The Influence of Publicity and Sales Promotion on Marketing Performance in Nigeria

Sales promotion and publicity are key promotional marketing tools which have assisted organizations to wax stronger in a global competitive environment. This study investigates the significance of publicity and sales promotion in Nigeria. The research design adopted for this study is survey research design while the sampling technique adopted is simple random sampling technique The Chi-square method is used to test the hypothesis based on the responses from the five-point Likert rating scale of the structured questionnaire. The findings reveal that publicity and sales promotion are veritable tools for achieving organizational marketing goals in a competitive marketing environment. It is recommended that publicity and sales promotion should be well utilized to stimulate customers demand, boost organizational reputation without detriment to product quality and performance. JEL Codes: M31, M37 Keywords: publicity, sales promotion, digital marketing era, promotion mix, marketing tools, marketing performance

Animal Welfare and Major Food Retailers

This paper offers an exploratory review of how some of the major US and European food retailers have publicly addressed animal welfare. The findings reveal that six interlinked themes, namely, strategic corporate commitment, animal welfare as good business policy, a focus on supply chains, policies on specific categories of animals and animal products, antibiotics, and auditing, illustrated the food retailers’ approach to animal welfare. The authors raise a range of issues about the retailers’ approach to animal welfare, including the aspirational nature of their commitments, the emphasis on regular audits, the role of external assurance in the reporting process, pressure from animal welfare campaigns, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper offers an accessible review how some of the major US and European food retailers have publicly addressed the issue of animal welfare. Keywords: animal welfare, animal welfare statements, food retailers, supply chain, audit, external assurance

Attitudes of the Indian Middle Class: A Theory of Planned Behavior Approach

The author conducts a pilot study to investigate whether the benefits of global marketing and the purported liberal policies of the Government of India have percolated to the Indian middle-class since the year 2014, when the present government came to power. The author collects data through online surveys from Indian citizens, and then conducts a qualitative analysis of the same to test six propositions based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Model and the Theory of Reasoned Action. The author finds moderate to strong support for five of his propositions and sets the stage for a more robust research study that the author is planning to conduct on this highly relevant topic. Keywords: globalization, consumer experience, marketing strategy, political marketing

Exchange Rate and Trade in Services Nexus in Nigeria: A Non-Linear ARDL Approach

A nonlinear ARDL model is employed to investigate the asymmetric drivers of non-oil trade in services between Nigeria and Netherlands. A significant number of past studies have concentrated their attention on the elasticity of trade in services to real exchange rates and income as well as on non-oil export, total export trade or import, yet none have delve into asymmetric relationship. This study aims to fills this void. Our result shows that the effects of exchange rate variations have both positive and negative displays with more negative asymmetry. This provides further insights in the nature of service asymmetries. (JEL Codes: C22, D43, E31, L71, Q41) Keywords: asymmetric cointegration, exchange rate adjustment, disaggregated, services

Factors that Influence FinTech Adoption in South Africa: A Study of Consumer Behaviour towards Branchless Mobile Banking

The widespread use of mobile phones and growth in internet penetration has created a unique opportunity to increase access to financial services. Financial Technology (FinTech) companies and mobile banking (m-banking) empower customers to use digital platforms to utilise financial services without the physical access requirements of traditional banking. This has led to the rise of FinTech firms that are disrupting traditional industry standards by servicing consumers through a range of digital channels and mobile devices. A new completely branchless bank, Bank Zero, is set to launch in South Africa in 2020 to exploit these opportunities. This consumer behavioural study focuses on analysing FinTech adoption in the South African market. An adapted mixed-method approach was used to identify the enabling and inhibiting factors that motivate consumers to adopt or reject m-banking. Qualitative research was initially conducted via in-depth interviews with 7 respondents. The most salient factors identified in the literature review were tested, and the results were used to develop a quantitative, online questionnaire. A convenience sample of 217 valid responses was collected, and the data was analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The EFA identified 6 influencing factors: four enabling and two inhibiting factors. The enabling factors that positively influenced FinTech adoption were: Utility, Socio-Economic Influencers, Mobile Device Trust and Youth. The two inhibiting factors were: Perceived Risks and Associated Costs. Interestingly, 74% of the 217 respondents indicated that they would join a completely branchless bank, using only their mobile phones and the internet to access banking services, showing a high propensity to branchless, m-banking. Finally, the Enhancement Criteria Model based on insights gained from the research findings, is proposed. This model provides recommendation criteria for existing and new FinTech providers who are looking to improve their business models. JEL Codes: D18, G40 Keywords: FinTech, mobile banking, m-banking, branchless banking, consumer behaviour, South Africa

