4,761 research outputs found

    Chinese Knitwear Brands: The need for creative design to result in global business success

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    Chinese cashmere knitwear companies have become suppliers of international fashion brands because of their technological excellence, advantages of raw materials and competitive prices. However, their in-house brands are steadily declining. In the past 15 years, Chinese cashmere brands have progressively lost their market share to Chinese and Western fashion brands, with a few notable exceptions. Their brands lack differentiation from other Chinese competitors, causing low price competition, which contributes to sustainability issues such as unsold stock and material/manpower waste. The decline is likely to continue as the brands serve only an ageing market, rather than attracting younger generations to their products. Chinese cashmere companies invest little in design, which is a significant limitation for improving the brandsā€™ opportunity to become successful and sustainable businesses. This study looks for solutions from the design perspective. The research aimed to investigate what design can do to help deal with the current problems of the Chinese knitwear brands to improve their prospects for future business success. The objectives of the study were to enquire into the challenges and opportunities facing the Chinese knitwear sector, to evaluate current design practice in knitwear brands, to understand how design and brand management can be integrated to generate a sustainable brand. Research questions were developed to explore the brand and design problems, the role of design and organisational structure, what the barriers and enablers for a thriving design culture were alongside possible solutions for design improvement. A pragmatic philosophy underpinned research design, guiding the adoption of methods in response to research questions. Interviews with stakeholders from both the knitwear industry and design education were undertaken. In addition, a case study using design action research with immersive field research was developed for investigating the knitwear brand issues; furthermore, a knitwear collection was created using western design approaches to demonstrate an exemplar design process for the sector and to illustrate the differences to current Chinese design methods. The study argues the obstacles to design culture enrichment in Chinese knitwear brands was caused by their design context, lack of brand positioning, limited understanding of their consumers and business models that are not fit for purpose. An absence of experienced leadership creates unclear design direction, instead of collections centred around a theme; Chinese brands sell unconnected designs. Brands lack the distinct brand characteristics that distinguish them from their competitors. The contribution to knowledge made by this study includes the identification of the reasons for the decline in Chinese cashmere brands, an understanding of their barriers to design culture to developing good designs and it also highlights the lack of awareness of sustainability issues in the sector. The study sheds new light on the rarely acknowledged issue of how to upgrade these brands as modern business for younger consumers, and how to enrich the design culture for brand business growth within sustainable contexts. The thesis analyses in depth the causes for the decline in these brands and makes recommendations for how design can make a contribution to reversing the brandsā€™ decline and increasing their sustainability

    Business Functions Capabilities and Small and Medium Enterprisesā€™ Internationalization

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    Ineffective global expansion can adversely affect small and medium enterprises (SMEs) business outcomes. Business leaders are concerned with developing effective global expansion strategies to penetrate potential international markets, thus enhancing sustainability. Grounded in the business management systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to explore strategies that leaders of Sub-Saharan Africa manufacturing SMEs use for global expansion. The participants were five manufacturing value-adding SME leaders participating in export markets. Using Yinā€™s five steps data analysis process, six themes emerged: (a) enterprise characterization, (b) understanding the enterpriseā€™s product, (c) intra-enterprise factor-based strategies for export participation, (d) the enterpriseā€™s external factor-based strategies for successful export venture, (e) global expansion strategies, and (f) serendipitous findings. A key recommendation for SME leaders is to analyze the critical components of their products and prepare to adjust them to the demand dimensions of the target market. The implications for positive social change include the potential to increase the enterpriseā€™s wealth, increase employment, reduce poverty for all value chain participants, and growth in gross domestic product

    Essays on the Economics of Telecommunications

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    My dissertation consists of three chapters on the economics of telecommunications. Chapter 1 studies how COVID-19 pandemic changed people's internet usage behavior by documenting both short-term and persistent changes in internet engagement using a novel panel of high-frequency household-level internet usage spanning 2020-2022. We find that Spring 2020 stay-at-home orders led to a dramatic increase in residential internet traffic, driven in part by the use of collaboration applications (e.g., Zoom), and other tools associated with access to the digital economy. We document changes in intertemporal usage patterns, time spent online, and bit rates across traffic categories. Finally, we compare behavioral changes in internet engagement by demographic segment, and discuss implications for broadband labels and the digital divide. Chapter 2 uses novel household-level data describing internet and TV usage, together with the timing of Kodi software adoption, to quantify damages from media piracy. We find that adoption does not harm paid over-the-top video providers. TV subscriptions decrease and internet-tier upgrades increase, resulting in a 1% reduction in payments to multiple-system operators (MSOs). MSO profits decrease if TV margins exceed 30%. These behavioral changes harm content providers reliant on MSOs for distribution via reduced licensing and advertising revenues. Chapter 3 develops a model of demand for mobile telecommunications with shared data allowances, and estimate it using individual-level plan and usage decisions. Using the model estimates we measure the biases in preference estimates that result from ignoring the strategic interaction between household members, and loss in consumer welfare due to over-consumption early in billing cycles.Doctor of Philosoph

    Womenā€™s occupational mobility in the Nigerian service sector through a radical feminist perspective

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    A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.The impact of womenā€™s contribution and participation in society and its economies has been theorised to contribute trillion dollars to global GDP. There is extensive research and literature that has contextualised and developed our understanding of the marginalisation of women in our societies to advocate for gender equality as the United Nationsā€™ 5th Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality is also essential in achieving other sustainable development goals. To contribute to the growing empirical study within the context of Sub-Sahara Africa with a particular focus on Nigeria, this study investigates the impact of institutionalisation of organisational practices in the leadership experience and participation of women in the service sector. Through a radical feminist perspective, a deconstructive analysis of the Nigerian context was conducted on the culture of Nigeria and its influence on organisational culture and the adoption of leadership styles. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 women in the service sector in entry-level, middle-management and leadership positions across three industries: financial institutions, Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), and Higher Education. The findings revealed the relationship between the dimensions of institutional theory and women's experience. They shed light on the institutional void and the barriers to womenā€™s occupational mobility and full economic participation. Most importantly, the outcome of this investigation documents critical recommendations for organisations, women, and NGOs to consider how to change cultural mindsets within the service sector. The call for organisations is to be deliberate in identifying barriers and initiating a strategy to tackle those barriers with a ten-part monitoring and evaluation toolkit

