Predictors of purchase intention toward green apparel products in the U.S. and China

Scope and Method of Study: Despite the increase in interest of green apparel products, studies in the field of retail apparel regarding consumers intentions to purchase green apparel products have been especially scant. Also, research to identify factors that determine individuals intentions to purchase green apparel products has been very limited. Understanding such factors is critical, though, because it helps marketers implement proper marketing strategies and forecast green apparel purchase behaviors. Therefore, a model that simultaneously examines the antecedents of consumer purchase intention toward green apparel products is needed. This study aimed to examine U.S. and Chinese consumers behaviors regarding green apparel products using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Therefore, this study proposed and tested a theoretical model to explain how and to what extent each variable affects purchase intention.Findings and Conclusions: For the U.S., among the seven hypotheses proposed, six paths were supported. The one unsupported path was external PBC -> purchase intention toward green apparel products. Two indirect antecedents to purchase intention (man-nature orientation and environmental knowledge) positively influenced variables in the TPB. In addition, other than external PBC, all variables in the TPB had a positive effect on purchase intention of green apparel products. In contrast, for China, the path between man-nature orientation and attitude toward green apparel products was not supported, but all other paths were supported. Only environmental knowledge (indirect antecedent) positively influenced internal PBC. All variables in the TPB positively influenced purchase intention of green apparel products. Among variables in the TPB, subjective norm was found to have the highest influence on purchase intention in both countries. Country moderating effects were not tested because of no supported evidence of invariance tests. Based on these findings, theoretical and managerial implications were discussed

Thermal Comfort Analysis of the Fused Liner

Thai handwoven fabrics are not woven as tightly as machine-produced woven fabrics, resulting in fraying during construction process. Local tailors iron fusible polyester lining onto the back of handwoven fabric before cutting to make it stiffer and easier to cut and sew. This study investigated thermal comfort values of a fusible liner in a hot climate. Two different 100% handwoven cotton fabrics were selected as the surface fabrics and tested in three different conditions; 1) cotton surface only (CO), 2) cotton surface with 100% polyester fusible liner (COFL) and 3) cotton surface with 100% polyester regular non-fusible liner (CONFL). ANOVA test was employed. Rct values show that COFL produces better dry thermal resistance than other fabric combinations. Ret values show is no significant difference among three fabric conditions. In conclusion, COFL transfers heat well from body to outside and produces better thermal comfort for the wearers. Further findings are discussed

Positive and Negative Advertising Images as Effective Sustainable Consumer Stimuli

Ha-Brookshire and Bhaduri (2014) found that the apparel business’ distrustful messages affect more consumer’s purchase intention that trustful messages. Dam and Jonge (2015) reported similar findings. Negative messages on labelling more directly influenced consumers’ attitudes toward products than positive messages. Authors concluded that this might be because consumers are willing to spend their money in order to avoid challenging ethical issues. As these two studies are limited to using messages in their studies, the purpose of this study is to examine whether positive (or negative) images were more effective at retaining consumers’ attentions

Evaluating Thermal Comfort of Sweat-Management Fabrics for Sportswear

Exercise and fitness are essential elements of health and well-being. With increased attention to living a healthy lifestyle, people tend to allocate more time to exercise and are participating in sport and leisure activities more often. To accommodate people\u27s desire to be kept dry, comfortable, and moving freely, while enhancing athletic performance, the production of sweat-management fabricated (SMF) apparels have accelerated (Davis & Bishop, 2013). Numerous manufacturers and retailers have paid attention and developed lines of fabrics used to make shorts, shirts, socks, pants and more. Despite these trends, research related to the thermal comfort of SMF apparels, especially determining appropriate fabric or fabric combination for SMF apparels, is scant. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the thermal comfort of sweat-management fabrics to reveal their suitability for sportswear. This study examined several types of sweat-management fabrics to compare their usefulness in terms of thermal comfort

Remineralization Property of an Orthodontic Primer Containing a Bioactive Glass with Silver and Zinc

White spot lesions (WSLs) are irreversible damages in orthodontic treatment due to excessive etching or demineralization by microorganisms. In this study, we conducted a mechanical and cell viability test to examine the antibacterial properties of 0.2% and 1% bioactive glass (BAG) and silver-doped and zinc-doped BAGs in a primer and evaluated their clinical applicability to prevent WSLs. The microhardness statistically significantly increased in the adhesive-containing BAG, while the other samples showed no statistically significant difference compared with the control group. The shear bond strength of all samples increased compared with that of the control group. The cell viability of the control and sample groups was similar within 24 h, but decreased slightly over 48 h. All samples showed antibacterial properties. Regarding remineralization property, the group containing 0.2% of the samples showed remineralization properties compared with the control group, but was not statistically significant; further, the group containing 1% of the samples showed a significant difference compared with the control group. Among them, the orthodontic bonding primer containing 1% silver-doped BAG showed the highest remineralization property. The new orthodontic bonding primer used in this study showed an antimicrobial effect, chemical remineralization effect, and WSL prevention as well as clinically applicable properties, both physically and biologically

Orbital Apex Syndrome in a Patient with Sphenoid Fungal Balls

Orbital apex syndrome (OAS) is a rare disease that presents with a complex of symptoms, including ophthalmoplegia, ptosis and visual loss. Due to the poor prognosis, making a prompt diagnosis and administering the appropriate treatment must be initiated without delay if OAS is suspected. We report here on a case of a patient with sphenoid fungal balls, and he presented with acute visual loss and ophthalmoplegia

Predictors of Purchase Intention toward Green Apparel Products: A Cross-Cultural Investigation in the U.S. and China

Despite the increase in interest in green apparel products (Hamilton & Zilberman, 2006), limited studies regarding consumers’ green behavior in apparel products have been conducted (Lee, 2011; Mahenc, 2008) and some focused only on green issues in the production stage without looking at consumer buying patterns. Another serious gap in green apparel consumption is limited understanding of green apparel consumption behaviors in other countries.</p

Thermal Comfort Analysis of the Fused Liner

Thai handwoven fabrics are not woven as tightly as machine-produced woven fabrics, resulting in fraying during construction process. Local tailors iron fusible polyester lining onto the back of handwoven fabric before cutting to make it stiffer and easier to cut and sew. This study investigated thermal comfort values of a fusible liner in a hot climate. Two different 100% handwoven cotton fabrics were selected as the surface fabrics and tested in three different conditions; 1) cotton surface only (CO), 2) cotton surface with 100% polyester fusible liner (COFL) and 3) cotton surface with 100% polyester regular non-fusible liner (CONFL). ANOVA test was employed. Rct values show that COFL produces better dry thermal resistance than other fabric combinations. Ret values show is no significant difference among three fabric conditions. In conclusion, COFL transfers heat well from body to outside and produces better thermal comfort for the wearers. Further findings are discussed.</p