Margaret Rucker

The relationship of psychological and situational variables to usage of a second-order marketing system

The study of one type of second-order market, personal sales, indicated that various consumer attitudes and merchandising strategies were related to utilization of this market. Similarities and differences between this market and other second-order markets were also noted.

A Comparison of Variable Configurations Across Scale Lengths: An Empirical Study'

Data from 2-, 3-, 6-, and 7-point rating scales were analyzed to determine whether scale length affected response patterns. The results of this study indicate that data configurations are relatively invariant with changes in number of scale points.

Production Sourcing Strategies in the U.S. Apparel Industry: A Modified Transaction Cost Approach

Choices regarding where and how a companys production will take place can significantly impact that companys market performance. To determine significant influences on sourcing strategies in the U.S. apparel industry, a modified transaction cost approach was used, including predictors such as production costs in addition to transaction cost measures. Survey data from 82 U.S. apparel manufacturers were analyzed using logistic regression. Significant predictors of a companys decision to engage in domestic production only versus domestic and offshore production were (a) the size of the company and (b) perceived flexibility of U.S. production. Significant predictors of the proportion of a companys offshore production were (a) the companys foreign business experience, (b) the perception that the companys products are sensitive to fashion change, and (c) perceived flexibility of offshore production. The only significant predictor of decisions to make (use inside production), buy (use outside production), or both was the perceived fashionability of the products.

Personalization of Mail Surveys: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Cover letters with and without pictures of the researcher were included with questionnaires to test the effects of this type of personalization on responses to a mail survey. In addition, the researchers attire, title, and affiliation were varied across different forms of the cover letter to evaluate the effects of status, role-clothing consistency, and similarity to the perceiver on perceivers willingness to return the survey form. The questionnaires were mailed to a sample of 384 university alumni. The total number of returned questionnaires, after the initial mailing and two personalized follow-ups, were lower in the researcher-pictured cover letter conditions than in the control conditions. This finding offers some support for the hypothesis that repeated use of personalized mailings may have a negative effect on response rate. Response latencies suggest that within the researcher-pictured conditions, inconsistency of cues may also inhibit questionnaire returns.

Mastectomy and Related Treatments: Impact of Appearance Satisfaction on Self‐Esteem

According to the symbolic-interactionist perspective, how the self is presented to others in social interaction provides critical cues that affect how others perceive an individual. Thus evaluations of ones own appearance, including body image, influence feelings about the self as presented to others. In addition, the integra tion of societal values, cultural imagery, and life experiences influence womens perceptions of their bodies. A model of appearance satisfaction and self-esteem was developed and tested through path analysis using quantitative data reported by 933 post-mastectomy women in a statewide survey. Qualitative data from follow-up interviews with 27 of the patients were used to supplement the quan titative analyses. Clothing importance was perceived as less critical than medically related issues, but more critical than social issues. Findings indicate that age and whether or not one had undergone reconstructive surgery significantly contrib uted to satisfaction with appearance. In turn, appearance satisfaction had a sig nificant effect (p < .001) on self-esteem and accounted for 12 percent of the variance in self-esteem. Compared to the attitudes of older, non-employed women, the appearance satisfaction of young women who were employed tended to be influenced more by medical treatments than by reconstructive sur gery.

A Comparison of Matrix Questionnaires with Standard Questionnaires

Two studies were conducted to compare responses to matrix questionnaires with those to standard questionnaires. In the first study, the matrix format was used to reduce questionnaire size, and therefore mailing costs. However, this format also produced significantly fewer returns. A second study comparing matrix and standard questionnaires of equal size found similar response rates but more incomplete returns for the matrix form.

Social Concerns of Post-Mastectomy Women: Stigmata and Clothing

This paper explains post-mastectomy womens use of clothing as a method of coping with the negative social connotations of malignancy and disfigurement. We suggest that to avoid being stigmatized, post-mastectomy women employ techniques of “covering/passing” as described by Goffman (1963). The data on clothing concerns and strategies were obtained from post-mastectomy women using mail questionnaires and personal interviews. Attributes of clothing that were problematic included bust emphasis, shoulder bareness, and lack of sleeves. Respondents also reported difficulties with back closures. Attitudes to ward sexuality and concealment were examined along with attitudes toward ap pearance satisfaction as related to the most problematic garments-swimwear and nightwear. Attitudes toward sexuality were significantly related to concerns about presenting a good appearance in both swimwear and nightwear, whereas atti tudes toward concealment were only significantly related to concerns about nightwear.

Breast Reconstruction and Prosthesis Use as Forms of Symbolic Completion of the Physical Self

Self-completion theory helps explain the striving toward wholeness associated with the use of an external prosthesis or breast reconstruction. This paper ad dresses variations in post-mastectomy womens perceptions of physical com pleteness, as revealed by personal strategies of breast reconstruction and pros thesis usage. In the present investigation, women who had had reconstruction tended to be younger, employed, and to have more years of education compared to women who did not. Women who had had reconstructive surgery were more concerned about their sexuality, appearance, and social relationships. They were less satisfied with their appearance than those who did not have reconstruction. Prosthesis use and satisfaction were related factors, with younger and better educated women more likely to use the prosthesis. Greater satisfaction with ones prosthesis related significantly to the expertise of the prosthesis fitter.

Clothing Interest, Self‐Actualization, and Demographic Variables

The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between two measures of clothing interest and selected independent variables consisting of 1. self-actualization and 2. demographic characteristics of age, education, income, and occupation. Ninety randomly selected women provided demographic data and completed a battery of three tests: the Consumer Self-Actualization Test (a measure of the degree of self-actualization), the Perceptual Recall Measure of Clothing Interest (an instrument developed by the investigator to assess clothing interest based on the number of clothing items recalled from slide stimuli), and the Creekmore Clothing Interest Subscale (from the Creekmore Scales of Eight Clothing Variables). A significant negative correlation was found between clothing interest, as measured by the Creekmore instrument, and self-actualization; and a significant positive correlation was found between Perceptual Recall Measure scores and the occupation “student.” Multiple regression analyses indicated that prediction of clothing interest was not improved by using a linear additive combination of the independent variables. The low negative correlation between Creekmore Subscale and Perceptual Recall Measure scores suggested that different types of clothing interest are assessed by each instrument.

Clothing Color Preferences of Adolescent Females

Sixty black and sixty white female high school students were asked to indicate their hue; hue, tint, or shade; and color combination choices for clothing. To standardize measurement conditions for each of these three selection situations, subjects were provided with color cards and transparent overlays of a fashion figure. Chi-square analyses indicated that the two groups were generally similar in their preferences except for hue, tint, or shade choices. When asked to select from among pure hues and corresponding chroma, the majority of the black subjects showed a preference for pure hues whereas white subjects favored tints. For both groups, shades were the least often preferred.