HOME MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE COURSES IN THE U.S.

The formats and learning experiences employed in home management experience courses in U.S. colleges and universities have increased greatly in diversity in the past decade. Many resident courses have been terminated and replaced with nonresident courses, while others continue to be taught in non-traditional formats. The overall objective of this study is the assessment of home management experience course formats and learning activities in 1979–80. Other aspects of experience courses such as types of residences used, instructors, and majors for whom the courses are required, are also described. Current questions regarding the choice of experience course format and objectives are discussed.     

Consumer perceptions of environmental marketing claims: an exploratory study

This paper reports the results of research which examined consumer perceptions of 10 environmental claims: degradable, biodegradable, no CFCs, safe for the environment, environmentally friendly, compostable, recycled, pre-consumer waste, post-consumer waste, and recyclable. Implications for policy makers and future research are identified.     

'Late Mobilization': Transnational Peasant Networks and Grassroots Organizing in Brazil and South Africa

In this paper, we analyze the political dynamics of the contemporary 'transnational peasant network' through a comparison of two movements: the Brazilian Movimento Dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST) and the South African Landless People's Movement (LPM). We argue that transnational visions of 'peasants' often obscure relations between or within rural movements. One tangible benefit of the transnational peasant network is the exchange of ideas, experiences and information, but this exchange does not happen in a vacuum, rather it happens in the historically-situated, power-laden context of an uneven world system. Organized in 1984, MST activists from Brazil helped to train, educate and inspire South African activists after the LPM formed in 2001, but key elements of the MST's success were inappropriate or unworkable in the South African context. Ultimately, the transfer of movement knowledge from the MST to the LPM may have worked against the long-term success of the latter.     

Perceptions of the discount retailer: an analysis of consumers' and managers' ideal discount store

Consumers' and managers' perceived images of three discount department stores and a hypothetical ideal discount store were compared in this study. Results indicate that managers and consumers possess significantly different overall impressions of each store. Significant differences were also identified between the ideal amount of each attribute and the amount offered by the retailer.     

The contribution of discretionary salt to total salt intake

The aim of this research was to investigate sodium consumption in a group of people, compare this consumption with dietary reference values and to identify sources of sodium in the diet. Participants were given weighed salt pots which were used for 8 weeks and a fully weighed dietary survey was conducted by each subject. The average daily sodium consumption of each subject was calculated and compared with the reference nutrient intake (RNI). Daily sodium intake was found to vary considerably, ranging from 1213 mg (53 mmol) (76% of the RNI) to 10 569 mg (460 mmol) (661% of the RNI). Average daily sodium consumption was found to be 5175 mg (225 mmol), well above the RNI of 1600 mg (70 mmol). The average contribution from discretionary salt was 15.0%, from processed foods 76.5% and from naturally occurring sodium 8.4%. Males were found to consume more sodium than females and a moderate correlation between age and daily sodium intake was found.     

Quantity Surcharges: Are They Important in Choosing a Shopping Strategy?

Instead of making value-price comparisons for all members of a product set, consumers may decide to adopt simple purchase decision rules such as larger sizes are better buys. When the unit price of a larger size is greater than the unit price of a smaller size, a quantity surcharge exists. Previous research has established that consumers do frequently encounter quantity surcharges in purchasing grocery products. However, estimates of the amount of the surcharge, the goal of this research, have not previously been reported. In this study the expected return from using the larger-size rule was estimated. The estimation procedure made use of price and size information gathered for all available packages of 23 products sold in 15 grocery stores in one rural Illinois community in October 1981. Nineteen of the 23 grocery products were found to have surcharges, with the mean amount ranging from less than one cent to 65 cents. Tuna fish was the only product for which the expected value of the return from buying a larger size rather than a smaller size was negative. Implications for consumers' choice of shopping strategies are discussed.     

THE FREQUENCY OF QUANTITY SURCHARGES: REPLICATION AND EXTENSION

Widrick's research has established that larger sizes of grocery products are not always less expensive per unit than smaller sizes, or that quantity surcharges exist. The purpose of this research was to validate and extend Widrick's work. In this research, the overall incidence of quantity surcharges was 18.6%. Surcharges were found to occur more often when numerous brand sizes were offered and non-integer package size comparisons were required. Additionally, personal care products, not previously included in quantity surcharge research, were found to have a lower incidence of surcharges than food and laundry products. The research indicates there may be possible payoffs to consumers who make unit price comparisons rather than employing the economy size rule.