The purpose of this paper is to examine the growing nonprofit sector in the marketplace and the challenges and opportunities involved with attracting and maintaining donor relations and charitable giving. Nonprofit organizations have a number challenges relating to marketing and communications but I have chosen to focus on three dominant areas: targeting donors for support and greatly needed funds, the use of emerging media tools, and crisis management. These issues have a significant impact on an organization’s ability to effectively communicate their brand as compelling to their public. First, I will briefly go over the branding process and what makes a nonprofit brand so unique. I will discuss the target market of donors, the importance of understanding them and their mindset, and finally provide some variables that relate to successful recruiting and maintaining of those relations. Additionally, my research will cover not only methods that could best attract donors but also why many nonprofits do not have marketing or communications plans in place already and the consequences for such a choice. Following that research, I will go into the actual marketing and communication tactics that can be used, not only through traditional but also in new or emerging media communications. Then, I will transition into research of crisis management, linking to the necessity of implementation of marketing plans and the consequences that can occur when nonprofits deal with crises ineffectively. Based on the research, I will conclude my own set of guidelines for how nonprofits should proceed should they want to be successful in a competitive marketplace. / text

The internationalization of SMEs has been recognized as one of the important paths to growth in SMEs. However, internationalization is also a resource and competence-demanding process. This is especially true for smaller-sized SMEs – the small and micro-sized firms – which have a large resource constraint, making internationalization even more challenging. Although this group of small firms counts for an average of over 98% of the total population of enterprises in EU countries, extant research on the internationalization of this group is still limited. Therefore, the main purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to a better understanding of evolving patterns of internationalization in the smaller-sized SMEs. The study uses emerging market entry along the internationalization of small firms as a context to probe the dynamics of perceived risk (uncertainty) and perceived opportunity in different foreign markets which influence the important decisions of small firms during their internationalization. The main study takes a longitudinal approach and uses mixed methods to investigate the features in both the initial period and the continued period of internationalization. It mainly builds on a multiple-case study of 12 Swedish firms, which have/had emerging market entry experience and/or involvement. This study illustrates influences from the environmental, organizational and individual levels on evolving patterns of internationalization in the investigated firms. This dissertation concludes that critical decisions and actions taken in the internationalization process depend on interactions among the influence and resources from the three levels. Such interactions form a conditional preference on perceived risk (uncertainty) and perceived opportunity during the internationalization of small firms. The study further proposes that the dynamics in the internationalization process are caused by a prospect-guided change mechanism. This dissertation contributes to the literature by: differentiating patterns of internationalization; enriching the study of “born global” in the continued period of internationalization; introducing a new perspective on the interpretation of dynamics in the internationalization; and increasing the understanding on the interactions of resources from three levels on the internationalization of small firms.

Many studies have recognised the importance of a variety of factors in the internationalisation of firms. Only a few, however, have attempted to integrate these factors into a comprehensive framework. In this study, taking the network approach as its main analytical foundation, an integrative theoretical framework is developed and tested empirically to assess the impact of a wide range of factors on the internationalisation of firms. The internationalisation phenomenon is examined in a more comprehensive manner than in many previous studies, as a two-sided process of both inward and outward international operations. Using logistic regressions in the analysis of empirical evidence gathered through a national survey sample of 148 Brazilian software firms, the theoretical framework proposed in this study obtained substantial support. The findings expand previous knowledge through a comprehensive explanation that incorporates determinant factors from four distinct dimensions - contextual, organisational, network, and entrepreneurial - in examining the internationalisation of firms from emerging markets. The findings indicate that business networks are indeed strategic mechanisms for a firm in developing its internationalisation trajectory, as hypothesised. The results of this research suggest that studies based on the business-network model of internationalisation can no longer ignore the impact of other factors at the contextual, organisational, and entrepreneurial level. Incorporating these elements into research that seeks to explain the internationalisation of firms could provide a more sophisticated understanding through new insights and allow scholars to go beyond one-dimensional and static theorising.

