This thesis deals with the topic of internal outsourcing of mystery shopping management within the multinational company Ipsos. The company has currently set up a Global Support Center for mystery shopping in Prague. The Global Support Center is supposed to create shopper panels (i.e. groups of mystery shoppers available to conduct mystery shopping tasks in a given country) in as many countries as possible and manage mystery shopping projects in these countries from the Czech Republic. The goal of this thesis is to find the most suitable market for the shopper panel construction, the market where panel construction is a priority over other markets.After analysing the different markets worthy of consideration through an application of the CAGE analysis and the Porter´s Five Forces, France has been chosen as the most reasonable market to pursue when constructing the shopper panels.

The past decade has shown an unprecedented growth in the use of consumer credit facilities, specifically of store cards, in Botswana. Various factors may have attributed to this growth, e.g. the effect of globalization and the consequent introduction of materialistic values in Africa that instigated the desire to increase living standards; the introduction of sophisticated shopping centers and related retail facilities; fierce competition amongst retailers that motivated retailers to extend credit facilities to consumers across the socio economic spectrum. On the one hand retailers profit from high interest rates on credit accounts. On the other hand consumers are attracted to credit facilities through attractive benefits such as flexibility of payment and convenience of use. The quest for lavish consumption that is typical of our times, has increased the need for credit systems, especially those that are easy to obtain, such as store card accounts. Unfortunately the adoption and use of credit facilities may have harmful economic implications to consumers as well as the economy unless proper facilitation prior to the approval of credit accounts is exercised. This research investigated the factors that may encourage the adoption of store cards and describes the effect of store cards on consumer’s buyer behavior as well as their eventual satisfaction with store card facilities after prolonged use. The investigation was fundamentally constructed from primary data. The findings provide first hand insights on the use of store cards. The research was exploratory in nature and was conducted within a quantitative paradigm. Data was gathered with a questionnaire that was completed in interview format or under the supervision of the researcher. The primary data was statistically analyzed. Descriptive analysis was used to give an overview of the demographic data and responses to the main questions of the research. Inferential analysis was used to determine the relationships between store card attributes and the respondents’ satisfaction levels. Financial and convenience attributes of store cards were identified as the most important influences during a decision to adopt a store card. Additional benefits and special incentives are apparently not that important. Similarly marketing influences such as advertisements and persuasive influences of salespeople seemed of lesser importance. Respondents later indicated that they are not fully informed about the additional benefits that are associated with store cards and consequently indicated their dissatisfaction with these attributes. Dissatisfaction with these attributes (although they were apparently of lesser importance) affected the general mean satisfaction score for store cards negatively: the mean score of 18.91 out of a maximum of 30 is not impressive and presents retailers with much room for improvement. These results cannot be generalized due to the limited scope of the research. However, valuable insights can be used to structure a larger research project that involves store cardholders of various retail outlets. The findings as is can also be used by professionals in Consumer Science to educate consumers on credit management and to encourage informed, responsible buyer behaviour through proper budgeting and clear long term goals in terms of income and expenses. The findings may also contribute to existing theory on consumer credit. / Dissertation (MSc (Consumer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Consumer Science / MSc / MSc / unrestricted

The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of shopping mall developments on consumer behaviour in township areas. Local and international research indicated that shopping mall developments in low-income communities result in several benefits for consumers, such as convenient location; a larger variety of goods offered, lower prices than small retailers in the area and better quality of goods, amongst others. Studies also indicated that the choice of the preferred supermarket/shopping mall is not a rational decision based only on pricing, but on a compromise of satisfying economic, social and psychological needs. A two part mixed methodology, which employed both qualitative and quantitative methods, was adopted. This included semi-structured interviews with retail experts and interview-administered questionnaires with the primary retail shopper in the household. The sample population was Alexandra Township in Gauteng, South Africa. Findings revealed that low-income consumers prefer to shop from the closest shopping mall instead of small retailers/Spaza Shops because of the lower prices and a larger variety of goods offered. However, evidence suggested that consumers prefer to shop at a shopping mall that represents their desired lifestyle, therefore shopping mall developments in township areas, do not fulfil the social and aspirational needs of low-income consumers. For this reason, low-income consumers continue to purchase from malls in urban areas.</pCopyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / unrestricted

