The public health landscape in South Africa today is characterised by a double-burden of nutritional challenges. Under-nutrition is prevalent, as is evident from the high levels of childhood stunting that are reported. Deficiencies of micro-nutrients such as vitamin A and iron continue to be prevalent in children, females and vulnerable groups. Simultaneously overweight and obesity among adults and children together with an associated increase in the occurrence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are increasing steadily to epidemic levels. With approximately 40% of the population living under the International Poverty Line and approximately a quarter of the population not able to obtain enough food to fulfil their daily energy needs, poverty and food insecurity are harsh realities in many South African households. The ability of a household to make healthy food choices is, among other factors, affected by food affordability. Food affordability is determined by household income relative to the cost of purchased food items. In recent years, food affordability in South Africa has been under increased pressure due to the following factors: household income-growth barely keeping track with inflation, rising unemployment, as well as high and ever increasing food prices. The pressure on lower income households is particularly profound, forcing such households to use about a third of total expenditure for food purchases. In this study, a multi-disciplinary approach was used (including principles of nutrition, economics and consumer behaviour sciences) to develop models to measure the cost and affordability of healthy eating in South Africa at a national level and on a socio-economically disaggregated basis. The healthy food basket model was primarily based on the South African Food-based Dietary Guidelines, typical food consumption patterns, household demographics and official urban retail food prices monitored by Statistics South Africa. Food affordability is a major challenge, with 60% of the population unable to afford the Moderate-cost Food Basket which provides greater nutritional diversity. The more economical Thrifty Healthy Food Basket (approximately 30% less expensive) is only affordable to approximately half of the South African population. A four member household earning two minimum wages has to spend a third of total expenditure on food to be able to afford this basket, while the typical food expenditure share of such households is usually lower (approximately 24%), thus confirming the pressure on households to afford healthy eating. In future the models of healthy eating also present possibilities for further expansion (e.g. these models can be refined to study different geographical areas or different household structure typologies). Compared to national nutritional recommendations, the study found that the intakes of whole-grain starch-rich foods, lean meat, fish, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables and legumes were low. Inadequate intake was generally more severe among lower income households. Less-affluent households spend a large proportion of their food budget on starch-rich staples, fats / oils and sugar-rich foods, but allocate insufficient resources to animal-source foods, legumes, fruit and vegetables. This study also identified that excessive intakes of refined and processed starch-rich food options, sugar-rich foods and fats / oils were common across all income groups and increased with socio-economic status. These findings confirm the reality of the nutrition transition in South Africa. The contribution of this research to estimate the socio-economically disaggregated consumption of animal-source foods (meat, fish and eggs) and starch-rich foods (maize meal, bread, rice and potatoes), provides valuable insights into differences in food intake across the socio-economic spectrum of South Africa. A complex combination of interventions is required to promote healthy eating patterns in South Africa. In addition to legislative measures (e.g. salt and sugar reduction legislation), consumer education (across the socio-economic spectrum) should focus on science-based practical solutions and provide advice on making healthy and budget-conscious food choices. In addition, it is also important to design and implement policy actions to improve the affordability and availability of healthy food options for the various socio-economic groups, in diverse geographic locations in South Africa. The improvement of food affordability is a key component in moving closer to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations “to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”. Furthermore, improving household food and nutrition security (including addressing issues pertaining to healthy food consumption and affordability), through public and private sector actions, is one of the enabling milestones in the National Development Plan 2030. The monthly costing of the food basket models which were developed in this study and analyses thereof should be used as policy analysis tools to act as a practical, scientific basis for the food security debate in South Africa. These tools are, in fact, already published on a quarterly basis in the public domain. In future the models of healthy eating also present possibilities for further expansion (e.g. these models can be refined to study different geographical areas or different household structure typologies). / Thesis (PhD) - University of Pretoria. 2020. / Financial support received from: * The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) * The Department of Science and Technology (DST)/National Research Foundation (NRF) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Food Security * Agbiz * Red Meat Research and Development South Africa (RMRD SA) * DST/NRF South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChl) in the National Development Plan Priority Area of Nutrition and Food Security (Unique number: SARCI170808259212) * University of Pretoria / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / PhD Nutrition / Unrestricted

