The SA government has identified the craft industry as a key focus area contributing to sustainable development, economic growth and employment opportunities. However the industry faces many challenges such as global competition and lack of resources. More importantly, craft producers in SA cannot access the craft retailer market successfully which limit their financial success. The purpose of this study is to investigate the buyer behaviour of craft retailers in SA. The specific focus of the study is to investigate the buying process followed by craft retailers, to determine the importance of supplier selection criteria used to evaluate suppliers, as well as to determine the sources of information that craft retailers use most often when searching for suppliers. A self-administered survey was conducted among craft retailers and a sample of 233 were realised. The descriptive statistics are reported as well as factor analysis, ANOVA and MANOVA results. Findings indicated that the buying process craft retailers go through are extensive and that certain stages are also more often used than others. No statistical significant differences were found between the types of craft retailers or the years of buying experience and the stages of the buying process. „Product quality‟ was considered the most important supplier selection criteria followed by „product is exciting and attractive‟ and „product styling and design‟. Statistical significant differences were found between different types of craft retailers and the importance they attach to selected supplier selection criteria but no significant differences were found for the years of buying experience. - iv - The results also indicated that craft retailers consult certain information sources more often than others. Information sources were grouped into three factors after the factor analysis: internal and personal information, promotional information and print advertising. The statistical significant differences were found between the different types of craft retailers and their use of promotional information sources but no differences were evident for the other two sources, namely internal and personal and print advertising. The study resulted in a proposed marketing strategy for craft producers to enable them to market their craft products more effectively to crafts retailers. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Marketing Management / unrestricted

Influencer marketing is a marketing method that more companies are using when it comes to marketing a brand. The use of social media influencers in advertising has increased and therefore we want to investigate this from a consumer perspective through a qualitative method with 13 semistructured interviews. The purpose of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of how SMIs influence consumers' buying behavior. To understand this, consumer attitudes and trust in the phenomenon have been relevant factors to examine. The study also aimed to find out whether WoM or SMIs have the greatest impact on consumers' buying behavior. The results have shown that SMI's impact on consumers' buying behavior depends on whether attitudes are positive or negative. Consumers with positive attitudes towards SMIs have a greater tendency to acquire what is marketed in comparison with consumers who have negative attitudes towards SMIs, who instead refrain from buying. Factors that increase the trust in SMI are whether the consumer feels connected, feels honesty and that SMI markets products / services within its area of expertise. What has proven to play a significant role when it comes to influencing consumers' buying behaviors and attitudes is what the environment's perceptions, opinions and experiences about the phenomenon look like (WoM). It has emerged that the respondents have a greater trust in their acquaintanceship than they have in SMIs. / Influencer marketing är en marknadsföringsmetod som allt fler företag använder när det kommer till att marknadsföra varumärken. Användningen av sociala media influencers i reklam har ökat och därför vill vi undersöka detta utifrån ett konsumentperspektiv genom en kvalitativ metod med 13 semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studiens syfte har varit att få en djupare förståelse kring hur SMIs påverkar konsumenters köpbeteenden. För att förstå detta har konsumenters attityder och förtroende till fenomenet varit relevanta faktorer att undersöka. Studien syftade även till att ta reda på om WoM eller SMIs har störst påverkan på konsumenternas köpbeteenden. Resultaten har visat att SMIs påverkan på konsumenters köpbeteende beror på om attityderna är positiva eller negativa. Konsumenter med positiva attityder till SMIs har större tendens att införskaffa det som marknadsförs i jämförelse med konsumenter som har negativa attityder till SMIs, som istället avstår från ett köp. Faktorer som ökar förtroendet till SMI är om konsumenten känner samhörighet, ärlighet och att SMIn marknadsför produkter/tjänster inom sitt expertisområde. Det som har visat sig ha en betydande roll när det kommer till påverkan på konsumenters köpbeteenden och attityder är hur omgivningens uppfattningar, åsikter och erfarenheter kring fenomenet ser ut (WoM). Det har framkommit att respondenterna har ett större förtroende för sin omgivning än vad de har för SMIs.

