Garments Without Guilt? An exploration of Corporate Social Responsibility within the Fashion Supply Chain: case study of Sri Lanka
The aim of this thesis is to understand how fashion supply chain characteristics affect the imple... more The aim of this thesis is to understand how fashion supply chain characteristics affect the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at factory level for garment manufacturers in lower labour-cost countries that supply Western high street fashion retailers. The high street fashion industry is one of few sectors under simultaneous pressure for short lead times and low costs. Additionally, increasing global dispersion of garment manufacturing to lower labour-cost countries has led to concerns about worker exploitation and firms are now under pressure to deliver societal goals as well as shareholder profits. CSR represents the business response to minimising the negative societal impact of global business operations; however, the very nature of the fashion supply chain with the pressure on cost and lead time compromises CSR implementation at factory level. The theoretical contribution is the synthesis and categorisation of factors within the context of fashion supply chains that impact both negatively and positively on CSR implementation at factory level in a lower labour-cost country, followed by an understanding of the interplay of global fashion supply chain characteristics and their impact upon CSR implementation at factory level. The inherent conflict between CSR principles and the characteristics of fashion supply chains may be reconciled by moving away from traditional adversarial supply chain relationships and adopting the Supply Chain Management (SCM) philosophy of long-term orientation and shared goals between trading partners. Furthermore, CSR implementation was influenced by product nature, the level of service provided by the supplier and the long-term partnership approach to buyer-supplier relationship management in the Sri Lankan context.
The UK Fashion Retail Supply Chain: Past, Present, and Future Challenges
#TBT Fashion: The Role of Nostalgia in Slow Fashion Consumption
2021 Academy of Marketing Annual Conference: Reframing Marketing Priorities, Jul 6, 2021
This chapter conceptualises luxury fashion as a cultural phenomenon by exploring the perspectives... more This chapter conceptualises luxury fashion as a cultural phenomenon by exploring the perspectives and lived experiences of contemporary consumers who determine China's luxury market dynamics. It questions the predominant assumption that Chinese consumers are passive adopters of imported Western luxury consumption values and illustrates the complexity inherent in the Chinese consumer experience, highlighting their potential as proactive value creators. Chinese consumers characterise luxury fashion in financial, conspicuous, functional and hedonic terms (Shukla and Purani, 2012; Shukla et al, 2015), but also imbue it with a unique contextual value that reflects the socio-cultural realm of their worlds. They see luxury fashion as a 'symbol of the West' and the 'art of life' they should aspire to, but its growing accessibility has caused some disorientation and alienation.
Special Session: Evolution of the Luxury Industry in a Digital World
Luxury brands, who have built at least part of their value on traditions and heritage, cannot ign... more Luxury brands, who have built at least part of their value on traditions and heritage, cannot ignore the increasing expectations from younger generation on digitalization. How luxury marketing can develop an optimal strategy remains a key question for both managers and practitioners.
The Influence of Eco-Labelling on Ethical Consumption of Organic Cotton
Sustainability in Fashion, 2017
Organisations are increasingly keen to communicate their efforts to address sustainability and en... more Organisations are increasingly keen to communicate their efforts to address sustainability and encourage consumers to adopt sustainable behaviours. Fashion retailers have begun to acknowledge and address growing consumer concerns about the negative impact of fibre, fabric and garment production on the environment and workers. This chapter considers how sustainability, in terms of the concept of organic cotton, is communicated to and interpreted by fashion consumers as they evaluate eco-labelling during the purchase decision-making process. It begins with an overview of organic cotton farming methods, followed by a critical analysis of the literature on ethical and conscious consumption, with specific consideration of the barriers and drivers of organic cotton consumption, and how eco-labels affect consumer perceptions of environmental issues. Finally, a summary of the current presence and marketing of organic cotton in the UK fashion market is provided.
Augmented Reality in Real Stores: Empirical Evidence from Consumers’ Interaction with AR in a Retail Format
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, 2019
This exploratory empirical study elucidates the concept of the ‘augmented store’, namely a physic... more This exploratory empirical study elucidates the concept of the ‘augmented store’, namely a physical retail store modified to accommodate AR technology. It extends previous research into immersive environments and technology-enhanced stores from experimental laboratory settings to a real-life scenario with participating consumers. Qualitative data from interviews and observations of consumers using AR technology in-store are analysed to evidence naturalistic understandings of interactions with, and perceptions of, a physical store enhanced with AR technologies. The findings provide evidence to suggest that consumers experience an enhanced, more immersive and enjoyable perception of the store environment as a consequence of the AR experience. They find interaction with the augmented store to be ‘realistic’, and hedonic motivations for interacting with the immersive store frequently prevail. The AR enhanced store appears to stimulate brand engagement, increasing consumers’ desire to shop at the retailer, which provides managerial opportunities to reinforce brand positioning.
