The unceasing ambition of companies to enhance their profitability, capture novel markets, and address the diverse and evolving needs of customers has led to an irrational surge in production and the exploitative depletion of natural resources. This unwarranted increase in production has, in turn, been accompanied by a rise in product returns by consumers, which, upon reverting to their original sources through the supply chain, has compounded the complexities of the supply chains and precipitated new pressures and burdens on the companies and their supply chains, necessitating their adept management. Likewise, the fast-moving consumer goods sector (FMCG) in Sweden has been experiencing an increasing number of product returns, which is a significant concern for both manufacturers and retailers. This thesis aims to investigate the drivers of product returns and their impact on the existing B2B supply chains to provide recommendations for reducing their impact and frequency. The research methodology includes a review of the previous scientific literature related to the topic, participant observations, and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the industry. A qualitative approach has been adopted using a case study method, and thematic analysis was utilized. The results show that the main drivers for product returns between businesses in the Swedish FMCG sector are quality, contracts, customer service, and legislation, all of which contribute to disruptive effects within the existing B2B supply chains. Furthermore, the study reveals four types of disturbances associated with product returns, including logistical, sustainability, operational, and cost and value-related disruptions. This thesis provides insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with product returns in the Swedish FMCG sector and highlights the need for suppliers to adopt a proactive approach to managing returns to remain competitive in the market.

Poor quality of information and forecasting create a number of problems for manufacturing companies, such as poor planning of products and insufficient service levels, which leads to increased inventory and stock holding or stockouts and increased total costs. Cussons (UK) Limited is experiencing precisely these problems. Apart from these problems normally associated with forecasting demand for fast moving consumer goods there is an additional problem of reconciling the Western calendar with the Muslim calendar, and a recognition of the effects that Muslim religious holidays, as opposed to Christian religious holidays, have on demand. Muslim religious holidays rotate backwards with regard to the Western calendar, but in fact they occur at known dates and therefore the effect they have on demand for products can be taken into consideration when attempting to forecast demand. An additional problem that influences Cussons' sales in the market is the seasonal pattern of demand. Due to this, there is an increase in demand for Cussons' products during summer months. From the analysis of both data sets it was identified that the warehouse movement data is less variable and more reliable for business forecasting than order data. In this thesis, these forecasting problems are examined as a case study, focusing on these particular problems. To overcome these problems and to improve business forecasting of Cussons' products in the Middle East market, a forecasting strategy has been suggested which will enable Cusson's to reduce the inventories throughout the supply chain and to improve their customer's service. / Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan, Cussons (UK)Limited.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / The government of South Africa aspires to achieve a six percent economic growth per annum. The scarcity of qualified and experienced people that are crucial in contributing to economic growth and creating job opportunities, poses a problem for the country. The current demand for skills that are out of reach for many workers and the prevailing unemployment that is caused by the mismatch between what an organisation seeks and what a potential candidate can provide, have been highlighted as a critical cause for the scarcity of skills. The aim of this research assignment was to examine the current crisis of the skills shortage in the South African economy, with the focus on the manufacturing sector within the FMCG industry. Semi-structured and open-ended interviews with human resource, training and development, as well as technical managers in manufacturing organisations in Cape Town, South Africa were conducted. Data was obtained from a sample of six managers. According to all respondents interviewed, it takes approximately two to six months to replace an employee who has the appropriate technical skills. All the respondents are concerned with the situation of the technical skills shortage in the country. Consequently, these respondents’ companies engage in a talent war in order to recruit the best talent. It is therefore obvious that the market dynamics of supply and demand are out of equilibrium with regard to technically skilled employees in the manufacturing segment of the South African FMCG industry. The interviews that were conducted identified some companies that train new employees in technical skills. However, the majority of the companies are not doing much to improve the situation. In addition, the companies in this sector also compete with the other industries in the South African and the global economy regarding technical skills.