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-159). / This study focused on two segments that have emerged from an evolution within the children's market- the tween and young teen markets. However, few market researchers had investigated the transition between these two stages - leaving primary school and going to high school. Despite there being a rather small age gap between older tweens and young teens, the numerous challenges brought about due to the transition from primary school to high school could affect areas such as academic performance, friendships and so forth. It was the aim of this study to uncover any changes in relation to the consumer behaviour and brand preferences of young teens occurred due to this transitional period. The literature review looked at the international and South African older tween and young teen markets through market identification and characterization. The transition phase from primary school to high school looked at the similarities and differences of older tweens and young teens and the social and academic impact of school transitions on grade eights. Four areas were identified that were said to influence one's clothing consumer behaviour and brand preferences as a result of the school transition to high school. These were developmental changes; the influence of one's reference groups; role models and the media that one subscribes to, and the financial circumstances in which one lives. The researcher also investigated brand loyalty and the influence of peer pressure on the clothing consumer behaviour and brand preferences of young teens. Furthermore, the literature review covered branding and how fashion and brands influenced the consumer behaviour of young teens. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this study. The primary research tools used were the two surveys that were successfully administered to two hundred and seventy four grade sevens and eights in ten schools in the South Western Cape. Permission was obtained from the Western Cape Education Department and a time restriction was given for the surveys to be administered to the schools. The researcher also used qualitative research methods in the form of experience interviews with nine members of the academic and business community who were deemed knowledgeable on the topics of child development, branding, consumer behaviour and school transitions. Limited focus groups were conducted, although this was primarily used to construct the questionnaires. Furthermore, the researcher made use of secondary data sources such as reputable and peer reviewed journal articles, books and so forth. Out of the five school sets in this research study the De Kuilen school set showed statistically significant results between grade sevens and eights with regards to developmental, reference group, financial and brand preference changes. The Kuils River school set also showed statistically significant results with regards to developmental, role models, peer pressure and brand preference changes. However, the rest of the school sets showed minor or failed to show statistical differences between the two grades in question. On the whole no significant developmental, reference group, role model and peer pressure changes were noted between grade sevens and grade eights. On the other hand, two of the findings agreed with the initial hypotheses that were put forward. Financial changes did occur, as grade eights received more pocket money than grade sevens and parents were still involved in purchasing clothing for their young teens; and as expected, young teens failed to prove brand loyal. Consequently, although two null hypotheses (financial changes and brand loyalty) were accepted out of six proposed and two school sets out of the five showed statistical differences between the two grades on the matters investigated, the primary null hypothesis was rejected. The researcher concluded that young teens in the South Western Cape did not change their clothing consumer behaviour and brand preferences after entering high school. However, this conclusion was limited only to those schools and students who participated in the study. The researcher recommended that in general both grades could be targeted together as one clothing brand market. Especially when young teens were in the first part of grade eight, as both markets liked wearing brands such as Billabong and Roxy for very similar reasons. In addition, the lack of brand loyalty was not seen to be a hindrance, but an opportunity for marketers to attract young teens due to the fashionability and affordability of the clothing. Their purchasing power not only by themselves, but also more often than not with the help of their parents made them a lucrative market worthy of attention. On the other hand, while the researcher may have gained more knowledge from using more qualitative research, as some information from the questionnaires contradicted each other, it was also suggested that due the two age groups being so similar, it may have been more beneficial to compare two differing age groups such as grade sevens and nines.

According to Statistics Canada (2013), downhill skiing participation rates have declined from 14% in 1992 to 6% in 2010. Finding ways to counteract this decline by revitalizing interest in downhill skiing is necessary to avoid further negative effects on the economic sustainability of the ski industry in Canada. This study proposes a reliable and valid measuring instrument to identify current factors that affect ski participation among various segments of skier groups. An online questionnaire is developed using extended Shank and Lyberger’s (2015) sports consumption model. It consists of five sections. Data were collected in the winter of 2019 from a convenience sample of 150 university students (targeting 30 participants for each: non-skiers, former-, low-, moderate-, and high-frequency skiers). Reliability was tested using a test(T1)-retest(T2) method among the same participants with a 14-day interval, calculating correlations. Of the initial 64 items, only 29 showed sufficient reliability. Generally speaking, the internal and external factors showed higher correlations, while the situational factors showed very low correlations and all 15 situational items had to be dropped. The results revealed that internal constraints influence former and low-frequency skiers more than higher-frequency skiers and that all current skiers, particularly in the high-frequency group, were strongly driven by internal facilitators such as positive perceptions. Family and financial constraint as an external, facilitating factor appear to be equally important among all groups of ski participants. Culture, another external factor, acts as a constraint on non-skiers, former skiers and low-frequency skiers, but has significantly less effect on high-frequency skiers. Former skiers are most affected by financial constraints, although this factor is also a constraint for other groups, if to a lesser extent.

