Selling Point Research Articles

A Hand to Mouth Existence: Hurdles Emanating from the COVID 19 Pandemic for Women Survivalist Entrepreneurs in Johannesburg, South Africa

There are many women survivalist entrepreneurs in South Africa, many of whom work in the informal sector. The emergence of theCOVID-19 pandemic has a devastating effect on their entrepreneurial projects. While both the public and private sectors have initiated various measures to ease the blow, obstacles continue to confront them. This study sought to examine the challenges faced by women survivalist entrepreneurs in South Africa’s Johannesburg metropolitan area. The researchers gathered qualitative data using a qualitative research approach by conducting semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The data was analysed using thematic analyses. The themes that emerged from the findings include; a lack of capital for reinvestment, no government grant support, a decline in the demand for products by the market, rotting agricultural produce or stock, a battle for strategic selling points and numerous confrontations with police as a result of not meeting the regulatory rules relating to COVID-19. The present research provides theoretical implications for academics in entrepreneurship by enhancing the understanding of the hurdles that these entrepreneurs have experienced because of COVID-19. On the practitioners’ side, this work offers avenues for women survivalist entrepreneurs to improve their entrepreneurial ventures and eventually eliminate the challenges they face when running their ventures. This study also offers policy implications. For example, existing government policies can be amended to make the working conditions of women survivalist entrepreneurs better or make the rules under which they operate simpler. This study contributes to entrepreneurship literature by uncovering the difficulties faced by women survivalist entrepreneurs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will assist other scholars in further developing this research field. As such, this research is important for women survivalist entrepreneurs because most of them endeavour to enhance entrepreneurial performance for the betterment of their lives. Governments may also use the study to develop interventions aimed at facilitating the growth and development of women survivalist entrepreneurs.

TAMAN WORKSHOP TAMBANG INTAN MODERN DI CEMPAKA

Banjarbaru City is one of the areas in South Kalimantan which is widely known to the public as a diamond-producing area. Many wilah in the city of Banjarbaru that are used as mining locations, PT Galuh Cempaka is one of them. At PT Galuh Cempaka's diamond mine, there are many abandoned diamond mining equipment that will eventually become a pile of scrap metal. The workshop equipment still has an economic and aesthetic selling point. In this case, it becomes interesting to develop a tourist attraction with the concept of a workshop equipment park. So that we need a place that can provide information for the community to raise awareness of the negative impacts of mining. To realize the development of a diamond mining workshop, PT Galuh Cempaka Banjarbaru has become a memorial park that can provide information on the negative impacts of mining. Layering method is used with the principle of superimposition to accumulate special interest tourism activity programs and information galleries.

‘Johnny Onions!’: Seasonal Pedlars from Brittany and their Good Reputation in Great Britain (1870s–1970s)

Abstract The Onion Johnnies were a group of French seasonal migrants and door-to-door traders who travelled to Britain from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth centuries. This article explores their surprisingly good reputation among the British population and authorities: while pedlars were often conflated with tramps, suspicious aliens or disreputable individuals by the police, the Johnnies’ reliance on established familial and commercial networks meant they benefited from a positive stereotype. While hawking was generally perceived as an anachronistic and unrewarding occupation, French onion sellers were exoticised by the British population, who celebrated they rural roots. The seasonal, semi-sedentary and ‘picturesque’ aspect of the onion trade enabled them to reverse the stigmas associated to itinerant trading, their doorstep performance becoming their selling point. The case study of the Johnnies helps us understand the stereotypes linked to peddling in late modern Britain and to go beyond the narrative of decline surrounding this occupation.

