The success of the South African policy to reduce carbon emissions and incorporate solar energy production into the national energy mix is partly dependent on the ability to persuade householders to become more energy efficient, and to encourage installation of domestic solar systems. Solar power is an innovation in South Africa and the current policy of stimulating the market with subsidies for solar water heaters is not resulting in widespread adoption. The high upfront costs have been a barrier in the past but as more suppliers offer financing options, there has been a gradual increase in purchasing but not at the rate required to save the 578 MW of electricity over the next few years. This research report takes the form of a survey of two consumer groups (“early adopters” and “early majority” adopters in South Africa, with the aim of: • Investigating consumer attitudes towards characteristics of solar systems, • Utilising the diffusion of Innovations theory to understand the attributes which affect the consumer decision making process, and • Isolating the characteristics that are preventing a pragmatic “early majority” from adopting the technology. The results show that overall, while the “early majority” demonstrate a positive perception of the environmental characteristics of solar power, its financial, operational and aesthetic characteristics are limiting adoption. Differences existing between the two groups show support for the concept of the ‘chasm’ between adopter categories identified by Moore. The study concludes that if consumers cannot identify the relative advantage of solar power over their current source of power supplied readily and cheaply through the national grid, it is unlikely that wide-scale adoption will follow. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Although extensive academic research (Czellar, 2004; Nandan, 2004; Keller&Hoeffer, 2003; Aaker, 2004; Kaputa, 2006; Griffen, 2002) has explored consumer perceptions, little research has assessed the impact of brand identity strategies on consumer perceptions, which was the purpose of this dissertation. Kotler and Keller (2006:275) assert the importance of understanding how the brand is perceived by consumers and what impact a brand identity strategy has on consumer perceptions. These perceptions can be described as a brand image which refers to a brand’s subjective or perceived attributes in relation to other brands. This perceived image of the brand does not belong to the product but is the property of the consumer’s mental perceptions and in some instances can differ widely from a brand’s true physical characteristics. By determining the consumer perceptions of a brand, this dissertation investigated the impact of a brand identity strategy on consumer perceptions. The research problem then exists in the possibility of differences between the perceptions of the brand, namely the brand image (reality) and the desired identity that the company sets out to establish. The literature review demonstrated that it is not only the brand identity strategy (which the organisation creates), but also the consumer’s perceived image of the product (the state of the consumer’s mental perceptions), that has impact on the way the brand is perceived. The closer the perceived image of the brand is to the organisation’s aspired brand identity, the less the differences and more successful the brand identity strategy. These differences constituted the research problem. The primary research objective was to determine the impact of the brand identity strategy of a consumer product on consumer perceptions. The following secondary research objectives were identified: • to determine what desired perceptions the company wanted to establish with its current brand identity strategy, • to assess whether differences existed between the brand image, (the perceptions in the minds of the consumers), and the brand identity strategy (the way the brand managers want the consumers to think and feel about the brand). Taking the purpose of the study and the objectives into account, a qualitative research was conducted, which was exploratory in nature. Text data analysis was the method used to analyse the content and context of the data collected by means of an open-ended questionnaire. The data was collected in two phases. In the initial part of the study, focus groups were conducted among members of the target market to gain an initial understanding of consumer perceptions of the brand. The focus groups assisted the author in developing questions that were used in the open-ended questionnaire in the second phase. In this way, relevant and meaningful data was retrieved ensuring that the research objectives were met. A comparison study was conducted by means of the focus groups to assess whether the responses were of similar nature compared with the responses derived from the questionnaire. It was concluded that a brand identity strategy facilitates the shaping of a mental image by consumers and thereby leveraging it to gain a competitive advantage. According to Dempsey (2004:32), it begins with understanding what the brand means to the consumers (brand image) and what the brand sets out to convey (brand identity) to the consumer. Many organisations know how they want to be viewed and what mental space they want to capture, but find it challenging to maintain a consistent brand identity at all brand contact points. The differences between the brand identity strategy and the consumer perceptions clearly revealed a significant impact of the brand identity strategy on consumer perceptions. Therefore, it can be concluded that the brand identity strategy impacts on consumer perceptions for the specific brand in the study with some brand identity elements having a stronger influence on forming perception than others. Once there was an understanding of how the brand is perceived by target consumers and how the brand is planned to be perceived in the future, the author identified the possible differences that needed to be bridged between the two and offered recommendations and key shifts required to move from the current perceptions to the ideal brand identity. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Marketing Management / MCom / Unrestricted

