• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.15 no.3 s.39
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• pp.251-262
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• 1991

The roles of fashion merchandisers (merchandise managers) in women's apparel industry and their perceptions of the job requirements as a fashion merchandiser were investigated to understand present fashion merchandising activities in the industry and suggest desirable roles of fashion merchandiser for further development of the industry. The research questionnaires were administered to fashion merchandisers working in the ten national brand women's apparel firms. The results of the study were as follows . 1. Annual sales volumes of most surveyed firms were more than five billions won and eight out of ten surveyed firms have fashion merchandisers in their firms. 2. Fashion merchandisers worked at a specific brand merchandising division sales and operations division or merchandise planning division. A fashion merchandiser generally supervised one brand. 3. Fashion merchandiser's work experience ranged from four to fifteen years showing a great deal of experience in the apparel industry. Their majors at university were mostly business and few majored in clothing and textiles, or textiles. 4. In general, the role of fashion merchandiser was a management specialist who was responsible for identifying target markets analyzing fashion trends, planning of the merchandise development budget planning, manufacturing planning, selling, advertising and sales promotion and distributing the merchandise. At some firms fashion merchandi-sers were not responsible for advertising, display, and receiving the orders. 5. Surveyed fashion merchandisers perceived the desirable fashion merchandiser's role as a management specialist conducting overall business activities in the areas of merchandise planning, manufacturing, selling and distribution. They also mentioned the following personal characteristics such as vision leadership, and persuasion as desirable characteri-stics for those who aspire to a career in fashion merchandising. 6. Surveyed fashion merchandisers emphasized relevant and realistic experiences in fashion merchandising education. Several ways were suggested to help the educator keep in touch with business and bring reality to students. They are . field work, bringing professionals into the classroom to speak to the students, emphasizing clothing and textiles education including merchandising area, and establishing a Department of Fashion Merchandising.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.137-157
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• 2008

Fashion merchandiser profession is a highly information-intensive job. In fact, a merchandiser is to acquire a variety of information mainly from external environment and to analyze it in order to come to an informed decision. Despite a significant amount of past studies on environment scanning, their main concern was of managerial work. And, some fashion design studies have only touched the issue of information source in a descriptive tone. Here, we attempt to analyze empirically fashion merchandisers' environmental scanning activities. Our results can be stated as follows : 1) Though the quality of information source has a positive relationship with its use, the accessibility does not. 2) There is no significant difference between the use of relational source and the use of non-relational source. 3) Internet is being used more at the initial stage(opening) of information seeking than at the orientation and consolidation stage.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.91-101
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• 2004

This research classified fashion merchandisers into different categories depending on the type of companies they worked for and inquired into their line of work. In so doing, the authors attempted to outline the work for merchandise mix performed by each type of merchandiser and provide some raw data, which can be utilized to enhance their work efficiency. The evaluation tool used for this study was the questionnaire made on the basis of preceding studies, literature, and trade journals, which was then modified through one on one interviews with fashion merchandisers. The questionnaire contained 15 questions about merchandise mix. For data analysis, SPSS Package Program was used to conduct frequency analysis, ANOVA, and Tukey's test. The findings are as follows 1. National brand merchandisers spent most time on merchandise planning, then department store buyers, followed by imported brand merchandisers, and lastly buying office merchandisers. 2. In merchandise planning, National brand merchandisers did more work overall compared to other merchandisers. In production planning, buying office merchandisers spent more time than any others on searching for new suppliers and decision-making. 3. Production planning took up a greater portion of their work for National brand merchandisers and buying office merchandisers compared to department store buyers and imported brand merchandisers. 4. Imported brand merchandisers spent more time on purchase planning and actual purchase compared to any others.

