Ready-to-Wear Apparel Analysis (3rd Edition)

Book Description

The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy takes the reader on a fascinating, around-the-world journey to reveal the economic and political lessons from the life story of a simple t-shirt. Over five years, business professor Pietra Rivoli traveled from a Texas cotton field to a Chinese factory to a used clothing market in Africa, to investigate compelling questions about the politics, economics, ethics, and history of modern business and globalization. Using the story of the t-shirt to illustrate the major issues of the globalization debate, this uniquely entertaining business book offers a surprising, enlightening, and balanced look at one of the major topics of our time.

Prize or Award

Business Book of the Year 2005, Finalist
AAP Awards for Excellence in Professional and Scholarly Publishing, 2006

Customer Reviews:

Great Read.......2007-09-24

The book is a good read, since I am taking my international trade class, this is actually one of the require reading. If someone who is very liberal, or cuddle to grave type of mentality, this book does not offer the cuddly senstivitive that the faint hearted people are looking for. But it is quite realistic. If you can look pass the sweatshops and all, this is a good read.

Good, but light-weighted.......2007-09-11

The book is an advocate of free market and a defender of the globalization. Basically the author portraits non-market forces to be bad (examples: artificial constraint on the labor worker's mobility, international trading protection, and restriction of new technology applications). She also proposes that free trade is good (example: used apparels in Africa). It is an interesting angle with which to examine the globalization phenomena. By recognizing that there are non-market forces at play, one should, or so the author seems to suggest, attribute negative effects (such as sweatshops) to these forces and work on eradicating such forces. The ideal situation would be, as author implies, an absolutely free market operating in bringing everyone maximum benefit.
While there may be novelty in this theme, I do not feel that it merits all the details and tidbits as presented in the book. In fact, I find this book more like a research log than a final product. The stories and observations are definitely interesting and well-written. However it is not always clear where they lead to and what conclusion they are designed to support. I think the book can be reduced to 1/3 of its volume and still be able to make the same points.
On the other hand, many conclusions are not well supported. For example, about trade restrictions, the author argues that US quota systems impact how capital and labor flows in the world, and shape the economy of other countries. While it is obvious that all US trading partners would behave under the influence of US trading policies, more quantitative evidences are required to ascertain the extend of such influence. Such details are lacking in the book. As another example, the book stated that China lost more textile jobs than the US. Therefore, the US jobs are not going to China, but are just disappearing due to technology advances. Such claim is not well-supported, either. These two forces (technological advances and job relocations) can both contribute to the job loss. Their relative importance in the US cannot be indicated by how much textile jobs are lost in China. (In addition, the book does not point out that most Chinese factories operate at a lower technological level than their US competitors. Therefore, the job loss rate due to technological advance is not the same in US and China.)
On a more grand scale, the book fails to address the following issue, which is very relevant to the topics at hand. Globalization in essence is a process of integrating many previously local markets into a unified global market. Previously, each market has different states of balance and is supported by different Government infrastructure. After integration, capital, labor and product flow to maximize profit for the capitalists. Such flow disrupts all local balances before a global balance is reached. For example, the labor cost in the US today is reasonably high because most people have the choice of working as blue collar or white collar workers. Some people are willing to work for lower wage to avoid the extra training and investment required for white collar jobs. However the difference in wages cannot be too large. In China, on the other hand, the pool of unskilled labor is huge and opportunity of getting trained and advancing into white collar jobs is very limited. Therefore, the unskilled labor cost is very low in China. Moreover, the tradition and culture in China allows for lower safety standards and environmental standards as imposed by the Government. Now the current state of balance in the US is the result of adjustments over generations and is relatively optimal. In a global market, however, the US cannot keep its balance until the whole world reaches the same balance. In the long run, such re-balancing is not a big problem and is even desirable. However, in the short run, it brings shock to the US markets, and such shock is unevenly bore by the arguably most vulnerable population: the workers. To me, this is a very important issue in globalization. Economically, globalization is win-win and everyone eventually will benefit. Humanitarianly, however, there are people who suffer in the process and it is the duty of the society to help them and (God forbid) protect them.
Overall, I'd say that this is a very interesting and thought provoking book. I enjoyed reading it at my leisure. However, I don't consider it to be of the caliber of an Economics textbook.

