The main objective of the thesis is to describe situation on the current computer games market in Czech Republic and with use of own market research to reveal behavior, usage and preferences of consumers on this market. Based on this data significant market segments should be revealed and appropriate conclusions and recommendations useful for marketing communication should be given for them. Own market research is of quantitative character and is realized in form of Internet questionnaire. Data obtained from this questionnaire are analyzed with help of pivot tables in MS Excel. IBM SPSS Statistics 20 is used for uncovering market segments and expansion of their profiles. The output of the thesis is detection of 5 major market segments and formulation of basic recommendations on marketing mix level for each market segment.

The thesis deals with a new trend in tourism -- senior tourism. The contribution of senior citizens to the tourism industry face the challenge of seasonality and stimulate economic growth, including employment. The senior segment is perspective because of its growing share in the population, improving health condition compared with previous generations, financial resources available and unlimited leisure time. The aim of the thesis is to analyze tour operators offer focused on outgoing packages for seniors in order to assess whether the offer reflects the specific needs and preferences of senior travellers. In addition, the thesis includes segmentation of senior travellers and recommendations for marketing communication towards this specific segment.

In and amongst the institutional chaos of Africa lies a wealth of business potential for multinational corporations (MNCs) worthy of entry. This research study investigated the effect of political, regulatory and societal norm aspects of institutions on internationalising MNC, base-of-the-pyramid (BoP), strategies across various emerging economies in Africa. Although there is an abundance of literature on the BoP markets in emerging economies, literature is limited on the construct of strategy internationalisation across African countries through the institutional lens. A qualitative research methodology was used for this study to understand the institutional variables. Individual depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight managers having cumulative experience across ten MNCs. The focus of the study was on the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. However, to give the data variance five of the interviewees were employed in the FMCG industry while the others were employed in the consumer electronics, pulp and paper, and mobile telecommunications industries. The research data were analysed using an inductive approach to explore the themes discovered. These themes were: political ties and history, consumer insight, and information and communication technology (ICT). This study confirmed the importance of institutional aspects on BoP strategy internationalisation in Africa. Also, the study discovered a new and remarkable finding that acknowledges the BoP as non-traditional MNC shareholders rather than viewing the market as consumers or business partners alone. This progressive understanding of the BoP will encourage close, long-term interaction and mutualistic relationships, and foster shared commitment through embeddedness, as well as increase market penetration through creative channels and inclusive networks. From the findings above, a functional framework was developed for MNCs exploring the BoP space in Africa. The framework builds upon and advances the BoP 2.0 protocol developed by Stuart Hart, and will enable MNCs to anticipate challenges and risks associated with BoP markets in Africa. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

The process to identify and describe target markets can be challenging for marketers due to the complexity of B2B markets and industrial products. This case-based study aims to bridge the gap between theory and praxis by developing a process to determine target markets for Siemens SIMATIC controllers, which are highly technological products designed for process control and used in industrial applications. The author conducted a literature review to investigate the current understanding of B2B market segmentation and target marketing and collected qualitative data from Siemens. This study defines segmentation variables leveraging segmentation models as a foundation to build and describe customer clusters. Next, target markets for SIMATIC controllers, focused on redundant systems, are selected and mapped. On that basis, the author derives a process for reviewing and defining target markets for the existing controller portfolio and future product launches.

The aim of this work is to draft the marketing strategy for the company SPORTPROGRESS with the intention to strengthen the position on the market. This work contains theoretical basis, features of the company, analysis of the present situation and the suggestions of the marketing strategy.

This Master´s thesis deals with the proposition of marketing strategy for producer. Based on theoretical assumptions and analysis of the conditions the firm stands at present, marketing strategy was designed. It should guarantee realizations of the larger sales. In the practical part analyses are put together and evaluated. Afterwards the suggestions and recommendations are offered. They should secure the increase of sales of firm´s product.

