Browsing by Author "Doss, Farrell Dean"
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- Clothing availability from department and speciality stores: implications for self-esteem, body satisfaction, and design line preference of large-size womenDoss, Farrell Dean (Virginia Tech, 1990-04-05)Clothing can be used as a tool to adjust one’s image in society. Western society’s infatuation with the slim body type has caused great discomfort for the large-size female. Hence, the effective use of the clothing "tool" is most important for the large-size female. This study was designed to determine if the place of purchase of clothing limited or enhanced the effectiveness of the clothing "tool". The objectives of this study were to determine if large-size women who shopped in department stores differed in self-esteem, body satisfaction, and design line preference from large-size women who shopped in specialty stores and to determine if relationships existed among these variables. Data were collected using a modified version of the Baggs Scale. The Likert type instrument was comprised of 10 self-esteem, 7 body satisfaction, and 14 design line preference items. The remainder of the instrument was composed of demographic information. The instrument was pre-tested twice using the female employees of The College of Human Resources at Virginia Tech. The final sample of 59 large-size females was derived from a random sample of female employees at Virginia Tech. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and Pearson Product Moment Correlations. The sample exhibited a high positive self-esteem, low body satisfaction, and a preference for clothing with vertical orientations. Significant correlations were found to exist among the variables.
- Impact of financial risk on U.S. apparel buyers' need for information sources and information on product characteristics and vendor reputationDoss, Farrell Dean (Virginia Tech, 1996-02-09)Having pertinent information is a key to successful and profitable apparel purchasing. Fashion apparel buyers use information sources to obtain information on product characteristics and on vendor reputation. The perceived financial risk of the purchasing activity has been shown to affect ratings of importance of the need for information. Few studies have addressed how fashion apparel buyers evaluate and react to perceived financial risk in their purchasing task. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of high and low perceived risk on U.S. apparel buyers' need for information sources and for information on product characteristics and vendor reputation variables during the apparel purchasing decision making process. Data (N=110) were obtained from a random sampling of apparel buyers listed in the Million Dollar Directory (1995). The questionnaire, administered through a mail survey, contained two scenarios and demographic questions about the buyers and their firms. Based on the scenarios, respondents rated the importance of the need for information sources and for information types. Data were analyzed using matched pair t-tests, analysis of variance with post-hoc tests, multiple regression, and Pearson product moment correlations. Matched pair t-tests showed that the respondents’ importance ratings for the information sources, product characteristics, and vendor reputation variables varied in the two risk scenarios. Analysis of variance results showed that the need for the upper management and another buyer/peer information sources and for information on consumer demand, ability to meet specifications, and delivery reliability were significantly more important than the other listed information sources or types. Multiple regression analysis showed that the ratings of a chance of a financial gain or loss were negatively related to the firms' store type in both scenarios and positively related to the buyers' experience in buying imported apparel in the high perceived risk scenario. In the low risk scenario, the buyers' frequency of being confronted with such a scenario was positively related to their rated chance of a financial loss or gain. Pearson correlations revealed mostly positive correlations between information sources and types of information. The results of this study show that perceived financial risk is an important variable in the apparel purchasing decision making process. Overall, the importance ratings of information sources and types of information are consistent with the findings of related previous studies.