Browsing by Author "Nancy L. Cassill, Committee Co-Chair"

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Brand Congruity and Purchase Intentions of Runners
(2010-04-29) Leksrisompong, Chanatip; Trevor J. Little, Committee Co-Chair; Nancy L. Cassill, Committee Co-Chair; Traci M. Lamar, Committee Member; Kimberly S. Weems, Committee Member
Running continues to be one of the more popular sports enjoyed by all ages. Regardless of the popularity of the sport, limited research currently exists to quantify the apparel purchase behavior of runners. This research studied variables that influenced purchase intentions of runners at different levels of involvement. The runners were categorized by the dualistic theory of passion, and their purchase intentions toward apparel brands for running were investigated from the self-congruity perspective. Runners completed an online survey that provided comprehensive information on their running behavior and their past and future apparel purchases. Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the dualistic theory of passion and self-congruity theory on the running population. Four variables were found to be important predictors of purchase intentions for all runners: Self-Image Congruence, Function, Aesthetic, and Technology Appeal. Further, logistic regression was used to determine which variables significantly influenced purchase intentions of runners in each category. Based on the findings, a theoretical framework was proposed. This study concluded that functional attributes of running apparel influence runnersâ€™ purchase intentions.
Industry Technology Roadmap for the Flushable Pre-moistened Nonwoven Wipes Industry
(2009-11-13) Kim, Mun Jung; Michelle R. Jones, Committee Member; Nancy L. Cassill, Committee Co-Chair; Helmut H. Hergeth, Committee Chair; Mitzi M. Montoya, Committee Member
The body of this research seeks to create an Industry Technology Roadmap for one segment of the U.S. textile and apparel industry, specifically, the flushable pre-moistened wipes industry. Industry Technology Roadmapping is a new type of strategic planning method. Previous technology forecasting methods allowed planners to identify several alternate future states or scenarios and provided uncertainty in either product needs or technological developments. In contrast, Industry Technology Roadmapping allows a company or an industry to proactively plan and prepare for its future by offering future goals, critical requirements and, finally, solutions to achieve the future goals. In addition, Roadmapping works as an effective organizational learning and knowledge creation tool and induces collaboration and new partnerships among companies as well. Currently, flushable pre-moistened nonwoven wipes emerge as new textile products and attempt to expand their future markets. During this research, industry expert interviews and surveys, consumer surveys, heavy user surveys, creation of an Internet blog, and literature review including a patent analysis were conducted for data gathering. The resulting Roadmap provides the nonwoven wipes industry valuable information about the potential future markets, required properties, the current environment of flushable wipes, including challenges, strength, and opportunities, and the solutions. These can help the U.S. nonwoven wipes industry to do informed investment into research, development and manufacturing facilities.
Product and Market Analysis of the Childrenswear Industry
(2004-05-04) Fratto, Genessa Marie; Nancy L. Cassill, Committee Co-Chair; Michelle R. Jones, Committee Co-Chair; Mitzi Montoya-Weiss, Committee Member; Mark Messura, Committee Member
This research was a result of a retail audit completed by the author in August 2003 for Cotton Incorporated. The retail audit gathered information on gender, size, product, brand, country of origin, and price of childrenswear at major retail chain stores in three United States cities. The purpose of the study was to provide insights into the childrenswear market offerings, to aid manufacturers and retailers in their understanding of the dynamics of the childrenswear retail marketing environment. The Apparel Value Chain Model (Gereffi, 1994) provided the conceptual framework for this study. The level of specificity of the data provided an opportunity for descriptive and inferential analysis yielding comparison of marketing, product and price strategies for retailers, and brands. The research sample consisted of six national retail chains from three retail channels; discount, major chain, and specialty chain. Results provided insights into childrenswear offerings at retail channels and stores, identified if differences existed across childrenswear offerings according gender, size, product, brand and country origin, and tested for differences between price means. Finally, the research results proposed modifications to Gereffi's Apparel Value Chain Model (1994) to reflect the current product dynamics of the childrenswear market.