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1 – 10 of 19Victoria Stephens, Amy Victoria Benstead, Helen Goworek, Erica Charles and Dane Lukic
The paper explores the notion of worker voice in terms of its implications for supply chain justice. The paper proposes the value of the recognition perspective on social justice…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper explores the notion of worker voice in terms of its implications for supply chain justice. The paper proposes the value of the recognition perspective on social justice for framing workers’ experiences in global supply chains and identifies opportunities for the advancement of the worker voice agenda with recognition justice in mind.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a conceptual approach to explore the notion of worker voice in supply chains in terms of the recognition perspective on social justice.
Findings
Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) scholarship has considered worker voice in terms of two key paradigms, which we term communication and representation. To address recognition justice for workers in global supply chains, the worker voice agenda must consider designing worker voice mechanisms to close recognition gaps for workers with marginalised identities; the shared responsibilities of supply chain actors to listen alongside the expectation of workers to use their voice; and the expansion of the concept of worker voice to cut across home-work boundaries.
Originality/value
The paper offers conceptual clarity on the emerging notion of worker voice in SSCM and is the first to interrogate the implications of recognition justice for the emergent worker voice agenda. It articulates key opportunities for future research to further operationalise worker voice upon a recognition foundation.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate contemporary practice in product development for clothing sold by UK fashion retailers, focusing on three essential types of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate contemporary practice in product development for clothing sold by UK fashion retailers, focusing on three essential types of participant: textile designers, fashion designers, and fashion buyers.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with practitioners working in textile design, fashion design and fashion buying in clothing suppliers, a design agency and fashion retailers, from which case studies were compiled.
Findings
The case studies provide evidence that communication skills have become particularly significant to enable effective collaboration during fashion product development. The three roles discussed in the paper have a high degree of congruence in their responsibilities, particularly in terms of awareness of fashion trends and market.
Originality/value
There is an overlap between textile design, fashion design, fashion buying and other roles in the fashion business, evidenced by the case studies in the paper. Therefore the congruence between various roles and processes within the fashion business could potentially be analysed. The paper has concentrated on the mass market fashion business in the UK and the same roles mentioned here could be investigated in other countries or at different market levels.
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The purpose of this paper is to assess the issues currently involved in social and environmental sustainability in the clothing industry.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the issues currently involved in social and environmental sustainability in the clothing industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a case study approach to investigate a business that operates successfully in this challenging market.
Findings
As a consequence of increasing demand for ethical clothing, it has become standard practice for UK clothing retailers to develop CSR policies which impact upon their methods of garment sourcing and partnerships with suppliers. There is also a significant trend for retailers to offer ethical clothing ranges made from organic cotton or produced by Fair Trade manufacturers. The paper includes a case study on People Tree, which sells Fair Trade clothing sourced from developing countries. People Tree is rare amongst clothing companies in that it provides customers with a transparent view of its production sources via the internet. The company provides an example of how socially responsible and environmentally sustainable global sourcing can be applied in practice.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses on aspects of sustainability in an individual retailer. This could be extended to other ethical retailers in different countries, and a longitudinal study of such companies could be conducted.
Originality/value
Literature on ethical fashion companies and their use of socially responsible strategies is sparse, and there is a lack of research that covers both social and environmental sustainability in this market. This paper fills some of the gaps.
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Helen Goworek, Tom Fisher, Tim Cooper, Sophie Woodward and Alex Hiller
This paper aims to investigate consumers' perspectives on sustainable clothing consumption and to examine ways in which this information could influence retailers' policies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate consumers' perspectives on sustainable clothing consumption and to examine ways in which this information could influence retailers' policies.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative research was conducted using focus groups, home tasks and workshops with 99 participants. The sample represented different groups of consumers in relation to their sustainability behaviour.
Findings
Focus group participants had a limited awareness of the sustainability impacts of clothing. Where participants displayed pro‐environmental behaviour, this was not necessarily intentional, but was largely a response to other influences. The respondents' maintenance and disposal of clothes were found to be influenced mainly by existing habits and routines, which usually take precedence over awareness of sustainable practice. The research indicated that consumers could be persuaded to change their behaviour in relation to sustainability by being encouraged and enabled to reflect more on their behaviour.
Research limitations/implications
This study uses qualitative research and is limited to UK consumers. Future research in this field could incorporate quantitative methods or in‐depth interviews. Academics could conduct further research and generate theories which apply to the sustainable consumption of clothing.
Social implications
The findings have implications for retailers, academics and society. Retailers can develop and implement more sustainable policies and practices in relation to clothing production and consumption. There are wider implications for society and the environment in that retailers' practices can impact greatly on the sustainability of the planet's resources.
Originality/value
This paper's originality lies in its assessment of the implications for retailers of consumers' views on the sustainable consumption of clothing.
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Helen Goworek and Petra Molthan-Hill
This chapter examines the development and implementation of a sustainability module at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in the UK and assesses how this is embedded within the…
Abstract
This chapter examines the development and implementation of a sustainability module at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in the UK and assesses how this is embedded within the undergraduate business curriculum. The objectives are to explain the background to the development of the module in the context of the University as a whole and to examine the issues and potential benefits concerning its implementation. The chapter explores how sustainability can be integrated effectively within the curriculum and focuses on a module for the academic year 2011/2012 ‘The Sustainable Organisation’ (SO) and its underlying principles from the perspectives of members of the module team. It also reflects on previous and concurrent modules incorporating sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The module's connections with industry and related research will also be discussed within the chapter. In conclusion, the wider implications of offering the SO module within a business school will be assessed.
