Molly Eckman

Market selection for international expansion

Purpose – Traditional market selection analysis relies on purely macroeconomic and political factors and fails to account for an emerging markets dynamism and future potential. The objective of this paper is to present a tool composed of four criteria specific to the preliminary assessment of emerging markets (EM) as international expansion opportunities.Design/methodology/approach – Based on the literature pointing out the limitations of international market selection (IMS) models and the need for a specialized approach, additional criteria are introduced to assess emerging market potential. Review of prior work on internationalization, EM and market selection provided the rationale for the selected criteria. Using secondary data and primary data from a sample of 500, the proposed criteria are applied to the assessment of an emerging market for US apparel specialty retailers.Findings – Assessment of the emerging market with the criteria introduced revealed growth and sourcing opportunities that might ot...

Social Responsibility: The Concept As Defined by Apparel and Textile Scholars

Eighty-seven members of the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) completed an electronic survey focused on the scholarly activities in which they are engaged that relate to social responsibility. A wide range of social responsibility topics was considered important to address in our teaching. Most important were topics related to labor practices in and trade with developing countries, consumerism, aspects of environmental protection, and body image. Responses to an open-ended question on defining socially responsible apparel/textile business revealed a three-dimensional concept incorporating an orientation encompassing the environment and its people, a philosophy balancing ethics/morality with profit, and an emphasis on the business actions and strategies resulting in positive outcomes for people and the environment. The social responsibility concept serves as a critical linkage among apparel and textile scholars across the various subdisciplines.

Appearance Cues and the Shootings at Columbine High: Construction of a Social Problem in the Print Media

In this study, we used an interpretive approach to examine print media (newspaper) representations of the relationship between appearance and the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado. Our work was guided by the social constructionist definition of a social problem. Grounded theory analyses revealed that both primary and secondary claims-makers staged claims and/or counterclaims contributing to the construction of Columbine as an appearance-linked social problem. The content and form of these claims varied according to the stage in the construction of the problem. Further, although both primary and secondary claims were made with respect to the conceptualization of the problem, an explanation for it, and solutions to it, the roles of primary and secondary claims-makers in constructing the problem varied. Implications of claims made within the media and related to the role of appearance in the shootings are considered, and a call is made for future work in this area.

The Impact of External Monitoring and Public Reporting on Business Performance in a Global Manufacturing Industry

This study examines the importance of external monitoring and public reporting on the performance of firms in the global apparel industry. By focusing on the relevance of company reputation in the global community, the authors examine financial performance and stock market reaction to the release of information describing the manufacturing practices of firms made available by a third-party monitor. Using agency theory as a predictive framework, industry-wide changes in market measures of company risk as a result of third-party monitoring are found, suggesting that society values such external reports. The authors’ findings are important to business and society because they bridge the gap in knowledge about how voluntary compliance programs are supplemented by external monitoring and reporting for firms operating in the global environment. This work suggests that external monitoring is valuable to business and society by reducing information asymmetry between the two groups and encouraging accurate assessment of the risks associated with global operations.

A model for sustainability education in support of the PRME

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present innovative strategies to promote sustainability‐focused education, in a case study of a multi‐institutional program designed to prepare students for management positions in global apparel and footwear companies. The program is unique in focusing upon management education occurring outside the business school, extension of faculty resources through inter‐institutional collaborations, and use of the internet for course delivery.Design/methodology/approach – Faculty from three institutions collaborated to develop ten 1‐credit web‐based graduate courses and delivered them inter‐institutionally. Through collaboration with global companies and other stakeholders and through field research, the faculty built a shared vision of sustainability education, identified learning outcomes, developed practical and applied learning experiences and created tools to assess learning.Findings – Industry experts agreed that the courses and learning outcomes were important and a...

Evolution of the Los Angeles County apparel industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze business patterns in the Los Angeles County apparel industry, with the primary focus being globalization, trade policy and offshore sourcing, to establish how trade policy may affect small or mid‐size apparel manufacturers.Design/methodology/approach – The method was a qualitative analysis of telephone interviews with apparel firms and associations in Los Angeles County. In total, 25 executives were interviewed. Analysis of the interviews enabled the investigation of the impacts of trade policy on apparel manufacturers and afforded an understanding of the viability of transitioning to a capital‐ and technology‐intensive industry.Findings – The Los Angeles County apparel industry can succeed with both high and low value‐added activities. This combination will allow its infrastructure to survive while simultaneously growing and evolving in design and marketing.Research limitations/implications – The apparel industry in Los Angeles County has historically bee...

Communication of Empirical Knowledge: An Investigation of Readability and Quality of Research in Textiles and Apparel

This study employs both objective and subjective testing to examine readability and quality of research in textiles and apparel. Flesch scores provided a quantitative measure of the readability of passages taken from published research in the field. U.S. active/reserve and graduate student members of ITAA (n = 208) completed subject specific questionnaires for the subjective portion of the study. Responses to open-ended questions reveal that clarity, structure, and terminology are most frequently mentioned when explaining perceptions of readability while value and methods are concepts closely related to definitions of journal quality. Positive correlations between readability and quality (p ≤ .01) contrast findings in previous research. Time constraints facing todays academic community are noted as the primary reason for the need for published research to be readable and comprehensible.