• Journal of information and communication convergence engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.267-273
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• 2019

South Korea has allowed parallel importation since 1995. Parallel importation causes competition among importers in the logistics process allowing, consumers to purchase foreign brand products at low prices. Most parallel importers base product pricing on subjective judgements. Fashion products in particular, have different sales rates depending on trends and seasons, so sales performance varies greatly depending on selling price timing and policy. The merchandiser (MD) set the price on parallel importation products by aggregating information on imported products and pricing goods. However, this customized process is very time consuming for the MD. This is because the logistics process of parallel importation's customs clearance procedures and repair works is complicated and takes a significant amount of time. In this paper, we propose an improved parallel importation logistics process based on big data, which automatically sets the price of parallel importation products.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1103-1114
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• 2000

The purpose of the study was to investigate the level and the major causes of job stress, and the causes of the high level of job turnover rate of fashion merchandisers and fashion designers. The study also examined the correlations among the major causes of job stress, job results and job turnover rate. A part of the questionnaire consisted of questions on major causes of job stress, job result, and intention and trial to leave a job. The subjects were to rate on 5 point Likert-type scales. The other part included the questions on demographic and individual characteristics of the subjects and their company characteristics. For the survey, the subjects were 99 fashion merchandisers and 128 fashion designers who are employed by mens or womens wear manufacturers. The SAS PC+ package was used to calculate frequency, Cronbach $\alpha$, multiple regressions. The results of the study were as follows: 1. The high degree of the job results were resulted from the high degree of specialties in their job characteristics, high contentment in human relations, career development and income, and low role conflict. 2. Stronger intentions and more trials to leave their job were correlated to better task performance in the workplace, lower commitment to their job, and lower job satisfaction. 3. Higher level of job stress caused by interpersonal relationship in the organization and contentment in career development and income affected stronger intentions and more trials to leave their job.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2000

Merchandiser continue to play an important role in the exchange process by providing products for consumption. Merchandisers must still understand customer demands, analyze sale trends, select and present salable products. However, due to the competitive pressures in the apparel industry and the innovations required under QR business systems, the demands placed on merchandisers are changing. The purpose of this study is to present of the direction for fashion merchandising education. The direction for fashion merchandising are education summarized as follows; 1) Merchandising technology is the systematic application of information technology and Telecomunications to planning, developing, and presenting product lines in ways that reflect social and cultural value. Statistic Methods are developed and used to analyze data arising from a wide variety of applications. 2) Merchandising technology is to practise the technical and economic aspects of apparel production. Analysis of specific apparel manufacturing and management issues such as efficient manufacturing methods. 3) Merchandising technology is to forecast fashion trend according to consumer preference. Culture influences what people purchase and how those items are used forecasting fashion trend. 4) Merchandising technology is to practise communication skills used in formal and informal organization including interviews in particular language suited to their own business and professionnal careers. 5) Merchandising technology is to planning merchandise budgets and merchandise assortments based on more diverse forms of information. 6) Merchandising technology is to use techniques related hardware and software. 7) Merchandising technology is to learn participate in internship programs.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.97-107
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• 2003

This study was conducted to provide the basic data to activate the consigned education of fashion retailing company in the department of fashion design in a junior college. 36 consigned education students from fashion retailing company in Daegu were surveyed and interviewed. The result can be summarized as follows: 1. Their motives of study lie in ‘I wanted to study in a junior college’ (55.6%), ‘It would be some help for my job’. ‘My company recommended’ (16.7%), and ‘I wanted to get a higher degree’ (11.1%). 2. Their preferences in terms of major and subjects lie in ‘fashion marketing’ (30.6%), ‘fashion coordination’ (25.0%), and ‘fashion information’ (19.4%). 3. The occupations they wanted to get are ‘a displayer’ (38.9%), and ‘a shop master’ (30.6%), and ‘a merchandiser’ (8.3%). 4. The ratio of theories to practices they want is ‘40:60ㆍ30:70’ (27.8%), ‘50:50’ (22.2%), ‘20:80’ (11.1%) 5. With regard to their adaptability in school, they answered that ‘I'm doing quite well’ (44.4%), ‘I'm doing OK’. ‘It's a little hard to follow’ (22.2%) 6. About teaching methods and contents, they responded that they want ‘more emphasis on practices’ (41.7%), and they commented that ‘teachers are focused on the syllabus procedure rather than students’ practical improvement’ (19.4%), and ‘I feel loaded with too much assignment’ (13.9%) 7. They wanted to be taught by ‘professors’ (77.8%) and ‘professionals in the field’ (19.4%) In conclusion, it is required that both the college and the company need to develop a customized education program focusing on the field training specialized by their cooperation and constant researches. On the part of junior colleges, adjusting their educational directions to the trend of the 21st century, they need to focus on nurturing the consigned students to be highly qualified professionals required by the industry, using hi-tee equipment and facilities through academic and industrial cooperation.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.15-26
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• 1999

