DESIGN STRATEGIES IN A TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY: THE CASE OF CHINESE UNDERWEAR ENTERPRISE AIMER GROUP, LTD.

Hong Yu,Ping Zhao,Jingjing Xia 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.7

Introduction Over the past 30 years, Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers have successfully established themselves as leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for world markets. This reputable position requires dedicated cost management; however, incremental increases in labor, land prices, rent, and production costs in China threaten and may eventually eliminate their OEM advantage (Yam, Lo, Sun, & Tang, 2003). The worldwide economic and business recession has intensified cost cutting measures as the essential survival tool for maintaining competitiveness. Since the mid-1990s, many Chinese companies have begun to recognize the importance of developing their own global brands and moving up the value-creation ladder (Fan, 2006). One such company is Aimer Group, Ltd., a vertically integrated premium underwear manufacturer. Initially founded in 1993 as an OEM, Aimer quickly transitioned to establish its own brands in domestic markets and, in recent years, has ventured into international markets. Currently, Aimer and its umbrella product lines are among the most recognized underwear brands in China with a manufacturing capacity of 10 million pieces. Their merchandise includes an array of women’s, men’s, teen girl’s and children’s lines as well as custom-made lingerie. According to the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Aimer Group has maintained the highest market share and the largest sales volume in the underwear sector for several years in China’s markets (Aimer, 2011). Objectives The purpose of the study was to investigate the design strategies implemented by Aimer to support their successful branding efforts. Specifically, the researchers seek to find: (a) the core elements in Aimer’s design strategies; (b) Aimer designers’ approach to product development; and (c) How design strategies support Aimer’s overall branding and marketing strategies. Findings will provide valuable implications for other Chinese apparel manufacturers who strive to integrate design innovation in order to remain competitive. Research Method A case study method was implemented which included: on-site visits to Aimer Group’s headquarters, manufacturing facility, and retail stores in Beijing; in-depth interviews with Aimer Groups’ Chairman, senior management, Chief Design Officer, designers, retail store managers, and the general manger of the Beijing manufacturing facility; and a review of the company website and other internal documents, as well as an extensive external search of relevant news reports, social media contents, industry information, and academic literature. A qualitative data analysis method was utilized. Findings Aimer brands have grown and matured along with the Chinese consumers. Until the late 1990s, consumers passively accepted whatever the industry provided for them. Today, 15 years later, consumers have become keenly aware of what they want in underwear and that desire drives the industry’s new product development. Aimer’s design strategies are consumer-centric but also a reflection of its internal strategic direction. Its core elements include the following: (1) Understanding consumer lifestyles: Extensive fashion industry trend analysis, consumer research, and market/sale feedback are just starting points for product development at Aimer. In addition, they use broader consumer lifestyle analysis, including an examination of new technology trends, consumer preferences for jewelry, cosmetics, car and cell phone designs, popular video/computer games, consumers’ financial management behaviors, and societal hot topics as a way of guiding product design. (2) Innovation: Innovation is of paramount importance in Aimer’s product development. They have maintained active partnerships with international suppliers and Research & Development teams to ensure the latest fiber discoveries, fabric developments, and pattern engineering technology are incorporated into new product design. (3) Tradition preserved and reinvented: Aimer brands keep certain essential elements integral to their overall style, reinventing and integrating heritage elements into new designs. By doing so, brand history is enriched and continuity sustained. Aspers (2010) suggests that product development must embrace contextual knowledge: the designer’s general knowledge of fashion and their lifeworld. Each domain is used to interpret fashion. A designer’s lifeworld comprises their inherent values and beliefs, presenting challenges when creating products for consumers who live in different lifeworld. Aimer’s solutions to the challenge include the following: (1) Designers as entrepreneurs: Designers are trained to be entrepreneurs who must think of design not only from creative aspects but also within a business context. The company has established effective protocols for new product design and adoption procedures and standards; meanwhile, designers are provided with weekly sales records as market feedback to guide their future design directions. They are also given opportunities on a regular basis to travel to various international and domestic markets to gain first-hand experience and knowledge of fashion trends and consumers. (2) Teamwork: Designers from various regions of China and internationally are grouped in teams and assigned to work together on brands. This provides ample opportunity for them to interact and learn from each other so that their lifeworld is expanded. Branding literature suggests that consumer’s individual and shared brand experiences affect a consumer-brand relationship (Chang, Long, Chieng, & Hua, 2006) which is of critical importance to brand loyalty. Aimer’s design strategies support its branding and marketing strategies by: (a) contributing to consumers’ positive, consistent, and multi-dimensional brand knowledge as a part of the brand-leveraging process (Keller, 2003); (b) providing value-added product and service features to enhance brand-augmentation (Magrath, 1997); and (c) offering strong and effective design capacity for brand tiering (Magrath, 1997). Implications Based on the findings, implications for Chinese apparel manufacturers who strive to upgrade with design innovation will be discussed.

