The study was conducted in Harare as regards Zimbabwe’s mobile telecommunications sector, examining the influence of a selected factors on consumers’ awareness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the effects that CSR awareness has on consumers. The practice of CSR influences a number of business aspects including firm financials, corporate image, corporate reputation and market share. This study has been ignited by the fact that little evidence exist in studies covering the precursors and effects of CSR awareness from the consumers’ perspective. More so, that Zimbabwe’s mobile telecommunications sector is currently the fastest growing sector accompanied with numerous CSR activities. The present study therefore sought to answer the questions which includes; (i) does ethical consumerism, consumer rights awareness, socio-environmental awareness and consumer generosity culture influence consumer awareness of CSR in the mobile telecommunications sector? (ii) what is the effect of age, gender and level of education on consumer awareness of CSR in the mobile telecommunications sector? (iii) what is the influence of consumer awareness of CSR on corporate image, consumer attitude, purchase intention and actual purchase behaviour in the mobile telecommunications sector? (iv) what is the effect of corporate image on consumer attitude in the mobile telecommunications sector? (v) what is the effect of consumer attitude on purchase intention in the mobile telecommunications sector? (vi) what is the effect of purchase intention on actual purchase behaviour in the mobile telecommunications sector? A mixed research study was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire on 1,100 mobile telecommunications sector consumers in Harare, Zimbabwe. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS with AMOS while qualitative data was analysed using NVIVO. The study results indicate that ethical consumerism, consumer rights awareness, socio-environmental awareness and consumer generosity positively influence consumer CSR awareness while age, gender and level of education do not influence consumer CSR awareness. CSR awareness proves to have a direct influence on corporate image, consumer attitude, purchase intention and not on actual purchase behaviour. The study findings show a direct positive relationship among corporate image, consumer attitude, purchase intention and actual purchase behaviour. The study recognized that respondents are aware of CSR in the form of firm donations, assistance towards social causes, improving the environment, building or renovating facilities, good services, affordable prices and promotional programs. Study results points out that respondents are aware of CSR through platforms such as advertising, sending text messages, firms’ ethical or professional conduct, campaigns and exhibitions. / Business Management / D. B. L.(Business Leadership)

Datum: 2023-05-30 Nivå: Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi, 15 hp  Institution: Akademin för Ekonomi, Samhälle och Teknik, Mälardalens Universitet  Författare: Alva Landberg (96/07/03), Emma Inge (98/02/15), Felicia Schönning (98/11/02)                                                                                 Titel: Användargenererat innehåll på TikTok och dess påverkan; En kvantitativ undersökning av generation Z's köpintention och köpbeslut Handledare: Pejvak Oghazi Nyckelord: Användargenererat innehåll, Attityder, Elektronisk Word of Mouth (eWOM), Generation Z, Köpbeslut, Köpintention, TikTok Forskningsfrågor: (1) Hur påverkar användandet av TikTok generation Z’s köpbeslut? (2) Har användargenererat innehåll på TikTok något samband med generation Z’s köpintention? (3) Hur påverkas generation Z’s köpbeslut av användargenererat innehåll på TikTok? (4) Hur påverkar användandet av TikTok generation Z’s attitydkomponenter; kognitiv, affektiv och beteende? (5) Vilka skillnader finns mellan generation Z och millennials vid användandet av TikTok?   Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka ifall användargenererat innehåll på sociala medieplattformen TikTok påverkar generation Z's köpintention och köpbeslut. Metod: Studien är baserad på en kvantitativ forskningsansats där primärdata samlats in i form av en digital enkätundersökning. Datan samlades in med ett resultat av 183 respondenter med ett bortfall på 30, vilket gav 150 validerade svar. Datan analyserades sedan via en korrelationsanalys, Cronbach’s alfa, regressionsanalys och en korstabulering i det statistiska dataprogrammet SPSS. Slutsats: Resultatet visade att användargenererat innehåll på TikTok har ett samband med generation Z’s köpintention och köpbeslut. En ökad användning av TikTok bidrar till att attitydkomponenterna; kognitiv, affektiv, beteende påverkas positivt av rekommendationer från användare på TikTok, vilket bidrar till en ökad köpintention som senare leder till ett köpbeslut. / Date: 2023-05-30 Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Alva Landberg (96/07/03), Emma Inge (98/02/15), Felicia Schönning (98/11/02)  Title: User-generated content on TikTok and its impact; A quantitative study of generation Z's purchase intention and purchase decision Supervisor: Pejvak Oghazi Keywords: Attitudes, Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), Generation Z, Purchase decision, Purchase intention, TikTok, User Generated Content (UGC) Research questions: (1) How does the use of TikTok affect generation Z's purchase decisions? (2) Does user-generated content on TikTok relate to generation Z's purchase intention? (3) How does user-generated content on TikTok influence generation Z’s purchasing decisions? (4) How does using TikTok affect generation Z's attitudinal components; cognitive, affective, and behavioral? (5) What are the differences between generation Z and millennials when using TikTok? Purpose: This study aims to investigate if user-generated content on the social media platform TikTok influences generation Z's purchase intention and purchase decision. Method: This study is based on a quantitative research approach where primary data has been collected through an online survey. The data was collected with a result of 183 respondents with a non-response rate of 30, which gave a total of 150 validated responses. The data were analyzed through a correlation analysis, Cronbach's Alpha, regression analysis and a cross-tabulation in the statistical data program SPSS. Conclusion: The result showed that user-generated content on TikTok has a connection with generation Z's purchase intention and purchase decision. Increased use of TikTok contributes to the attitudinal components; cognitive, affective and behavior is positively affected by recommendations from users on TikTok, which contributes to an increased purchase intention that leads to a purchase decision.

Denna studie undersöker effekterna av könsstereotypisk marknadsföring inom sport- och hälsobranschen. Forskningsfrågorna tar upp effekterna av både könsstereotypisk och icke-könsstereotypisk marknadsföring på varumärkesimage samt hur det påverkar konsumenters köpintention. Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilken typ av marknadsföring som är mest fördelaktig för varumärkesimage och köpintentionen: könsstereotypisk reklam eller icke-könsstereotypisk reklam. Studien använde en kvantitativ forskningsansats där primärdata samlades in genom en digital enkätundersökning med 80 respondenter. Data analyserades med hjälp av korrelationsanalys och sample t-test. Resultaten visar att varumärkesimage och köpintention påverkas negativt av extrem könsstereotypisk reklam, positivt av förebyggande reklam som inte använder könsstereotyper, men förblir oförändrade vid mindre tydliga könsstereotypiska reklamannonser. Företag bör vara medvetna om de negativa effekterna av extrem könsstereotypisk marknadsföring på varumärkesimage och köpintention. Istället kan förebyggande reklam som inte använder sig av könsstereotyper vara mer fördelaktig för att skapa en positiv varumärkesimage och påverka köpintentionen hos konsumenterna positivt. / This study examines the impact of gender-stereotypical marketing in the sports and health industry on a company's brand image and purchase intention. The research questions address the effects of both gender-stereotypical and non-gender-stereotypical marketing on brand image, as well as the influence on consumers' purchase intention. The aim of the study is to determine whether using gender-stereotypical or non-gender-stereotypical advertising is more beneficial for brand image and purchase intention. A quantitative research approach was employed, and primary data was collected through a digital survey completed by 80 respondents. The collected data was analyzed using correlation analysis and sample t-tests in the statistical software SPSS. The findings indicate that brand image and purchase intention are negatively affected by extreme gender-stereotypical advertisements, positively influenced by non-gender-stereotypical preventive advertisements, but remain unchanged with less explicit gender-stereotypical advertisements. Thus, companies should be cautious about using extreme gender-stereotypical marketing, as it can have detrimental effects on their brand image and purchase intention.