Psycho-acoustic evaluation of the automotive acoustic comfort using vibro-acoustic prediction methods

In the automotive industry, the acoustic comfort is considered as a selling point of utmost importance. To help the OEMs improve the acoustic comfort in cars, as a one-tier supplier of automotive glazing, Saint-Gobain is currently working on the acoustic comfort within the cabin in order to propose the right set of glazing consistent with the OEMs' specifications. The characterization of the acoustic comfort mostly relies on physical demonstrators required for carrying out the relevant measurements. It is however not available early in the project phase, delaying the subjective analysis late in the development phase. To have the opportunity to develop effective solutions, the acoustic comfort has to be investigated as early as possible in the design process. Saint-Gobain is thus currently developing relevant acoustic models in order to predict the mid-high frequency airborne interior noise generated by the wind excitations. The subjective acoustic comfort has then to be assessed using the predicted interior sound pressure levels converted into audio soundtracks for the auralization purposes. In this paper, we briefly present the Statistical Energy Analysis model developed by Saint-Gobain. The psychoacoustic methodology deployed to evaluate its reliability for the subjective evaluation of the automotive acoustic comfort is detailed.

Examining the Structural Relationships among Heritage Proximity, Perceived Impacts, Attitude and Residents’ Support in Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism

Among the many methods of revitalizing intangible cultural heritage (ICH), tourism undoubtedly has the largest social and economic benefits. Taijiquan, also known as Tai Chi, was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2020. It provides the local destination with a unique selling point for strengthening local tourism competitiveness. The research on the relationship between the heritage proximity and residents’ perceived impacts to ICH tourism is not sufficient within the tourism literature, whereas they have recently attracted numerous interests worldwide. In response, this study aims to examine the relationships among residents’ heritage proximity, perceived impacts of ICH tourism, attitude and support. Structural equation modelling has been performed and a total of 262 residents were investigated in Wen County, China. Results indicates that residents’ heritage proximity has positive influence on perceived positive impacts, while has no influence on perceived negative impacts. Residents’ heritage proximity and perceived impacts significantly influence their attitude, so that to influence residents’ support for tourism development. This study makes a significant theoretical contribution to the ICH tourism literature. Furthermore, this study has a number of practical implications for the local departments of tourism and ICH.

PARAMETRIC MODELLING OF WEIGHT AND VOLUME EFFECTS IN BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES, WITH FOCUS ON THE GEARBOX

AbstractThe modeling of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) still represents a challenge for vehicle manufacturers. The installation of the new types of components needed for BEVs gives rise to uncertainties in the quantification of parameters like the vehicle's weight. Indeed, vehicle weight plays a key role, since it has a drastic effect on the vehicle's range, which is an important selling point for BEVs. Uncertainties in weight estimation create weight fluctuations during the early development phase and the need to resize components like the electric machine or battery. This in turn affects the components' volume and weight. However, such resizing can also lead to component collision and unfeasibility of the vehicle architecture. To solve this problem and to support concept engineers during the early development phase, an iterative approach is required that is capable of estimating weight and volume fluctuations in the relevant components. The approach should also consider the geometrical interdependencies of the components, to ensure that no collisions occur between them. Taking the gearbox as an example application, this paper presents a novel approach that satisfies these requirements.

Not only divas: special features of films in cinema advertising in Trieste before the First World War

ABSTRACT The ‘invention’ of the long feature film was the key tool used by production and distribution companies to try to solve the overproduction crisis of short films in Europe at the end of the first decade of the twentieth century. Neither cinema owners nor their patrons had clamoured for the shift from entertaining short film programmes to challenging long feature films that absorbed the viewer’s attention and required qualifications in creating meaning while watching moving pictures. Thus, it was the local cinema manager who had to succeed in attracting paying audiences to multiple-reel feature films that ran for one hour or longer – in some cases more than two hours. This essay presents a local study of the cinema programme in Trieste before the First World War that examines the selling points put forward in newspaper ads published in Il Piccolo, the most read daily newspaper at the time, with the aim of promoting long feature films. The evaluation of a sample of over 350 cinema advertisements shows that stars and divas like Asta Nielsen and Lyda Borelli were but one among other, some stronger, selling propositions to attract local audiences for long feature films. These other selling points were Danish dramas produced by Nordisk, Italian peplum films and programmes of short film comedies by Max Linder. This diversity in selling points for the long feature film testifies to the fact that though the star system was emerging, it had not yet been fully established as a means of marketing multiple-reel feature films by the end of the 1913–14 season, at least not in Trieste.

