Living Standards Measures (LSMs) are a way of segmenting or classifying the adult population of a country based on access to and use of a wide range of goods and services. LSMs are a very strong tool for grouping people for the purposes of target marketing rather than demographic segmentation. In any country with third world characteristics where a large portion of the economy is informal rather than formal, understanding consumer behaviour for the purpose of targeting consumers effectively becomes a formidable challenge. A research has been conducted, centered on LSM3-10 consumer behaviour with regard to purchase and consumption of non-alcoholic beverages in Zimbabwe. Beverage consumption patterns are revolving since Zimbabwe started experiencing an economic downturn from 1992 and subsequently went into recession. Beverage consumption patterns continue to change as the economic climate changes, and hence, the need to understand consumer beverage consumption patterns to Zimbabwe's changing harsh economic conditions. A hypothesis has been put to test, that is, "LSM3 to LSM10 will maintain their beverage consumption irrespective of the country's economic conditions". The methodology used in this survey is quantitative and descriptive with use of observation data, desk research and a survey instrument, the questionnaire which was designed for the purpose of the study. The research findings show that the motivation goal for a shopping trip have evolved from obligatory motive to circumstantial. On the cultural factors, life styles and social influences have also changed hence affecting shopping behaviour across all LSMs. It is empirically concluded that the hypothesis is false given the fact that the research findings show a shift in shopping behaviour as outlined above. It is therefore recommended that from a product development perspective, marketers develop products and services that are aligned to socio-economic changes in a country whether positive or negative. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

This qualitative research seeks to improve our understanding of the relatively under-researched phenomenon of repeat teenage pregnancies, by exploring the underlying factors and meanings that teenagers ascribe to their pregnancies. The study uses a comparative approach to provide a comprehensive psychosocial and economic understanding of the factors leading to repeat teenage pregnancies. This is achieved by exploring both the diverse and similar experiences of two groups of teenagers within different socio-economic environments - one group of 26 respondents from the Caribbean islands of Jamaica and Barbados and the other group of 26 respondents from London. The research also capitalises on a unique opportunity to contextualize the welfare dependency/teenage pregnancy discourse. The behaviours, motivations, values and attitudes of young women who become repeatedly pregnant in a Welfare state such as England, are compared with those living in countries with limited state resources and few state benefits. The comparison shows that in the latter case, the lack of state intervention can have the disempowering impact of fostering dependency in many insidious forms. The findings demonstrate the very powerful influence that both intentional and hidden or masked factors can have on a young woman's decision to repeat a pregnancy. The intrinsic relationship between the personal driving forces of the young women and their repeated pregnancies is convincingly highlighted. These driving forces are accompanied by very strong and deep-rooted beliefs in the importance of motherhood and fertility, as well as anti-abortion views. When these factors are added to economic stringency, they provide the fuel for a young woman's journey into repeat pregnancies. The findings therefore caution against a reliance on a mechanistic understanding of both single and repeat teenage pregnancies and emphasise the fact that social, psychological, and emotional processes, as well as the economic influences, are also crucial to our understanding of repeat teenage pregnancies.

The objective of this thesis is to make the strategic analysis of the company ELTSEN. Based on results of internal and external analyses specify the current position and for this position find the appropriate strategy for development of the company.

Background: According to the World Health Organization, coronary artery disease (CAD), including ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), is the most common cause of death worldwide as well as in Europe and Austria. There is valid data on the impact of conventional risk factors on the medical outcomes for STEMI patients. However, only few studies examine the role of the socio-economic environment for medical outcomes. The main task of this study is to investigate if the socio-economic environment of patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after STEMI has an impact on the distribution of risk factors and medical outcomes. Methods: The study focuses on the population of the City of Vienna, Austria, and includes 870 STEMI patients, who underwent PCI at the General Hospital of Vienna (AKH Wien) between 2008 and 2012. The following data were collected: conventional risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, overweight, smoking, family history and vascular disease) and socio-economic indicators of the patient's residential district (number of residents, income pre-tax, residents per general practitioner, residents per internal specialist, compulsory education only, academic degree and rate of unemployment). Cox regressions were performed to evaluate the impact of socio-economic environment and conventional risk factors on survival. Results: Most of the conventional risk factors show a significant difference between deceased and surviving patients. The study revealed significant differences across districts in relation to the socio-economic background of STEMI patients. Surprisingly, medical outcomes, as measured by the survival of patients, are significantly related to a patient's district of residence ( p -Value = 0.028) but not in a systematic way as far as the socio-economic environment of These districts is concerned. Conclusions: The study provides intuitive evidence for a hitherto understudied Central European context on the link between socio-economic environment and conventional risk factors at population level and the link between conventional risk factors and survival both at the population at the individual level. While this is in line with previous evidence and suggestive of the incorporation of measures of socio-economic status (SES) into policy & guidelines toward the management of CAD, more data on the SES - STEMI nexus are needed at individual level.

Politics, economics and social conditions often have great influences on the development of culture and Art. Moreover, politics can lead to economic growth and rapid change of society. In another word, the political environment has directly impact on the development of culture and Art. This study investigates whether the external factor-political environment affects the process of choreography which should be simply conveying artists¡¦ personal images. Thus artists revise the original ideas and styles of choreography due to this factor. This exploration of the relationship between the change of Taiwan history and the development of Art has been done from the point of view of Art sociology. It uses Cloud Gate and its founder-Lin Huai-Ming as an example. Cloud Gate Dance Company is the first contemporary dance company in Taiwan with the largest scheme and the most well-rounded facilities. The creative ideas of Lin Huai-Ming have profound influences on the style of Cloud Gate Dace Company. Through probing into references and interviews, the author inquires the following facts.1.The influence of Lin Huai-Ming on Cloud Gate Dance Company.2.The relationship between Lin Huai-Ming¡¦s choreography and the political environment.3.Discovering the process of the myth of Cloud Gate established in Taiwan society .

