Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Food security is the ability to secure an adequate daily supply of food that is affordable, hygienic and nutritious and it has become a chronic development problem in most urban areas of the global South. This thesis contributes to the urban food security debate by exploring the connection between drought and food security in urban Swaziland. Specifically, the study examines the effects of the 2015/16 drought on access to food in the informal settlement of kaKhoza in the city of Manzini. The study used climate change and food security conceptual framework to interrogate the connection between drought and food security in the urban context. The framework shows how climate change variables like extreme weather events (e.g. drought) impact food security drivers such as agricultural management, demographic, cultural and socio-economic variables, and how these drivers impact the four components of food security (food availability, access, utilization and stability of access). The study drew from both the positivistic and interpretivistic paradigms and adopted a case study approach based on the mixed methods research design. Data was collected from the informal settlement of kaKhoza using a three step procedure involving a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. A questionnaire was administered to 145 heads of households using systematic sampling technique. Purposive sampling was employed to select 30 and 8 respondents for in-depth and key informant interviews, respectively. The researcher also engaged the observation method approach to capture additional information about effects of drought as observed in the study site. The researcher adhered to all legal and ethical procedures during the data collection and research writing processes. As such, participation in the research was strictly voluntary without any form of coercion, whatsoever. The results reveal that drought contributes to food insecurity in low income urban spaces by reducing the quantity and frequency of free or low priced rural-urban food transfers. As a result, low income households have had to rely more on food purchases, thereby making them increasingly food insecure. The problem is compounded by reverse food flows from urban to rural areas. The drought induced food price hike, compelled many low-income households to be less dependent on the supermarket as the main source of their food, and to buy increased amounts of food from the vegetable markets and tuck shops. Residents employ different coping mechanisms to deal with drought induced food shortage, some of which are too risky and further expose them to food insecurity. These coping strategies include: skipping meals, begging, use of informal credit, over reliance on informal markets and selling of sexual favours, which expose respondents to HIV and AIDS infection.

A DISSERTATION Submitted in full fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF COMMERCE (Marketing) at the UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND 2016 / In the retail sphere of coffee shops, the increase in competition has led retailers to revert to alternative methods of capturing the attention of customers. By means of multi-sensory branding, retailers aim to stimulate consumers‟ emotions towards a brand, which ultimately influences buying behaviour. Although the success of multi-sensory branding is still relatively low, there seems to be an increased awareness of involving the five senses into the retail sphere. Its successful implementation can help marketers benefit financially through increased sales, profits and market share. The purpose of the present study is therefore to fill this void by exploring the effect of multi-sensory branding on purchase intention at coffee shops in Johannesburg. For the purpose of this study, the five senses (sight, touch, taste, smell and sound) are the predictor variables, with customer satisfaction as the mediating variable, and purchase intention as the outcome variable. Despite a number of studies that have been conducted in this field, little research has focused on the South African coffee shop industry, which is gaining increased attraction from global investors. This study follows a quantitative approach in which 400 surveys were distributed among male and female students at University of the Witwatersrand to explore the influence of multi-sensory branding on purchase intention at coffee shops. Although the findings indicate that all six proposed hypotheses are supported, the strongest relationships were found to be between customer satisfaction and sound, taste, and smell respectively. Thus indicating that sound, taste and smell have the most significant influence on customer satisfaction. Likewise, customer satisfaction has a significant influence on purchase intention. The contribution of this paper is firstly, to expand the contextual knowledge multi-sensory branding and its factors that are used to influence consumer purchase intentions. Secondly, it will add to existing literature on multi-sensory branding. Theoretically, it also contributes to the consumer behaviour literature in marketing and retail branding. Lastly, the investigation completed on the influences of purchase intentions, provides marketing practitioners with a proper understanding of techniques and strategies that can be employed to influence buying behaviour through manipulation of multiple sensory cues. / MT2017

Vietnamese food stores are located all over the Czechia and are often the only option for food purchases in non-metropolitan areas. This dissertation is focused on the study of Vietnamese retail in the context of the problems of serviceability of small towns and rural settlements in the Czechia. One of the main goals of this dissertation is to verify whether Vietnamese businesses are one of the ways to save the ever-falling rural service functions. Considering that the issue of rural service provision is an extensive topic, the work only yields partial results that will need to be verified in further studies. The introductory sections analyze the processes of Vietnamese migration into our country and subsequently characterize the development of retail. The next part focuses on the operation of Vietnamese retail where structured interviews conducted within the research serve as a main source of information. The quantitative part of the research focuses on the issue of the distribution of shops, and, in the empirical part, using questionnaire the functioning of the Zásmuky retail trade with a focus on Vietnamese food stores is assessed. The analysis shows that Vietnamese food stores are one of the solutions to maintaining business in rural communities. Due to the efficiency of their operation, which...

