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In the next five-to-ten years, Generation Y (born between 1979 and 1994) will be the largestgroup in Chinese firms. This generation is better educated and has unique characteristics.However, most of Chinese firms still employ a classic control system in management process.We argue that unless companies take MCSs as a package and consider HRM in the wholemanagement process, they cannot reduce the agency conflict with highly-educated Generation Yemployees. In order to reduce the agency conflict, the key thing is to identify the motivationsamong highly-educated Generation Y. This research firstly reviews the extrinsic and intrinsicmotivations based on the relevant studies. Then through the in-depth interviews with HR andmiddle managers, we find the special opinions of HR and middle managers in Chinese firms.After that, we design a questionnaire and conduct a survey. Our study identifies that themotivation scales among the Chinese highly educated Generation Y are different from those inthe theoretical studies, and the most important scale for Generation Y is Reward, Personal fit andSelf-fulfillment. Besides, the 1980s and 1990s groups have significantly different requirementsfrom the work environment. Our research indicates that companies should take the ten scales ofmotivations into consideration in the whole process of management control, and supervisorsshould know the motivations of their employees, thereby avoiding misunderstanding.

Brands are an important part of consumers’ lives, and cultural aspects affect how consumers view brands. Though a great depth of research exists on branding and consumer culture, there is a lack of knowledge about Generation Y’s perceptions of clothing in Sweden, and specifically for men, across many countries. Different people purchase branded clothing for varied reasons and possess diverse needs that branded clothing may meet. Therefore, this study focuses on determining the perception of clothing and brands that Swedish men of Generation Y hold and examines the role branded clothing plays in their lives, in hopes of creating new knowledge within the chosen topic area.

Background: Eco-labels have become an important tool in products’ promotion, especially in the food industry, where it is used to promote products with ecological, ethical and/or sustainability attributes that consumers are looking for. Even though researches have demonstrated that consumers develop a positive attitude towards green products, some remain skeptical about green claims from marketers which are sometimes considered as ambiguous. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to understand consumers’ attitude towards eco-labels and the impact of trust on their intention to buy eco-labelled products, focusing on Generation Y from Europe and on eco-labels from the food industry. Methodology: The research is based on a quantitative study with a cross-sectional design. The data are collected thanks to secondary data and an online survey. Conclusion: The findings show that the Generation Y is well aware of eco-labels and has a positive environmental motivation, both impacting the intention to buy eco-labelled food products. Trust has also a small indirect impact on the intention to buy, since it affects the consumers’ environmental motivation.

Green marketing is, in a sense, an oxymoron in that it merges the seemingly contradictory concepts of marketing, which focuses on facilitating and encouraging consumption, and environmental concern, which focuses on environmental conservation. Green advertising represents an important marketing tool for communicating an organisation’s green image and is the driving force behind fostering environmental awareness and environmentally friendly behaviour. As with any type of advertising, an important determinant of the success of green advertising is consumers‟ attitudes towards green advertising and corresponding environmental concerns and behaviour. The last decade has shown a staggering number of marketers targeting the green segment of the population with green advertising, with increasing green advertisements manufacturers are informing their customers about the pro-environmental characteristics of their products and services. Green advertising is an essential tool in an organisation’s overall environmental marketing strategy; one which possibly leads to achieving superior performance and assists in creating a sustainable competitive edge. An in-depth understanding of the relevant consumer behavioural aspects of a target market is tantamount to formulating successful marketing strategies. This holds true with the formulating of green marketing advertising strategies, which aim at encouraging consumption in an environmentally sustainable manner. There is a dearth of published literature on the South African Generation Y‟s consumer behaviour in general and none that specifically focuses on the environmental concern, attitudes towards green advertising and environmental behaviour of the significantly sized black Generation Y cohort. The Generation Y cohort is defined as individuals born between 1986 and 2005. In terms of South Africa, Generation Y individuals accounted for 40 percent of the South African population, with black Generation Y individuals making up 84 percent of this generational cohort. In addition, the black Generation Y cohort of South Africa makes up approximately 33 percent of the whole population, resulting in a highly attractive market segment. Individuals attaining tertiary qualifications are of particular interest to marketers since they are likely to enjoy higher earnings and a higher social status, which together is likely to make them opinion leaders amongst their peers. The primary objective of this study was to investigate black Generation Y students‟ environmental concern, attitudes towards green advertising and environmental behaviour within the South African context. The target population of the study was defined as full-time black Generation Y students, aged between 18-24 years, enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame comprised the 23 registered South African public HEIs. Using a judgement sampling method, this was narrowed down to four HEIs located in the Gauteng Province - two of which are country-based and two of which are city-based. For this study, a convenience sample of 400 full-time black Generation Y students who were enrolled at these four South African HEIs during 2012 was drawn. The relevant primary data was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. Lecturers at each of the four HEIs were contacted and requested to distribute the questionnaire to their students either during class or after class. The self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to these lecturers. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a five-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items designed to measure their environmental concerns, their attitudes towards green advertising as well as their current environmental behaviour patterns. In addition, the students were asked to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that South African black Generation Y students are environmentally concerned, have a positive attitude towards green advertising and report behaving in a pro-environmental manner. Previous research found gender to be a significant factor in displaying concerns for the environment. However, this study determined that gender played no significant role towards the black South African Generation Y cohort environmental concerns and attitudes. Similarly, the study found no significant difference between black Generation Y students who were based at city HEIs and black Generation Y students who were based at countryside HEIs. Insights gained from this study will help both marketing academics and practitioners understand current black Generation Y consumer attitudes towards environmental concerns, green advertising attitudes and the significance of their pro-environmental behaviour. / Thesis (MCom (Marketing management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

