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The purpose of this study was to analyze the role of consumer perceived value relative to home furnishing case good (i.e. furniture made of wood and not upholstered) consumption choices.

A qualitative approach to data collection and interpretation was used. A semi-structured depth-interview and focus group schedule was created based on an extant review of literature and consisted of open-ended questions about shopping for and purchasing home furnishings case goods.

A thematic interpretation of interviews and focus groups led to the development of emergent themes: the key factors influencing participant's value perceptions were quality, comfort, and price; participants decorated first for themselves; a welcoming, attractive environment for family and friends/guests was important; and desires and wants were more salient than needs. Themes were then categorized according to Sheth, Newman, and Gross' five consumption value dimensions.

Limitations of the study include a focus on Southeastern US consumers and a focus on home furnishings case goods.

Although the findings of this research are market specific, they have important implications for the home furnishings case goods industry. Overall, this study provides product developers, manufacturers, and marketers with a greater understanding of the home furnishings case goods consumer, which could allow sellers to create lead times and provide consumers with more tailored offerings/selections that would better suit their needs and desires.

This paper offers insight into the role of consumer perceived value relative to home furnishing consumption choices to product developers, manufacturers, and marketers.

The purpose of this study is to provide an updated view of the effects of selected socioeconomic and demographic factors on household expenditures for home furnishings among US households. Using consumer demand theory as the underlying theoretical framework, Tobit analysis was used to estimate expenditure equations for household textiles, floor coverings, and furniture using the 1995 Consumer Expenditure Survey. Although the home furnishings industry grew significantly during the 1980s and 1990s, the results of this study indicate that the socioeconomic and demographic factors underlying home furnishing expenditures have remained fairly stable. However, long‐run trends in the age distribution and ethnic composition of the US population suggest that the young adult market and Hispanic consumers are market segments that could provide greater opportunities for companies in the home furnishings industry. In addition, building on the fashion orientation that has developed in home fashions during the past 20 years may provide further opportunities. Finally, future research could benefit from the inclusion of more dwelling‐specific variables, such as the number of rooms in the household, and whether or not remodeling occurred.

To identify dimensions of evaluative criteria used when purchasing casual apparel and casual home furnishings and to determine which evaluative criteria served as predictors of brand extension purchase behavior of these products.

A mailed self‐administered survey sent to a randomized sample of 739 female consumers residing in three metropolitan areas in a southwest state in the USA resulted in a response rate of 32.7 percent. Purchase frequency of 15 brands that extended across apparel and home furnishings and the importance of 17 evaluative criteria were measured using 7‐point Likert‐type scales. Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation and path analysis using LISREL 8 were performed.

Image, quality, color/style, and design/beauty of fashion products are important criteria when purchasing extended brands of casual apparel and home furnishings. Image of fashion products was the strongest predictor when brands were extended from apparel to home furnishings products.

This study was limited to female consumers living in urban areas in one state in the USA and to casual apparel and home furnishings fashion product categories.

Suggests retailers focus on brand or store image when extending brand from apparel to home furnishings and merchandise multiple product categories to increase sales across product categories.

Little research on brand extension of fashion products exists yet this is a growing strategic area of fashion product development and merchandising. This study addresses the need to examine consumer behavior associated with fashion brand extension.

AVIATION Furnishings International Ltd must, at first glace, convey something of an enigmatic and slightly paradoxical quality about itself and its activities.

The colors of traditional interior textiles cannot be changed. With the development of hi-tech textiles, interior textiles and furnishings with changeable colors are now possible with the integration of optical fibers. In this article, a study on the design of optical fiber integrated photonic interior furnishings is presented. First, the applications of polymeric optical fibers (POFs) in textiles are reviewed. It is observed that although there have been a wide variety in applications of POFs in textiles, research on the application of POFs in interior furnishing is rarely reported. The gap between technology and design handicaps the usability of photonic products. In order to design user-friendly photonic soft furnishings, a new design method is explored. Both technical and design aspects are considered in the development of photonic soft furnishings. A prototype of photonic fabrics and soft furnishings is successfully created. A usability test is undertaken to evaluate the performance of the prototype. The result of the usability test reveals that most of the subjects are satisfied with the overall performance of the prototype. They believe that photonic interior furnishings with changeable colors can enhance the environment. These usability test results are fed back to the design framework, and can provide a good source of reference for the improvement of photonic soft furnishing in the future.