THE ENHANCEMENT OF CULTURAL TOURISM ROUTES IN THE LANNA REGION OF NORTHERN THAILAND

The Lanna region is a former kingdom in the area of modern-day Northern Thailand that also once extended into Myanmar, Laos and China. Currently, Lanna culture is used as a selling point for tourism to Northern Thailand, but there are problems with the way tourism routes are designed and packaged. This paper aims to promote the architectural value of Lanna culture through the development of tourism routes. The qualitative investigation assesses existing Lanna tourist routes in Northern Thailand and develops guidelines for the development of cultural tourism in the region. Initial research led to the identification of 35 sites for in-depth evaluation. Data was gathered by document research, field evaluation and interviews following criteria co-developed by Chulalongkorn University and the Department of Tourism (2007). Findings indicated that destinations in Northern Thailand are of a good standard but should be developed in terms of tourism support and management. The researchers produced guidelines for the development of individual attractions and designed cultural routes according to provincial boundaries and periodic themes.

EFEKTIVITAS METODE DEMONSTRASI DALAM MENINGKATKAN KETERAMPILAN VOKASIONAL MEMBUAT SNACK BOUQUET BAGI ANAK TUNARUNGU KELAS XI SMALB DI SLB PEDULI ANAK BANGSA PAYAKUMBUH

This research discusses the problems found by the author in Payakumbuh Children's Care Special School. This research describes how learning skills that have not had any new innovations or new skills given to children so that children start to get bored with the same skills that are learned such as gardening, sewing, and making tissue boxes from drink bottles. In connection with these problems, the author tries to provide types of vocational skills in different ways, different forms and by generating selling points that can help deaf students themselves after they finish their education, namely by presenting vocational skills to make Snack Bouquet. This research uses experimental research. The method used to determine whether the demonstration model could be effectively used in making snack bouquet skills. The subjects of this study were deaf children in class XI at Payakumbuh Children's Care School, consisting of 3 girls and 2 boys. The result of this research is that there is an increase in the child's ability to make snack bouquets after being given treatment using a demonstration model proven by the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test the resulting value is 2.041 with probability and Asymp sign. (2-tailed) = 0.041 so that the probability obtained is 0.041 <0.05, thus Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted so that the demonstration method is effective to improve vocational skills in making snack bouquets for deaf class XI children at SLB Peduli Anak Bangsa Payakumbuh.

Unraveling preferences for religious ties in food transactions: A consumer perspective

AbstractFood choices are key in communicating religious identities and marking religious boundaries. Whereas the literature has focused on religion's impact on food habits, the effect of religion on food market exchanges remains largely unexplored. Using the Ethiopian milk market as a case study, we conduct a series of innovative experimental choice tasks with urban dairy consumers to elicit their preferences for milk seller characteristics. In the choice tasks, milk seller profiles are constructed using five relevant attributes: milk price, distance to the selling point, seller type, seller gender, and seller religious affiliation. We observe consumer preferences for lower milk prices, shorter distances, and dairy farmers over milk shops. When accounting for attribute non‐attendance, we find that consumers who take religion into account prefer co‐religious sellers, and that consumers who take gender into account generally prefer female sellers. Our results enrich our understanding of the role of religion in purchase behavior and market segmentation.

The importance of local culture in the marketing mix during low season in Bali

Tourism in Bali has suffered greatly from the impacts of COVID-19. To address this problem, this paper proposes strategies to reinvigorate the sector. Specifically, it aims to determine the appropriate marketing mix for tourism during the low season. Research for the study was conducted with expert focus groups from April 2020 to October 2020. Following analytical hierarchy process analysis, the study finds that the promotion of local culture should play a greater part in the marketing mix. The authors therefore recommend that the regional government reschedule cultural events, such as the Bali Arts Festival, to the low season, as this should attract tourists interested in Bali’s unique local culture. The suggestion that local culture should play a greater role in the marketing mix may be extended to tourism destinations worldwide, as leveraging unique selling points is more cost-effective than strategies based primarily on discounts.

