Record Details
Social Capital, Capabilities, and Performance of Korean Immigrant-Owned Fashion Businesses in the Los Angeles Area
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Social Capital, Capabilities, and Performance of Korean Immigrant-Owned Fashion Businesses in the Los Angeles Area |
| Names |
Seo, Min Jeong
(creator) Burns, Leslie D. (advisor) Kim, Minjeong (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2015-06-02 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 2015 |
| Abstract | The contributions of Korean immigrant-owned fashion companies (KIOFCs) are increasing in the U.S. fashion industry. This study explored more deeply how KIOFCs can obtain competitiveness in the fiercely competitive fashion market. Specifically, this study 1) described the prominent characteristics of KIOFCs in the Los Angeles area, 2) investigated the multidimensional constructs of social capital, company capabilities, and company performance, and 3) examined the relationships among social capital, company capabilities, and company performance. Data collection targeted fashion companies owned by 1st, 1.5, and 2nd generation Korean immigrants in the Los Angeles area. For the convenience of the Korean participants, two versions (Korea and English) of the questionnaire were developed. Through in-person and online surveys, a total of 229 questionnaires [in-person (n = 160) and online (n = 69)] were collected. After screening inappropriate data including irrelevant or missing information (e.g., non-Korean owners, the generation of immigrants, low knowledge levels), data from 171 usable surveys were used for the analysis of this study. Partial Lease Squares (PLS)-SEM analysis was employed to test the relationships among social capital, capabilities, and company performance. The results showed that cognitive social capital was positively related to relational social capital and company performance. Internal and external capabilities fully mediated the relationship between relational social capitals and company performance. On the other hand, the results did not support that the network ties (a. inmaek, b. business activities, and c. social interaction) were related to relational social capital and company performance respectively. In conclusion, the findings suggest that fashion companies need to engage in the following activities with business partners in order to achieve a higher degree of buyer, market, and financial performance; 1) enhance cognitive social capital such as business vision and culture with business partners and 2) make efforts for relational social capital, such as trust and commitment with business partners which help to improve company capabilities. Additionally, future research is needed to identify significant network ties which contribute to business performance as considering the various stages of business growth. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Access Condition | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ |
| Topic | Fashion Businesses |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/56288 |