    The University of Montana: A History Through the Lens of Physical Culture, PE, Health, Athletics, and Recreation 1897-2019: The Evolution of a Department

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    https://scholarworks.umt.edu/burns/1000/thumbnail.jp

    A strategic turnaround model for distressed properties

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    The importance of commercial real estate is clearly shown by the role it plays, worldwide, in the sustainability of economic activities, with a substantial global impact when measured in monetary terms. This study responds to an important gap in the built environment and turnaround literature relating to the likelihood of a successful distressed commercial property financial recovery. The present research effort addressed the absence of empirical evidence by identifying a number of important factors that influence the likelihood of a successful distressed, commercial property financial recovery. Once the important factors that increase the likelihood of recovery have been determined, the results can be used as a basis for turnaround strategies concerning property investors who invest in distressed opportunities. A theoretical turnaround model concerning properties in distress, would be of interest to ā€˜opportunistic investingā€™ yield-hungry investors targeting real estate transactions involving ā€˜turnaroundā€™ potential. Against this background, the main research problem investigated in the present research effort was as follows: Determine the important factors that would increase the likelihood of a successful distressed commercial property financial recovery. A proposed theoretical model was constructed and empirically tested through a questionnaire distributed physically and electronically to a sample of real estate practitioners from across the globe, and who had all been involved, directly or indirectly, with reviving distressed properties. An explanation was provided to respondents of how the questionnaire was developed and how it would be administered. The demographic information pertaining to the 391 respondents was analysed and summarised. The statistical analysis performed to ensure the validity and reliability of the results, was explained to respondents, together with a detailed description of the covariance structural equation modelling method used to verify the proposed theoretical conceptual model. vi The independent variables of the present research effort comprised; Obsolescence Identification, Capital Improvements Feasibility, Tenant Mix, Triple Net Leases, Concessions, Property Management, Contracts, Business Analysis, Debt Renegotiation, Cost-Cutting, Market Analysis, Strategic Planning and Demography, while the dependent variable was The Perceived Likelihood of a Distressed Commercial Property Financial Recovery. After analysis of the findings, a revised model was then proposed and assessed. Both validity and reliability were assessed and resulted in the following factors that potentially influence the dependent variables; Strategy, Concessions, Tenant Mix, Debt Restructuring, Demography, Analyse Alternatives, Capital Improvements Feasibility, Property Management and Net Leases while, after analysis, the dependent variable was replaced by two dependent variables; The Likelihood of a Distressed Property Turnaround and The Likelihood of a Distressed Property Financial Recovery. The results showed that Strategy (comprising of items from Strategic Planning, Business Analysis, Obsolescence Identification and Property Management) and Concessions (comprising of items from Concessions and Triple Net Leases) had a positive influence on both the dependent variables. Property Management (comprising of items from Business Analysis, Property Management, Capital Improvements Feasibility and Tenant Mix) had a positive influence on Financial Turnaround variable while Capital Improvements Feasibility (comprising of items from Capital Improvements Feasibility, Obsolescence Identification and Property Management) had a negative influence on both. Demography (comprising of items only from Demography) had a negative influence on the Financial Recovery variable. The balance of the relationships were depicted as non-significant. The present research effort presents important actions that can be used to influence the turnaround and recovery of distressed real estate. The literature had indicated reasons to recover distressed properties as having wide-ranging economic consequences for the broader communities and the countries in which they reside. The turnaround of distressed properties will not only present financial rewards for opportunistic investors but will have positive effects on the greater community and economy and, thus, social and economic stability. Vii With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, issues with climate change and sustainability, global demographic shifts, changing user requirements, shifts in technology, the threat of obsolescence, urbanisation, globalisation, geo-political tensions, shifting global order, new trends and different generational expectations, it is becoming more apparent that the threat of distressed, abandoned and derelict properties is here to stay, and which will present future opportunities for turnaround, distressed property owners, as well as future worries for urban authorities and municipalities dealing with urban decay. The study concluded with an examination of the perceived limitations of the study as well as presenting a comprehensive range of suggestions for further research.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, School of the built Environment, 202

    based in 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development

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    The impact of Covid-19 on tourism has been existential, devastating employment, businesses and livelihoods across the tourism sector. The quality of the interactions between tourists and tourism workers can significantly impact a company's reputation, customer satisfaction, and overall business performance. Therefore, it is essential that the level of service provided to tourist is of the highest possible standard, and that is being hard due to the lack of workforce and unqualified workers. For that reason, retain human resources is a crucial challenge for the tourism and hospitality industry. As the industry gradually recovers, it is important to implement strategies that help retain and engage the workforce in the companies. Hence, the internship in Abbey Group aims to analyse the company regarding the spectrum of social sustainability goals of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and propose a combination of strategies to create a workplace environment that fosters loyalty, engagement, and commitment among the employees, helping the company retaining valuable human resources. Sustainability in the tour operator's business has become increasingly important and requires a comprehensive and integrated approach, that when well done can contribute to the preservation of natural and cultural resources while simultaneously benefiting their business and enhancing customer satisfaction, ensuring that way all stakeholders involved while protecting the planet's natural and cultural resources for generations to come. In the current report are analyse these concepts, their importance and strategies to be successful in the process
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