The contribution of this study based on the development of a cross-cultural universal framework, which is moderated by the culture dimension (uncertainty avoidance) and examines the factors influencing the individuals’ attitudes and behaviour and, ultimately, the individuals’ loyalty towards Internet banking across different countries (KSA and the UK). The study will contribute towards filling the gap in Internet banking literature by: 1) examining customers’ loyalty as a dependent variable of intention; 2) invariant acceptance of customers across the UK and KSA cultures; 3) and integration of the cultural dimension (i.e. uncertainty avoidance) and demographics (i.e. gender and experience) as factors of invariance across the groups. The framework is based on a number of constructs adopted from the validated theories in information systems (IS), psychology and marketing literature perspectives. Specifically from a psychology perspective, using Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) constructs, Attitude, Intention, Subjective Norms, Self-efficacy and Actual Behaviour (i.e. intention towards loyalty) were integrated. From a technological perspective, using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) constructs, Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use were integrated. Besides these constructs, the model also integrates constructs of privacy, security, communication, customers’ experience, Internet banking reputation, trust and loyalty from IS, as well as a marketing perspective. To examine the hypothetical relationships within the conceptual model, this study applied the positivist philosophical approach with quantitative methodology. Out of 1000 questionnaires distributed amongst undergraduate students in UK and KSA, 532 were useable, i.e. 53%. Due to the multilevel stages of the conceptual model, structural equation modelling (SEM), based on analysis of moment structure (AMOS), was applied to analyse the data. In addition, invariance analyses were applied to see the differences across the groups (i.e. moderation effect). Initially, sixteen hypotheses were developed in the model but due to the merger of three constructs (i.e. trust, security and privacy ) into one construct (i.e. trust), and the deletion of three constructs (i.e. communication, customers’ experience and Internet banking reputation) at the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) process, eleven hypotheses were finally retained for examination. The modification indices (MI) suggested three new paths, and hence, the addition of these new hypotheses brought the number up in total to fourteen hypotheses. The results suggest that the conceptualised model was able to fit with the data in both UK and KSA sample. Within the KSA sample, the model explained 45% variance in customer loyalty, but 60% in UK sample. From the path relationships perspectives, out of fourteen hypotheses ten were supported in the KSA and nine were supported in the UK. The results confirm the study’s argument that customer loyalty is the main construct of individuals’ behavioural intention to accept Internet banking. Within specific countries’ context, after behavioural intention, perceived ease of use was a more important predictor of loyalty in the KSA (i.e. b= 0.28); whereas perceived usefulness was a more important predictor of loyalty (i.e. b= 0.27) in the UK. Furthermore, it was noticed that subjective norm towards behavioural intention, perceived usefulness and ease of use was only significant in the KSA sample. The invariance analysis across the countries revealed significant differences between the KSA and the UK for nine hypotheses. Furthermore, invariance analysis also revealed significant differences across the cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance (i.e. high and low), and the demographical variable of gender (i.e. male and female). Contrary to this, no difference was found for the demographic variable of experience (i.e. high and low). Based on these results, theoretical and practical implications are advised.

