• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.18-33
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• 2005

The purposes of this study were to investigate the difference of the SCM activities in the general characteristics of fashion enterprises and to inquire out the general characteristics affecting the introduction of SCM. The characteristics of apparel manufactures were also compared through the cluster analysis of the SCM activity levels of apparel manufactures. Through questionnaire survey, a total af 214 data - 123 from 64 apparel manufacturers, 46 from 40 fabric suppliers and 45 from 4 retailers - were used for analysis. The analysis on the relation between the SCM activity levels and the general characteristics of fashion enterprises showed that the SCM activities were affected by product assortment pattern and SCM introduction level for fabric suppliers, production method, product assortment pattern, business type and SCM introduction level for apparel manufacturers, and SCM introduction level for retailers. The cluster characteristics related to the SCM activity levels of apparel manufacturers showed that the clusters with higher level were tending to doing business internationally and trying to manufacture in a small lot in variety. The higher level clusters also revealed relatively low in the occupation ratio of fashion goods and high in quick response ratio compared to the lower level clusters.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.30 no.1 s.149
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• pp.38-47
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• 2006

As apparel manufacturers and fabric suppliers are positioned in the middle of the apparel supply chain, these supply chain members build up a partnership to establish a win-win mutual relationship and to gam global competition. This study aimed to provide useful suggestions in setting up operational strategies by investigating the current state of a partnership between apparel manufactures and fabric suppliers. Partnership variables were included as: cooperative attitude, information sharing, interdependency, communications, strategic fit trust and commitment. Manufacturers' performance included productive/economic/emotional performance. A questionnaire was distributed to apparel manufactures who are doing business with fabric suppliers. A total of 101 complete questionnaires were used for further analysis. The results were as follows; First, apparel manufacturers do business with $10\~20$ fabric suppliers mainly, duration of business relation with main partners ranged from 1 year to 30 years, with 7 years on average. Among criteria with which apparel manufactures select fabric suppliers, quality and delivery-time were the most important. Second, cooperative attributes, communications, and strategic fit were positively related with trust. The higher commitment led to the high level of interdependency and strategic fit and tend to more trustworthy. Trust and commitment were significantly re lated with manufacturers' performance(i.e., productive/economic/emotional performance). This study is expected to contribute to increase the better performance for domestic apparel manufacturers.

• IE interfaces
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.51-64
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• 2008

As apparel manufacturers have increased their outsourcing garment making to cope with the rapid changing market, the information sharing has been the most important factor for the Korean apparel industry. The purpose of this research was to identify the properties and effects of information sharing system between Korean apparel manufactures and contractors. For this study, two apparel manufactures which actually used the information sharing systems were case-studied for the properties and effects of the information sharing system. The results of this study are shown as follows; 1) The companies ("J" and "S"), studied in this paper used sharing information mostly on order, delivery, and accounts within their contractors based on information sharing system. Company "J" turned out to have strong partnership with their contractors and developed more flexible manufacturing system and QR strategy. They shared not only basic transaction information but also quality inspection information and work-in-process information by using information sharing system. 2) The effects of information sharing system were proved as business transaction time reduced more than 60 percent, compared when staffs had to face to face, or use phone or fax to deliver documents. This study was investigated to provide an example which introduces information sharing system objectively and systematically to the apparel industry.

• The International Journal of Costume Culture
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2010

The business strategies of small to medium enterprises (SMEs), especially in relation to the Japanese apparel wholesaler and apparel manufacture markets, have been undertaken by Urakami and his colleagues (Komiya et al., 2009; Urakami et al., 2009; Urakami & Wu 2010). The aim now is to investigate the changing business climate of apparel products in Asia, now that China seems to a major player of apparel products in the Asian region. The production of apparel products from China has resulted in a major shift of the business environment. Such products have now invaded import markets throughout the world economies. Such a drastic change in the business environment impacts the structure of distribution channels in competing economies, affecting both wholesalers and manufactures. This research focuses on the effects this has had on the Japanese distribution channels. The findings derived from our previous research are highlighted, together with several planned hypotheses that require testing, in order to build a clearer understanding of apparel manufacturing in the Asian region.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.280-290
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• 2010

This study identifies the antecedents of trust in the examination of the effects of the antecedents of trust on trust in apparel manufacturer-contractor relationships. A total of 92 apparel manufactures participated in this study. A factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and multiple regression analysis were conducted for the statistical analysis. Five antecedents of trust were classified: flexibility, opportunistic behavior, communication, specific investment, reputation. Two factors of trust were identified: credibility and benevolence. Flexibility, communication, and reputation of a contractor positively influenced the credibility of an apparel manufacture in a contractor. Flexibility, communication, and specific investment of a contractor positively relate to the benevolence of an apparel manufacture in a contractor. However, the opportunistic behavior of a contractor did not relate to either the credibility of an apparel manufacture or the benevolence in a contractor. The results of this study provide empirical evidence of the impact of flexibility, communication, specific investment, reputation on trust in apparel manufacturer-contractor relationships, and additional insight for selecting contractors that seek to improve trust in apparel manufacturer-contractor relationships.

