Cosette M. Joyner Armstrong, Gwendolyn Hustvedt, Melody L.A. LeHew, Barbara G. Anderson and Kim Y. Hiller Connell
The purpose of this project is to provide an account of the student experience at a higher education institution known for its holistic approach to sustainability education.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to provide an account of the student experience at a higher education institution known for its holistic approach to sustainability education.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was conducted at Green Mountain College (GMC), an environmental liberal arts school in Poultney, VT; 55 students participated in focus group interviews.
Findings
Students articulate that the most valuable gains that manifest at GMA are a variety of new capacities for science literacy, anthropological appreciation, the triple bottom line, a sense of place, systems, empathic decision-making and reasoning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and practical techniques supporting self-sufficiency. Prompting these emergent outcomes was a philosophy of practice at Green Mountain College, which included place-based techniques, empowerment, personalization, community ecology and charting polarity. Many students described their seeming metamorphosis as uncomfortable, and some felt isolated from the outside paradigm.
Research limitations/implications
A key implication of the study’s findings is that in a holistic setting, the line between the informal and formal curriculum are significantly blurred and what is implicitly communicated through university practices and values is what most transforms the students’ explicit understanding of sustainability.
Practical implications
Sustainability education is far more than technique, far more than what a lone instructor can manifest in students. While the persistence of individual faculty members is important, this evidence suggests that the fertile conditions for transformation may be more fruitful when faculty members work together with a collective sense of responsibility and a well-articulated paradigm.
Originality/value
The advantage of the present study is that it examines the perceived impact of a focus on sustainability across curricula and school by considering the educational environment as a whole. The experiences of students from many different majors who are involved in a holistic, sustainability-infused curriculum at a university with a history of successful post-graduation job placements in the sustainability field are explored here.
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Chunmin Lang and Cosette M. Joyner Armstrong
The purpose of this paper is to identify whether fashion leadership is an obstacle or catalyst to consumers’ purchasing intention in sustainable clothing product-service systems…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify whether fashion leadership is an obstacle or catalyst to consumers’ purchasing intention in sustainable clothing product-service systems (CPSS), which include sale of redesigned clothing, clothing repair/alteration service, clothing renting, clothing swapping and style consultancy service.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study examined the causal relationship between fashion leadership and intentions to engage in CPSS. By applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study also considered self-interest and social values in consumers’ intention to adopt CPSS. A series of multiple regression analyses and structural equation modeling were conducted on data collected from 431 females in the USA through an online survey.
Findings
A significantly positive influence of fashion leadership on consumers’ intention to engage in each CPSS retail model was found; and demographics, including age, income and education have moderating influences on these relationships. Furthermore, the results also confirmed positive relationships between fashion leadership with attitude and subjective norms as well as overall intention to adopt CPSS. Several implications related to the present study were discussed.
Originality/value
This study is the first of its kind in several aspects; first, affirming the argument that fashion need not contradict sustainability; second, extending TPB model by adopting fashion leadership as the external factor; third, providing new CPSS retail models advocating less material consumption by increasing product longevity and utilizing intangible services. Current studies mainly focus on the synthesis of general benefits of product-service systems (PSS) and how PSS are operated. Existing studies on CPSS primarily focus on consumer preferences and motivations in only a few exploratory qualitative studies. This is the first time that a quantitative study has been conducted to determine the interrelationship between the individual personal characteristic, fashion leadership and the intention to adopt PSS in the clothing industry.
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Cosette M. Armstrong and Chunmin Lang
There is an inherent conflict of interest between the product developer and the need for improved environmental health, as material consumption in the apparel industry is…
Abstract
There is an inherent conflict of interest between the product developer and the need for improved environmental health, as material consumption in the apparel industry is synonymous with revenue. This paper aims to explore the potential of product service systems (PSS), an emerging business concept in the sustainable design milieu, as a conduit for dematerialization in the apparel industry. The potential to sell fewer material apparel products and more services designed to enhance or support those products is a viable alternative. The authors correlate design attributes that most often lead to the disposal of apparel with PSS concepts, which may dematerialize the supply chain while increasing consumer satisfaction. This discussion also has important implications for design education related to PSS. Thus, a conceptual model is presented to guide such. Apparel products remain important in today's consumer culture. However, PSS may offer a way to maintain this contribution without the harmful byproducts.