The service sector in the world economy is growing and becomes increasingly important. It is widely recognised that the success and vitality of the service sector are the essential factors in measuring an economy’s progress, its quality and its future. Improving service quality is therefore considered an essential strategy for success and survival in today’s competitive economic environment. Small businesses are equally important for a country’s economy. They play an important role in the economic and social development of countries. The correct location for small businesses can contribute to their success and, many consider shopping centres as a good location for their businesses. The landlords however, have a huge impact on small business tenants’ success in shopping centres. Although landlords of shopping centres realise the importance of accommodating small independent businesses in their centres, it is argued that they are at a competitive disadvantage regarding the service they receive in comparison with that of bigger anchor tenants. There are several research studies on the measurement of service quality in several service sectors, but none has addressed the quality of service rendered by landlords of shopping centres to their small business tenants. The purpose of this study is to measure the perceived service quality that small business tenants in shopping centres receive from landlords. The study will also determine whether the existing SERVPERF and FAIRSERV service quality models will be suitable to measure the service quality that landlords render to small business tenants. The findings of the empirical study have revealed that small business tenants in shopping centres are in general dissatisfied with the service that they receive from their landlords. Factor analysis was done to determine the factors or dimensions of service quality that small business tenants deemed as important. From this study it became clear that small business tenants in shopping centres are concerned about mainly two aspects of the service they receive from landlords, namely intangible aspects as well as marketing and tangible aspects. This study has therefore proved that the five dimensions of SERVPERF and the one dimension of FAIRSERV cannot be applied directly to measure the perceived service quality that small business tenants receive from their landlords. The One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was also executed to illustrate statistical differences between various variables. The contribution of this study to the science, as well as its possible limitations and areas for future research, is also discussed. This study further shows that, although small business tenants are dissatisfied with the service they receive from landlords, they have indicated that they will stay on as tenants in the centres. The reason for this is that it is simply too expensive for them to move to another location and also because shopping centres are good locations for their businesses. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Business Management / unrestricted

While much has been written about retail stores and the retail environment, franchises and organisational marketing, not much can be found on “host” organisations such as shopping centres and their role within the marketing mix. A unique disparity exists within shopping centres in that not only are they an organisation with their own brand identity and culture, but they also play host to numerous retailers and franchises with very clear brands and messages of their own. The question that is often posed to the landlord is therefore whose message or what message is the correct one to market to the common consumer-base targeted by both the shopping centre (landlord) and the tenant (retailers). When considering this, it is important to understand that a symbiotic relationship exists between landlord and tenant within shopping centres in that if a tenant is successful this will result in greater rentals for the landlord and if the landlord’s property is successful, i.e. popular, this will result in greater revenue for the tenant. Both parties therefore actively engage in marketing of their businesses and whilst the message is often noticeably different, what is unique is that this is often to the same consumer-base. Tenants in many shopping centres contribute towards centre marketing expenses as part of their lease agreements and as a result have certain expectations in terms of what message is being marketed. Shopping centres varying in size and tenant numbers make the landlords marketing role that much more complex and often generic messaging is employed to umbrella the wide offering available. This study aims at investigating the expectations held by retail tenants of their shopping centre landlords through the internal communications function. Corporate communication theory as well as public relations theory was used as a grounding.

North American cities consist of a variety of different ethnic groups. Many of these groups are minority communities who live in clearly defined areas of the cities and maintain many of the habits and traditions of their homelands. This leads them to live in a way which is often quite distinctive from the dominant Anglo-American culture prevalent in most Canadian or American cities. The present study is concerned with one such community. More particularly, this study examines the food habits of Greek immigrants in Vancouver, and attempts to show that the food habits maintained by this group differ from those of the 'average' Canadian. Spatially, such differences are manifested in a distinctive pattern of food shopping behaviour. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

The thesis generally analyzes functions and content of retail web sites. Author uses his experience from his current employment, where he administers web site of one of the main retail chains in the Czech Republic. Importance of this subject is seen in its recency, when the usage of internet rises in many human activities and shopping is one of them. The aim of this document is to find characteristics of today's market and based on these it tries to predict trends that will influence the shape of commerce on internet in near future.

In-store communication is part of marketing communication. Importance of in-store communication is on the rise, since mass-media communication is loosing its efficiency. In-store promotion works with variety of instrumens, how to influence customers right in the place of sale. How these instruments work and influence customers is the main focus of this thesis.

The thesis is divided into two parts. The firts part deals with theoretical description of fashion merchandising, including specification of visual merchandising, sensoring merchandising and other aspects of shopping environment. The second part is dedicated to description of practical application of those principles in a selected shop of an international fashion retailer.