Athletic Shoes Research Articles

Impact Attenuation And Kinetic Characteristics Of Cross Training Shoes In Landing And Jumping Activities

Very few footwear studies have examined athletic shoes designed for sports other than running. Cross-training footwear is designed to meet needs of a variety of sports and sport training environments with key features that include generating power for performance and attenuating impacts for injury prevention. PURPOSE To examine kinetic characteristics of impact attenuation in landing and power generation in jumping of four different cross training shoes. METHODS Ten healthy male recreational athletes (age:21.5±2.5 yrs) performed five step-off landing trials and five maximum vertical jumping trials in each of four cross-training shoes (from three leading footwear manufacturers). Right sagittal kinematic data (120 Hz), ground reaction forces (GRF,1200 Hz), and forehead and distal tibia accelerations (ACC, landing only) were measured simultaneously. The landing height was determined individually based upon potential energy of a “mid-size” person (80 kg) landing from a 0.6 m height. Material tests were performed on selected sizes of each shoe model.A one-way repeated measures ANOVA and post-hoc comparisons (p < 0.05) were performed on selected variables. RESULTS The results from the landing trials showed that Shoes A (23 N/kg) and B (26 N/kg) had significantly smaller forefoot peak GRF than Shoes C (29 N/kg) and D 28 N/kg). Shoes A (2274 N/kg/s) and B (2630 N/kg/s) also showed lower loading rate associated with the forefoot contact than Shoes C (3316 N/kg/s) and D (3336 N/kg/s). No significant changes were seen in ACC data. The jumping GRF results normalized to the individual jump height indicated significantly greater peak power for Shoes C (50 Wm/kg) and D (51 Wm/kg) compared to A (48 Wm/kg). Maximum peak GRF for Shoe D (16 Nm/kg) was greater than Shoe A (15 Nm/kg). In addition, kinematic data showed not clear trends in landing or jumping trials. The material testing indicated that Shoes A and B had the smallest forefoot stiffness values (9.2 and 9.6 N/mm) compared to Shoe C and D (18.0 and 12.7 N/mm) obtained in a fixibility test. Energy loss for Shoes A and B (41%and 43%) were greater than Shoes C and D (33 and 35%). CONCLUSIONS The results suggested that the Shoes A and B showed slightly better forefoot impact attenuation properties. Shoe D and C demonstrated better jumping performance than Shoe A. But better performance may come at a price of decreased cushioning.

The new business road test: what entrepreneurs and executives should do before writing a business plan

Chapter 1: Opportunity: The Lifeblood of Entrepreneurship How important is opportunity assessment? Three crucial distinctions The seven domains of attractive opportunities Is the attractive: macro and micro considerations Is the industry attractive: macro and micro considerations Can the team deliver? Using the seven domains Where do attractive opportunities come from? Opportunities for niche-market entrepreneurs Chapter 2: Delivering Benefits to Attractive Target Markets Why do we begin our thinking here? Which do customers want, benefits or features? iMode delivers clear benefits at the right price Beer drinkers see the Lite Nike runs away with the athletic shoe business, one at a time Sony's Walkman delivers real options OurBeginnings.com makes a costly marketing miscue The investor's perspective Lessons learned Chapter 3: Do Attractive Markets Matter? Hero Honda's rise in India Whole Foods corners a growing WD-40's many uses makes it grow EMC capitalizes on technological trends Thinking Machines can't find a The investor's perspective Lessons learned Chapter 4: Are Different Industries All the Same? In the pharmaceutical industry, most companies win In the DSL industry, most companies lost The investor's perspective Lessons learned Chapter 5: What Does it Take to Gain Distinctive Advantage? Winning in a lousy industry: the resource-based view What makes a viable business model? For Zantac patents mean profits Nokia's processes keep it in front eBay: a dot-com business that works! EMI loses its first mover advantage WebVan's bricks don't stack up The investor's perspective Lessons learned Chapter 6: Know What You Want Opening vignette: Mahatma Ghandi Howard Schultz's passion for the coffee experience The investor's perspective Lessons learned Chapter 7: The Ability to Execute Who wins, loses? Critical success factors make the difference Palm has what it takes in the technology business Schwinn hits the skids Breckenridge Brewery loses its fizz The investor's perspective Lessons learned Chapter 8: Connections Matter, but Which Ones Matter Most? Virata turns on a dime Failure history: not yet determined The investor's perspective Lessons learned Chapter 9: Traps to Avoid The who is my market trap: Search Master The no viable segment trap: EO The no sustainable business model trap: Pets.com The me-too trap: The Winchester disc drive parade Chapter 10: Making Lemons into Lemonade Innovation in stagnant markets: Nike, Starbucks Being different in unattractive industries: Wal-Mart, Gap Opportunities for niche entrepreneurs: Enterprise Car Rental Chapter 11: What to Do Before You Write Your Business Plan The customer-driven feasibility study The customer-driven feasibility study and the business plan: how do they differ? Opportunities are not static: so shape them! Why bother?