Branding strategies in transitional economy: The case of Aimer

Hong Yu,Osmud Rahman,Yi Yan 한국마케팅과학회 2019 Journal of Global Fashion Marketing Vol.10 No.1

The purpose of the study was to investigate the branding strategies implemented by the Beijing Aimer Lingerie Company Ltd. that support its success. A case studymethod was usedwhich included on-site visits and in-depth interviews with Aimer executives, mid-level managers, and frontline employees. Additionally, a review of the company’s website and internal documents, as well as an extensive external search of relevant news reports, social media contents, industry information, and academic literature contributed to the data source. The study adopted a deductive content analysis strategy by integrating Balmer and Gray’s (2003) C2ITE framework and the luxury fashion brand dimensions, and used triangulation as a validation strategy. The most important element of Aimer’s success is strategic planning and continuous brand development. In every step of Aimer’s business development, the executive teamstrategically planned its next step and had a clear vision for the future. Aimer executed well for each dimension of the analytical framework (Cultural, Marketing Communication, Tangible Branding, Intangible Branding, and Commitment) except one: brand signature (Cultural dimension). The findings provide valuable implications for other Chinese apparel manufacturers striving to establish their own brands, as well as global companies that compete in the Chinese marketplace.

Authentication and En-route Data Filtering for Wireless Sensor Networks in the Internet of Things Scenario

Hong Yu,Jingsha He 보안공학연구지원센터(IJGDC) 2013 International Journal of Grid and Distributed Comp Vol.6 No.1

Profiling Chinese Fashion Shoppers in Beijing : Mall Activities, Shopping Outcome, and Demographics

