Search results

Social network services (SNS) gifting is a new business model, but many SNS providers continue to face challenges as they explore ways to increase their revenues from gifting. The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors involved in gift giving via SNS platforms.

This study adopts a mixed methods approach through qualitative and quantitative research. In the first stage (qualitative study), the authors extract factors from interviews with users of SNS gifting services. In the second stage (quantitative study), the authors interpret decisional factors explored in the first stage on the basis of customer value theory, develop a research model and empirically test it.

The results show that five factors – convenience of SNS gifting, symbolic representation of SNS gifting, relationship support of SNS gifting, pleasure of SNS gifting, and an SNS gifting norm – directly or indirectly affect SNS gifting decisions.

This study contributes to electronic commerce research by extending the customer value theory and adding to the literature on SNS gifting and gift giving in general.

The study informs SNS providers regarding the promotion of SNS gifting services for revenue generation.

This study is among the first to comprehensively examine decision-making in SNS gifting through the lens of customer value theory.

The purpose of this paper discusses psychologist Clark Moustakas' concept of loneliness and argues that it is relevant and applicable to engaging displaced children.

The number of youth compulsorily displaced has reached record levels in the world's history. Loneliness may be a pervading element in the displaced child's life. This paper argues that those working with children have the ability to empower displaced children with the existential lonely experience.

Strategies regarding how to initially engage the displaced child are discussed as a means to help the child enter the existential lonely realm.

This paper has great value as many individuals, especially teachers are encountering displaced youth. This paper believes that those that work with displaced youth need to revisit Moustakas' understanding of existential loneliness as a means to help these youth find a safe place.

The purpose of this paper is to offer educators and social workers three innovative tools to engage diverse community environments.

The methodology of this paper comes from extensive research into areas of the 1950s Beat culture, humanistic psychology and Bhuddism. The literature has been synthesized to create the tools.

The result of the literature review is three diverse yet helpful tools that educators and social workers can use for to help them serve diverse communities.

This paper is significant because communities around the world are diversifying. Educators and social workers need better tools to help their methods become more effective. The authors offer these three tools as a gateway.

This paper aims to discuss the importance, power, and significance of relationships and presence in non-directive group encounters for displaced children.

First, the importance of relationship in not only defining but also transforming “who we are” has been discussed. Then, the conditions that can be growth-promoting were explored.

Especially, a crucial element of growth-promoting group, i.e. presence, is discussed. The paper is concluded by discussing how these general techniques could be applied in the classroom.

Among the 7.6 million newly displaced people around the world in 2012, 46% of them are aged less than 18 years. This paper proves its importance for professionals working in academia or social work for developing a methodology to engage displaced youth in growth-promoting ways.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the sanitation knowledge and practice of staff who work in restaurant kitchens and to suggest sanitation management plans and efficient ways to enhance sanitation knowledge and practice in the restaurant industry.

The survey research was conducted using a questionnaire composed of 73 questions in three areas of general information, sanitation knowledge, and sanitation practices. The respondents were selected from among kitchen staff working in restaurants that were both at least 198 m2 in size and listed in the Korean Foodservice Information database. The collected data were analyzed to identify the differences between sanitation knowledge and practices.

The results showed that the respondents were well aware of the importance of sanitation during food preparation and cooking whereas they had a relatively lack of personal hygiene. Age and education level of kitchen staff correlated with sanitation knowledge and practices, and kitchen staff working less than 12 hours per shift scored significantly higher in terms of sanitation knowledge than those who worked more hours per shift. Also, kitchen staff working in restaurant franchises showed higher levels of both knowledge and practice than those working in independent restaurants.

A more diversified sanitation-training program should be developed on the basis of the characteristics of kitchen staff members and restaurant characteristics. As kitchen staff members themselves have identified change in perspectives on sanitation as the most important factor for improving practice levels, the training should not only transmit information but should be developed into a training method.

This research provides suggestions for how restaurant kitchens in South Korea can make progress in a situation where sanitation implementation is limited to the transfer of knowledge.

This study aims to acquire a better understanding about consequences of workplace incivility upon restaurant frontline service employees caused by customers, supervisors and coworkers. The moderating roles of perceived organizational support (POS) and emotion regulation ability (ERA) were also tested to determine the possibility for reducing the negative effect of workplace incivility upon the emotional exhaustion of restaurant frontline service employees.

Using data obtained from 239 restaurant frontline service employees, a 35-item instrument was used to assess workplace incivility and its effects upon emotional exhaustion, perceived service performance, POS and ERA. A structural equation model was used to test hypotheses. The multi-group approach was used to investigate the moderating effects POS and ERA have upon the relationships between workplace incivility, emotional exhaustion and perceived service performance.

Results documented that workplace incivility significantly increases emotional exhaustion and further leads to low levels of job service performance. Customer incivility was especially found to have the strongest power for increasing emotional exhaustion, followed by supervisor incivility. Also, results confirmed that POS and ERA play significant roles in moderating the relationships between workplace incivility, emotional exhaustion and perceived service performance. Based upon this study’s findings, theoretical and practical implications are offered for developing successful employee management strategies.