In this study the relationship between three companies brand strategies and business strategies were investigated based on Aaker’s view on brand architecture. The concept and its strategies are characterized by the driving roles brands possess. At the top of the spectrum, “House of Brands” allows the brands to have the entire driver role which decreases moving downwards on the spectrum, first comes “Endorsed Brands” where the master brand has a little driver role, followed by “Subbrands” where the master brand and the subbrand share the driver roles. At the bottom “Branded House” strategy can be found, it is characterized by allowing the master brand to have the entire driver role. Considering (Porter, 1998) and his three generic strategies, three companies: Colgate-Palmolive Company, Kellogg’s, BMW Group and their relationship between brand and business strategy was investigated. All of these three companies are characterized by possessing leading roles within their industries where they operate. All three companies, BMW Group, Kellogg’s and Colgate-Palmolive Company differentiate themselves with help of the brand strategies. In the Kellogg’s case, except the “House of Brands” strategy, they also use “Endorsed Brands” and “Subbrands”. The BMW Group applies “House of Brands” and “Branded House” to achieve differentiation. When it comes to Colgate-Palmolive Company, the main difference is that, both BMW Group and Kellogg’s achieve differentiation through applying several brand strategies. Colgate-Palmolive Company’s differentiation efforts is limited to the “House of Brands” strategy. Despite their different choices of brand strategies the study shows that each company achieves differentiation. Furthermore, the study shows that one differentiation can also be achieved by implementing a single brand strategy, as in the case with Colgate-Palmolive Company. However, the study shows that each of the investigated companies succeeds to target the desired segments and position their offerings on specific attributes.

Genetically modified food is a reality for many modern-day consumers around the world. With the introduction of GM food to the food market, consumers were faced with a number of new products and also familiar products containing new ingredients. The introduction of genetically modified food products to food markets around the world, led to a lot of controversy. In many cases consumer attitudes and perceptions of GM food products were revealed as fears, concern for, and avoidance of the new technology. Consumer attitudes, perceptions and acceptance towards the use of genetically modified foods or -food ingredients are currently highly relevant issues for role-player such as researchers, government, food companies, biotechnology companies, retailers and farmers all over the world.The importance of genetically modified food products in South Africa is increasing, even though the debate surrounding genetically modified food products lags behind many other (often more developed) parts of the world. Genetically modified white maize is among the agricultural crops approved for commercial production in South Africa. The production of genetically modified white maize in South Africa increased dramatically from its introduction in the 2001/2002-production season. White maize, especially in the form of super- and special maize meal, is an extremely important staple food source for consumers of all age groups in South Africa. The implication of the significant increase in the cultivation of genetically modified white maize is that the product is entering the South African food market at an increasing rate. In reality South African consumers are increasingly exposed to food products containing genetically modified white maize. This goes hand in hand with increasing consumer awareness regarding genetically modified food issues.The general objective of the dissertation is to develop an understanding of the perceptions, attitudes, acceptance and knowledge of South African urban consumers, regarding GM white maize as a staple food product within South Africa. The specific objectives are to identify trade-offs between selected attributes of maize meal and to determine the relative importance of selected GM characteristics within the trade-offs by means of a conjoint experiment, to construct market segments based on the outcomes of a conjoint experiment, to determine the effect of consumer perceptions on the sensory experience of white maize porridge and to determine the knowledge, perceptions and GM food acceptance of the different market segments.Quota sampling was applied to obtain a random sample of 80 urban white-maize consumers, based on the LSM (Living Standard Measures) market segmentation tool. The respondents participated in sensory evaluation of maize porridge. This was followed by a conjoint experiment designed around three selected product characteristic variables describing a 2.5kg packet of super white maize meal: “Brand variable”, “Genetic modification variable” and “Price variable”. Market segmentation was done through Ward’s hierarchical cluster analysis based on the conjoint results. The final phase of the experimental analysis involved the profiling of the identified clusters based on demographic variables, respondents’ knowledge of genetic modification and respondents perceptions, attitudes and acceptance towards genetically modified food.The limited sample size (80 respondents) could influence the ability of the results to reflect on the population of urban white maize consumers given the presence of GM food in the market. However, the experimental results should be seen in view of general trends in South Africa and available anecdotal evidence supporting the results of the study. The results of this study could go a long way in representing the results of a more representative sample of urban white maize consumers given the presence of GM food in the market.The cluster analysis revealed that the sample of urban, white maize consumers could be grouped into three meaningful and distinct market segments, based on their preferences for branded- versus non-branded white-grained maize meal, as well as their preferences for non-GM white maize meal versus GM white maize meal with various types of genetic manipulations. The “Anti-GM” segment (35% of the sample) is particularly negative towards GM food irrelevant of the type of genetic modification applied to the food. The “Pro-GM farmer sympathetic” segment (20% of the sample) is positive towards genetically modified food in cases where the farmer receives the benefit of the genetic modification. The “Pro-GM” segment (45% of the sample) is generally positive towards GM food, but especially when the consumer receives the benefit of the genetic modification. The results indicated that the differences among the cluster groups were more prominent than the differences among the LSM groups. Thus, the clusters were most effective to distinguish between sub-groups in the experimental sample.The results of the respondents’ knowledge of genetic modification indicated that there is some degree of confusion among respondents regarding the meaning of genetic modification, as well as discrepancies between perceived and actual knowledge levels of genetic modification. In general, the respondents’ knowledge of GM food is relatively low.A strong positive correlation was observed between the sample respondents’ exposure to GM food related terms and their perceived understanding of these issues, implying that the exposure caused the respondents to learn more about GM food related terms. The balanced GM food information presented to the respondents during the experimental procedure probably influenced their knowledge levels and opinions about GM food as the experiment evolved. Despite these observations the research methodology was still deemed as appropriate. The GM food knowledge gained by the respondents during the experiment could be seen as a simulation of situations where they could receive GM food information from external sources such as television, radio, magazines or newspapers. The cluster profiling revealed that urban white-grain maize consumers’ perceptions and attitudes towards GM food were the strongest distinguishing factors between the various market segments, especially the preferences of the various cluster groups for non-GM maize or maize that was genetically modified for consumer benefit or maize that was genetically modified for producer benefit. Demographic factors and GM knowledge aspects did not really contribute towards distinguishing between the clusters.The dissertation determined that there is a need for a better understanding of consumer perceptions, attitudes towards and acceptance of GM food products, which could enable producers and scientists to engage in more consumer driven product development and marketing activities. Consumer acceptance is the most critical factor for the success of GM food products within the South African food market place and could shape the future of the agricultural modern biotechnology industry and the agricultural sector in South Africa. / Dissertation (MSc (Agric) Agricultural Economics)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