Hong Yu 한국마케팅과학회 2011 Journal of Global Fashion Marketing Vol.2 No.1

中?的生机勃勃的消?者市?已?引起了全球商?群?的?注。自1981年以?,?着中???以每年平均9.9%的速度增?,中?的零???也?得了持?的增?(《中???》,2008;《?家??》,2008)。2006年,中?的零?收入????8600?美元,成?世界第七大市?,?????字在2020年??到2.4万?美元(《特??告:准?好?抗》,2006)。炙?的中?市?吸引了那些渴望?住??前所未有的机遇的全球零?商和房地???商。中?零??最重要的?展出?自20世?80年代,其?志??代、大型的?物中心的?起(Li,Zhou,和 Zhuang,2003)。 ?然?物商?的?念?中???的零?活?截然不同,但中?人?然已?接受了?物商?的便利(Chen,2007)。在前?年的全球金融危机期?,中?消?者的??力已?成?中???增?的主要??力,甚至成????家在逆境中??的??力(Cavender,2010)。然而,?中?消?者的?解却?普遍(Cavender,2010),?且?少有?注?物商??境中中?消?者行?的硏究(Li 等,2003)。本硏究??????缺陷?加深?中?商?消?者的理解。具???,硏究者探索了???向的商??物者??,???了????的?物价?,商?活?,花?和人口??特征。 硏究者在北京一?新建的大型?物商??行了?截???收集?据,??商?的客?都是中上??。??有素的硏究生采用Sudman(1980)的商??截??步??收集?据。?据分析包括296?完整的?卷。?本包括87名男性(29.0%)和209名女性(69.7%)?物者。其中30%的受?者的年?在18?到25?之?,11%的受?者的年?在41?到60?之?,剩余的57%在26?到40?之?。大部分受?者(66.3%)?有本科??。61.3%是就?人?,4%的受?者是退休人?。 ???卷包括?量???向(Gutman and Mills,1982),?物价?(Babin,Darden,and Griffin,1994),商?活?(Bloch,Ridgway,and Dawson,1994),其他人口??信息和消?者在商?里的?支出的??。???家把?卷??成中文?且再反??英文以?保?卷的有效性。????向和?物价?的??,硏究者使用了主成分提取法和方差旋?的探索性因子分析。???向?量的聚?分析包括三?步?:第一,采用Ward方法的系?聚?分析;第二步,?系?聚?分析?果作?初始聚心?行K-均?聚?分析;最后,采用方差分析和?方???比??些??。 ???向包括三?因子:???感?趣和????(alpha=.92);重?精致穿着(alpha=.83),和反???度(a1pha=.48)。?物价?包括???度:享?价?(alpha=.81)和?用价?(alpha=.50)。α系??0.70以上的?目的可?性被??是可接受的,?些&# China’s burgeoning consumer market has drawn increased attention from the global business community. With the Chinese economy boasting an average growth rate of 9.9% per year since 1981, the country’s retail sales continue to gain momentum. In 2006, China’s retail revenue totalled about $860 billion-the seventh-largest market in the world-and this figure is projected to grow to $2.4 trillion by 2020 (Special Report: Ready for Warfare, 2006). The red-hot Chinese market has attracted global retailers and property developers who are keen to seize this unprecedented opportunity. Foremost among such retail development in China since the late 1980s is the emergence of modem regional and mega shopping centers (Li, Zhou, and Zhuang, 2003). While the concept of the shopping mall is quite different from traditional retail practices in China, Chinese people have embraced the convenience of mall shopping (Chen, 2007). During the recent global financial crisis, Chinese consumers’ spending power bas become a major driver of the country’s economic growth, even as the developed world’s own economies continue to struggle (Cavender, 2010). Nevertheless, misconceptions about Chinese shoppers are prevalent (Cavender, 2010) and few studies focus on Chinese consumer behavior in a shopping mall environment (Li et al., 2003). This study intends to fill the gap and to expand the understanding of Chinese mall shoppers. Specifically, the researcher explored segmentation of mall shoppers by fashion orientation, and examined shopping values, mall activities, expenditures, and demographic characteristics across the segments. The researcher used an intercept survey method for data collection in a newly established mega shopping mall in Beijing whose clientele fits middle to upper class profiles. Trained graduate students collected data using a mall intercept survey procedure adapted from Sudman (1980). A total of 296 completed questionnaires were included in the data analysis. The sample consisted of 87 male (29.0%) and 209 female (69.7%) shoppers. About 30% were between the ages of 18-25, 11% were 41-60 years of age, and the rest (57%) were 26-40 years of age. The majority (66.3%) had earned a Bachelor’s degree; 61.3% were employed; and about 4% were retired. The questionnaire included items measuring fashion orientation (Gutman and Mills, 1982), shopping value (Babin, Darden, and Griffin, 1994), mall activities (Bloch, Ridgway, and Dawson, 1994), as well as other demographic information and total customer expenditures during the mall visit. The questionnaire was translated into Chinese and back-translated into English by bilingual experts to ensure validity. Exploratory factor analyses using principle component extraction and vari-max rotation were performed on fashion orientation and shopping value. Cluster analysis using fashion orientation as the variable included three steps: Firstly, hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward’s method was conducted; secondly, K-means cluster analysis was performed with the cluster centers from the hierarchical results as the initial seed points; and finally, ANOVA and Chi-square tests were used to compare across the clusters. Factor analysis on fashion orientation resulted in three factors: Fashion Interest and Leadership (alpha=.92); Importance of Being Well-Dressed (alpha=.83); and Anti-Fashion Attitude (alpha=.48). Factor analysis on shopping value scale yielded two dimensions: Hedonic Value (alpha=.81) and Utilitarian Value (alpha=.50). Items with alpha coefficients above 0.70 are considered acceptable in reliability and they were summated into a single score; for those with alpha coefficients lower than 0.70, a single item with the highest factor loading was used to represent the factor dimension in further analyses (Jin and Kim, 2003). Cluster analysis suggests three clusters: Fashion Leaders (N=74, 26.7%); Independents (N=105, 37.9%); and Uninvolveds (N=98, 35.4%).

Differentiating Benign from Malignant Bone Tumors Using Fluid-Fluid Level Features on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Hong Yu,Jian-Ling Cui,Sheng-Jie Cui,Ying-Cai Sun,Feng-Zhen Cui 대한영상의학회 2014 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.15 No.6

