Thesis (M.S. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2003. / Thesis Advisor(s): H. Lyman Miller, Glenn R. Cook. "December 2003." Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-67). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-82). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 86-88).

In recent years, the mobile phone has been used as a tool to conduct business in many areas. The insufficient number of fixed wireless services has created an opportunity for the entry of mobile phone systems into the market to provide telecommunication sevice in Thailand and Hong Kong. Mobile phone use has been growing dramatically during the past ten years as a result of the high rate of economic growth.

Dissertation submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Business Administration, 2008. / The aim of the study was to identify causes of churning, to find ways of managing it and to diagnose customers‟ communication needs. Furthermore the research tested the impact of messaging services on customer retention and whether these services could compensate for the declining revenue or become new cash cows for service providers. The units of analyses were young people of ages ranging from 15 to 24. This group was chosen because it was found, during the study, that they used new services more often than any other age group. The initial plan, however, was to interview the entire population of cellphone users. Stratified random sampling was used to randomly select the units of analysis. Interviews were conducted at the homes of respondents, in the streets and at a shopping centre. Causes of customer churning were found to be billing by service providers that confused customers and „better phone deals offered by the competitors‟ resulting in some of the respondents switching providers. Other aspects about which respondents complained and which therefore could cause churning are „poor network quality‟, „confusing pricing structure‟ and „long waiting on customer care line‟. The respondents indicated that their communication needs could be satisfied by services that are easy to use, a helpful customer care agent and being able to retain a number when switching a service provider. Therefore churning could be managed by removing or reducing the causes of it and attracting the customers by meeting their communications needs, which are, improving customer care service and designing services that are easy to use. The research was inconclusive on the messaging services. Of the three new messaging services that were studied, only one was extremely popular, while the other two were hardly used. Instant messaging was the second most used service to voice and SMS and it was also ranked second, in order of importance. The other two messaging services, mobile email and MMS, received low rankings from the respondents. In addition more than a quarter (27%) of the respondents had never used mobile email. The implications of these findings are that service providers should improve their customer care service and design services that are easy to use.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Telecommunication operators are faced with the challenges of rising upward pressure by the competition; this is mainly due to the saturation of subscribers and the aggressive battle for a share of the customer wallet. This has forced mobile network operators to look for new opportunities to drive growth and to cut costs in business operations. The battleground rules are mainly defined by the speed with which new technologies are introduced, customer perception of the quality of the network, and site planning. The purpose of this study is to identify a framework to help the company identify activities which, due to their level and quality of performance, either help or hinder the performance of critical success factors. The starting point for this process is defining the critical success factors based on the company‟s high level priorities. Thereafter, activities that are critical or non-critical, based on their influence on each critical success factor, are identified. Finally, Vodacom‟s operations group activities in a value chain are analysed. The framework is applied to analyse Vodacom‟s operations group activities in a value chain with a view to improve sustainable execution of critical success factors. The report concludes with a decision to outsource activities that are non-critical and are being performed poorly, and the strategic outsourcing of those critical activities which require specialised skills easily sourced outside the company instead of Vodacom spending huge amounts of money in attracting and retaining such specialised skills. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Telekommunikasie-ondernemings staan voor die uitdaging om toenemende opwaartse druk van hul mededingers doeltreffend aan te spreek, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die oorversadigde intekenaarmark en die agressiewe stryd om 'n aandeel van die kliënt se beursie. Dit noop selfoonnetwerkondernemings om te soek na nuwe geleenthede om groei te dryf en om die bedryfskostes van die onderneming te besnoei. Die reëls op die gevegsfront word neergelê deur onder andere die tempo waarteen nuwe tegnologie bekend gestel word, die kliënt se persepsie van die netwerkkwaliteit, en terreinbeplanning. Hierdie studie het ten doel om 'n raamwerk te identifiseer wat die onderneming kan gebruik om te help met die identifisering van aktiwiteite wat as gevolg van hul vlak en gehalte van prestasie die kritiese suksesfaktore óf positief óf negatief beïnvloed. Die vertrekpunt in hierdie proses is die bepaling van kritiese suksesfaktore gegrond op die maatskappy se hoë-vlak prioriteite, en daarna moet aktiwiteite wat kritiek of nie-kritiek is op grond van hul invloed op elk van die kritiese suksesfaktore, geïdentifiseer word. Daarna word Vodacom se operasionele groepsaktiwiteie in 'n waarde-ketting ontleed. Die raamwerk word gebruik om Vodacom se operasionele groepsaktiwiteie in 'n waarde-ketting te ontleed met die oog op die verbetering van die volhoubare uitvoering van die kritiese suksesfaktore. Die verslag sluit af met 'n aanbeveling dat nie-kritiese aktiwiteite wat swak verrig word, uitgekontrakteer moet word; en dat ook daardie kritiese aktiwiteite wat gespesialiseerde vaardighede vereis en waarvan daar 'n oorvloed buite die onderneming bestaan, uitgekontrakteer moet word eerder as wat Vodacom groot bedrae geld spandeer aan die werwing en instandhouding van sulke gespesialiseerde vaardighede.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

No description available.

Dissertation submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Business Administration, 2008. / The aim of the study was to identify causes of churning, to find ways of managing it and to diagnose customers‟ communication needs. Furthermore the research tested the impact of messaging services on customer retention and whether these services could compensate for the declining revenue or become new cash cows for service providers. The units of analyses were young people of ages ranging from 15 to 24. This group was chosen because it was found, during the study, that they used new services more often than any other age group. The initial plan, however, was to interview the entire population of cellphone users. Stratified random sampling was used to randomly select the units of analysis. Interviews were conducted at the homes of respondents, in the streets and at a shopping centre. Causes of customer churning were found to be billing by service providers that confused customers and „better phone deals offered by the competitors‟ resulting in some of the respondents switching providers. Other aspects about which respondents complained and which therefore could cause churning are „poor network quality‟, „confusing pricing structure‟ and „long waiting on customer care line‟. The respondents indicated that their communication needs could be satisfied by services that are easy to use, a helpful customer care agent and being able to retain a number when switching a service provider. Therefore churning could be managed by removing or reducing the causes of it and attracting the customers by meeting their communications needs, which are, improving customer care service and designing services that are easy to use. The research was inconclusive on the messaging services. Of the three new messaging services that were studied, only one was extremely popular, while the other two were hardly used. Instant messaging was the second most used service to voice and SMS and it was also ranked second, in order of importance. The other two messaging services, mobile email and MMS, received low rankings from the respondents. In addition more than a quarter (27%) of the respondents had never used mobile email. The implications of these findings are that service providers should improve their customer care service and design services that are easy to use.