Research indicates buyer-supplier collaborations in new product development (NPD) can have a positive impact on innovation. From a knowledge based view, it is argued that suppliers add a complementary knowledge base that is combined with the buyer’s knowledge. But what does the supplier contribution actually consist of? And more importantly: How is this supplier knowledge integrated into the NPD process? This is not clear in the literature. Different supplier inputs may imply different knowledge integration mechanisms and practices. The purpose of this licentiate thesis is to investigate how supplier knowledge is integrated into the NPD process. The focus is to explore how knowledge intensive manufacturing firms integrate different supplier inputs in collaborative NPD projects by using different knowledge integration mechanisms. To fulfil the aim of thesis a qualitative approach has been applied and by studying NPD processes in three industrial sectors. An extensive literature review and a focus group meeting are followed by two qualitative case studies that are based mainly on interviews with keyrepresentatives in the buyer-supplier collaborations. The first study investigates different supplier contributions by categorizing different supplier inputs. The second study – which is the largest part of the overall study - investigates how supplier knowledge is integrated in NPD collaborations using different integration mechanisms. Here, six NPD collaborations, representing the automotive, the energy, and the telecom sectors, are studied and compared, in order to understand the integration processes and the different knowledge integration mechanisms. The third study investigates the role of trust in capturing supplier knowledge. Here, two NPD collaborations which can be considered to be polar-cases in terms of scope and depth are compared in order to explore and explain the role of trust in the integration processes. Altogether these studies lay a foundation for a model of knowledge integration between the buyer and the supplier in NPD collaborations. The model identifies two main strategies for integrating supplier knowledge – knowledge absorption and joint knowledge accumulation. Knowledge absorption concerns innovation processes where the contribution from suppliers is focused on product- and process improvements, i.e. incremental input. Here, the development is dictated by clear specifications. Supplier contacts take place during a limited period of time and are restricted to certain phases in NPD projects. Thus, the main knowledge integration mechanism used is sequencing. In these situations, the buyer actually tries to capture and absorb the knowledge of the supplier at a specific point in the process. A basic level of trust, based on the reputation the supplier has for competence is sufficient. Joint knowledge accumulation, on the other hand, is how firms manage more radical input from suppliers, such as new technology or new design. In these cases, knowledge integration strategies extend over a longer period of time, throughout several phases of the NPD project. There is a high degree of interaction between the people involved, to find new solutions. The main knowledge integration mechanism is group problem-solving. Knowledge is jointly accumulated by sharing, combining, and creating new knowledge in open processes. In these cases, a profound level of trust is required. When integrating supplier knowledge in innovation, management has to consider the possible and preferred outcome of the collaboration; it might be a commercial deal to provide for a temporary access to knowledge, or it might be a long-term alliance, where joint learning is an aim. In the first case, a traditional NPD process with clear specifications, using sequencing and technological interfaces, will be adequate. In the second case, focus should be on interpersonal problem solving between trustworthy individuals.

The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of Gen Z’s structure in the buying decision-making process and how they value environmental sustainability within the fashion industry. In this context, the following research questions was formulated: (1) What structure does the buyer decision-making process follow for Gen Z when it comes to apparel shopping? (2) How does Gen Z value environmental sustainability when buying apparel?    Theories used in the literature review have included the main concepts of sustainability in the fashion industry, the buyer decision-making process and Gen Z. In order to clarify the relationship between the main concepts a conceptual framework was presented, which together with the theoretical framework was used to analyse the empirical data. The empirical data of this study refers to the collection of multiple interviews with individuals born between 1996-2002. By following a qualitative research method an understanding of Gen Z´s shopping behaviour and whether they are affected by environmental issues was collected. With regard to the concept being a relatively unexplored area in the business research, this thesis is based on a deductive research approach. It was concluded that the Gen Z does not follow the traditional structure of the buyer decision-making process and do not value environmental sustainability when buying apparel. Finally, the minority purchasing sustainable apparel have a higher involvement in their buyer decision-making process due to their motivation towards sustainable choices.

