Gum exudates from the cashew tree had similar viscosity characteristics to gum arabic, and there were no significant effects of pH, temperature changes or storage time on the viscosity.

The study investigates the mediating role of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition on the relationship between entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention among university students in Ghana. A structured questionnaire was administered to 500 university students in Ghana, and the data collected was analyzed using Amos. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the hypothesized paths. The result indicated that entrepreneurial attitude had a substantial positive impact on both entrepreneurial intention and opportunity recognition among university students in Ghana. The result further indicated that entrepreneurial opportunity recognition positively affected university students' entrepreneurial intention. The study further illuminated that entrepreneurial opportunity recognition mediated the relationship between entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurial intention. This implies that an entrepreneurial attitude increases the chances of opportunity recognition and self-employment propensity in Ghana. The study suggests that students should cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and develop a healthy attitude toward entrepreneurship, enhancing the chances of identifying and pursuing business opportunities.  The study contributes to the literature by focusing on and highlighting innate attributes that can possibly contribute to self-employment propensity.

Entrepreneurial orientation (ENO), social network ties (SOT) and market intelligence generation (MIT) are independently modeled as distinct antecedents of entrepreneurial intention (EIN). However, the intervening variables for such models are typically under-explored in their applicability to university students in sub-Saharan Africa. Accordingly, drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the present study argues that ENO impacts EIN, primarily explained by SOT and MIT. Using cross-sectional data gathered from university students in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country, our findings reveal that ENO has both direct and indirect relationships with EIN. Thus, this relationship is mainly mediated when students build and develop social network ties (SOT) instead of gathering marketing intelligence (MIT).

The role of perceived value, brand credibility and word-of-mouth endorsement in supporting customers` behavioural intentions to pay a high price has gained much attention lately in the marketing literature. However, studies on the impact of perceived value on customers` intention to pay a high price via the intervening role of brand credibility and word-of-mouth endorsement are relatively scarce in the literature. Consequently, this research goal was to assess the impact of customer value (as a high-order variable) on intentions to pay a high price through the intervening role of brand credibility and word-of-mouth endorsement in the herbal industry in Ghana. Through a systematic sampling procedure, 265 samples of customers in the herbal market provided data for this research. Structural equation modelling was employed to quantitatively analysed the hypotheses proposed in the research. The results show that all the social value, emotional value, perceived quality and value for money are dimensions of perceived value. Again, it was also established that brand credibility plays a partial role in the influence of perceived value on word-of-mouth endorsement and intentions to pay more. Likewise, word-of-mouth endorsement was found to partially contributes to supporting the relationship between brand credibility and intentions to pay more in the herbal market. The paper, therefore, established that the contribution of brand credibility and word-of-mouth endorsement is critical when building perceived value (social value, emotional value, quality and value for money) to reinforce customers` intentions to pay a high price in the herbal industry.

To expand the existing literature on entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial intention, the current study determines the mediating role of social network ties in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial intention among university students in Ghana. Data was conveniently gathered from 728 full time university students in Ghana. Structural equational modeling findings demonstrated that entrepreneurial orientation positively influenced social network ties and also positively affected entrepreneurial intention. Moreover, social network ties mediated entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial intention nexus. University students should try to establish formal and informal social network relations to identify business opportunities, acquire resources in order to enhance their proclivity to start a new business.

A high level of brand awareness and brand image enhances customers` favourable word-of-mouth referrals which in turn, strengthens their WTP a high price for a brand. Despite the increasing importance of brand awareness and brand image to customers` word-of-mouth referrals and their WTP a high price, there are limited studies on the mediated role of brand image in the influence of brand awareness on customers` word-of-mouth referrals and their WTP a high price, particularly in the herbal industry. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the mediated role of brand image in the impact of brand awareness on word-of-mouth referrals and WTP a high price in the herbal industry. Using a systematic sampling strategy, data were collected from 265 samples of customers in the Cape Coast herbal market. The research hypotheses were statistically tested via structural equation modelling with the help of smart PLS 3.3.3. The study establishes that the relationship between brand awareness, word-of-mouth and WTP a high price is partly attributed to the influence of brand image. Besides, the study found that word-of-mouth contributes partially to the influence of brand awareness and brand image on WTP a high price. The study confirmed that brand image is critical in developing brand awareness to strengthen customers` word-of-mouth referrals and their WTP a high price in the herbal industry.

A well-designed product packaging, increased perceived quality and brand equity are essential elements that can strengthen brand loyalty in a keenly competitive retail environment. Although the impact of packaging, perceived quality and brand equity on loyalty has gained considerable attention in the marketing literature, there are limited studies on the impact of packaging on brand loyalty mediated by perceived quality and brand equity in the drug industry. In this respect, this paper aimed to examine the mediation influence of perceived quality and brand equity on the relationship between packaging and loyalty in the drug industry. The data for this paper were collected from a sample of 316 customers using a systematic sampling procedure. The study's hypotheses were statistically examined via structural equation modelling with the aid of smart PLS version 3.3.3. Findings from this paper show that brand equity fully mediates the impact of packaging on loyalty but partially mediates the path between perceived quality and loyalty. The research also found that perceived quality perfectly mediates the relationship between packaging and loyalty but partially mediates the impact of packaging on brand equity. This paper, therefore, established that perceived quality and brand equity are critical in designing packaging to improve brand loyalty in the drug industry.