Thesis. (M. Tech. (Dept. of Marketing, Faculty of Management Sciences)) -- Vaal University of Technology, 2011. / The underlying determinants of how and why people shop has been a topic of study for many years, when typologies of shopping styles were developed. These studies have been successful in demonstrating that some shoppers display consistent shopping orientations that can be diametrically opposed, for example, the functional shopper versus the recreational shopper. This study concentrates on purchasing patterns of consumers by examining the decision-making styles of Generation Y consumers with regard to fashion apparel. The study reports on various stages that consumers undergo when confronted with a decision situation. These stages are outlined as need recognition, information search, pre-purchase evaluation, purchase, consumption and post-consumption. The buying behaviours influencing consumers were categorised into internal and external factors. The internal factor includes perception, motivation, learning, attitudes, personalities, self-concept, lifestyle and demography. The external factors comprised the following variables, namely, cultural background, subculture, family influence, and the social factor. The general characteristics of Generation Y were briefly discussed. Various dimensions used to measure consumer decision-making styles were reviewed in the study related to perfectionism, brand consciousness, novelty-fashion consciousness, recreational consciousness, price-and-value-for-money consciousness, impulsiveness and confusion as a result of overchoice of brands. The study adopted quantitative approach. A structured questionnaire was used to survey 230 students who were selected using non-probability convenience sampling. Seven dimensions measuring consumer decision-making styles were found to be applicable within the Generation Y context. These consumers were profiled as being quality conscious, brand conscious, novelty-seeking, hedonistic, confused by overchoice, habitual, brand loyal and fashion conscious. Differences were found between consumers who are confused by overchoice and younger Generation Y consumers. Younger consumers were found to be more confused by overchoice compared to their older counterparts. It is suggested that apparel retailers should try to use communication channels which will be more understandable by Generation Y consumers, and they should provide information that assists buyers to make a rational decision in the buying process. Differences were also confirmed between habitual, brand-loyal consumers and age. It was found that younger consumers are more likely to be loyal to specific brands as compared to their older counterparts. Differences were noted between brand conscious, confused by overchoice and gender. Brand consciousness was regarded as a reflection of men‟s desire to use shopping as a demonstration of their superiority, as well as being beneficial because they reduce search costs. It was revealed that males were more brand conscious than their female counterparts. It also highlighted that males were more confused by overchoice than females. The study found that the majority of Generation Y does pursue quality, even if it means paying higher prices. It is recommended that retailers should continue to emphasise their well-known brand names and set prices at levels where consumers perceive the quality of the product by its price. Retailers should focus on diverse designs, sizes and colours in their product assortment and range. The introduction of new products through the use of fashion shows, fashion magazines and advertisements may provide added advantages in terms of brand awareness / Central Research Committee of the Vaal University of Technology

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management: Strategic Marketing Johannesburg, 2017 / State-owned enterprises share many similarities with their purely commercial counterparts. There are however, a number of factors that these organisations are obligated to account for that set them apart from traditional product and service brands. This makes them unique in terms of how and why they build their corporate brands and manage their brand portfolios. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are prolific across the world. Enterprises controlled and funded entirely or partially by governments are involved in a broad spectrum of business ranging from arms manufacture to communications and media. These state-owned enterprises often command marketing budgets and resource their businesses with brand managers for the purposes of building strong corporate brands and managing their brand portfolios effectively. In short, SOEs often behave as brands and yet their objectives differ from the very definition of what building a brand is intended to do; deliver bottom-line value to the business. The main problem in this study then was to identify the decision-making factors in corporate brand building and portfolio management in a South African state-owned organisation. This was in a bid to resolve how these factors are prioritised to achieve organisational objectives and what value there is in building a corporate brand in such a state-owned organisation. To do this a qualitative research strategy was selected as a means of identifying insights from key personnel at a state-owned organisation. A single case study method was utilised