Results suggest specific practical management implications pertaining to restaurant frontline service employees. This study’s research findings recommend the development of more efficient support programs designed to diffuse potential situations involving workplace incivility. Findings further highlight the important role employee ERA has upon the effects of incivility and frontline service performance. Implications are provided with respect to specific strategic direction management should consider to recruit and select the most appropriate employees for restaurant frontline service positions.

The current study’s conceptual research was developed in an attempt to simultaneously address all three dimensions of workplace incivility to examine how they affect employee emotions and their job performance.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the factors affecting consumer’s fast fashion brand loyalty by examining US college students’ perceptions and loyalty toward fast fashion.

Using consumer-based brand equity approach, a research model which examines the factors affecting consumer’s brand loyalty in the fast fashion context was proposed. It was hypothesized that consumer’s perceptions of fast fashion, including brand awareness, perceived quality, perceived value, brand personality, organizational associations, and brand uniqueness, affect consumer brand loyalty. Based on the valid data from 419 US college students, this study employed structural equation modeling to investigate the factors affecting US college students’ brand loyalty toward fast fashion.

Results reveal that for the US college students, brand awareness, perceived value, organizational associations, and brand uniqueness are the contributing factors to generating consumer’s loyalty toward fast fashion brands.

Due to the fact that fast fashion has become a key feature of the global fashion industry over the last decade, there is phenomenal growth in the availability of fast fashion brands in the US markets. This study provides valuable insights about young consumers’ perceptions of fast fashion brands and the factors’ contributions to their brand loyalty.

The objective of this paper is to synthesise the published literature on consumer awareness and acceptance of Sustainable Fashion (SF) and highlight that sustainability decisions taken across procurement, designing, manufacturing and retailing must include the consumer perspective of SF.

Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on sustainable fashion combined with consumer behavior was conducted. The study approach involved descriptive analysis, content analysis and theoretical analysis in the first section. The later sections focus on sustainability practices across the apparel supply chain that can foster acceptance of sustainable fashion.

In this review paper, five solutions that are typically used for leveraging consumer awareness and acceptance towards sustainable fashion are identified from the latest research papers: (1) attention to micro-sensitive factors (2) shared responsibilities (3) repositioning sustainable fashion for larger audience (4) positioning conscious fashion and (5) unified approach. These solutions are proposed as most important for achieving success in sustainable production and sustainable consumption (SPSC) for the fashion industry. Further, suggestions for how to embed sustainability related business decisions across sourcing, designing, manufacturing, distribution and recollection and retailing are also provided.

Through this research, a clear view emerges of the progression of publication and where future research should be directed to popularise sustainable fashion among consumers. Research findings and proposed solutions will be valuable inputs for brand managers, marketers and retailers as they conceive new plans and make decisions about addressing sustainability challenges in textile and apparel manufacturing firms.

This is a first of its kind of study on sustainable fashion that highlights the importance of understanding consumer behaviour in influencing sustainability decisions required across sourcing, designing, manufacturing and retailing to achieve substantial economic advantages in the fashion industry. End-to-end supply chain processes (i.e. procurement, design, manufacturing, marketing and retailing) are considered to identify several factors that influence consumer behavior in favor of sustainable fashion throughout the supply chain.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine supplier selection among small- and medium-sized firms in the US textile and apparel industry. For small- and medium-sized firms, one powerful method of improving the firm’s competitiveness in the dynamic business environment is through strategic approach of supplier selection, which emphasizes supplier’s contributions to the total product and to overall customer satisfaction.

Empirical survey-based research methodology was implemented and data were collected from small and medium firms in textile and apparel business in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, California, and New York which are the major areas of the US textile and apparel industry.

This study demonstrates the supplier selection practices of the small- and medium-sized firms in the US textile and apparel industry and their perceptions of supply market and supplier evaluation systems. Results indicate that supplier selection criteria impact firm performance in different ways. Small- and medium-sized firms carry out supplier selection based on product quality, supplier responsiveness, and strategic consideration which positively impact overall customer service level and overall customer satisfaction.

This paper focuses on supply chain management practices, specifically the supplier selection issue in small- and medium-sized firms in the textile and apparel industry.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of Chinese young consumers’ traits (fashion leadership, quality consciousness, price consciousness, environmental consciousness and social media usage) as the external factors on their behavioral intention toward using clothing subscription rental services.

Quantitative research was conducted, and empirical data were collected from 255 Chinese college students. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses.

The study offered convincing evidence that fashion leadership, price consciousness and social media usage are the three main drivers of Chinese young consumers’ favorable attitudes toward clothing subscription rental services, which together with social norms further lead to their intention to use clothing subscription rental services. Contrary to expectations, the study showed that consumers’ quality consciousness and environmental consciousness have no significant impact on consumer attitudes toward clothing subscription rental services. Moreover, the findings of the study demonstrated the impact of attitude and subjective norms on Chinese young consumers’ intention to use clothing subscription rental services.

This study contributes to the literature by integrating additional factors (fashion leadership, quality consciousness, price consciousness, consumer environmental knowledge, social media usage) into the traditional theory of reasoned action model to investigate how Chinese young consumers’ characteristics impact their attitudes and how their attitudes and subjective norms impact their intention toward using clothing subscription rental services.