The impact of the internationalisation of apparel sourcing on fashion retail supply chain relationships: the case of Sri Lanka
Conceptual framework development: CSR in fashion supply chains
International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 2013
through international o sets. Net zero intuitively sounds like a stronger commitment than the UK ... more through international o sets. Net zero intuitively sounds like a stronger commitment than the UK previously made. However, there are a number of risks and challenges that this new terminology presents that we must tackle head on to ensure a net zero target supports a more ambitious programme of climate action than the one it replaces. What should be prioritised? We must resist the urge to think only about the net zero target date. We need to focus not just on getting to zero, but our pathway of emissions reduction. To limit temperature increases in line with the Paris Agreement, signi cant and rapid cuts in emissions are needed now. For example, our work setting local authority level energy-only carbon budgets has indicated the need for 10-15% per annum reductions for Greater Manchester to be aligned with the Paris Agreement commitments. e UK's net zero 2050 goal refers to all greenhouse gases-but some sectors, for example, road transport and electricity, can and will need to move faster. GGR and emissions reductions; a joined up approach Whilst some sectors will not be able to reach zero, we must remember that many sectors do have the potential to get to, or very close to, 'absolute zero, ' such as our energy system. A long-cited criticism of GGR and o setting schemes is that their consideration may sti e the changes to policy, regulation and investment required to get to absolute zero. is is exacerbated if cheap, and potentially unveri ed, o set products are available on the market and if economic models assume that GGR can be delivered for a lower cost than emissions reductions. For example, the United States and Saudi Arabia arguing against the adoption
Research Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility in Context
Research Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility in Context Research Handbooks in Business an... more Research Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility in Context Research Handbooks in Business and Management series Edited by Anders Örtenblad Is corporate social responsibility (CSR) a universal idea? Is the same exact definition of CSR relevant for any organization, regardless of context? Or would such a definition need to be adapted to fit different types of organizations, in different cultures, industries and sectors? This book discusses how CSR preferably should be practiced in various generalized contexts. Experts share their knowledge on whether a broad definition of CSR can be practiced as is or if it first has to undergo changes, in as various generalized contexts as Buddhist and Islamic organizations, developing countries, the food processing industry, the shipping industry, and the pharmaceutical industry. Show Less Is corporate social responsibility (CSR) a universal idea? Is the same exact definition of CSR relevant for any organization, regardless of context? Or would such a definition need to be adapted to fit different types of organizations, in different cultures, industries and sectors? This book discusses how CSR preferably should be practiced in various generalized contexts. Experts share their knowledge on whether a broad definition of CSR can be practiced as is or if it first has to undergo changes, in as various generalized contexts as Buddhist and Islamic ... Show More Handbook
Special Session: Corporate Social Responsibility and AI: The Case of Fashion: An Abstract
Proceedings of the 1998 Multicultural Marketing Conference, 2020
Augmented reality in retail: a systematic review of research foci and future research agenda
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 2021
Purpose This paper synthesises peer-reviewed published journal articles on augmented reality in r... more Purpose This paper synthesises peer-reviewed published journal articles on augmented reality in retail settings to ascertain the current foci of academic research in this nascent area and develop a conceptual framework to form the basis for a future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach Thematic analysis was conducted on a sample of 76 papers published between 1997 and 2020 identified through a systematic search of high quality peer-reviewed papers. Findings Three major research avenues and theoretical bases emerged: AR adoption-based factors with technology acceptance models, AR user experience design and features that influence consumer behaviour, and AR shopping experience and value theory. The resultant S-O-R-based conceptual framework highlights the functional and experiential elements needed for an effective consumer AR experience, which could be implemented by retailers seeking to engage consumers with an augmented shopping experience and make AR applications financial...
Fast fashion has been widely criticised for its excessive resource use and high generation of tex... more Fast fashion has been widely criticised for its excessive resource use and high generation of textile. To reduce its environmental impacts, numerous efforts have focused on finding sustainable and eco-friendly approaches to textile recycling. However, waste textiles and fibres are still mainly disposed of in landfills or by incineration and thereby pollute the natural environment, as there is still no effective strategy to separate natural fibres from chemical fibres. Herein, we developed a green chemistry strategy for the separation and regeneration of waste textiles at the molecular level. Cellulose/wool keratin composite fibres and multicomponent fibres were regenerated from waste textiles via ionic liquids. Our strategy attempts to reduce the large amount of waste textiles generated by the fast-developing fashion industry and provide a new source of fibres, which can also address the fossil fuel reserve shortages caused by chemical fibre industries and global food shortages caus...
Applying Circular Economy Principles in Luxury Fashion: Petit h
Fashion Business Cases, 2021
Fashion Tech Adoption by Micro Fashion Retailers: An Innovation Pipeline Analysis of Technology Transfer from Academia to Business
Responding to Tan et al.’s (2009) call for further research on the enactment of innovation and te... more Responding to Tan et al.’s (2009) call for further research on the enactment of innovation and technology adoption within the small business environment and Grant and Perren’s (2002) call for greater paradigmatic variety in the study of small business, in which existing literature is predominantly positivistic, this qualitative study documents the socially constructed reality of multiple actors within an innovation pipeline (Massa and Testa 2008) for a product visualisation technology for online fashion retailing. Fashion became the fastest growing and most popular category of consumer goods bought online in the UK (Mintel 2012), but suffers from a high product return rate (Ratcliff 2014), largely due to the lack of try-on, touch and feel possibilities. Advances in image interactivity technology (IIT) such as 360° spin, zoom, catwalk videos and virtual fitting rooms enable fashion retailers to provide consumers with enhanced visual information to evaluate the properties of the item ...
The Use of Mobile Technologies in Physical Stores: The Case of Fashion Retailing
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Papers by Patsy Perry