• The International Journal of Costume Culture
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.71-79
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• 1999

The purposes of this study were to 1) identify types and usage levels of production 2) classify apparel manufacturers based on production systems and 3) investigate relationship between characteristics of apparel manufacturers and production system. Apparel manufacturer's characteristics included product line and the number of employees. For this study, the questionnaires were administered to 215 apparel manufacturers in metropolitan area from Feb. to Mar. 1998. Employing a sample of 201, data were analyzed by using factor analysis, descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance(MANOVA). The following are the results or this study : 1. The production system was identified as three types of production system such as the management centered system, the product centered system and the worker centered system. 2. Based on the three types of the production system, apparel manufacturer were classified into manager centered and product centered groups. 3. With respect to product line, men's wear manufactures were operated the most frequently by manager centered and product centered groups. 3. With respect to product line, men's wear manufacturers were operated the most frequently by management centered system and women's wear manufacturers were operated the most frequently by worker centered system. With respect to the number of employees, apparel manufacturers comprising 5∼19 employees were performed the least frequently worker centered system, while those comprising 50∼99 and 100∼299 employees the least frequently worker centered system.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.244-255
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was 1) to inquire into characteristics of apparel manufacturers and distributors in China, 2) to classify private Guanxi and organizational relationship type, 3) to find differences in private Guanxi to enterprise type and the class of participations' position, and 4) to also find effects of private Guanxi on organizational relationship. Apparel manufacturers and distributors in China participated in the study. Random sampling method was used to collect the data. Data from 173 questionnaires were used for the statistical analysis. Descriptive analysis, factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, t-test, and regression analysis were conducted. Two factors of private Guanxi were classified(i.e., affective Guanxi, instrumental Guanxi). Three factors of organizational relationship type were identified(i.e., opportunistic relationship, cooperative relationship, vertical relationship). The results indicated that distributors regarded affective Guanxi as important more than manufactures and employees regarded affective Guanxi and instrumental Guanxi as important more than presidents. Distributors regarded cooperative relationship as important more than manufactures. Employees regarded organizational relationship as important more than presidents. Affective Guanxi positively affected on cooperative relationship and vertical relationship but negatively affected on opportunistic relationship. Instrumental Guanxi positively affected on opportunistic relationship and vertical relationship. The result of this study may give valuable information to retail merchandisers and strategists who participated in fashion business in China.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.87-99
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• 2006

For comprehending the duties of fashion designer, Sharon(1989) has suggested to look at the procedure how the goods are being produced. The purpose of this research is to identify the task of domestic fashion designer by comparing and analyzing one's work range and performing level in the fashion merchandising process according to the brand types which one is involved in. The preliminary research for the questionnaire was conducted with 5 chief designers of woman's apparel manufactures in Seoul. They were asked to judge if designer's tasks fit to their carry-out operations in the pre-fixed questionnaire which had been done based on preliminary researches and literatures related with fashion merchandising process. The contents of research questionnaire are 11 questions to understand the general characteristics of companies and the participated subjects, and 42 questions to understand the designers' operations. For the selection of NB, among 503 domestic female apparel brands that were in 'Korean Textile Fashion yearbook (2002-2003), the companies that were located in Seoul and possible for cooperation by researcher's personal relationship were selected. For DB, cooperation was requested for brands that were located in Seoul among the 137 brands that participates on Domestic Collection. For GB, 50 stores were selected at random or by personal relationship among 32 GB shops such as Freya Town, Doosan Tower, New Zone, and so on. Total 300 questionnaire distributed to the designers, 192 copies were used for final data analysis. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and ANOVA, Sceffe test were used using SPSS V. 11 1. The participated fashion designers operated 41 categories of suggested 42 categories in the fashion merchandising process. 2. The ranges and contents of tasks in the fashion merchandising process that fashion designers mainly carry-out are very different according to the brand types and showed much different level of task carry-out. Only in the categories of 'fashion trend information' and 'design ideation', all three brand type showed the highest level of task performance. And the design related tasks presented common higher level of performance than the other tasks in all brand types. In order to comprehend the operation of fashion designer, various approaching methods are required according to various apparel manufactures' characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.126-137
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• 2010

This study examines the effects of trust and commitment on firm performance in the apparel manufacturer-contractor relationships. A total of 92 apparel manufactures participated in the study. Factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and multiple regression analysis were conducted for the statistical analysis. Two factors of trust were identified: credibility and benevolence. Two factors of commitment were identified: affective commitment and calculative commitment. Three factors of firm performance were identified: customer service performance, finance performance, and product performance. The credibility of the apparel manufacture in a contractor had a significant positive effect on the affective commitment of an apparel manufacturer and on the calculative commitment in a contractor. Meanwhile, the benevolence of the apparel manufacture on a contractor had a significant positive effect on the affective commitment of an apparel manufacturer on a contractor. The credibility of the apparel manufacture on a contractor was positively related to customer service performance, finance performance, and product performance. The benevolence of the apparel manufacture on a contractor was positively related to customer service performance and finance performance of an apparel manufacture. The affective commitment of the apparel manufacture in a contractor was positively related to service performance. The calculative commitment of the apparel manufacture on a contractor was positively related to finance performance and to the product performance of an apparel manufacture. The results of this study provides practical guidelines toward exchange partners of apparel manufacturers as to how to facilitate from performance in apparel manufacturer-contractor relationships.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.691-702
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to provide basic information on the propriety of the ready to wear garment sizes of Tween Generation(ages from 5th grade to 8th grade) who has different clothing preferences in color, styles, and design and also different body sizes and shapes from younger and older students. The objectives of the study were to ascertain (a) the body figure changes occurring during Tween Generation; (b) the coverage of manufactures'garment sizes. The body measurements of elementary school students(5th & 6th grades) and junior high school students(7th & 8th grades) provide the basic statistics for this study. The mean differences of each size within each figure type are compared by using t-teats. The differences in various manufacturers'apparel sizing and figure size are investigated. Also the body measurements and the apparel sizes of the manufacturers are compared in order to evaluate the suitability of the garment size. Results indicate that the body type factors are different in each age group. And manufactures'sizes come out to be much smaller than the actual body measurements. Young casual wear can cover junior high school students satisfactorily but for elementary school students, because of low drop-value, the overall satisfaction with filling is low.