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In 2009, US coupons set a new record of 367 billion coupons distributed. Yet, while coupon distribution is on the rise, redemption rates remain below 1 percent. This paper aims to show how recognizing context variables, such as proximity, weather, part of town and financial incentives interplay to determine a coupon campaign's success.

The paper reports an empirical study conducted in co‐operation with a restaurant chain: 9.880 Subway coupons were distributed under different experimental context conditions. Redemption behavior was analyzed with the help of logistic regressions.

It was found that even though proximity drives coupon redemption, city center campaigns seem to be much more sensitive to distance than suburban areas. The further away the distribution place from the restaurant, the less does the amount of monetary incentive determine the motivation to redeem.

When designing a coupon campaign for a company, coupon distribution should not follow a “one‐is‐good‐for‐all‐strategy” even for one marketer within one product category. Instead each coupon strategy should carefully consider contextual influence.

This paper is the first to the authors' knowledge that systematically investigates the impact of context variables on coupon redemption. It focuses on context variables that electronic marketing channels will be able to easily incorporate into personalized mobile marketing campaigns.

Beyond the economic determinants, non-economic criteria of land affordability are also of great importance. From the context of emerging economies, this study investigated the affordability of low-cost land allocation through the lens of non-economic criteria.

Given that the non-economic criteria considered are those related to religion and politics, data were elicited from the owners of residential plots at Redemption City and Ikosi Residential Scheme respectively in Nigeria. The data collected were analysed using statistical methods of analysis: mean and standard deviation.

The result showed that safety and comfort, quality management, proximity to market, proximity to public transportation and proximity to health facilities were the significant non-economic criteria at Redemption City. On the other hand, the non-economic criteria found to be significant at Ikosi Residential Scheme were proximity to public transport, safety and comfort, low presence of environmental problems and income ratio.

This study informs the promotion of private and public partnerships towards reducing the housing deficit in emerging economies. Also, it would help in the formulation and review of land policies, which would benefit not only their members.

This study is among the few that have looked at the non-economic criteria of land affordability, especially in emerging economies.

The purpose of this paper is to report the survey on the use of online tools and techniques for cataloguing and classification in Nigerian libraries.

A questionnaire was designed to elicit information from librarians on pertinent areas relating to the use of online tools for processing library resources.

The results of the survey reveal a high level of awareness among librarians in Nigeria about the benefits that could be derived in the use of online tools for cataloguing and classification processes. The study further reveals the need for continuing education programmes for cataloguers for effective use of the tools. The study shows that the use of online tools has advantages over manual methods. Librarians perceived the method to be useful and easy to use. The paper reveals ICT infrastructural facilities as major constraints facing libraries in the use of online tools. One of the expectations at the onset of the follow‐up study was that most of the problems identified with the use of the online tools in the Redeemer's University library study would not be different from the challenges facing other libraries. The results of this study have proved this to be true.

The conclusion rests on the need for an intensive continuing education programme to teach the skills required for online operations and the provision of web‐driven facilities in Nigerian libraries.

The paper provides information on libraries' awareness on the use of online methods for processing library resources, their efficiency and attitude of librarians to such tools. The paper shows that libraries in developing countries like Nigeria should intensify efforts to close the gap between them and those in the developed countries in terms of ICT literacy.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the experience of the Redeemer's University Library in Nigeria in its information literacy (IL) training programs.

The paper provides a brief literature review of current trends in IL training and challenges. A description of methods of training, schedules, content of IL, successes, and shortcomings are detailed. Information and data for the paper were collected from records kept by the IL librarian. The experiences of the authors and observation complemented the data.

The IL librarian's training programs have enabled a good number of students to attain IL. But much needs to be done by both librarians and faculty to attain the desired result of making every students information literate.

This paper provides information on Redeemer's University Library in Nigeria, and is useful for librarians in developing countries who may want to improve on their IL programs.

The purpose of this paper is to report the use of ICT by cataloguers at a private university library in Nigeria.

A description of the procedures and processes undertaken is given.

The description of the processes involved in the use of ICT by cataloguers reveals the effectiveness and efficiency of online searches for the purpose of cataloguing and classification. A few were identified. The study shows the potential offered by the use of ICT, which libraries in developing nations – and indeed Nigeria – have not fully embraced. The paper reveals the low level of ICT literacy in libraries in Nigeria and concludes that this is a result of the deficiency in the practical training of librarians in the use of ICT in Nigerian library schools.

The conclusion is that there is an urgent need for librarians in developing nations to gain proficiency in the use of ICT as a tool in libraries.

The paper provides information on the level of ICT use for cataloguing and classification in a private university library in Nigeria. This experience shows the importance of why libraries in developing countries should address the desired level of ICT literacy among their librarians.

The purpose of this paper is to report on research that examined the issues of e‐journal subscription, subscription models and the future of print version of journals in Nigerian universities.

A survey study was used to collect data from the selected 30 universities that covered the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The questionnaire contained questions that are pertinent to the issues being investigated. The 22 responses (73.3 percent) received were processed, analyzed and results presented.

The study reveals that Nigerian universities subscribe to e‐journals, i.e. full‐text journals. They employ acceptable models for subscriptions, however, they use consortium more than any other model. Most libraries want to retain print format.

