Mir Salahuddin and Young-A Lee
The purpose of this study was to identify the major quality features of wearable technology embedded products that have the greatest impact on consumer satisfaction using the Kano…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to identify the major quality features of wearable technology embedded products that have the greatest impact on consumer satisfaction using the Kano model, an organized approach to specify consumer requirements and expectation through a preference classification technique.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a quantitative research method, an online survey was conducted with a convenience sample of US consumers aged between 19 years old and over. A total of otal 471 useable data were obtained and used for the data analysis.
Findings
This study identified that the 11 quality features of wearables belong to one-dimensional quality category among the five Kano categories, although the impact of each quality feature's performance on consumer satisfaction varies. The results also showed that the performance level of durability, long battery life, usability, product safety, comfortability and reasonable price has the greatest impact on consumer satisfaction of wearables.
Research limitations/implications
This study has implications for future research by integrating the Kano model with other design and product development related theoretical models when designing, developing and evaluating various wearable products.
Originality/value
This study quantified the key quality features of wearables using the Kano model, which can be a great measurement tool for future researchers to adopt in their studies. The findings of this study help designers, developers and producers of wearables to prioritize the quality features during the product design, development and manufacturing process.
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Sun Mi Park, Kueng Mi Choi, Yun Ja Nam and Young‐A Lee
The purpose of this paper is to develop a multi‐purpose body form that could be used to develop different types of garments by putting body skins with ease on the standard body…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a multi‐purpose body form that could be used to develop different types of garments by putting body skins with ease on the standard body form.
Design/methodology/approach
Free form deformation method was used to generate a virtual model upon the basis of the averaged wire frame. The virtual model was made into a real‐life model by a rapid prototyping (RP) process, and then, the standard body form was made by molding the RP. The 3D polygon shell for a body skin got flattened down to 2D patterns and made by a urethane material.
Findings
The standard body form developed by using 3D body scan data better represented the characteristics of the body shapes than the previously hand‐made ones. In addition, by standardizing the production of the body form itself, it is now possible to make body forms into the standards and be consistent in their qualities.
Research limitations/implications
This paper presents the methodology of utilizing 3D body scan data in a garment design, which is possible by incorporating advanced 3D modeling technologies and 3D data of a human body in making body forms. For the mass production of a body skin, it is necessary to develop various special materials simulating soft tissues.
Originality/value
The apparel industry can enjoy cost cutting effects by using this multi‐purpose body form. A company does not have to spend money in purchasing different sizes and shapes of body forms, let alone saving the spaces to store them once purchased.
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Laurel Dawn Romeo and Young-A Lee
The purpose of this paper is to explore apparel-related issues experienced by plus-size female teens around the functional, expressive, and aesthetic consumer needs model. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore apparel-related issues experienced by plus-size female teens around the functional, expressive, and aesthetic consumer needs model. The goal was to uncover any issues which have interfered with or restricted apparel purchases.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed methods research design was employed to collect body measurements with the use of a 3D body scanner and conduct in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of 30 plus-size females aged 12-17 years and their families.
Findings
The current US sizing system does not fully meet the measurement needs of this study group. Functional fit requirements often dictate the apparel purchased by plus-size female teens. Expressive and aesthetic desires often go unfulfilled by the apparel that satisfied their functional needs. Confusion over apparel size designations interfered with brand and store loyalty and resulted in fewer purchases from both physical and online stores.
Practical implications
Plus-sizes are the fastest growing segment of apparel and offer brands and retailers substantial opportunity for market growth. Plus-size female teens desire to increase their apparel purchases, but have been hindered by certain product development and merchandising practices. Participants made suggestions for brands and retailers to increase sales in the plus-size female teen market.
Originality/value
This study is unique by uncovering previously unknown issues regarding apparel fit and purchase behaviors of the plus-size female teens as well as relating participant’s advice to the apparel industry on this target market.
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The purpose of this paper is to focus on the building of consumer–brand identification through the use of two themes (underdog and topdog) in the design of brand storytelling. It…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the building of consumer–brand identification through the use of two themes (underdog and topdog) in the design of brand storytelling. It proposes that the underdog theme is superior because it is more effective in immersing readers in the story and generates higher emotional responses. The moderating effect of consumers’ implicit mindsets is also explored.
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental study with a single-factorial design is conducted with 301 consumers assigned at random to one of two brand storytelling conditions: underdog theme or topdog theme.
Findings
The results show a full mediating effect of the underdog (vs topdog) theme on brand identification through reader immersion and empathic feelings.
Research limitations/implications
The use of a fictitious brand and a specific product category may limit the generalizability of the results.
Practical implications
Placing the brand in a story with an underdog plot is more effective in catching consumers’ attention than using a topdog brand story. In particular, using an underdog theme is a good approach for targeting consumers who have a growth mindset.
Originality/value
This study explains the persuasiveness of brand storytelling in terms of the characteristics of the storytelling itself rather than the individual characteristics of consumers (e.g. their own underdog dispositions). The results also suggest that the implicit mindset of the individual plays a role.
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Lexis Alexander Tetteh, Cletus Agyenim-Boateng, Amoako Kwarteng, Paul Muda and Prince Sunu
The study uses social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to explore the driving and restraining factors that students consider in selecting auditing as a career.
