Building awareness of mathematical modelling at teacher education: a case study in Indonesia

A growing interest to teach mathematics closely connected to its use in daily life has taken place in Indonesia for over a decade (Sembiring, Hadi, and Dolk 2008). This chapter  reports an exploratory case study of  the building of an awareness of mathematical modelling in teacher education in Indonesia. A modelling task, re-designing a parking lot (Ang 2009), was assigned to groups of pre-service secondary mathematics teachers. All groups undertook the stages of collecting data on a parking lot, identifying limitations in the current design of the parking lot, and proposing a new design based on their observations and analyses. The nature of the mathematical models elicited by pre-service teachers during various stages of completing the modelling task will be examined. Implications of this study suggest the need to encourage pre-service teachers to state the assumptions and real-world considerations and link them to the mathematical model in order to validate their models.

Retail brand orientation, positional advantage and organisational performance

This study adopts a resource-based view of branding referred to as brand orientation. Despite the importance of branding in retail, relatively little empirical research has been conducted to understand the degree to which retailers can be considered brand oriented. The purpose of the present research is to establish a conceptualisation of brand orientation that is applicable in a retail context across countries. Moreover, we seek to empirically validate a model of the retail brand orientation–positional advantage–organisational performance relationship and to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the factors driving retailer performance. A mail survey was used to collect data from retail firms in Australia, USA and UK. The unit of analysis is the retail firm. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the measurement properties of the study constructs and structural equation modelling was performed to test the research model. The findings suggest that four elements of retail brand orientation (functionality, distinctiveness, augmentation and symbolism) play different roles in relation to certain aspects of positional advantage, which highlights the importance of developing strength in all four areas. Similarly, a position of superiority in only one aspect of a retailer's offer is insufficient to assure both financial and strategic returns.

Does brand influence wine purchase?

Given the proliferation of brands in the wine market, positioning a wine on the basis of its brand is becoming a priority for winemakers. However, developing a brand without understanding its impact on purchase is risky business. This study investigates the influence of the brand on wine purchase. The results indicate that the connoisseur is more likely to rely on the brand in wine purchase. Whereas the aspirational consumer is less likely to be influenced by the brand; and more likely to make wine purchase decisions on the basis of the label design and perceived personality.

The sky from earth : landscape as awareness

For thousands of years mankind has looked at the sky above to engage with the surrounding environment. The observation of solar, lunar and other celestial events guided settlements as well as human movements and activities, just as the cycle of the seasons influenced agricultural crops or dwelling. Archaeoastronomy includes many examples of fabrications in the landscape, constructed solely to observe the sky. The awareness of the sky can be particularly important in the contemporary landscape where the design of a sustainable environment has taken on a sense of urgency. This paper features a survey of several international and Australian archaeoastronomical examples and presents a vocabulary of contemporary interventions in the landscape designed to bring awareness of the sky from observation of celestial events. Some of the contemporary interventions are realized while others are deign proposals, in all examples the viewer is engaged in time-based perceptions of different landscapes aided by minimal constructions, which facilitate the observation of the daily sun path, lunar phases and star trails. A symbiosis between the land, the sky and the observer is established, bringing awareness of how the sky above engages the life on earth. This paper offers a fresh insight, drawing upon Indigenous wisdom as well as contemporary debates and literature, to appreciate the social and cultural significance of these places. By reading and appreciating these examples, and the cultures they are party to, new insights and avenues can be offered as to better design and manage our human environments.

Environmental sustainability awareness and academic curriculum improvements: the case of a business and law faculty in an Australian university

Climate change, global warming, rising sea levels, ice cap melting, carbon taxes and trading schemes etc. are all major environmental issues that confront the modern world. Universities are now trying to ensure that their students graduate with an understanding of environmental sustainability regardless of their field of expertise. 

The Big Five and brand personality: investigating the impact of consumer personality on preferences towards particular brand personality

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between consumer personality and brand personality as measured by constructs refl ecting The Big Five dimensions in the context of fashion products. The fi ndings of the study show that some dimensions of The Big Five constructs are signifi cantly related to preferences on particular dimensions of brand personality. It was found that consumers who exhibit a Conscientious personality demonstrate preferences towards ‘ Trusted ’ brands. In contrast, those who are Extrovert in nature are motivated by ‘ Sociable ’ brands. Findings related to gender reveal that male and female consumers differ in how they express their personality when it comes to brand personality. Male respondents who are dominant on the Neuroticism dimension prefer ‘ Trusted ’ brand, whereas ‘ Trusted ’ brand is preferred by females who are dominant on the Conscientiousness dimension. The results of this study will inform brand managers about how to tailor specifi c marketing strategies such that brand personalities communicated to consumers are congruent with their personalities.

Predicting brand preferences: an examination of the predictive power of consumer personality and values in the Australian fashion market

Purpose –
This paper aims to examine and compare the strength of personality and values in predicting brand preferences. It seeks to accomplish three main objectives. First, it will evaluate the strength of personality and values in predicting consumers' brand preferences. Second, it will examine whether values exercise a mediating role between personality and brand preferences. Finally, it will examine the mediating role of prestige sensitivity in influencing brand preferences.

Design/methodology/approach – 

The relationship between market orientation, brand orientation and perceived benefits in the non-profit sector: a customer-perceived paradigm

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between ‘market orientation’, ‘brand orientation’ and ‘perceived benefits’ in the non-profit sector from the perspective of the customers. Data were collected from a number of church organizations in Australia using a self-administered questionnaire. The tests for construct reliability, validity and research hypotheses were conducted using structural equation modelling. Findings reveal that ‘market orientation’ is significantly associated with both ‘perceived brand orientation’ and ‘perceived benefits’. An alternative model also reveals significant relationship between ‘brand orientation’ and ‘perceived benefits’ through ‘market orientation’ as the mediating variable. The study contributes to the body of literature and provides practical implications for non-profit managers and church leaders alike. An organization that endeavours to build a strong brand and deliver relevant benefits to its members should ensure that it has sufficient understanding of its members and utilizes the various resources of the organization to deliver superior values to its existing and prospective members.

The role of brand orientation in church participation: an empirical examination

Although a large amount of research has been undertaken into the application of marketing techniques in church organizations, few studies have provided empirical evidence on the effects of brand orientation on church participation. This empirical study sought to contribute to the body of literature via a survey of 344 church attendees of a particular church denomination in Australia. The conceptual model hypothesizes brand orientation as performing direct and indirect effects on church participation through perceived benefits as the mediating variables. A person's perception of the extent to which a church engages in brand-oriented activities and behavior is significantly related with his or her perception of the benefits associated with church activities, which then leads to a higher level of church participation. The results reveal that brand orientation is significantly related with perceived benefits and church participation.