Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
School of Agricultural and Food Sciences
Department of Consumer Science
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
The initial aim of the study was to verify the national finding of the existence of nutritional problems (specifically stunting and underweight in young children) on commercial farms. The outcome would be used to construct community-based interventions for addressing these problems. The needs assessment involved lengthy contact-making sessions, individual interviews with community members and key informants as well as observations and focus group discussions. Given the data from the assessment, the premise was made that attention should also be focused on the community’s hygiene and sanitation practices. Other areas of concern were perceived food insecurity and issues regarding dietary diversification.
Hygienic conditions were determined using total microbiological counts on Rodac plates on various surfaces in households, including mugs, plates, food preparation bowls, dining room tables, kitchen cloths, hands, clothes and toilet seats. Staff from the Department of Food Science and Technology was involved in these measurements. All the Rodac plates were overgrown (too numerous to count) indicating more than 300 bacteria per centimeter square for all surfaces. This confirmed unsanitary household conditions and poor hygiene practices.
The outcomes of the assessment formed the basis of the first intervention implemented between July and September 2003. Ongoing evaluation will form part of the process. This study will be used to construct a generic model for community-based interventions on commercial farms. The model would be piloted on a selected farm and then extrapolated to a larger scale.
Contact person: Dr R Kruger.
Interest in interior soft furnishings stems from this product category’s high aesthetic value and the potential to be used intentionally by consumers to portray images of the self while, by nature of its use, these products also need to adhere to certain criteria to perform optimally during use. Concerns about responsible, informed consumer decision-making behaviour initiated an inquiry into consumers’ confidence and probable reliance upon extrinsic product characteristics to conclude product decisions. The intention was to contribute to the understanding of buyer behaviour to enable the recommendation of relevant consumer assistance strategies.The findings revealed an apparent association of brand names and store images with what participants expect in terms of generic functional product attributes. Despite agreement that intrinsic factors are significant, these were in practice inferred as spin-offs of extrinsic attributes. Participants failed to prove their ability to judge intrinsics objectively. While the use of surrogate indicators seems convenient, it may disclose inability or reluctance of consumers to formulate relevant purchase criteria, absence of critical awareness of functional product attributes and a transfer of responsibility to retail to anticipate expected needs. Buyer behaviour of this kind contests the basic sentiments of consumerism with potential unfortunate long-term consequences that need to be attended to.
Contact person: Dr AC Erasmus.
The role of a salesperson in retail eventually culminates as a collective of multiple roles: consumer facilitator, employee, colleague and individual with personal expectations. Inability to interpret and coordinate these roles may create role conflict and role ambiguity that negatively impacts inter alia on consumers who depend on salespeople’s devoted assistance during complex decision-making. The objective of the research was to describe a salesperson’s interpretation of his/her role in retail to comprehend the kind of consumer assistance that could be expected and to expose salespeople’s loyalty towards the business and their colleagues amidst personal expectations. An ideographic research strategy and qualitative data collection techniques were used. Data revealed the collective role of a salesperson to be conflicting and stressful. Alternative role behaviours seem the universal way to cope with ambiguity. To maximize personal income through increased sales, emphasis on consumer support (the preferred and most rewarding role in terms of personal satisfaction) is often diminished. Commission based remuneration is blamed for poor relations among colleagues due to inter personal rivalry for sales. The situation is exaggerated by long working hours and lack of appreciation by supervisors. As is, consumers seem to lose out, which is of concern - especially regarding complex, durable products where consumers rely on salespeople to make informed, responsible purchase decisions.
Contact person: Dr AC Erasmus.
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