En la actualidad, los negocios en los aplicativos móviles son unos de los servicios más usados para la vida cotidiana, ya que las nuevas generaciones han cambiado su estilo de compra, el cual es a través de despóticos móviles como smartphones o Tablets. Esto se debe a que se quiere ahorrar más tiempo para la realización de más actividades en el día. La idea de negocio que se está presentando trata de un aplicativo de reservas de mesas, el cual sirve de intermediario entre restaurantes y comensales. El aplicativo lleva el nombre de ROT365, y tiene funciones innovadoras que empieza con la reserva, luego puede pasar a la elección del pedido y por último puede hacer el pago a través de sus dispositivos móviles. Mientras que a los restaurantes se les está bridando un sistema integrado, en el cual se pueda observar hábitos de sus consumidores. Esta idea de negocia busca brindar facilidades para el procesos de reserva, aumentar la calidad del servicio y ahorrar el tiempo de ambas partes. Para ello, se ha desarrollado evaluaciones comerciales, operacionales y financieras para determinar la viabilidad de implementar el proyecto en el mercado. A continuación, se presenta el proyecto de negocios ROT365, un aplicativo intermediario entre restaurantes y comensales para la reserva de una mesa, elección de platos y pago online. / Currently, business and mobile services are more used services for everyday life, new generations have changed their style of purchase, which is through mobile phones such as smartphones or tablets. This is due to what you want to save more time for carrying out more activities on the day. The idea of a business that is being presented is a table reservation application, which serves as an intermediary between restaurants and diners. The application is called ROT365, and has innovative functions that begin with the reservation, then you can move to the choice of the order and finally you can make the payment through their mobile devices. While the restaurants are using an integrated system, which can observe the habits of its users. This idea of negotiation seeks to provide facilities for booking processes, increase the quality of service and save time for both parties. For this, it has developed commercial, operational and financial evaluations to determine the viability of implementing the project in the market. Next, we present the business project ROT365, an application intermediary between restaurants and diners for the reservation of a table, choice of dishes and online payments. / Trabajo de investigación

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil Engineering, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 342-356. / by Ilan Salomon. / Ph.D.