Empirical Assessment on the Impact of Leverage and Capital Adequacy on Performance of Non-Bank Financial Institutions in Bangladesh

Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs) epitomize the most significant source of financing in our economy. NBFI is highly levered in nature. This study tries to empirically identify how capital adequacy and leverage impact NBFIs’ performance in Bangladesh. A number of econometric models using panel data from 2009 to 2019 of 23 NBFIs of Bangladesh have been estimated to achieve the objective of this study. In this research, Return on Assets, Return on Equity and Tobin’s Q are used as a measure of NBFIs performance of Bangladesh. According to estimated result it has been found that capital adequacy has a positive effect on profitability of NBFI’s in Bangladesh. However, the research has found conflicting results when impact of leverage on NBFI performance is measured. Taking the empirical findings into consideration, the management of the NBFIs should embrace policies that are likely to help the NBFIs to maintain enough capital. Keywords: leverage, capital adequacy, NBFI performance, profitability, NBFI equity

Greece in the Eurozone: An Evaluation of the First Two Decades

On the 31st of December 2021, the euro celebrated its two decades in circulation. Initially, twelve countries adopted the euro as their new national currency, Greece being one of them. Starting in 2020, euro is the official currency of nineteen European Union countries. This paper aims to examine three issues. Firstly, the paper investigates Greek people’s perception about the euro, using data from the recent issue of the Eurobarometer (December 2021). Secondly, the economic performance of Greece is briefly examined by comparing the Greek Gross Domestic Product (GDP) two decades before and two decades after the introduction of euro. Finally, the Greek participation to the eurozone has been a controversial, political issue. The political developments in Greece during the first two decades of the euro are also studied, emphasizing the dramatic political events after the double elections of 2012. The period of the two decades ends with the detrimental impact of COVID-19. This issue is also mentioned by reviewing some recent publications. Keywords: Eurozone, Greece, GDP, per capita GDP, Eurobarometer, euro, elections, politics

Has the Demand for Fats and Meats in the United States been Affected by the Health Claim on Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Issued by the Food and Drug Administration?

the risk of many chronic illnesses. To encourage greater consumption of healthy foods, some government agencies have begun issuing specific health claims on particular foods and/or ingredients. This study examines the impacts of a specific health claim on the risk of coronary heart disease on the demand for fats and meats in the United States. Results indicate the health claim decreased demand for foods higher in saturated fats and increased demand for foods lower in saturated fats by relatively small but statistically significant amounts. Keywords: health benefits, functional foods, dietary choices, consumer demand

Assessment of the University Vision, Goals, Mission and Program Objectives: A Management Protocol for Quality Assurance

This study measured the level of awareness, understanding, acceptability, clarity and consistency by the Benquet State University’s personnel of the University, College and Department’s vision, goals, mission and objectives (VGMO). The study also determined the manner by which the VGMOs were disseminated. The results of the study showed that brochures are the most frequent manner of disseminated materials that display the University’s VGMOs, leading to higher levels of awareness of them. The level of awareness, understanding, acceptability, and consistency of the University’s VGMOs, the College’s goals and objectives and the Department’s program objectives were analog for both male and female personnel, but the clarity levels differed significantly. Faculty members, compared to non-faculty members, have higher levels of awareness, understanding, acceptability, clarity and consistency in their recognition of BSU’s VGMOs. Keywords: university vision, mission, goals, objectives, awareness, personnel

Rural Structural Transformation and Agricultural Productivity in Nigeria

Rural structural transformation is best defined as structural changes in the rural areas occasioned by government policies and programmes with the intention of altering the contributions of major sector of the economy for the enhancement of agricultural sector. The study aimed at investigating the impact of rural structural transformation on agricultural productivity in Nigeria. The methodology adopted for the study was Structural Autoregression (SVAR). Six variables of expenditure on education (EXPE), expenditure on health (EXPH), expenditure on electricity (EXPEL), expenditure on telecommunication (EXPTC), expenditure on roads and construction (EXPRC) and expenditure on agriculture (EXPA). Of the six explanatory variables only expenditure on agriculture was found to be negatively related to agricultural productivity, while the others were positively related to it. Several reasons of which of official corruption by the handlers of agricultural funds could possibly be one of the reasons for the negative relationship between expenditure on agriculture and agricultural productivity. Among many other recommendations was the need to provide clinics and health centres to the rural areas, provision of good and accessible roads, provision of electricity and internet facilities. This will act as motivating factors in curbing rural-urban migration, and by extension improve the lots of agricultural productivity in Nigeria. Keywords: rural, structural transformation, agricultural productivity, agricultural policies and structural VAR