping to guide the universitys effortsto improve retention through marketing, recruitment, and the development of orientation and otherprograms.

Fashion orientation, credit card use, and compulsive buying

Purpose – As an effort to identify the underlying determinants of compulsive buying, this study seeks to examine fashion orientation, a fashion‐related variable, as a direct antecedent of compulsive buying and as an indirect antecedent of compulsive buying through credit card use.Design/methodology/approach – Using a convenient sampling method, women aged over 20 years living in the Seoul metropolitan area were selected as the sample. Out of 380 distributed, 267 useful questionnaires were returned. Confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were conducted using structural equation modeling.Findings – The results of this study showed that fashion interest significantly influenced compulsive buying directly and also indirectly by influencing credit card use.Originality/value – This study has significance in terms of being the first one to explore the relationship between fashion orientation variables and compulsive buying, offering a new perspective on compulsive buying.

Gender Differences in the Dimensional Structure of Apparel Shopping Satisfaction Among Korean Consumers: The Role of Hedonic Shopping Value

The moderating role of hedonic shopping value in conjunction with gender differences in apparel shopping satisfaction was investigated. Involvement, variety seeking, and physical environment of stores were selected as antecedents of shopping experience satisfaction. Respondents were 746 Korean undergraduate university students. To test the hypothesized structural model, structural equation modeling was utilized. The structural model for female subjects confirmed the existence of the mediating role of hedonic shopping value in shopping satisfaction, whereas the model for male respondents did not. For the female group, involvement and variety seeking influenced shopping experience satisfaction directly through hedonic shopping value. For the male group, hedonic shopping value did not play a role as an intervening variable. Male respondents’ levels of hedonic shopping value may have been too low to serve as an intervening determinant. This result implies that male respondents may possess greater utilitarian constructs for apparel shopping satisfaction rather than hedonic constructs.

Self Consciousness and Clothing Purchase Criteria of Korean and United States College Women

Relationships between criteria individuals use in the purchase of clothing and the individual trait of public and private self-consciousness were examined and compared between two cultural groups (United States and Korean). Eighty-two females from one U.S. college and 92 females from two Korean colleges participated in the study by completing a questionnaire which explored the importance of criteria used in the purchase of clothing, private and public self-consciousness, and demographic characteristics. Significant relationships between the trait of public self-consciousness and the importance of fashion and attractiveness as clothing purchase criteria were found for both cultural groups. A significant interaction effect was found between self-consciousness and cultural group for the importance of brand name as a clothing purchase criterion. Individual and cultural differences in consumer decision making process are discussed

Clothing Evaluative Criteria: A Cross-National Comparison of Taiwanese and United States Consumers:

Taiwanese and United States college women were compared regarding the importance they placed on the evaluative criteria they used when purchasing a specific clothing item for themselves. One hundred nineteen Taiwanese and 84 United States college women completed self-administered questionnaires. Seven-point scales were used to measure the importance of 12 clothing evaluative criteria: fabric, comfort, size/fit, quality, location of manufacturer, color, how pleasing it was to others, brand name, appropriateness for campus wear, price, style, and coordination with other clothing. The findings indicated that the importance placed on clothing evaluative criteria was very similar between the two groups. In addition, the size/fit criterion was found to be the most important criterion for both groups. Cross-national comparison studies, such as this one, that focus on the consumer decision-making process may provide important information to marketers in their development of international marketing strategies.

Effect of Consumer Socialization on Clothing Shopping Attitudes, Clothing Acquisition, and Clothing Satisfaction

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of consumer socialization on attitudes toward clothing and shopping and means of acquiring clothing and to investigate the effects of consumer socialization and selected clothing and shopping attitudes on clothing satisfaction. Subjects were 70 mother/daughter pairs who completed parallel questionnaires. Results indicated similarities between mother and daughter pairs for means of clothing acquisition and for overall clothing satisfaction. For both mothers and daughters high fashion involvement and high shopping enjoyment contributed to overall clothing satisfaction. Results are discussed in terms of consumer socialization and satisfaction theories.

Attitudinal Versus Normative Influence in the Purchase of Brand-Name Casual Apparel

The Fishbein behavioral intention model, which comprises attitudinal (personal) and normative (interpersonal) components of behavior, was used to predict behavioral (purchase) intention of brand-name casual apparel. The objective was to identify the relative importance of the attitudinal component versus the normative component as a determinant of behavioral intention. The sample consisted of 142 college students (87 men, 55 women). Multiple regression analysis showed that the attitudinal component and the normative component were statistically significant predictors of behavioral intentions; however, the attitudinal component played a more important role than the normative component. Moreover, structural aspects of the attitudinal component were examined using factor analysis. The attitudinal component was categorized into two dimensions: aesthetic andfunctional. Recommendations and implications were made for manufacturers and retailers, suggesting possible marketing strategies.

Appearance Management Behavior and the Five Factor Model of Personality

Personality and appearance management variables such as clothing interest and appearance orientation have been the topic of previous studies. The purpose of the present research was to investigate the relationship between personality and appearance emphasis. A sample of undergraduate female college students completed a questionnaire measuring five personality factors and accompanying facets. Students also completed a questionnaire that included nine appearance emphasis items. Linear regression demonstrated a relationship exists between certain personality variables and appearance emphasis variables. Neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience were found to be moderate predictors for appearance emphasis. The findings of this investigation have theoretical implications regarding the social-psychological aspects of appearance and dress and personality research.

Components of apparel retailing Web sites

The purposes of this study were to investigate components of apparel Web sites and to examine whether differences existed among the types of Web retailers in their components. Thirty‐six apparel Web sites were classified into four categories: virtual e‐retailer, catalog company, bricks‐and‐mortar retailer, and multi‐channel retailer. The Web sites were content analyzed according to the components of the apparel Web including merchandise, promotion, and customer service. Significant differences were found among the four types of Web retailers as to the components (product description, product price information, advertising, catalog service promotion, placing order, and returns policy) included on the Web sites. Currently, competition among Web sites is not based on what information is available, but how information is provided. Therefore, to differentiate themselves from competitors, each type of Web retailer should take advantage of their unique Web strategy within their own retail channel.

Dress1 and Human Behavior Research: Sampling, Subjects, and Consequences for Statistics

Articles from the Home Economics Research Journal (Vol. 1-19) and the Clothing and Textiles Research Journal (Vol.1-9) reporting dress research that involved the use of human subjects were content analyzed We were interested in the way probability and nonprobability sampling techniques were used, how they were combined with research designs, and their consequences for generalizability and statistics. Approximately 89% of the research used nonprobability sampling procedures, both in survey and experimental research designs. The consequences of the use of nonprobability sampling is discussed and suggestions are offered for increasing generalizability when nonprobability sampling is used in research.