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Provides marketers with both a broad‐based and an industry‐specific understanding of the marketing implications of GATT. First presents background information regarding GATT, followed by an overview of the key provisions of the agreement. Provides an analysis of a number of consumer product industries to help assess the potential industry‐specific impact of GATT on the “offensive” and “defensive” marketing strategies which are described in the study.

US consumers admit they are not knowledgeable about the global apparel industry; however, they hold positive beliefs about US apparel industry labour practices. Consumers have much less regard for the foreign industry. There is a slightly higher level of concern for US workers versus foreign workers. Governmental regulations, labelling and store boycotts are agreed upon solutions for abolishing sweatshops. Implications of consumers' beliefs and attitudes to the global apparel industry and governmental policy are discussed.

The textile and apparel industries in North America have experienced dramatic changes in the past decade. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has prompted the formation of apparel supply networks throughout the Western Hemisphere combining textile industries and retailers in the USA with apparel industries in Mexico to compete against Asian countries. Contrary to the widely acclaimed intent of NAFTA, the increased apparel production in Mexico has not led to a growth for the US textile industry. Instead, the US textile industry has continuously lost ground in global competition, giving up a large portion of its manufacturing. Today, the US textile industry is undergoing negative profits, countless plant closings, layoffs, and eventual bankruptcies. This study analyzes the impact of NAFTA and US textile companies’ corporate strategies on the performance of the textile industry and examines the pending strategic issues for maintaining US textile companies’ competitiveness in global markets.

This paper examines the effect of rational and irrational investor sentiment on the stock return and volatility of US auto, finance, food, oil and utility industries.

The American Association of Individual Investors Index (AAII) is used as a proxy for US individual investor sentiment. The US market fundamentals are regressed on investor sentiment in order to capture the effect of macroeconomic risk factors on investor sentiment. Then impulse response functions (IRFs) are generated from a VAR model to investigate the effect of unanticipated movements in US investor sentiment on both industry‐specific stock return and volatility.

The results show a significant impact of investor sentiment on stock return and volatility in all the industries. We find that the positive rational component of US individual investor sentiment tends to increase the stock return in these industries. We also document that unanticipated increase in the rational component of US individual investor sentiment has a significant negative impact only on the industry volatilities of US auto and finance industries.

The results are based only on the 1999 – 2010 US industry‐specific stock return and volatility data and are confined to these industries.

The findings of this paper can help investors to improve their asset return generating models by incorporating investor sentiment. The findings can also help policymakers to design policies that stabilize sentiment and reduce volatility and uncertainty in the stock markets.

This paper adds to the growing literature on behavioral finance by filling a gap and addressing the impact of investor sentiment in the various US industries.

This study consists of an examination of productivity growth following three major technological breakthroughs: the steam power revolution, electrification and the ICT revolution. The distinction between sectors producing and sectors using the new technology is emphasized. A major finding for all breakthroughs is that there is a long lag from the time of the original invention until a substantial increase in the rate of productivity growth can be observed. There is also strong evidence of rapid price decreases for steam engines, electricity, electric motors and ICT products. However, there is no persuasive direct evidence that the steam engine producing industry and electric machinery had particularly high productivity growth rates. For the ICT revolution the highest productivity growth rates are found in the ICT-producing industries. We suggest that one explanation could be that hedonic price indexes are not used for the steam engine and the electric motor. Still, it is likely that the rate of technological development has been much more rapid during the ICT revolution compared to any of the previous breakthroughs.

In 1978, the once powerful US apparel industry was on the cusp of change, and the consulting firm KSA conducted a Delphi survey of apparel executives’ predictions into the 2000s. The purpose of this paper is to compare actual changes over the subsequent decades with these 1978 expert predictions and explore the accuracy/inaccuracy of these “educated guesses” (KSA, 1978, p. 1).

The chorographic method was used to analyze the report and document historical data. Chorography is “concerned with significance of place, regional characterization, [and] local history […]” (Rohl, 2012, p.1) and includes contextual settings and researcher input. Primary data were examined during each decade and included: industry literature, government documents and labor data. The researchers used content analysis to reduce and organize data.