No description available.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Internal Auditing in the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / South African Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) play an important role in the stimulation of the national economy. However, according to previous research studies, these business entities have one of the worst sustainability rates in the world as approximately 80% of South African SMMEs tend to fail after being in operation for only three years. Taking the weak sustainability rate of these business entities into account, further studies suggest that South African SMMEs operate in a harsh economic environment, which, in turn, creates a breeding ground for risks to realise in, including that of occupational fraud risk. According to scholarly literature, the occurrence of occupational fraud risk is believed to stem from the utilisation of inadequate and/or ineffective internal control activities – South African SMMEs, in general, are believed to make use of inadequate and/or ineffective internal control activities. For this research study, focus was placed on investigating the effectiveness of internal control activities used within South African fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) SMMEs to combat occupational fraud risk. This was achieved by conducting a literature review (see Chapter 2) to assist in the development of a survey to, in turn, conduct empirical research by collecting quantitative data from respondents (see Chapter 3). All relevant quantitative data gleaned were analysed using both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (see Chapter 4). Based on the analysed data, it was found that although implemented internal control activities in sampled South African FMCG SMMEs were customised, a few internal control activities assisted in the combating of occupational fraud risk while the bulk of internal control activities did not assist in combating occupational fraud risk. Stemming from the study conducted, the inference was made that the occurrence (realisation) of occupational fraud risk may be exacerbated by the implemented internal control activities in South African FMCG SMMEs due to their ineffectiveness.

The purpose of this thesis is to extrapolate through research the conceptual underpinnings of a body of artwork created by Matt Sigmon. The thesis explains the work in relation to art historical references to readymade art and the dilemmas that arise when fine art is compared to consumer commodities.

Varumärkeskapital är det mervärde som ett varumärke ger en produkt i förhållande till om varumärket inte funnits på produkten. Konsumentbaserat varumärkeskapital innebär vidare att det är i konsumentens medvetande som varumärkeskapitalet existerar. Snabbrörliga konsumentvaror kännetecknas av att de köps ofta och att deras kontakt med konsumenten är begränsad, vidare är de ofta lätta att byta ut. Den här studien undersöker genom kvalitativa intervjuer hur företag bygger varumärkeskapital inom en marknad för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror. Åtta varumärkesansvariga på företag verksamma inom en marknad för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror har intervjuats för att få reda på deras syn på byggande av varumärkeskapital inom nämnda kontexten. Hela studien utgår i grunden från fem dimensioner av varumärkeskapital nämligen varumärkesassociationer, varumärkeskännedom, varumärkeslojalitet, upplevt värde samt andra varumärkestillgångar. Intervjuerna har sedan analyserats utifrån dessa dimensioner stött av andra relevanta teorier inom ämnet, analysen har också sin grund i det valda syftet. Resultaten av denna studie påvisar hur varumärkeskapital skapas för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror inom de fem dimensionerna av varumärkeskapital. Den bekräftar också att alla dimensioner är viktiga att jobba med för att bygga varumärkeskapital. Inom varumärkesassociationer så är trovärdighet och unicitet viktiga aspekter. Det är extra viktigt att jobba med varumärkeskännedom då konsumenter ofta spenderar kort tid då ett köpbeslut tas för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror. Att öka konsumenters involvering i varumärket är viktigt för att skapa varumärkeslojalitet. För upplevd kvalitet är det avgörande att arbeta med de sensoriska delarna då en produkt med dålig kvalitet inte blir långvarig, speciellt, inom en marknad för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror. Att ha fungerande distributionskanaler är viktigt för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror då dessa bidrar till exponering av varumärket. Studien visar att de fem använda dimensionerna är av högsta vikt för byggande av varumärkeskapital inom en marknad för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror. Vidare finner studien att en aspekt av andra varumärkestillgångar, nämligen distribution, istället kan tillhöra varumärkeskännedom i denna kontext. Studien visar också indikationer på att dimensionen upplevd kvalitet är den viktigaste för snabbrörliga konsumentvaror inom varumärkeskapital Dessa är tre viktiga teoretiska bidrag som studien gett. Vidare är studien av praktiskt värde då den ger rekommendationer hur företag inom denna kontext kan arbeta för att bygga varumärkeskapital utifrån de fem använda dimensionerna.