and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was identified as an ideal SOE in which to conduct the study. The key findings indicated a worrying level of confusion regarding the true objectives of the organisation. This was attributed to be due to two factors. Firstly, that there is a conflict between the mandate of an SOE or its altruistic, normative objective to serve the country and its people and the commercial imperative to build consumers (or audiences in the case of the SABC) and attract revenue to be self-sustaining. Secondly, that due to political influence and the nature of state- ownership of the organisation, the objectives documented and approved differ to those that are truly practiced by managers in the organisation. Further to this it was found that there is a lack of clarity regarding the structure of the brand portfolio and relationships between brands, many of which have strong heritage in and of themselves and form key touchpoints for sizeable audiences. It was found that building a strong corporate brand was essential for the SABC’s success and that each brand in the portfolio should fall under the umbrella corporate brand however this again brought forth the conflict between how things should be and how they can practically be done. Due to its SOE nature, and the public context of the SABC, it was found that the portfolio brands tended to distance themselves from the corporate brand due to its instability and negative corporate reputation which impacted on individual brand performances in the portfolio. Based on the findings in this study, this thesis recommends a clear prioritisation of the three areas of influence within the SOE in the order of audiences followed by mandate and then revenue. The thesis recommends a corporate brand audit, taking stock of the heritage elements of the SABC corporate brand and its brand portfolio so as to mine the value in its 80-year-old history and to turn these heritage-based elements into advantages for the organisation upon which its corporate brand can be built. This thesis recommends the building of a strong corporate brand for the SABC with links between each brand in its portfolio leaning to the branded house side of the spectrum of classical brand relationship typology. The study also proposes practical applications to achieve prioritisation of the corporate brand which requires high level management attention. To this end, it calls for the appointment of a Chief Marketing Officer to the executive of the SABC and a core corporate brand management team. The function of this team would be to articulate the objectives and the prioritisation of these objectives to all stakeholder groups, to audit and reorganise the brand portfolio for effective management according to theory-based guidelines, and to establish and implement a corporate brand building strategy that will deliver value to the SABC and all its stakeholders, using the corporate brand and its messaging as a bridge to connect the brand promise of the organisation to the brand reality experienced by those stakeholder groups most especially its audiences as priority. / MT 2017

by Hui Ching-Han, Kuok Li-Wen. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-114). / Questionnaire also in Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.i / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES --- p.viii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.ix / Chapter CHAPTER I --- PROJECT INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Objective --- p.3 / Scope of Study --- p.3 / Methodology --- p.4 / Primary Data Gathering --- p.4 / Secondary Data Gathering --- p.5 / Data Presentation and Analysis --- p.5 / Limitations --- p.6 / Chapter CHAPTER II --- COMPANY BACKGROUND --- p.8 / Mother Company - HK-listed TCL International Holdings Ltd --- p.8 / Maker and Designer of Consumer Electronic Products --- p.8 / Foreign Ownership --- p.8 / China State-Owned Background --- p.9 / Brand Value --- p.10 / Expanding its Overseas Footprint --- p.10 / Source of Income by Market and Product --- p.11 / Performance --- p.11 / Corporate Strategies --- p.13 / Corporate Goal --- p.13 / Business Portfolio --- p.14 / Strategic Partnerships --- p.14 / Nam Tai Electronics --- p.14 / Ericsson --- p.15 / TTPCom --- p.15 / TCL Mobile Communication Co. Ltd --- p.16 / History and Background --- p.16 / Ownership --- p.16 / Sales Performance --- p.17 / Strong Management Team --- p.18 / Scale --- p.19 / Mission --- p.19 / Corporate Culture --- p.19 / Strategy --- p.20 / Mobile Communication Business Plans --- p.22 / Overseas Market Development - HK Market the First Testing Ground --- p.22 / TCL Mobile Information International Company Limited - HK office --- p.23 / Chapter CHAPTER III --- CHINA MOBILE PHONE MARKET --- p.24 / General Market Situation - Supply Side --- p.24 / Number One World Manufacturing Base --- p.24 / Dominant Standard --- p.24 / Revenue and Future Size --- p.25 / General Market Situation - Demand Side --- p.25 / China Consumer Characteristics --- p.26 / Five Faces - Market Segmentation --- p.26 / Location Difference --- p.27 / Most Preferred Brands --- p.27 / Myth of Advertisement --- p.27 / TCL Mobile Phone in China --- p.28 / Largest Mobile Phone Marker in China --- p.28 / Top Five Brands in China --- p.28 / Lucrative Mobile Phone Market - Earnings Driver --- p.29 / Major Foreign Competitors --- p.29 / Major China Competitors --- p.30 / Price War With Profit Margin