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Clothing and Textiles Research Journal
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Apparel Import Intermediaries

The Impact of a Hyperdynamic Environment on U.S. Apparel Firms

Jung E. Ha-Brookshire

University of Missouri-Columbia, habrookshirej{at}missouri.edu

Barbara Dyer

Florida State University

This study's objectives were to clarify the standing of apparel import intermediaries (AIIs) and to obtain an immediate, deeper understanding of them in real-life settings from the perspective of industry experts with years of immersion in apparel industry phenomena. Based on interpretive analysis of qualitative in-depth interviews with 13 corporate executives of AII firms in New York City, the authors critically evaluated AIIs' views of their environment, development, and functions. Findings indicated ambivalent reactions to the hyperdynamic environment that has resulted from the global reordering of the apparel industry and described two development paths of AIIs, transformation or birth. Results also showed that this hyperdynamic environment has shaped firms' functional responses, leading AIIs to implement design, marketing, sourcing, and service activities in unique ways. The study explicates the critical role that classification systems and terminology play in firm identity, the tracking of economic data, and policy development within the U.S. apparel industry.

Key Words: intermediary • import • apparel • wholesale • globalization • supply chain

Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Vol. 26, No. 1, 66-90 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0887302X07304479
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?