Call for Papers, Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science (JGSMS)

Special issue on: Heuristics-in-use in fashion business and consumption

Deadline for full paper submssions: 15 January 2017

Fashion is in constant turbulence. The spin of fashion cycle force companies to constatly innovate and create in short time span. What’s more, quick decisions need forecasting as they are made long beforehand. What are the next ’it’ colors or cuts for next fall season? What is the reasoning behind these decisions, how do the abundance of choices become decisions in fashion field? The theoretical background of decision-making in company level tracks into (1) logic; (2) statistics; (3) and heuristic rules. The rules of logic and statistics link to rational reasoning, while heuristic rules have instead been associated with intuitions viewable as mechanisms subject to errors and even irrationality (e.g. Gigerenzer 1996; Gigerenzer and Gaissmaier 2011; Gigerenzer and Goldstein 1996). However, executives in the fashion field need to be proactive, make decisions regarding complex problems in the environment, where often time and information is limited. In order to create a success story in fashion field, the creativity and bold thinking and ideas are vital condition. These ideas do not necessarily evolve from rational resoning, or there is not enough evidence and statistics where the decisions can be based on, thus, heuristic rules might be effectively applied.

The topic of heuristics has long been an object of attention in the literature relevant to business economics and management, and the key contributors such as Kahneman, Tversky, and Gigerenzer have created the theoretical background for heuristics (Artinger et al. 2015; Guercini 2012; Guercini et al. 2014). This special issue explores the frameworks in practice in fashion field, and thus, to provide better understanding of heuristic rules in use by excecutives and consumers (Lai & Woodside 2015; Wilson & Woodside 2001).

The decisions made in executive levels influene onsumers, but when it comes to fashion, the power of choice is in the hands of consumers. Fashion becomes fashion when it makes masses to move and to choose, it depends about consumer level of adoption (Woodside & Singer 1994). Therefore, heuristic rules are not just decision-making in managerial and business level, the rules of thumb can be also pointed out in consumers’ every day lives. Consumers face in their daily lifes countless of choices: it is everything from purchasing choices to usage situations and even to disposal actions (e.g., Arnould & Thompson 2006). Choices are not limited to brand alternatives but also where to consume and how to consume. When there is abundance of choices to make, more becomes less, and people quickly start applying rules of thumbs to ease the decision making processes (Schwartz 2004). These mental shortcuts usually involve focusing on one aspect of a complex problem and ignoring others (e.g., Lewis 2008).

Particularly, the fashion field is a rich playground filled with choices. ”We are what we consume,” creates the depth for decision making. We construct our identitites through consumption and make judgements about others based on their consumption behavior (e.g., Belk 1988). Often the decision making is not driven by the rationality and logic-based reasoning, but rather heuristic rules. Fashion as a phenomenon moves masses and make people to do even suprising choices: people wear fashionable pajama pants at work or at leisure trend drives consumers to wear sport clothes when strolling in the city. Where does these choices evolve and what are the heuristics behind? Are consumer prisoners of fashion designers’ choices that are driven by heuristic rules – are they buying only what they are sold? Moreover, is there difference of heuristic rules between the consumers of different stages of product adaption curve, that is, fashion innovators, early adaptors, early majority, late majority and laggards? For the JGSMS special issue, “Heuristics-in-use in fashion business and consumption” aims to examine theory, approaches, and case studies that contribute to shedding light on the role and relevance of heuristics in the fashion field. The heuristic rules can be examined either from executive perspective or understanding the consumers’ practices.

The phenomenon of heuristics is basically in the individual making sense of the surroundings and its opportunities. Heuristic rules can be applied in both business field and consumer level, and hence contributions from both fields are welcomed to this special issue. The potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Heuristic screening models in sense making applied in fashion industry
• The use of heuristic rules in the fashion trends forecasts and in row material and textiles products purchasing
• Applying heuristic rules in decision-making by fashion marketers and fashion consumers
• The rules included in the adaptive tool-box of fashion business executives and fashion consumers
• Adoption and sharing of heuristics in the fashion business community
• Consumers’ heuristics and their diffusion and use in the fashion buying behavior
• The role of influencers in the adoption and scope of heuristics in both fashion marketers and fashion consumers
• Implementing the heuristic rules in fashion consumption context
• The scope of specific heuristic rules in fashion consumer judgments and choices
• Assessing performance outcomes through heuristic rules in fashion field…

Manuscript submission for the review process will be done in the Taylor & Francis system at the following website:

http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rgam.

For your information, the 2017 GAMMA Conference at Vienna, 6th to 9th July 2017, will address issues related in part to the special issue. For conference details:

http://gammaconference.org/2017_GFMC_CFP.pdf?ckattempt=1

For the JGSMS special issue, send inquiries by email to both JGSMS Guest Co-Editors: Simone Guercini, Professor of Marketing, University of Florence, Italy (simone.guercini@unifi.it); Dr. Linda Turunen, Post doc Researcher, University of Vaasa, Vaasa, Finland (linda.lisa.maria@gmail.com). Please check the JGSMS website for guidelines on style in preparing your paper for submission:

http://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?journalCode=rgam20&page=instructions#.VzZb7ahf0hk

References

Arnould, E. J., & Thompson, C. J. (2005). Consumer culture theory (CCT): Twenty years of research. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4), 868-882.

Artinger, F., Petersen, M., Gigerenzer, G., & Weibler, J. (2015). Heuristics as adaptive decision strategies in management. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S33-S52.

Belk, R. (1988). Possessions and self. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Gigerenzer, G. (1996). On narrow norms and vague heuristics: a reply to Kahneman and Tversky. Psychological Review, 103, 592-596.

Gigerenzer, G., & Gaissmaier, W. (2011). Heuristic decision making. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 451-82.

Gigerenzer, G., & Goldstein, D.G. (1996). Reasoning the fast and frugal way: models of bounded rationality. Psychological Review, 103, 650-69.

Guercini, S. (2012). New approaches to heuristic processes and entrepreneurial cognition of the market. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 14(2), 199 – 213.

Guercini, S., La Rocca, A., Runfola, A., & Snehota, I. (2014). Interaction behaviors in business relationships and heuristics: Issues for management and research agenda. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(6), 929-937.

Lai, W. H., & Woodside, A. G. (2015). Heuristics-in-use in industrial interfirm-collaborating clusters. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 30(3/4), 394-404.

Lewis, A. (2008). The Cambrindge Handbook of Psychology and Economic Behavior. UK: Cambridge University Press.

Schwartz, B. (2004). The paradox of choice – Why more is less. US: Harper Perennial.

Wilson, E. J., & Woodside, A. G. (2001). Executive and consumer decision processes: increasing useful sensemaking by identifying similarities and departures. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 16(5), 401-414.

Woodside, A. G., & Singer, A. E. (1994). Social interaction effects in the framing of buying decisions. Psychology & Marketing, 11(1), 27-34.

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