Thesis (MTech (Marketing))--Cape Technikon, 2002. / Brand image has long been recognised by marketers and brand researchers alike as an important concept in marketing. Brand image as defined by Keller (1993), is complex and consists of perceptions about a brand as reflected in memory by the brand associations held in consumer memory. These brand associations are the other informational nodes linked to the brand in memory and contain the meaning of the brand for consumers. Brand image in turn will impact on customer-based brand equity which Keller (1993) defmes as the differential effect that overall brand knowledge has on consumer response to the marketing effort of a brand. This study investigates the importance and relevance of brand image and its impact on customer-based brand equity in a high-involvement purchase, using the MBA market as the field of study. Based on the findings of the research conducted by Markinor (2001) regarding the perceptions of business schools by MBA graduates in South Africa, the writer developed an Integrated Brand Management Model which will serve as a conceptual framework for managing the "brand gap", defined as the gap that exists between brand identity (as proposed by the organisation), and brand image (as perceived by the consumer). Furthermore, the model illustrates the dimensions of brand identity that need to be managed on an ongoing basis by brand managers to ensure the success of a brand, and the resultant impact that this management process will have on the various dimensions of brand equity.

In a fast-paced dynamic world, the key to success lies in the ability to accept change and to rapidly respond to demands placed by ever increasing competitive environments. In business, the impact of products and services in meeting or exceeding customer’s expectations in such environments is measured by customer satisfaction and the importance thereof cannot be downplayed, thus providing management with a metric that guides and augments change. Subsequently, these dynamic competitive forces are pushing sectors such as Higher Education into the realm of service industries, where stakeholders such as students and alumni are viewed as customers. Correspondingly, measuring their satisfaction has become important as this provides strategic insight, whilst enhancing academic programmes and the student experience. The purpose of this research study was to identify the factors that determined satisfaction with the MBA programme as viewed by students and the alumni of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Business School. Furthermore, it advanced the field of stakeholder theory by identifying alumni as a key stakeholder in business schools. Consequently, the research was exploratory and consisted of quantitative and literature components where hypotheses were developed and relationships between factors analysed, in addition to the literature reviewed. The literature introduced key concepts to this study, such as alumni as stakeholder, alumni satisfaction, satisfaction with the MBA programme, measuring alumni satisfaction, MBA alumni networks and alumni communication. The factors that determined alumni satisfaction were identified by means of a statistical analysis of the data collected by the research instruments. Correspondingly, the findings indicate various factors determine satisfaction with the independent variables highlighted in this study, which are the Facilities, the MBA Programme, the Social Experience, the NMMU Business School Alumni Chapter, the NMMU Business School brand and Communication. Furthermore, it was established that there is a significant link between Social Experience, the NMMU Business School Alumni Chapter, the NMMU Business School Brand, Communication and Alumni Satisfaction.As services industries such as Higher Educational Institutions get exposed to competitive pressure, customer satisfaction comes to the fore and there are certain factors that need to be addressed to enhance satisfaction. Subsequently, this study highlights this pressure and satisfaction levels can certainly be improved by the institution across all the independent variables identified, especially in areas such as the NMMU Business School Alumni Chapter and Communication. Consequently, the NMMU Business School, for the first time have metrics to identify the factors that determine satisfaction with the MBA programme as viewed by their alumni and resultantly can strategically benefit by taking the views of their most important stakeholder into account.

Ethics is more than an abstract body of theories, principles and ideas. It is a way of thinking through difficult situations before deciding how to act (Manning & Stroud, 2008). This study takes this conception of ethics into the realm of the business decision and business schools’ responsibility to ensure that their MBA graduates are empowered and comfortable to reason and act ethically in the difficult business situations they will face and decisions they will be expected to take in their career. / Business Management / D. B. L.

Business Management / D. B. L.