Can you understand global economics?.......2007-07-05

It's all about the money, someone said. This wonderful book starts with the growing of cotton subsidized by the US government, the spinning and weaving in China, the T-shirt making in Bangla Desh or wherever, its wear in the United States, and its ultimnate fate as second-hand clothing in West Africa, the only free market found by the author.
A simple and elegant account of interconnected global economics, of who gets value, who adds value, and who gets the money. Fun to read.

Doesn't take sides; just informs........2007-05-14

An intelligent, fair minded, well-researched, and very interesting book. I was assigned to read it for a class, so I had to force myself to open it, but once I did, I had a hard time putting it down. The book is not only informative, it also reads like a good story. The author is an economics professor whose writing style is friendly and accessible. Rather than being yet another abstract book about the global economy, it's about how everyday people function in, and are affected by, the global economy. The book doesn't take sides, it just informs the reader about something that affects us all.

Good, casual read offering good perspective.......2007-01-15

This book takes a pretty balanced approach to questions of globalization by tracing how a T-shirt is produced, from raw materials to the folded T-shirt in a department store, to the used T-shirts that are reprocessed or go to developing countries for a second life. Probably everyone can learn something from this book, and the narration is fairly engaging (it was good plane reading for me). The writer tries to keep the book agenda-free, putting forth both economists' and anti-globalizers' perspectives and describing how, to a certain degree, an effective global economy needs pushes from both camps.

Visual Merchandising: The Business of Merchandise Presentation (Sv-Fashion Merchandising)

Average customer rating:

NOT WORTH THE MONEY

Visual Merchandising: The Business of Merchandise Presentation (Sv-Fashion Merchandising)
Robert Colborne
Manufacturer: Cengage Delmar Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Retailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0827357591

Book Description

This book details the essentials of visual merchandising and the basic methodology of presentation for anyone in the fashion or retail industry.

Customer Reviews:

NOT WORTH THE MONEY.......2006-06-23

Book is very small with pictures of super high end stores. You know...2000 sq feet to showcase 10 t shirts.
Not for many people with stores. Go to Vegas and look at the stores there. At least you will get something for your money...

Average customer rating:

World of Fashion
Jay Diamond , and Ellen Diamond
Manufacturer: Fairchild Books & Visuals
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Retailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Production & Operations | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Textiles & Costume | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Home & Garden | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1563671808

Promotion in the Merchandising Environment

Average customer rating:

Promotion in the Merchandising Environment
Kristen K. Swanson , and Judith C. Everett
Manufacturer: Fairchild Books & Visuals
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Retailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1563671050

Perry's Department Store: A Buying Simulation for Juniors, Men's Wear, Children's Wear, and Home Fashion/Giftware

Average customer rating:

Perry's Department Store: A Buying Simulation for Juniors, Men's Wear, Children's Wear, and Home Fashion/Giftware
Karen M. Guthrie , and Cynthea W. Pierce
Manufacturer: Fairchild Books & Visuals
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Retailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Purchasing & Buying | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1563672952

The Rise and Fall of the House of Barneys: A Family Tale of Chutzpah, Glory, and Greed

Average customer rating:

How the third generation Pressmans blew their fortune.
Should be read by anyone with a FAMILY business
Fascinating
Why businesses don't succeed when passed to kids
A Cautionary Tale for Expansionist Managements

The Rise and Fall of the House of Barneys: A Family Tale of Chutzpah, Glory, and Greed
Joshua Levine
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Company Profiles | Biography & History | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Retailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0688155022

