Victoria Rodner, Amy Goode and Zara Burns
To better understand the uptake of cosmetic procedures in the wake of Instagram, this study aims to unravel how the aesthetic labour of influencers acts as the packaging of the…
Abstract
Purpose
To better understand the uptake of cosmetic procedures in the wake of Instagram, this study aims to unravel how the aesthetic labour of influencers acts as the packaging of the cosmetic servicescape. In doing so, the authors contribute to theorising of aesthetic and emotional labour within the services marketing literature, fleshing out the bodywork of influential others not as employees but endorsers, who act like the “walking billboards” (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2003) for the cosmetic service industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a dual qualitative approach to data collection, coupling netnographic material from Instagram posts with 16 in-depth interviews with female Instagram users who have undergone or hope to undergo cosmetic surgery. Using mediated discourse analysis, the authors weave their visual and discursive data together for a richer account of the commoditisation of cosmetic surgery.
Findings
Adopting a postfeminist neoliberal lens, where women are viewed as aesthetic entrepreneurs who are constantly working on the body and the self, the findings of the study reveal how influencers’ aesthetic and emotional labour help package, propagate and demystify the cosmetic servicescape. Through their visual storytelling, we see how influencers help endorse (local) cosmetic services; commoditise cosmetic procedures through the conspicuous display of their ongoing body projects whilst masking the labour and pain involved; and how face-filters that use augmented reality (AR) technology foster new forms of (digitised) body dysmorphia.
Originality/value
The authors shed light on the darker side of social media and body-enhancing technologies, where tales of body transformation trivialise cosmetic intervention and AR technology induces a digitised body dysmorphia.
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The purpose of this paper is to identify both the inspiration sources used by fast fashion designers and ways the designers sort information from the sources during the product…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify both the inspiration sources used by fast fashion designers and ways the designers sort information from the sources during the product development process.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a qualitative study, drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted with the members of the in-house design teams of three Australian fast fashion companies.
Findings
Australian fast fashion designers rely on a combination of trend data, sales data, product analysis, and travel for design development ideas. The designers then use the consensus and embodiment methods to interpret and synthesise information from those inspiration sources.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical data used in the analysis were limited by interviewing fashion designers within only three Australian companies.
Originality/value
This research augments knowledge of fast fashion product development, in particular designers’ methods and approaches to product design within a volatile and competitive market.
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This paper aims to focus on duopolistic competition under dynamic price and production postponement for two differentiable products that share common product platform at a certain…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on duopolistic competition under dynamic price and production postponement for two differentiable products that share common product platform at a certain degree of product commonality.
Design/methodology/approach
Both price and production postponement modelling are benchmarked according to their profit in order to investigate the product substitutability effect to the profit and also their appropriateness to different competition situations. In addition, dynamic property is applied to show the demand changes effect of both strategic decisions (price and production) against demand uncertainty.
Findings
The results show that the pure price postponement is appropriate to be applied into highly customized products while pure production postponement to configurable products.
Research limitations/implications
Price and production postponement decisions help managers to optimize product development as well as production strategy by considering demand and supply sides.
Practical implications
Price and production postponements give alternative ways to managers for deciding on how to produce products as fighting product and mass customized product.
Originality/value
Innovative price and production postponement models are the novelty of this paper.
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Emmanuel Abankwah Ofori, Bernice Djangmah Akweley, Benjamin Eghan, Raphael Kanyire Seidu and Richard Acquaye
The purpose of this study is to present a mini-integrated review on upcycling as a marketing strategy used by brands in promoting sustainability. Upcycling has emerged as a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to present a mini-integrated review on upcycling as a marketing strategy used by brands in promoting sustainability. Upcycling has emerged as a promising strategy for sustainability in the fashion industry. Activities within the industry have resulted in the release of toxic chemicals, carbon emissions and unsustainable products with significant environmental impacts. This has influenced manufacturers and researchers to adopt alternative but sustainable approaches.
Design/methodology/approach
In this mini-integrated review, relevant documents and information were sourced from appropriate databases and websites to provide a brief insight into upcycling as a marketing tool.
Findings
This mini-integrated review further provides insight into how effective upcycling can be integrated into a brand’s marketing strategy as a tool to communicate its commitment to sustainability and the production of high-value products for consumer satisfaction. It concludes that the fashion industry has a significant impact on the environment, and the practice of upcycling has surfaced as a potential solution to address issues of sustainability paving the way for further studies.
