1,720,975 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
English-language advertising effectiveness with illiterate or non-English-speaking consumers in the Western and Eastern Cape townships of South Africa
Get PDFConsumers globally demand more diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, including in the media content they consume. Language is one of the most important diversity, equity and inclusion factors, cutting across race, gender, sexual orientation and disability. In the South African context, research has ignored the role of language in behavioural intention. Language has been a point of tension and conflict in South Africa for the country's entire colonial history. The apartheid system was particularly involved in shaping where people live (spatial planning), and the modern language ecosystem in South Africa because it was a system of separate development on the grounds of race. In South Africa, language, race and location highly correlate and intersect. Post 1994, everyone has had the right to use the language and participate in the cultural life of their choice and no one who exercises these rights may do so in a manner inconsistent with any provision of the Bill of Rights. These rights extend to capitalism, the buying and selling of goods, and the creation and consumption of advertising content. Within multiple business industries and brands, there is now a major focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, hiring, career progression, retention and producing, and telling diverse and inclusive creative stories. For the content of stories (advertisements) to be diverse and inclusive, the creators (client and agencies) need to become more deliberate, intentional and proactive about unstereotyping users or consumers. They are expected to do this by making sure the content reflects the general population, increasing screen time for all: who they cast, gender representation, director diversity, vernacular, voice, skin tones, race, sexual orientations, people with disabilities, location shoot diversity, and age groups, to mention a few. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of English-language advertising to non-English speakers in Western and Eastern Cape townships. The study focuses on television advertising, a form of marketing communication. The television medium in South Africa and the rest of Africa still has the greatest reach and media budget compared to marketing via digital platforms, radio, print, out-of-home, and emailing media. The study identified a number of theoretical frameworks and combined them to develop an integrated theoretical framework. The framework helped the researcher understand the complex nature of television advertising. The study proposed that the language used in an advertisement serves as an attribute and medium of experiences to influence customers' affective responses or intentions to act. A pragmatic philosophical stance was adopted, allowing the collection, analysis and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data in a single study in three parts. The first sub-study collected and analysed quantitative data, the second involved four focus-group interviews, and the last study involved semi-structured interviews with experts. The development of an integrated theoretical framework is a major contribution of the study. As the first application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to understand the effects of English-language television advertising on customers living in Western and Eastern Cape townships, the study contributes value to the marketing discipline. It also contributes significantly by combining quantitative advertising testing with traditional qualitative communication-testing methods. Practical implications of the study include a review of the use of the English language as a medium of communication to non-English-speaking consumers or those who speak English as a second or third language
Destigmatising the recreational cannabis industry
Get PDFCannabis is the world's most cultivated, trafficked and used illicit drug, and the move towards its legalisation has given rise to a nascent industry that is attracting increasing attention from investors, manufacturers, and researchers. Due to the plant maintaining its illegal and stigmatised status in many countries, cannabis research is limited, which has resulted in a significant gap in imperative knowledge about this burgeoning industry. Although the cannabis industry is clearly making a move from stigmatised to mainstream, little research has been conducted to investigate this transition, more particularly in a South African context. This dissertation investigates destigmatisation processes and strategies employable by cannabis organisations by way of three individual but interconnected studies. They aimed, respectively, to conduct a systematic literature review of organisational destigmatisation and establish a practitioner-driven research agenda; to depict the destigmatisation landscape of South African recreational cannabis organisations through a mixed methods content analysis and finally, to explore the influence of these organisations' destigmatisation strategies on attitudes towards cannabis. Study 1 presents a destigmatisation model as its main contribution, finding that stigma management strategies are classified into six main categories: Conforming, Hiding and Structural Responses were identified as stigma avoidance or perpetuation strategies, and Affirming, Challenging, and Infusing as destigmatisation strategies. Affirming strategies were found to be at the heart of destigmatisation, and an industry-collective approach to destigmatisation was ranked as the most prioritised research need by South African cannabis industry professionals. Study 2 found that Infusing strategies were significantly the most popular of the destigmatisation methods used by South African recreational cannabis organisations, accounting for nearly 80% of the themes, with branding tactics predominant in this category. Key insights revealed that there is a mismatch between the strategies most employed by cannabis businesses and the strategies that exert the strongest influence on attitudes, which Study 3 found to be recontextualisation of the cannabis industry, evidenced by education using scientific facts and figures. These findings highlight that a lack of knowledge is the main barrier to cannabis industry destigmatisation and should be counteracted by the rhetoric activity of educating the public. In summary, this study served to inform destigmatisation processes for core stigmatised organisations - with a focus on the cannabis industry; to catalyse cannabis destigmatisation research in a manner relevant to the South African cannabis industry; to provide a detailed description of the destigmatisation landscape of the South African cannabis industry from an organisational perspective; and, lastly, to determine the most influential destigmatisation strategies from a consumer perspective
Attitudes towards church retailing in Cape Town, South Africa