Unaffected --- p.30 / 4Ps of TCL Mobile Phones --- p.30 / Chapter CHAPTER IV --- HONG KONG MOBILE PHONE MARKET --- p.33 / HK Telecommunication Market - Highlighting Mobile Phone Sub-Sector --- p.33 / Potential Regional Mobile Hub --- p.33 / Highest Telephone Density and Penetration Rate in Asia --- p.34 / Pioneer in Adopting New Technologies and Services --- p.36 / Replacement Mobile Phone Market --- p.37 / Large Business Receipts from Mobile Phone Telecommunication Sub-sector --- p.37 / Network Services Providers --- p.37 / Famous Mobile Phone Brands Dominate Market --- p.38 / Mobile Phone Business Receipts --- p.38 / Characteristics of Hong Kong Consumers --- p.39 / 4Ps of generic brands in Hong Kong market --- p.39 / Recent Developments --- p.41 / Current TCL 4Ps in HK --- p.42 / Price - Medium Pricing --- p.42 / Product - Limited Product Mix with Generic Features --- p.42 / Place - Weak distribution in network service providers --- p.45 / Promotion - No sustainable advertisement after launch --- p.46 / Differences between Hong Kong and the China Market --- p.47 / Chapter CHAPTER V --- SURVEY --- p.49 / Timeline of Survey --- p.49 / Target Market --- p.49 / Methodology --- p.50 / Focus Group --- p.50 / Pilot Test --- p.50 / Quota Sampling --- p.50 / Structure of Questionnaire --- p.51 / Showing Dummy Product --- p.52 / Survey Results Compatible --- p.52 / Highlights and Implications of Survey Results --- p.53 / Part I: HK Mobile Phone Market ´ؤ Usage and Preference --- p.53 / Suggestions in Cracking HK Market by 4Ps Analysis --- p.56 / Part II: Highlights and Implications of the TCL Related Data (4Ps) --- p.57 / Chapter CHAPTER VI --- DATA ANALYSIS --- p.60 / Sample Size --- p.60 / Analysis of the Results of Survey --- p.60 / Demographics --- p.60 / Part I: Mobile Phone Usage and Preference --- p.61 / Current Brand --- p.61 / Frequency of Changing Mobile Phones --- p.62 / Reasons for Replacing Mobile Phone --- p.66 / Mobile Phone Selection Criteria --- p.66 / Preferred Place to Purchase Mobile Phone --- p.72 / Part II: TCL Mobile Phone --- p.75 / General Idea of TCL --- p.75 / Product --- p.75 / Price --- p.81 / Place --- p.82 / Promotion --- p.83 / Confidence in TCL Mobile Phone --- p.85 / Chapter CHAPTER VII --- CONCLUSIONS --- p.88 / The Fate of TCL in the Hong Kong Market --- p.88 / Chapter CHAPTER VIII --- RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.90 / Target Market --- p.90 / Need Market Research --- p.90 / Broaden Target Market --- p.90 / Brand Image --- p.91 / Price --- p.92 / Product --- p.92 / Place --- p.94 / Promotion --- p.94 / APPENDIX 1 Terms (in alphabetical order) --- p.96 / APPENDIX 2 Development Milestones of TCL Mobile Communication --- p.100 / APPENDIX 3 Milestones of Telecommunications (Mobile Phone sub-sector) in Hong Kong..… --- p.102 / APPENDIX 4 (SURVEY: ENGLISH VERSION) --- p.106 / APPENDIX 5 (SURVEY: CHINESE VERSION) --- p.109 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.112 / Periodicals --- p.112 / Interview --- p.114

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T20:17:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 119040.pdf: 15039381 bytes, checksum: 3b2f8b83fee7c0e69dc7bcc1aa1a41ed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-07-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The present study begins in the projecting issue, addressing concepts of knowledge building, specifically about projects related to communication interfaces. The starting point and motivation of the study lies in the perception of a frequent gap between audience, interface building theory and design practice. It is suggested that modern projective practices must break with the static paradigms from the past, joining new forms and practices, suggesting content curation in the world wide web. Raising points of convergence between: web content curating, interface design and "design design" (the metaproject) in creating up to date projecting practices, the work raises a discussion proposing the application of the possibilities that the so-called "new economy" brings to the intense routine of referencing that nowadays constitutes the designer praxis. Thus, the theoretical framework focuses on cognitive ergonomics in design practice, the meta-project, the communication design, semiotics, curating content and finally branding. / A presente dissertação se inicia na questão da problemática projetual, abordando conceitos sobre a construção do conhecimento, especificamente, dos projetos de interfaces comunicacionais. O ponto de partida e motivação do trabalho é a percepção de que ainda é frequente o distanciamento entre público-alvo, teoria da construção de interfaces e a prática projetual. Sugere-se que as práticas projetuais modernas devem romper com os paradigmas estáticos do passado, aderindo novas formas e práticas, como, por exemplo, a curadoria de conteúdo na rede mundial de computadores. Levantando pontos da convergência entre: curadoria de conteúdo web, design de interfaces e design do design (o metapojeto) na criação de práticas projetuais atualizadas, o trabalho suscita uma discussão propondo a aplicação das possibilidades que a chamada nova economia traz ao cotidiano de intenso referenciamento, que hoje, constitui o projetar do designer. Deste modo, o referencial teórico concentra-se na ergonomia cognitiva, na prática projetual, no metaprojeto, no design da comunicação, na semiótica, na curadoria e por último em branding.