The purpose of the study was to investigate brand images and fashion leaderships of women's wear manufacturers targeting middle-aged women or older women. Thus, this study was to be an exploratory study to investigate clothing behavior of elderly female consumers and search apprel niche-market for them. The questionnaire consists of questions on brand images, fashion leadership, and merchandise assortment. The subjects were to evaluate their brand images and rated on 5 point Likert-type scales of 29 adjectives. The fashion leadership of these brands was evaluated by the degree of fashion trends adopted on 7 aspects including fashion images, silhouettes, fabrics, colors, design details, accessories, and item-coordinations. For the survey, both interview and the subjects were 66 manufacturers which have national brands or designer brands. Among 44 respondents, 30 respondents were designers and the rest of them were merchandiser or shop managers. The SPSS PC+ package was used to calculate frequency, T-test, and cluster analysis. The results from survey of manufacturers targeting middle-aged women or older women are as follow: 1) The brand imges which they pursue are prestigious, practical, and elegance. 2) There were significant differences in brand images, and national brand manufacturers pursue stronger images in prestigious, chic, intelligent, competency, than designer brand manufacturers. 3) 40 brands were divided into two clusters. 36 brands were included in one cluster, and only 4 brand were belong to the other cluster. In this market, the image of feminity was grouped with the image of prestigious, chic, intelligent, competency. 4) In product planning, the adption level of fashion trends in 7 aspects was generally at medium level, but fashion trends were more adopted in fabric, color, and item-coordination.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.141-156
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to investigate current QR technology usages and merchandisers' roles and information activities in the Korean apparel industry. Data were collected by interview and questionnaire with merchandisers in apparel companies, manufacturing apparels for both men and women. Statistical analyses were t-test, ANOVA, frequency with SAS program. The results of the study were as follows: 1. The usage of QR technology was generally low. But POS, bar-coding, logistics and small lot order were highly used compared to other technologies. CAD, automated sewing operation, unit product system, logistics, and small lot order were more used in domestic national brand than in import license brand. POS applications were more used in product planning division than in others. 2. Merchandisers played important roles in making major decisions on cost price, sales price, manufacturing request, delivery data, production quantity, produce mix, budget planning, market timing and delivery channels. Products planning was conducted mostly on a monthly basis. Price was determined mainly according to cost price, while the production quantity depended on the last year's sales. Usually sales were analyzed on a daily basis. 3. Merchandisers got more information on fashion them and color trend from foreign information sources than from domestic, while more information on fabrication from domestic sources. For fashion design information they used the equal amount from domestic and foreign sources. Over all degree of utilization in each field of fashion information was fugured rather high.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.995-1003
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• 2000

This study examined the role of apparel merchandisers’in Korea. Data were collected by interviewing 7 apparel merchandisers who had worked for major apparel manufacturers. The interviews were analyzed by use of chronologically sequenced events. Korean apparel merchandisers take part in planning and production of the merchandise, sales management, and promotion. Merchandisers’activities related to merchandise planning were as follows: analysis of fashion trend and market, concept evolvement, planning of assortment and volume assortment, time table set up, color pallette decision, fabrication, line adoption, pricing, line preview, production planning, and placing order of materials. Merchandisers’activities related to apparel production were planning and controlling production and consolidation. In sales, merchandisers analyze retail sales and control inventory by reorder or conducting markdown sale. In relation to promotion, apparel merchandisers monitor merchandise advertisement, and educate salesman.