This is a multidisciplinary information systems thesis with a strong sociological focus. Theoretically it uses the technical concerns of human-computer interaction as the background to consider the separate theories of consumer decision-making and the diffusion of innovations. Emphasis is placed on understanding how consumers make sense of the Internet and come to define the role and use of the Internet in their lives. A practical framework for hermeneutic investigation was created to access the unreflective thoughts and actions driving online consumer decision-making. Implicit within hermeneutics is the prospect of transcendental interpretations and the ability to investigate in situ new avenues of research that emerge as a result of anomalous comments or findings. Hence, this thesis presents two different, but inter-related, research inquiries and their associated findings. Initial interest was centred on consumer behaviour and interface design. Specifically, can a dedicated 'consumer interface' be designed using principles based on consumer perceptions of online convenience. The resulting data analysis created a framework of advice that interface designers can use to improve their understanding of the nature and limitations of convenient interfaces and associated consumer decision-support technologies. A second research theme emerged from the data analysis which broadened the focus into a consideration of online consumer behaviour as a distinct issue. Specifically, a new from of interactive behaviour prevalent in electronic retail markets was identified and, following a second literature review, labeled "surrogacy". Related in form to the personal shoppers found in traditional marketplaces, surrogacy differs from electronic intermediaries with regard to (i) the motivations of use and (ii) the symbolic and functional benefits of usage. The emergence of this phenomenon suggests that interactions between individuals (as consumers) and Web-based systems are maturing, albeit in a non-predictable manner. Together, the methodological refinements presented here with the accompanying research findings provide a reference point for further work in the following three areas: interface design for electronic marketplaces; Web-based consumer decision support technologies; and the development of interpretive approaches suitable for socio-technical investigations.

Background: Since the dawn of internet shopping there has always been consumers who show resistance. Researchers have identified several relevant barriers which inhibit these consumers from shopping online. Now that e-commerce has developed to the point that it could be regarded as mainstream, the resistance that remains is most evident in certain industries, such as the e-grocery industry.        Purpose: To identify which general e-commerce barriers are also applicable to the industry of e-groceries, and to understand the resistance shown towards the sector. Also, to evaluate how countermeasures could impact these barriers.                    Method: A qualitative and abductive approach was used in the study to analyze which barriers are relevant and which are irrelevant. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants located in the south of Sweden who have distinct opinions about e‑groceries and show resistance to embracing their services.         Conclusion: Six of the original ten e-commerce barriers were deemed irrelevant to e-groceries. The other four were relevant and impacted the embrace of e-grocery services for potential customers. Two new barriers specifically linked to e-groceries were discovered. Countermeasures have to a certain degree influenced how customers have managed to overcome certain barriers.

Background: The emergence and growth of the green economy has prompted companies to take more steps towards becoming environmentally conscious, but this is not always done in an honest way, from which cases of greenwashing has emerged. Cases of greenwashing can be recognized in all areas of business, and most of the research at the moment only recognizes the effect of a greenwashing case on consumer behavior, missing the link of consumer perceptions. The existing case study research also focuses on the attitudes after the fact, not investigating how a consumer reacts to the information during the revelation of a company’s misconduct.   Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the connection between the concept of greenwashing and consumer perceptions, and thus the decisions consumers take based on the level of information they possess.   Method: The research is conducted as an interpretivist qualitative case study based on a single imaginary case, where the data is gathered through triangulation of previous existing literature and observations from semi-structured interviews, analyzed through abductive reasoning.   Conclusion: The research found that when a consumer is presented with information about a company and their initiatives, the perceptions that the consumer has change accordingly. The perceptions are dependent on the level of interest the consumer has in sustainability issues. Some findings that were not expected considered the partial effect of the sustainability initiatives, showing that consumers are only interested in green initiatives up to their personal constraints or preferences. The consumers largely see the motivations of a company to be attributed to profits, however, some more optimistic consumers seem to be less affected by greenwashing.

Supply chain transparency is principally focused on a company's efforts toward disclosing information about their products, and their supply chain operations to the public. Essay 1 is a conceptual paper that examines the risks of disclosing supply chain mapping information to consumers and proposes an approach to developing risk mitigation strategies. This essay also develops a set of supply chain mapping conventions that support the development of an agility-focused supply chain map. Essay 2 employs an experimental design methodology to examine the impact of disclosing the ethnicity of a supplier on consumers' behaviors, while also capturing the extent to which a consumers' ethnic identity and prosocial disposition influence their behaviors. Finally, also using an experimental design, Essay 3 analyzes consumer outcomes based on disclosing no, partial, and full supply chain transparency information, and accounts for heterogenous consumer traits such as the importance of information to a consumer and their perceived quality of information. Collectively, these essays advance the body of knowledge that seeks to understand the risks and benefits of supply chain transparency, by conceptually identifying risks and proposing an approach to minimize the risks associated with supply chain transparency, and by illuminating the conditions that prompt favorable consumer outcomes.

