Consumer preferences towards the marketing communication activities of non-profit organisations in Gauteng : a generational perspective

With donations declining as donors become older (Baby Boomers), non-profit organisations (NPOs) are compelled to shift their marketing focus to younger generations (Generation X and Generation Y) if they are to survive in a sector hampered by an increase in competition, a lack of funding and a shortage of volunteers. In order to address the younger generations, NPOs are required to have a better understanding of their donors’ demographic and psychographic characteristics, as this would enable them to communicate more effectively with the respective generations. As such, the purpose of this study is to measure the preferences of Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y as current donors towards the marketing communication activities of NPOs. More specifically, the generations’ preferences towards the nature of marketing done by NPOs, the marketing communication elements, media channels, marketing messages and communication sources used by NPOs are measured and based on the results, a number of recommendations are suggested as to how NPOs should adapt their marketing communication strategies when addressing the different generations. Exploratory research, in the form of a secondary data analysis and five informal expert surveys, as well as descriptive research, in the form of a structured self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain the necessary data. The target population included all Baby Boomers (i.e. individuals born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (i.e. individuals born between 1965 and 1976), and Generation Y members (i.e. individuals born between 1977 and 1994) residing in Gauteng, who had supported an NPO in the previous year and who were representative of the four major racial groups in South Africa (i.e. Black, Coloured, Indian and White). Quota sampling was used to divide the population into three quotas according to generation, while convenience sampling was used to fill each quota. In-home and intercept interviewing was used to obtain the necessary data from the respondents. In the end, the results revealed a number of similarities and differences between the three generations in terms of their preferences towards the marketing communication activities of NPOs. In terms of the generations’ preferences towards the nature of marketing done in the NPO sector, the respondents generally prefer NPOs that provide them with different options in terms of how they can support the NPO. More specific differences reveal that Generation Y, in contrast to Baby Boomers, prefers NPOs that allow them to provide feedback on their experience with the NPO. Considering the marketing communication elements that NPOs can use to convince the different generations to support them, respondents overall show preference towards making small contributions for a product purchased. More specifically Generation X and Generation Y prefer online fundraising appeals and social networks; Generation Y prefers NPOs’ websites; Generation X prefers special events and Baby Boomers show a strong preference towards articles placed in newspapers and magazines. In terms of the media channels that NPOs can use to communicate with donors, the respondents overall have a preference towards radio. In terms of specific differences between the generations, Generation Y and Generation X prefer the Internet, while Generation X prefers e-mail messages in relation to Baby Boomers, and sms messages in relation to Generation Y. As for the marketing messages used by NPOs, the respondents overall prefer the NPO’s marketing message if it is a positive one rather than a negative one. Comparing the generations, it is evident that Generation Y, compared to Baby Boomers, prefer the marketing messages of NPOs that create an emotion, that show information that will shock them, that use music which is popular to Generation Y listeners, and that contain images which attract their attention. In terms of the communication sources that NPOs might use, the respondents overall have a preference towards the NPO itself as the source – and, to a slightly lesser degree, if a beneficiary of the NPO is the source. Based on the similarities and differences between the generations, a number of specific recommendations are formulated in terms of how NPOs should communicate with the different generations, which media channels to use, the type of messages that should be conveyed and which communication source to use

The comparative advantage of dryland soybean production in Brits, North West

The effect of policy on the South African soybean industry is analysed, using the policy analysis matrix. The absence of effective protection from cheap imports of soy-cake and -oil, as well as the ineffectiveness of the processing industry, lead to relatively low farmgate prices of soybeans in South Africa. This could result in producers using their resources for more profitable crops, thus depriving the South African feed industry to benefit from more full fat soy in feed rations.Crop Production/Industries,

Cysteine-free peptides in scorpion venom: geographical distribution, structure-function relationship and mode of action

