This dissertation presents three separate studies designed to provide structure and evidence-based insight into the characteristics associated with responsible drinking. First, a primer on the responsible drinking message will be presented discussing: (a) the origins and evolution of this message, (b) alcohol product advertisements evincing a responsible drinking prevention message, and (c) practical and ethical concerns associated with brewer-sponsored responsible drinking campaigns. Additionally, the primer will also present systematic reviews of twenty (n=20) empirical studies utilizing the responsible drinking concept to determine the manner in which researchers currently conceptualize and explain characteristics of responsible drinking in their reports. Secondly, a qualitative examination of college students’ beliefs, motivations, intentions, and behaviors regarding responsible drinking will be presented. Employing an emergent design, the data collection process encompassed four focus group sessions and three separate, personal interviews. The final sample size comprised thirteen individuals (Focus Group n=10; Personal Interview n=3). A conceptual model will also be proposed to assist in interpreting the qualitative findings and theorizing about factors influencing intentions to drink responsibly. Lastly, drawing upon the theoretical model and qualitative findings, the development and rigorous psychometric testing of a web-based instrument - Characteristics of Responsible Drinking Survey (CHORDS) – will be discussed. Zoomerang™ served as the host-site for both the pilot- and final testing phases of the CHORDS. The final sample (n=729) comprised a random set of individuals drawn from all currently enrolled students (undergraduate and graduate) attending Texas A&M University (TAMU) in College Station. Principal components exploratory factor analysis revealed the CHORDS consists of five scales (61 total items) whose scores exhibit high internal consistency reliability. These scales include: Behavioral Beliefs, Motivation, Self-Efficacy, Barriers and Behavioral Intention. Scales were found to measure the same underlying construct, as outlined in the theoretical model. Prior to this study, scientific literature contained no scholarly attempts to distinguish responsible drinking characteristics; no theoretically-based explanation or examination of the interactions among responsible drinking variables; and no instruments expressly intended to measure responsible drinking intentions. Thus, this study represents the first step toward addressing the limitations associated with responsible drinking and filling the apparent conceptual gaps.

This dissertation presents three separate studies designed to provide structure and evidence-based insight into the characteristics associated with responsible drinking. First, a primer on the responsible drinking message will be presented discussing: (a) the origins and evolution of this message, (b) alcohol product advertisements evincing a responsible drinking prevention message, and (c) practical and ethical concerns associated with brewer-sponsored responsible drinking campaigns. Additionally, the primer will also present systematic reviews of twenty (n=20) empirical studies utilizing the responsible drinking concept to determine the manner in which researchers currently conceptualize and explain characteristics of responsible drinking in their reports. Secondly, a qualitative examination of college students’ beliefs, motivations, intentions, and behaviors regarding responsible drinking will be presented. Employing an emergent design, the data collection process encompassed four focus group sessions and three separate, personal interviews. The final sample size comprised thirteen individuals (Focus Group n=10; Personal Interview n=3). A conceptual model will also be proposed to assist in interpreting the qualitative findings and theorizing about factors influencing intentions to drink responsibly. Lastly, drawing upon the theoretical model and qualitative findings, the development and rigorous psychometric testing of a web-based instrument - Characteristics of Responsible Drinking Survey (CHORDS) – will be discussed. Zoomerang™ served as the host-site for both the pilot- and final testing phases of the CHORDS. The final sample (n=729) comprised a random set of individuals drawn from all currently enrolled students (undergraduate and graduate) attending Texas A&M University (TAMU) in College Station. Principal components exploratory factor analysis revealed the CHORDS consists of five scales (61 total items) whose scores exhibit high internal consistency reliability. These scales include: Behavioral Beliefs, Motivation, Self-Efficacy, Barriers and Behavioral Intention. Scales were found to measure the same underlying construct, as outlined in the theoretical model. Prior to this study, scientific literature contained no scholarly attempts to distinguish responsible drinking characteristics; no theoretically-based explanation or examination of the interactions among responsible drinking variables; and no instruments expressly intended to measure responsible drinking intentions. Thus, this study represents the first step toward addressing the limitations associated with responsible drinking and filling the apparent conceptual gaps.

MCOM / Department of Business Management / Increasingly, third-world countries are relying on ecotourism to boost their economies. Similar to other forms of tourism, ecotourism as a business initiative is perceived to contribute positively to economic development. However, tourism service providers generally do not deliver satisfactory services to ecotourists due to misunderstanding the segment’s needs and the customer traits. In emerging countries such as South Africa, which has a conducive economic environment for tourism businesses, some provincial departments such as the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism has set objectives to make the Limpopo province a preferred ecotourism destination. These have been propagated by service providers who passively participate in ecotourism yet claim to be ecotourism service providers. Moreover, the attitude of passiveness by service providers is derived from insufficient knowledge of the ecotourist. This set the foundation for the current study, which sought to provide detailed profiles of ecotourists in the Capricorn District Municipality in order to gain a clear understanding of the ecotourists visiting the Limpopo province. The study reviewed theoretical and empirical works conducted by tourism scholars. The study was developed on a descriptive research design and employed a quantitative approach. It made use of self-administered questionnaires with a sample of 295 participants selected from tourism establishments and attractions in the region, utilising convenience and purposive sampling methods respectively. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 24 and Microsoft Office Excel was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, cluster analysis and Chi-square tests were conducted to analyse the data of the study. The findings revealed demographic, psychographic and behavioural descriptors associated with the ecotourists in the Capricorn District Municipality. In addition, information sources preferred by ecotourists in the Capricorn District Municipality were identified. It is envisaged that the findings of the study will be of value to ecotourism service providers as they will provide a sound understanding of ecotourists and thereby help to deliver satisfactory ecotourist experiences. This will ultimately provide valuable input for the planning of the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in promoting the Limpopo province as a preferred ecotourism destination in South Africa.