The increasing threats to the environment have led the consumers to enhance their concern for environment. As a result, consumers nowadays intend to purchase environmentally friendly products as part of showing their concern for environment. This changing trend of consumer behavior has also driven the businesses to act accordingly and introduce sustainability within business process including production, offerings and distribution with an objective of protecting environment. Apart from the environmental benefits, getting involved in the environmentally friendly activities also enable the businesses to enjoy higher profit margins, positive brand image, higher employee commitment and above all competitive advantage. Current literature shows that, because of enormous benefits businesses are also getting involved in transforming sustainable consumption through different marketing activities to avoid poor sales of green products. Brand generated contents, defined as contents shared and controlled by the business itself on its owned or earned platforms, is often used by the marketers and businesses to share information or justifying premium pricing of green products. The primary purpose of this study is to develop insights and understand the relationship between different factors driven by brand generated contents and green purchase intention. The study is implemented by a quantitative study where 156 respondents have shared their perceptions and thoughts related to different factors of brand generated contents on social media platforms that they perceive to influence their purchase intentions to green products. Even though green consumerism and green purchase intention is not a new concept within field of research, connecting it with brand generated content is a completely new phenomenon. Existing literature suggests that researchers have tried to measure the green purchase intention mostly based on uncontrollable factors by marketers or different traditional consumer theory. Some other researchers have also tried to connect green purchase intention with user-generated content completely overlooking its counterpart, brand generated content. Five constructs have been developed based on existing literature: knowledge awareness, perceived concern for environment, perceived product value, attitude and trust of contents. A survey questionnaire was developed with three sections- demographic section to comprehend the respondents, behavioral section to understand purchase behavior of respondents related to green products and final section to understand the perception of consumers. The finding demonstrates interesting insights with perceived concern for environment and attitude to be positively significant and trust of content to be negatively significant to green purchase intentions. However, the finding is believed to assist the marketing practitioners and businesses to develop marketing strategies for green products and develop contents accordingly. Furthermore, the study aims to contribute theoretically within the field of brand generated content and green purchase intention by filling the gap and linking each other. Finally, the study has significant potential of contributing to society by helping in promoting environmentally friendly products and protecting the environment.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur e-handelsföretags returpolicys, mer specifikt returkomponenterna returtid, returkostnad och returansträngning, kan påverka konsumenters upplevda risk vid köp av kläder online. Studien utgår från tre hypoteser, vilka är: “Längre returtider resulterar i en lägre upplevd risk hos konsumenter vid köp av kläder online”, “Lägre returkostnader leder till lägre upplevd risk hos konsumenter vid köp av kläder online” samt “Lägre returansträngning medför att konsumenter upplever en lägre risk vid köp av kläder online”. Metod: Tvärsnittsstudien omfattades av en enkätundersökning där deltagarnas åsikter och inställningar ställdes i centrum. 109 användbara svar genererades utifrån ett bekvämlighetsurval. Svaren analyserades genom en multipel regressionsanalys för att undersöka respektive returkomponents påverkan på konsumentens upplevda risk vid köp av kläder online. Resultat: Resultatet indikerade på att ökad returtid respektive en minskad returkostnad bidrar till att reducera den upplevda risken för konsumenten vid köp av kläder online. Vad gäller returansträngning fann studien inget stöd för att en lägre ansträngning genererade en lägre upplevd risk för konsumenten vid köp av kläder online. Däremot saknades signifikans för variablerna returtid och returansträngning vilket gör det svårt att utesluta slumpfaktorn i dessa hypoteser. Det gick även att observera att returkomponenten returkostnad påverkade den upplevda risken i störst omfattning. Originalitet/Värde: I en ständigt växande e-handelsmarknad, speciellt inom modebranschen, är konkurrensen ett faktum vilket gör att företagen alltmer konkurrerar i andra områden än de produkter de säljer. Det finns en problematik kring hur returpolicys ska utformas på bästa sätt. Då upplevd risk har en betydande effekt på köp- och returintentionen av kläder köpta av konsumenter online är det ett relevant och viktigt ämne att studera. Studien kan bidra med insikt i vilka returkomponenter som värderas och uppskattas mest av konsumenter i en returpolicy, något som kan påverka konsumenters inställning till köpet. Med grund i studien och dess resultat konstateras att företag som säljer kläder online bör arbeta med att utforma sina returpolicys på ett sätt som minskar konsumenternas upplevda risk i största möjliga utsträckning. Vid situationer där företag behöver strama åt sina returpolicys kan denna studie hjälpa till med att ge stöd för vilken returkomponent som värderas minst av konsumenter. / Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate how e-commerce companies’ return policies, more specifically the return components return time, return cost and return effort, can affect consumers' perceived risk while purchasing clothes online. The study revolves around three different hypotheses, which are: “Longer return times result in a lower perceived risk for consumers when buying clothes online”, “Lower return costs lead to a lower perceived risk among consumers when buying clothes online” as well as “Lower return efforts lead to consumers experiencing a lower risk when buying clothes online” Methodology: The cross-sectional study consists of a questionnaire survey in which the participants' opinions and attitudes were at the center. 