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The decision-making process of young urban South African single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food
This study investigated how young single mothers (YSMs) in South Africa's bottom of the pyramid (BoP) purchase food for their babies. The study focused specifically on mothers with babies between the ages of 6 to 24 months and explored various elements of their child nutrition decision-making. In tr...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Graduate School of Business (GSB)
2024
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| _version_ | 1867613205425029120 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Jacobs, Dominique |
| author2 | Lappeman, James Roger |
| author_browse | Jacobs, Dominique Lappeman, James Roger |
| author_facet | Lappeman, James Roger Jacobs, Dominique |
| author_sort | Jacobs, Dominique |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This study investigated how young single mothers (YSMs) in South Africa's bottom of the pyramid (BoP) purchase food for their babies. The study focused specifically on mothers with babies between the ages of 6 to 24 months and explored various elements of their child nutrition decision-making. In trying to understand YSM consumer behaviour at the BoP, the objective of the research was to investigate the influence of their vulnerability when making purchasing decisions affecting their baby's nutrition. While many studies exist on the BoP consumer, there is a void in the literature when it comes to specific product category decision-making processes. To explore the research objectives, a qualitative methodology was employed. Semi-structured interviews were used, and the research identified 22 urban interviewees who took part in the study. The results show that the landscape and behaviour of YSMs at the BoP are characterised according to levels of awareness, availability, affordability, and accessibility of a product. This study specifically identified five vulnerabilities, namely, confined financial power, the education gap, entrenched family filters, the proximity trap, and the catalogue constraint. In terms of nutrition, the results show that participants were aware of the importance and benefits of good nutrition for their baby, but mothers rarely prioritised nutrition when purchasing food for their baby. This is due to various reasons, such as not knowing what good nutrition is (how to read the back of the packs of branded baby food) and mainly focusing on being able to afford enough food to survive (as more nutritious food is usually more expensive). This study is an important contribution to gaining a better understanding of choices, priorities, and the decisionmaking process for YSM consumers at the BoP |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40267 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:26.116Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publishDateRange | 2024 |
| publishDateSort | 2024 |
| publisher | Graduate School of Business (GSB) |
| publisherStr | Graduate School of Business (GSB) |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/40267 The decision-making process of young urban South African single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food Jacobs, Dominique Lappeman, James Roger This study investigated how young single mothers (YSMs) in South Africa's bottom of the pyramid (BoP) purchase food for their babies. The study focused specifically on mothers with babies between the ages of 6 to 24 months and explored various elements of their child nutrition decision-making. In trying to understand YSM consumer behaviour at the BoP, the objective of the research was to investigate the influence of their vulnerability when making purchasing decisions affecting their baby's nutrition. While many studies exist on the BoP consumer, there is a void in the literature when it comes to specific product category decision-making processes. To explore the research objectives, a qualitative methodology was employed. Semi-structured interviews were used, and the research identified 22 urban interviewees who took part in the study. The results show that the landscape and behaviour of YSMs at the BoP are characterised according to levels of awareness, availability, affordability, and accessibility of a product. This study specifically identified five vulnerabilities, namely, confined financial power, the education gap, entrenched family filters, the proximity trap, and the catalogue constraint. In terms of nutrition, the results show that participants were aware of the importance and benefits of good nutrition for their baby, but mothers rarely prioritised nutrition when purchasing food for their baby. This is due to various reasons, such as not knowing what good nutrition is (how to read the back of the packs of branded baby food) and mainly focusing on being able to afford enough food to survive (as more nutritious food is usually more expensive). This study is an important contribution to gaining a better understanding of choices, priorities, and the decisionmaking process for YSM consumers at the BoP 2024-07-04T13:37:48Z 2024-07-04T13:37:48Z 2024 2024-07-03T13:36:05Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MBusSci http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40267 eng application/pdf Graduate School of Business (GSB) Faculty of Commerce |
| spellingShingle | Jacobs, Dominique The decision-making process of young urban South African single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | The decision-making process of young urban South African single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food |
| title_full | The decision-making process of young urban South African single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food |
| title_fullStr | The decision-making process of young urban South African single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food |
| title_full_unstemmed | The decision-making process of young urban South African single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food |
| title_short | The decision-making process of young urban South African single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food |
| title_sort | decision making process of young urban south african single mothers at the bottom of the pyramid when purchasing baby food |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40267 |
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