Bakgrund: Inkonsekvensen i hanteringen av internt upparbetade immateriella tillgångar har uppmärksammats av bland annat standardsättarna IASB, AASB, ASBJ samt organisationen RFR. RFR menar att mer fokus bör läggas på identifieringen och redovisningen av internt upparbetade immateriella tillgångar på grund av deras markanta ökning samt betydelse för företag och kunder. Syfte: Studien ska beskriva den kontext där internt upparbetade immateriella tillgångar förekommer, och därmed bidra till en förståelse över hur deras egenskaper och identifiering behandlas redovisningsmässigt, inom branschen konsumentvaror och -tjänster. Metod: Studien är gjord utifrån en kvalitativ ansats och är baserad på intervjuer med företag inom branschen konsumentvaror och -tjänster som har internt upparbetade immateriella tillgångar. Resultat: Branschen konsumentvaror och -tjänster använder sig av både formella och informella tumregler vid identifiering av internt upparbetade immateriella tillgångar på grund av den osäkerhet som råder vid bedömning. Existensen av tumregler påverkas av faktorerna nyckelpersoner, erfarenheter samt storleken på företaget och posten internt upparbetade immateriella tillgångar. Branschen anser att det finns svårigheter i de existerande regelverken men att standarden IAS 38 är tillräcklig överlag. / Background: The inconsistency, in the management of internally generated intangible assets, is addressed by the standard setters IASB, AASB, ASBJ and by the Swedish organization RFR. RFR argue that more attention should be placed on the identification and recognition of internally generated intangible assets, this due to their significant increase and impact on companies and customers. Aim: The study is describing the context in which internally generated intangible assets exist. Hence, contributing to an understanding of how their characteristics and identification are treated in accounting, in the consumer goods and service industry. Completion: The study has a qualitative approach and is based on interviews with companies with internally generated intangible assets in the consumer goods and service industry. Result: The consumer goods and service industry use formal and informal heuristics in order to identify internally generated intangible assets due to the uncertainty in the assessment. The existence of heuristics is affected by the following factors; key personnel, experience, company size and size of the internally generated intangible assets. The industry perceives difficulties in the existing regulations, but finds IAS 38 to be, overall, adequate.

Title: A quantitative study extending the understanding regarding the influence of sales promotion on brand knowledge   Background: Sales promotion is a marketing communication activity that aims to promote a purchase, usage or trial of a particular brand. Sales promotion activities can provide significant benefits and incentives that could help the brand to differentiate from competitors and can contribute to the consumer’s brand knowledge. Prior to this thesis, there has been little attempt to integrate research to determine the relationship between the use of sales promotions and brand knowledge, which is why this study intends to extend the existent understanding. Purpose: The aim of this study is to extend the understanding regarding the relationship between sales promotion and brand knowledge and its drivers. Research questions: R1: What influence does monetary promotions have on brand awareness? R2: What influence does monetary promotions have on brand image? R3: What influence does non-monetary promotions have on brand awareness? R4: What influence does non-monetary promotions have on brand image? Hypotheses: H1: Monetary promotions of a brand influence brand awareness H2: Non-monetary promotions of a brand influence brand awareness H3: Monetary promotions of a brand influence brand image H4: Non-monetary promotions of a brand influence brand image   Methodology: In order to test the hypotheses a quantitative research approach was conducted and a questionnaire was used to collect data from Swedish consumers, the data was analyzed in the IBM SPSS program to find out if the hypotheses was supported or rejected.   Conclusions: H1,H3 and H4: May from this study be supported. H2: May from this study be rejected.