Amazon.com

The history of Barneys is the history of America itself in the 20th century. Barney Pressman was a hard-working nobody who sold mostly second-hand clothing in a nowhere neighborhood in Manhattan. From those humble beginnings rose a store that became famous for the sheer volume of its suits, and the discount prices for which they were sold. But Barney Pressman's son, Fred, had a different vision. He wanted his store to be more upscale, even if it couldn't be uptown, like Bloomingdale's. He pulled that off, but his sons--Barney's grandsons--wanted even more. They envisioned a plush uptown store, franchised around the world, with no expenses spared. And so they spent $267 million on their Madison Avenue store--$600,000 alone for a hand-assembled marble-chip floor--sinking the three-generation family business in a mere 10 years.

Levine shapes this story less as a tragedy than a lesson in hubris--and in business. All of Barney and Fred Pressman's business savvy corrupted into snobbery when Fred's sons took over. Barneys became "too New Yorky for most New Yorkers." There's an old saying that no one goes broke underestimating the taste of Americans. The converse is that fortunes are easily lost going the opposite direction. Barneys may be the most fascinating proof of that adage in American history. --Lou Schuler

Book Description

This is a rags to riches to rags story.

It took three generations to build Barneys into the world's most fabulous clothing store--and less than a decade to tear it down. This fascinating book is at once a family saga, a cautionary business tale, and a riveting, superbly detailed behind-the-scenes account of how a secondhand store founded on pluck and chutzpah grew into a glittering international retail empire, only to founder on greed and hubris.

It is a tragicomedy of truly Greek proportions, featuring a full cast of larger-than-life heroes and villains and fools, spun in dramatic, novelistic style, and written in evocative prose by a distinguished editor at Forbes. Patriarch Barney Pressman started small in 1923, but within two decades he was selling more suits than anyone in the world. By the time his son, Fred, took over in the 1960s, Barneys was a thriving institution, and Boys Town at Barneys was the site of every New York boy's clothing rite of passage. But Fred had loftier ambitions; he was never comfortable with the crass discounter image. He staked the family fortune on European fabrics and design, wound up transforming the entire world of men's fashion, and made a killing along the way.

But it was Fred's sons, Gene and Bob, who really wanted it all--not just a store but a grandiose temple of ultimate chic. Instead, through extravagance, flamboyance, greed, and an arrogant disregard for sound business principles, they raced heedlessly into one of the most spectacular business flameouts in retail history.

A tasty mix of high fashion, high finance, and overweening family ambition, The Rise and Fall of the House of Barneys is a book every bit as stylish and well tailored as any suit the Pressman dynasty ever sold.

This is a rags to riches to rags story.

Customer Reviews:

How the third generation Pressmans blew their fortune........2006-11-05

This is a typical story of a rich family running the family business into the ground. Barney and Fred Pressman spent their entire lives building up their suit store. They spent all their hours nurturing this business and they turn it over to their two sons and two daughters. The grand children have grand plans of expanding the store nationwide along with opening a megastore on Madison Avenue. Cost overruns, and the market result in doing in the business. They took a Japanese outfit along for the ride causing them to lose several hundred million dollars.

Levine does a good job of detailing the rise and fall of this retail empire. Barneys did a lot for mens fashions. However arrogant and greedy grandchildren caused the fall of this store. Family owned businesses should read this story for the caution it may give to family members.

Should be read by anyone with a FAMILY business.......2001-07-20

Don't be put off by what may appear to be a look at one business and one family's way of doing business. This book actually explores far deeper subjects and questions such as : Why is it that so many successful family businesses fail when passed on to heirs? Why do so many solid companies with loyal customers, proven merchandise and a promising future just fall by the wayside? To those who don't know Barneys, it was started by Barney Pressman, a smart, ambitious man who built his business into a thriving industry, selling more suits than anyone in the world by the 1960's.But what makes the book interesting is what happened to his business when his sons came into the picture and the intrigue, scandal and greed that tore apart the company. I can't help wondering: Why don't the patriarchs (or matriarchs) of family businesses teach their children to run the companies just as well? Is it possible to mix family and business and do it well? The Barney's sage, of course, is not yet over and the store is still in existence. So the end of this story remains to be seen.

