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The purpose of this study is to explore fit problems, satisfaction and preferences of Ethiopian male consumers of ready-made garments (shirt, polo shirt, sweater and khaki and jeans trousers) and highlight the need for a domestic standard garment size chart.

Using a structured questionnaire, 405 usable responses were collected from consumers in four cities (Bahir Dar, Kombolcha, Dessie and Addis Ababa) based on convenience sampling. Moreover, the pattern-making methods of 12 domestic garment manufacturing companies were investigated. One-way analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance were used to examine differences in fit satisfaction with age, body size and shape. Multiple regression was used to test hypotheses.

The participants were mostly neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the fit of the garments irrespective of their age, body size and shape. While age was found to be insignificant, apparel sizes worn and body shape were found to be significant predictors of fit type in most garments. It was also found that most of the domestic garment manufacturing companies use the knock-off method for pattern making, which results in a bad fit as the basic garment for the knock-off is constructed based on other countries’ standards.

This study investigates the fit problems and preferences of ready-made garments in the context of consumers in a developing country. Moreover, it has a contribution in considering men’s body shape in the analysis of fit preferences. The results have implications for developing domestic standard garment size charts to improve fit satisfaction.

Pressure therapy is generally accepted as an effective means of preventing and controlling hypertrophic scarring after burn injury. Pressure treatment based principally on the use of pressure garments is widely used in Hong Kong and many other countries. These garments are tailor‐made to the individual patient's measurement to provide a uniform and firm support to body contours, and they are designed individually for the area of injury. Attempts to review the existing practice of the various kinds of pressure garments on patients, and to provide a better understanding of the present use of fabric and production methods employed in the manufacturing of the garments. Includes a brief account of the problems encountered by both the patients and the medical staff.

The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry supply chains (SCs) in emerging markets. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of these external stakeholders’ elements to the demand-side and supply-side drivers and barriers for improving competitiveness of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in the way of analyzing supply chain. Considering the phenomenon of recent change in the RMG business environment and the competitiveness issues this study uses the principles of stakeholder and resource dependence theory and aims to find out some factors which influence to make an efficient supply chain for improving competitiveness. The RMG industry of Bangladesh is the case application of this study. Following a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a two phase sequential mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. Qualitative field study is then carried out to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. A survey is carried out with sample of top and middle level executives of different garment companies of Dhaka city in Bangladesh and the collected quantitative data are analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling. The findings support eight hypotheses. From the analysis the external stakeholders’ elements like bureaucratic behavior and country risk have significant influence to the barriers. From the internal stakeholders’ point of view the manufacturers’ and buyers’ drivers have significant influence on the competitiveness. Therefore, stakeholders need to take proper action to reduce the barriers and increase the drivers, as the drivers have positive influence to improve competitiveness.

This study has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study represents an important contribution to the theory by integrating two theoretical perceptions to identify factors of the RMG industry’s SC that affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. This research study contributes to the understanding of both external and internal stakeholders of national and international perspectives in the RMG (textile and clothing) business. It combines the insights of stakeholder and resource dependence theories along with the concept of the SC in improving effectiveness. In a practical sense, this study certainly contributes to the Bangladeshi RMG industry. In accordance with the desire of the RMG manufacturers, the research has shown that some influential constructs of the RMG industry’s SC affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. The outcome of the study is useful for various stakeholders of the Bangladeshi RMG industry sector ranging from the government to various private organizations. The applications of this study are extendable through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.

The primary aim of this paper is to evaluate the challenges before the growth of the ready-made garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh, the economy's backbone, and suggest appropriate reform.

The paper begins by tracing the growth and evolution of the RMG industry before identifying the challenges. It then proceeds to suggest appropriate reform for the same.

The paper argues for more effective models of collective bargaining and unionism as a solution to the problems that the industry faces.

The paper is the first of its kind in the sense that it is a comprehensive account of the challenges to the RMG industry in Bangladesh.

This study illustrates the effects of the motivating factors (e.g. learning facilities, employees' compensation and working environment) on organizational attractiveness.

This is a quantitative study. This study investigates the hypotheses based on the 160 employee responses from the different garments operating in Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMGs) industry.

Using the structural equation modeling in Bangladesh's RMG industry, this paper argues that the working environment has a significant effect on organizational attractiveness in Bangladesh's RMG industry. This research study underlines that the working environment and employee compensations serve better than the employees learning facilities to grow employees RMG attraction.

The findings will help practitioners of the garment manufacturers to showcase the motivating factors for the employees in growing attraction for the industry. However, the research is limited to the garment industry in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Moreover, similar research can be extended further in other countries with bigger samples to draw a general conclusion for the RMGs' operating in Asia.

This paper brings a plea for the practitioners through this research's outcomes and provides useful indications of how organizations can motivate their employees to ensure organizational attractiveness for their garment industry.