Originality/value
Brands use upcycling to differentiate themselves from competitors and appeal to consumers who prioritize sustainability. By emphasizing the environmental benefits of upcycling, brands can position themselves as leaders in the domain of sustainable fashion practices.
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Liz Barnes and Gaynor Lea‐Greenwood
The phenomenon of fast fashion is under‐researched academically, yet has received attention in most of the fashion and business press. Therefore, as it would seem timely, this…
Abstract
Purpose
The phenomenon of fast fashion is under‐researched academically, yet has received attention in most of the fashion and business press. Therefore, as it would seem timely, this article aims to present the findings of some exploratory research.
Design/methodology/approach
The concept of agile supply chains or supply chain theory is explored with reference to fast fashion requirements. The research was carried out using in‐depth interviews of key informants in the fashion industry.
Findings
The major findings of this exploratory research demonstrate a developmental process occurring in supply chain management when fast fashion comes into the equation. This research provides additional complexity on the existing model of supply chain management for the fashion industry.
Research limitations/implications
This paper presents a research agenda for future exploration. There are implications for theoretical perspectives of supply chain management as well as retail operations.
Originality/value
This paper offers insights into the impact of fast fashion on the supply chain and the links in the process which deserve further research attention.
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Veronica Gabrielli, Ilaria Baghi and Vanni Codeluppi
The aim the present study is to investigate the consumption practices of fast fashion products. During the introductory stage of this phenomenon, most academic literature has…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim the present study is to investigate the consumption practices of fast fashion products. During the introductory stage of this phenomenon, most academic literature has focused its attention on structural and industrial aspects of the fast fashion phenomenon. Now that the phenomenon has been present as a part of individuals’ daily lives for some years, the time is ripe for taking a closer look at consumers’ standpoint.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative technique of focus groups was chosen to carry out the research study within Italian consumers. The decision to exploit this methodology was largely guided by the exploratory purposes of this study and by the willingness to analyze the phenomenon of fast fashion and the consumption practices by adopting a social perspective.
Findings
Results of the exploratory study show an overview of the phenomenon of fast fashion from the standpoint of the consumers and especially of the way they “live” fast fashion and integrate these products in their consumption practices.
Originality/value
The study reveals a new perspective of analysis (consumers’ standpoint) to the phenomenon of fast fashion not previously investigated and suggests useful ideas to guide the strategic levers and communications through which fast fashion companies can identify their own evolutionary path.
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Hassan Chaudhry and George Hodge
The purpose of this paper is to explore the applications of postponement strategy in the textile and apparel industry, with a particular focus on the supply chain structure…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the applications of postponement strategy in the textile and apparel industry, with a particular focus on the supply chain structure, relationships and enabling activities supporting postponement strategy across the supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
For this research, a case study approach, supported by structured interviews, was adopted. The purpose was to explore the application of postponement with the objective of gathering considerable data from an organization or multiple organizations to develop the clearest possible picture of the phenomenon.
Findings
The nature of product, downstream demand and the supply chain structure impacts the choice of postponement strategy. Companies operating with manufacturing and logistics postponement share data across their supply chain extensively, while companies adopting purchasing postponement work towards enhancing suppliers’ capabilities and fostering relationships across their supply chains.
Research limitations/implications
The case study method limitations include lack of rigor and statistical generalization, small sample size and convenience sampling and lack of establishment of causal relationship. However a thorough study design and process can make case‐based research more rigorous and reliable, but caution still needs to be exercised while applying findings on differing scenarios.
Originality/value
The case studies depict the application of postponement and the enabling supply chain structures. Previous studies have either looked on the organizational perspective or supply chain perspective with regards to the power and dependence attributes. These cases look at the interaction routines and structures among the supply chains.
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Areti T. Vogel and Kittichai Watchravesringkan
This paper aims to uncover consumer evaluations of high-priced traditional retail luxury brands and more affordable neo-mass luxury retail brands when they imitate the innovative…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to uncover consumer evaluations of high-priced traditional retail luxury brands and more affordable neo-mass luxury retail brands when they imitate the innovative designs of one another.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a scenario inspired by a lawsuit involving admitted copying practices, this study used a one-way (time of product introduction: the traditional luxury brand launches the product design before the neo-mass luxury brand vs the neo-mass luxury brand launches the product design before the traditional luxury brand) between-subjects experimental design to examine the effect of time of product introduction (such that consumers are aware of imitation practices) on brand attitude, brand equity (measured via the dimensions of brand associations, brand image, brand credibility and brand leadership) and brand preference.