Jennifer Millspaugh and Anthony Kent
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the co-creation of small and medium enterprise (SME) designer fashion brands during internationalisation.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the co-creation of small and medium enterprise (SME) designer fashion brands during internationalisation.
Design/methodology/approach
As an exploratory study, this research utilises grounded theory methodology and incorporates the use of 38 semi-structured in-depth interviews with designer fashion enterprises (DFEs) and their support network of sales and PR agencies.
Findings
Co-creation was identified as an important element for the successful integration of the entrepreneurial DFE into the global fashion industry network. Within relationship marketing, the concept of co-creation emphasises consumer experience, influence and power in the development of brand value. However current understanding of co-creation inadequately explains the development of the entrepreneurial designer fashion brand, requiring examination of the concept using grounded theory. The findings of this research highlight how these SMEs react and respond to the interpretation of their brand identity through the co-creation process as they seek to introduce and grow their firms within the global fashion marketplace.
Originality/value
This paper identifies the influence of industry stakeholders on the process of fashion brand co-creation. Additionally, by identifying the process by which the entrepreneurial DFE navigates the introduction of their collections to the industry’s network, and responds to interpretations of the firm’s brand identity, this paper recognises the influence of the firm throughout the co-creation process.
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Ana Roncha and Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the power of social media networks, namely Instagram, in building brand communities and co-creating value for brands. By analysing the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the power of social media networks, namely Instagram, in building brand communities and co-creating value for brands. By analysing the 2015 campaign #withoutshoes by TOMS, the authors intend to demonstrate how the value creation process can be extended to involve all stakeholders and raise the effectiveness of a brand’s communication campaign.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach was taken to enable an understanding of online consumer behaviour. A series of qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with retail and marketing professionals from the TOMS brand to explore brand strategy. The TOMS Instagram account was analysed for a specific marketing communications event and summative content analysis was applied to the brand’s Instagram profile in order to allow for an in-depth exploration of the co-creation process. Triangulation was used for the multiple sources of evidence in order to build the study and to establish the convergence of data results, to diminish bias and to increase accuracy of the research data (Saunders et al., 2009).
Findings
Through a detailed overview of the campaign developed by TOMS, this paper explores how TOMS fosters the formation of consumer-brand-relationships as well as maps out the advantages of value co-creation. The research findings support the literature on co-creation, which argues that the way to achieve innovation and value creation in the changing and challenging marketing landscape is through co-creation. This study adds to the findings that co-creation strategies are a privileged manner of nurturing customer relationships and of lowering costs for marketing and research and development (Sawhney et al., 2005; Prandelli et al., 2006).
Originality/value
There are a relatively limited number of studies focusing on the Instagram platform, and of those carried out thus far most concentrate on how the platform interprets cultural issues, rather than how it can be used effectively as a marketing strategy and how it can leverage user’s preferences. Also, not a lot of studies have focused on the relationship between value co-creation and its relevance and impact on brands through engagement processes and the role of experience in brand building. Brand value co-creation through human experiences can provide considerable implications for brand management (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004a) as well as be a key component in the building process of customer experiences. This study suggests new approaches to getting useful insights about how brands can use social media to further engage with their target audience though an integrative framework of brand value co-creation with theoretical underpinning.
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Bethan Alexander and Luis Ortega Contreras
The purpose of this paper is to conceive the concept of inter-industry creative collaboration; a unique kind of cooperation between business partners from diverse industries. It…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conceive the concept of inter-industry creative collaboration; a unique kind of cooperation between business partners from diverse industries. It investigates the motivations that encourage their creation and identifies a method to evaluate consumers’ attitudes towards this kind of partnership. The study analyses consumer-based brand equity and links them to inter-industry creative collaborations within the luxury fashion industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Research was conducted using a comparative case design, which was qualitative in nature. Four cases were selected purposively. The data were obtained using semi-structured interviews with industry informants and consumer focus groups. Transcripts were thematically analysed according to common categories identified in the literature to enable cross-case conclusions to be drawn.
Findings
The research proposes the existence of a direct relationship between the consumer-based brand equity effects and consumers’ attitudes towards inter-industry creative collaborations. This research not only proves the existence of the stated relationship but also generates a theoretical framework that specifically analyses inter-industry creative collaboration involving luxury fashion brands.
Research limitations/implications
The usage of convenience sampling limited consumer participants to individuals who considered themselves luxury fashion consumers. In addition, the findings are limited to London, UK and cannot be generalised outside the examined cases. That said, the research provides a useful starting point for further empirical research to test the validity and reliability of the model outside of the stated cases.
Practical implications
The proposed theoretical framework serves as a practical guide for luxury managers to assess the planning and execution of inter-industry creative collaborations conducted by their brands.
Originality/value
The research makes a contribution to brand management literature by creating a connection between four topics of academic research: motivations of inter-industry creative collaborations; consumer-based brand equity; consumers’ attitudes towards inter-industry creative collaborations; and the creative and emotional elements of luxury fashion.
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