Sustainability has become a subject of much interest in recent years, due to the deterioration of the natural environment. In response there has been increasing public pressure on businesses to provide environmentally friendly product alternatives for consumers. However, the demand for said products is surprisingly low, which constitutes a challenge for marketers; how can the demand for sustainable products be increased? In order to answer this question, a deeper understanding of the green consumer profile is needed. As such, the purpose of this study is to: Increase the understanding of the green consumer profile by exploring drivers of, and barriers to, green purchasing behaviour. In order to fulfil this purpose within the chosen context of sustainable foods, the subsequent main research questions were formulated: <ol type="1">What do consumers perceive to be drivers motivating them to purchase sustainable foods? What do consumers perceive to be barriers preventing them from purchasing sustainable foods? The study adopts a qualitative and exploratory approach and utilizes semi-structured focus groups to accumulate empirical material. The questions for these focus groups stem from an integrative model created through synthesis of existing theory related to marketing of sustainable products, while adopting a consumer perspective. Three focus groups were subsequently held, with a total of 12 participants. Data display and analysis was used to produce insights related to the purpose and research questions of the study. Among these, the most important insights include the lack of specific knowledge relating to the benefits of sustainable food products, and the social factors that influence consumers’ purchasing behaviour of sustainable foods. Moreover, the findings suggest that the confusion regarding the definition of sustainable foods has implications that call into question contemporary theory on the matter.

Submitted by Daniele Santos (danielesantos.htl@gmail.com) on 2017-09-27T18:10:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Seju Mike - Revised Thesis Submission 27.09.17.pdf: 1322299 bytes, checksum: 5a95866783e524e5006dc5481fc7a968 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2017-09-27T19:00:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Seju Mike - Revised Thesis Submission 27.09.17.pdf: 1322299 bytes, checksum: 5a95866783e524e5006dc5481fc7a968 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-29T19:49:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Seju Mike - Revised Thesis Submission 27.09.17.pdf: 1322299 bytes, checksum: 5a95866783e524e5006dc5481fc7a968 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-31 / This study explores the U.S. (United States) market for clothing and apparel of African origin and design; primarily focusing on the consumer of these fashion items. It delves into the field of Marketing study with an exploratory research approach to developing a consumer profile. By reviewing current market trends and analyzing results of survey data collected for the purpose of this study, it attempts to create an initial consumer profile using demographic and behavioral characteristics. Attaining an understanding of the target consumer is a crucial factor in determining a market entry strategy for new businesses and can also provide already existing businesses with a road map to achieving their full potential. Knowing who is most likely to buy your product aids the business in crafting the most appealing brand story for their target demographic. It also provides an understanding of where they frequent and what sales channels might be most attractive. As such, the relevance of this study lies in its ability to provide a starting point of reference for African brands, designers and retailers looking to expand their reach in the U.S. market place. Results of the study revealed a predominance of female buyers between the age of 30 to 35 years of age, living within the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. with buying patterns which indicated a preference for in-person shopping experiences versus online, and a tendency to purchase bargain items while seeking authenticity in the designs purchased, with a keenness towards supporting artisans on the continent. Further research into the subject matter is recommended, and should be aimed at achieving a more robust review of quantitative data as well as an expanded scope of qualitative research.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T13:55:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ocineia Marcia Andrade Santiago.pdf: 1877630 bytes, checksum: 50437339a6a47111134b244dfc0cbe46 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study aimed to characterize the supply chain of organic vegetables in Manaus, Amazonas, formulating sustainability indicators for the production of vegetables by analyzing the degree of sustainability of organic vegetables production and evaluating theorganicmarketing vegetables compared with the non-organic vegetables. The production of organic vegetables in Manaus is incipient, production systems are in pursuit of sustainability and marketing is still small, however, there is already a trust between producers/retailers and consumers, and these are willing to pay a higher price for organic products. / O presente trabalho objetivou caracterizar a cadeia produtiva de hortaliças orgânicas no município de Manaus, Amazonas, formulando indicadores de sustentabilidade para a produção de hortaliças, analisando o grau de sustentabilidade dos sistemas de produção de hortaliças orgânicas e avaliando a comercialização das hortaliças orgânicas em comparação com as hortaliças não orgânicas. A produção de hortaliças orgânicas em Manaus é incipiente, os sistemas de produção estão em busca da sustentabilidade e a comercialização ainda é pequena; no entanto, já existe uma relação de confiança entre produtores/varejistas e consumidores, estando estes dispostos a pagar um preço maior pelos produtos orgânicos.