Scorpion venoms are well known sources of Na+-channel, K+-channel, Cl--channel, Ca2+-channel and ryanodine channel selective peptides. In 1993, the first cysteine-free peptide was isolated from scorpionvenom. Within the last six years, cysteine-free peptides with and without antimicrobial activity have been isolated from scorpion venom. The first antimicrobial peptides being parabutoporin and hadrurin, after which nine more have followed. Characteristics of these peptides include pore-formation and/or antimicrobial activity. Six peptides of similar structures without antimicrobial activity have also been isolated. Two of these peptides have bradykinin-potentiating functions. The functions of the other four are unknown. These peptides have the potential to combat cancer, a variety of skin or wound bacterial and fungal infections. This review will focus on the primary and secondary structures as well asreported functions and applications of the cysteine-free peptides identified in scorpion venom

Density functional study of the actinide nitrides

The full potential all electron linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbitals (FP-LAPW + lo) method, as implemented in the suite of software WIEN2K, has been used to systematically investigate the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of the actinide compounds AnN (An = Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am). The theoretical formalism used is the generalized gradient approximation to density functional theory (GGA-DFT) with the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange-correlation functional. Each compound has been studied at six levels of theory: non-magnetic (NM), non-magnetic with spin-orbit coupling (NM+SOC), ferromagnetic (FM), ferromagnetic with spin-orbit coupling (FM+SOC), anti-ferromagnetic (AFM), and anti-ferromagnetic with spin-orbit coupling (AFM+SOC). The structural parameters, bulk moduli, densities of states, and charge distributions have been computed and compared to available experimental data and other theoretical calculations published in the literature. The total energy calculations indicate that the lowest energy structures of AcN, ThN, and PaN are degenerate at the NM+SOC, FM+SOC, and AFM+SOC levels of theory with vanishing total magnetic moments in the FM+SOC and AFM+SOC cases, making the ground states essentially non-magnetic with spin-orbit interaction. The ground states of UN, NpN, PuN, and AmN are found to be FM+SOC at the level of theory used in the present computations. The nature of the interactions between the actinide metals and nitrogen atom, and the implications on 5f electron delocalization and localization are discussed in detail.Comment: 5 tables, 12 figure

Mangiferin: A Promising Anticancer Bioactive

Of late, several biologically active antioxidants from natural products have been investigated by the researchers in order to combat the root cause of carcinogenesis, i.e., oxidative stress. Mangiferin, a therapeutically active C-glucosylated xanthone, is extracted from pulp, peel, seed, bark and leaf of Mangifera indica. These polyphenols of mangiferin exhibit antioxidant properties and tend to decrease the oxygen-free radicals, thereby reducing the DNA damage. Indeed, its capability to modulate several key inflammatory pathways undoubtedly helps in stalling the progression of carcinogenesis. The current review article emphasizes an updated account on the patents published on the chemopreventive action of Mangiferin, apoptosis induction made on various cancer cells, along with proposed antioxidative activities and patent mapping of other important therapeutic properties. Considering it as promising polyphenol, this paper would also summarize the diverse molecular targets of Mangiferin

Complete moduli of cubic threefolds and their intermediate Jacobians

The intermediate Jacobian map, which associates to a smooth cubic threefold its intermediate Jacobian, does not extend to the GIT compactification of the space of cubic threefolds, not even as a map to the Satake compactification of the moduli space of principally polarized abelian fivefolds. A much better "wonderful" compactification of the space of cubic threefolds was constructed by the first and fourth authors --- it has a modular interpretation, and divisorial normal crossing boundary. We prove that the intermediate Jacobian map extends to a morphism from the wonderful compactification to the second Voronoi toroidal compactification of the moduli of principally polarized abelian fivefolds --- the first and fourth author previously showed that it extends to the Satake compactification. Since the second Voronoi compactification has a modular interpretation, our extended intermediate Jacobian map encodes all of the geometric information about the degenerations of intermediate Jacobians, and allows for the study of the geometry of cubic threefolds via degeneration techniques. As one application we give a complete classification of all degenerations of intermediate Jacobians of cubic threefolds of torus rank 1 and 2.Comment: 56 pages; v2: multiple updates and clarification in response to detailed referee's comment