No full textReligion and commerce are two concepts which give rise to divergent views when associated with each other. Nevertheless, churches are increasingly making use of commercial methods such as marketing and retailing for a vast array of purposes including fundraising, connecting with their congregation and keeping abreast of social, technological and economical changes. As such, the Christian retail industry is a booming industry which cannot be ignored. It is common practice for businesses to investigate various aspects of their target consumers in order to align their efforts to meet the consumers' needs. Likewise, it is necessary that churches that engage in retailing conduct a thorough analysis of their target market. Furthermore, church retailers should consider the peculiar nature of their consumers, which may be influenced not only by their short-term, product-based needs but by their long-term, spiritual needs as well. This research is important as individuals who view the retailing of certain products by churches negatively are unlikely to purchase from church retailers, and may even be unlikely to consider attending the churches that retail those products. In addition, this research will provide church retailers with insight into their consumers, enabling them to structure their retailing efforts more effectively. This study investigates the attitudes of church members toward church retailing, as well as attitudes towards various types of church retail products. A series of 26 in-depth interviews were conducted for this study, resulting in each individual expressing antithetical attitudes towards the broad concept of church retailing, with more distinct positive and negative attitudes emerging following further enquiry about particular product types. Generally, attitudes were more positive towards products perceived to be more authentic with regards to the religious mission of the church, and more negative toward products they perceive to stray from it. Furthermore, attitudes towards church retailing were influenced by what individuals perceive to be the churches' reasons for retailing, as well as the individuals or communities benefiting from the proceeds thereof. The principle inference emerging from this study is that the attitudes of church retail consumers are essential as they largely influence their likelihood to purchase and, in turn, the success of church retailers
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
The decision-making process of young urban South African single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food
Get PDFThis study investigated how young single mothers (YSMs) in South Africa's bottom of the pyramid (BoP) purchase food for their babies. The study focused specifically on mothers with babies between the ages of 6 to 24 months and explored various elements of their child nutrition decision-making. In trying to understand YSM consumer behaviour at the BoP, the objective of the research was to investigate the influence of their vulnerability when making purchasing decisions affecting their baby's nutrition. While many studies exist on the BoP consumer, there is a void in the literature when it comes to specific product category decision-making processes. To explore the research objectives, a qualitative methodology was employed. Semi-structured interviews were used, and the research identified 22 urban interviewees who took part in the study. The results show that the landscape and behaviour of YSMs at the BoP are characterised according to levels of awareness, availability, affordability, and accessibility of a product. This study specifically identified five vulnerabilities, namely, confined financial power, the education gap, entrenched family filters, the proximity trap, and the catalogue constraint. In terms of nutrition, the results show that participants were aware of the importance and benefits of good nutrition for their baby, but mothers rarely prioritised nutrition when purchasing food for their baby. This is due to various reasons, such as not knowing what good nutrition is (how to read the back of the packs of branded baby food) and mainly focusing on being able to afford enough food to survive (as more nutritious food is usually more expensive). This study is an important contribution to gaining a better understanding of choices, priorities, and the decisionmaking process for YSM consumers at the Bo
The impact of culture on trust and purchase intention in social commerce shopping behaviour
Get PDFSocial commerce has evolved through the advancement of web 2.0 technologies, the significant rise of smartphone usage, and the increased popularity of social media platform usage such as social networking sites. Social networking sites have unique social sharing capabilities, which enable consumers to research products and services and make informed shopping decisions based on the trust developed in their online community. Brands acknowledge the importance of building and gaining consumer trust, because trust is a significant determinant for successful online transactions. Trust is equally essential to social commerce success, and is established as a positive influence on purchase intention. Considering the impact of trust on the consumer decision-making journey online, how this trust develops and what moderates this trust are of equal significance to brands and academics. Despite the plentiful research conducted in social commerce, the moderating role of culture on trust in social commerce is questioned, and the uncertainties of its impact within an emerging country is evident through insufficient academic research. The research design used in this study was cross-sectional in nature. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of social commerce users though an online survey administered on a branded Facebook page. Adopting an integrative social commerce framework by Kim and Park (2013) and the national cultural framework of Hofstede, the findings demonstrated a positive relationship between trust and purchase intention, and no moderation of culture on trust. Reinforcing previous academic research on the significance of trust in social commerce – further recommendation is given on the exploration of culture on trust and purchase intention
Intentions to engage in a meat-reduced diet: an application of the integrative model of behavioural prediction
Get PDFThe consumption of meat and meat products has been cited as the most critical area to be addressed if we are to meet a sustainable future diet, regarding the impact on climate change and health. The numerous sustainability concerns that have been raised have stimulated calls to reduce the quantity of meat people in general eat, and have created an on-going global debate among policymakers, academics and practitioners. This research makes use of the Integrative Model of Behavioural Prediction (IMBP) in order to isolate the key determinants of what drives the intentions of middle to upper-income South Africans to engage in a meat-reduced diet (MRD). A two-phase methodology was utilised, by firstly conducting an elicitation study to identify the salient beliefs present in the population, and secondly by conducting a population survey to quantify the cognitive foundation of this behaviour. The empirical results showed that the areas of cognition which most strongly predict whether one intends to engage in an MRD were instrumental attitude, experiential attitude and injunctive norms. This study makes three primary contributions. Firstly, a theoretical contribution, through providing insight into how behavioural themes and beliefs materialise into changes in meat-consumption. Secondly, marketing practitioners can benefit from the insight offered by IMBP, which is valuable as it helps to identify what behavioural shift is required to promote MRDs. Lastly, this study contributes to the methodology utilised when applying the IMBP by applying the model to dietary behaviour, which has received comparatively less attention in the past
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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