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This is a brief investigation of stormwater runoff from a large shopping center located in Brevard County, Florida. Merritt Square Shopping Center has a parking area for 4,700 automobiles and is located on the shore of Newfound Harbor which is classified as recreation waters (Class III). A literature survey of runoff studies in other areas has been made for both "state of the art" and evaluation of findings. Water samples were initially collected from five locations. Review of the analysis of these samples indicated that while color and turbidity appeared to decrease linearly with time, organic and inorganic concentrations did not. During a later storm a second series of samples was taken from a single location at two minute intervals. In the analysis of these samples the organic and inorganic carbon concentrations decreased with time from the beginning of the storm. However, an upturn in concentration in the final stages of runoff may be noticed.

Climate change is one of the biggest issues that the world faces today, and one of the biggest contributors to climate change are groceries. This paper aims at using digital artefacts to create a product or design that will encourage the user to shop more environmentally friendly. To achieve this, I have tried to identify the major hindrances today that grocery shoppers are faced with through the user centered method Contextual Inquiry.  I have then presented the results from the inquiry to students at KTH Royal Institute of Technology during workshops. During these workshops, the students have conceptualized ideas and designs for different solutions. Based on their results, I have created a prototype design that I call the SmartCart. This cart consists of a regular shopping cart with a screen similar to an iPad attached to the handlebars. This screen then delivers easily apprehensible information about different grocery products environmental impact in real time. The design has not been tested in a live environment, but initial testing indicates that a live application could give satisfying results in lowering the sales of grocery products with a high environmental impact, while the design also could simultaneously improve the shopping experience for the customers in the grocery store.

This study aims at examining BNPL's influence on millennials buying behavior on fashion products and how it affects their consumption of apparel. As BNPL increasingly gains ground in e-commerce as a payment method, that is highly used because of the kind of functionality it provides to both brands and consumers in particular. Consumers, especially millennials are seen attracted to this payment method as it provides benefits that the traditional payment method lacks. Further, this study examines how these consumptions influenced by BNPL align with environmental sustainability. In order to fulfill the aim of this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten female millennials from Sweden. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis. While the study followed an interpretive approach in order to acquire a deeper understanding of the millennial’s buying behavior and consumption. The findings show some main aspects that influence millennials to buy apparel products with the BNPL scheme. The aspects are familiarity and trustworthiness, transparency, and innovativeness which have influenced variety-seeking, impulse buying, brand loyalty, and dissonance-reducing behaviors. Meanwhile, ease of use, price sensitivity, and enticing dimension influence consumption through shopping practices and consumption patterns. However, there is a misalignment of these consumptions with environmental sustainability due to the knowledge of sustainability and the gap that existed in their attitude and behavior.

This is my agenda. My "code of ethics". A structure of intentions. I think it's why I'm here. I'm not serious but take me seriously. Cheez Whiz and potted meat, fluorescent lights and vinyl siding. I'm not laughing at it. I fall for the hype. I'm down with the bonus buys. I don't get anywhere pretending I'm above all that. I'm just having fun with it. Siphoning off some of its energy. Borrowing it indefinitely. Everybody does it. It's best when it's an unlikely source. Metallica borrows from West Side Story and Jay-Z makes Annie a rap star (Don't Tread on Me/ Hard Knock Life). Rework my sources. A dash of Shopper's Food Warehouse and a taste of 425 Monroe Avenue blended with an (un?)healthy dose of (un)popular culture and some (nutra)Sweet's for flavor. / Master of Architecture

Elderly consumers are often overlooked in the retail marketplace; however, evidence suggests that the elderly population has a considerable amount of discretionary time and purchase power. Unlike past generations, this consumer group is relatively healthy, active, and demands a wide array of products and services. The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between store attributes and approach-avoidance behavior of elderly apparel consumers. In addition, this research examined the relationships between age, the importance of store attributes, and shopping orientations of elderly apparel consumers. Data were collected using a convenience sample of persons 65 and older from the southeastern part of the United States. The final sample consisted of 208 subjects. Four hypotheses were formulated. Data were analyzed using frequencies, chi-square, factor analysis, regression, and MANOVA. Results revealed that elderly consumers in this study preferred to shop department stores and mass merchandisers for clothing. These consumers reported that they would spend more time and money in retail stores that offered credit, discounts for those 65 and over, and liberal return policies. Further, the consumers reported they would not return to and would avoid looking around in retail stores without rest areas, with difficult to find items, inferior products, and poor business practices. Regression analyses showed significant relationships between shopping orientations and three of the five attribute factors. MANOVA revealed significant differences between two age groups and the importance placed on quality products, store reputation, and well-known labels/brands. Chi-square analyses showed no significant relationship between age and shopping orientations. / Master of Science