Haiti’s advertising industry has sparked a lot of controversies within the nation in the past few years for its violations of ethics and disregard for the level of sophistication of its audience in its messages. At the local level, no legislation is set in place to protect this vulnerable population which, for the vast majority, is illiterate. Developed countries have established rules and legislation that protect consumers, particularly vulnerable consumers, from advertising’s potential harm. Little attention has been given to populations in developing countries, such as Haiti, where there is no control or regulation of advertising. In this paper, the author takes a look at the characteristics of the Haitian population and draws on examples from the local press and her direct experience as a professional in the field in order to illustrate the controversy that surrounds advertising in that country. The goal is to highlight the need for local practitioners to work towards industry guidelines that will allow for more responsible advertising in the country. / text

The four refereed journal articles and one government research report that form the core of this submission for a PhD represent my work in the subject area of institutional investment and responsible investing. The research, as a whole, has two major areas of focus. One area of focus is the behaviour of institutional investors. The research first examines different types of institutional investor and their demand for the characteristics of social and environmental performance within their equity portfolios. The research next examines the fund managers that institutional investors appoint to manage their assets. Attention is paid to the different locations of fund management as well as the features that determine the degree of competition between fund managers. The research examines these different fund management settings and the demand for the characteristics of social and environmental performance within their equity portfolios. A further issue investigated is whether different types of institutional investor pay greater attention to responsible investment when investing domestically than overseas. The second area of focus is the study of responsible investment based on grounded research methods. The main contributions are an assessment of how fund managers perceive that responsible investment achieves financial performance, the communication between fund managers and corporate directors for the purpose of responsible investment, the use of information and staff within responsible investment, and costs and charges associated with responsible investment. Both areas have contributed to policy debates and development, and have prompted other researchers to publish and undertake fieldwork. The commentary, which forms Part A of this submission, illustrates these features by reference to the five publications that are reproduced in their entirety in part B.

Published Article / The vision of CUT is to transform itself into a sustainable university, by incorporating sustainable development in its teaching, research and learning environment, and by maximizing and mainstreaming environmental, economic and social sustainability in all its operations and educational activities. For this reason it launched a sustainable development (SD) project in February 2011. This process is being managed by the Office of Technology and Innovation and executed according to a project plan, which is continually rolled-out as progress is being made with the project. This article is a brief summary of progress that has been made during the first year of implementation of the plan.

There has been a steadily growing concern by governments, NGO's and international agencies regarding the rising rate of consumption in industrialised countries. Despite warnings and evidence showing the relationship between rising consumption and climate change, and the uptake of initiatives and education at business and consumer levels, the trend towards consuming more and more continues unabated. Questions have been raised regarding the relationship between marketing and rising consumption. In line with this, the research will investigate the responsibility of marketing to encourage consumers to moderate their consumption behaviour.  The research will address three broad objectives:· To identify whether marketing professionals feel responsible for encouraging consumers to moderate their consumption· To identify and explain the reasons why marketers would encourage moderation of consumption· To understand the construct 'marketing responsibility to encourage moderation of consumption' and explain the influences upon the acceptance of responsibilityThe research adopted a mixed-methods design. Qualitative research methods were used to explore perceptions of responsibility and develop a typology of motivations to explain why marketers would encourage moderation. An online, quantitative survey (n=359) was conducted in the USA and UK in January 2011. The results evidenced an acceptance of responsibility which is suggestive of a changing role for the marketing discipline. The results found support for the typology of motivations which were developed during the qualitative phase of the research, in particular, highlighting the importance of ethical and cost-saving motivations. The level of environmentalism in the workplace, and in the private life of the marketer, was found to influence the acceptance of marketing responsibility to encourage moderation. Finally, the motivation to remain competitive was also associated with the acceptance of marketing responsibility. The acceptance of responsibility to encourage moderation of consumption highlights a changing role for marketing which could potentially signify far-reaching changes in practical terms, in the way marketing is taught, and in the public policy domain.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the function of the church as critic of society in the area of international relations. In order that the analysis will have some practical value as an evaluative tool, the goals of a particular nation, the United States, have been chosen as a specific context within which the criticism of the church regarding international affairs may be focused. The problem is basically concerned with analysis and application of the implications of the normative structure of the concept of the Responsible Society in the area of a responsible world community. Although many men have advanced elaborations and drawn forth implications of the concept formulated at Amsterdam, specifically Walter Muelder's contribution is considered in this dissertation, primarily because of its applicability in three areas: first, in the area of advancing the norms of the concept of the Responsible Society in an international context; second, in the context of a criticism of the specific goals of the United States regarding international relations policy; and third, as an evaluation of certain aspects of the church's witness regarding problems of war, peace, and disarmament. [TRUNCATED]

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The aim of this thesis is to test whether incorporating principles of responsible investment will have an impact on financial performance when investing in emerging markets. A developed market is included to bring up potential structural differences between emerging and developed markets. Principles of responsible investment suggested by the UN concerns environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. The financial performance of highly rated ESG portfolios was evaluated by using the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and the Fama French 3-factor model. Alpha has been used as the performance measurement. Results reveal that incorporating principles of responsible investment by using a best-in-class approach generates statistically significant and positive alphas in emerging markets, while the developed market of the U.S generates an insignificant alpha.