There is an unresolved paradox concerning the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in consumer behavior. On the one hand, consumers demand more and more CSR information from corporations. On the other hand, research indicates a considerable gap between consumers' apparent interest in CSR and the limited role of CSR in purchase behavior. This paper attempts to shed light on this paradox by drawing on qualitative data from in-depth interviews. The findings show that the evaluation of CSR initiatives is a complex and hierarchically-structured process, where consumers distinguish between core, central, and peripheral factors. This paper describes these factors in detail and explains the complexity of consumers' assessment of CSR. These insights then serve as a basis for discussing the theoretical and managerial implications of the research findings. To this end, the paper contributes to a better understanding of the role of CSR in consumption decisions.

There is the high saturation of markets in this turbulent time. In common with the competition are markets like an impregnable fortress. So the words like segmentation, targeting and positioning have been playing the key role during selection of required market. The aim of submitted work is to value the efficiency of implemented plan. The point is about branch establishing and its retrospective evaluation of Feasibility Study. This step will be done with some analysis and factors. The last episode will be the part of recommendation for getting it better.

Background: This research focused on sport sponsorship related to six sponsors from different industries that are affiliated with a South African football club, namely Kaizer Chiefs; and has drawn from the perceptions and experience of Kaizer Chiefs supporters at in their ability to identify and assess the six sponsors. Results: This research has provided a framework to investigate the interrelationships between sport sponsorship, sponsor awareness, corporate image and intention to purchase sponsors' products. The main findings of the research were that category sport sponsorship awareness has a positive effect on sponsor awareness; and that corporate image has a positive effect on intention to purchase sponsors' products. No significant positive relationship was found between sponsor awareness and corporate image. Furthermore, no conclusive evidence was found to support the hypothesis that sponsor awareness has a positive effect on intention to purchase sponsors' products. Conclusion: The framework proposed within this research has highlighted the supporting role that sponsor awareness plays in achieving media coverage objectives, as well as the role that corporate image plays in achieving sales objectives. The results have further emphasised that corporate image is the more dominant indicator of sponsorship effectiveness as it ultimately leads to increased sales. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Employee turnover is a persistent problem contributing to financial issues and declining productivity in nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits cannot fulfill their core missions of providing services to people in need when managing staffing disruptions. Measuring employee turnover intention can determine the probability of employee turnover, and a potential predictor of turnover intention is emotional intelligence, an area unstudied in the nonprofit sector. This study was designed to explore this relationship, in addition to the employee's commitment to the organization. The population consisted of 273 nonprofit employees older than 18 years, working in a nonsupervisory capacity. They completed an online survey consisting of measures of emotional intelligence, turnover intention, and commitment. The findings of this study showed no relationship between total emotional intelligence and turnover intention; however, there were significant relationships with the 4 predictors of emotional intelligence, as well as the scales of commitment. The results of this study can be used to better understand how to strengthen a nonprofit employees' commitment to his or her organizations through better understanding of commitment levels themselves, as well as to the emotional intelligent that informs such commitment. With such understanding, organizations could potentially better retain the talent of their workforces, and in turn better serve their communities without as many interruptions to their services. Retaining employees is essential to organizational health to ensure consistent and excellent services are provided to those in need.

Nurse retention is of great concern to healthcare organizations including hospitals. With so many countries reporting a shortage in nursing personnel, healthcare organizations are now seeking ways to reduce this shortage. It is known that job satisfaction and turnover intention impact nurses' continued employment. However, the role of human resources (HR) impact on nurses' job satisfaction and turnover intention is unknown. The theoretical basis of this study came from the work of Bowen and Ostroff who argued the strength of HRM system regulates employee perceptions and outcomes within an organization. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact HR service quality had on registered nurses' turnover intentions mediated by job satisfaction and moderated by gender, in a hospital setting within the state of Maryland. Data was collected from 83 registered nurses licensed in Maryland. A multiple regression analysis of data collected from HR service quality measures of responsiveness, reliability, and empathy in addition to gender, job satisfaction, and turnover intention revealed statistically nonsignificant results involving nurses' perceptions of HR service quality predicting turnover intention. Job satisfaction failed to mediate the relationship between HR service quality indicators and turnover intention, and gender failed to moderate the relationship between HR service quality indicators and turnover intention. Although the research revealed statistically nonsignificant findings, it adds to the body of literature regarding the topic of HR service quality. This study has social change implications by informing healthcare organizations about the significant role of HR service quality indicators and its impact on nursing job satisfaction and turnover intention.

Color is a major factor in persuasive communication and messaging. This study examines the role of color and other variables in the communication of environmental causes. Many environmental organizations are starting to use color to generate awareness and create symbolic color associations. Based on the congruency theory and the elaboration likelihood model, this study tested specific research hypotheses pertaining to the effects of color-cause congruency and involvement with the cause on consumer reactions through a controlled experiment. Results reveal that involvement and the congruency between color and cause had an effect on attitude toward the organization and attitude toward the message. However, the hypothesized interaction effects of congruency and involvement failed to reach statistical significance. The study thus provides support for the congruency theory and elaboration likelihood model by showing the independent influence of color-cause congruency and cause involvement.

Second Life, a 3-D virtual world, has evolved as a shopping channel for both consumers and retailers. This channel of retailing offers interactive environment, allows designing atmospherics, and provides enjoyable shopping experience as compared to website stores. The purpose of the study was: (1) to identify the key features of Second Life stores and (2) to determine the relationship of the Second Life store features with consumer purchase intentions. The online survey was administered in Second Life by an external research agency, and 249 usable surveys were collected. The data were analyzed utilizing factor analysis and regression. Three key features of Second Life stores were explored in this study. These three features were: (1) interactivity via the two components of two-way communication and active control, (2) store atmospherics, and (3) shopping enjoyment. Regression analysis showed that shopping enjoyment and two-way communication (i.e., the presence of an avatar sales representative) were significant predictors of purchase intention in Second Life stores, while active control and store atmospherics did not influence purchase intentions.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Literature on turnover intentions revealed that various factors predict employee turnover intention. For higher education, the ongoing transformation that has been taking place has posed many challenges, one of them being the recruitment and retention of staff in academia. However, there is the notion that employees who experience sufficient support and acknowledgement from their supervisors are more likely to develop a sense of empowerment, thus helping in either creating or increasing feelings of commitment which could decrease turnover intentions.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / The notion of student persistence is one that remains a topic for lifelong learning. Many scholars pursue an understanding of this phenomenon yet it remains an unsaturated subject for further studies. Furthermore, many countries embrace international students in their universities and colleges for various reasons. South Africa is no different. The intake of international students at this particular institution of interest is mainly faith-based; many of these students are associated with the same faith or have some religious background. Combining the two phenomena (persistence and international studentship) seems an area that could open doors to new knowledge. So I ask the question: “Do foreign students persist more consistently than local students/nationals? And if so, why?” This then formed the basis for my key question in this study: “What are the relationships between social integration and student persistence?”

This current study examined the job satisfaction and turnover intention of teachers working in a drop out recovery program using online curriculum. The subjects of the study were from one charter school district in north Texas that is designated as a drop out recovery program. This qualitative case study used interviews and focus groups to examine eight different areas of teacher job satisfaction to examine factors that influence a teacher's intent to quit or remain at a school. Previous research showed a connection between job satisfaction levels and the intent of a teacher to terminate employment or not. Previous research had not looked into this specific school environment. Results showed that compensation was the largest factor in job satisfaction but negative feelings could be overcome if other areas of importance for teachers brought positive job satisfaction. Overall, teachers in this environment were more likely to have high job satisfaction and less likely to terminate employment.