Abstract
Purpose
The study uses social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to explore the driving and restraining factors that students consider in selecting auditing as a career.
Design/methodology/approach
Considering the aim of this study, a qualitative research was preferred with the objective of gathering in-depth and enriched empirical data; hence, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seventy-five fourth-year undergraduate accounting students of six top-ranked universities in Ghana that offer accounting programmes.
Findings
The findings of the current study unearth the constructs of the SCCT that students' decision to consider a career in audit is driven by outcome expectations (high earnings/monetary incentives and social prestige associated with the job), as well as self-efficacy belief (possession of ethical values). Further, the study finds that self-efficacy beliefs (job stress and accounting stereotype) were the factors restraining students from considering auditing as a career. The results finally show that the students who would choose auditing as a career in future are in one way or the other, preparing for the achievement of their goals.
Research limitations/implications
The SCCT framework utilized focuses on the three main constructs: self-efficacy, outcome expectations and goals. There are a number of related factors that may influence students' career choice decisions. These may include personal characteristics and contextual influences; a change of the theoretical framework may help discover other important personal and contextual factors that this current study could not unearth.
Practical implications
The study indicates, on the contrary, that students have negative perceptions about auditing as a career option; they consider the career as stressful, tedious and monotonous. These misconceptions make it less likely for a student to pursue auditing as a career. Educators can aid students in their decision to pursue a study in accounting and become auditors by displaying and reinforcing the positive outcomes that come with the position of an auditor.
Originality/value
The findings of this study add to the existing literature by delving deeper into the self-selection factors that influence a student's desire to become an auditor. Furthermore, the current research is exceptional in that it applies the SCCT to the aim of becoming an auditor. Although other research studies have looked into factors that may influence a student's decision to pursue a profession as an accountant, these studies have mostly been quantitative, limiting the students' ability to explain why those factors encourage or dissuade them.
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Won Ho Kim, Young-An Ra, Jong Gyu Park and Bora Kwon
The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of burnout (i.e. exhaustion, cynicism, professional inefficacy) in the relationship between job level and job…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of burnout (i.e. exhaustion, cynicism, professional inefficacy) in the relationship between job level and job satisfaction as well as between job level and task performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The final sample included 342 Korean workers from selected companies. The authors employed the Hayes (2013) PROCESS tool for analyzing the data.
Findings
The results showed that all three subscales of burnout (i.e. exhaustion, cynicism, professional inefficacy) mediate the relationship between job level and job satisfaction. However, only two mediators (i.e. cynicism, professional inefficacy) indicated the mediating effects on the association between job level and task performance.
Originality/value
This research presented the role of burnout on the relationships between job level, job satisfaction, and task performance especially in South Korean organizational context. In addition to role of burnout, findings should prove helpful in improving job satisfaction and task performance. The authors provide implications and limitations of the findings.
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South Korea imposes more stringent restrictions on political speeches during elections than many other democratic countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
South Korea imposes more stringent restrictions on political speeches during elections than many other democratic countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the long‐standing conflict between citizens and institutions in the Korean electoral environment and the effects of the internet on this conflict.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides a case study of the 2007 presidential election in Korea. During the campaign period, two video clips (one on YouTube and the other on Daum, a major domestic web portal) emerged and implicated the then‐leading candidate in a financial scandal. The paper investigates how these video clips were shared and discussed among Korean voters, even though the country's election laws restricted the sharing of such information in cyberspace. The paper employs a combination of network analysis techniques, including hyperlink analysis, interaction network analysis, and semantic network analysis.
Findings
YouTube served as a medium for Korean voters to circumvent local electoral regulations, thus implying the neologism “cyber‐exile”. However, unlike Daum, YouTube failed to facilitate discussions on the posted video clip. The discussion through its comment feature was often derailed by irrelevant comments from seemingly uninterested parties. The address of the video clip was shared through personal blogs and online bulletin boards in Korean cyberspace, but these efforts led only to a fragmented sphere.
Research limitations/implications
Any comparison between YouTube and Daum should be made with caution because of inherent differences between the two platforms.
Practical implications
The results have important practical implications for those interested in designing e‐deliberation environments. For example, they should have a clearer understanding of the composition of users and the undesirable consequences of a fragmented public sphere.
Originality/value
This paper highlights how pre‐internet institutions shape its members’ political activity on the internet. In addition, the results clearly demonstrate that an innovative effort to circumvent barriers on the part of internet users is not enough to harness the potential of online discussions for a measured and sustained discourse on the issue at hand.
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Young A. Ji, Jae Sang An, Kyung Seo Lim and Dae Hoon Lee
A garment technical drawing system and its database construction methodology is introduced in this paper. The system consists of an application program and a modulized database…
Abstract
A garment technical drawing system and its database construction methodology is introduced in this paper. The system consists of an application program and a modulized database system. The advantage of this system is that it is possible to construct a garment's partial technical drawing easily using this database system, and it enables the combination of any part of drawing stored in the database.
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Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, how consumers choose a financial institution for their checking accounts is investigated in this study. It was found that…
Abstract
Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, how consumers choose a financial institution for their checking accounts is investigated in this study. It was found that, although most consumers value convenience as one of the most important decision‐making criteria, their definitions of convenience vary across consumers. How different consumers use different decision‐making criteria and heuristics is reported, and the implications for financial service marketers are drawn from the findings.