Efficacy of Plantar Loading Parameters During Gait in Terms of Reliability, Variability, Effect of Gender and Relationship Between Contact Area and Plantar Pressure

The purpose of this study was to determine plantar pressure and contact areas of the foot inside the athletic shoe during activity. The objectives were to determine if plantar pressure and contact area measurements collected on multiple trials from the same subject were reliable, to determine the variability of measurements between subjects as compared to that found between steps within a single subject, to determine the relationship between contact area and plantar pressure, and to ascertain whether there were any systematic gender differences in these measurements. Sixteen healthy adults volunteered for participation in the first part of the study that was designed to determine reliability and variability of the testing methodology. A separate group of fifty healthy high school and collegiate athletes participating in soccer, field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse comprised the second part of the study that was designed to investigate gender differences in terms of normalized midfoot plantar pressure and contact area, and the interrelationship between the two measurements. Data were collected during the midstance phase of gait, using the Pedar in-shoe measurement system (Novel GMBH, St. Paul, MN). Athletes wore their own athletic shoes and performed walking trials on a surface similar to that used in their sport. The foot was divided into four regions based on radiographic measurements. The midfoot region demonstrated excellent reliability across multiple trials of the same subject in contact area and plantar pressure, and the variability between steps within a single subject was small when compared to that between subjects. Normalized midfoot contact area and plantar pressure values were highly correlated with r values of 0.862 on the left foot and .912 on the right foot. No significant differences were found in normalized midfoot contact area or plantar pressure values between males and females. The Pedar in-shoe pressure measurement system can be used reliably to quantify contact area and plantar pressure beneath the midfoot region during the midstance phase of gait. This measurement technique can now be used in risk factor studies designed to identify individuals at risk for injury to the foot, ankle, and other lower extremity structures.

Parent, peer and TV influences on American teens' athletic shoes purchasing

The purpose of this study is to investigate how socialisation agents – parents, peers and TV – influence American teens' athletic shoes purchasing and how any influence differs according to teens' demographic characteristics. Participants were 558 teens in a Southeastern state in the USA. Overall, peers exert the greatest influence. Using multiple regression analyses, the results suggested that socialisation agents' influence differed according to teens' demographic characteristics. Family and consumer educators should consider the findings of this study as a guide to give better education to teens as consumers.

Dimensional differences for evaluating the quality of footwear fit

Very few standards exist for fitting products to people. Footwear is a noteworthy example. This study is an attempt to evaluate the quality of footwear fit using two-dimensional foot outlines. Twenty Hong Kong Chinese students participated in an experiment that involved three pairs of dress shoes and one pair of athletic shoes. The participants' feet were scanned using a commercial laser scanner, and each participant wore and rated the fit of each region of each shoe. The shoe lasts were also scanned and were used to match the foot scans with the last scans. The ANOVA showed significant (p < 0.05) differences among the four pairs of shoes for the overall, fore-foot and rear-foot fit ratings. There were no significant differences among shoes for mid-foot fit rating. These perceived differences were further analysed after matching the 2D outlines of both last and feet. The point-wise dimensional difference between foot and shoe outlines were computed and analysed after normalizing with foot perimeter. The dimensional difference (DD) plots along the foot perimeter showed that fore-foot fit was strongly correlated (R 2 > 0.8) with two of the minimums in the DD-plot while mid-foot fit was strongly correlated (R 2 > 0.9) with the dimensional difference around the arch region and a point on the lateral side of the foot. The DD-plots allow the designer to determine the critical locations that may affect footwear fit in addition to quantifying the nature of misfit so that design changes to shape and material may be possible.

