Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of the research was to investigate the decision-making styles of urban Zambian Generation X females shopping for apparel products. The research made use of a Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI) scale developed by Sproles and Kendall (1986) to measure the characteristics of various shopping styles. Out of 300 self-administered questionnaires distributed, 180 were used for data analysis. The Cronbach Alpha coefficients confirmed the reliability of the CSI scale on 7 out of 8 decision-making styles that could be associated with the consumers under review. The study then used Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to establish the variation between the different decision-making styles. The findings revealed that the decision-making styles of quality consciousness and a recreational shopping orientation are highly correlated. The research findings have policy implications and recommendations for the development of marketing strategies and further research have been made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die navorsing was om ondersoek te doen na die besluitnemingstyle van stedelike Zambiese vroue van Generasie X wanneer hulle klereprodukte koop. Die navorsing het gebruik gemaak van die inventaris van verbruikerstyle wat deur Sproles en Kendall (1986) ontwikkel is, ’n skaal wat in Engels as die Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI) bekendstaan, om die eienskappe van verskillende inkopiestyle te meet. Uit die 300 self-geadministreerde vraelyste wat versprei is, is 180 vir die ontleding van die data gebruik. The Cronbach Alpha-koëffisiënte kon die betroubaarheid van die CSI-skaal bevestig op 7 uit die 8 besluitnemingstyle wat geassosieer kon word met die verbruikers wat ondersoek is. Die navorsingstudie het daarna van variansieanalise gebruik gemaak om die variasie tussen die verskillende besluitnemingstyle te bepaal. Die bevindings het onthul dat die besluitnemingstyle van gehaltebewustheid en inkopies wat as rekreasie beskou word, hoogs gekorreleerd is. Die navorsingsbevindinge het implikasies vir beleid en aanbevelings is gedoen vir die ontwikkeling van bemarkingstrategieë en vir verdere navorsing.

The enrichment of B-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, in the local sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) cultivars is an attractive option in order to improve vitamin A intake in Zambia. The study was conducted to: 1) identify sweetpotato genotypes high in B-carotene content and high root dry mass (RDM) and to determine their combining ability, as measured through their progeny performance; and 2) screen progeny for root characteristics, yield, B-carotene content, and RDM. Firstly, a participatory rural appraisal (PRA) was conducted to determine the consumer preferences for sweetpotato. These preferences would form the basis for selecting desirable genotypes. Secondly, five selected parents were crossed in a full diallel for genetic variance studies. A selected subset of the diallel progeny were evaluated in three environments. Thirdly, 15 polycross progeny were evaluated for stability in five environments using additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI). The PRA revealed that consumers preferred high RDM combined with high fresh root yield. The diallel crosses recorded significant general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects for B-carotene, RDM, harvest index (HI) and root fresh yield (RFY). The ratios of GCA to SCA variances were large (0.68-0.92). Two high B-carotene parents exhibited positive high GCA effects, indicating that additive gene effects were predominant in the inheritance of B-carotene. Reciprocal mean squares were not significant for RDM but they were significant (p=0.01) for B-carotene content. The estimate of narrow sense heritability of RDM (76.3%) was high; but heritability of B-carotene (20.9%), HI (29.1%) and RFY (34.9%) were much lower. These results suggest that rapid genetic gains should be possible with mass selection breeding techniques based on the phenotype of the parent for RDM but progress will be slow for B-carotene content HI, and RFY. The AMMI analysis identified progeny G2 (B-carotene content = 5.0 mg 100 g-1 and RDM = 37%), G6 (B-carotene content = 4.7 mg 100 g-1 and RDM = 37%), and G8 (B-carotene content = 4.7 mg 100 g-1, RDM = 35%) from the polycross as stable across environments for both B-carotene content and RDM. Genotype G3 was best suited to one of the test environments and had the highest B-carotene content (9.421 mg 100 g-1) and a high RDM (35.47%). / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.