Fascinating.......2000-08-14

A very enjoyable book. You pull for the Pressmans when the snobs snub them in the beginning. You jeer at them when their position goes to their heads and they behave very, very badly. But the really interesting part of the book concerns how fashion and retailing REALLY work. They appear to be just an elaborate hoax on the consumer. This book should be read in conjunction with Teri Agin's "The End of Fashion" which shows the comsumers are getting more and more skeptical and dissects the public offerings of fashion stock (if you're fond of your money and want to keep it, don't buy). Hooray.

Why businesses don't succeed when passed to kids.......2000-05-27

A fascinating case study on the history of a well known American business. The behind the scenes look shows the evolution through 3 generations. Looking deeper, it says a lot about the values of each of the generations which explains some of the troubles in America today. Maybe we've become too soft.

I can't recommend this book enough if you enjoy shopping or business books. I continue to shop occasionally at NY and Beverly Hills. You can't go into the stores without better appreciating the history of the store. BUY THIS BOOK.

A Cautionary Tale for Expansionist Managements.......1999-09-19

It seems everyone talks to Levine because as Barney Pressman once told Fred, "The Pressmans have no friends." What emerges is not only a morality play but also a case study on how not to raise your children and how not to expand your business. Hubris is a horrible thing. Time and again though during this decade, with Wall Street money plentiful, retail managements successful in one locale expand their businesses to places that don't want them. A concept that works in NY doesn't seem to play in Peoria, or with Barneys, in Texas. While with public companies, it's only money; with Barneys, privately held, it's family and lives. Maybe that's what makes the Barneys' tragedy a fascinating read.

The Real World Guide to Fashion Selling And Management

Average customer rating:

The Real World Guide to Fashion Selling And Management
Gerald J. Sherman , and Sar Perlman
Manufacturer: Fairchild Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Retailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1563674211

Real-Resumes for Retailing, Modeling, Fashion and Beauty Industry Jobs: Including Real Resumes Used to Change Careers and Transfer Skills to Other Industries (Real-Resumes Series)

Average customer rating:

Real-Resumes for Retailing, Modeling, Fashion and Beauty Industry Jobs: Including Real Resumes Used to Change Careers and Transfer Skills to Other Industries (Real-Resumes Series)

Manufacturer: Prep Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Job Hunting | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Resumes | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 188528831X

Book Description

Jobs in retailing, modeling, and the fashion business can be difficult to obtain. This book can provide the competitive edge. Resumes shown contain jobs such as Assistant Sales Manager, Beauty Consultant, Model, Retail Buyer, Cosmetics Specialist, Merchandise Manager, Sales Associate, Jewelry Store Manager, Music Store Manager, Customer Service Manager, District Supervisor, Fashion Merchandising Student, Salon Manager, Territory Manager, and many others.

Fashion Retailing: A Multi-Channel Approach (Delmar Fashion)

Average customer rating:

Fashion Retailing: A Multi-Channel Approach (Delmar Fashion)
Ellen Diamond
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Retailing | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Children's Books | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0131776827

Book Description

The only retailing book that exclusively focuses on the fashion segment of the retailing industry, its complete coverage includes the author’s personal experience, in-depth interviews with industry professionals, and a wealth of pertinent photographs, exposing fashion retailing as a âmulti-channelâ industry. Beginning with a broad overview of fashion retailing, this book then focuses on on-site environments, management and control functions, merchandising fashion products, communicating with clientele, and finally ends with a useful appendix about careers in fashion. An excellent handbook for retail executives and managers in the field.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books