Whitney J. Weeks, Evelyn L. Brannon and Pamela V. Ulrich
Female consumers' preferences for shopping via CD/ROM, television or catalogue versus in a specialty store were investigated. Videotaped shopping simulations were viewed by 191…
Abstract
Female consumers' preferences for shopping via CD/ROM, television or catalogue versus in a specialty store were investigated. Videotaped shopping simulations were viewed by 191 subjects who selected preferred options within each of six forced‐choice pairs. Specialty store was most and television least preferred. Catalogue was most preferred among non‐store options. Fashion Opinion Leadership, Clothing Interest Inventory and Shopping Orientation measures, and demographic and open‐ended questions were used to profile and explore preference behaviour. Analysis with Chi‐Square Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) profiled five consumer segments. Subjects had positive and negative perceptions of each venue and believed that shopping through electronic media will be dominant non‐store options in the future.
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Pamela V. Ulrich, Lenda Jo Anderson‐Connell and Weifang Wu
Recent research suggests that consumers want individual needs met and that companies can work towards customizing products while still mass producing them. Co‐design, a…
Abstract
Recent research suggests that consumers want individual needs met and that companies can work towards customizing products while still mass producing them. Co‐design, a consumer‐producer collaborative design endeavor, is one way to accomplish both. The purpose of this research was to explore consumers’ participation in and reaction to a CAD‐supported scenario of co‐design for mass customization. Aided by a design manager, 34 female college students co‐designed a three‐piece career outfit by choosing from a style bank of garment components. Subjects were comfortable with the process; most found it easy and were satisfied with the output. Ease of designing and satisfaction with images were positively correlated. Application of clothing involvement and innovativeness measures suggested possible characteristics of subjects who were more or less comfortable with co‐design and those who found it easier to make decisions. Results suggested the feasibility of co‐design from the consumer’s perspective and the need for further research.
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Lenda Jo Anderson‐Connell, Pamela V. Ulrich and Evelyn L. Brannon
The overall purpose of this research was to explore the potential for applying mass customization in the apparel manufacturing and retail sectors by investigating consumers’…
Abstract
The overall purpose of this research was to explore the potential for applying mass customization in the apparel manufacturing and retail sectors by investigating consumers’ interests in it as a concept. A series of seven focus groups were used to explore consumer preferences related to mass customization and to identify potential barriers to adoption of the concept. Potential scenarios illustrated with video were used to describe how mass customization might be implemented. A deductive approach to data reduction allowed researchers to distill and describe data according to predetermined categories and to identify additional categories that emerged in the analysis. Converging positive consumer comments moved researchers forward in understanding the concept while negative comments were viewed as barriers. The result was the construction of a consumer‐based model which provides an initial framework for researchers and the business community to use in exploring how the paradigm of mass customization could be applied as a business strategy in the apparel industry.
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The January 1987 issue of Access, a quarterly update from R.R. Bowker Company, contains a brief article entitled “Ulrich's: A Prime Source in Any Format.” This short piece tells…
Abstract
The January 1987 issue of Access, a quarterly update from R.R. Bowker Company, contains a brief article entitled “Ulrich's: A Prime Source in Any Format.” This short piece tells us that 1987 marked the silver anniversary of the founding of Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory and that we have good reason to celebrate. The reason is that Ulrich's, and its sister publications, Irregular Serials and Annuals and Bowker's Serials Database Update, are now available on CD‐ROM and known as Ulrich's Plus. The article states that “this electronic disc format offers high speed access, multiple search points and ease of use.” The article also informs us that data for Ulrich's are continuously revised and updated by no less than thirteen editors who have multilingual skills and whose combined efforts provide indepth profiles of seventy thousand serials and thirty‐five thousand irregulars published worldwide, that there are updates for more than sixty‐five thousand entries, and that there is a “descriptive analysis of the content and point of view of each publication.” And, finally, that all periodicals are subject indexed.
Pamela Danese and Roberto Filippini
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of product modularity on new product development (NPD) time performance, and the moderating effects of interfunctional…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of product modularity on new product development (NPD) time performance, and the moderating effects of interfunctional integration and supplier involvement on the product modularity‐time performance relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyzes data from a sample of 186 manufacturing plants settled in several countries, and operating in mechanical, electronic and transportation equipment sectors. Three hypotheses are tested through a hierarchical regression analysis.
Findings
Data analyses show that product modularity has a direct positive effect on NPD time performance, and that interfunctional integration positively moderates the product modularity‐time performance relationship. Finally, this research does not support the hypothesis that a positive interaction effect exists between product modularity and supplier involvement.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should replicate and extend the model to samples drawn from other industries. Moreover, analyses carried out provide some interesting directions for future research on the effect of supplier involvement on NPD time performance.
Practical implications
The practical implication for managers is that NPD time performance reduction requires levering simultaneously on product modularity and interfunctional integration to foster their interaction, rather than investing and acting on product modularity only. In addition, before deciding to invest on product modularity, managers should ascertain the level of interfunctional integration. In fact, it acts as prerequisite for the successful implementation of product modularity.
Originality/value
Empirical studies on the impact of product modularity on NPD time performance are really scant. This research empirically analyzes this effect, and contributes to the advancement of theory by investigating the effect of product modularity and integration practices in NPD in a comprehensive way.
