Skills and knowledge required for merchandising professionals in the South African apparel retail industry

The purpose of this study was to investigate skills and knowledge for merchandising professionals in the South African apparel retail industry. An exploratory, sequential mixed method research design was implemented in two phases. Phase I followed a phenomenological approach focused on: (a) examining merchandising positions and responsibilities and (b) identifying skills and knowledge required for apparel merchandising professionals to fulfill their positions and perform their responsibilities. Data were collected through semi-structured individual in-depth interviews from a purposive sample of 16 merchandising professionals employed within the South African retail industry. The successive Phase II employed an adaptive conjoint analysis survey to prioritize the skills and knowledge identified in Phase I. A total of 172 merchandising professionals completed the electronic, self-administered survey generated through Sawtooth Software Inc. The results of the individual interviews revealed that four distinct positions in the South African retail industry correspond with merchandising positions suggested in international literature. In most retailers, merchandising departments consisted of discrete positions such as buyers, planners, product developers, and sourcing coordinators that perform a range of complex responsibilities to execute the product and profit strategy of retailers. Analysis of interviews identified 29 skills and knowledge types and 116 individual skills and knowledge dimensions describing the types, that merchandising professionals need to do their jobs. The 29 skills and knowledge types were prioritized based on their relative importance score (RIS) ranging from 4.55 - 1.57. With communication receiving the highest RIS (4.55) and sustainability the lowest RIS (1.57). The average utility value of individual dimensions determined the most important ones to have within each skills and knowledge type. Fifty-eight individual skills and knowledge dimensions with positive average utility values were retained, that were deemed important for merchandising professionals in the South African retail industry. Based on the prioritized merchandising skills and knowledge in Phase II, an apparel merchandising competency framework, developed from on extensive analyses of extant studies, was adapted specifically for the South African retail industry. The apparel merchandising competency framework provided a typology for organizing the prioritized merchandising skills and knowledge required for merchandising professionals in the South African apparel retail industry. This study contributes to the literature in terms of skills and knowledge required for apparel merchandising professionals in the 21st century and the importance of competent professionals in a consumer-led and profit driven industry such as apparel retail. The apparel merchandising competency framework, that to date was not available in theory, is a valuable tool for educators, industry, and government. The framework (a) is apparel merchandising specific; (b) indicates the priority of skills and knowledge that should be stressed in curricula and professional development and where to allocate resources; and (c) can be adapted to the ever-changing needs and requirements of the apparel industry

Hedonic and Utilitarian Shopping Motivations of Male Fashion Leaders

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate to what extent hedonic (e.g. adventure, social, gratification, idea, role and value) and utilitarian (e.g. efficiency and achievement) shopping motivations differ between male fashion innovators and fashion opinion leaders (fashion leadership). The research hypotheses, as well as the conceptual framework, were based on shopping motivation literature and Rogers\u27 (2003) diffusion of innovations theory. Data was collected from a purposive sample (n = 250), via a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire developed from existing scales. An EFA, retained nine factors labelled: fashion innovativeness, fashion opinion leadership, achievement, efficiency, role escapism, value, social and idea shopping. Results indicated that fashion innovators are more motivated by hedonic shopping motivations, specifically escapism, role and idea, than fashion opinion leaders. In terms of utilitarian shopping motivations fashion opinion leaders are relatively more motivated by efficiency and achievement aspects than fashion innovators

The influence of important values and predominant identity on South African female Muslim students’ dress practices

Due to acculturation, South African Muslim women follow a variety of dress practices, ranging from traditional Islamic dress to more revealing Western fashions (Muthal, 2010, pp. 3 & 86; Kopp, 2002, pp. 64). The integration of new values and the creation of a new identity is a possible result of the acculturation process, when different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact. Values and identity are both expressive in nature, and individuals are motivated to communicate them to others through their appearances or dress (Kaiser, 1997, pp. 290). This study investigates a) the most important values (i.e., Social, Religious, Economic, Political, Aesthetic, Theoretical, Exploratory) and b) the predominant identity (i.e., Muslim, South African, Hybrid) as reflected in c) the different dress practices of South African female Muslim students. Everyday dress practices (material culture) are a reflection of underlying values and identity (non-material culture) (Kaiser, 1997)

