Examines the motivation for achievement as a psychological factor that shapes economic development. Refuting arguments based on race, climate, or population growth, the book instead argues for cultural customs and motivations - especially the motivation for achievement - as the major catalysts of economic growth. Considering the Protestant Reformation, the rise of capitalism, parents' influences on sons, and folklore and children's stories as shaping cultural motivations for achievement, the book hypothesizes that a high level of achievement motivation precedes economic growth. This is supported through qualitative analysis of the achievement motive, as well as of other psychological factors - including entrepreneurial behavior and characteristics, and available sources of achievement in past and present highly achieving societies. It is the achievement motive - and not merely the profit motive or the desire for material gain - that has advanced societies economically. Consequently, individuals are not merely products of their environment, as many social scientists have asserted, but also creators of the environment, as they manipulate it in various ways in the search for achievement. Finally, a plan is hypothesized to accelerate economic growth in developing countries, by encouraging and supplementing their achievement motives through mobilizing the greater achievement resources of developed countries. The conclusion is not just that motivations shape economic progress, but that current influences on future people's motivations and values will determine economic growth in the long run. Thus, it is most beneficial for a society to concentrate its resources on creating an environment conducive to entrepreneurship and a strong ideological base for achievement. (CJC)

The Achieving Society

Green marketing stems from the degrading of ecological environment and consumer's increasing sense of(environmental) protection.The essence of green marketing is to response actively to man's increasing concern for ecological(environment) and make choices and decisions in marketing by adhering to the environmental protection principle and the(ecological) principle and building up green technology,green market and green industry.Therefore,green marketing has profound ethical connotation.However,green marketing in present Chinese enterprises is actually in conflict with the logics of enterprise behavior.

On "Green Marketing"

According to Marketing Science Institute (2002), one of the major objectives of marketing research is to assess the strength of brand equity. It is imperative to acknowledge that brand equity is an inseparable part of marketing and essential to the companies to create core-competencies and build strong brand experience that will impact the consumer decision making process (Norjaya Mohd. Yasin & Abdul Rahman Zahari, 2011). The aim of this study is to find out the indirect relationship amongst the brand equity dimensions on brand equity. For the purpose of this study, brand equity dimensions include brand association, brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality and brand image. In this study, a sum of 300 usable questionnaires were gathered. The result indicates a mediating relationship amongst the dimensions of brand equity on brand equity.

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The Mediating Effects of Brand Association, Brand Loyalty, Brand Image and Perceived Quality on Brand Equity

Social media has become the driving force which transforms the web into an interactive information andcommunications technology device. Social media has a significant role in influencing customer’s choice inselecting products and services based on the customers’ feedbacks that appeared in the weblogs, web sites,online boards and other kinds of user-generated content (Raman, 2009). It is indeed important to remember thatbrand equity is no longer valued by large sums of money that companies invest; instead customers are dictatingthe value of brand equity by what they are saying to each other. Therefore, this study will focus on evaluating theroles of various brand equity constructs (including brand loyalty, brand association, brand awareness and brandimage) in mediating the interrelation among electronic word of mouth and the dimensions of brand equity in thecontext of social media. There were total of 300 usable questionnaires were collected in this research. Thefinding revealed that there is an indirect inter-relationship between electronic word of mouth and the dimensionof brand equity, mediated by the respective various brand equity constructs.

/pdf/the-impacts-of-electronic-word-of-mouth-on-brand-equity-in-4bxenijig8.pdf

The Impacts of Electronic Word of Mouth on Brand Equity in the Context of Social Media

Optimally sizing of battery energy storage capacity by operational optimization of residential PV-Battery systems: An Australian household case study

Purpose: This study aims to investigate if the online touchpoints (e-mail and mobile app) of the leading energy provider in Malaysia and customer effort were significantly different by customer types, name, government and local authorities, businesses, and domestic users. 
Design/Methodology/Approach: The study uses a primary data set of 281 and 1156 respondents with experience of using e-mail and mobile apps. A stratified sampling technique was used in the current study, and data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) 27.0 for Windows. Frequency, descriptive, reliability tests, and one-way analysis of variance tests was applied to the data.  
Findings: The findings showed significant differences between one of the variables of e-mail (service quality) and three dimensions of the mobile app (informational, functional, and design quality) with three types of customers. The results also revealed no significant differences between customer types and effort for both online touchpoints.  
Conclusion: The findings from this study will benefit the managers or practitioners of a leading energy firm and other firms in the energy sector to strategize and utilize the online touchpoints (e-mail and mobile app) functions to serve their numerous types of customers better. 
Research Limitations/Implications: The current study only focuses on a leading energy firm with two types of online touchpoints. 
Practical Implications:  The Practitioners will be able to enhance the capabilities of online touchpoints and use these tools to efficiently engage consumers and support customer experience, happiness, and loyalty. 
Contribution to Literature: The current study contributes to the body of knowledge on online touchpoints and customer effort because past literature revealed a limited study on these areas, particularly in the energy sector.

/pdf/online-touchpoints-and-customer-effort-a-comparative-study-qg4fkacx.pdf

Online touchpoints and customer effort: A comparative study of government and local authorities, businesses, and domestic customers

Investigating the Contributing Factors of Continuance Use of Smart Meter in Melaka.

Highlighting the Contributing Factors of Smart Meter Adoption in Klang Valley.

In recent years, the Iraqi market witnessed a large opening that resulted from the entry of many different products with an absence of government regulations. As a result, marketing deception practices have emerged as a new phenomenon. This study examines the effect of deceptive brand image on consumer purchase intention, with consumer attitude as a mediator. A quantitative method was applied in the form of a questionnaire distributed to shoppers at Carrefour Supermarket in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A random sampling technique was conducted. Subsequently, 200 questionnaires were distributed, and 175 valid questionnaires were analyzed, indicating an 87% response rate. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) has been utilized to test the hypothesis. The result showed that brand image deception has a negative impact on consumer purchasing intention. Also, attitude mediates the relationship between deceptive brand image and consumer purchase intention. The empirical finding confirms that deceptive marketing practices such as brand deception can change the attitude of consumers negatively toward brands and, therefore, affect the consumer purchase intentions. The findings suggest that honest brand marketing is beneficial in increasing the attitude toward the brand. This strategy will increase consumer purchase intentions.

The Effect of Deceptive Brand Image on Consumer Purchase Intention: Empirical Evidence from Iraqi Market

ABSTRACT The paper reports a study to determine the challenges faced by households in managing packaging waste, to compute the theoretical recovery rate, actual recovery rate and the total recovery potential of packaging waste generated, and to forecast the amount of waste generated by the households in Kota Samarahan, Sarawak for the next ten years. This study applies semi-structured interview, mathematical formulation and simulation modelling. The results reveal that the theoretical recovery rate among the majority of respondents is higher and the actual recovery rate among respondents is lower than it should be. There is an upward trend in the production of waste in the future.

Abdul Rahman Zahari

Papers

Online touchpoints and customer effort: A comparative study of government and local authorities, businesses, and domestic customers

Investigating the Contributing Factors of Continuance Use of Smart Meter in Melaka.

Highlighting the Contributing Factors of Smart Meter Adoption in Klang Valley.

The Effect of Deceptive Brand Image on Consumer Purchase Intention: Empirical Evidence from Iraqi Market

Packaging waste generation by households: a mixed method study