The two primary objectives for this thesis are (1) to understand the effectiveness of different types of mobile phone based advertisements and (2) to identify if the amount of time users spent viewing an advertisement can be used as a measure of advertising effectiveness. To achieve these objectives, this study first conducted qualitative studies consisting of a focus group with consumers and an interview with a mobile advertising technology provider. Qualitative study results identified the following variables of interest; vividness of the advertisement, product involvement, and consumer goals. Supported by existing literature on advertising, these variables were then used to develop a conceptual model outlining the relationship between the variables and measures of advertising effectiveness. To empirically examine this model, this study conducted a 3x2x4 experiment of high, medium and low advertisement mode vividness, high and low product involvement and four stages of pre-purchase consumer goals. A total of 288 responses were collected from a student sample from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. The dependence relationships outlined in the conceptual model were then analysed using ANCOVA, logistic regression, linear regression, and various other non-parametric analysis techniques. The results of this study suggest that level of advertisement mode vividness and product involvement both exert a strong influence on the effectiveness of the advertisement. However, results on consumer goals suggest that the effectiveness of the advertisement is only affected by whether a consumer goal existed before viewing the advertisement. This study was unable to identify any relationship between the effectiveness of an advertisement and the amount of time users spent viewing an advertisement on a mobile phone.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Child malnutrition contributes to more than 33% of child deaths and is directly related to the productivity and success of the adult population. To combat these stark figures, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals set out to halve levels of malnutrition by 2015. While recent U.N. reports indicate that many countries are on track to reach the MDGs, there may be sub-populations within these countries that do not fair as well. The purpose of this study is to provide a comparative analysis of the nutritional status of children younger than five years of age in the Dominican Republic and the Dominican Batey sub-population. This comparison will be based on stunting levels, reportedly the best indicator of child malnutrition, as it indicates sustained levels of nutritional deficiency. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the 2007 Dominican Republic Standard and Special Demographic Health Surveys involving 11,149 Dominican children and 919 children from Dominican Bateyes, respectively, were used. Version 20 of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to conduct descriptive statistics, analysis of variance tests, and independent samples T-test using selected socio-demographic variables. RESULTS: A significant difference in height-for-age (stunting) was identified between Bateyes (M= -83.52, SD =134.783) and the general population (M = -51.88, SD = 134.576; t (10,032) = -6.301, p = .00, two-tailed). Study findings indicate that overall, children under five years of age who reside in Dominican Bateyes are more malnourished than their Dominican counterparts (15.9% in Bateyes as opposed to 10.8% in the general population). Furthermore, Batey children are .34 times more moderately stunted, and one time more severely stunted, than children who reside in other areas of the Dominican Republic. CONCLUSION: While the Dominican Republic is on track to meet MDG Goal 1, a significant portion of the population does not fair as well. The substantial underlying differences that exist between the Dominican the Batey sub-population have led to higher rates of stunting and require further analysis. The findings of this study should guide the design of appropriate interventions aimed at reduction of malnutrition within Batey communities. KEY WORDS: stunting, malnutrition, children, Dominican Republic, Batey, Millennium Development Goals

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Inspired by the precedence of eradicating worldwide poverty and the unresolved discussion how to solve this problem, this paper attempts to illustrate how microfinance by the Grameen Bank can alleviate poverty beyond the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). These goals are arguably limited by the use of poverty lines and may not reflect the true level of poverty beyond quantifications. Microfinance has become a top choice for bottom-up poverty alleviation despite mixed effects over past decades. In this regard, this study seeks to explore how microfinance as a bottom-up approach to development can widen and enhance social opportunities beyond quantifications and the MDG for poor people. Guided by an explorative case study design qualitative interviews with Grameen Bank staff and borrowers were conducted in rural villages in the divisions of Tangail and Manikganj in the surrounding areas of Dhaka. Three primary stakeholders were identified for further empirical enquiry: (1) poor people and households, (2) children and students, and (3) extremely poor people or beggars. The research revealed that microfinance can alleviate poverty and enhance economic as well as social opportunities for poor people to a certain extent. In terms of economic opportunity enhancement microfinance can lead to stimulation of business sectors and village economy, increased purchasing power and general access to financial services otherwise inaccessible for poor people. With regards to social opportunities, microfinance may lead to increased choice to pursue what one desires, women empowerment, instrumental value, change in living conditions, decreased availability of household workers, increased opportunities for beggars and access to healthcare. However, the level of effectiveness of poverty intervention and opportunity enhancement varies among the groups of people explored: (1) poor people and households and (2) children and students can enhance their opportunities relatively more effectively compared to (3) extremely poor people or beggars.