Sports marketing and the psychology of marketing communication

Contents: L. Chalip, Foreword. L.R. Kahle, C. Riley, Preface. Part I:Consumer Behavior. T. Sun, S. Youn, W.D. Wells, Exploration of Consumption and Communication Communities in Sports Marketing. S.W. Kelley, K. Tian, Fanatical Consumption: An Investigation of the Behavior of Sports Fans Through Textual Data. V. Dalakas, R. Madrigal, K.L. Anderson, We are Number One! The Phenomenon of Basking-in-Reflected-Glory and Its Implications for Sports Marketing. A. Shoham, G.M. Rose, L.R. Kahle, Risky Sports: Making the Leap. Part II:Sports Celebrity Endorsements. M.J. Jones, D.W. Schumann, The Strategic Use of Celebrity Athlete Endorsers in Print Media: A Historical Perspective. A.A. Bailey, C.A. Cole, The Effects of Multiple Product Endorsements by Celebrities on Consumer Attitudes and Intentions: An Extension. M.D. Basil, W.J. Brown, Magic Johnson and Mark McGwire: The Power of Indentification With Sports Celebrities. Part III:The Consequences of Sponsorship. J.W. Pracejus, Seven Psychological Mechanisms Through Which Sponsorship can Influence Consumers. J. Slater, C. Lloyd, It's Gotta be the Shoes: Exploring the Effects of Relationships of Nike and Reebok Sponsorship on Two College Athletic Programs. L. Kinney, S.R. McDaniel, American Consumer Attitudes Toward Corporate Sponsorship of Sporting Events. L. Kinney, G. Bell, Do Sport Sponsorship Announcements Influence Firm Stock Prices? R. Madrigal, A Review of Team Identification and Its Influence on Consumers' Responses Toward Corporate Sponsors. Part IV:Marketing Strategy. R. Burton, Teams as Brands: A Review of the Sports Licensing Concept. M. Jackowski, D.P. Gray, SportNEST: A Nested Approach to Segmenting the Sport Consumer Market. V. Dalakas, R. Madrigal, R. Burton, Understanding Ambush Marketing: Implications of Information Processing. Part V:Social Issues and Sports Marketing. S.J. Jackson, D.L. Andrews, Aggressive Marketing: Interrogating the Use of Violence in Sport-Related Advertising. T. Dewhirst, Smoke and Ashes: Tobacco Sponsorship of Sports and Regulatory Issues in Canada. J.J. Jackson, Social Marketing of Sport. T.P. Meyer, K. Gettleman, T.R. Donahue, Teenager's Perceptions of the Influence of Advertising and Price Versus Interpersonal, Social Factors on Their Purchases of Brand Name Athletic Shoes and Clothing.

Reflective Clothing is Attractive to Pedestrians

Motor vehicle crash fatalities involving pedestrians result in 1.8 deaths per 100,000 population annually in the US. Most of these fatalities are attributed to the pedestrian not being seen in time for the driver to avoid a collision, particularly under poor lighting conditions. Previous research shows that reflective clothing worn at night significantly increases a pedestrian's visual conspicuity to drivers, especially when worn on a part of the body that moves. The purpose of the present research was to examine pedestrians' willingness to pay an additional dollar amount for clothing providing increased conspicuity at night. Two studies were conducted with sample sizes of n = 340 and 325, respectively, comprised of university students and non-students. Findings from these two studies suggest that over 49 percent of respondents would be willing to pay an additional amount ($33 versus $30) for a sweat shirt or jacket, and over 60 percent would pay the same additional amount for athletic shoes. These findings suggest that a relatively large segment of the population are interested in and would be willing to spend more for clothing with reflective material. In both studies, significantly more women than men selected the reflective material option. Respondents spending more time outdoors at dusk or at night walking, running or jogging professed a significantly greater willingness to purchase the reflective clothing than respondents reporting spending less time outdoors at dusk or after dark. Implications for product marketing and future research are discussed.