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Sonya M. Remington‐Doucette, Kim Y. Hiller Connell, Cosette M. Armstrong and Sheryl L. Musgrove
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a classroom assessment aimed at determining the extent to which key sustainability competencies develop in students during…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a classroom assessment aimed at determining the extent to which key sustainability competencies develop in students during an introductory transdisciplinary sustainability course.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper summarizes three previously identified key sustainability competencies and describes teaching methodologies used in the introductory course described here to foster these competencies in students. The development of these competencies over the course of one semester is assessed using a pre‐/post‐test based on case analyses. The implications of these findings for academic sustainability programs are discussed.
Findings
Based on the assessment used here, the sustainability competencies developed differently in students with different disciplinary affiliations as a result of the introductory sustainability course. Business majors did not improve any of the key competencies, sustainability majors improved systems thinking competence only, and sustainability minors who were majoring in another traditional discipline improved all competencies.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to undergraduate sustainability education by shedding light on how sustainability might best be incorporated into specific academic programs. This information may help create more effective sustainability courses and academic programs, which may maintain the viability of current sustainability programs and promote the institutionalization of sustainability in higher education in general.
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Asphat Muposhi and Tinashe Chuchu
This study applies the modified brand avoidance model to examine factors that influence sustainable fashion avoidance behaviour among millennial shoppers in South Africa.
Abstract
Purpose
This study applies the modified brand avoidance model to examine factors that influence sustainable fashion avoidance behaviour among millennial shoppers in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
A positivistic approach and a web-based online survey were employed to collect cross-sectional data from 423 millennial fashion shoppers. Standard multiple regression analysis was used to test proposed hypotheses.
Findings
Unmet expectations, materialism and symbolic incongruence emerged as major predictors of millennials' intention to avoid sustainable fashion. Sustainable fashion avoidance intention was found to have a positive effect on sustainable fashion avoidance behaviour.
Research limitations/implications
This study relied on self-reported data collected from millennial shoppers. Future studies may improve the generalizability of this study's results by conducting a comparative study with other cohorts such as baby boomers and Generation X who espouse different shopping values. Future studies may benefit from the use of longitudinal data in order to understand how millennial shoppers relate to sustainable fashion as it evolves.
Practical implications
The results of this study suggest the importance of developing value propositions that align sustainable fashion with cultural, personality and symbolic cues valued by millennial shoppers. Consumer education on the benefits of sustainable fashion is recommended as a long-term behavioural change strategy.
Social implications
The purchase behaviour of sustainable fashion should be encouraged as it enhances environmental sustainability including safeguarding the livelihoods of future generations.
Originality/value
This study contributes to literature on sustainable fashion avoidance behaviour. This is one of the pioneering studies to empirically examine the influence of unmet expectations, symbolic incongruence and ideological incompatibility in the context of an emerging market, such as South Africa.
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This study aims to explore the use of public relations and publicity (PRP) by the public libraries. It also intends to create awareness among the information professionals…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the use of public relations and publicity (PRP) by the public libraries. It also intends to create awareness among the information professionals regarding the use of PRP.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative design, based on the interview method as data collection technique, was used to get the opinions and perceptions of the selected public librarians. The content analysis of the responses was made to answer the research questions.
Findings
The findings revealed that PRP are hardly used by the public libraries in Lahore.
Research limitations/implications
It will serve as a guideline for further research in quantitative and qualitative manner, as it has addressed an untouched area.
Practical implications
It is likely that it will raise awareness among the public librarians regarding the use of PRP for creating and maintaining a strong positive image.
Originality/value
It will serve as a guideline for further research in quantitative and qualitative manner, as it has addressed an untouched area and reports original research.