U.S. Trade Relations with Arab Countries: Past, Present, and Future

Arab countries have adopted market economy principles and pursued policies designed to strengthen their economies. The cornerstone of Arab countries' long-term economic objectives has been to increase trade and support economic growth via regional and global integration. To this end, Arab countries are attempting to broaden their engagement in the multilateral trading system by joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). In addition, some Arab countries entered into trade arrangements with the United States (U.S.) to foster economic development, attract investment, and develop peaceful relationship. These trade agreements carry several implications for local economies

Ethical consumer behavior: the attitude-behavior gap in the textile industry

In today’s society the trend of ethical consumerism is undeniable, yet, even though consumers are ethically concerned, they rarely transform their intentions into a green purchasing behavior – a phenomenon that is also present in the sustainable fashion industry. This study aims to understand the prevailing attitude-behavior gap and explores the barriers that constrain consumers in purchasing green apparel. A total of thirteen in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed to the principles of grounded theory. The analysis reveals that the following barriers impede consumption of sustainable fashion: Price, availability, knowledge, transparency, image, inertia and consumption habits. The impact of each on consumers’ purchase decisions might be of interest to apparel manufacturers and retailers who should implement strategies to encourage eco-conscious apparel acquisition and focus on diminishing these barriers. Hence, this paper recommends industry parties (1) to concentrate on product attributes, (2) to adopt a digital communication strategy and (3) to make a greater effort on making green apparel attainable. This study contributes to the overall understanding of consumer behavior in the ethical fashion industry and examines in-depth the purchasing criteria for sustainable fashion for consumers

Addressing the Lack of Availability in Diverse Skin Tone Options for Performance Fabric

The following research addresses the lack of availability in diverse skin tone options for performance fabric. The project will discuss the struggles people of color face when finding fabrics that accurately match their skin tone and the difficulties in sourcing the materials needed to successfully design a garment. The research gathered will be used to produce a collection of 4 looks using nude mesh fabrics that are readily available to the average consumer. The garments within the collection will be designed to match the skin color of 4 models. The collection’s theme will be based around the 4 cardinal witches from Lyman Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz. Each of the 4 witches’ characteristics will be portrayed through the corresponding garments within the collection. The design development process for all 4 looks will be documented through illustrations and visual images such as picture reference and inspiration collages. I will be drafting patterns for 2 out of the 4 garments and displaying the muslin-making process. The purpose of this research is to show the difficulties in sourcing nude mesh fabrics for various skin tones, as well as bring attention to an ongoing problem within the dance and performance industry

Riding the subscription box wave: Understanding the landscape, challenges, and critical success factors of the subscription box industry

The subscription box e-commerce industry has experienced tremendous growth over the last 5 years. Given the growing size of the industry, this business model warrants the close attention of firms currently offering subscription services as well as companies considering entering this industry. This article presents a detailed overview of the subscription box industry and proposes a framework—the four Cs—for understanding subscription offerings. It identifies challenges and opportunities facing this industry, and it provides managers with guidance in the form of five tenets on how to navigate the subscription box economy

Biomimicry and Forced Connections to Inspire Innovation

The purpose of this project was to explore biomimicry and integrating forms of nature to generate unique ideas and possible solutions to problems. Four key components of this project were biomimicry, brainstorming, forced connections, and innovation to answer the question: What can I learn about imagination, forced connections, process, mindset, and innovation by copying aspects of nature or being inspired by nature? A Biomimicry and Forced Connections Design Journal contained conceptual designs based on nature or a challenge-to-nature searching for solutions. A Reflective Learning Journal included prior experiences and working on this project that contributed to my knowledge and insights. The findings of this project revealed that using the forced connections tool and unrelated images uncovers novel and wild ideas. As a result, innovation occurred in the outcomes, throughout processes, and using skills such as curiosity, awareness, determination, and perseverance developing the mindset of an innovator

Using Brand Concept Maps to Examine the Extension of Ford and Jeep Brands

The intense competition in marketing today has led to excessive financial risks when a new brand enters the market. To avoid the extremely high costs and difficulties associated with this process, many firms choose to take advantage of established brands to launch new product lines or categories. The purpose of this study was to explore the evaluation of brand extension in fashion using brand concept mapping (BCM). Specifically, the first objective was to identify consumers’ associations with Ford and Jeep apparel using BCM, while the second objective was to categorize those associations using Korchia’s (1999) brand association categories to compare brand associations and images of Ford and Jeep apparel in the Chinese market. Snowball sampling was used to collect data in such major cities as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Tianjin. Sixty Participants were recruited and divided into four groups: Ford automobile, Jeep automobile, Ford Men’s Wear and Jeep Men’s Wear. Each group consisted of 15 participants. Each participant created a brand concept map and answered a questionnaire. Consensus maps were generated based on individual maps according to aggregation rules. By comparing BCMs for Jeep and Ford automobiles with the maps of Ford and Jeep Men’s Wear, I demonstrated that the BCM can be a powerful tool to evaluate brand extension. Mapping results suggested that strong brand associations (both positive and negative) with the parent brand transferred well to the extension, even when the “fit” between the two was poor. In the category of fashion, brand personality and country of origin played important roles, particularly in emerging markets. Also, the level of brand engagement can be a good indicator of consumers’ buying power