DBS Business Review

The effects of brand equity on millennials’ purchase decision for sports nutrition products in Ireland

Denise Louvet — 2023-03-03

Based on the theory of planned behaviour, this study investigates whether brand equity influences the purchase intention for sports nutrition products among millennials in Ireland and what factors influence their purchase decision. This research reports the results of a survey of 102 millennials. The results suggest that brand equity influences millennials' purchase intention and that it is also influenced by subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Furthermore, the analysis shows a correlation between brand equity and its subdimensions (brand awareness/associations, perceived quality, brand loyalty) and purchase intention. This study contributes to the brand management literature in the sports nutrition industry and provided brand managers with various suggestions on how to build brand equity in their business practices.

Virtual Production and the potential impact on regional filmmaking

James Fair — 2023-03-03

Virtual Production (VP) has seen enormous growth in the last few years. The technology enables filmmakers to project locations onto a giant LED wall backdrop in a studio space, providing a photorealistic setting at the click of a button. Exciting though these developments are for the industry, our governments need to explore and understand what the trend away from traditional filmmaking may mean. There could be some hidden consequences that impact upon existing policy objectives. This paper focuses specifically upon the potential challenges that regional filmmaking may face as a result of VP; including a loss of production revenue in the local economy, possible skills migration and a threat to screen tourism. The paper argues that interventionist policy making, similar to successful tax relief schemes that have invigorated the UK cultural industries in recent years, could help steer the new technology in directions that help meet wider policy agendas, rather than usurp them.

Comparative Study of Image Processing Algorithms to Detect Defects in Cast Components

Nikith Muralidhar — 2023-03-03

In the manufacturing industry, the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of components is crucial. These cast components are susceptible to blowholes and other anomalies. If such flaws are included in the components, the fatigue life will be harmed, which would almost certainly result in catastrophic accidents. Humans currently evaluate cast components by various methods. We propose an automatic approach for detecting faults in casts with the goal of producing a category that will eliminate the need for manual testing. The technique looks for defects in cast components, In the previous years, Image processing technology has advanced significantly. The method proposed utilizes Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Support Vector Classifiers (SVC’s). This process classifies if the component has a defect or not. According to the hypothesis, human examiners may benefit from the approach because it reduces their workload.

An investigation into the relationship between diversity and compliance in Irish organisations

Della Hunter — 2023-03-03

The aim of this research was to investigate the perceptions of senior compliance professionals in Irish organisations regarding potential connections between the area of diversity and compliance. The research followed a qualitative design to address the research questions and to gather and summarise the data. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather primary data from senior compliance professionals based in five organisations spanning the public sector and the financial services sector. The Central Bank of Ireland (‘Central Bank’) report Behaviour and Culture of the Irish Retail Banks (2018a) was reviewed alongside Irish and UK Corporate Governance Codes and Corporate Governance Reviews in the UK. The Central Bank in their reviews of retail banking following the financial crises of 2007 - 2008, have suggested that increasing diversity on boards is related to an improvement in culture and behaviours. The variables in the research are diversity in the form of gender and compliance in public sector organisations as opposed to private financial services companies. The following themes emerged from the results found. Diversity is not a topic in Compliance Programmes and companies are largely not making the link with improvements in diversity having a positive effect on compliance. However, in assessing future risks, financial services companies are aware of the changing regulatory environment and are taking account of diversity in the Compliance Programmes. Analysis of the interviews suggested that a collaborative type of leadership model is viewed as conducive to an inclusive culture where diversity can be embedded. The future focus now needs to move from not alone having diversity in the workplace but to the proactive inclusion of those diverse people in the organisation.

A Qualitative Analysis on the Client's Experience of the Propeller Model Approach to Counselling Therapy

Kevin Stevenson — 2023-03-03

The successful development of psychotherapeutic and counselling approaches can reflect the evolution and innovation within the industry of psychological treatment. Measuring the benefits of an approach involves inquiry into how it is conducted, the practitioner conducting it, and even the setting in which it is conducted. The aims of this exploratory study are to discover if a psychotherapeutic approach, the Propeller Model Approach, serves its purpose of increasing self-awareness for clients. Such awareness is distinguished in the study as intrinsic and instrumental and aims to build on the theoretical framework that self-awareness is beneficial to the human condition. In order to conduct the study, a semi-structured interview was conducted with five clients engaged in counselling therapy after an individual online counselling session. Each session utilized the Approach implemented by the practitioner for the study who was also the principal researcher. To understand the nature of the participant experience of the Approach, a phenomenological interpretivist epistemology was adhered to. The use of abduction assisted in connecting the ontological construction of participant feedback from their interaction with the Approach to new potential hypotheses. The data of the feedback was analysed through a reflexive thematic analysis that respected the hermeneutical nature of the coding and thematization of the data. The study serves as an example of evidence-based research into a new psychotherapeutic approach and can guide practitioners interested in utilizing the Propeller Model Approach to counselling therapy or for general exploration into human identity.

Considerations for running and interpreting a binary logistic regression analysis – a research note

Emma Beacom — 2023-03-03

This research note discusses key considerations for analysis of categorical data using a Pearson’s chi-square and binary logistic regression. It draws on experience from analysis of a country-level household survey (Northern Ireland Health Survey 2014/15), using SPSSv25, that examined the relationship between household food insecurity status and identified demographic predictors, using Pearson’s Chi-Square test to check associations and binary logistic regressions to derive the predictive models. This note presents an overview of the assumptions for both tests which must be satisfied to ensure the tests are appropriate, discusses the usefulness of using Pearson’s Chi-Square test as a preliminary test before using binary logistic regression, and presents an overview of how to interpret the output from a binary logistic regression model.

Editorial

Tony Murphy — 2023-03-03