Sponsorship of case study competitions and impact on brand equity-an exploratory study in the UAE higher education sector

This exploratory article aims to evaluate the effectiveness of case study competitions in promoting the brand equity of sponsors and organizers. The article compares the managerial objectives with the responses of participating students who are the targeted audience of the marketing communications of the sponsors and examines the alignment between managerial objectives and the perceptions of participants. The quantitative data using surveys is collected from sponsors and organizers, and participants in the competition. The data is analysed using frequency tables, descriptive statistics, F-tests for equality of variances and T-tests for equality of means. The findings suggest that managers attach high importance to brand awareness (cognitive aspect), brand images and attitude (affective aspect) and less importance to brand loyalty (behavioural aspect) to enhance brand equity through sponsoring academic competitions. However, participants' responses indicate that the brand awareness aspect is not effectively realized as compared to other brand equity dimensions

Serological prevalence of leptospirosis in cattle slaughtered in the Zango abattoir in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Leptospirosis is an occupational zoonosis caused by pathogenic leptospires. In this study, the presence and prevalence of antibodies specific to Leptospira spp. serovar Hardjo in 142 cattle slaughtered between June and July 2011 was investigated using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Five (3.50%) of the 142 cattle sampled were seropositive for antibodies to Leptospira spp. serovar Hardjo. Despite the fact that there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in seropositivity between sexes and between breeds sampled, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in sero-positivity between the different age groups examined. Leptospirosis is present in cattle slaughtered in the Zango abattoir; butchers and abattoir workers are exposed to infected animals and are at risk of being infected by Leptospira spp. serovar Hardjo