Universities of technology in Zimbabwe enrol students with various background educational qualifications for Textile, Clothing and Design programmes. The students are combined and learn in same class resulting in high students’ failure rate, drop outs, late completion of degree programmes, and poor performance of graduates. Thus researchers sought to examine curriculum adaptation procedures used to cater for the students. Post-positivism paradigm in mixed method research approach was adopted for the study. Interviews with TCD management, document analysis, and questionnaire with lecturers yielded qualitative and quantitative data. Findings revealed that lecturers employed various uncoordinated methods to adapt the curriculum content to cater for the students
Textile, Clothing and Design programmes' provision to students with diverse academic backgrounds in universities of technology in Zimbabwe has led to various concerns raised by the stakeholders emanating from curriculum implementation approaches, such as students' failure, drop out and prolonged completion of programmes. This study therefore, sought to examine teaching strategies used to cater for the students in provision of the programmes in 2 sampled universities. The study adopted post-positivism paradigm and used mixed method research approach that integrated concurrent qualitative and quantitative procedures in data collection, analysis and interpretation. Questionnaire, interview and document analysis were used to collect data from 36 lecturers, 2 quality assurance directors, 2 faculty deans of studies, 2 chairpersons and 6 lecturers. Collected data were analyzed using statistical and non-statistical procedures. The study revealed that lecturers used various teaching strategies to cater for the students, despite the absence of university curriculum implementation policy.
The research paper explores the Zimbabweans’ view of ideal woman’s body features to provide a comprehensive overview of what is considered an acceptable silhouette in Zimbabwe’s cultural groups in order to achieve better fitment of fashion products by clothing manufacturers. The study used a qualitative research approach in which participants for the interview were purposively selected based on assumed knowledge of cultural norms, values, and beliefs. The study participants comprised both men and women of above 56 years from different cultural groups in Zimbabwe, drawn from the ten provinces namely Matebeleland north, Matebeleland south Bulawayo Harare Mashonaland central, Mashonaland west, Mashonaland east, Masvingo, Midlands, and Manicaland. The study sample consisted of ten elderly partcipants, 5 males and 5 females purposively selected from one district per province. These were subjected to in-depth face-to-face interview and observations to get their perspective on the ideal body features of an ideal woman according to their cultural norms, values and beliefs. The study findings revealed that the ideal body features for the Zimbabwean woman are large nicely curved hips, narrow waist and well-shaped burst area, conforming to pear-shaped silhouette, giant and averagely built body. These ideal features are molded onto the girl child through traditional medicinal consumption and physiological intervention at a tender age from birth to six years.
The study sought to analyze the factors that lead to customer loyalty to fashion brands in Harare, Zimbabwe. The study made use of a qualitative research approach. Data was collected using unstructured interviews and focus group discussions from five managers and ten fashion consumers for five fashion retail shops in Harare selected through the purposive sampling technique. Findings were analyzed thematically. The findings reflected that customer loyalty to fashion brands was mostly influenced by economic conditions such as inflation, wages, market interest rates, demographics, customer satisfaction, decrease in disposable income and buying power. Strategies such as product promotions and provision of flexible hire purchase facilities among other suggestions emerged from the findings as ways to improve customer loyalty and viability of the fashion business. The study recommends fashion retailers to formulate a fashion retailer’s board responsible for organizing forums to discuss issues regarding customer brand loyalty and fashion retail business improvement. The study findings helped to develop a model that may help in improving fashion products consumption and customer loyalty.
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