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ABSTRACT Demographic forces in the U.S. economy can be expected to have a significant impact on the behavior of small business owners, particularly as it relates to their ownership transitions and exiting from their privately held firms (the development of “harvest” strategies). The ability of business owners to identify entity value and communicate this to the market (market signaling) could be a key determinant in maximizing sellers’ payouts at the dispositions of their businesses. Historically, payouts have been maximized through transactions with strategic buyers, who have pre-existing knowledge of the seller’s industry or market thereby permitting rapid value accretion for buyers. However, a current unprecedented level of capital available in the private equity market has created a sea of financial buyers who, despite having available capital, may not have the industry or firm specific knowledge which permits the rapid value accretion in an acquisition as it would a strategic buyer. In turn, seller payouts may be suppressed because of selling to financial buyers. The primary focus of this paper is to explore how sellers view the differences between the two types of buyers and the implications for seller payouts. More broadly, it addresses the importance of market signaling and its impact on seller payouts. / Business Administration/Entrepreneurship

Background: Social media influencers (SMI’s) can influence the consumers’ decisions by sending out social signals through social functions which social media platforms enable. These social functions SMI’s as well as consumers use, could be for example through sharing content; having a conversation; developing relationships with like-minded individuals; or it could also be used for sending out social signals, such as identity, presence or reputation. SMI’s can play a significant role when it comes to consumers' buying decision process, thus makes it important to research on how the consumers’ buyer decision process potentially could be influenced and therefore shaped, as the staticity of the buyer decision process, hence the five stages, might change depending upon what it is combined with and in regards to what consumer audience. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how the consumers’ buyer decision process is influenced by social media influencers from the consumers’ perspective. Methodology: This research has been taking advantage of the qualitative research approach in an explanatory nature. As the empirical material had to become thick, subjective and from a consumer's point of view, this research included unstructured interviews allowing the interviews to become conversational-like, thus giving the respondents the chance to control and steer the topics within the scope. Aide-mémoaire’s were used if the interviews developed a complete wrong direction, steering the conversation back. The unstructured interviews included 6 females between the ages of 20-30 years old, this selection were made with purposive sampling method. Findings: This bachelor thesis identified four different factors that were influencing the consumer's buyer decision process, namely, characteristics, trust, risk and drivers. Conclusion: Concluding the thesis, four different factors were found having an influence upon the consumers buyer decision process while being exposed to an SMI. These four factors further played different roles in different stages of the buyer decision process, which is important for companies, brands, marketers and SMIs to observe. Keywords: Buyer Decision Process, SMI’s, Social Media Influencers, Influence

Background: To many customers, prices are mundane; however, marketers engage in casuistry to purport their product as superior to others by enticing prices. Prices are the most susceptible variable in the Marketing Mix. The thesis posits a discussion on whether marketers should change pricing techniques depending on if they want to launch a (new) sugar-sweetened beverage in Eastern or Western Europe. Not a plethora of research has been written on this topic, which is why this thesis agog to find out which pricing strategies or strategy they should use when they enter Eastern or/and Western Europe with (new) sugar-sweetened beverages. The three quintessence of price-setting methods this paper exerts and later reflects painstakingly in the analysis chapter are penetration pricing, price skimming, and prestige pricing. Sugar-sweetened beverages were chosen as a central topic of interviews as the great majority of the population consumes sugar- sweetened beverages. All participants could form their opinion on the issue by dint of this aspect.  Method: Qualitative method was chosen for the thesis. The qualitative method opens more room for insights and in-depth discussions with the participants. Seven individuals from Eastern and Western Europe were enquired to answer the questions can be found in the appendix.  Results: The results reflect that it is worth ruminating to marketers to use different pricing strategies in Eastern and Western Europe based on the answers gathered. Besides, the interviews also shed light on how complexly customers view the price and the differences within Europe based on regions. Despite some differences, many similarities were also found in the individuals' perceptions. Lastly, publishing the result, the thesis also aims to draw on how one individual's perceptions change with time and the circumstances that influence it.  Conclusions: From the findings, it might be possible to extrapolate which pricing strategy marketers should use to enter Eastern and Western Europe with a (new) sugar-sweetened beverage. The outcome of the interviews reflects that Eastern European individuals who were interviewed are dismissive of price skimming; meanwhile, the asked Western Europeans were dismissive about penetration pricing and prestige pricing in the context of sugar-sweetened beverages.