Footwear style and risk of falls in older adults.

To determine how the risk of a fall in an older adult varies in relation to style of footwear worn. Nested case-control study. Group Health Cooperative, a large health maintenance organization in Washington state. A total of 1,371 adults aged 65 and older were monitored for falls over a 2-year period; 327 qualifying fall cases were compared with 327 controls matched on age and sex. Standardized in-person examinations before fall occurrence, interviews about fall risk factors after the fall occurred, and direct examination of footwear were conducted. Questions for controls referred to the last time they engaged in an activity broadly similar to what the case was doing at the time of the fall. Athletic and canvas shoes (sneakers) were the styles of footwear associated with lowest risk of a fall. Going barefoot or in stocking feet was associated with sharply increased risk, even after controlling for measures of health status (adjusted odds ratio=11.2, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.4-51.8). Relative to athletic/canvas shoes, other footwear was associated with a 1.3-fold increase in the risk of a fall (95% CI=0.9-1.9), varying somewhat by style. Contrary to findings from gait-laboratory studies, athletic shoes were associated with relatively low risk of a fall in older adults during everyday activities. Fall risk was markedly increased when participants were not wearing shoes.

How breakthroughs happen: the surprising truth about how companies innovate

This book presents lessons from the famous 'Invention Factories' past and present. Did you know that the incandescent lightbulb first emerged some thirty years before Thomas Edison famously 'turned night into day'? Or that Henry Ford's revolutionary assembly line came from an unlikely blend of observations from Singer sewing machines, meatpacking, and Campbell's Soup? In this fascinating study of innovation, engineer and social scientist Andrew Hargadon argues that our romantic notions about innovation as invention are actually undermining our ability to pursue breakthrough innovations. Based on ten years of study into the origins of historic inventions and modern innovations from the lightbulb to the transistor to the Reebok Pump athletic shoe, How Breakthroughs Happen takes us beyond the simple recognition that revolutionary innovations do not result from flashes of brilliance by lone inventors or organizations. In fact, innovation is really about creatively recombining ideas, people, and objects from past technologies in ways that spark new technological revolutions. This process of 'technology brokering' is so powerful, explains Hargadon, because it exploits the networked nature--the social side--of the innovation process. Moving between historical accounts of labs and factory floors where past technological revolutions originated and field studies of similar processes in today's organizations, Hargadon shows how technology brokers create an enduring capacity for breakthrough innovations. Technology brokers simultaneously bridge the gaps in existing networks that separate distant industries, firms, and divisions to see how established ideas can be applied in new ways and places, and build new networks to guide these creative recombinations to mass acceptance. How Breakthroughs Happen identifies three distinct strategies for technology brokering that managers can implement in their organizations. Hargadon suggests that Edison and his counterparts were no smarter than the rest of us-they were simply better at moving through the networked world of their time. Intriguing, practical, and counterintuitive, How Breakthroughs Happen can help managers transform their own firms into modern-day invention factories.

Early weightbearing after first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis: a retrospective observational case analysis

A retrospective observational study was performed to determine if early ambulation compromised healing in patients who underwent primary first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis. The records of 42 patients undergoing 47 fusions were evaluated to determine time to radiographic union, time to clinical union, and return to regular shoes. Results showed that patients achieved clinical healing at an average of 5.6 weeks, and showed distinct signs of radiographic union at an average 6.1 weeks. The mean time for return to athletic shoes was 6.23 weeks. The patient population reviewed had a 100% radiographic and clinical union rate. These results reinforce the idea that early ambulation is a viable option in patients undergoing primary first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis.

Corporate Codes of Labour Practice and Employment Relations in Sports Shoe Contractor Factories in South Korea

We examine the way a leading US-based, global athletic shoe and sports apparel firm applies its labour code of practice to four prime contractors located in South Korea. The content of the code, th...