No / The purpose of this paper is to present a critical viewpoint on the negative aspects of market, price and cost transparencies to consumers in terms of its costs. It adopts an inter-disciplinary approach from the marketing, economics and accounting literature. The paper explores market transparency in the ever-changing world and uses brand names like Starbucks and iPhone to illuminate instances where imperfect markets are supported by consumers. Recognizing the role that the Internet plays in promoting price transparency, it espouses how extant information can add costs and risks to the consumer’s value judgement. Finally, the paper advocates that arbitrary judgements existing in cost accounting make it difficult to compare unit cost. This could result in consumers paying extra money to benefit from cost transparency. This paper argues that three main issues may arise in providing unit cost to the consumers. First, transparency entails built-in costs, whether they are in taxes or product prices. Second, in accounting, unit cost information is currently not equitable between businesses. Finally, the paper argues that extra time and effort in making sense of unit cost information lead to questions about the viability of transparent costing. The arguments for transparency have been widely discussed, supported and promoted by many. While negative aspects are known to businesses, few consider the consumer’s perspective. By amalgamating evidence and arguments from different disciplines, this paper lends value, providing a critical perspective where transparent unit cost revelation can be more costly and less viable than what is assumed.

This study examines the attitudinal and behavioural dimensions of Indian consumers, in the Chatsworth area, to brand loyalty. A survey was undertaken in the designated area and data for the investigation was obtained from a sample of 237 households, drawn by means of the stratified random sampling technique. The data was qualitatively and quantitatively analysed using numerous descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The findings indicate that Indian consumers are more brand loyal to food than to non-food products. This result reflects that the type of merchandise involved and the relative strength of brands have an important influence on brand loyalty. Furthermore, Indians are rational buyers, who evaluate the cost and benefits of products, and increasingly consider the purchases of house brands as opposed to branded products. The determinants of brand loyalty for products in general. was found to be quality, whilst the main product evalutation criteria for food items is freshness, followed by nutritional value. The majority of consumers do not base their judgement of quality on price. Finally, non-brand loyal buyers assign higher ratings to product attributes on most of the specific products studied, than brand loyal consumers. / Thesis (M.Admin.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1993.

Background Sustainability is one of the hot topics in the apparel industry currently. Companies are working to improve an environmental impact of clothing production and social conditions at manufacturers and communicating to the public about these practices. At the same time, consumers are showing a growing interest towards sustainability in the apparel industry. However, there is little knowledge about how consumers perceive sustainability and how much they pay attention to the apparel companies’ sustainability practices. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to examine, with a holistic perspective, how consumers perceive sustainability in the apparel industry and how it affects their purchasing behaviour. Methodology A web-based self-completion questionnaire was conducted to examine consumers’ clothing purchasing behaviour and their perception of sustainability within the apparel industry. Convenience sampling method was used for the primary data collection. In total, 423 respondents from Sweden and Finland participated in this study. Findings The findings of this study show that the respondents are generally concerned about environmental issues in the apparel industry. However, their favourable attitudes seldom transfer into their purchasing intentions. Furthermore, the results show that the consumers of this study do not actively search sustainability information. Particularly they are not paying attention to the communication at the point of clothing purchase. Contribution This study gives insights into how consumers reflect upon sustainability when purchasing clothes and how actively they search for sustainability information. These insights are a valuable base for future improvements in order to achieve a meaningful manner in the apparel industry’s sustainability communication.

This study focuses on sustainability information and consumers’ attitude and perception of sustainability information in the footwear industry. Sustainability has become increasingly important in the fashion industry; thus, the footwear industry has not reached the same level of interest and attention. In addition, companies do not know how to communicate sustainability and sustainability information and therefore, green marketing has evolved as an opportunity for companies to communicate sustainability. However, the downside of green marketing is that it can be perceived as untrustworthy and mistaken for greenwashing. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand consumers’ attitude and perception of sustainability and sustainability information in the footwear industry. To reach a suitable customer segment, a collaboration with Vagabond Shoemakers was initiated. This enabled the data collection to be held in the Vagabond Store in Gothenburg via a selfcompletion questionnaire. The data was analysed quantitatively via regression analysis in IBM SPSS Statistics. The regression analysis shows several significant correlations between dependent and independent variables such as the consumers’ attitude towards sustainability in general and their attitude towards sustainability information in the footwear industry. The result proves that the consumers are interested in receiving sustainability information when purchasing footwear. However, the consumers do not believe they receive enough sustainability information in either brick-and-mortar retail stores or online. Despite that the consumers of this study tend to believe that sustainability information in general is trustworthy, they do not believe that sustainability information in the footwear industry is trustworthy. This is unfortunate as the consumers of this study show interest in and value sustainability information and believe it is an important aspect when purchasing footwear. The result of this study contributes to anunderstanding of consumers’ perception and attitude towards sustainability information in thefootwear industry. This can be a foundation for developing green marketing strategies that companies can utilise so as to educate and inform consumers about sustainability and sustainable development. By utilising green marketing as a communication tool, companies have the possibility to affect consumers’ attitude, intention and behaviour towards sustainable consumption.

