After spending a year studying art and architecture at Oxford College of Architecture, Professor Taplin went to the University of York (England) where he received his B.A. in sociology. He did postgraduate studies at the University of Leicester (M.Phil., 1976) and Brown University (Ph.D., 1986).

He joined the Wake Forest sociology faculty in 1985. His current teaching interests include: Business and Society, Sociology of Work and Industry; Economic Sociology, and International Business.

He is the author of articles on the European and North American clothing industries and U.S. labour relations. His recent book [Understanding Organizational Evolution, Quorum Books/Greenwood Press, 2002] examines the link between managerial behaviour and organizational change as firms evolve. He is also engaged in research on restructuring, new technology and changing work practices in the U.S. clothing industry; and the recent rapid growth of wineries in North Carolina.

He has held visiting appointments at the University of California-Irvine, ESC Toulouse and (currently) Bordeaux Business School. He holds a joint appointment in International Studies and is Research Associate at Babcock Graduate School of Management.

He is the North American Editor of the Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management.