Ian Taplin

After spending a year studying art and architecture at Oxford College of Architecture, I attended the University of York where I received a BA in sociology. Following postgraduate studies, at the University of Leicester (M.Phil.) and Brown University (Ph.D.), I joined the Wake Forest faculty in 1985. Since then, I have held visiting appointments at the Graduate School of Management, University of California- Irvine; University of Bradford Management Centre; Napier University, Edinburgh; ESC Toulouse, and most recently Visiting Professor at Kedge Business School (Bordeaux). At Wake Forest, I hold a joint appointment in Sociology and Contemporary Global Studies and am currently director of the Contemporary Global Studies minor.

My early research focused on work relations in the US coal industry and my initial publications examined how the evolution of post-World War II industrial relations was shaped by intra-union struggles as well as a legal environment progressively hostile to worker rights and on-the-job decision-making. Subsequently, I became fascinated with the rationale behind managerial behavior in the workplace and this led to extensive studies of the US clothing industry, particularly the adoption of new work organization practices such as teamwork. This led to my publication of two edited books that examined how a labor-intensive industry such as clothing, located in high-wage economies, was responding to the growing competitive pressure from low-wage production sites in industrializing nations. My general interest in problems in the organization of work, particularly the link between managerial behavior and organizational change as firms evolve, led to my next book, Understanding Organizational Evolution [Quorum Books/Greenwood Press].

As the textile and clothing industry moved offshore, I focused my attention on new industries initially the growth of the North Carolina wine industry from the 1980s onwards. I am particularly interested in how entrepreneurial activity in this industry is shaped by changing product demand conditions and the emergence of a wine cluster that facilitates knowledge sharing amongst key actors. From this research, I have published several articles plus a book entitled The Modern American Wine Industry: Market Formation and Growth in North Carolina (Pickering & Chatto Publishers). Related to this research, I most recently served my second term on the North Carolina Grape Council, an advisory body that is part of the NC Department of Agriculture.

In parallel with the above wine research, I have been examining the changing competitive landscape amongst ultra-premium wineries in Napa Valley, California. In this research, I have analyzed the historical organization of a wine market in the area, how various agents have shaped and structured exchanges in ways that engender efficiency, and how the resulting market space encourages product differentiation and new entrants. I look at how firms have developed dynamic capabilities in conjunction with technological innovation and considerable resources to create a distinctive brand and in some cases an iconic product. My book The Napa Valley Wine Industry: The Organization of Excellence (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2021) summarizes these processes during which Napa built its brand of exclusivity. 

Examining cult wineries also brought me back to work in the clothing industry, particularly the upper echelons of luxury goods. This, and an abiding interest in art markets, led to another recent book (The Evolution of Luxury, Routledge/Taylor and Francis, 2020). In this book, I examined how recent patterns of concentration in the luxury goods industry have transformed the historical artisanal nature of the sector. Large conglomerate firms now dominate the marketplace and pursue strategies of providing affordable entry-level luxury goods aimed at a broader market of consumers in addition to catering to an ultra-rich elite. Finally, having taught a course on Technology and Culture for many years I decided to write a book that examined the interface between technological innovation, cultural change, and the wider parameter of consumer behavior. This was recently published as Technology, Culture and Change (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2024).

In addition to editorial board responsibilities in several journals, since 2001 I have been the North American Editor of the Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management.

Curriculum Vitae

COURSES TAUGHT

SOC 152:  Social Problems
SOC 303:  Business and Society
SOC 362:  Work, Conflict, and Change
SOC/INS 363: Global Capitalism
SOC/INS 365: Technology, Culture, and Change

INS 250:  Seminar in International Studies
INS 260:  Global Trade and Commerce Studies
Business Strategy in the Summer Management Program
International Business and Strategy in the Wake Forest University MBA program