Contamination of rural surface and ground water by endosulfan in farming areas of the Western Cape, South Africa

BACKGROUND: In South Africa there is little data on environmental pollution of rural water sources by agrochemicals. METHODS: This study investigated pesticide contamination of ground and surface water in three intensive agricultural areas in the Western Cape: the Hex River Valley, Grabouw and Piketberg. Monitoring for endosulfan and chlorpyrifos at low levels was conducted as well as screening for other pesticides. RESULTS: The quantification limit for endosulfan was 0.1 μg/L. Endosulfan was found to be widespread in ground water, surface water and drinking water. The contamination was mostly at low levels, but regularly exceeded the European Drinking Water Standard of 0.1 μg/L. The two most contaminated sites were a sub-surface drain in the Hex River Valley and a dam in Grabouw, with 0.83 ± 1.0 μg/L (n = 21) and 3.16 ± 3.5 μg/L (n = 13) average endosulfan levels respectively. Other pesticides including chlorpyrifos, azinphos-methyl, fenarimol, iprodione, deltamethrin, penconazole and prothiofos were detected. Endosulfan was most frequently detected in Grabouw (69%) followed by Hex River (46%) and Piketberg (39%). Detections were more frequent in surface water (47%) than in groundwater (32%) and coincided with irrigation, and to a lesser extent, to spraying and trigger rains. Total dietary endosulfan intake calculated from levels found in drinking water did not exceed the Joint WHO/FAO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) criteria. CONCLUSION: The study has shown the need for monitoring of pesticide contamination in surface and groundwater, and the development of drinking water quality standards for specific pesticides in South Africa

Orchestrated innovative customer solutions: an emerging trend in business-to-consumer markets

The paper explores, by using of a qualitative case-study approach, the opportunity to extend the marketing literature proposing a typology of strategic business nets or value networks, to account for an emerging trend in convergent markets. A potential new type or path (named Orchestrated Innovative Customer Solutions), is advanced for further investigatio

Orchestrated Innovative Customer Solutions: An Emerging Trend to Master Convergence?

The article explores, by using of a qualitative case-study approach, the opportunity to extend the marketing literature proposing a typology of strategic business nets or value networks, to account for an emerging trend in convergent markets. Based on the similarities between the selected cases, contrasted with the description of extant idealtypes, a potential new type, or even an evolutionary path (named Orchestrated Innovative Customer Solutions), is advanced for further investigation

Retail innovation: il caso Sunka

L'articolo introduce il tema dell'innovazione applicato alle imprese commerciali, indagando i principali costrutti analizzati dalla letteratura specialistica e propone un modello di analisi manageriale della retail innovation. Il caso Sunka, impresa di distribuzione spagnola che ha innovato radicalmente il format del supermercato, consente di verificare in termini qualitativi il modello introdotto nella prima parte e le relative research questions

When and why do customers trust in grocery retailers?

This study develops and tests a model analyzing the relationships between customer trust in a grocery retailer and perceived value, customer satisfaction, store loyalty intentions and behaviors. It also estimated how the store's human resources, communications and sales promotions, environment and assortment (including private label products) influence trust, loyalty intentions and store patronage

Shopping behavior in museum stores: contextualizing the experience

Paper conceptualizing the experience of shopping in a museum store setting, mainly based on environmental psychology framewor

Shopping behavior in museum stores: does the museum context matter?

Theoretical paper dealing with the potential contextual effects on shopping behavior (especially those related to the museum visited before entering a store)