Zyne is a mid-sized Delhi-based firm engaged in the home linen business under the company’s brand name. Raman was the Managing Director of Zyne. In 2019, Prashanth the head of the second-best region (West) quit abruptly without grooming a successor. Prashanth’s team consisted of greenhorn executives whom he recruited from colleges. Raman has options of selecting a replacement for Prashanth from within the organization. Two candidates are in the reckoning, namely, Amit and Neha. Amit was 48 years old, a veteran in the business and associated with the Zyne group for over 15 years. He was a top sales performer in the Central region and was interested in relocating to the West. Twenty-seven-year-old Neha was industrious, talented and creative. Within three years of joining Zyne, she had proven herself as a go-getter with remarkable ability to develop strong channel partner relations. Raman had to decide whom to select from among the two or go for an outsider from the industry. Raman has to contend with selection issues related to insider vs an outsider. If one of the internal candidates is chosen how could he motivate the other to continue to perform and deliver? The case focuses on the challenges of recruitment of a Sales Manager (SM) in a small home furnishing business. Use of competency framing to validate the candidates is the high point of the case

By the end of case discussion participants should be able to understand the following: differentiate skills required in a sales leadership role as compared to that of a sales executive; evaluate the pros and cons of internal promotions versus hiring an outsider; apply the concept of competency framework to evaluate different candidates vying for the same position; and understand how a candidate not selected for the position understands the reasons thereof to enable improvements.

Started in 2010, Zyne Furnishings headquartered at Delhi, was in the business of selling home furnishings. Raman, a second-generation entrepreneur was Zyne’s Managing Partner. With help from his father Rajesh Gupta, Raman worked toward expanding Zyne’s business operations in India. Raman was facing a challenge because of the abrupt resignation of Prashanth, the Western Region SM. Prashant had done well in the region and assiduously built Zyne brand’s presence there. As Raman pondered over the ways of filling up the SM position, questions confronted him for which he did not have immediate answers. He had 30 days in which a replacement must be finalized. Raman looked at the file containing the applications of the two internal candidates, namely, Amit (Southern region) and Neha (Western region) who had applied for the position. What evaluation process should he adopt to ensure an objective assessment is done before deciding on which of the two candidates fit the bill? Given that it was the first week of January 2020 and the year-end targets had to be met by March, Raman knew time was running out. He had to take a quick call. Use of competency mapping to evaluate candidates is a high point of the case. This case can be used to enhance the participants understanding of the challenges of identifying the right candidate for a senior position and weigh the pros and cons associated with the selection. Motivating the rejected internal candidate through the procedural justice system adds value to the case.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 8: Marketing.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how electronic components can be utilized and integrated into polymeric optical fibre (POF) textiles to refine the design aesthetic, tactile quality and initiate the interaction of textiles with the users; and to study the design process of interactive products by using a novel design process model.

Fashion and textile design methods, textile technology are used in combination with modern technologies such as laser engraving, sensing, short-distance communication technology, throughout the entire process of development of interactive photonics creations.

The results of evaluation indicate that the engineered prototypes can enhance the interactive function of interior furnishing. The usability of interactive POF cushions is optimized by innovative design methods considering both design and technology.

This research explores to combine knowledge from different disciplines, including textile, electronics, sensor and laser to create interactive soft furnishings. The inter-disciplinary research provides a new perspective on how POF fabric can be utilized as a new media to change the way people interact with their living surroundings. The interior soft furnishings are no longer unresponsive to people, but can react to them, adapt to their behaviors, change color according to their preferences and therefore merge into our daily life. The developed prototypes reshape interior soft furnishing, and therefore have both theoretical and practical significance.

This paper seeks to provide an updated, general understanding of supercenter shopping behavior in the USA.