First Measurements with NeXtRAD, a Polarimetric X/L Band Radar Network

NeXtRAD is a fully polarimetric, X/L Band radar network. It is a development of the older NetRAD system and builds on the experience gained with extensive deployments of NetRAD for sea clutter and target measurements. In this paper we will report on the first measurements with NeXtRAD, looking primarily at sea clutter and some targets, as well as early attempts at calibration using corner reflectors, and an assessment of the polarimetric response of the system. We also highlight innovations allowing for efficient data manipulation post measurement campaigns, as well as the plans for the coming years with this system

Dealing with a traumatic past: the victim hearings of the South African truth and reconciliation commission and their reconciliation discourse

In the final years of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century, there has been a worldwide tendency to approach conflict resolution from a restorative rather than from a retributive perspective. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), with its principle of 'amnesty for truth' was a turning point. Based on my discursive research of the TRC victim hearings, I would argue that it was on a discursive level in particular that the Truth Commission has exerted/is still exerting a long-lasting impact on South African society. In this article, three of these features will be highlighted and illustrated: firstly, the TRC provided a discursive forum for thousands of ordinary citizens. Secondly, by means of testimonies from apartheid victims and perpetrators, the TRC composed an officially recognised archive of the apartheid past. Thirdly, the reconciliation discourse created at the TRC victim hearings formed a template for talking about a traumatic past, and it opened up the debate on reconciliation. By discussing these three features and their social impact, it will become clear that the way in which the apartheid past was remembered at the victim hearings seemed to have been determined, not so much by political concerns, but mainly by social needs

Terminologiebestuur in Suid- Afrika: 'n Ideaalmodel *

Die nuwe taalbestel in Suid-Afrika het tot gevolg gehad dat die ontwikkeling, die uitbouing, die bestuur en ook die verspreiding van terminologiese inligting in elf amptelike tale gedoen moet word. 'n Veranderde terminologiebestuursprogram moet derhalwe daargestel word om aan die behoeftes van 'n nuwe terminologiegemeenskap te voldoen. So 'n model sou ideaal gesien binne die Nasionale Taaldiens se terminologiekoördineringsafdeling geïmplementeer kon word. In die eerste gedeelte van hierdie artikel word 'n model voorgestel van hoe terminologiebestuur suksesvol binne 'n terminologiebestuursentrum aangepak kan word. In die tweede gedeelte van die artikel word die implikasies van die model in die Suid-Afrikaanse situasie verreken om vas te stel hoe die terminologiebestuursprogram aangepas sou kon word om aan die eise van die nuwe taalbestel te voldoen en om die nuwe teikengroep(e) voldoende te bereik. Sleutelwoorde: Amptelike Tale, Beplanning En Koördinering, Disseminering, Evaluering, Gemarginaliseerde Tale, Inheemse Tale, Implementering, Meertalige Terminologiebestuursisteem, Navorsing, Ontwikkelende Tale, Ontwikkelde Tale, Opleiding, Standaardisering, Termbank, Terminologie, Terminologiebestuursentrum, Terminologiebestuursprogram, Terminologieontwikkeling, Terminologiewer

Nanostructured SnO2 films prepared from evaporated Sn and their application as gas sensors

This paper describes the morphology, stoichiometry, microstructure and gas sensing properties of nanoclustered SnOx thin films prepared by Sn evaporation followed by a rheotaxial growth and thermal oxidation process. Electron microscopy was used to investigate, in detail, the evolution of the films as the oxidation temperature was increased. The results showed that the contact angle, perpendicular height, volume and microstructure of the clusters all changed significantly as a result of the thermal oxidation processes. Electron diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements revealed that after oxidation at a temperature of 600 °C, the Sn clusters were fully transformed into porous three-dimensional polycrystalline SnO2 clusters. On the basis of these results, a prototype SnO2 sensor was fabricated and sensing measurements were performed with H2 and NO2 gases. At operating temperatures of 150-200 °C the film produced measurable responses to concentrations of H2 as low as 600 ppm and NO2 as low as 500 ppb