What do they need to succeed? Development of an apparel merchandising competency framework

The purpose of this study was to: (a) identify a comprehensive list of merchandising knowledge and skills through an analysis of extant research; (b) categorize these knowledge and skills to create a classification matrix; and (c) based on this matrix, develop an apparel merchandising competency framework. Content analysis was used to to analyse a total of 32 published articles in peer reviewed journals focused on K&S required for business, retail, and merchandising professionals. A total of 140 different K&S found to be important for merchandising, retail, and business positions were identified and then systematically classified. The classification procedure followed four successive stages: (1) four main constructs were identified (i.e., explicit knowledge; tacit knowledge; soft skills; hard skills); (2) seven different categories of K&S were identified (i.e., explicit knowledge: general apparel and merchandising category; tacit knowledge: experience category; soft skills: interpersonal and intrapersonal category; hard skills: technical and conceptual/thinking category); (3) 39 types of K&S (16 knowledge and 23 skills) were identified within the seven categories and classified into each category; and (4) dimensions of each type of K&S were identified and classified accordingly. To categorize the K&S constructs, categories, and types, Pellegrino and Hilton’s (2012) competency domain framework was employed. The three competency domains aligned with the K&S constructs identified. Additionly, the different clusters in each domain provided an effective way to classify the categories and types of K&S. Based on this classification, we proposed an apparel merchandising competency framework that is discipline-specific and outlines the knowledge and skills required for merchandisers to be competent and, ultimately build a successful career

Am I Ready for the Global Apparel Industry?: Student Perspectives on Employability after a Multinational Virtual Collaboration Project

This study explored how undergraduate apparel students working in a virtual collaboration project define employability and perceive the skills, knowledge, and personal characteristics required by the globalized apparel industry, and reflected on the learning experience and participation in the project. Students (n = 119) enrolled in sourcing/merchandising courses at three universities located in the U.S., South Africa, and Australia, utilized Blackboard to complete three learning tasks. Students\u27 guided reflections were used in the data analysis. Foremost, students believed a relevant tertiary qualification and related industry experience were essential to be employable in the apparel industry. Communication, time-management, problem-solving, and strategically thinking were viewed as the most critical skills to have. Relevant knowledge areas were identified as well. Through this project participants gained crucial skills such as to communicate on a “global scaleâ€, effectively manage time, and virtual teamwork skills

Where\u27s the Next China? Comparative Advantages of Bangladesh and Vietnam Apparel Industries

A growing number of retailers consider building collaborative relationships with global outsourced suppliers as a key strategy to ensure efficiency in their supply chain.Extant literature has suggested that the collaborative relationships with suppliers benefit retailers by allowing them to reduce cost, enhance product quality, and to deliver products on-time. Although collaborative relationships between fashion retailers and global outsourced suppliers have drawn great attention in the fashion industry, little research has explored collaborative relationships in the context of fashion supply chain. In addition, while fashion retailers recognize the positive effect of the collaborative relationship with suppliers on their performance, lack of understanding about their suppliers prevents fashion retailers from developing and managing such collaborative relationships effectively (Fawcett et al., 2015). Furthermore, although suppliers\u27 perception and attitudes are identified as crucial factors in creating effective collaborative relationships between retailers and suppliers (Fawcett et al., 2015), not much research has illuminated collaborative relationships from the stance of global outsourced suppliers. To fill in the aforementioned void, we adopt a qualitative approach to identify the antecedents of building effective collaborative relationships between retailers and suppliers from the suppliers\u27 perspectives, specifically in the domain of global fashion supply chain

Professional South African women's adoption of the internet for apparel purchasing

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this documentDissertation (MSc(Consumer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2003.Consumer Scienceunrestricte