The automotive industry in South Africa is now more than ever before, facing a new era of intense international competition and as a means to survive; organisations are continuously searching for ways to increase their competitiveness. To this end, recent approaches have focussed on the role that people perform in bringing about competitive advantage and has resulted in greater emphasis being placed on the attraction as well as retention of the right people to achieve organisational success. However, developing trends such as changes in the supply of workers, expectations of new generations and a more diverse population have pressurised organisations to institutionalise a dynamic solution. This has placed greater imperative on becoming an employer of choice - those organisations that can differentiate their human resource practices from the competition in order to attract, develop and retain the people they need. The research problem that was addressed in this study is to identify and investigate the organisational attributes of an employer of choice. A comprehensive literature review was executed to review the various definitions, trends impacting as well as the significance of the status - employer of choice. Furthermore strategies for becoming an employer of choice were evaluated and prominent employer of choice attributes identified from the literature. The researcher has also found that a significant number of authors have suggested employer branding as a key strategy in the effort to become an employer of choice. The concept of employer branding was therefore extensively explored in this study. An empirical study was conducted after the appropriate measuring instrument was developed. The purpose of the measuring instrument was to validate the literature findings, identify the rank importance of the identified attributes and to evaluate the extent to which these factors are provided for in the organisation. A sample consisting of 110 employees were selected to participate in the survey via a random sampling method and a response rate of 89% or 98 employees was obtained. The major findings indicated that the sample group agreed that the prominent attributes in literature are important attributes of an employer of choice. Overall the majority of the sample group does not regard the organisation as an employer of choice and while some of the attributes were present in the organisation, others had serious shortcomings. The literature findings together with the empirical study findings resulted in the development of a strategic model to serve as a guide in determining the initiatives the organisation should embark upon to become an employer of choice.

Based on the importance of small and medium-sized family businesses, with regard to their economic contributions, as well as the fact that their high failure rates limit their ability to positively contribute to the economic growth of South Africa, this study focused on selected marketing and branding practices of South African family SMEs, and whether these practices influence their financial performance and ultimately their survival. Against this background, the primary objective of this study was to investigate selected marketing and branding practices adopted by family SMEs in the Eastern Cape. An overview of the literature was provided whereby the nature and importance of SMEs, and more specifically family SMEs, were described. The various challenges SMEs face were explored, with marketing and branding being identified as one of the main challenges that contributes to the high failure rate of family SMEs. In addition to the marketing challenges faced by non-family SMEs, family SMEs face extra marketing hurdles, given the overlapping subsystem of family and business. However, despite these challenges, family SMEs are able to make use of their familial aspect by marketing and branding the business as family-owned. A positivistic research paradigm and quantitative research methodology was adopted for this study, using a descriptive research approach. The primary data collection procedures involved selecting the population, the sample, sampling techniques, and sample size. For the purpose of this study, the population consisted of all family SME owners operating within the borders of the Eastern Cape province. From the population, a sample was selected using both judgemental and convenience sampling. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, which resulted in 325 usable questionnaires, giving an effective response rate of 65.00 per cent. Given the cross-sectional nature of this study, a survey research method using a structured, selfadministered questionnaire was used to collect the primary data. The scales used to measure the factors under investigation were developed based on previous research. In order to assess the validity of the ordinal scales, tests for unidimensionality were undertaken. Only factor loadings exceeding the 0.5 cut-off point were considered significant. Not all the items loaded as expected. Only five of the original six items intended to measure the dependent variable Perceived financial performance loaded onto this factor. The researcher, together with two experts in the field of marketing and family businesses, deemed the items for the dichotomous questions to show evidence of content validity. The reliability of the ordinal scales was assessed by calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, whereby coefficients greater than 0.7 were deemed a scale to be reliable. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of greater than 0.7 were returned for all the factors measured using ordinal scales, except one factor namely Customer service differentiation. This factor was not considered for any further statistical analyses. The reliability of the dichotomous questions was assessed using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (K-R 20). For the purpose of this study, Kuder-Richardson values greater than 0.5 deemed the dichotomous questions to be reliable. Kuder-Richardson values of greater than 0.5 were reported for the dichotomous items relating to Branding of the family name, but not for Marketing function. However, given that the questions were used for descriptive purposes only, the items measuring Marketing function were used for statistical analysis. The independent variables returned mean scores of between 3.220 and 3.773, with the majority of respondents feeling neutral or agreeing with the statements measuring these factors. The dependent variable Perceived financial performance returned the highest mean score of all the factors with the majority of respondents agreeing with the statements measuring this factor. The dichotomous questions relating to the Marketing function indicated that majority of respondents did not have a written marketing strategy or a separate department that deals with marketing for their family business. The dichotomous questions relating to Branding of the family name revealed that in most instances the family name (surname) does not appear in the name, brand, logo or advertising material of the family business. Most of the independent variables (Promotion of family business, Family business image and Stakeholder perception) reported significant and positive relationships with each other. The independent variable Perceived financial performance reported significantly positive relationships with two independent variables, namely Product differentiation and Family business image. The multiple regression analyses undertaken revealed that only one of the independent variables, namely Product differentiation, had a significant positive influence on the dependaet variable Perceived financial performance. This study found that the independent variables Promotion of family business and Family business image did not have a significant influence on the dependent variable Perceived financial performance. The results of the two single regression analyses revealed that a significant positive linear relationship exists between Stakeholder perception and Promotion of family business, as well as between Stakeholder perception and Family business image. The findings of the analysis of variance found that Number of employees was the only demographic variable that exerted a significant influence on Product differentiation. The results also indicated that Age of respondent, Generation ownership and Nature of family business had an influence on Promotion of family business. However, the post-hoc Scheffé test revealed that only Generation ownership had a significant influence on Promotion of family business. The analysis of variance also found that the demographic variables Age of respondent, Generation ownership and Number of employees exerted a significant influence on Family business image; however, the post-hoc Scheffé found that only Generation ownership had a significant influence on Family business image. Based on the findings of this study, numerous recommendations were proposed to assist the owners of family SMEs to ultimately improve their business’s financial performance by adopting appropriate marketing and branding practices. The findings of this study showed that by adopting a Product differentiation competitive orientation, family SME owners can enhance their financial performance. It is hoped that the findings of this study will provide family SME owners with practical suggestions on how to use a product differentiation competitive orientation to ultimately increase their longevity, and that the suggestions for future research will inspire future researchers to continue investigating the unique marketing and branding practices of family SMEs.

The use of social media in the retail banking environment has changed the way the banking industry communicates with customers, creates sales and performs marketing and operational tasks. Social media strategies need to be aligned to business goals and effectively used to integrate social media as part of the overall marketing strategy. Only by understanding brand loyalty, multi-channel systems and social media channels can marketers effectively implement social media. In measuring brand loyalty, factors that influence customer buying behaviour and components that influence online interaction are essential in engaging different groups of customers in social media. This research study aimed to examine the use of social media within the South African retail banking environment with a focus on creating and maintaining brand loyalty. An exploratory, mixed method research design was employed. Data collection instruments used in the study includes online surveys, structured interviews, and focus groups. Participants consisted of marketing personnel and customers. Three lead/head social media marketing personnel participated in the interview process, 14 marketing personnel took the online survey and 4 participated in a focus group. Participants for the online survey also consisted of 40 customers who were connected through the internet and performed various online banking activities. Data was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Data from the online surveys completed by customers was analysed quantitatively using descriptive analysis, structural equation modelling (SEM) and factor analysis which was performed on the brand loyalty variables and the brand loyalty measures. Content analysis was used to qualitatively analyse data from the structured interviews. Data from the online surveys completed by marketing personnel was analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings indicated that social media forms an integral part of the marketing strategy that needs be aligned with the core business goals. Banks therefore need to focus on creating campaigns that are fun, exciting and appealing to the target market. A culture of innovation and new ideas is essential to grow the product/service. Building brand trust and creating customer satisfaction forms the core of creating brand loyalty on social media. Banks need to be aware of factors that influence customer brand loyalty and components that influence loyalty on social media in order to measure things that matter through analytical tools so that an actionable strategy can be put in place and implemented.