Objective: To analyze different fluid-fluid level features between benign and malignant bone tumors on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and Methods: This study was approved by the hospital ethics committee. We retrospectively analyzed 47 patients diagnosed with benign (n = 29) or malignant (n = 18) bone tumors demonstrated by biopsy/surgical resection and who showed the intratumoral fluid-fluid level on pre-surgical MRI. The maximum length of the largest fluid-fluid level and the ratio of the maximum length of the largest fluid-fluid level to the maximum length of a bone tumor in the sagittal plane were investigated for use in distinguishing benign from malignant tumors using the Mann-Whitney U-test and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Fluid-fluid level was categorized by quantity (multiple vs. single fluid-fluid level) and by T1-weighted image signal pattern (high/low, low/high, and undifferentiated), and the findings were compared between the benign and malignant groups using the χ2 test. Results: The ratio of the maximum length of the largest fluid-fluid level to the maximum length of bone tumors in the sagittal plane that allowed statistically significant differentiation between benign and malignant bone tumors had an area under the ROC curve of 0.758 (95% confidence interval, 0.616–0.899). A cutoff value of 41.5% (higher value suggests a benign tumor) had sensitivity of 73% and specificity of 83%. Conclusion: The ratio of the maximum length of the largest fluid-fluid level to the maximum length of a bone tumor in the sagittal plane may be useful to differentiate benign from malignant bone tumors.

Single-chip quasi-PWM DC-DC converter with fast transient response comprising loop-bandwidth control

Hong, Y.U.,Jung, S.H.,Woo, Y.J.,Choi, B.K.,Cho, G.H. IEE 2005 Electronics letters Vol.41 No.8

A single-chip fast-transient-responding DC-DC converter employing new control methods is proposed. The proposed quasi-PWM control provides the advantages of both accurate PWM control and fast hysteresis control. In addition, automatic loop-bandwidth (ALB) control is used for the output voltage to return to its original value quickly when an abrupt transition occurs at line voltage or load current. The ALB controlled quasi-PWM boost converter chip is implemented using standard 0.35 μm CMOS process, and the test results are shown.

The Finite Element Method for the Buried Pipes in Groud Source Heat Pump System

Hong Yu,Hong Zhang,Chunli Yu 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Smart Home Vol.9 No.5

Directed at the key problem about the heat transfer between heat pipes and piles found in the ground source heat pump system (GSHP), a new finite element method is adopted in this paper to provide a finite element scheme for piles and U-bent tubes.And then a calculation on the term of heat transfer between the pile and the U-bent tube through the point integration method is made.Then the value of the convective heat transfer coefficient h will be determined through the definition of the Nussellt number. Finally three illustrative examples are given in this paper to verify the rationality of our format. The model proposed in this paper has broken through the restrictions of the traditional analytical solutions, making it able to be applied widely in various projects.

DESIGN STRATEGIES IN A TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY: THE CASE OF CHINESE UNDERWEAR ENTERPRISE AIMER GROUP, LTD.

Hong Yu,Ping Zhao,Jingjing Xia 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.8