Consumer Assessment of Social Product Features: An Empirical Investigation Using Choice Experiments

The purpose of this paper is to try to clarify a number of issues about consumerism - in particular, how much do consumers think about product features when making purchases and are there differences between individuals in the extent of their caring. In studying the issue of individual differences, we utilize both personality measures and demographics. To examine the role of personality differences in consumers' purchase intentions, we employ a well-established measurement instrument, the machiavellianism scale, utilized by researchers in the ethics and personality psychology fields (Christie and Geis (1970)), which has been shown to be related to a number of socially complex issues, such as abortion, euthanasia and drug use. We also use structured choice experiments to estimate the importance of both functional and ethical features in two product categories athletic shoes and bath soaps - in two markets - Australia and Hong Kong. Choice experiments allow us to examine purchase intentions in constrained choice settings in which consumers are forced to balance features off against one another, instead of merely indicating the importance of a list of issues using unconstrained responses like importance ratings. Finally, we examined the effect of information about features on the purchase intentions of consumers. The results show that social features of products and the information supplied to consumers about those features do affect individuals' likelihood of purchasing a product.

School Commercialism Hurts All Children, Ethnic Minority Group Children Most of All

School commercialism has increased dramatically over the past two decades. It is now common for advertisers to incorporate schools into their overall marketing plans for products as diverse as soft drinks and automobiles. In addition to distracting children from academic learning, marketing activities often promote unhealthy behaviors that have a disproportionate impact on minority children. The heavy consumption of soft drinks, for example, is suspected of contributing significantly to the increase in childhood obesity, which is in turn associated with increased rates of diabetes. Although obesity and diabetes are problems across all groups, African Americans and Latinos are particularly at risk. Similarly, privatizing school reforms may harm minority children. Commercialism-through advertising aimed at young people, the marketing of candy and soft drinks on school premises, the appropriation of school space for commercial marketing activities, the sponsorship of curricular materials, and the privatization of everything from cafeteria services to school management and classroom teaching by forprofit companies-has steadily grown in America's public schools. This growth has been documented over more than a dozen years by the Commercialism in Education Research Unit (CERU) at the Education Policy Research Laboratory at Arizona State University (Molnar, 2002). The evidence suggests that commercialism in schools harms all students in various ways that include promoting poor health habits (e.g., consumption of sugar- and fatladen snacks and soft drinks), distorting the curriculum, and eroding critical thinking skills. When one considers both the forces that drive rising school commercialism and the potential outcomes, it appears likely, however, that ethnic minority group students, particularly African Americans and Latinos, are the most severely at risk. Schoolhouse commercialism is allowed to flourish in an environment in which public schools increasingly are starved for resources, and no schools are more in need of funding than those in urban communities where poor and ethnic minority group children are so heavily concentrated. Moreover, health problems in young people, which may be exacerbated by some commercial activities in schools, are particularly acute in poor and ethnic minority group communities. A RISING TIDE OF SCHOOLHOUSE COMMERCIALISM Commercialism in schools and classrooms is not new, but over the last two decades, corporations have dramatically increased their involvement in education. Today, almost every large corporation sponsors some type of in-school project. They range from advertising on school buses, on scoreboards, and in lunchrooms to the creation of curriculum materials for courses (e.g., science, government, history, mathematics). Commercial messages in school serve a variety of interests and cover a variety of topics. Some schoolhouse commercialism activities seek to build goodwill for industries or individual corporations; others promote industry views relating to controversial subjects, such as ways to protect natural resources in science courses. Many, however, seek to influence buying patterns, particularly for specific brand-named products that children and teenagers buy such as clothing, athletic shoes, foods, beverages, and electronics. Perhaps the most well known school-based marketing effort is Channel One, the adbearing TV news program for middle and high school students. Channel One, used in approximately 12,000 schools nationally, provides 10 minutes of current events programming and 2 minutes of commercials. Participating schools, in return for the programming and the free use of the equipment necessary to broadcast it in their classrooms, are required to guarantee that their students are watching, creating a captive audience for advertisers. Other, lesser known examples include a geography unit for third graders in which students locate major cities according to where Tootsie Rolls are made and sold, and the Chocolate Dream Machine, a nutrition guide and video that promote Hershey's chocolate. …