The Challenge of Museum Brand Enhancement with Social Media in Yogyakarta Indonesia

Museum as heritage tourism has its own unique selling point. The success of the museum in some western countries has triggered museum development in developing countries including Indonesia. However, the number of visitors to the museum in Yogyakarta (Central Java) is not as high as other popular tourist attractions in the city. The previous study found some reasons underlying this condition which are lack of promotion, lack of infrastructure facilities and lack of human resources quality. This paper is aimed to find out the challenge of museum brand enhancement with the use of social media as it has a great role in promotion. Social Media strategy is investigated in MuseumSonobudoyo, Museum Pendidikan Indonesia UNY and Museum Gumuk PasirYogyakarta with a qualitative descriptive approach. The result of the study found that the use of social media in the museum is not maximum because there is no person in charge of social media development, limited supporting tools and lack of political support

Yeast Cells in Microencapsulation. General Features and Controlling Factors of the Encapsulation Process.

Besides their best-known uses in the food and fermentation industry, yeasts have also found application as microcapsules. In the encapsulation process, exogenous and most typically hydrophobic compounds diffuse and end up being passively entrapped in the cell body, and can be released upon application of appropriate stimuli. Yeast cells can be employed either living or dead, intact, permeabilized, or even emptied of all their original cytoplasmic contents. The main selling points of this set of encapsulation technologies, which to date has predominantly targeted food and—to a lesser extent—pharmaceutical applications, are the low cost, biodegradability and biocompatibility of the capsules, coupled to their sustainable origin (e.g., spent yeast from brewing). This review aims to provide a broad overview of the different kinds of yeast-based microcapsules and of the main physico-chemical characteristics that control the encapsulation process and its efficiency.

Microbial quality of raw cow milk and its predictors along the dairy value chain in Southwest Ethiopia

Raw milk may contain pathogenic microorganism that can seriously affect the health of consumers. In Southwest Ethiopia, raw cow milk is consumed more than the processed products, but its microbiological quality and its predictors are not studied well. The aim of this study was to determine the microbial quality of raw cow milk and its predictors along the dairy value chain in Southwest Ethiopia. A total of 150 milk and 300 environmental samples were collected randomly from dairy farms, milk distribution centers, and retailer outlets for microbiological analysis using standard protocols. One milk handler from each milk production or distribution stage was also interviewed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding milk handling. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression models were used to summarize the data and to identify predictors of milk microbial quality, respectively. As the milk transported from dairy farm to milk retailer outlet, the mean total bacterial count has increased from 5.0 ± 0.3 to 7.2 ± 0.1 log CFU/ml respectively. The mean coliform count of the milk sample was 4.4 ± 0.4 log CFU/ml at the dairy farm and 7.0 ± 0.2 log CFU/ml at milk selling points, indicating the deterioration of milk quality along the dairy value chain. All of the analyzed water samples were positive for fecal coliform bacteria. The highest coliform bacteria were reported from milk storage equipment found at milk retailer outlet with the count of 4.8 ± 0.5 log CFU/ml. Educational status and attitude of milk handlers and the quality of water used to wash milk equipment and hands of milk handlers were the major factors affecting the microbial quality of raw cow milk. The findings of this study revealed that the microbial quality of raw milk in the study area was poor. Hence, improving the attitude and educational status of milk handlers, and the quality of water is an important step to enhance milk quality and consequently to prevent milk borne diseases.

