AbstractTitleValue Creation of Mobile CouponsBackgroundCoupons have been around for years in traditional paper form where they have for instance been found in grocery stores located directly by the product they offer a discount on. Lately, mobile phones have come to play a greater part of our lives where they are also getting integrated into activities we conduct. This has been of interest for the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry where integration of the mobile phone has arisen to a new phenomenon: mobile coupons that can be transmitted to the mobile phone instead of using traditional paper coupons.PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine if and how mobile coupons can create value for Kuponginlösen and its partners.MethodEmpirical data has been collected through interviews, which in turn have been analyzed with a theoretical framework consisting of the Business Model by Amit and Zott (2001).ResultsMobile coupons provide value, not just for Kuponginlösen, but also to its partners consisting of FMCG manufacturers, convenience store chains, food chains, DLF, Mobilab, and GS1. Mobile coupons are an efficient way of distributing offers and complement traditional coupons. Although the popularity of mobile coupons will continue to increase significantly, as for today, they account for a small part of the total coupon market in Sweden.KeywordsMobile coupons, value creation, Kuponginlösen, FMCG industry, m-commerce / AbstraktTitelMobila kupongers värdeskapandeBakgrundKuponger har funnits i åratal i traditionellt pappersformat där de exempelvis funnits i livsmedelsbutiker vid produkter de ämnar rabattera. På senare tid har mobiltelefoner blivit en viktigare del i våra liv där de även integrerats i de aktiviteter vi utför. Detta har varit av intresse för livsmedelsbranschen där integration av mobiltelefoner har lett till ett nytt fenomen: mobila kuponger som kan skickas till mobiltelefonen istället för att använda sig av traditionella kuponger.SyfteSyftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om och hur mobila kuponger kan skapa värde för Kuponginlösen och dess partners.MetodEmpirisk data har inhämtats genom intervjuer som i sin tur har analyserats med hjälp av modellen ‘the Business Model‘ av Amit och Zott (2001).ResultatMobila kuponger skapar värde, inte bara för Kuponginlösen, utan även för dess partners som består av livsmedelstillverkare, snabbköpskedjor, livsmedelskedjor, DLF, Mobilab och GS1. Mobila kuponger är ett effektivt sätt att distribuera erbjudanden och de kompletterar traditionella kuponger. Även om populariteten av mobila kuponger kommer att öka signifikant utgör de i dagsläget en liten del av den totala kupongmarknaden i Sverige.NyckelordMobila kuponger, värdeskapande, Kuponginlösen, livsmedelsindustrin, mobil handel

In recent years, online discount coupons provided through deal-of-the-day websites have grownrapidly. Perceived as a positive opportunity for local merchants to promote themselves in themarket, a mutual exchange occurs as consumers are able to simultaneously benefit from promotionsand discounts on services and products. In fact, studies and research (the literature) can unite on the notion that online price promotionshave an immediate positive impact on sales. However, there is less agreement regarding repeatpurchasing effects. Promotion usage effects may exist in which repurchase rates are negativelyaffected by the fact that a promotion was used to make a purchase. In that respect, the problem wehave identified concerns the customers likeliness of returning to the local merchant after redeeminga coupon from the online discount coupon website. With regard to this matter, the purpose of our thesis was to describe and analyze the factors that influence the likelihood of repurchase after a transaction on an online discount website. In orderto fulfill our purpose, we conducted a quantitative study with a deductive approach on thecustomers of Groupon Stockholm. The empirical findings of our study show that price, quality and service are important factors for repurchasing, while the location of a business has an indifferent role. We further conclude that the customers appear to be loyal to the online discount websites and respectively, the benefits gained from these websites rather than the local merchants and businesses. Thus, we round up this thesis by including various managerial implications with respect to the local merchant’s perspective and strategies of improving a relational customer relationship.