In this research, we explore the impact of international buyer-supplier relationships on sustainability practices in the Ready-Made Garments (RMG) industry, concentrating specifically on the context of Bangladesh. The root of this investigation centers around unpacking the influence of global business interconnectivity on operational approaches at the supplier juncture, with a specific emphasis on sustainability. Two core research queries were set as the guiding posts for this investigation: (1) What is the impact of international buyer-supplier relationships on sustainable practices in the RMG sector of Bangladesh? and (2) How do different types of buyer-supplier relationships influence this impact? Drawing from the theoretical discourse, the study ventured to hypothesize those certain elements of international buyer-supplier relationships - the relational dynamics, enduring alliances, and the commitment of international buyers to sustainability - have a positive bearing on sustainable practices within the Bangladeshi RMG industry. To provide empirical support to these assumptions, a quantitative study involving 66 managers working within Bangladesh's RMG industry was undertaken. Utilizing covariance-based descriptive statistics as our analytical tool, we proceeded to examine the validity of our hypotheses. The findings provided a resounding confirmation, highlighting that attributes like trust, commitment, open communication, and long-term partnerships favorably influence the incorporation of sustainable practices. Moreover, it was observed that the commitment of international buyers to sustainability, demonstrated through the enforcement of standards and initiatives to support suppliers, has a substantial influence on suppliers' operational strategies, elbowing them towards the adoption of sustainable and ethical business practices. These insights shed light on how international buyer-supplier relationships impact global trading dynamics and underscore the intensifying significance of sustainability in modern business ethics. This research extends the theoretical discourse on international business, supply chain management, and sustainability. Additionally, it offers pragmatic insights for managers operating within Bangladesh's RMG industry, accentuating the necessity to cultivate enduring, trust- centric relationships with international buyers and to align their operational strategies with the global shift towards sustainable business practices.

Purpose: This study aims to advance the organizational buying literature, by examining buyer burnout and its consequences. Specifically, the sequencing of multi-faceted organizational buyer burnout is established and the impact of each dimension on job satisfaction, job performance, affective organizational commitment and turnover intentions is accessed. The current research is accomplished through the development and examination of competing models and hypothesis testing. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of 125 business-to-business buyers were surveyed using established scale items. The study examines a series of competing models and outcomes of the facets of burnout through the use of covariance-based structural equation modeling. In addition, indirect, direct and total effects were examined. Findings: First, this study supports that researchers should examine burnout, as a multi-faceted construct within the organizational buyer context, using the Lewin and Sager model. Second, findings strongly indicate that gaps exist in the current boundary spanner research, given that the majority of this research stream only examines a single aspect, emotional exhaustion, of burnout and fails to account for the impact of both the personal accomplishment and depersonalization facets of burnout. Further, the impact of personal accomplishment is highlighted, given its total effects on examined outcomes. Originality/value: This study extends the Lewin and Sager model beyond a sales context and finds that each facet of burnout impacts the outcome variables to varying degrees. The total impact of personal accomplishment is highlighted, given that researchers often omit this facet from their investigations.