The purpose of this study was to better understand how consumers of fast fashion clothing with different shopping motivations consider sustainability during their purchase. The different shopping motivations are hedonic and utilitarian, which are respectively the emotion of shopping and the function of shopping. The main question for this research was “How do consumers of fast fashion clothing with different motivations (hedonic or utilitarian) consider sustainability during their purchase?” This qualitative research made use of 11 focus groups and a total of 44 participants to obtain in-depth data. The participants were divided into whether their main shopping motivation was hedonic, or utilitarian based on how they answered specific questions. The answers from both groups were compared with each other to find possible differences. When weighing the evidence and conclusions from the research, it appears relatively likely that there are no significant differences between consumers with a hedonic main shopping motivation and consumers with a utilitarian main shopping motivation. This leads to the conclusion of the main question, which is that there is no difference in how consumers of fast fashion clothing with different motivations consider sustainability during their purchase.

The study addresses the limited and fragmented approaches of consumer behaviour studies in the existing literature and a lack of comprehensive integrated theoretical models of online consumer behaviour. The aim of the study is to propose a conceptual integrated theoretical model for online consumer behaviour which suggests a deviation from the existing purchasing approaches to consumer behaviour - hence a move towards an understanding of consumer behaviour in terms of two new approaches, namely the web-based communication exposure and internal psychological behavioural processes approaches, is proposed. The study addresses two main research problems, namely that inadequate knowledge and information exist on online consumers’ behavioural processes, especially their internal psychological behavioural processes during their exposure to web-based communication messages and their progression through the complete web-based communication experience; and that there is no conceptual integrated theoretical model for online consumer behaviour in the literature. This study, firstly, allows for systematic theoretical exploration, description, interpretation and integration of existing literature and theory on offline and online consumer behaviour including the following: theoretical perspectives and approaches; determinants; decision making; consumer information processing and response; and theoretical foundations. This systematic theoretical exploration and description of consumer behaviour literature and theory commences with the contextualisation and proposal of a new definition, perspective and theoretical approaches to online consumer behaviour; the discussion and analysis of the theory of the determinants of consumer behaviour; the discussion and analysis of decision-making theory; the proposition of a new online information decision-making perspective and model; the discussion and analysis of consumer information-processing and response theory and models; the discussion and analysis of the theoretical foundations of consumer behaviour; and the identification of theoretical criteria for online consumer behaviour. Declaration – acknowledgements - abstract Secondly, the study develops a conceptual integrated theoretical model for online consumer behaviour, thereby theoretically grounding online consumer behavioural processes in the context of internal psychological behavioural processes and exposure to web-based communication messages. It is hence posited that the study provides a more precise understanding of online consumers’ complicated internal cognitive and psychological behavioural processes in their interactive search for and experience of online web-based communication and information, which can be seen as a major contribution to the field of study. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)

The study addresses the limited and fragmented approaches of consumer behaviour studies in the existing literature and a lack of comprehensive integrated theoretical models of online consumer behaviour. The aim of the study is to propose a conceptual integrated theoretical model for online consumer behaviour which suggests a deviation from the existing purchasing approaches to consumer behaviour - hence a move towards an understanding of consumer behaviour in terms of two new approaches, namely the web-based communication exposure and internal psychological behavioural processes approaches, is proposed. The study addresses two main research problems, namely that inadequate knowledge and information exist on online consumers’ behavioural processes, especially their internal psychological behavioural processes during their exposure to web-based communication messages and their progression through the complete web-based communication experience; and that there is no conceptual integrated theoretical model for online consumer behaviour in the literature. This study, firstly, allows for systematic theoretical exploration, description, interpretation and integration of existing literature and theory on offline and online consumer behaviour including the following: theoretical perspectives and approaches; determinants; decision making; consumer information processing and response; and theoretical foundations. This systematic theoretical exploration and description of consumer behaviour literature and theory commences with the contextualisation and proposal of a new definition, perspective and theoretical approaches to online consumer behaviour; the discussion and analysis of the theory of the determinants of consumer behaviour; the discussion and analysis of decision-making theory; the proposition of a new online information decision-making perspective and model; the discussion and analysis of consumer information-processing and response theory and models; the discussion and analysis of the theoretical foundations of consumer behaviour; and the identification of theoretical criteria for online consumer behaviour. Declaration – acknowledgements - abstract Secondly, the study develops a conceptual integrated theoretical model for online consumer behaviour, thereby theoretically grounding online consumer behavioural processes in the context of internal psychological behavioural processes and exposure to web-based communication messages. It is hence posited that the study provides a more precise understanding of online consumers’ complicated internal cognitive and psychological behavioural processes in their interactive search for and experience of online web-based communication and information, which can be seen as a major contribution to the field of study. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)