Interpersonal conflict, a process involving perceptions of differences and opposition, is often an undesired but inevitable consequence of interaction between individuals. Multiple goals (internal representations of desired states) can be present in interpersonal conflict. Past studies identify four major categories of conflict-related goals: content goals, relationship goals, identity goals, and process goals; the last three may be classified together as social goals. Several hypotheses were tested in an online experiment in which adult members of evangelical churches (N = 276) imagined themselves in various church-related conflict situations. Participants were assigned to one of two conditions; in one condition, participants read scenarios where their content goals were achieved and in the other condition, participants read scenarios where their content goals were not achieved. Each participant read a series of three scenarios involving the different types of social goals. For each of the three scenarios, they imagined how satisfied they would be with two different outcomes. In the first outcome, in addition to achieving or not achieving their content goal (depending on the condition), they did not achieve the social goal that was made salient (e.g., the relationship is damaged or they lose face); in the second outcome, they achieved this social goal. In addition, participants completed individual difference measures of dominance, sociability, face threat sensitivity, and justice sensitivity. This study found support for the hypothesis that the achievement of each type of conflict-related goal leads to greater satisfaction with the conflict outcome than not achieving the goal. It also found support for the hypothesis that the achievement of two conflict-related goals (specifically, a content goal and a social goal) interact to lead to greater satisfaction with the conflict outcome beyond the main effects of achieving each goal individually. Additionally, this study tested hypotheses that individual differences (dominance, sociability, face threat sensitivity, and justice sensitivity) moderate the relationship between conflict-related goal achievement and conflict outcome satisfaction. Support was only found for the hypothesis that individuals higher in sociability report greater differences in satisfaction when their relationship goals are achieved (relative to not achieved) than those who score lower in sociability. The results imply that, when both a content goal and a social goal are present, disputants are especially satisfied when both goals are achieved. Exploratory analyses also indicated females, younger adults, and people with greater church involvement responded more strongly to achieving goals than males, older adults, and those with less church involvement. This information can be used by disputants, negotiators, and mediators who are concerned about maximizing joint outcomes.

The Arctic region has not been a topic of discussion or a reason for a conflict in the past, but with the development of environmental issues which has resulted in melting of the ice, so has the interest for the region developed. This has resulted in a conflict over the area, with five countries as main actors. This paper investigates the five main actors’ goals with increased influence in the area, using the thoughts of Rational Actor Model, with states as utility-maximizing actors and foreign policy as the expression of national interest. Furthermore the paper investigates the means of getting to the goal, what kind of tools they use.The paper shows that all of the countries are interested in the economically benefits that are buried under the melting ice and the short cuts in sea routes that will be a possibility to use ones the ice melt more. It is also revealed that there is a security concern when the region is more accessible. The main tools that the countries use to get the influence that they wish are military and diplomacy means.