109 useful responses were generated based on a convenience sample. The responses were analyzed through a multiple regression analysis, in order to examine the impact of each return component on the consumers' perceived risk while purchasing clothes online. Findings: The result indicated that an increased return time as well as a reduced return cost contribute to reducing the perceived risk for the consumer when purchasing clothes online. Regarding return effort, the study found no support that a lower return effort generated a lower perceived risk for the consumer when buying clothes online. However, the findings regarding return time and return effort were lacking significance, which means that there is a risk of the findings being coincidental. It was also possible to observe that the return component return cost affected the consumers’ perceived risk to the greatest extent. Originality / Value: In an ever-growing e-commerce market, especially in the fashion industry, competition is a fact which results in companies increasingly cofmpeting in other areas than the products they sell. There is a problem with how return policies should be designed in the best way. As perceived risk has an effect on the consumers’ intention to buy and return clothes purchased online, it is a relevant and important topic to study. The study can provide insight into which return components consumers value and appreciate most in a return policy, something that can affect consumers' attitudes towards the purchase. Based on the study and its results, it is stated that companies that sell clothes online should work on designing their return policies in a way that reduces consumers' perceived risk to the greatest possible extent. In situations where companies have to tighten their return policies, this study can help provide support for which return component is least valued by consumers. This thesis is written in Swedish.

The Free-to-play (F2P) model is the primary business model applied in indie mobile games nowadays. However, the fact that less than 5% of players are paying is still a big problem for developers. There is a theoretical gap in understandings of how to increase revenue without lowering the quality of the game and deliver more valuable and better gaming experience for players. Some assumptions and empirical methods need to be verified. The aim of this research is to understand a series of specific design and development questions of F2P games, including game inner mechanics, game structures, and monetization strategies. We attempted to find consensus between developers and players. In addition, this research also sought to find out how F2P mobile game can provide as a comprehensive service in order. It sought to find a sustainable and profitable business model for each game by integrating monetization organically inside of the game without sacrificing players’ enjoyment. We used a mixed methods research approach, including both interviews and surveys, to examine the opinions and behavior of developers and players based on the Acquisition-Retention-Monetization funnel.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka inflytandet av influencers på sociala medier (SMI), elektronisk word-of-mouth (e-WOM) och upplevd kvalitet på svenska konsumenters köpintention vid skönhetsprodukter som rekommenderas av skönhetsinfluencers på Youtube. Det för att bidra till kunskap som företag kan utgå ifrån när de skapar sina marknadsföringsstrategier. Studien är en replikering av en studie av forskarna Rosaria och Luthfia (2020) som genomfördes i Indonesien och därmed användes samma metod: en kvantitativ metod via en webbaserad enkät. Den besvarades av 127 respondenter varav 91 uppfyllde urvalskriterierna då de var kvinnor mellan 17-30 års ålder som följer en skönhetsinfluencer på Youtube. Resultatet visade att SMI och upplevd kvalitet för sig har ett signifikant inflytande på köpintention, förutom e-WOM. Det visade också att alla tre har samtidigt ett signifikant inflytande på köpintention. När det gäller framtida forskning skulle det vara intressant att genomföra en kvalitativ studie om samma faktorer för att få en djupare förståelse om varför dessa faktorer har ett inflytande. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of social media influencers (SMI), electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) and perceived quality on Swedish consumers' purchase intention when it comes to beauty products recommended by beauty influencers on Youtube. This is to contribute to knowledge that companies can use as a starting point when creating their marketing strategies. The study is a replication of a study conducted by researchers Rosaria and Luthfia (2020) in Indonesia and thus the same method was used: a quantitative method via a web-based survey. It was answered by 127 respondents, of which 91 met the selection criteria as they were women between the age of 17 and 30 who followed a beauty influencer on Youtube. The results showed that both SMI and perceived quality have a significant influence on purchase intention, except for e-WOM. They also showed that all three factors collectively have a significant influence on purchase intention. In terms of future research, one suggestion would be to conduct a qualitative study on the same factors to gain a deeper understanding of why these factors have an influence.