There is consensus among entrepreneurship scholars regarding the importance of entrepreneurship toward the economies of countries. There is sufficient evidence to support the view that entrepreneurs are characterised by unique characteristics. Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial orientation have been widely studied and entrepreneurial orientation is considered instrumental for motivating individuals to engage in entrepreneurial activities. Previous research has also identified a correlation between entrepreneurial orientation and the performance of a firm. Many studies on the subject of entrepreneurial orientation have revealed that entrepreneurial orientation is multi-dimensional, for example, previous studies have identified autonomy, innovation, risk taking, competitive aggressiveness and pro-activeness as some of the factors that may influence entrepreneurial orientation. Given the importance of entrepreneurship with regard to job creation, the study attempted to identify the entrepreneurial orientation of Generation Y students. South Africa is experiencing high unemployment levels among the youth and the need to identify the entrepreneurial perceptions of the youth is significant as future entrepreneurs will come from this cohort. The findings of this research study may assist different stakeholders such as government, businesses and higher education institutions among others to take appropriate actions to address the problem of unemployment and create a favourable environment where persons may engage in entrepreneurial activities. The purpose of this research study was to determine the entrepreneurial orientation of Generation Y students in the Vaal Triangle area. Autonomy, innovation and risk taking were identified as factors that may possibly influence the entrepreneurial orientation of Generation Y students in this area. The findings in this research study indicate that students regard themselves as being autonomous, innovative and risk takers. No significant differences were found with regard to the entrepreneurial orientation of males and females. In comparing different designated groups in terms of the three constructs, significant differences were noted among certain items, for example, Coloureds and Indians tend to perceive themselves as more innovative compared to other groups. However, further research is needed because there is no sufficient evidence to suggest that one group is more entrepreneurial than the other. The findings in this research study revealed that Generation Y students perceive themselves as being autonomous, innovative and risk takers. This is encouraging because entrepreneurial activities, to a large extent, are known to be influenced by entrepreneurial orientation. It is evident that the youth can be encouraged to be job creators instead of job seekers. / Thesis (MCom (Entrepreneurship))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012.

This study focuses on the importance of clothing brands on the purchasing decisions of Generation Y individuals. The research concentrates specifically on university students aged between 17 to 26 years, located in the Vaal Triangle Area. This study aims to determine if this group of Generation Y members are brand conscious in their choices of clothing brands and what influences or motivates them to buy clothing brands. The findings suggest that Generation Y students are brand conscious, in that the right choice of clothing helps them create an image and identity for themselves. Peer and family influences play a crucial role in their choice of brands as it aids in their socialisation process. In addition, advertising is an important variable in communicating brand values and establishing an image for the brand. Celebrities also have an impact on branded clothing as they promote certain attributes such as image, quality and status. However, the results of this study are limited given that the study was only conducted amongst students in the Vaal Triangle area. Furthermore, the research does not follow the individuals over time to see how their brand choices might have changed. In order to maintain Generation Y students’ loyalty, it is recommended that brand managers focus on building an emotional attachment to make their brands special and bring a lasting competitive advantage. In addition, advertising should be used not only to create awareness but also to influence brand image and preference. Generation Y individuals establish their brand preferences at an early age especially during their years of study and, therefore, targeting this consumer group may be rewarding because with careful promotions, marketers can create a group of brand loyal customers for the future. / MCom (Business Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