The study employs a sample generated from Retail Forward panel data to assess the impact of demographic variables, including gender, age, ethnicity, education, income, marital status, and household size, on supercenter shopping frequency across four product categories (apparel, health and beauty, home furnishings, and consumer electronics). Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques (regression, ANOVA) are used to evaluate the data.

The paper identifies demographic groups who frequent supercenters and examines patronage motives as drivers of supercenter shopping behavior.

Generalizations of the findings of this study to markets outside the USA are limited due to the differences in consumers and retail formats available in various countries. Future research could compare shopping behavior within large formats across international markets.

This research provides supercenter retailers who operate within the USA with specific knowledge of the patronage motives driving cross‐category shopping in supercenters (e.g. value, one‐stop shopping convenience, brands, product assortment) and identifies the demographic characteristics of cross‐category shoppers. The results suggest marketing strategy implications for supercenter operators in the US market. As competition in the sector continues to evolve and consumer demographics change within the US market, understanding cross‐category shopping will be critical to retailer performance in the industry.

This study uses demographics and patronage motives as a framework for profiling cross‐category shoppers in the US supercenters. The paper is unique because there are few similar empirical studies which focus on consumer behavior within supercenters.

The purpose of this paper is to present a model of “environmental control”. Environmental control can be provided through: furnishings and work tools that can be modified or manipulated, choice of time and location of work, organizational policies for flexible work programs, training, and computing and communications technologies that extend control. This paper seeks to propose that enhanced environmental control is related to improved individual, group and organizational performance.

A conceptual model is presented of environmental control coupled with a review and analysis of relevant literature that support the model and identify areas that require further development and research.

The literature review and analysis show support for the model of environmental control. The research reviewed reveals a consistent relationship between workplace capabilities that provide control, and positive behavioral and business performance outcomes for individuals, teams and business units. The review identifies gaps in the empirical support for the model and provides directions for future research.

Ultimately, environmental control is proposed as a means for providing choice about where, when and how to work, which can be used to improve the performance of people and organizations. Thus, environmental control is a crucial capability in which organizations should invest, by optimizing choice through workspace, policies, and technology. By leveraging control as a central component of workplace strategy, organizations may enhance their competitive advantage.

Much of the research described in the paper, and methods employed, are appropriate for exploratory research and theory‐building.

The purpose of the study is to optimize the blending ratio of Arecanut and cotton fibers to create yarn with the best quality for various applications, particularly home furnishings. The study aims to determine the effect of different blend ratios on the physical and mechanical properties of the yarn.

The study involves blending Arecanut and cotton fibers in various ratios (90:10, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 10:90) at two different yarn counts (10/1 and 5/1). Various physical and mechanical properties of the blended yarn are analyzed, including unevenness, coefficient of mass variation (cvm%), imperfection, hairiness, breaking strength, elongation, tenacity and breaking work.

The research findings suggest that the blend ratio of 10:90 (10% cotton and 90% Arecanut fiber) produced the best results in terms of physical and mechanical properties for both yarn counts. This blend ratio resulted in reduced unevenness, cvm% and imperfection, while also exhibiting good mechanical properties such as breaking strength, elongation, tenacity and breaking work. The blend with a higher concentration of cotton generally showed better properties due to the coarseness of Arecanut fiber. As the goal of the study was to determine the best blend ratio that included the most Arecanut fiber based on its physical and mechanical properties, which is suitable for home furnishing applications, 75:25 Areca cotton blend ratio of yarn count 5/1 proved to be the best.

The study acknowledges that Arecanut fiber must be blended with other commercially used fibers like cotton due to its coarseness. While the study provides insights into optimizing blend ratios for home furnishings and packaging, further research may be needed to make the material suitable for clothing applications.

The research has practical implications for industries interested in utilizing Arecanut and cotton blends for various applications, such as home furnishings and packaging materials. It suggests that specific blend ratios can result in yarn with desirable properties for these purposes.

The study mentions that the increased use of Arecanut fibers can benefit the growers of Arecanut, potentially providing economic opportunities for communities engaged in Arecanut farming.

The research explores the utilization of Arecanut fibers, an underutilized resource, in combination with cotton to create sustainable yarn. It assesses various blend ratios and their impact on yarn properties, contributing to the understanding of eco-friendly textile materials.