The Online Clothing Reselling Platforms (OCRPs) industry foresees ongoing significant market growth, building upon the expansion it has achieved in recent years. This trend makes it essential to understand how website usability factors affect consumer behaviour and identify practical opportunities for optimization in this specific context of e-commerce. Through empirical research, this study aims to contribute to the existing gap in the literature by analyzing the effect of usability factors on purchase intention and developing a practical usability framework that can guide designers and developers towards the successful implementation of usability factors that facilitates consumer decision-making and purchase intention.  To address the research gap, a mixed-methods multiple case study approach was utilized, combining a heuristic evaluation, a survey of 186 participants, and usability testing with six participants augmented by eye-tracking software and semi-structured interviews. The research was conducted on two key OCRPs, building upon existing knowledge of website usability factors as well as empirical findings.  The results indicate that navigability, content relevance, credibility, and simplicity are positively correlated with increased purchase intention in OCRPs. The study suggests that these four website usability factors should be prioritized when designing and developing these platforms. Based on these findings, a practical usability framework was created to provide designers and developers with actionable insights that can assist them in prioritizing and optimizing website usability to increase purchase intention. The framework lists practical guidelines per usability factor and demonstrates the factors’ interdependence. The framework is designed to further enable the growth of OCRPs by increasing purchase intention through website usability.

Slogans can be attributed as a way in which to communicate a brand's message to its key consumer. An effectively established brand amongst targeted consumers can in turn generate profitability and ever further promote the brand. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the effectiveness of advertisements that employ vague or precise cosmetic product brand slogans among both male and female consumers. Ultimately, the end goal of marketing is to make a sale. Additionally, the purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the length of a slogan is an influential factor on the participant's motivation to purchase a cosmetic or skincare product. Data was collected through the use of survey in an online social media format, in order to test the effectiveness of different lengths of slogans for slogan recall, brand recall, brand awareness and purchase intention. Prior research and hypotheses were used to predict the concept that shorter more concise or precise slogans in this study would heighten the levels of all measured variables in the study, slogan recall, brand recall, brand awareness and purchase intention. The results of this paper conclude overall vague slogans have the potential to reach higher levels of slogan recall ability , brand recall and the intent to purchase, on the contrary shorter more precise slogans affect brand awareness at a greater level than the lengthier slogans.

This research was driven by Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) to examine the impact of ecological knowledge, ecological concern, and man-nature orientation on green purchasing (including both intention and actual behavior), with the moderating effect of price sensitivity and allowance and/or income. This research surveyed 602 Malaysian university students within the age bracket of 18 to 25, because this specific demographic is a sizeable market and such research is lacking in an emerging economy like Malaysia. The results demonstrated that ecological concern and man-nature orientation influenced purchase intention and actual purchase. The findings also indicated that price sensitivity and allowance and/or income moderated the relationship between behavioral intention and actual behavior. This study has two implications: (1) it extends TRA by exploring the potential moderating variables between behavioral intention and actual behavior, and its findings adds to the body of knowledge in the area of green consumer behavior; (2) marketing managers can formulate their green marketing strategies effectively by consistently driving heart-warming campaigns to create or stir consumers’ emotions. Marketers should keep in mind that Malaysians are highly influenced by man-nature relationship belief, and additionally, marketers need to be careful in justifying pricing difference between non-green and green products for consumers that are sensitive to price.