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Following the previous sequel, we posit innovation activity management as managing process-based interactivity dependencies to achieve organizations’ desired goals for novel competitive advantages in global supply pipelines, either by means of product or process development. In this paper, we propose a computational method to address the specific issue of modelling and managing a dynamic innovation process, and posit inter-organizational process dependency as a fundamental issue within the modelling organization’s cooperation process. Adopting the perspectives of interdependency within an embedded network, we define innovation activities as networked process structure systems, and simulate and evaluate the dynamic performance of embedded process structures through an adaptive heuristic process. To illustrate the use of this method and its potential benefits, we apply it to real life case studies of inter-organization cooperation, concerning an innovative control and coordination system for globally dispersed textile firms. The validity of our methodology is partially justified by the results of several computational experiments. From an industry point of view, this framework aims to benefit those concerned with design and selection of organization cooperation and coordination systems that are characterized by a high degree of complexity and structural dynamics within today's proliferating organizational cooperation contexts.

This first paper discusses and explains the extant studies on the management of innovation for global fashion and textile businesses. The discussion is deliberately broad, encompassing research on innovations from a number of academic disciplines including marketing, engineering design, technological management, information management and organization science. The purpose is to establish an understanding of the contextual aspects that fundamentally pervade the volatile global innovation activities of today. At the start, we observe the global fashion and textile businesses and attempt to make generalizations about global fashion and textile innovation process using a process-chain perspective. To explore the essence for the sustenance of competitive innovation, we review the competing innovation management paradigms in the fields of organization behavioural science, information processing and systems thinking. On these premises, we conclude with the target of better innovation process performance and more effective and intelligent methods to attain such performance. This paper continues with a discussion of two major approaches to the improvement and development of processes: (i) socio-technical systems and (ii) soft systems. These form the basis for the methodology used in this investigation. Following this, a taxonomy summary diagram is established to illustrate the range of sources in the literature on managing innovation processes in the global context. The paper concludes with a discussion of current developments and on the implications of managing innovation activities in globally dispersed businesses.

Within the last decade of the twentieth century, the apparel industry in Hong Kong has been undergoing drastic changes. These changes mainly stem from the challenges of process globalization, which has led to manufacturers shifting a majority of production processes to countries that entail better cost‐competitive advantages, while retaining crucial planning and decision‐making services centrally. Industrialists, educators and even the Government have made a great deal of effort to enhance the provision of high quality service in an attempt to transform the industry strategically into a centre of service excellence in the South‐East Asian region. However, without accredited standard and reference points, the measuring and monitoring of quality in manufacture‐related service is very vague and perplexing. In this paper, the authors first review the extant literature for measuring perceived quality in service provision and then explore the respective implementation issues. A Servqual scale in three‐column format, adapted from the service quality measurement scale proposed by Parasuraman (1995), is used to survey the opinion of international buying offices and to assess the Hong Kong apparel manufacturers’service performance. Two expectation‐discrepancy standards in Service Adequacy and Service Superiority are constructed to measure the service deficiency (gaps). As a result the authors learnt that there are empirical differences between what is perceived in the existing manufacturer’s service performance and what the buyer side really desires. The paper concludes with a discussion of the Servqual modelling operational implications and future research directions.

Using a test‐retest methodology, an established measurement scale for consumer‐perceived service quality in fashion retailing was further evaluated in terms of reliability. Results indicate that the scale possesses, relative to another popular nonindustry‐specific scale, high internal consistency reliability. However, in terms of temporal reliability, the scale is relatively inferior. Suggestions are also made for further study, as to why the scale is unstable.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate market segmentation of affluent Chinese consumers and develop profiles of identified segments for potential target markets for luxury fashion goods.

The data are from the 2006 edition of an annual survey called the “China's New Rich Study”. The respondents form a representative sample of affluent consumers, 18 to 45 years old, residing in China's 12 largest cities. A psychographic segmentation approach is employed to classify these consumers.

Five distinct market segments of affluent Chinese consumers are identified and profiled. Of these segments, three seem the most promising target markets for luxury fashion goods.

When companies understand the similarities and differences between consumer segments as well as the unique characteristics of segments, they have a meaningful basis for selecting receptive target markets and formulating and implementing effective marketing strategies. The findings of this study can be useful not only to companies that offer luxury fashion goods, but also to those targeting the upscale market with a plethora of products and services like yachts, luxury cars, high‐end electronics, resort vacations, and credit cards and other financial services.

This is the first study on segmentation of Chinese consumers for potential target markets for luxury fashion goods. Results reveal heterogeneity among affluent urban Chinese consumers. Strategies for marketing luxury fashion goods to promising target markets in China are outlined on the basis of segment profiles and culturally based motivations for purchasing such goods.