The magnitude of “all‐inclusive energy packages” in the UK student housing sector

With the growing number of students in higher education, the student housing market has been becoming increasingly competitive and diversified. This intensification has led housing providers to supply all‐inclusive energy packages (i.e., the inclusion of electricity, gas, and water in the rent cost) to their tenants as a selling point. By connecting the geographies of students and energy, this paper aims to assess the magnitude of all‐inclusive energy packages and its effects on students’ residential choices. Based on an online survey distributed to students at Loughborough University (UK), the paper shows that 80% of housing occupied by students is energy‐inclusive. These rental commodities are strongly considered by students, particularly new university entrants, in their housing choices, 70% of whom considered all‐inclusive rent to be an important factor in their residential choice. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that all‐inclusive energy packages are extensively provided throughout the student housing market: from the low‐energy efficient houses in multiple occupancy to the newly developed purpose‐built student accommodation. Finally, the paper underpins how providing energy‐inclusive rent tends to produce energy inequities by shielding some students from being in fuel poverty.

Is meeting the needs of tourists through ethnic tourism sustainable? Focus on Bali, Indonesia

The United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) states that “it is necessary to respect the host community’s socio-cultural authenticity and protect cultural heritage and traditional values” to facilitate sustainable tourism development. Sustainable Tourism Indicators (STI:2004) show that sustainable tourism development promotes economic, social, environmental, and cultural sustainability. Therefore, it is essential to understand the resident situational context and safeguard “the happiness in the society that hosts tourism”. Tourism that uses cultural heritage as a selling point includes ethnic tourism. Cultural heritage and traditional values are attractive sales resources for generating tourism revenue. This point may be detrimental to the residents because they damage the culture and traditions in multiple economic, social, and cultural aspects of economic, social, and cultural. Ethnic tourism must be sustainable without destroying the local culture and traditions. This study aims to analyze whether the requirements for sustainable tourism development that the UNWTO outlined met by the ethnic tourism that Bali develop. Ethnic tourism has grown in Bali since it first began in the 1970s; many tourists have visited the region and have been deeply impressed by its traditional arts and crafts and hope to bring them back. This phenomenon has generated an immense demand for taking home back pieces of traditional Balinese art and crafts and bolster the mass production of traditional art and crafts sold as souvenirs to tourists. Regarding this situation, positive and negative effects on the culture and traditions of the region by over-tourism through ethnic tourism need to be determined. This study focused on traditional Balinese sculptures and paintings and conducted surveys to examine the consciousness of craftsmen involved in traditional crafts to reveal the influences of tourism on traditional culture in Bali. The hypothesis of this study was as follows: Ethnic tourism that attempts to sell traditional culture to the tourist does not satisfy the requirements for the development of sustainable tourism development leading to happiness in the society hosting the tourism. As a preliminary survey, I planned interviews to obtain the craftsmen's opinions and to devise questions for subsequent questionnaires. I conducted the interviews with craftsmen in August 2019 (n = 4). Subsequently, I conducted the questionnaire survey for craftsmen (wood-carving and painting) in August and September 2019 and January 2020 (n = 103). The questionnaires were analyzed using simple tabulation, comparison of means, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Additionally, as a survey to understand customers’ needs concerning traditional culture, I conducted an interview survey for tourists in August 2019. This survey sought to identify why they purchased wood-carvings and paintings (n = 9). These surveys showed that nearly half of the craftsmen involved in traditional crafts lost their employment because of ethnic tourism. The hypothesis was verified because the situation did not achieve sustainability for maintaining the livelihoods of the craftsmen, who also play a role in the transmission of traditional culture. It was unclear whether the life with ethnic tourism that eliminated their position would lead to happiness.

Roll-to-roll fabrication of highly transparent Ca:Ag top-electrode towards flexible large-area OLED lighting application

Transparency and bendability are some of the most attractive unique selling points for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting, enabling a variety of new application possibilities for industrial and private end-users. The roll-to-roll (R2R) OLED fabrication based on thermal evaporation offers a fast, continuous-running solution for producing flexible OLEDs at a lower cost. In this work, R2R fabricated large-area highly transparent thermal co-evaporated Ca:Ag (2:1 vol.%) top-electrode with mean transmittance of 64% over the visible range and a corresponding sheet resistance of as low as 21 Ω sq−1 was achieved. By increasing the film thickness to 24 nm, the sheet resistance can be further reduced to 12 Ω sq−1, albeit with a lower mean transmittance of 58%. The Ca:Ag electrode demonstrates a high mechanical durability through 1000 bending cycles, which is highly desirable as a characteristic for flexible electronics, as well as for the R2R fabrication. Finally, the stability of the Ca:Ag electrode in vacuum and ambient was studied as well.

