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1. A mixed method exploration of building network ties in the US apparel industry.

   Miller, N. J. ( November 2020 , International Textiles and Apparel Association)

   Small-sized apparel manufacturing businesses who operate apparel design, development, and production businesses often experience inadequate knowledge in navigating the complex apparel industry. Key concepts in social capital theory suggest that social interactions and people-oriented organizational cultures advance knowledge sharing and network ties. This mixed method exploration of small-sized Colorado-based apparel manufacturers sought to address the research question: Is external knowledge available, and if so, do aspects of social capital play a role in the process? Study 1 involved a qualitative investigation with interviews and business documents suggesting low levels of knowledge sharing, and challenges in learning aspects of the industry. For Study 2, a quantitative analysis was conducted using stepwise multiple regression with independent variables measured by Likert-like scales involving knowledge absorptive capacity, social interaction, and people-oriented organizational culture. Network ties was the dependent variable. All three variables significantly explained networking ties. Exploratory findings provide both theoretical and pragmatic applications. 

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2. Theoretical Method for Characterizing Textile Failure Mechanics in Mechanical Recycling With Carded Drums

   https://doi.org/10.1115/MSEC2023-104361  

   Teixeira França Alves, Paulo Henrique ; Clarke-Sather, Abigail ; Carlson, Sam ; Martini, Angela ( June 2023 , American Society of Mechanical Engineers)

   Due to the increasing speed of production, sale, and discard of home and apparel products, recycling of textiles is important for supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of Responsible Consumption and Production. In 2020, textile production was estimated to be responsible for 35% of primary microplastics released into the environment, 20% of global clean water pollution, and 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2018 the US generated around 17 million tons of textile waste and only 14.7% was recycled. Drum-operated textile shredding, a commonly utilized mechanical textile recycling technique, is not yet fully characterized. Even though there are many shredding machines that perform this process, the parameters that influence high-quality fiber output have not been researched; discovering ways to improve reusable fiber output is still a challenge. This research investigates the theory behind carded (toothed) drum textile shredding including how to improve the process outcome in order to obtain more reusable fiber and fewer textile pieces and dust. The mechanics of the textiles and fibers under tensile and shear stresses from the drums and drum teeth respectively were described to relate the textile material failure behavior to shredding process fiber outputs. Focusing on the interactions of the feeding drums and shredding drum, the drum-textile and tooth-yarn failure mechanics were characterized. By decreasing the teeth size and increasing the relative speed between drums, it is expected to increase the shear failure ratio, thus improving the shredding system. With this, it is expected that manufacturing new and better materials from recycled fibers becomes a possibility.

    

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3. Investigating factors impacting U.S. small sized apparel manufacturers’ subjective evaluation of firm performance.

   Miller, Nancy J. ( November 2021 , International Journal of Business Management and Commerce)

   The purpose of this study was to learn more about U.S. small-sized apparel and sewn products manufacturing firms through an analysis of their firm performance with the multiple aims of improving management practice and advancing the reshoring of U.S. apparel manufacturing. We know relatively little about new companies and small-sized entrepreneurs who operate apparel production businesses, and specifically what impacts their perceptions of firm performance in navigating the complex and rapidly changing apparel industry. We build upon stakeholder theory and the knowledge-based view of the firm. Accordingly, this study involved a quantitative investigation as to what degree the following three attributes explained a subjective evaluation of U.S. apparel producing firm performance; entrepreneurial orientation, new product; and the ability of the firm to acquire knowledge in this competitive industry. Results of hierarchical multiple regression suggest that all three variables predicted significant change in firm performance with an adjusted R2 of 0.29. 

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4. Entrepreneurial Apparel Design, Development and Production: An Embedded Socio-Economic Process

   Miller, N. J. ( December 2019 , International Textiles and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings)

   Individuals who launch entrepreneurial apparel design, development, and production businesses often experience start-up difficulties associated with resource availability and constraints, as well as incomplete knowledge and perceptions of opportunities in the apparel industry. We examine the concept of embeddedness as a mechanism for accessing resources and for addressing information gaps. This empirical research uses Giddens’ theory of structuration to investigate the conception of entrepreneurship, involved in regional apparel design, development, and production, as an embedded socio-economic process. Application of structuration enables exploration of the link between entrepreneurship (as agent) and the context (as structure); thus, allowing study of how social structures affect or encourage entrepreneurial activity. Qualitative methodology was employed as the objectives were to explore and understand the relationships acquired rather than to measure. Drawing evidence from a longitudinal study of three regional supporting structures and their impact on three entrepreneurial apparel design, development, and production businesses, This research presents an initial investigation into embeddedness over time. 

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5. Dataset associated with U.S. Apparel Manufacturers Survey

   https://doi.org/10.25675/10217/234595  

   Miller, Nancy J. ; Engel-Enright, Carol ( January 2022 , Mountain Scholar)

   Firms do not continue and prosper purely on their own individual endeavors, as each firm is influenced by the activities of others, and thus direct and indirect relationships shape the firm’s strategic management. These relationships form the tactics by which knowledge and other strategically important resources are accessed and created. Forming and maintaining ties among members of a network have been the subject for numerous research studies in the social, economic, and business literature. Our work is framed by the resource-based view of the firm perspective along with social capital theory and its shared constructs in network theory. Prior findings suggest that networking ties are strategic actions generated for firm growth and continuance. The ties may be short-term or develop into long-term relationships. The purpose of this research is to fill some of the gaps in interorganizational networking strategy by analyzing five antecedents that have been suggested in the literature as individually associated with entrepreneurs’ engagement in network ties. In this way, our work provides another research avenue for examining networking’s contribution to strategic management. We hypothesized positive connections to entrepreneurs’ engagement in network ties from antecedents involving the firm’s knowledge absorptive capacity, business goals, entrepreneurial orientation, social interactions, and support from their environment. We tested our proposed macrolevel direct and moderating connections through an online survey of 125 U.S. apparel manufacturing firms. The apparel manufacturing sector in the U.S., as in many countries, has struggled with multiple disrupting factors contributing to the sector’s decline in firm continuance. Networks, serving to build domestic and international supply chain ties, may provide one solution for adapting the firm’s resources enhancing global competitiveness. Findings from OLS regression analyses support our hypothesized connections in that each of the five antecedents significantly contributed to entrepreneurs’ engagement in network ties; however, when all five were collectively examined only absorptive capacity, social interaction, and business goals were significant (R2 = 0.58). Further examination of moderation effects found the entrepreneurs’ perceptions of a supportive environment to modify both entrepreneurial orientation and business goals. The effects of a supportive environment on business goals’ relationship with network ties were greater when perceptions of a supportive environment decreased, while the effects of a supportive environment on entrepreneurship orientation’s relationship with network ties were greater when perceptions of a supportive environment increased. Future studies may direct attention to other industry sectors or countries for replication with larger sample sizes as we recognize the limitations to generalizability and scale refinement due to our limited sample size. Examining the five constructs sheds light on how an organization’s decisions may relate to engaging in networking and provides theoretical as well as practical implications that contributes to the larger organizational system framework. This dataset contains responses from 97 U.S. apparel manufacturers collected via an online survey during the fall of 2019. The apparel manufacturing sector in the U.S., as in many countries, has struggled with multiple disrupting factors contributing to the sector’s decline in firm continuance. Networks, serving to build domestic and international supply chain ties, may provide one solution for adapting the firm’s resources enhancing global competitiveness. The purpose of the study was to examine connections to entrepreneurs’ engagement in network ties from antecedents involving the firm’s knowledge absorptive capacity, business goals, entrepreneurial orientation, social interactions, and support from their environment. 

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