While the study is limited to 22 university libraries, it has applications to similar universities across Nigeria, be they public or private.

This research provides information on the status of subscription to e‐journals in Nigerian libraries methods, and policy issues. The data and findings may help provide ways to manage e‐journals better in Nigerian libraries to serve user needs.

At the time of the completion of this study no such work had been done before in Nigeria.

The paper aims to report the level of awareness, ownership and use of weblogs by librarians in Nigeria.

The study adopts a survey research approach using online survey software to elicit information on issues relating to librarians' awareness, knowledge, ownership and use of weblogs.

Data analysis shows that librarians demonstrate remarkable level of awareness and knowledge about weblogs and their benefits to professional practice and services but they neither own nor use the technology.

The study was limited by a low response rate to the survey. Less than 7 per cent of the members of the online NLA forum used for the data collection responded. This implies that internet culture is still in its formative stage among librarians in Nigeria.

The paper concludes by enunciating the need for awareness creation, training and re‐training programmes for librarians to start creating and maintaining personal and institutional weblogs and other social networking media that could enhance professional practice and services.

The study promises to sensitize librarians and other information professionals in Nigeria and other developing countries to the social values of weblogs and similar technologies in terms of communication, networking, knowledge sharing and other usefulness.

The paper contributes to empirical research on library use of Web 2.0 technologies in Nigeria and literature in the field of library and information science.

The purpose of this paper was to assess the attitude of residents towards ecotourism in KwaZulu-Natal protected areas. It also determined how barriers to ecotourism trips could negatively affect the success of tourism development in protected areas. The new South Africa today has widely and innovatively embraced ecotourism based largely around the protected areas. Residents’ attitude towards tourism is one of the important indicators for sustainable development in protected areas.

In total, 212 copies of structured questionnaires were used to collect information for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the target population of the protected areas while respondents were selected from the communities based on random sampling technique. Mean scores for barriers to ecotourism trips were determined. Descriptive statistics and T-test inferential statistics were used to analyse the data.

The results agree with the theory of planned behaviour where intentions of residents to participate in ecotourism were directly influenced by barriers such as no time, low income and no transportation. It was also found out that preference for ecotourism trips was significantly influenced by the various barriers to ecotourism activities. High level of unemployment and high level of illiteracy were considered to be responsible for poor attitude in Kwadlangezwa with many (43.4 per cent) unwilling to support ecotourism development projects.

The research implication infers that high level of poverty and illiteracy in communities surrounding protected areas could seriously indicate non-support for development projects.

Ecotourism-related businesses need be developed in destinations to alleviate poverty.

The moral of residents need be boosted through workshops and educative seminars.

The study was conducted during the author’s research fellowship with the Department of Recreation and Tourism, University of Zululand, Kwadlangezwa, South Africa.

The purpose of this paper is to examine Nigerian academics' adoption of open access initiatives as authors and readers of scholarly resources. The study was necessitated by the growing need to have the number of Nigerian scholarly publications increased on the internet and accessible to scholars around the world through the use of open access initiatives.

Academics of two first generation Nigerian universities selected using convenient sampling technique were surveyed using the questionnaire to find out the extent of their awareness and use of open access initiatives as authors and readers of scholarly works. Two hundred and fifty questionnaire copies were distributed in the two universities out of which 189 copies were returned, while 180 copies were found to be useable for the study.

It was revealed that the respondents were aware of the pre‐print and open access journal initiatives than the post‐print initiative. In terms of the use of open access initiatives, although the study revealed insignificant use among the academics, academics in sciences showed more promise of adopting open access initiative as authors and readers of scholarly resources than their counterparts in the humanities.

Unlike studies that assessed specific subject based and institutional repositories that allowed for the search and extraction of depositors' names and characteristics, this particular study relied on respondents' responses as a source of their actual use of open access repositories.

This paper reveals that academics' perception and publishing culture, and not awareness, determines the extent of their use of open access initiatives in Nigeria.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how a redemption reward program of credit card works in China. The study also seeks to assess Chinese credit card users' level of awareness about the reward‐point programs. Additionally, the factors affecting the redemption of reward points, one customer loyalty program used by many credit card issuers worldwide, are also identified.

A telephone survey and a followed regression analysis were conducted in five major cities in China with more than 400 samples.

Lack of awareness about the reward points programs and the redemption procedure was shown. Low customer awareness about point‐based reward programs and, not surprisingly, low redemption rates were also discovered. The important conditions positively affecting redemption of reward points were found to include awareness of the reward point program, a positive attitude about the incentives, and average frequency of credit card usage. Also, redemption rates were higher for cards that had been issued more recently. Moreover, redemption behaviors and credit card usage habits may be changed in time of financial crisis.

Awareness of reward points programs, redemption procedure, and benefits of redemption of reward points should be increased by better and more effective communication strategy, provided by credit card marketers, to customers or potential customers.

The lower‐middle class market segment in China is studied to provide background information regarding behavior towards credit card reward programs in the banking industry. Additional information is provided towards marketing managers who hold the responsibility of promoting their usage and rewards.