The paper also contributes to the body of the literature relating to attractiveness in Bangladesh's RMG sector. Employees' participation in this research also confirms the unique context of the sector.

This study investigates the effectiveness of trade unions in preserving and promoting the rights of the worker, and being their voice in ensuring safe working conditions as part of the firms’ CSR activities.

Data were collected from employees, managers, and owners of ready-made garments firms in Bangladesh. An open-ended survey instrument was used and distributed widely. Analysis of the 200 responses was undertaken using the qualitative narrative technique.

The findings show that, unlike traditional labor-management relations, in Bangladesh managers tend to have a more favorable attitude towards unions than employees do. The strong political links between the factory owners and the unions’ leadership raise questions about whose interest the unions represent.

The authors highlight how adopting a CSR agenda can help unions make better representations on behalf of their members. This, in turn, can enhance the workforce’s efficiency and help strengthen the sector to develop processes to help face disruptions like those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study is unique in addressing the role of unions in promoting CSR activities in emerging economies, where the formal institutional application remains limited. The study’s findings can help explain some of the sector’s challenges.

This paper aims to examine the state of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in labour-intensive industries in developing countries in the context of economic globalization. Using the ready-made garments’ (RMG) industry in Bangladesh as a case study, challenges and key issues relating to CSR are highlighted.

The paper draws from the review of existing literature, and the content analysis of two leading newspapers in Bangladesh for a period of one year (July 2012-June 2013) to identify the key and contemporary issues related to CSR in the RMG industry.

Findings identify the contemporary issues of concerns associated with CSR in the RMG industry, relating them to the debate on the applicability of Carroll’s CSR pyramid to developing countries. The findings suggest that non-compliance of CSR in labour-intensive industries is a function of the nature of economic globalization. The need for a stakeholder approach towards CSR for the profitability and sustainability of this industry is also highlighted.

This paper makes contributions to two different but important interrelated discourses on CSR and economic globalization. It also provides insights into the complexity involved in CSR in labour-based export industries in developing countries and acts as a springboard for further research.

The paper is the first to look at all major issues of concern regarding CSR in the RMG industry in Bangladesh. As Bangladesh is an exemplar of developing countries and RMG is a typical starter industry, the findings are generalizable to similar industries in other developing countries.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perspectives of 26 business owners, managers and supervisors on “decent work” (DW) in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh.

The qualitative study draws on a framework of ethical human resource management and situated moral agency to establish the ways in which RMG workers are afforded DW. This study uses semi-structured interviews to assess the prospect of DW through applying the ILO’s four-pillar framework of DW.

Findings indicate there is a concern among owners and managers of the need to reconcile internal and external pressures to maintain and improve DW. It is evident that ethical practices and moral agency are not self-initiated but in response to mounting political and legal pressures and those of external stakeholders. Employers favour the concept of workers’ participation committees as one means to communicate and negotiate with workers rather than recognise trade unions.

The research is limited to six organisations in the RMG sector in Bangladesh, but there are implications for all RMG sector organisations to promote reform and DW for all workers.

DW necessitates major national and international stakeholders to negotiate and cooperate to ensure the long-term competitiveness and survival of the Bangladeshi RMG sector.

The study calls for reform in a developing country where many workers are denied DW.

Increased economic development in emerging economies has spurred the growth of “fast fashion” and this in turn has led to not only an opportunity for recycling activity but also a need to do so from a sustainability perspective. The purpose of this paper is to consider the emergence of such recycling activity in a developing economy.

A process flow approach guides identification of stakeholders and an analysis of reverse supply chain structure and processes. An adapted and extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model is employed to explore recycling behaviour at the household level.

The authors find rather haphazard garment recycling channels in Delhi NCR. In particular product acquisition processes are characterised by poor value appropriation and provide a limited service to households. This is supported by the householder survey that finds poor satisfaction levels with most recycling channels. PLS path modelling tested hypotheses that each of the four constructs (attitudes, subjective norm, perceived control and sense of duty) are significant determinants of “intention to plan to recycle”. Having tested for various possible meditating effects, sense of duty was found to act as a precursor to attitude. In this model all other constructs were significant determinants of intention to recycle garments. Thus the study highlights the role of “sense of duty” in attitude formation, a key determinant of intention to recycle garments. This highlights the importance of adherence to sustainable practices and the need for associated governance and regulation. Subjective norm points to the impact of a range of people, including experts. While perceived control points to difficulties encountered both from a self-efficacy and external (opportunity) perspectives.

The findings suggest that reverse supply chain design should address the limitations of the product acquisition process (especially poor value appropriation and limited collection services) and respond to household motivational factors and perceived difficulties.

The study considers the impact of the garment product lifecycle on household behaviour. In this context the adapted TPB model addressed the role of conscious planning. The model is extended to include sense of duty, this contributes to emerging work in this field.