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Management Sciences (Marketing), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are known to be important for the development of economies in developing countries. This is so because SMEs create jobs therefore reducing unemployment and alleviating poverty. The South African government has done a lot to help SMEs grow and become established businesses. They offer, among other things, financial assistance and expert advice in the field of marketing, technology and venturing into foreign markets (SEDA, 2014). However, it seems that it is difficult for SMEs to establish themselves in the different sectors such as the Manufacturing, Retail, Service, Financial and Agricultural sectors. They complain among other things, of financial constraints and the global economic crisis (NCR report 2011). Olawale and Garwe (2010) go on to say that, SMEs in South Africa have a high failure rate compared to other countries and only about 7% of new SMEs become fully established firms. The reason for this might be the inability of those firms to utilise marketing and in particular branding to market their firms. Branding is the process of stamping a product, which the marketer offers with some identifying name, mark or a combination of both (Sawant 2012). Thus branding creates individuality in the product or service offered facilitating it to be distinguished and recognised in the market from competitors. For this reason different aspects of branding especially brand dimensions will be explored to identify shortcoming of SMEs branding practices to assist them survive the dynamic business environment. The study involved SMEs in KwaZulu Natal in the manufacturing, retail, agriculture and financial services sectors. To address the research problem a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Participants, more specifically those from the very small SME category, were selected and questionnaires were distributed to them. Those participants who responded to the questionnaire, in depth interviews were held with them. In both approaches a convenient samplings technique were used to select participants. The data will be analysed by using normal descriptive statistics and content analysis. The problem under investigation in this study is that SMEs in KZN may lack the ability to harness branding in support of their business survival. SMEs are limited financially when it comes to creating a brand. Randall (2000) says that companies face a number of challenges when it comes to creating a brand such as mature markets, brand proliferation, consumer revolt, management failure, fragmentation of media and retailer power. The contribution of the study is to help SMEs in KZN to understand branding and especially brand dimensions to assist them survive the dynamic business environment. The study found that SME owners have an understanding of brand creation and management. However, they agreed that more needs to be done when it comes to creating strong brands. SMEs express the brand dimension of sincerity and competence when branding their products. They face financial constraints, lack of creativity and competition as some of the challenges when it comes to creating brands. / M

The internet is a major communication channel for universities. It makes sense to insure that a Web presence of a university is representative of the university's brand and is consistent throughout all Web sites within the university. This project researches and develops Web design tools that can provice standarized resources to Web designers, specifically for California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB).

Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The purpose of this study was to assess the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) strategies used by the University of Limpopo’s Marketing and Communication, Student Recruitment division. The study focuses on the use of IMC strategies including direct marketing, which includes marketing through branding, face- to -face interaction with customers and other elements including advertising. The other aspect of the marketing strategy is digital communication, which includes social media and web marketing that the university uses to market themselves to their prospective students. The use of marketing strategies by higher institutions of learning was addressed in the literature review and the importance of implementing the strategies was also discussed. The study focused further on direct marketing and digital communication strategies following low student number enrolments in 2016, especially in the faculties of Science and Agriculture, as well as in Management and Law. The study examined the way in which the university presents and sells itself, promotes its services and maintains the relationship between students, both international and domestic. In this work, IMC strategies were explained and outlined for understanding, which allows for proper implementation of the strategies. The use of General Systems Theory (GST) served as a theoretical outline for this study to highlight the importance of marketing strategies that operate in a systematic way. The use of GST also advocated for the implementation of marketing strategies as a system. The theory was able to link both IMC strategies and the organisation of higher learning, wherein IMC is a system itself. There are elements of IMC that work together to create a system in an organisation. GST supports education as it was stated that educational institutions deal with marketing strategies which, need to be approached in a systematic way (Buckey, 1968). Institutions of higher learning are composed of many systems, which should not be viewed as individual, separate units, but as contributing parts to the effective functioning of the whole marketing strategy. The research design utilised grounded theory for philosophical methodological underpinning. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews taken from nine, (9) high school leaners from Zimbabwe and South Africa. International high v school participants were attending an exhibition in different places in Zimbabwe, such as Harare (Gateway High School). In South Africa, data was collected from different areas, such as Capricorn, Vhembe, Mopanae and Blouberg in Limpopo province. Branding and the use of social media was also a concern. Most participants concluded that the university needs to upgrade its marketing strategies and focus more on the digital communication as teenagers spend time on their digital devices, which can be helpful in accessing the information they need.