M. Tech. Business Administration / In April 2014, ICASA, South Africa's communications regulator, reduced mobile termination rates (i.e. tariffs mobile service providers can charge for terminating calls on each other's networks) from 40 cents to 20 cents per minute. Furthermore, mobile number portability has enhanced mobility of subscribers across networks. Mobile number portability means that subscribers can switch mobile network service providers without changing their mobile number despite it being issued by the network they are leaving. The price war amongst service providers means that all mobile network operators offer mobile voice calls and access to mobile data at comparable rates. There is now little differentiation between mobile network service providers, and mobile network service providers have to seek other sources of sustainable competitive advantage. It is against this background that the purpose of this research is to measure South African mobile phone consumers' perceptions and expectations of the service provided by mobile network service providers.

This study examined whether customer care initiatives are being implemented on South African e-commerce web sites. The customer care initiatives are categorised into four sections: • General section which assessed the website's content, • Contact section which assessed vanous contact mechanisms and community development, • Security section which determined the security aspects of the web site, and • Ordering section which assessed the payment options, shipping and tracking the order. A search engine was used to generate a random sample of web sites that engaged in e-commerce. The web sites were then assessed against a checklist to determine if the 58 customer care initiatives were present or not. In order to capture the data, a generic Internet browser was developed so that the top half of the screen comprised the web site and the lower half of the screen contained the checklist. As the initiatives in the checklist were captured, the data was transferred into a database where it was later analysed both in the database and in a spreadsheet. The results revealed that, on the whole, the web sites fared well in the General section particularly with respect to the designs of the web sites. However, it was apparent that more commitment is needed in the Contact, Security and Ordering sections of web site design. The main recommendations include greater management commitment towards the more costly technologies such as encryption software to increase the security of online financial transactions and protect personal information; the inclusion of shopping basket technology and the inclusion of search facilities on the web sites. To a lesser extent there needs to be more commitment towards the creation of communities via the web site. / Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

This is a study on NMB and seeks to establish what the bank could do, through the implementation of CRM, to attract new customers and retain existing ones in the face of intensifying competition. The number of banks in Zimbabwe has increased tremendously over the last five years from less than seven to over fifteen. Ironically, this has taken place against a background of an ailing economy, which is shrinking and a reducing number of viable companies that can be targeted for banking business. A review of the history of banking in Zimbabwe was undertaken to show how NMB decided on CRM as a means of making a difference with customers and thus have a competitive edge over its rivals. In particular, the attitude of banks to customers and customer expectations was looked at together with the changes that have taken place over the years. Literature on CRM was reviewed and more attention was paid to the main causes of failures in the implementation ofCRM and how this could be avoided in the case of NMB. Lessons were drawn from what other banks like Nedcor and Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank (both of South Africa) have done to ensure a good measure of success in the implementation of CRM. Research was done to establish what it is that attracts customers to NMB, what NMB does better than its competitors and areas that NMB needs to improve on. Questionnaires (Appendices I and 11) were used in this regard and samples of customers from the three main sections of the bank (Treasury, Corporate Banking and Retail) were taken. The questionnaires had two sections, one with a select number of responses to choose from and the other open to unrestricted responses by the customers. The responses were analysed and presented in tabular form. Interviews were carried out on certain customers to get clarification on some responses to the questionnaires and to get firsthand feedback from different customers on their relationship with the bank. The major study findings were that customers greatly appreciate the personal attention that they are getting from NMB, which gave it an edge over its competitors. Customers value the fact that they can speak confidently to their bank knowing that their allocated Account Relationship Manager fully understands their business and that they have specific person/s to contact in the case of need. Regular visits and contact by NMB personnel was also cited as a strength. In one case, a customer related during an interview that no one from the previous bank had visited him in two years despite the fact that his office was less than one hundred meters from that bank! The study recommends a phased implementation of CRM with technology used as a tool and not as a champion of CRM. The emphasis is to be placed on the customer, the bank staff, the operational processes and maintaining the bank's strategy in focus. Unless all in the bank (from messenger to the CEO) share the same view of the customer's importance, CRM will be destined to fail due to inconsistencies within the system. On the other hand, unless the bank has a motivated, well informed and customer focused work force, then it is in vain that it is pursuing CRM. Operational processes too, must be refined with the primary objective of benefiting the customer and not merely for the convenience of the bank. The bank's strategy must keep customer interests at the fore since customers are the cause of the bank's existence. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2002.