Baseado em dois momentos distintos da realidade brasileira, os anos de 2002/03 e 2008/09, este estudo busca avaliar se houve mudança no perfil dos consumidore de filmes em salas de cinema, por meio de variáveis observáveis de indivíduos consumidores e não consumidores. Para esta finalidade são empregadas técnicas de mineração de dados de florestas aleatórias sobre os microdados das Pesquisas de Orçamentos Familiares (POFs) de 2002/2003, quando o uso de banda larga no Brasil era praticamente nulo, e de 2008/2009, quando esta já estava estabelecida no país. Esta diferença no tempo e de acesso à banda larga proporcionam uma janela de oportunidade para nosso objetivo, dado o elevado grau de mudanças tecnológicas do período investigado. Apesar de metodologicamente não ser possível isolar completamente o efeito do acesso à Internet sobre o consumo de cinema, espera-se que quanto maior a velocidade de acesso e maior a evolução das tecnologias de compactação de arquivos, a distribuição de conteúdo aumente na rede e permita maior consumo de filmes de maneira alternativa ao em salas de cinema. Neste contexto, além de identificar se houve alguma mudança de perfil dos consumidores de filmes em salas de cinema no Brasil após a popularização da banda larga no país, que oficialmente pode ser considerada no ano de 2006, também avaliamos se estes consumidores diferem significativamente dos não consumidores em suas características observáveis. Adicionalmente, num segundo estudo, usando um modelo de intervenção de Diferenças em Diferenças, investigamos o efeito da banda larga sobre o consumo de cinema. Os resultados apontam divergência clara entre os perfis de consumidores e não consumidores de filmes de cinema. / I investigate whether film at theaters consumers in two distinct time are different in their observable characteristics. My investigation is based on observable variables of consumers and non-consumers data from the Family Budget Survey (POF) of 2002/2003, when the use of broadband in Brazil was almost nil, and from 2008/2009, when it already was established in the country. This change in addition to the high degree of technological changes over the period provides a window of opportunity for our objective. Although methodologically it is not possible to full isolate the effect of Internet access on film consumption, it is expected that the higher the user access speed and the greater the evolution of file compression technologies, the faster and bigger will be the traffic of films files on the web. Accordingly, the greater distribution of content on the network enables the consumption of films in alternative ways to movie theaters. Thus, in addition to identifying possible changes in the profile of movie consumers at the theaters in Brazil since the popularization of broadband in the country, which can officially be considered in the year 2006, the study assess whether these consumers differ significantly from not consumers in their observable characteristics. The results points to several distinctions between cinema consumers and no cinema consumers

Baseado em dois momentos distintos da realidade brasileira, os anos de 2002/03 e 2008/09, este estudo busca avaliar se houve mudança no perfil dos consumidore de filmes em salas de cinema, por meio de variáveis observáveis de indivíduos consumidores e não consumidores. Para esta finalidade são empregadas técnicas de mineração de dados de florestas aleatórias sobre os microdados das Pesquisas de Orçamentos Familiares (POFs) de 2002/2003, quando o uso de banda larga no Brasil era praticamente nulo, e de 2008/2009, quando esta já estava estabelecida no país. Esta diferença no tempo e de acesso à banda larga proporcionam uma janela de oportunidade para nosso objetivo, dado o elevado grau de mudanças tecnológicas do período investigado. Apesar de metodologicamente não ser possível isolar completamente o efeito do acesso à Internet sobre o consumo de cinema, espera-se que quanto maior a velocidade de acesso e maior a evolução das tecnologias de compactação de arquivos, a distribuição de conteúdo aumente na rede e permita maior consumo de filmes de maneira alternativa ao em salas de cinema. Neste contexto, além de identificar se houve alguma mudança de perfil dos consumidores de filmes em salas de cinema no Brasil após a popularização da banda larga no país, que oficialmente pode ser considerada no ano de 2006, também avaliamos se estes consumidores diferem significativamente dos não consumidores em suas características observáveis. Adicionalmente, num segundo estudo, usando um modelo de intervenção de Diferenças em Diferenças, investigamos o efeito da banda larga sobre o consumo de cinema. Os resultados apontam divergência clara entre os perfis de consumidores e não consumidores de filmes de cinema. / I investigate whether film at theaters consumers in two distinct time are different in their observable characteristics. My investigation is based on observable variables of consumers and non-consumers data from the Family Budget Survey (POF) of 2002/2003, when the use of broadband in Brazil was almost nil, and from 2008/2009, when it already was established in the country. This change in addition to the high degree of technological changes over the period provides a window of opportunity for our objective. Although methodologically it is not possible to full isolate the effect of Internet access on film consumption, it is expected that the higher the user access speed and the greater the evolution of file compression technologies, the faster and bigger will be the traffic of films files on the web. Accordingly, the greater distribution of content on the network enables the consumption of films in alternative ways to movie theaters. Thus, in addition to identifying possible changes in the profile of movie consumers at the theaters in Brazil since the popularization of broadband in the country, which can officially be considered in the year 2006, the study assess whether these consumers differ significantly from not consumers in their observable characteristics. The results points to several distinctions between cinema consumers and no cinema consumers

This study provides a consumer profile of first year Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Marketing students. To determine influences on students' tertiary education choices, a literature study was undertaken on consumer behaviour, influencing factors and consumer decision-making. An empirical study established consumer behaviour variables impacting on tertiary students, and revealed students' future perspective. A structured questionnaire was distributed. The main findings are: preferred media are E-TV, Metro FM, Drum magazine and The Sunday Times; Internet access is low; most prefer TUT for tertiary education; parents and academic standards predominantly impact tertiary institution choice; the majority will continue their studies and apply for a marketing job in South Africa; their future perspective is predominantly optimistic. In conclusion, the students are impacted by reference groups and institutional marketing efforts. Primary concerns include: successful communication with this group; the effectiveness of the Open Day; and the lack of using reference groups in marketing. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

This study provides a consumer profile of first year Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Marketing students. To determine influences on students' tertiary education choices, a literature study was undertaken on consumer behaviour, influencing factors and consumer decision-making. An empirical study established consumer behaviour variables impacting on tertiary students, and revealed students' future perspective. A structured questionnaire was distributed. The main findings are: preferred media are E-TV, Metro FM, Drum magazine and The Sunday Times; Internet access is low; most prefer TUT for tertiary education; parents and academic standards predominantly impact tertiary institution choice; the majority will continue their studies and apply for a marketing job in South Africa; their future perspective is predominantly optimistic. In conclusion, the students are impacted by reference groups and institutional marketing efforts. Primary concerns include: successful communication with this group; the effectiveness of the Open Day; and the lack of using reference groups in marketing. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)