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Although extensive research exists regarding job satisfaction, many previous studies used a more restrictive, quantitative methodology. The purpose of this qualitative study is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Although extensive research exists regarding job satisfaction, many previous studies used a more restrictive, quantitative methodology. The purpose of this qualitative study is to capture the perceptions of hospital nurses within generational cohorts regarding their work satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
A preliminary qualitative, phenomenological study design explored hospital nurses’ work satisfaction within generational cohorts – Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980) and Millennials (1981-2000). A South Florida hospital provided the venue for the research. In all, 15 full-time staff nurses, segmented into generational cohorts, participated in personal interviews to determine themes related to seven established factors of work satisfaction: pay, autonomy, task requirements, administration, doctor–nurse relationship, interaction and professional status.
Findings
An analysis of the transcribed interviews confirmed the importance of the seven factors of job satisfaction. Similarities and differences between the generational cohorts related to a combination of stages of life and generational attributes.
Practical implications
The results of any qualitative research relate only to the specific venue studied and are not generalizable. However, the information gleaned from this study is transferable and other organizations are encouraged to conduct their own research and compare the results.
Originality/value
This study is unique, as the seven factors from an extensively used and highly respected quantitative research instrument were applied as the basis for this qualitative inquiry into generational cohort job satisfaction in a hospital setting.
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Brianne Redquest, Pamela Bryden and Paula Fletcher
This study aims to explore social and motor impairments of children with autism through the perspectives of their caregivers. Social and motor deficits among people with autism…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore social and motor impairments of children with autism through the perspectives of their caregivers. Social and motor deficits among people with autism are well documented. There is support to suggest a reciprocal relationship between social and motor deficits among people with autism, in that social deficits can act as a barrier to motor skill development and motor deficits can act as a barrier to social skill development.
Design/methodology/approach
This study explored social and motor impairments of children with autism through the perspectives of eight caregivers of children with autism.
Findings
Many salient findings emerged from the interviews conducted with caregivers, particularly concerning the social and motor development of their children. The relationships between their children’s social and motor deficits were also highlighted.
Research limitations/implications
It is important that health-care professionals educate parents about the consequences of motor impairments or delays and their associations with the development of social skills. As such, routine motor skill monitoring and assessments by caregivers and health-care professionals should be encouraged.
Originality/value
To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to investigate motor and social deficits of children with autism from the caregivers’ perspectives.
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Lyal White, Pamela Fuhrmann and Ruth Crichton
The learning outcomes of this study are to assess the shared value model and elaborate on new multi-stakeholder approaches to business, where the stakeholders include the…
Abstract
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this study are to assess the shared value model and elaborate on new multi-stakeholder approaches to business, where the stakeholders include the founders, investors, partners, employees, clients and the surrounding community; to consider the synergies between community development, environmental stewardship, sustainable business practices and the long-term health of organisations and communities, considering these as the new fundamentals of business; to examine the interconnectedness of vision, strategy, purpose and leadership in creating and evolving the shared value model; to explore the relationship between shared value practices and collective well-being, and a specific reference to nurturing transformative experiences through nature, personal development and community upliftment is made; and to assess Grootbos’ ability to translate their purpose and value proposition into a strategy and sustainable vision with a possibility of Grootbos achieving global impact through its evolving model, beyond the founder.
Case overview/synopsis
This case study explores the evolution of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and Foundation, a luxury hospitality lodge and award-winning ecotourism destination, from humble beginnings in the Western Cape of South Africa to a global example of conservation, community, commerce sustainability and transformative experiences. The establishing of Grootbos and its growth and widespread recognition can be attributed to the vision and inspirational leadership of its founder, Michael Lutzeyer. Although much success has been achieved in conservation, community upliftment and individual development of community members within their region, Lutzeyer’s and ultimately, Grootbos’ vision extended well beyond South Africa and aspired to elevate their floral kingdom and model of development and conservation to a global platform of awareness. Although a shared value vision and strategy had transformed the business, placing Grootbos as a leader in transforming their industry and sparking an evolution in the shared value model itself through the interjection of transformative experiences, the larger question remained: How can Grootbos extend the impact, towards people and planetary well-being, beyond the scope of their individual place-based business and their industry? And in terms of the dilemma Lutzeyer and the management team at Grootbos faced: How will this vision and global ambition continue through succession, beyond Luzeyer’s personal drive at the helm?
Complexity academic level
Experienced leaders within a graduate degree program, executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) or executive education in the areas of leadership development, strategy, shared value and international business.
Supplementary material
Teaching notes are available for educators only.
Subject code
CSS4: Environmental management.
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Ericsson Information Systems. L. M. Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications giant, has just formed a new company — Ericsson Information Systems (EIS) — which will compete in the…
Abstract
Ericsson Information Systems. L. M. Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications giant, has just formed a new company — Ericsson Information Systems (EIS) — which will compete in the information technology market. The new company has been created out of two Ericsson divisions and Datasaab, a Swedish computer firm, which Ericsson bought a year ago. EIS is expected to continue marketing Datasaab's successful terminal and minicomputer, but in addition will develop and sell products for the private and business markets, particularly integrated information systems, office automation systems and PABXs.