This research aims to examine a framework to test the relationships between consumers' perceptions of a retailer's brand personality and outcome variables (i.e., positive word-of-mouth about and patronage intention toward the retailer) by applying identity and social identity theories to reveal possible factors influencing these relationships in both department and discount retailer image formats. This research hypothesized that retailer brand personality should influence consumers' behavioral outcomes through private and public forms of self-congruity. The more positive the perception of a retailer's brand personality, the higher the private and public self-congruities with the brand personality. In addition, considering the unique, tangible nature of a store's environment, this research suggested that retailer brand identity (RBI), a consumer's perception of oneness with a retailer brand, should play an important role in the retailer brand personality-behavioral outcomes framework by mediating the influences of both private and public self-congruities on various behavioral outcomes. Moreover, the relationships among two forms of self-congruity and perceived RBI should be moderated by the shopping conspicuousness situation (i.e., whether co-shopping with important others or alone and whether shopping in an environment in which one is visible to important others or is relatively secluded) and consumer shopping involvement (i.e., whether consumers see shopping as an important and self-relevant activity). To test the study's hypotheses, data were collected from a sample of 616 general consumers via a self-administered questionnaire provided through the website of an online survey research firm. This research used a 2 (retailer image format) X 2 (shopping situation conspicuousness) between-subjects quasi-experimental design in which subjects were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups who read a scenario that provided a description of a retailer image format of either a hypothetical department (n = 311) or discount store (n = 305) and a description that manipulated the shopping situation as being either high (n = 303) or low (n = 313) in shopping conspicuousness. Results revealed that the retailer brand personality scale, adapted from BPS, a brand personality scale developed by Aaker (1997) and other scales specifically used to measure retailer brand personality (Dardin & Babin, 1994; d'Astous & Lévesque, 2003; Helgeson & Supphellen, 2004) comprised two positive dimensions (i.e., Modish and Genuine) and one negative dimension (Inactive). Each dimension influenced the behavioral outcomes of Word-of-Mouth and Patronage Intention differently. Perceived Genuineness was the most influential dimension among the three, exerting direct and indirect influences through increasing Private and Public Self-congruities and overall RBI on both WOM and Patronage Intention. However, Modish had only a direct negative effect on Patronage Intentions whereas Inactive had indirect effects on both behavioral outcomes through a combined (direct and indirect) negative effect on overall RBI. This research also revealed that overall RBI, driven by its affective and evaluative dimensions, fully mediated the influences of Private and Public Self-congruities on behavioral outcomes, suggesting overall RBI as an important factor in the retailer brand personality-behavioral outcomes framework. Moreover, the relationship between Public Self-congruity and overall RBI was found to be stronger in the high Shopping Conspicuousness Situation whereas the relationship between Private Self-congruity and overall RBI was found to be stronger in the department store image format. The moderating role of Consumer Shopping Involvement on the relationships among self-congruities and overall RBI was not significant. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings and limitations of the study are provided.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / The advent of shopping malls in the township called Soweto is allegedly having social and economic effects on residents. The aim of this study is to establish the effect of the two shopping malls known as Maponya and Jabulani on the residents of this township, which is the biggest township in South Africa. To achieve this, the study looked at the effect of these shopping malls on existing businesses (such as those housed in old shopping centres, general dealers, spaza shops, shebeens and street vending), property values and shoppers residing in Soweto. To facilitate a clear understanding of the social and economic effects of shopping malls in Soweto, the study looked at the history of the township and the reasons that accounted for the lack of economic infrastructure and hence the lack of proper shopping facilities in black townships. Events, reasons and conditions that had to be met leading to the present situation, in which a number of retail shopping facilities in black townships have been developed, were discussed and compared to the development of shopping malls in other countries. However, the main focus of this study is on the two big shopping malls known as Jabulani Mall located on the corner of Bolani Road and Koma Road in Jabulani, the traditional heartland of Soweto, and Maponya Mall located in Old Potchefstroom Road (now Chris Hani Road) opposite the township called Pimville. The study looked at international as well as local literature dealing with the effect of shopping malls on shoppers, small businesses and residential property values. From the literature review, it became evident that the advent of shopping centres in areas where there had been none has noticeable economic and/or social impacts on the area. A total of 58 businesses (13 spaza shops, 12 general dealers, 12 shebeens/taverns, 12 street vendors and 9 shops located in old shopping centres), four estate agencies and 75 households were interviewed face to face. Businesses were interviewed on their business premises and households were interviewed in their places of residences using semi-structured questions. The study found that shoppers were positively affected. Convenience, time and cost-savings were the main factors cited to contribute to the respondents‟ positive feelings about these two malls. On the business side, spaza shops and general dealers were negatively affected, while shebeens and street vending were positively affected. The overall effect of these two shopping malls was as follows: All the local businesses combined experienced a decline of five per cent in their business while shopping trips by residents to malls outside Soweto declined by five per cent.