Hard cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apple juice. Its popularity has grown rapidly since the early 2000s and is expected to grow to a billion-dollar industry by 2022. However, unlike beer and wine, there are few popular resources and little scholarly research on the sensory attributes of ciders and how consumers perceive them. Thus, the purpose of this study was to categorize and describe the sensory and visual product attributes of ciders made in Virginia, USA using a rapid sensory evaluation method with untrained panelists known as a free sorting task. Specifically, panelists (N=65) first evaluated, sorted into groups, and described ciders (K=18). Then panelists (N=63) sorted photo sheets of cider labels and packaging according to how they expected the products would taste and at what occasion they would be most inclined to drink each cider. The data were analyzed with DISTATIS to produce compromise similarity maps, with bootstrapped confidence intervals to identify significant differences between products. Classical text analysis was used to evaluate the sensory descriptions used by assessors during the sorting task and project terms onto the similarity map. Panelists identified and described distinct sensory styles and attributes among the ciders evaluated. Consistent patterns in what occasion panelists might consume a cider emerged, providing a first-look into how cider might be valued based on packaging and label. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Hard cider is a beverage made from fermented apple juice. Its popularity has grown rapidly since the early 2000s and is expected to grow to a billion-dollar industry by 2022. However, there are few popular resources and little scholarly research on the sensory attributes of ciders and how consumers perceive them. The purpose of this study was to categorize and describe the sensory and visual product attributes of ciders made in Virginia using sorting tasks with untrained panelists. Specifically, panelists (N=65) first evaluated, sorted into groups, and described ciders (K=18). Panelists (N=63) then sorted photo representations of cider labels and packaging according to how they expected the products would taste and at what occasion they would be most inclined to drink each cider. The data were analyzed with DISTATIS, an extension of multidimensional scaling, to produce product similarity maps with confidence intervals to identify significant differences between products. Classical text analysis was used to evaluate the sensory descriptions used by assessors during the sorting task and project terms onto the product maps. Panelists identified and described distinct sensory styles and attributes among the ciders evaluated. Consistent patterns in what occasion panelists might consume a cider emerged, providing a first look into how cider might be valued based on packaging and label. The findings act as a first step in understanding how consumers may describe and perceive hard cider and will aid in future sensory research on consumer liking, purchase intent, and acceptance of hard cider.

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Many countries, including South Africa, are facing the reality of insufficient water supplies to meet their present and future water demands due to decreasing freshwater availability and increasing demand. Increased populations and climate changes further exacerbate the problem. South Africa is considered the thirtieth driest country in the world with limited supplies of water which are unevenly distributed. Thus there is a need for alternative water sources to augment the freshwater supply. Wastewater reuse has been identified worldwide as a viable option to augment water supplies. While technologies are available to ensure proper treatment of wastewater to even potable standards, many countries have experienced public resistance to wastewater reuse due to negative perceptions of consumers. For wastewater reuse initiatives to be successful public acceptance is imperative. The aim of this study was to assess perceptions of consumers in the Vaal Triangle on wastewater reuse. This is the first study conducted in the Vaal Triangle on wastewater reuse hence this information can be valuable in future when wastewater reuse projects are implemented A questionnaire to measure perceptions of consumers on wastewater reuse was developed based on previous studies and distributed to people residing in the Vaal Triangle area. A response rate of 74% (515 completed questionnaires) was obtained from 700 distributed questionnaires. The results showed that socio-demographic factors such as age, race, qualification and level of employment affect the perceptions of consumers on wastewater reuse. Additionally, knowledge of wastewater reuse and water scarcity had a positive effect on consumer‟s perceptions. Some of the major reasons why consumers are not receptive to wastewater reuse are health concerns, lack of trust in the implementing agencies, poor management of the plants and safety of chemicals used to treat the water. Lack of knowledge on wastewater reuse was raised as a major concern in the study. All these concerns need to be addressed to ensure success of wastewater reuse projects within the area. Limitations within the study were identified and recommendations for future research were made. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Many countries, including South Africa, are facing the reality of insufficient water supplies to meet their present and future water demands due to decreasing freshwater availability and increasing demand. Increased populations and climate changes further exacerbate the problem. South Africa is considered the thirtieth driest country in the world with limited supplies of water which are unevenly distributed. Thus there is a need for alternative water sources to augment the freshwater supply. Wastewater reuse has been identified worldwide as a viable option to augment water supplies. While technologies are available to ensure proper treatment of wastewater to even potable standards, many countries have experienced public resistance to wastewater reuse due to negative perceptions of consumers. For wastewater reuse initiatives to be successful public acceptance is imperative. The aim of this study was to assess perceptions of consumers in the Vaal Triangle on wastewater reuse. This is the first study conducted in the Vaal Triangle on wastewater reuse hence this information can be valuable in future when wastewater reuse projects are implemented A questionnaire to measure perceptions of consumers on wastewater reuse was developed based on previous studies and distributed to people residing in the Vaal Triangle area. A response rate of 74% (515 completed questionnaires) was obtained from 700 distributed questionnaires. The results showed that socio-demographic factors such as age, race, qualification and level of employment affect the perceptions of consumers on wastewater reuse. Additionally, knowledge of wastewater reuse and water scarcity had a positive effect on consumer‟s perceptions. Some of the major reasons why consumers are not receptive to wastewater reuse are health concerns, lack of trust in the implementing agencies, poor management of the plants and safety of chemicals used to treat the water. Lack of knowledge on wastewater reuse was raised as a major concern in the study. All these concerns need to be addressed to ensure success of wastewater reuse projects within the area. Limitations within the study were identified and recommendations for future research were made. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015