Com base em dados etnográficos de pesquisa realizada em alfaiatarias de Curitiba, este trabalho explora as habilidades e técnicas associadas ao processo de confecção de roupas sob medida tratando de compreender como gestos, materiais e instrumentos de trabalho atuam entre si produzindo não apenas roupas, mas também as habilidades dos próprios alfaiates e os corpos de seus respectivos clientes. A reflexão se dedica a investigação dessas práticas como processos de produção de conhecimento e está afinada com as proposições que repensam a relação entre o homem e a matéria. O eixo central da observação segue a sugestão de Tim Ingold (2013) de que o fazer é um processo de correspondência entre o fazedor e material, e não de imposição ou de aplicação de um conhecimento prévio. Sugere-se que, nos engajamentos estabelecidos entre ternos, alfaiates e clientes, aperfeiçoa-se, ao mesmo tempo, o corpo do cliente, que é modelado pela roupa sob medida adquirida, e as capacidades do alfaiate, que são constituídas pela roupa sob medida fornecida e pelas relações que estabelecem a partir da alfaiataria. Pretende-se, ao final, contribuir para o entendimento das transformações recentes deste campo de trabalho, em especial no que diz respeito ao surgimento de novas formas de praticar a alfaiataria. / Based on ethnographic research data from Curitiba\'s tailors, this work explores the skills and techniques associated with the tailoring process, with the goal of understanding to understand how gestures, materials and work tools interact with each other producing not only clothes, but also the tailors themselves and the bodies of their respective clients. Reflection is devoted on the investigation of these practices as processes of knowledge production, and is in tune with the propositions that rethink the relationship between man and matter. The central axis of observation follows the suggestion of Tim Ingold (2013) that doing is a process of correspondence between the maker and material, not imposition or application of prior knowledge. It is suggested that the client\'s body and the tailor\'s capabilities are modeled by tailor-made clothing in the compromises established between suits, tailors and clients. In the end, it is intended to contribute to the understanding of the recent transformations of this field of work, especially with regard to the emergence of new ways of practicing tailoring.

Le développement de l’hypermobilité dans les territoires périurbains et ruraux situés à l’ombre des villes moyennes bretonnes génère de nouveaux besoins de la part des consommateurs en matière de réalisations d’achats. Les commerçants, en premier lieu la grande distribution qui se développe dans ces espaces, vont donc essayer d’apporter une réponse à ces demandes. La tendance y est donc à la transformation des supermarchés en petits hypermarchés dans les périphéries des principales localités et à la diffusion des drives aux principaux carrefours. Cet essor du commerce de transit favorisé par les politiques des communes et de leurs intercommunalités en matière de créations de zones commerciales périphériques contribue à fragiliser encore plus les magasins des centres des petites villes et des bourgs déjà pénalisés par leurs positions géographiques et le manque d’innovation de leurs gérants. Les pouvoirs publics vont donc être confrontés à des problématiques de désertification commerciale. Dans les petites villes les réponses s’effectueront par la mise en place de politiques contractuelles entre la Municipalité, l’intercommunalité, la Région voire, dans des cas plus exceptionnels, l’Etat. Confrontés au mille-feuilles administratif, les autres communes ne bénéficieront bien souvent d’aucune aide lors de la réalisation de leurs actions. Ainsi, dans les gros bourgs, ce sont des opérations menées en régie qui permettent, dans les couronnes les plus rurales, de maintenir un appareil commercial composé du trinôme café – boulangerie – supérette, ou à proximité du pôle urbain de le développer en y permettant l’implantation de nouveaux magasins. Dans les communes les plus rurales, plus isolées mais aussi moins peuplées, les Muncipalités, parfois aidées de citoyens – consommateurs vont œuvrer pour la sauvegarde du dernier bar du bourg grâce à la création de multiservices communaux. / Periurban territories are subject twice to the decline of rural territories and to a metropolitan area spatial growth in connection with the development of mobility. Consequently they are experiencing a significant change in their purchasing practices and in their commercial equipment. Historical shopping centers are disappeared in favor of new stores more urbans and more connected. Among them the drive in shops who set themselves up along the main roads and their intersections. Nevertheless institutional or alternative dynamics are also at the origin of the creation of new more “traditional” stores.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING / Bibliography: leaves 164-168. / by Joseph Githu Kimemia. / Ph.D.