The study set out to investigate the infusion of Project Management into public service in order to improve service delivery, and to look at the advantage of using Project Management as a management tool. Enabling legislations were referred to, and brief background was made. The advantage of applying Project Management by the North West Provincial Government was highlighted through a reference of a case study of the province as opposed to the service rendered by DCS in the province. The study used a questionnaire to collect data, 50 employees were surveyed through questionnaires over a period of two weeks. Four areas were covered, that is, the Area commissioner's office, Rooigrond Prison, Mafikeng Prison and Mafikeng Community Corrections. The results revealed that most employees were not competent with Project Management, only few have an idea of what Project Management is. The response from participants exceeded expectations, because all questionnaires were received without any problems. The researcher recommends that Rooigrond Area Commissioner must apply Project Management in its structure to render services, and to offer training to the members in order to empower them. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006

M.Comm. / Although the marketing concept has been the cornerstone of the modern marketing discipline for twenty years, insufficient attention has been given to its implementation. In recent years there has been renewed interest from academics and practitioners regarding the marketing concept and market orientation. Market orientation, the skills and competencies related to it have accordingly prevailed in the marketing and management literature. This resurgence of interest is not surprising, since the implementation of the marketing concept represents the foundation of high quality marketing practice. Market orientation is a business philosophy that makes the customer the focal point of the company's entire operation. Becoming market orientated therefore requires significant changes in the culture, processes and structure of the traditional organization. Market orientated organizations nonetheless has an important competitive advantage in providing customer value and achieving superior performance. Market orientation is therefore a significant cause of business success. All over the world it has been recognized that the small business sector plays an important, if not critical role in the social and economic development of a country. This also applies to South Africa. Small businesses inadvertently have been more reluctant than larger firms to embrace the marketing concept to obtain organizational goals. The relative importance of both small businesses and market orientation in the business environment led to this study concerning the market orientation of small businesses. Therefore the research problem chosen for this study is to determine the market orientation of small businesses in South Africa.

The financial industry and more specifically Retail banking is a very competitive industry. The profit margins are shrinking with the entrance of newcompetitors into the market place. During the last two to three years various foreign banks have opened offices in South Africa, cherry picking the high net worth customers fromthe traditional high street banks. The product range between these banks is the same, maybe at times presented in a different wrapping. The one differential factor between the various banks is service and the quality thereof. The researcher, being a banker, decided to investigate how to improve the quality of service which is the main problemof this study. The secondary problems or subproblems are: * How to solve service breakdown? * How to retain customers after a service breakdown? The researcher first did a literature survey focusing on the key drives of this research namely: * Improving quality service. * Problem resolution. * Customer retention. An empirical investigation was also undertaken focusing on the personal market segment and the high net worth individuals. The demarcation of the survey was restricted to a specific area on the South Coast of KwaZulu Natal, and in particular the retail market and three specific branches on the South Coast, namely: * Scottburgh; * Margate, and * Port Shepstone. The main finding of the empirical survey indicates an average service rating of 8.38, which is in excess of the financial institution’s national service objective of 8.22 for 2001. This indicates that in most areas the service quality of this financial institution is good. The results fromthe literature survey as well as the empirical investigation indicated that service quality can only be achieved through a collective effort from all role players within the bank. The resolution of service breakdown needs to be controlled and managed to rectify breakdowns effectively within specific time limits that are acceptable to the individual customer. The barriers to retain customerswill become less effective should the financial institution not be able to restore or improve service quality for their customers.

M.Com. (Business Management) / In the light of the ever increasing competition characterising today's global economy (Dale, 1995: 48) and the drastic changes brought about by the new South Africa, local businesses would have to make a conscious effort to prosper in future. Research organisations accustomed to being subsidised by the state have a particular challenge to face in the new South Africa where all subsidies are being shrunk. The reason for this is political pressure to redirect state spending towards social upliftment programmes. Quality and customer satisfaction are important topics that get attention world-wide. Well managed service organisations have the following common virtues [Kotler & Armstrong, 1991: 610]: • A history of top management commitment to quality; • High standards for service quality are set; • Service performance is well monitored - both their own and that of competitors; • Employees as well as customers are being satisfied. The distinction between service quality and customer satisfaction is that, perceived service quality is a global judgement relating to the superiority of the service, whereas satisfaction is related to a specific transaction [Parasuraman, et al., 1988: 16]. Incidents of satisfaction over time, result in perceptions of service quality. According to Cronin & Taylor [1992: 65] perceived quality may play a bigger role (in comparison with satisfaction) in customer-intimate companies who need to do more than simply meet customers' "minimum requirements". Customer-intimate companies (for example research organisations) continually tailor and shape products and services to fit an increasingly fine definition of the customer [Treacy &Wiersema, 1993: 87]...