Findings cover three decades of Southeast US apparel industry data including imports, employment, number of plants, size of plants and productivity. Predictions were inaccurate about imports, predicted to be minor in comparison with domestic production, which they actually surpassed. Predicted decrease in employment was similar to actual decrease but reasons were inaccurate. Change in number and size of plants were over-predicted and under-predicted. Reasons given by experts were automation and government intervention; in actuality, limited automation occurred with insignificant impact in contrast to outsourcing, which decimated employment in US plants. Steady increase in productivity was predicted when productivity often decreased.

Previous studies focus on the textile sector; studies of the apparel sector tend to be regional or topical. This study is more expansive and provides insight into predictions and changes made in the US apparel industry at a critical time in its near demise. With the current climate of global change and increased market uncertainty, insights from this study may provide direction for rethinking of the domestic apparel industry for the USA and other developed countries.

The United States (US) sugar program protects domestic sugar farmers from unrestricted imports of heavily-subsidized global sugar. Sugar-using firms (SUFs) criticize that program for causing US sugar prices to be higher than world sugar prices. This study examines the financial performance of publicly traded SUFs to determine if they are performing at an economic disadvantage in terms of accounting profitability, risk and economic profitability compared to other industries.

Firm-level financial accounting and market data from 2010 to 2019 were utilized to construct financial metrics for publicly traded SUFs, agribusinesses and general US firms. These financial metrics were analyzed to determine how SUFs compare to their agribusiness peer group and general US companies. The comprehensive financial analysis in this study covers: (1) accounting profit rates, (2) drivers of profitability, (3) economic profit rates, (4) trend analysis and (5) peer comparisons. Quantile regression analysis and Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney statistics are employed for statistical comparisons.

Regarding various profitability and risk measures, SUFs outperform their agribusiness peers and the general benchmark of all US firms in terms of accounting profit rates, risk levels and economic profit rates. Furthermore, compared to other US industries using the 17 French and Fama classifications, SUFs have the highest return on investment and economic profit rate―measured by the Economic Value Added® margin―and the second-lowest opportunity cost of capital, measured by the weighted average cost of capital.

This study finds nothing to suggest that the US sugar program hinders the financial success of SUFs, contrary to recent claims by sugar-using firms. Notably in this analysis is the evaluation of economic profit rates and a series of robustness techniques.

The paper seeks to develop strategic planning to enhance sustainable competitiveness in the US textile industry with a consideration of DR‐CAFTA as an opportunity to establish responsive supply chain networks in the Western hemisphere.

The analysis was based on literature reviews, trade data analyses, and site visits for personal interviews at textile and apparel companies in North Carolina and the Office of Textile and Apparel at the US Department of Commerce, Washington, DC.

DR‐CAFTA countries constitute the only remaining region that the US textile industry can use to achieve speed‐to‐market advantages from geographical proximity. Market analysis indicated both voids and opportunities in “fast retailing” supply chain networks. In developing time‐to‐market supply chain networks, it is suggested that the implementation of DR‐CAFTA should focus on: streamlining the rules of origin, expanding the short‐supply list, and coordinating custom procedures; financing options for DR‐CAFTA countries' procurement of fabrics and other raw materials from the USA.

Two models are proposed which can possibly be implemented by the US textile industry: a shortened supply chain for knitted sportswear and fashionable shirts that can capitalize on time‐to‐market; and triangular supply‐chain networks among US retailers and textile companies, Asian textile manufacturers, and DR‐CAFTA apparel manufacturers for fashion basics.

This study has an implication for the US textile industry and policy makers to develop future strategic planning in the post‐quota era. The suggestions will contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of the US textile industry in the intense global competition by achieving speed‐to‐market with DR‐CAFTA countries.

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between textile and apparel manufacturers in India and the United States. Results of the survey indicated that respondents differed significantly on perceptions of industry opportunities and problems in their respective countries. Significant differences were also found between industry leaders in the two countries when various aspects of their business practices and opinions were examined. Findings are analysed and discussed in relation to their implications for improving global marketing strategies, industrial competitiveness, and international trade.