As the e-coupon group-buying is getting popular, there are many sellers using e-coupon group-buying as an advertising strategy by providing e-coupon with big discount. However, there were many complaints from consumers saying that they couldn¡¦t reserve the services on peak time as they wished. It turns out that the sellers could not achieve the advertising effect but the negative image. We found the good time for sellers doing advertising by selling e-coupon is on the off-peak time. Based on above observation, this study tried to explore whether the service industry can enhance the impulse buying behavior and thus improve yield management performance by selling e-coupons through mobile devices. An online experiment with questionnaire was implemented to collect research data. The research results include: (1) The quantity of e-coupon provided by the sellers will not have significant impact on time pressure perceived by the consumers directly. However, if the limited quantity lets consumer recognize its scarcity, it will increase consumer perceived time pressure and perceived value as well. (2) In addition to the perceived scarcity, the e-coupon discount also has positive influence on consumer perceived value. (3) The shorter distance the location of the store is, the better perceived location will be. (4) The consumer impulse buying intention will be impacted by the perceived time pressure, perceived value, perceived location and impulse characteristic of the consumer. Among them, the perceived value has highest influence and the second is consumer impulse characteristic followed by the perceived location.

In 2010, an innovative consumer consumption model emerged and companies like Zipcar and Groupon were important examples that demonstrated how rapidly new collaborative ventures were able to attract venture capital funding and attract members. The term “collaborative consumption” became part of the Internet lexicon and demonstrated that such sites and services were more than a way of promoting and selling products; rather, it is a marketing reflection of the ways in which it is now possible to interact and to share ideas and creative initiative in this digitally connected, globalized world. This report will examine the background of collaborative consumption and provide a pilot study examining its use across two cultures (USA and China), the life style and attitudinal variables that characterize those who use it. The discussion will also include the impact of this collaborative behavior on the role of advertising agencies as well as informed guesses about future growth of this retail and networked phenomenon. / text

The presence of heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria in drinking water distribution systems is usually not considered harmful to the general consumer. However, precautions must be taken regarding the immunocompromised. All water supply authorities in South Africa are lawfully required to provide consumers with high-quality drinking water that complies with South African-and international standards. This study mainly focused on the isolation, identification and characterization of HPC and other bacteria from biofilm-and bulk water samples from two sampling points located within the Potchefstroom drinking water distribution system. Based on five main objectives set out in this study, results indicated that the bulk water at the J.S. van der Merwe building was of ideal quality fit for lifetime consumption. Application of enrichment-and selective media allowed for the isolation of 12 different bacterial morphotypes. These were identified by way of biochemical-and molecular methods as Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Brevundimonas spp., Clostridiaceae, Corynebacterium renale, Flavobacteriaceae, Kytococcus sedentarius, Leuconostoc lactic, Lysinibacillus sphaericus, Pseudomonas spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus capitis. The greatest diversity of bacteria was detected early autumn 2008, while the lowest diversity occurred during mid-winter 2007. Bacillus cereus, Kytococcus sedentarius and Staphylococcus capitis displayed potential pathogenic properties on blood agar. Kytococcus sedentarius could be classified as potentially the most pathogenic among the isolates. All isolates displayed multiple-resistant patterns towards tested antibiotics. Corynebacterium renale and Staphylococcus aureus were least resistant bacterial species and Lysinibacillus sphaericus the most resistant. All isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin (CIP) and streptomycin (S), but most were resistant to erythromycin (E). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) allowed for detailed examination of Brevundimonas spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Staphylococcus spp. The capability of Brevundimonas spp. to produce slime and store nutrients within inclusion bodies, suggests the ability of this bacterium to form biofilm and persist in the drinking water for prolonged periods. Despite the inhibitory or toxic effect of copper against bacterial growth, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the presence of biofilms as well as diatoms on red-copper coupons. Biofilm activity was also observed on reverse-osmosis (RO) filters. Since corrosion was evident on red-copper coupons, it is recommended that prospective studies also look into the significance of microbial induced corrosion (MIC) within the Potchefstroom drinking water distribution system. Other prospects include determining minimum inhibitory concentrations of isolates against antibiotics and the application of culture independent methods such as SSCP and DGGE to investigate biofilm development. The use of diatoms as an index of the drinking water quality is also suggested. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Environmental Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The presence of heterotrophic plate count (HPC) bacteria in drinking water distribution systems is usually not considered harmful to the general consumer. However, precautions must be taken regarding the immunocompromised. All water supply authorities in South Africa are lawfully required to provide consumers with high-quality drinking water that complies with South African-and international standards. This study mainly focused on the isolation, identification and characterization of HPC and other bacteria from biofilm-and bulk water samples from two sampling points located within the Potchefstroom drinking water distribution system. Based on five main objectives set out in this study, results indicated that the bulk water at the J.S. van der Merwe building was of ideal quality fit for lifetime consumption. Application of enrichment-and selective media allowed for the isolation of 12 different bacterial morphotypes. These were identified by way of biochemical-and molecular methods as Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Brevundimonas spp., Clostridiaceae, Corynebacterium renale, Flavobacteriaceae, Kytococcus sedentarius, Leuconostoc lactic, Lysinibacillus sphaericus, Pseudomonas spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus capitis. The greatest diversity of bacteria was detected early autumn 2008, while the lowest diversity occurred during mid-winter 2007. Bacillus cereus, Kytococcus sedentarius and Staphylococcus capitis displayed potential pathogenic properties on blood agar. Kytococcus sedentarius could be classified as potentially the most pathogenic among the isolates. All isolates displayed multiple-resistant patterns towards tested antibiotics. Corynebacterium renale and Staphylococcus aureus were least resistant bacterial species and Lysinibacillus sphaericus the most resistant. All isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin (CIP) and streptomycin (S), but most were resistant to erythromycin (E). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) allowed for detailed examination of Brevundimonas spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Staphylococcus spp. The capability of Brevundimonas spp. to produce slime and store nutrients within inclusion bodies, suggests the ability of this bacterium to form biofilm and persist in the drinking water for prolonged periods. Despite the inhibitory or toxic effect of copper against bacterial growth, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the presence of biofilms as well as diatoms on red-copper coupons. Biofilm activity was also observed on reverse-osmosis (RO) filters. Since corrosion was evident on red-copper coupons, it is recommended that prospective studies also look into the significance of microbial induced corrosion (MIC) within the Potchefstroom drinking water distribution system. Other prospects include determining minimum inhibitory concentrations of isolates against antibiotics and the application of culture independent methods such as SSCP and DGGE to investigate biofilm development. The use of diatoms as an index of the drinking water quality is also suggested. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Environmental Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