The rapid growth in mobile communication in South Africa makes it an important new advertising medium, and that is why an understanding of attitudes towards mobile advertising is important. As the most technologically astute generation, the Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) represents an important current and future market segment for digital media, including mobile media. In South Africa, black African make up the majority of the Generation Y cohort (hereinafter referred to as black Generation Y). Given the size of the black Generation Y market segment in South Africa, and the potential earning power and influential role of those with a tertiary qualification, a need was identified to propose and empirically test a model of possible antecedents that may determine attitudes towards mobile advertising amongst black Generation Y students. The sampling frame for the study included black Generation Y students aged between 18 and 24 who were registered at South Africa’s 23 public registered higher education institutions (HEIs). This sampling frame was narrowed down, using judgement sampling, to three HEI campuses situated in the Gauteng province – one from a comprehensive university, one from a traditional university and one from a university of technology. Lecturers at each of the campuses were contacted and asked if they would allow a questionnaire to be distributed to their students during class time. A convenience sample of 600 students across these three campuses was taken in 2013. Self-administered questionnaires, designed to measure the antecedents influencing black Generation Y students’ attitudes towards mobile advertising, were hand delivered to students during class time at each of the three campuses. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis and structural equation modelling. The findings of the study suggest that South African black Generation Y students have a strong positive attitude towards advertising in general, and towards communicating using the SMS function. Moreover, they have a positive attitude towards the value of mobile advertising. It appears that they find mobile advertisements to be intrusive, and do not perceive mobile advertisements to have much entertainment value, which may account for them not having an overall positive attitude towards mobile advertising. Attitude towards advertising and credibility were found to have a significant direct influence on black Generation Y students’ perceived value of mobile advertising, which in turn has a significant direct influence on black Generation Y students’ overall attitude towards mobile advertising. Personalisation and in formativeness have a significant positive influence on credibility. Entertainment, attitudes towards advertising, control and credibility have a significant positive influence on the perceived value of mobile advertising. Intrusiveness has a significant negative influence on overall attitudes towards mobile advertising, while trust and perceived value have a significant positive influence. This study will contribute to developing a profile of the consumer behaviour of the black Generation Y student in South Africa concerning their attitude towards mobile advertising. This research study aimed to develop a conceptual model to illustrate the antecedents that influence black Generation Y students’ attitudes towards mobile advertising. The findings of this study will act as marketing strategy guidelines for marketers seeking to reach this segment through mobile advertising. The findings of this study will be of value to South African marketers, as well as international advertisers, seeking to target this lucrative market segment. / PhD (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Abstract Background Online Advertising is a continuously developing phenomenon, which helps several websites stay financially alive. However, online advertising tends to often be avoided by the consumers exposed to it, due to a number of perceived issues linked to online ads. One group of websites that are particularly dependent on advertising revenue are online news sites. Research on why people avoid ads have been conducted, but is limited to traditional online advertising approaches and older consumer segments, creating a gap which this thesis strives to fill. Purpose The purpose of this research is to investigate Generation Y’s perception of traditional advertising as well as in contrast to the new emerging alternatives. As a result of this, one main research question was formulated alongside with three subquestions. Method The research approach of this study consists of an exploratory research conducted through a multi-method approach with in-depth interviews and focus groups in order to find out how, why and what the subjects experience and perceive when exposed to advertising. Deciding on how to select the sample for the empirical study, the authors heavily focused on finding the appropriate number of participants that also fit suggested profile. In order to analyze the data, the framework analysis’ method and triangulation through multiple analysts was used. Conclusion This study came to the conclusion that most perceived issues, as those described in previous literature, remain for the most part accurate. The perceived issues of Goal Impediment and Ad Irritation are the major influencers for online ad avoidance. Native Advertising is successful in diminishing the perceived issues of Goal Impediment and Ad Irritation, but increased the negative perception of Ad Skepticism. Whitelist indicates to be a initiative that could diminish the issues resulting in Ad Avoidance, but lacks practical implementations.

In this thesis, the author explores a vocal phenomenon called “vocal fry” and why this dysphonia has emerged as one of the primary means of communication for the population referred to as “Generation Y.” The first chapter defines what vocal fry is and why it is of modest value to the stage actor. The second chapter defines the physiological means by which the human body creates sound, what good sound is and how vocal fry is created. The third and fourth chapters define several generations as well as what defines Gen Y, and the communication physiologies associated with those generations. The last chapter discusses the rise of narcissism within Gen Y and how this may relate to the arrival of vocal fry as a default register for theatre students. The conclusion outlines several solutions that may alleviate the problems associated with this dysphonia.