Performance management and goal attainment are two subjects over which thousands of books and articles have been written. The manufacturing sector in South Africa is competitive and companies have to continuously strive to better themselves to meet the ever changing requirements of their customers. What is important to the company of today is that the goals and strategies must be reviewed on a regular basis. The question that can now be asked, is the following: How can corporate goals be attained through the management of the company's performance? The purpose of this study is to establish how companies achieve their set goals through the management of their performance. The focus was not only placed on the financial indicators of performance, but also placed on how the companies manage their non-financial performance. In the current competitive environment in which manufacturing companies find themselves, the importance of non-financial performance has increased to the same level as financial performance. Empirical research was performed by means of a questionnaire and interviews in order to determine how companies operate to achieve their set goals and to arrive at conclusions and recommendations based on this research. It was found that companies give the same amount of attention to the financial and non-financial indicators of performance, but that there is room for improvement in the use of non-financial indicators. There was also found that companies achieve their set goals through the use of performance management. / Thesis (M.Com. (Management Accounting))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

In this thesis, I proposed that individuals high in relative autonomy toward exercise would make fewer excuses for personal goal failures and that endorsement of certain types of excuses would foster commitment/internalization toward exercise, limiting future excuse-making. Excuses were expected to vary in effectiveness at removing culpability and enhancing commitment. In 3 studies, relative autonomy was measured or primed. Participants considered past personal goal failures, and sometimes provided excuses, and in one study, participants received expert excuse tolerant/intolerant feedback. Contrary to predictions, excuse-making was similar across all levels of relative autonomy. The results showed, however, that (a) some excuses effectively remove culpability for failure and maintain commitment to exercise goals; (b) such excuses are used more frequently than their less effective counterparts and that this selective may be stronger for those high in relative autonomy toward exercise; and (c) an excuse-tolerant social environment can foster commitment/internalization of exercise goals.

Abstract Past research has shown that motivation is an important predictor of goal-related behaviors. Sheldon and Elliot (1999) proposed the Self-Concordance Model (SCM), to distinguish between personal goals that reflect intrinsic interests and values (self-concordant goals) and personal goals that are pursued because of self-imposed and social pressures (self-discordant goals). Another important motivational construct is self-efficacy, people’s beliefs in their capabilities to exercise control over their level of functioning and their environment (Bandura, 1996). Self-efficacy has been shown to predict goal attainment and well-being as people who are self-efficacious put more effort and commitment towards their goals (Koestner, Horberg, Gaudreau, Powers, Di Dio, Bryan, Jochum & Salter, 2006). Despite the unique contribution of self-concordance and self-efficacy, little is known about their combined effects. I performed a study with 135 university students to investigate whether two self-regulatory processes could in fact be better than one. Results using hierarchical regression analyses indicated that self-efficacy did moderate the relationship between self-concordance and the outcome variables. Self-concordance was associated with greater well-being and goal progress for those high on self-efficacy (β = .21, p < .05; β = .33, p < .01) while negatively relating to well-being and goal progress for those low on self-efficacy (β = -.22, p = .07; β = -.19, p > .05 ). It appears that two motivational processes combined, self-concordance and self-efficacy, are in fact better than one.

Performance management and goal attainment are two subjects over which thousands of books and articles have been written. The manufacturing sector in South Africa is competitive and companies have to continuously strive to better themselves to meet the ever changing requirements of their customers. What is important to the company of today is that the goals and strategies must be reviewed on a regular basis. The question that can now be asked, is the following: How can corporate goals be attained through the management of the company's performance? The purpose of this study is to establish how companies achieve their set goals through the management of their performance. The focus was not only placed on the financial indicators of performance, but also placed on how the companies manage their non-financial performance. In the current competitive environment in which manufacturing companies find themselves, the importance of non-financial performance has increased to the same level as financial performance. Empirical research was performed by means of a questionnaire and interviews in order to determine how companies operate to achieve their set goals and to arrive at conclusions and recommendations based on this research. It was found that companies give the same amount of attention to the financial and non-financial indicators of performance, but that there is room for improvement in the use of non-financial indicators. There was also found that companies achieve their set goals through the use of performance management. / Thesis (M.Com. (Management Accounting))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.