<p>The dissertation consists of three chapters relating to pricing strategies. Chapter 1 studies coupons for prescription drugs and their impacts on consumer welfare, firm profits, and insurance payments. Chapter 2 examines consumer brand loyalty and learning in pharmaceutical demand and discusses implications for marketing and health care policy. Chapter 3 develops a framework for estimating demand and supply in an online market with many competing sellers and frequent price changes and proposes optimal pricing strategies for a large seller.</p><p>The first chapter studies an innovative price strategy in pharmaceuticals. Branded drug manufacturers have recently started to issue copay coupons as part of their strategy to compete with generics when their branded drugs are coming off patent. To explore the welfare implications of copay coupons, I estimate a model of demand and supply using pharmaceutical data on sales, prices, advertising, and copayments for cholesterol-lowering drugs and perform a counterfactual analysis where a branded manufacturer introduces coupons. The model allows flexible substitution patterns and consumer heterogeneity in price sensitivities and preferences for branded drugs. The counterfactuals quantify the effects of copay coupons for different assumptions about the take-up of coupons and the ability of the branded manufacturer to direct them to the most price-sensitive types of consumers. The results show that the agency problem between insurers and patients gives a branded manufacturer a strong incentive to issue copay coupons. Introducing copay coupons benefits the coupon issuer and consumers but raises insurance payments. In equilibrium, insurer spending can increase by as much as 25% even when just 5% of consumers have a coupon, with social welfare falling significantly.</p><p>Medicines for chronic conditions like high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes are repeatedly used for a long period of time. Consumer dynamics thus plays an important role in the demand for those drugs. In the second chapter, I estimate a demand model with brand loyalty and learning using micro-level data from cholesterol lowering drug markets in the United States. The estimates suggest high switching costs and strong learning effects at the molecule level in the markets. Switching costs raise the predicted probability of choosing the same drugs in a row and learning largely increases patient stickiness to a molecule in the long run. I discuss pricing implications of the estimation results for drug manufacturers, insurance companies, and policy makers. </p><p>The last chapter, coauthored with Dr. Andrew Sweeting and Dr. James W. Roberts, looks at pricing in a different context. We estimate a model of entry, exit and pricing decisions in an online market for event tickets where there are many competing sellers and prices change frequently. We use the estimates from our model to analyze the optimality of the pricing policy used by the largest seller (broker) in the market. We show that the broker's pricing policies substantially affect the prices set by his competitors. When we compare the broker's pricing policy with the prices that our model predicts are optimal we find that the broker sets approximately correct prices close to the game, when his pricing problem resembles a static one, but that he might be able to gain from using different pricing rules and updating prices more frequently further from the game.</p> / Dissertation

