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The global apparel market is an increasingly desirable industry sector for many marketers. The apparel retail industry in South Africa has experienced significant growth since the year 2000. In 2009, South Africans spent approximately R57 million on apparel items (Statistics South Africa, 2009). On average, South Africans spend R600 or more per month on apparel, making the apparel industry a very lucrative market. Consumer socialisation is the process by which the youth gain the necessary skills and knowledge that enable them to function as consumers in the marketplace. Consumer socialisation highlights the sources of consumer influences or ‘socialisation agents’ that transfer norms, develop attitudes, motivations and behaviour to the learner. Consumer attitudes, behaviour and skills are acquired through socialisation agents such as parents (father, mother and guardian), peers (brothers, sisters and friends) and the mass media (newspaper, television, radio, magazines) The Generation Y cohort (defined as individuals born between 1986 and 2005) is described as the largest and most profitable consumer group for marketers. Generation Y is a lucrative and growing market segment, particularly for apparel retailers. Apparel includes clothing, shoes, jewellery and cosmetics. Those Generation Y members engaged in tertiary education represent an especially important segment given that tertiary education often translates into higher future earning potential and a higher social status within a community and among peers. The primary objective of this research study was to investigate Generation Y students’ attitudes towards the influence of socialisation agents’ on apparel purchasing intentions in South Africa. The target population used in this research study was defined as full-time Generation Y undergraduate students, aged between 18-24 years, who were enrolled at public higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa in 2013. The sampling frame comprised the 23 registered South African public HEIs. A non-probability judgement sample method was used to narrow this sampling frame down to two HEI campuses situated in the Gauteng Province. For this study, a convenience sample of 500 full-time Generation Y students who were registered at these two South African HEI campuses during 2013 was drawn. A self-administered questionnaire was used for the collection of primary data for this research study. Academic staff at each of the two HEIs were contacted and asked if they would assist with the distribution of the survey questionnaire to students during class. The attitude towards the influence of socialisation agents on apparel purchasing intentions was measured based on peers, parents and the media. The outcomes from this research study suggest that Generation Y students do not perceive the influence of socialisation agents (peers/parents/media) as being particularly positive. While there was a significant positive relationship between their perceptions concerning the influence of peers, parents and media on apparel purchasing, none of these socialisation agents were perceived as having a significant influence on the Generation Y students’ monthly apparel spending. In terms of gender differences, males perceived the peer influence to be more important while females perceived the parent influence to be more important. There was no significant difference between males and females concerning the importance of the media influence on apparel purchasing. The analysis of statistical information gathered from this study will be relevant to both marketing practitioners and academia in understanding Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards the influence of socialisation agents (peers/parents/media) in apparel purchasing intentions. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Literature across a range of social science disciplines highlights the existence of multiple masculinities, performed and negotiated through everyday practices. However, many studies of male consumers have not explicitly addressed how practices construct gender. In consumer research, themes of masculinity have mainly emerged in studies of advertising images, subcultural consumption, brands, events and consumer tribes. Few studies have explored men’s consumption and the construction of masculinity through and across practices. Previous studies also appear to have examined gender, practices and identities at either individual or group levels. This study therefore sought to address the role of consumption in young men's construction of masculine identities, across a range of contexts, and at individual and group levels. Working within the Consumer Culture Theory tradition, these issues were explored through ethnographic research with young Scottish men aged 18-22, developed from contact with members of a football-themed University society. Data on collective practices were generated through non-participant observation followed by participant observation over a 13-month period. Practices included playing, watching and supporting football, visiting pubs and nightclubs, and playing poker. Accompanied shopping trips also formed part of the study. To gain further insights into individual identities long interviews with nine key informants were conducted. The analysis involved the iterative cycle of de-contextualising and re-contextualsing of data strips in the form of detailed reflexive fieldnotes, interview transcripts, photographs and film material. Masculinities emerged as contextualised, shifting and deeply rooted within practices of these young men. Their consumption produced normative ideals within groups. It also played a role in practices during which ‘masculine capital’ was sought. This capital was expressed through knowledge and experience in practices rather than objects and brands. Practices came to resemble games in which this capital was constantly contested. Through these games, groups also negotiated their place within the cultural context of gender relations. Consumption within practices constructed 'invisible’ gender identities through collectively shared meanings of masculinity. However, seemingly normal meanings of masculinity and consumption emerged as highly complex and layered as individuals constructed their multiple selves across practices. Rather than being fixed, consumption and masculinity was constantly (re)negotiated in changing contexts. This layered negotiation process of consumption meanings and masculinity was also reflected in informants’ discourse. This study suggests that various masculinities are 'played for’ through consumption across culturally situated practices. It shows how practices and consumption meanings shift during the negotiation of often contradictory and intertwined layers of gender identities. Methodologically, it offers insights into the challenges of gender differences between researcher and researched, and the role of new technologies such as mobile phones in ethnographic studies. Consumption and marketing messages may therefore allow young men to ‘do’, ‘talk’ and ‘be’ masculine across varying practices and contexts.

