Turkey: gaining market share in the U.S. ready-to-wear clothing market

Although many believe the global textile industry is mature it is still a growing market with predictions the world textile and clothing industries are expected to grow at a three to four percent rate per year fr some time to come. Moreover, it is predicted that by 2010 this industry will be a $500 billion market (Gorvett, December 6, 2006). Although China is a source for many of U.S. products, particularly apparel, the recent product recalls and the need for quality suppliers provides opportunities for Turkish goods. Hence, the overall purpose of this study was to determine the criteria needed by Turkish suppliers to gain market share in the U.S. apparel industry. Five owners of Turkish textile manufacturing firms well established in Europe and recently in the U.S. were surveyed. Results showed that entering the U.S. market as a wholesaler or distributor and gaining experience was the ‘safest’ way to start. Opening stores may be a next step but must be based on matching brand image with appropriate target markets. Population and culture are so diverse and fragmented in the U.S. most textile products can find a niche in the marketplace, subject to strategic positioning.

Entrepreneurs in Emerging Economies: Creating Trust, Social Capital, and Civil Society

This article reports on findings from interviews with fledgling entrepreneurs in four former Soviet republics (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine). Analysis of the interviews was conducted against a backdrop of concepts from the literature of civil society, social capital, and entrepreneurship as applied to small business development. The main finding of the study was the unanimous claim by the entrepreneurs that trust was one of two prime requisites for success, and this in societies that had been culturally depraved for many years. From this finding, two models were developed incorporating civil society, social capital, and trust to more fully depict the entrepreneurial environment. </jats:p