<p>Title: Customer Satisfaction toward TrueMove Customer Service</p><p>Problem Statement: How are TrueMove customers satisfied with the customer service provided at TrueMove shops in Bangkok?</p><p>Purpose: To evaluate “whether” and “how” TrueMove customers are satisfied or dissatisfied with the customer service provided at TrueMove shops in the Bangkok region with the help of evaluation of service quality by customers of the shop.</p><p>Theory and Methods: The research bases mainly on quantitative method; that is questionnaire method. The Service Quality Gap which aims to measure the customer satisfaction by comparing their expectation and perception of service after experiencing the service serves as the theoretical framework for the research. Moreover SERVQUAL dimensions covering Reliability, Assurance, Empathy, Responsiveness and Tangibles are used in the further development of theory and modeling of the questionnaires for this research.</p><p>Conclusion: TrueMove customers are not yet fully satisfied with customer service provided at the TrueMove shops in Bangkok region. The service quality perceived cannot yet meet the expectation of customers in any SERVQUAL Dimensions.</p><p>Recommendations: The issue of reliability in service aspect needs to be dealt with an overhaul of systems and routines while other aspects of service call for equipping employees with required knowledge. A focus on specific services to the target group of customers also needs to be established.</p>

Title: Customer Satisfaction toward TrueMove Customer Service Problem Statement: How are TrueMove customers satisfied with the customer service provided at TrueMove shops in Bangkok? Purpose: To evaluate “whether” and “how” TrueMove customers are satisfied or dissatisfied with the customer service provided at TrueMove shops in the Bangkok region with the help of evaluation of service quality by customers of the shop. Theory and Methods: The research bases mainly on quantitative method; that is questionnaire method. The Service Quality Gap which aims to measure the customer satisfaction by comparing their expectation and perception of service after experiencing the service serves as the theoretical framework for the research. Moreover SERVQUAL dimensions covering Reliability, Assurance, Empathy, Responsiveness and Tangibles are used in the further development of theory and modeling of the questionnaires for this research. Conclusion: TrueMove customers are not yet fully satisfied with customer service provided at the TrueMove shops in Bangkok region. The service quality perceived cannot yet meet the expectation of customers in any SERVQUAL Dimensions. Recommendations: The issue of reliability in service aspect needs to be dealt with an overhaul of systems and routines while other aspects of service call for equipping employees with required knowledge. A focus on specific services to the target group of customers also needs to be established.

discrete parts manufacturing industries. We are motivated by the production environment of Roketsan Missiles Industries Incorporation, operating at Turkish defense industry. Our objective is to minimize the total weighted completion times of the jobs in the system. We formulate the problem as a mixed integer linear program and find that our model could find optimal solutions only to small sized problem instances. For medium and large sized problem instances, we develop heuristic algorithms with high quality approximate solutions in reasonable solution time. Our proposed heuristic algorithm has hierarchical approach and benefits from optimization models and priority rules. We improve the heuristic method via best move with non-blocking strategy and design several experiments to test the performances. Our computational results have revealed that proposed heuristic algorithm can find high quality solutions to large sized instances very quickly.

Presented in the creative project is a full advertising campaign for Collegienne Shops, a department store located in Muncie, Indiana adjacent to the campus of Ball State University. The campaign utilized a newly developed logo together with new color schemes and concepts to create a new image for the store. The goal of this new image was to attract younger, college aged customers, while continuing to appeal to the traditionally affluent, older clientele, with no large adjustments in the store's product lines.The new logo, color schemes and concepts of the advertising campaign, coupled with new store interior displays and exterior modifications were calculated to present a new image for Collegienne Shops, apart from that of its parent company, Ball Stores [of Muncie]. Currently the store markets the same line of women's clothing and accessories as Ball Stores, and projects a decidedly similar image through its advertisements and in-store atmosphere.The new logo and design concepts were incorporated into the company letterhead, a business card, an envelope, a tractor-trailer truck, a shopping bag, T-shirts, packaging designs, posters and numerous print ads.Also developed was a complete concept for a television commercial, along with novelty and point of purchase items, premiums, as well as interior displays and exterior modifications, including a design for a large sculpture for the store's sidewalk.The project is presented in manual form to share the experience and assist other students with their own graphic design projects.