Detpak South Africa is a subsidiary paper and board company of Mpact Limited, formally known as Mondi Packaging South Africa. The Mpact group of companies operates across 31 sites and employs more than 3 700 employees. Detpak South Africa specializes in three respective niche markets: international fast food packaging, industrial packaging and disposables packaging. The primary objective of this study is to propose an operational model for improving customer satisfaction levels within the disposables market for Detpak South Africa. Further, Detpak’s competitive position with respect to customer satisfaction was assessed and an empirical assessment was conducted to identify imperative attributes impacting on overall customer satisfaction. It is noted from marketing journals that providing a quality product at the right price no longer suffices as an adequate value proposition. Numerous authors have noted that there is no longer a difference between a goods market and a service market, in its purest form, and that manufacturers of goods must embrace the principles of service marketing to develop a competitive advantage within the market. A quantitative research was conducted to obtain data. The measuring instrument used to obtain data was a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 84 questionnaires were distributed nationally across South Africa. From the 84 questionnaires a total of 62 questionnaires were obtained from respondents, from which a final sample of n=59 was considered for capturing. Three questionnaires were excluded from the sample due to response error of non-completion. Correlation coefficient analysis was used to calculate the relationships between independent and dependant variables. It was found that all customer satisfaction attributes, listed below, had a positive relationship to overall customer satisfaction: Customer value; Product quality; Price; Communication; Reliability; Responsiveness; Customer service; Sales support. The hypothesized relationship between overall customer satisfaction and customer loyalty was measured and confirmed to be strongly positive. It can be concluded that a positive movement in overall customer satisfaction will be accompanied by a similarly positive movement in customer loyalty. Furthermore, through secondary review it was noted that the retention of existing customers costs much less and is more profitable than the acquisition of new business. The results presented within this study indicate a strong market position for Detpak South Africa in terms of product quality compared against competitive activity, which means a competitive advantage in the market for the company and which will assist in attaining its strategic objectives. The results also identified a number of customer satisfaction attributes which Detpak South Africa could improve to allow them to establish a firm position in the market through the overall improvement of customer satisfaction levels. Finally, an operational model integrating the important concepts identified within the literature study was proposed to assist Detpak South Africa in enhancing levels of perceived customer satisfaction. The model integrates the important business philosophies of customer relations, best practices, continuous improvement and, finally, customer satisfaction attributes.

The tourism and hospitality industry has made a meaningful contribution to the development of the South African economy. Not only the hotels, but also the demand for self-catering holiday properties such as guest houses and bed-and-breakfast (B&B) establishments is increasing which could boost the tourist industry. Moreover, the prospect of the self-catering holiday properties in South Africa is extremely positive, particularly when the country is given the opportunity to hold the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Thus, expectations and perceptions are significantly shaped and transformed by the prosperous environment. The self-catering holiday properties should provide the best possible service to international and domestic tourists and ensure that their needs are fully met. The general purpose of this study was to evaluate the service quality of guest houses and B&Bs in the Nelson Mandela Bay by comparing guests’ expectations and perceptions. The results of this study could assist the managers of guest house and B&B in improving its service performance to more effectively fulfil the needs of dynamic tourist market. The literature study provided an overview of tourism industry from the management and marketing perspectives, services marketing and a detailed discussion of service quality focusing on the nature of services, determinants of service quality and techniques for measuring service quality. The SERVQUAL model and its derivative, Lodging Quality Index (LQI), were adapted for measuring the guests’ perceived service quality in this research. ii The empirical data was collected by means of a survey, using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to guests who were staying at guest houses or B&Bs in the Nelson Mandela Bay identified in terms of convenience sampling. One hundred and five useable questionnaires were received. The empirical findings based on the perception-minus-expectation (P-E) gap analysis showed that the perception mean scores were consistently lower than the expectation mean scores. This implies that guests perceived service quality of guest house and B&B to be relatively low. It is recommended that the managers of guest houses and B&Bs should: {u10007A} uniform the employees; {u10007A} use every tool to figure out what the guest wants; {u10007A} establish specific working procedures and help employees to understand their job responsibilities and mangers’ expectations; {u10007A} invite suggestions of existing located facilities from guests, and move the inconvenient facilities if possible; {u10007A} employ a communication audit to evaluate the overall quality of the communication system by comparing communication objectives to actual performance; {u10007A} combine useful destination information from different sources and update them on the website frequently; and {u10007A} apply an attracting layout to build positive image.

The need for successful management of a guest house in the increasingly competitive hospitality industry in South Africa, compels guest house owners to understand their customers’ needs and deliver service of acceptable quality. The objective of the research is to find out what business travellers expect from a guest house and how these expectations compare with the perceptions of guest house owners in Port Elizabeth. Conclusions drawn from this research would also benefit guest house owners in other parts of the country. A literature review was conducted to provide an understanding of the nature of service and the role “evidence of service” can play in the perception of quality. The empirical study aimed at comparing business travellers’ expectations of guest house service with guest house owners’ perceptions of their guests’ expectations. The empirical findings showed that business travellers deemed secure parking and professionalism of staff as the most important attributes, while guest house owners thought it would be friendliness of front desk staff and efficient handling of complaints. Moreover, both groups indicated that cleanliness of rooms and services performed by staff adequately the first time, were of particular importance. It was also found that the importance rating of the different service dimensions were not significantly influenced by the business travellers’ gender, managerial position, nights of stay or by the guest house grading. The study proposes that guest house owners continue to focus on strategies for training and developing competent employees, simplify the steps of service delivery and improve on the standards of the servcie to ensure that business facilities are in line with the expectations of business travelers.