The Meaning of Brand Names to Children: A Developmental Investigation

We explored the way that children use brand names in making consumer judgments. Brand names can serve as a simple perceptual cue that identifies a product as one people are familiar with or one they associate with certain perceptual features. Brands can also be associated with symbolic or conceptual meanings, conveying status, prestige, or trendiness. We proposed that young children relate to brands on a perceptual level, whereas older children relate to brands on a conceptual basis as well. We examined this proposition in an experiment conducted with children 8,12, and 16 years of age. Participants were asked to evaluate an advertised product (e.g., athletic shoes) with a familiar brand name that was either popular (e.g., Nike®) or less popular (e.g., Kmart®). The advertised product was physically identical in both cases, allowing us to explore whether the brand name had meaning for children apart from its name familiarity or perceptual features. The use of conceptual brand meanings was assessed by asking participants to make several types of brand‐related judgments including evaluations of the advertised product, impressions of the owners of the advertised product, and evaluations of possible extensions of the popular brand name advertised. Results indicate that by the time children reach 12 years of age, they use brand names as an important conceptual cue in consumer judgments.

Partial calcanectomy: an alternative to below knee amputation.

Twenty-two patients with non-healing wounds over the heel, with or without underlying osteomyelitis, had been unresponsive to conservative therapy. They were treated with a partial calcanectomy as an alternative to below knee amputation. Nine patients had a primary diagnosis of diabetes. Thirteen patients had osteomyelitis from various other causes. All patients had a minimum 12 months follow-up except three who were deceased. Average follow-up was 27 months (range, two to 80 months). All patients healed their wounds with no patient requiring subsequent below knee amputation. Twelve patients had delayed wound healing including all nine with diabetes. Eleven additional procedures were performed on the heels of nine patients. Of the 18 patients available for follow-up at this time (four patients had died), all were satisfied with their surgery. Twelve were using orthoses while six used athletic shoes. Pain with activity was described as none in six, mild in 10, moderate in one, and severe in one patient with RSD. Ability to walk improved in seven, did not change in 10, and decreased in one (due to unrelated problems with his diabetes). Only one patient would have chosen a below knee amputation in hindsight due to pain in his lower leg and ankle. Partial calcanectomy is a viable alternative to below knee amputation with a high satisfaction level for patients with large heel ulcers with or without osteomyelitis.

테니스화겉창과 테니스 스포츠바닥재간의 마찰관계상관 분석

마찰력(friction)은 급정지나 급출발, 또는 두 동작이 동시에 이루어질 때, 미끄럼방지는 효과적으로 이루어져야 하며, 특히 테니스, 농구, 배구 등 코트 스포츠에 있어서 최적의 마찰력은 필수적이다. 이러한 마찰력은 무게가 많이 나갈수록, 다른 물체와의 접촉면이 넓을수록, 장력이 클수록 커진다. 또한 표면이 매끄러울 때보다는 거칠수록 커지는 특성을 가지며, 본 연구의 목적은 테니스화겉창과 테니스코트에 설치되어 있는 스토츠바닥재사이에 마찰력을 대해서 고찰해 보고자 하였으며, 마찰력운동 및 이의 관련 선행 국외 연구활동이 어떻게 이루어졌는지를 종단적 국외문헌조사를 통해 어떤 상관관계가 있는지를 구명해 보고자 하였다. 국내 테니스화의 연구와 테니스스포츠바닥재간의 국외 연구활동의 종단적 연구지표로서 스포츠와 스포츠바닥재간의 마찰력 관련주요연구연표를 작성해 봄으로서 연구활동의 경과추이를 조사하였다. 테니스 바닥재 현황으로는 테니스코트의 표층재는 일반적으로 천연재료를 사용한 클레이계코트와 합성재료를 사용한 전 천후계 하드코트로 구별된다. 본 연구를 통하여 테니스화 겉창과 테니스 스포츠바닥재간의 마찰력의 국외선행연구현황 이해를 돕고, 향후 국내에서 스포츠화 겉창과 마찰력, 스포츠바닥재와 마찰력의 평가에 대한 연구시 국외에서 기 실시된 연구를 중복연구하는 시행착오 방지 및 국외 선행연구에 대한 기초자료 및 연구현황을 자세히 파악할 수 있을 것으로 사료된다. The purposes of this study were to a analysis of friction relation between tennis outsole and tennis playing surfaces. Tennis footwear is an important component of tennis game equipment. It can support or damage players performance and comfort. Most importantly athletic shoes protect the foot preventing abrasions and injuries. Footwear stability in court sports like tennis is incredibly important since it is estimated that as many as 45% of all lower extremity injuries occur in the foot and ankle. The friction force is the force exerted by a surface as an object moves across it or makes an effort to move across it. The friction force opposes the motion of the object. Friction results when two surfaces are pressed together closely, causing attractive intermolecular forces between the molecules of the two different surfaces. The outsole provides traction and reduces wear on the midsole. Today's outsoles address sport specific movements (running versus pivoting) and playing surface types. Different areas of the outsole are designed for the distinct frictional needs of specific movements. Traction created by the friction between the outsole and the surface allows the shoe to grip the surface. As surfaces, conditions and player motion change, traction may need to vary. An athletic shoe needs to grip well when running but not when pivoting. Laboratory tests have demonstrated force reductions compared to impact on concrete. There is a correlation between pain, injury and surface hardness. These are a variety of traction patterns on the soles of athletic shoes. Traction like any other shoe characteristic must be commensurate and balanced with the sport. The equal and opposite force does not necessarily travel back up your leg. The surface itself absorbs a portion of the force converting it to other forms of energy. Subsequently, tennis court surfaces are rated not only for pace but also for the percentage of force reduction.