The influence of packaging design (PD) on consumer choice is well documented, most notably through its perceived attractiveness and the product beliefs it can generate. However, these aspects of PD’s influence have been tested only in isolation and with little attention paid to the moderating role of consumers’ personal characteristics. Drawing from theories in the fields of visual perception, information processing and response to product form and using the product category of wine, the present thesis investigates consumers’ perceptions of PD styles more holistically, incorporating the moderating role of consumer involvement. Specifically, the thesis hypothesises that consumers’ involvement levels in wine moderate their affective and cognitive responses to wine PD styles, which in turn influence their purchase intentions. The empirical investigation follows a mixed methods approach, comprising seven focus group discussions and an online survey (n = 540) of low involvement (LI) and high involvement (HI) wine consumers. The results confirm that consumers show both affective and cognitive responses to PD and that both types of response have significant effects on purchase intention. However, the study also reveals that consumers’ involvement level determines, which type of PD response is more influential. Affective responses to PD had greater impact for LI respondents’ purchase intention than for HI respondents’ purchase intention. An opposite effect was found for cognitive responses to PD. These results demonstrate the need to take account of different types of consumer response when investigating PD’s effects and they highlight the value of involvement as a factor to predict the types of response consumers may have to PD in a purchase decision.

Communications regulatory frameworks are established to achieve affordable pricing, consumer welfare, innovation and competition. A regulatory framework is therefore endowed with regulatory governance measures and regulatory incentives to enable it to achieve these purposes. In applying these measures and incentives, the framework becomes effective, or ineffective, if the framework fails. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to assess the perceptions of the stakeholders on the effectiveness of the types of governance measures and incentives implemented in Namibia because stakeholders are involved in the success or failure. The study of perceptions are important because they offer insight of informed stakeholders of how policies, laws and regulations are implemented for whom those policies, laws and regulations are designed, implemented and meant to impact. Such insights can inform the design of recommendations on how these measures and incentives can be improved to make the regulatory framework more effective, as it has done in this study. One of the main findings of the research was the perceived conflict of interests between the ICT policy role of the Ministry of ICT and its shareholder role over Telecom Namibia, negatively impacting on competition and putting privately owned licensees at a market disadvantage. The conclusion was that this regulatory governance design measure conflicts with the regulatory framework and requires legislative amendment and a re-design of the framework to achieve the regulatory purpose of competition and improve Namibia’s regional and global competitiveness.

The importance of the consumption of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, for overall health, has been highlighted by the UK government in recent years. Consumption of fruit and vegetables is considerably lower in Scotland than in other parts of the UK. Behavioural change is most likely to come about through a comprehensive understanding of the range of factors influencing fruit and vegetable consumption, and the nature of the interaction of these factors. With variations in fruit and vegetable consumption by place and social class, this study focused on an area of low fruit and vegetable consumption in Scotland, and compared this to an area of high fruit and vegetable consumption in England, with socio-economic profile matched. The determinants of consumption, and their interrelationship, were investigated using qualitative information from focus group discussions, and quantitative data from a structured questionnaire. Multivariate models of fruit and vegetables consumption were developed, using log linear analysis, logistic regression and discriminant analysis. The models developed identified significant differences between fruit and vegetable consumption behaviour. Fruit consumption was mainly influenced by sociodemographic variables,in particulars mokers tatus. The impact of place and social class was substantial, when these variables were considered in interaction with the other socio-demographic variables. In contrast, vegetable consumption was influenced by motivational and attitudinal factors. Of these, the extent to which vegetables satisfied `convenience' expectations, and `hedonic motivations' were the most important influences, critical to vegetable consumption. The findings also suggest that the development of a generic model of food choice may not be an achievable goal, since the models of these two (similar) foodstuffs are so different. Strategies to promote fruit and vegetable consumption, must address the different characteristics, and priorities, of low fruit and vegetable consumers.