A presente tese é um trabalho de pesquisa em design e sustentabilidade, que visa expor uma estratégia para utilização das emoções no desenvolvimento de produtos sustentáveis. Inicialmente houve a descrição de alguns dos principais métodos e teorias que cercam o design e a sustentabilidade, e como lacunas entre eles permitem que os vários tipos da obsolescência contaminem o processo de desenvolvimento, comercio e utilização dos produtos, causando inúmeros danos aos consumidores, sociedade e meio ambiente. O capítulo 4 monta um texto que envolve o consumo como um elemento de construção e significação cultural, estando presente na sociedade como um sistema complexo de signos que intermedia e complementa relações sociais. Este capítulo é a ponte para aproximar as emoções com o design e a sustentabilidade, cujas teorizações seguem nos capítulos 5 e 6. As emoções envolvem uma construção teórica que parte de conceituações amplas, entre a filosofia e a sociologia, para em seguida mergulhar especificamente sobre suas manifestações fisiológicas nos indivíduos. As considerações do neurocientista António Damásio, que descreve as emoções como principal elemento na tomada de decisões de cada indivíduo, são especialmente importantes, pois nelas repousam muitas das características semânticas que balizam nossas tomadas de decisões, inclusive aquelas que envolvem os atos de consumo. Todas as teorizações neste trabalho são um plano epistemológico que abre caminhos para uma nova exploração em design. Esta exploração é a exposição empírica de uma estratégia de utilização das emoções para o desenvolvimento de produtos sustentáveis, tendo como meta principal se contrapor à obsolescência. Para isto, foram utilizados objetos que carregam o poder de despertar grandes apelos emocionais em seus proprietários. Realizou-se uma técnica mista que iniciou com entrevistas semiabertas de seleção. Em seguida nove voluntários selecionados, em entrevistas abertas, descreveram relatos de suas vidas com o intermédio de seus objetos emocionais. A partir dos relatos destas entrevistas, fez-se correlações identificando as semelhanças que se agrupavam por influência cultural. A última etapa de experimentos passou para testes quantitativos de eletroencefalograma, mensurando e comparando as manifestações fisiológicas que os objetos emocionais causam em seus proprietários. Os resultados destes testes possibilitaram a indicação de aprofundamentos para as etapas qualitativas da pesquisa, bem como apontamentos diretos para uma estratégia que utilize as emoções para o desenvolvimento de produtos sustentáveis e menos suscetíveis ao descarte prematuro. / The present thesis is a research work in design and sustainability, which aims to expose a strategy for the use of emotions in the development of sustainable products. Initially there was a description of some of the main methods and theories surrounding the design and sustainability, and how they allow gaps between the various types of obsolescence contaminate the process of development, trade and use of the products, causing severe damage to consumers, and society environment. Chapter 4 rides a text that involves the consumption as an element of construction and cultural significance, being present in society as a complex system of signs that complements intermediate and social relations. This chapter is a bridge to bring the emotions with the design and sustainability, whose theories follow in chapters 5 and 6. Emotions involve a theoretical construct that part of broader conceptualizations, between philosophy and sociology, to then delve specifically about their physiological manifestations in individuals. The considerations of neuroscientist Antonio Damásio, who describes the emotions as the main element in the decision-making of each individual, are especially important because many of them lie semantic features that guide our decision making, including those involving acts of consumption. All theories in this work is an epistemological level that opens new avenues for design exploration. This exploration is exposure empirical strategy of using emotions to the development of sustainable products, having as main goal to counteract obsolescence. For this, we used objects that carry the power to awaken great emotional appeals for their owners. We conducted a mixed technique that began with open-ended interviews selection. Then nine volunteers selected in open interviews, described reports of their lives with their objects through emotional. From the reports of these interviews, it became correlations identifying the similarities were grouped by cultural influence. The last step of experiments passed tests for quantitative electroencephalography, measuring and comparing the physiological manifestations that cause emotional objects in their owners. The results of these tests allowed the indication for deepening the steps of qualitative research as well as direct pointers to a strategy that uses emotions to the development of sustainable products and less susceptible to premature disposal.