Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.H.P.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 30, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-72).

For a pre-cast concrete manufacturing company to obtain a Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) certification time, money and effort have to be spent and yet it is not known whether the consumers will use the BOBS certification as a buying decision factor. The Botswana Bureau of Standards certified pre-cast concrete manufacturing companies have to comply with rigorous inspections to ensure that standards are maintained. Competition in the concrete manufacturing industry is contested by certified companies and uncertified companies and yet the market is shared amongst these players. This dissertation will endeavour to analysis the effects of Botswana Bureau of Standards certification on buyer decision on pre-cast concrete products in Gaborone Botswana. Therefore, the research findings will establish whether BOBS certification can be used as marketing tool. A sample of forty was drawn from the population in Gaborone to represent the whole of Botswana. Date was collected using both semi-structured and structured questionnaires. Responses were sorted according to similarities and then interpreted. Results in this research indicated that BOB certification influences concrete consumers' decisions. It was also indicated that BOB certification is actually a marketing tool that sways positively concrete products buyers' decisions. Therefore, it was recommended that concrete manufacturers should exploit this marketing tool to gain a larger market share. Those concrete products manufacturers whose products are not certified should consider this marketing tool in their marketing strategy in order to remain competitive. BOBS must also launch a massive public awareness to popularise the use of the certification by the manufacturers. Lastly, It is recommended that the Botswana Government must continue supporting BOBS to improve quality standards in the country. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

This thesis outlines the early developmental history of concrete block in America with special attention being placed on the years leading up to the St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. In general, the history of concrete block in contemporary building material histories begins with the innovations in block machinery that took place at the turn of the 20th century. However, the history of concrete block begins much earlier than these innovations. Harmon S. Palmer invented the first commercially successful concrete block machine in 1900, but there were many reasons why concrete block became widely used during the first half of the 20th century. The establishments of a domestic Portland cement industry, the innovations in concrete block machinery, and the marketing and promotion of concrete and concrete block at the 1904 St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition, are all major reasons why concrete block began to be widely used in America. / Concrete : primer -- Concrete : a brief history -- Concrete block : an early history -- Portland cement -- The commercialization of concrete block -- Concrete block on the world stage : the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. / Department of Architecture

D. Tech. (Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / In recent years, the concept of relationship-marketing earned eminence in academia with associated implications for marketing strategy. The aim of this study was to examine relationship intentions in the business-to-business (B2B) context from the concrete product environment within the construction industry of South Africa. Literature reviewed reveals that empirical studies for concrete product environment and the construction industry is limited, principally in South Africa, concerning the dimensions of relationship intentions. As deliberations on relationship-marketing intentions carry on maturing, there are imperative concerns yet to be clarified, one of which relates to customer’s buying behaviour in relation to the dimensions and outcomes of relationship intentions. Given the increasing prominence of customer buying patterns in modern marketplaces, the study intends to empirically analyse the dimesions and outcomes of buyer-seller relationship intentions, with reference to the civil and building concrete product users in a B2B setting within the South African construction industry. The civil and building engineering contractor segments were selected as research sites owing to their scope and size, which signify a productive market segment with prospects of influencing future behavioural intentions in the construction environment. The the study was underpinned by the relationship-marketing theory and social exchange theory, which clarified the dimensions and outcomes of relationship intentions of the civil and building constructs that underlie concrete products. As the study intended to determine the dimensions and outcomes of relationship intentions of civil and building contractors (customer) towards their concrete product manufacturer (supplier) organisations, a descriptive research method was chosen. The objective being to confirm and expand the dimensions of buyer-seller relationship intentions in the B2B industry context and to examine the explanatory power of the indetified dimensions. The current study employed a quantitative research method that is entrenched in the post-positivist paradigm, which also underpins this study. Data were collected using probability sampling in the form of systematic random sampling. A sample size of 560 respondents returned fully completed questionnaires. As the study was descriptive in nature, the reliability and validity of data were analysed, correlation analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were performed. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were also conducted to confirm and expand the factor structure of the relationship intention dimensions. Preceding the main study’s data collection process, a pilot survey was undertaken to examine the correctness and accuracy of the questionnaire. The data collected were examined with the use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 25.0 and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) version 25.0. The preliminary data analysis included the procedure of coding and examining the distribution of scores. In addition, the normality test results revealed that data were normally distributed. To confirm the consistency of the measuring instrument and its items, the reliability and validity tests were carried out. The results of the consistency of measures demonstrated that the measuring instrument was reliable. The correlation analysis disclosed a weak relationship between expectations, involvement and feedback towards relationship quality, whereas a moderate association was revealed between forgiveness and trust towards relationship quality, while a strong association was discovered between fear of relationship loss, information sharing and flexibility towards relationship quality construct. The suitability of the measurement and structural models were evaluated prior to testing the hypothesised relationships. The suggested relationships were verified by structural equation modelling (SEM). The hypotheses testing findings revealed that concrete product repurchase intentions by the study respondents were significantly and positively motivated by the supplier’s relationship quality and commitment that leads to customer satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intentions. A framework of relationship marketing intentions for the concrete product environment of the South African construction industry was developed. It was anticipated that the proposed framework will contribute towards addressing the insufficiencies in the application of relationship marketing strategies. The empirical study results advocated that concrete product manufacturer-suppliers (CPM) must invest in methods of increasing their levels of relationship quality and commitment to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty, which will lead to customer repurchase intentions. The study results revealed that unlike previous relationship intention studies that found five dimensions, this study proposed and found eight (involvement, expectations, forgiveness, feedback, fear of relationship loss, trust, flexibility and information sharing/exchange) dimensions of relationship intentions within the B2B concrete product environment. Furthermore, the study results revealed that customer satisfaction can be upheld by concentrating on relationship building strategies, which fuel customer loyalty and repurchase intentions by meeting or exceeding customer needs and requirements. One of the study contributions is the investigation of the order of the dimesions of relationship intentions in a B2B context for the concrete product environment within the construction industry. Therefore, the study pens down both the theoretical and practical contributions to the relationship marketing literature. Paths for additional research is offered. The outcome of this study advanced a framework of the dimensions of relationship intentions, which may possibly benefit future researchers. Future studies must consider the application of a cohesive research model, which includes supplementary variables using a larger sample size utilising a longitudinal study with the purpose of increasing generalisability of the results.