FMCG brand, supermarket chain and consumer relationships

The new FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) landscape has increasingly been dominated by large retail chain stores that are highly concentrated. In the FMCG equation, the locus of power has shifted from manufacturers to retailers, particularly to large supermarket chains. Accepted views of brands have however tended to put emphasis on the relationship of manufacturer brands with consumers, thereby largely neglecting brand – reseller relationships. This has been identified as a gap in the literature. The research intends to address this gap by adopting a holistic study that encompasses a three-way brand, supermarket chain, and consumer relationship. The objective of the study is theory building

A study on the BIM adoption readiness and possible mandatory initiatives for successful implementation in South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Building (Property Development and Management)Building information modelling (BIM) is one of many ways to automate construction processes and activities. Numerous projects in both the public and private sectors suffer from poor information management, resulting in time and cost overruns. BIM implementation is rapidly growing in western countries, as governments play key roles in devising strategies and mandating initiatives which increase its adoption. The purpose of this study is to determine possible regulatory initiatives towards BIM implementation in the South African Architectural Engineering and Construction sector (AEC) from the stakeholders’ perspective. BIM implementation strategies that have been used in various countries are discussed in the study and a questionnaire survey of AEC professionals in South Africa was conducted to determine which government strategies or mandatory initiatives would be most effective. The obtained data were analysed using inferential statistics and hypothesis testing. The results reflect that the South African government’s influence would be most valuable in mandating initiatives that promote BIM education and awareness, incentivising BIM usage by AEC stakeholders, modifying procurement practices to allow BIM usage and developing BIM libraries and data exchange frameworks. Key words: Building information modelling, implementation, mandatory initiativesEM201

Interlandmark measurements from lodox statscan images with application to femoral neck anteversion assessment

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.Clinicians often take measurements between anatomical landmarks on X-ray radiographs for diagnosis and treatment planning, for example in orthopaedics and orthodontics. X-ray images, however, overlap three-dimensional internal structures onto a two-dimensional plane during image formation. Depth information is therefore lost and measurements do not truly reflect spatial relationships. The main aim of this study was to develop an inter-landmark measurement tool for the Lodox Statscan digital radiography system. X-ray stereophotogrammetry was applied to Statscan images to enable three-dimensional point localization for inter-landmark measurement using two-dimensional radiographs. This technique requires images of the anatomical region of interest to be acquired from different perspectives as well as a suitable calibration tool to map image coordinates to real world coordinates. The Statscan is suited to the technique because it is capable of axial rotations for multiview imaging. Three-dimensional coordinate reconstruction and inter-landmark measurements were taken using a planar object and a dry pelvis specimen in order to assess the intra-observer measurement accuracy, reliability and precision. The system yielded average (X, Y, Z) coordinate reconstruction accuracy of (0.08 0.12 0.34) mm and resultant coordinate reconstruction accuracy within 0.4mm (range 0.3mm – 0.6mm). Inter-landmark measurements within 2mm for lengths and 1.80 for angles were obtained, with average accuracies of 0.4mm (range 0.0mm – 2.0 mm) and 0.30 (range 0.0 – 1.8)0 respectively. The results also showed excellent overall precision of (0.5mm, 0.10) and were highly reliable when all landmarks were completely visible in both images. Femoral neck anteversion measurement on Statscan images was also explored using 30 dry right adult femurs. This was done in order to assess the feasibility of the algorithm for a clinical application. For this investigation, four methods were tested to determine the optimal landmarks for measurement and the measurement process involved calculation of virtual landmarks. The method that yielded the best results produced all measurements within 10 of reference values and the measurements were highly reliable with very good precision within 0.10. The average accuracy was within 0.40 (range 0.10 –0.80).In conclusion, X-ray stereophotogrammetry enables accurate, reliable and precise inter-landmark measurements for the Lodox Statscan X-ray imaging system. The machine may therefore be used as an inter-landmark measurement tool for routine clinical applications

Eco-apparel marketing strategy: an innovative approach to overcome marketing barriers

The aim of this paper is to identify the marketing barriers facing eco-apparel products and to devise a marketing strategy framework that could be employed to overcome these barriers in an effort to make eco-apparel the preferred choice for the majority of apparel customers. The production of eco-apparel has a minimal negative effect on the natural environment as compared to the production of conventional apparel. While some research has touched on the subject of eco-apparel marketing, the barriers to eco-apparel marketing have not been comprehensively identified and adequately studied, and at the same time eco-apparel has remained a niche market. To identify and sufficiently address the marketing barriers, it is important to understand the key factors in apparel marketing and the performance of eco-apparel across those key factors. The research is thus underpinned by theory derived from strategic marketing, namely the Strategy Canvas and Four Actions Framework (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005). The qualitative research method was employed in this study. The research made use of both primary and secondary data. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 apparel managers and 12 apparel consumers. In addition, the research utilized 12 technical reports relevant to both eco-apparel and conventional apparel. NVivo, a qualitative data analysis software, was employed along with the manual process to organise and analyse the data, and the findings from apparel managers and apparel consumers were triangulated. The theoretical contribution of this research is the development of a marketing strategy framework using the Strategy Canvas and Four Actions Framework. With respect to practical contribution, the findings of the research are expected to help in the formulation of marketing strategies that can successfully boost market demand for eco-apparel and therefore at the same time help to reduce the negative impact on the natural environment