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Emerging pathogens are organisms whose incidence has increased within the past two decades. In the last 40 years, several pathogens have emerged to cause infectious waterborne and foodborne diseases, thus causing a significant public health concern. Enterobacter sakazakii and Naegleria fowleri are emerging pathogens that have been documented to cause fatal infections. E. sakazakii is an emerging foodborne pathogen that represents a significant health risk by causing infections resulting in septicemia, meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates, premature infants and also elderly immunocompromised individuals. Naegleria fowleri is a water-based protozoan flagellate that is the cause of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis; a fatal disease that mostly infects children and young adults through water-related recreational activities. The focus of this dissertation is to identify environmental reservoirs of Enterobacter sakazakii and to determine inactivation strategies to control Naegleria fowleri by chlorine and ultraviolet disinfection. In Appendix A, samples from various household kitchens were collected to determine the presence of E.sakazakii. The highest percentage of E.sakazakii was isolated from kitchen sponges (8%; n=50) and dishrags (10%; n=50). This study provided information on the presence of E.sakazakii on environmental surfaces in the kitchen. In Appendix B, our recent research has determined that N. fowleri is present in 8% (n=143) of municipal drinking water wells in central and southern Arizona. Therefore, guidelines need to be established for treatment of water with various disinfectants to control the growth and proliferation of N.fowleri. In Appendix C, the Ct values (concentration (mg/l) × exposure time) for chlorine inactivation of N. fowleri trophozoites and cysts were determined using the Efficiency Hom Kinetic Model (EHM). The Ct values for 99% inactivation of trophozoites and cysts were estimated to be 9 and 31, respectively. The ultraviolet light dose required for the 99% inactivation of N.fowleri trophozoites and cysts was determined to be 63 mW.sec/cm² and 13 mW.sec/cm², respectively.

Literature suggests that consumers perceive collective symbolic meaning in a set of products and brands and they associate this meaning with social roles or lifestyles that form consumption constellations. Such constellations exist as cognitive associative frameworks in consumers’ minds, which possess varying levels of accessibility. This thesis uses a multi-method approach to investigate how consumer perception and accessibility of consumption constellations is shaped by the psychosocial development that occurs during the transitional period of emerging adulthood. More specifically, two studies examine the role of the key drivers of psychosocial development at this stage: ego identity exploration and commitment. Study 1 employs a long interview methodology to provide insight into the dynamic nature of identity development during the period of emerging adulthood and its influence on perceptions of social roles and associated products and brands that comprise consumption constellations. Study 2 uses a response latency methodology to examine how emerging adults’ accessibility of consumption constellations is impacted by identity exploration and commitment, with hypotheses being partially supported. For aspirational constellations, high identity commitment participants displayed greater accessibility, with no significant differences based upon identity exploration as hypothesized.

The aim of the study was to explore the role of autonomy in participants’ self-management of exercise behaviours and the transfer of responsibility throughout adolescence. The design of this study used qualitative description with information collected and presented using a case study approach. Participants were five emerging adults (aged 18–24) with Type 1 diabetes for a minimum of one year who lived in Canterbury. Data was gathered through three sources: a semi-structured interview seeking self-reported exercise throughout adolescence, a set of questionnaires based on four instruments, and physical activity performed over a week as recorded by an activity monitor. All participants achieved autonomy for exercise, however participants achieved autonomy at different ages. Participants’ diabetes self-management and physical activity levels varied according to their stage of life and lifestyle. They received varying advice about exercise from health professionals. Participants sought to determine their own exercise choices during adolescence, leading them to obtain a driver licence to be independent of parental transport. Three of the five met current guidelines for physical activity levels, and another met recommendations by her clinician. Policy implications regarding healthcare advice and barriers to exercise for young people are discussed, as are limitations of the research and future avenues for research.

This study examined how parental divorce impacts emerging adults’ familial relationships, romantic relationships, and development to build a basis for understanding emerging adult experiences. The participant sample consisted of 8 females between the ages of 19 and 24 (M = 21.6). A qualitative transcendental or psychological phenomenological research method was used. 90-minute interviews were conducted focusing on romantic relationships, family relationships, reactions and thoughts of parental divorce, and self-perception. NVIVO was used to allow a “bottom-up” design, emergent design, and interpretive inquiry for data analysis. Three themes emerged from the data: impacts of family dynamics, effects of developmental stage, and self-identity and interpersonal relationships. Results are relevant for Marriage and Family Therapists working within a systems perspective, by providing information on how the experience of parental divorce influences emerging adults’ state of homeostasis, as well as beliefs and attitudes about romantic relationships.

Research Question: Which factors impact the purchase decision of consumers within emerging markets when shopping online? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between e-commerce factors and the consumer purchase decision within e-commerce on emerging markets to unravel how certain factors impact the consumer purchase decision. The aim is to provide knowledge regarding consumer purchase decision making for retailers entering an emerging e-commerce market, this by carrying out a survey to consumers on a representative emerging market. Hypotheses: H1: E-logistics has a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. H2: E-marketing activities have a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. H3: Online integrity has a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. H4: E-vendor contact alternatives have a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. H5: Web site design has a positive impact on the e-consumer purchase decision. Method: This study has a deductive research approach combined with a quantitative research method. The primary data consists of data collected through carrying out a survey in Warsaw, Poland. The data was later on analyzed using the statistics software programme SPSS. Conclusion: In order for e-vendors to gain market shares and utilize the market capacity of the hyper-competitive emerging markets the factors web site design, e- marketing and e-vendor contact alternatives are essential to address due to their positive impact on the consumers purchase decision.

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