Critique of Flowers: The Exigency of Life in the Era of Its Technical Reproducibility

Abstract Need, as an epigenetic concept, originated with Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, for whom it referred to the pressure of circumstances that compel animals to develop new organs in the course of evolution. It reappeared in twentieth-century science as the somatic disequilibrium that Sigmund Freud, following Psycho-Lamarckian biologists, first called “the need of life” (die Not des Lebens) and then “the drives” (Trieb). The invention of time-lapse cinematography around 1900, initially as an optical instrument in the experimental study of plant physiology, visibly enlarged the epigenetic paradigm: Plants were suddenly perceived as agential beings, attached to the physical environment not by their roots, but rather by their needs and activities. The disquieting impression of responsive behavior became the selling point of the BASF-commissioned nitrogen-fertilizer commercial Miracle of Flowers (1926), a film celebrated by Rudolf Arnheim as “the most fantastic, thrilling, and beautiful picture ever made.” This article interrogates the sovereignty of need in epigenesis, using Miracle of Flowers as a case study. Through a close reading of the animal-like organisms in this film and the emotional reactions they elicited, need is reimagined as a maladaptive force embodied in technical media that tethers unhappy individuals to punishing environments.

The best practice of marketing strategies for the Malaysian business event industry from experts' perspective

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the best practices in marketing strategies for the Malaysian business event industry.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative methodology was adopted to collect primary data from semi-structured interviews. The informants included ten experts from the Malaysian business event industry. The data collected were then grouped using the ATLAS.ti (v.8) software for thematic analysis. A trustworthiness assessment was applied to increase the credibility and ensure the rigour of the qualitative findings.FindingsThe qualitative results revealed the following final themes: event marketing, the marketing plan, the 7 Ps of the marketing mix, strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis and traditional and digital marketing. Interestingly, three inductive themes were also emerged as follows: relationship marketing, unique selling points (USPs) and key opinion leaders.Research limitations/implicationsThis study looked at Malaysian business events and focused only on findings from the industry expert's perspective. In the future, further investigation may concentrate on other business event industry players such as destination marketing companies, airline operators, travel intermediaries, clients, suppliers, universities and the government.Practical implicationsThe findings offer a holistic approach to increase Malaysia's competitiveness among other primary business event host destinations in the Asian-Pacific, improve its worldwide and Asian-Pacific rankings and better position the country as a preferred business event destination during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Originality/valueThis is the first such study to date, which has never been explored in qualitative academic research. This study has substantial implications for various business event industry stakeholders in Malaysia.

Analisis Strategi Bauran Pemasaran Terhadap Penjualan pada Usaha Dagang RPU Jakarta Timur

Informants in this study were business owners and employees of RPU's Trading Business (UD). RPU is an abbreviation of the name UD which cannot be mentioned because the privacy of the business owner does not allow it. This study aims to analyze the marketing mix strategy on sales at the East Jakarta RPU trading business. This type of research used a qualitative approach, with data collection techniques using interviews and observations. Data analysis technique in this research is using spiral data analysis technique. The results showed that UD RPU sells products made from beef, chicken and goat. UD RPU creates new innovations by producing new products with high quality and with more attractive product variations. The price of the product on the UD RPU is still not fixed, because the owner does not provide a definite price for each product sold, the price can change according to the condition of the goods offered and the fluctuating purchase price. The location of UD RPU is indeed strategic because it is in the meat warehouse area and next to the market, but the business location needs to expand both online and open other selling points. So far, promotions have been carried out by UD RPU directly and also through online media such as the Tokopedia marketplace. Thus, it can be concluded that UD RPU sells processed beef, chicken and goat products in a quite strategic area, with innovative products of high quality but unstable prices because the owner adapts to the existing conditions.