Currently, coupons are the most popular and relied-upon form of consumer sales promotion in the United States (Schultz et al., 1993). The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between discount coupons and repeat purchase in pizza restaurants. The objective of the study was to determine whether the relationship between pizza coupon usage and repeat purchase behavior exists. The variables, such as demographics and psychographics, were used to examine and describe those who make repeat purchases. Also, this study examined which type of coupon distribution resulted in the most frequent redemption. A survey instrument was utilized to gather information. Consumers in Blacksburg, Virginia were the sample for this study due to the ease of following up the questionnaire and obtaining addresses of consumers. The questionnaire was mailed to them asking about their frequency of coupon usage, and whether coupons increase the frequency of restaurant visits. This study will be beneficial to pizza restaurant marketers because the results from this study demonstrated that: 1) a relationship between coupon usage and frequency of repeat purchases of pizza exists; 2) a relationship between pizza coupon usage and the usage of coupons when trying a new restaurant exists; 3) a relationship between pizza coupon usage and age is statistically significant even though the analysis does not indicate which age groups are significantly different; 4) a relationship between income and frequency of pizza coupon usage is not statistically significant. The results show that respondents preferred to redeem coupons when coupons were given in the form of a dollar off and pizza coupons were most often redeemed when they were distributed through direct mail. About 78 percent of the respondents did not receive coupons through door-hanging. The results are useful for pizza restaurant managers for market segmentation and designing coupon promotions. / Master of Science

This dissertation investigated the effects of price and various forms of discounts on buyers' subjective evaluations of products. The role that price plays in product evaluations was examined from both the economic and behavioral perspectives, and a conceptualization derived from these two perspectives was reviewed. This original price-perceived quality conceptualization was extended using transaction utility theory. Based on the extended price-perceived quality model, hypotheses were developed to posit the relationships that the extrinsic cues of price and forms of discounts have with the constructs of perceived quality, perceived sacrifice, perceived value, willingness to buy, acquisition value, transaction value, and redemption effort. Also, the relationship among these constructs as posited by the extended conceptualization was examined. The research was conducted in three phases. The first phase determined the product and price levels to be used in the final stage of the research; the second phase checked the reliability of the indicators to be used in the final stage of the research; and, in the final phase, a 4 x 4 between subjects design was used to test the research hypotheses. PACKAGE was used to test the reliability of the indicators for each construct in both the pretest and fmla data collection stages. The analysis for the experiment incorporated ANOVA, Duncan's multiple comparisons, trend analysis, and LISREL to test the significance of the proposed relationships. In general, the analysis provided good support for the hypothesized effects. The principal exceptions being the posited relationships of perceived quality and perceived value with the independent variable forms of discounts. Also, the relationships of several of the dependent variables with transaction value were weak leading to speculation of the role that transaction value has in buyers' subjective product evaluations. Finally, the major findings of the research were discussed with respect to the theoretical, methodological, and managerial significance. Limitations and directions for future research were also discussed. / Ph. D.

Materiais metálicos expostos a ambientes aquáticos estão susceptíveis ao desenvolvimento de Corrosão Microbiologicamente Influenciada (CMI). Nas indústrias a CMI é um assunto de extrema importância devido aos prejuízos gerados nos reparos ou trocas de equipamentos e nas interrupções dos sistemas de produção associadas às falhas técnicas. No presente trabalho estão apresentados resultados de um estudo de CMI em superfícies metálicas expostas à água de processo em uma unidade geradora de energia hidrelétrica, que sofre com um acelerado processo corrosivo, principalmente nos trocadores de calor e nas turbinas. A partir de biofilmes de corrosão amostrados nas turbinas e trocadores de calor foram isolados grupos bacterianos redutores de sulfato e oxidantes e redutores de ferro que foram relacionadas como indutoras/ agravantes do processo corrosivo. / Metallic materials exposed to aquatic environments are susceptible to development of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC). In industries MIC is a matter of great importance due to damages generated in repairs or equipment changes and production systems disruptions associated with technical failures. In this work are presented results of a MIC study on metal surfaces exposed to process water in a generating unit of hydropower, which suffers from an accelerated corrosion process, especially in the heat exchangers and the turbines. From corrosion biofilms sampled in turbines and heat exchangers were isolated bacterial groups sulfate reducing and oxidizing and reducing iron. These bacteria have been widely reported in the literature as inducing / aggravating the corrosion process.