The importance of environmental analysis in the strategic management process and the effects of economic value drivers on firm or industry performance have been discussed conceptually and empirically by researchers in corporate failure, and in the areas of finance, accounting, strategic management, and the hospitality industry in the past. The belief is that the more systematic and frequent the scanning performed by managers the higher the chances of improving the firm's or industry's performance. The present study is an attempt to identify economic value drivers that impact the casual theme sector of the restaurant industry and to ascertain the degree of the impact during the period 1994-2003. The statistical analysis was based on time series data, using Cross Correlation, Granger Causality, and Multivariate Regression. An exhaustive range of economic value drivers within ten categories were tested: commodity market; foreign currency market; labor market; inflation; stock market; national income and output; interest rate; government revenue, spending, debt, and taxes; money supply; and consumer spending. The unit of analysis was done at the industry level, and an index of operational cash flows of the casual theme sector of the restaurant industry was developed. Economic value drivers within the categories of commodity markets, labor markets, inflation, stock market, national input/output, government revenue/spending/debt/taxes, money markets, and consumer spending indicated co-movements with and causality to the index of operational cash flows per unit in the casual theme restaurant industry. A high variance in the operational cash flows in the casual theme restaurant industry was explained by a set of economic value drivers within commodity markets, inflation, and labor markets. In broad, practical terms, the study intends to support the importance of assessing the economic environment for better performance of the restaurant industry and to provide food service managers with a conceptual model to understand the unanticipated effects on the performance of existing or new strategies. In real terms, the model and set of economic value drivers in the model would help them decide what kinds of action or investment in a firm or industry's weakness should be taken to buffer future operational risks against value drivers within economic environment. / Master of Science

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This is the first book on the transformations wrought by Cambodia's 2002-08 economic boom. It explores the impact of the boom on governance, economic structure, and opportunities for the poor. It provides new insights into the relationship between economic growth and political stability in post-conflict societies. It is a cross-disciplinary study involving Cambodian and foreign scholars. From 2002, Cambodia underwent a visible economic transformation driven largely by such external factors as increased Chinese demand for primary commodities and a strong international demand for Cambodian garments. Apart from dramatic rates of economic growth, the boom involved the disappearance of forests and the decline of logging, the inflow of Chinese investment and the rise of indigenous capital, and the increased significance of remittances from garment workers and labour migrants. In addition, the impact of government policies on land registration and concessions transformed relations of production and, with them, the socio-economic and political environment in rural and urban Cambodia. "Cambodia's Economic Transformation" examines the political economy of the Cambodian boom, analysing the changing structure of the economy, the relationship between state and market, and outcomes for the poor. Not least, it focuses the role of the state in facilitating and controlling the market, and the way that this has affected the life chances of the poor. In so doing, it situates Cambodian experience within key debates in the wider political economy of Eastern Asia, scrutinizing the relationship between class formation, structures of governance and resource distribution.

Presented work analyzes the business environment of the Republic of Argentina. It focuses on the economic, political and legislative, cultural and social, and institutional environment. It evaluates the mutual commercial relations between the Czech and Argentinian Republic and suggests possible business opportunities for their commercial exchange.

Thesis (M.A. (International Politics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The foreign policy of the Republic of China (PRC) has been a considerable subject for debate in the past two decades. This is because China has turned its attention towards Africa, seen with the establishment of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in the early 2000s. Another reason for this debate is found in the fact that after FOCAC’s initiation, China has managed to become the largest trade partner of the African continent and the second biggest economy in the past two decades. Generally, China-Africa relations are largely a by-product of economic and political orientations. In the context of the above, this study uses a case study design to critique the foreign policy of China towards Africa. This case study design uses Zambia as a test case to critique the post-2010 Chinese foreign policy towards Africa. This is done by constructing and analysing China’s Africa policy and subsequently, locating China’s International relations with Zambia. To a great extent, this study imparts historical sensibility as it locates China’s international relations with Zambia from as far as during the colonial period. The consideration of historicity in this study draws fundamentally from the fact that the past always provides a resonate basis for comprehending the present and the future. In this study, the researcher advocate for the utility of Afrocentricity as a substitute theoretical framework important in apprehending China’s foreign policy towards Africa. The adoption and utility of this paradigm in this study are informed highly by its ability in spotlighting and highlighting the Asian tiger (China)’s international relations with Zambia. It is believed in this study that a profound comprehension of China’s Zambia policy can be realised when such interpretations and analysis are deeply found in the continental context of the African continent. Equally important are the objectives of this study which were realised, methodologically, through the use of document review. In consideration of the case study of Zambia, It is important to highlight that China ground-roots its engagement with Zambia on several factors of which the leading are: investment, international legitimacy and market drive. To add, Zambia’s stable political and economic environments continue to play a key role in the two countries' interrelations. This is so, even though some of the Chinese companies operating in Zambia are still unfamiliar with the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Overall, the concept of CSR should be in the leading front when it comes to the operations of Chinese companies in Zambia’s economic stakeholders.