Marketing Organic Food in Australia: A Qualitative Study of Factors Influencing Consumers’ Purchase Intention

This study aims to explore the main factors that influence consumers’ purchase intention of organic food in Australia. The researchers employed a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 30 interviewees to explore the key motives that influence consumers to purchase organic food. Interviewees were selected using the mall intercept method, a convenience sampling method. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data and Nvivo software was utilised in this regard. The study unveiled various factors that may influence consumers’ decision to purchase organic food. The study revealed that health concern, price, labelling, availability, trust, environmental concern, certification, taste, packaging, nutritional value, quality, subjective norms and social media are the most important factors that influence consumers to purchase organic food in Australia. The theoretical contribution of this study arises from the insights the study provides into why consumers purchase organic food products. The findings of the study contribute to the expansion of the body of knowledge related to consumer behaviour of organic food by exploring the essential factors that influence purchasing decisions for such products. In addition, the study adds new knowledge to the literature on the main motives that lead Australian consumers to choose such products. Practically, the findings of the study support the practitioners of organic food products to better understand the key factors that influence consumers’ purchases of organic food which assists them to develop suitable marketing strategies and innovative marketing campaigns to persuade the target market to purchase organic food. Further, the study may help new businesses in the organic food industry on how to identify and reach consumers easily and effectively

A study of marketing implementation in brand portfolio companies

Implementation, or the translation of ideas into actions, is a critical part of the business process. Without implementation, ideas cannot become positive results. Researchers agree that more focus is needed to understand the gap between what is expected (planned implementation) and what actually happens (actual implementation). This study considers the implementation of marketing tactics by brand managers in brand portfolio companies. Currently, the likelihood of a given tactic to be planned for (or not) and implemented (or not) is not known. This paper introduces a classification system to help brand managers analyse the implementation patterns of the brand. This system sorts tactics on three dimensions: whether the tactic was planned; whether the tactic was implemented and, if the tactic was both planned and implemented, the degree of congruency (match-up) between actual and planned implementation. Using this process can help brand managers drive ROI through enhanced contingency planning and implementation management

Consumer engagement with social media marketing in Australia

This study examines factors that influence consumers to engage with social media marketing activities generated by firms in Australia. The Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) formed the theoretical foundation to investigate consumer engagement factors. The factors were gathered from the literature and validated using 20 semi-structured interviews. An online survey instrument was then developed and pre-tested with five respondents who provided feedback and suggestions to improve the functionality of the survey. Thereafter, a pilot study was conducted with 35 participants using convenience sampling, to improve the questions, format, scaling and average time taken to complete the survey. SPSS statistical software was used to test the internal reliability. The study had a response rate of 66.03%, and most of the constructs tested were reliable with Cronbach Alpha above 0.6. The main survey has been disseminated to users of social media in Australia with an intention to collect data from a sample of 350 participants. There is an intention to analyse the data using exploratory factor analysis, multi-linear regression and structural equation modelling to statistically confirm the factors and/or sub-factors that influence consumers to engage with social media marketing activities in Australia

A study investigating the relationships between consumers' cultural values, their functional food perception and behaviour

The study is designed to investigate the relationships between consumers’ cultural values and their perceptions of functional foods. The Australian Dietary Guidelines have recommended the amount and kinds of foods that Australians need to eat to reduce the risk of chronic health problems. A reasonable number of foods in the guidelines fall under the functional foods category; for example, whole grain food products, legumes/lentils and non-starchy vegetables. Most Australian consumers are not eating foods as recommended by the dietary guidelines. One of the underlying reasons for such noncompliance could be the multicultural nature of the population in Australia. Consumers from different ethnic backgrounds have cultural values inherited from their tradition, family or parents, which can influence their decisions on how or whether they should choose foods recommended by the guidelines. There are very few studies specifically focusing on the relationship between consumers’ cultural values and their perception of functional food products, and most of the studies are either exploratory in nature or have been carried out under different cultural contexts than Australia, or they did not specifically study cultural values that affect functional food perceptions. There is a need for a rigorous study to confirm whether and how culture affects functional food perception and the cultural values that specifically influence the perception of functional foods. This research will follow a sequential research design, “qual-QUAN”. The study will include participants from Anglo-Australia, Indian and Chinese origin living in Australia. The research is aiming to recruit at least 20 consumers for a qualitative study and 600 participants for a quantitative study. The qualitative data will be collected through in-depth interviews and will be analysed using the Grounded Theory method. The quantitative data will be collected by questionnaire survey and will be analysed using the Exploratory Factor Analysis method

Students’ and Teachers’ perception towards WAPASA Application for e-Learning in Harare, Zimbabwe

This paper examined the perception of grade 1 pupils and their teachers towards WAPASA Application in the teaching and learning. The study employed the descriptive research design. A stratified random sampling of 210 pupils and a purposive sample of 12 teachers were from three purposively selected primary schools in Harare City. Of those, eight teachers and 196 pupils responded. Due to positive attitude of teachers and learner, it was concluded that WAPASA App is very useful for teaching and learning as it was perceived to be fun and interesting to use. Therefore, it can be used to support and enhance learning. If properly incorporated into the teaching and learning process, e-learning will play an important role for learning effectiveness. Therefore, it is recommended that, teachers should use the WAPASA App for maximized learning effectiveness. The Ministry of Education as well as directors of schools should provide in-service professional development workshops for teachers so that they may gain more knowledge on how to use the application