NCCC065: Indicators of Social Change in the Marketplace: Producers, Retailers and Consumers
Statement of Issues and Justification
Changing market, environmental, and policy forces continue to create social change in the marketplace impacting producers, retailers and consumers. Members of NCCC-65 are committed to fostering research and dialogue as a means of understanding and explaining marketplace changes that impact the consumer-marketplace interface. Participants in this multi-state effort are well-positioned to address two of the North Central cross-cutting research areas, specifically, (a) Economic Development and Policy and (b) Social Change and Development.The forces of change in the marketplace are many and varied ranging from technology and its impact on the dynamics of the buyer-seller interface to the complexity of an increasingly diverse consumer in terms of age, ethnicity, life stage, and lifestyle. In addition, political and geopolitical realities have created an uncertain market environment making it difficult for retailers and producers to plan and prompting consumers to take a cautious stance as a reaction to threats to their personal and economic security (Retail Forward, 2003).
Dramatic changes have threatened the well-being of society. This has affected producers, retailers, and consumers in the marketplace. For example, shifting demographic trends, such as the decline in rural populations, have fueled a decline in the number of small retail outlets, resulting in fewer goods and services available within a reasonable driving distance (Stone, 1989, 1995; Vias, 2004). An example of changes in producer functioning is the last totally self-contained textile mill in the United States. This mill, located in rural Minnesota, is searching for new product development methods to maintain its market share. In addition, communities are fearful of big-box retailers like Wal-Mart; however, we know from research that communities with a big-box retailer can survive and even thrive if small retailers can reposition to distinctive market niches. Grocery retailers also exist in a hostile marketplace: online orders and loyalty programs are expectations, mass merchants threaten market share, and the economic outlook is uncertain ("Grocery Retail," 2005).
Rural areas dependent on an agricultural economy are witnessing enormous changes as the need for agricultural labor decreases, global competition increases, and the introduction of new technologies stimulates continuous changes in how business is transacted. Rural regions face many challenges in re-defining and re-tooling themselves for the present and prospective economy (Kalomiris, 2003). As agriculture's share of the rural economy declines, entrepreneurship, innovation, and small business vitality are likely to be the future sources of competitiveness and growth for rural areas (Manrique, L. , Mathieson, M. , Yeung, O. & Johnston, K., 2005).
Critical to development of strategies for rural economic growth is awareness not only of the dramatic changes, but also of the uncertainties and resistance to change that frequently characterizes rural communities. Effective research-based programs are needed that maximize rural assets and acknowledge liabilities along with an awareness of diversity across today's rural regions (Acs & Malecki, 2003).
To address existing and emerging issues related to social change in the marketplace, NCCC-65 has focused on increasing the overall quality, quantity, and competitiveness of research related to social change in the marketplace by initiating systematic efforts to strengthen the research focus and infrastructure. Early in 2000, the NCCC-65 group led an effort to identify priority topics that textiles and apparel scholars were well-positioned to address. Four themes emerged as part of this initial planning effort. They include: 1) Technology and Its Impact on Consumer/Retailer/Producer Actions in the Marketplace 2) Society's Impact on Appearance/Image and Consumer Apparel Choices, 3) Consumer Choices in the Marketplace and Implications for Health, Safety, and the Environment, and 4) Societal and Government Pressures for Social Responsibility and Their Impact on Consumer/Retailer/Producer Actions. NCCC-65 served as a catalyst for the formation of the professional organization, Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business (ESRAB). ESRAB is gaining momentum through its ongoing research and outreach activities. To strengthen the research infrastructure, a programmatic five-year effort was implemented. The goal was to increase the number of researchers receiving external funding to generate knowledge and move the research agenda forward in this critical and dynamic area of inquiry. Four targeted workshops/presentations were held in four areas of the U.S. to assist scholars in order to increase the quality and competitiveness of their research. NCCC-65 collaborators have initiated research to address these priority areas; nevertheless a continuing effort to facilitate and promote collaboration and partnerships is needed.
As an outgrowth of these previous efforts NCCC-65 aims to focus its objectives for 2006 through 2011 on three key areas of social change in the marketplace. The first area is technology and its impact on consumer/retailer/producer actions in the marketplace. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the pervasive lack of technological and business knowledge and skills in rural areas and how consumers and marketers are coping with fast changing technologies. The second area is society's impact on consumer demand for goods and services to improve human well being. Collaborative work and information exchange will focus on US consumption changes resulting from emerging trends that create new consumer needs and preferences such as changing values, increasing obesity, aging, increasing number of minorities/ethnicities, immigration and populations shifts (i.e., exurban and in-urban migration; natural disasters). The third area is economic linkages among consumers, retailers, and producers to enhance community development. Member efforts in this area will focus on establishing (exploring) new linkages among family businesses, entrepreneurs, communities, and local and regional markets and designing strategies to develop human capital.
Addressing research questions focused on social change in the marketplace requires new research techniques and strategies as well as a collaborative model for conducting research. Thus, a multi-state effort engaging scholars representing a diversity of expertise will encourage the development of science-based information for consumers, retailers, and producers and solutions beyond any one state. A multi-disciplinary approach is essential to continue the dialogue and information exchange regarding social change in the marketplace. NCCC-65 members represent diverse areas of research and inquiry such as consumer behavior, e-commerce, rural retailing and entrepreneurship, textile recycling, anthropometric study of body shape for sizing, body scanning for product development, aesthetics, and obesity stereotypes. Current members represent a range of institutional types and geographic regions. Also, members bring expertise regarding the effect of social change on different systems (e.g., family, community, economic, social).
Over the next five years, the committee will set research priorities on issues related to social change in the marketplace, identify strategies to increase rigor of research methods/empirical techniques, provide opportunities to build partnerships, develop mutual interests, and collaborate at the national level, and share and critique new ideas and research results.
The area of interest, social change in the marketplace, is complex and requires a range of expertise and viewpoints in order to conceptualize research problems/questions, design appropriate research strategies/methods and implement research. Working collaboratively within the NCCC-65 multi-state committee and facilitating opportunities for interaction with the broader community of scientists working in this area will result in new research directions and priorities. Specific issues and problems associated with social change in the marketplace may be unique to one state or locale yet their resolution may apply regionally or nationally. Scientists' capability will be increased by a multi-state information exchange that facilitates the sharing of expertise and viewpoints, the creation of partnerships and collaborative relationships, and by the critique and review of new ideas and research results.
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