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / This integrated study examined the nexus between the theory and the practice of strategy. Given the nature of modern-day public and private business enterprises in South Africa and the rest of the world, management education should equip practitioners with knowledge and skills suitable for complex, dynamic, eclectic, and uncertain practice contexts. That is, management education should be playing a critical role in shaping and guiding the business community in the ‘management’ and ‘administration’ of business in the country. However, criticisms in management literature suggest that management education is not relevant to practice. Despite such criticisms, there is relatively little empirical evidence in the country on practitioners’ experiences with the relevance to practice of their management education in general and strategy education in particular. To this end, this study set out to develop a better understanding of the dynamic and nuanced interplay between strategy theory and strategy practice through a survey and interviews with selected business school alumni in professional practice. Statistical analyses were performed on quantitative data, while thematic analysis was performed on qualitative data. The survey findings of the study reveal a positive and significant relationship between academic rigour and practical relevance of strategy theory, while phenomenological findings reveal that practical relevance of strategy theory is largely constructed by practitioners according to their contextual demands. Strategic management appears to rest on the dynamic interplay between strategy theory and strategy practice within a complex and eclectic management environment. / In hierdie geïntegreerde studie is die verband tussen strategieteorie en -praktyk ondersoek. Bestuursopleiding moet praktisyns toerus met die kennis en vaardighede wat die komplekse, dinamiese, eklektiese en wisselvallige omgewing in openbare en private maatskappye in Suid-Afrika en elders in die wêreld vereis. Met ander woorde, bestuursopleiding moet leiding gee in die bestuur en administrasie van maatskappye in die land. In die literatuur word aangevoer dat bestuursopleiding irrelevant is. Daar is egter min empiriese bewys dat bestuursopleiding, en strategieopleiding in die besonder, ontoepaslik is. Om hierdie rede is ‘n studie van die dinamiese en genuanseerde wisselwerking tussen strategieteorie en -praktyk onderneem. Onderhoude is gevoer met en ‘n opname is gedoen onder sakeskoolalumni wat in die praktyk staan. ‘n Statistiese ontleding is van die kwantitatiewe data en ‘n tematiese ontleding is van die kwalitatiewe data gedoen. Volgens die opnamebevindings is daar ‘n positiewe en beduidende verband tussen akademiese stiptheid en die praktiese relevansie van strategieteorie. Uit die fenomenologiese bevindings blyk dat die praktiese relevansie van strategieteorie grotendeels deur praktisyns volgens die eise van hulle konteks bepaal word. Blykbaar berus strategiese bestuur op die dinamiese wisselwerking tussen strategieteorie en strategiepraktyk in ‘n komplekse en eklektiese bestuursomgewing. / Lolu cwaningo oludidiyelwe, lwacubungula futhi lwabukisisa ukuxhumana okukhona phakathi kwethiyori yeqhingasu kanye nenkambiso yokwenziwa nokufezekiswa kweqhingasu ngendlela ephathekayo nebonakalayo. Uma kubhekwa uhlobo nobunjalo bamabhizinisi, ezikhathi zanamuhla, angaphansi kwesandla sikahulumeni kanye nalawo asezandleni zabantu abazimele eNingizimu Afrika kanye nasemhlabeni wonke jikelele, imfundo yezokuphatha kumele ihlomise ongoti bomsebenzi ngolwazi namakhono adingekayo ezimweni zokusebenza ezinobunkimbinkimbi, ezinomdlandla, eziyingxubevange futhi ezinokungaqiniseki kanye nongabazane. Okusho ukuthi imfundo yezokuphatha kumele idlale indima esemqoka ekubumbeni nasekuholeni umphakathi wabamabhizinisi ekuphathweni nasekulawulweni kwamabhizinisi ezweni. Kodwa-ke, ukugxekwa okuvelayo emibhalweni yezokuphatha kubonisa ukuthi imfundo yezokuphatha, ikakhulukazi imfundo yamaqhingasu, ayinakho ukufanelana nokuhambelana nenqubo-nkambiso yokwenziwa komsebenzi ngendlela ebonakalayo nephathekayo. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuthuthukisa nokwakha ukuqonda okungcono maqondana nobuhlobo nokuxhumana okunomdlandla kepha okufihlakele okuphakathi kwethiyori yeqhingasu kanye nenkambiso yokwenziwa nokufezekiswa kweqhingasu ngendlela ephathekayo nebonakalayo, ngokusebenzisa inhlolovo kanye nama-inthaviyu (izingxoxo) nabantu abakhethiweyo abafunde bagogoda ezikoleni zebhizinisi abenza umsebenzi wobungoti. Kwenziwe uhlaziyo lwemininingo egxile ebuningini (quantitative data), kanti futhi kusenjalo kwenziwe nohlaziyo-ngqikithi lwemininingo egxile kukhwalithi (qualitative data). Imiphumela eyatholwa kwinhlolovo yocwaningo ibonisa ubukhona bobudlelwane obuhle futhi obuphawulekayo impela phakathi kwamazinga-bunyoninco ezemfundo kanye nokufaneleka okuphathekayo nokubonakalayo kwethiyori yeqhingasu, kanti futhi ngakolunye uhlangothi imiphumela yocwaningo ephathelene nezigameko nezimo abadlule kuzona ongoti bomsebenzi ibonisa ukuthi ukufaneleka okuphathekayo nokubonakalayo kwethiyori yeqhingasu kuyinto eyakhiwa ikakhulukazi ngongoti bomsebenzi ngokususela ezidingweni eziphathelene nesimo esithile. Ukuphatha ngokusebenzisa amaqhinga namasu athile kubonakala kuncike ekuxhumaneni okunomdlandla phakathi kwethiyori yeqhingasu kanye nenkambiso yokwenziwa nokufezekiswa kweqhingasu ngendlela ephathekayo nebonakalayo ngaphansi kwesimo sokuphatha esiyinkimbinkimbi futhi esiyingxubevange. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)