The impact of country-of-origin cues on consumer perceptions of product quality: A binational test of the decomposed country-of-origin construct

In light of the conflicting findings in previous research on the effect of country-of-origin (COO) on consumer product perceptions, this paper extends previous research by testing a decomposition of the construct (country of product design (COD), assembly (COA) and parts (COP) manufacture) on Mexican and US consumers. Additionally, several moderators are tested for the first time within the framework of this model. Test results on the three products (television, athletic shoes and mountain bike) indicate that design, assembly and parts origins do have different effects on product evaluations with the COP exhibiting the strongest influence. Furthermore, COO effects vary between US and Mexican consumers—most notably related to product design, introducing the issue of whether fashion and functionality of products, which may vary between societies, cause different COO effects. Finally, age exhibited a strikingly different moderating effect in the two countries.

Consumer Perception of Sports Apparel: The Role of Brand Name, Store Name, Price, and Intended Usage Situation

This article reports the results of an experimental study in which four factors were manipulated in the context of an evaluation of two sports garments by 172 consumers: t-shirts and athletic shoes. These factors were intended usage situation (sport versus pleasure), brand name (national versus private brand), price (discount versus no discount), and store name (sports shop versus department store). Some significant interactions were obtained between some of the manipulated factors suggesting the necessity of qualifying the brand name, store name, and price discount effects on consumer perceptions. The results of the study are discussed in light of the existing marketing literature and the implications for sports marketing practice.

청소년의 스포츠화 선택시 고려요인 및 구매 후 만족도 분석

청소년의 스포츠화 선택시 고려요인 및 구매 후 만족도 분석

The Conditions for a "Good" Athletic Shoe: A Questionnaire Survey of Basketball Shoes

The conditions necessary for a “good” athletic shoe seem to be a matter of personal preference and experience. There is, however, a general consensus that people like a shoe which fits well, is comfortable to wear, and feels good.This paper studied the conditions for perceiving a shoe to be a “good” athletic shoe, specifically a basketball shoe. The study used a questionnaire survey to achieve the following purposes:1) To understand how people perceive the meaning of: “comfortable”, “fits well”, and “feels good, ” in relation to a basketball shoe.2) To investigate how much each feature of a basketball shoe contributes to a wearer's perception of comfort, fit, and feel.3) To find the degree of importance of each part of a basketball shoe in determining overall satisfaction.The results showed that the three terms-comfort, fit, and feel-were found to be highly intercorrelated (greater than 0.80). Therefore, people might perceive comfort, fit, and feel as conceptually non-discrete.The conditions associated with a good basketball shoe were discovered to be:1) A shoe with a mid-cut collar height.2) A shoe that provides features that give the sensation of a “little tight” fit.3) A shoe in which the rearfoot area, which includes the heel, collar, and arch area was more salient than the other parts of the basketball shoe.