Introduction Over the past 30 years, Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers have successfully established themselves as leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for world markets. This reputable position requires dedicated cost management; however, incremental increases in labor, land prices, rent, and production costs in China threaten and may eventually eliminate their OEM advantage (Yam, Lo, Sun, & Tang, 2003). The worldwide economic and business recession has intensified cost cutting measures as the essential survival tool for maintaining competitiveness. Since the mid-1990s, many Chinese companies have begun to recognize the importance of developing their own global brands and moving up the value-creation ladder (Fan, 2006). One such company is Aimer Group, Ltd., a vertically integrated premium underwear manufacturer. Initially founded in 1993 as an OEM, Aimer quickly transitioned to establish its own brands in domestic markets and, in recent years, has ventured into international markets. Currently, Aimer and its umbrella product lines are among the most recognized underwear brands in China with a manufacturing capacity of 10 million pieces. Their merchandise includes an array of women’s, men’s, teen girl’s and children’s lines as well as custom-made lingerie. According to the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Aimer Group has maintained the highest market share and the largest sales volume in the underwear sector for several years in China’s markets (Aimer, 2011). Objectives The purpose of the study was to investigate the design strategies implemented by Aimer to support their successful branding efforts. Specifically, the researchers seek to find: (a) the core elements in Aimer’s design strategies; (b) Aimer designers’ approach to product development; and (c) How design strategies support Aimer’s overall branding and marketing strategies. Findings will provide valuable implications for other Chinese apparel manufacturers who strive to integrate design innovation in order to remain competitive. Research Method A case study method was implemented which included: on-site visits to Aimer Group’s headquarters, manufacturing facility, and retail stores in Beijing; in-depth interviews with Aimer Groups’ Chairman, senior management, Chief Design Officer, designers, retail store managers, and the general manger of the Beijing manufacturing facility; and a review of the company website and other internal documents, as well as an extensive external search of relevant news reports, social media contents, industry information, and academic literature. A qualitative data analysis method was utilized. Findings Aimer brands have grown and matured along with the Chinese consumers. Until the late 1990s, consumers passively accepted whatever the industry provided for them. Today, 15 years later, consumers have become keenly aware of what they want in underwear and that desire drives the industry’s new product development. Aimer’s design strategies are consumer-centric but also a reflection of its internal strategic direction. Its core elements include the following: (1) Understanding consumer lifestyles: Extensive fashion industry trend analysis, consumer research, and market/sale feedback are just starting points for product development at Aimer. In addition, they use broader consumer lifestyle analysis, including an examination of new technology trends, consumer preferences for jewelry, cosmetics, car and cell phone designs, popular video/computer games, consumers’ financial management behaviors, and societal hot topics as a way of guiding product design. (2) Innovation: Innovation is of paramount importance in Aimer’s product development. They have maintained active partnerships with international suppliers and Research & Development teams to ensure the latest fiber discoveries, fabric developments, and pattern engineering technology are incorporated into new product design. (3) Tradition preserved and reinvented: Aimer brands keep certain essential elements integral to their overall style, reinventing and integrating heritage elements into new designs. By doing so, brand history is enriched and continuity sustained. Aspers (2010) suggests that product development must embrace contextual knowledge: the designer’s general knowledge of fashion and their lifeworld. Each domain is used to interpret fashion. A designer’s lifeworld comprises their inherent values and beliefs, presenting challenges when creating products for consumers who live in different lifeworld. Aimer’s solutions to the challenge include the following: (1) Designers as entrepreneurs: Designers are trained to be entrepreneurs who must think of design not only from creative aspects but also within a business context. The company has established effective protocols for new product design and adoption procedures and standards; meanwhile, designers are provided with weekly sales records as market feedback to guide their future design directions. They are also given opportunities on a regular basis to travel to various international and domestic markets to gain first-hand experience and knowledge of fashion trends and consumers. (2) Teamwork: Designers from various regions of China and internationally are grouped in teams and assigned to work together on brands. This provides ample opportunity for them to interact and learn from each other so that their lifeworld is expanded. Branding literature suggests that consumer’s individual and shared brand experiences affect a consumer-brand relationship (Chang, Long, Chieng, & Hua, 2006) which is of critical importance to brand loyalty. Aimer’s design strategies support its branding and marketing strategies by: (a) contributing to consumers’ positive, consistent, and multi-dimensional brand knowledge as a part of the brand-leveraging process (Keller, 2003); (b) providing value-added product and service features to enhance brand-augme

An LDPC-COFDM based High Speed Mobile Wireless Communication System

Hongyu Sun,Lijun Bi,Xiang Lu,Yinjing Guo 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Hybrid Information Techno Vol.8 No.12

Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (COFDM) is very well matched to the terrestrial channel, being able to cope with severe multi-path and the presence of co-channel narrowband interference. This paper presents an image and video transmission scheme based on COFDM for high speed mobile wireless communication system in which a good Rate-Compatible Low-Density Parity-Check codes structure is applied, this structure can provide a large range of supporting rates, and provide very good error performance, low decoding latency and low computational complexity at the decoder. The test experiment was made in television live transmitting to validate the designed system. The results show that our COFDM-based mobile wireless digital multimedia broadcasting system can transmit high definition image and video when it being equipped for 486Kilometre/Hour’s high speed rail, The Channel Bit Error Rate <2.0E-4 and Carrier to noise ratio(C/N) >30dB when the output power at 30dBm.

Diffraction behavior of an azo-dye-doped nematic liquid crystal without applied electric field

Hongyue Gao,Kaiyu Gu,Zhongxiang Zhou,Yongyuan Jiang,Dewei Gong 한국물리학회 2008 Current Applied Physics Vol.8 No.1

We investigate the dependence of the two-beam coupling diffraction efficiency on the experimental parameters, and hence achieve the optimum experimental conditions for holographic recording in planar Methyl Red-doped nematic liquid crystal film without external electric field. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the diffraction efficiency of a holographic grating is improved to 21.4%, and holographic image with long-term stability is stored in the film. These results provide an experimental basis for holographic data storage in this liquid crystal film We investigate the dependence of the two-beam coupling diffraction efficiency on the experimental parameters, and hence achieve the optimum experimental conditions for holographic recording in planar Methyl Red-doped nematic liquid crystal film without external electric field. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the diffraction efficiency of a holographic grating is improved to 21.4%, and holographic image with long-term stability is stored in the film. These results provide an experimental basis for holographic data storage in this liquid crystal film