Findings
Results reveal that consumer awareness of imitation practices is important in determining changes in brand equity, brand attitude and brand preference, regardless of luxury brand type. The research also indicates that consumers evaluate traditional luxury brands that engage in imitation practices more negatively than neo-mass luxury brands that do so.
Research limitations/implications
This research provides a deeper understanding of consumer response to imitation practices, along with managerial insight for luxury brands operating in that sphere. Limitations and future research directions are also offered.
Originality/value
This study appears to be one of the first to investigate imitation practices by using stimuli inspired by a copycat case, and one of few that assesses consumer evaluations of imitation by existing brands.
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Roman Sidorchuk, Sergey Vladimirovich Mkhitaryan, Boris Vladimirovich Musatov, Aleksey Aleksandrovich Meshkov and Timur Alekseevich Tultaev
The share of student youth, as consumers, is quite significant in the world. Considering that retailers view young consumers (including student audience) an important segment of…
Abstract
Purpose
The share of student youth, as consumers, is quite significant in the world. Considering that retailers view young consumers (including student audience) an important segment of the market, a substantial question is to study the effect of values on motivation consumer behavior. The purpose of this paper is to fill the lack of studies on motivational influence of “high-level values” (HLV) on young consumers. This research paper examines the motivational influence of HLV on brands in certain product categories-markers, to develop a methodology for segmenting consumers based on their clustering by values and evaluating brand preferences in different segments.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample was formed by the “snowball” method from first-year undergraduate students. The sample size involves 239 respondents. The research was carried out by the online survey method on the basis of a structured questionnaire. To obtain segments, the authors used hierarchical cluster analysis by the Ward method and the Euclidean distance method. The statistical significance of the differences in brand preferences between segments was checked in the conjugacy tables using the χ2 test at different significance levels.
Findings
Findings show clearly the possibility on the basis of HLV to identify segments of consumers, which allows obtaining the distribution of the perception of the brand. For a student audience received segments were: “Become a successful leader,” “become successful in a harmonious world,” “ascetic,” “the Hedonist,” Frequency analysis revealed an uneven distribution of preferences between the examined brands. At the same time, revealed the differences in the motivational significance HLV for brands in different product categories.
Practical implications
Retailers should use segmentation based on motivation influence of HLV for improving the effectiveness of communication of young consumers with brands. The solution of this problem will allow forming particular strategic behaviors of retailers occurring in the sphere of shaping relationships with young consumers.
Originality/value
It is one of the rare studies that investigate motivational influence of a complex of ten HLV on the young consumers. In this paper, the authors propose to use a methodology for young consumers segmentation based on clustering for HLV, and assessing brands preferences in different segments.
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Zara Whysall, Mike Owtram and Simon Brittain
The transformational changes to business environments brought about by the fourth industrial revolution create a perfect storm for strategic human resource management, prompting a…
Abstract
Purpose
The transformational changes to business environments brought about by the fourth industrial revolution create a perfect storm for strategic human resource management, prompting a need to explore the implications of this context for talent management theory and practice. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth interviews were conducted with HR directors and senior leaders within engineering-led organisations to explore current challenges experienced across each stage of the talent pipeline: attraction and recruitment, training and development, career development, talent mobility and succession planning.
Findings
The speed of technological change brought about by Industry 4.0 had created a significant gap between current capability of employees and the rapidly evolving requirements of their roles, prompting a need to consider new and more effective approaches to talent development. Middle managers are increasingly recognised as overlooked critical talent within this context of unprecedented change, given their essential role in change management. In addition, whilst lateral hiring remains a common talent management practice, in the case of Industry 4.0 this equates to fighting a war for talent that does not exist.
Practical implications
This study suggests that there is a need for evolution of talent management theory and practice towards a more dynamic, systems-thinking orientation, acknowledging the interrelated nature of different talent management activities.
Originality/value
This paper provides an in-depth insight into the impact of the unprecedented change brought about by Industry 4.0 on contemporary talent management practice, considering how theory and practice might need to evolve to enable individuals and organisations to keep up with the rate of technological change.