Zugl.: München, Techn. Univ., Diss., 2008

Developing equitable practices that provide fair access for all individuals to the benefits and burdens within an organisation remains a dilemma for management both in policy and practice. Research continues to show that the employment status and representation of women is significantly less in relation to those of men. Conflicting arguments on the causes of disparity and competing ideals on the value and means for addressing the disparity have resulted in a number of different opinions on the implementation and practice of equity management. This dissertation contributes to the current knowledge of equity management, exploring contemporary equity management strategies, identifying the approaches of its implementation and analysing these against the outcomes for the status of women's employment. The equity management practices of more that 1900 Australian Private Sector organisations are explored in order to identify the common themes of equity management. Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factory Analysis are used to analyse the data. A model of strategic equity management practice was developed that identifies different structures, strategies and distribution principles designed to address the disparity between men and women. A major aim of this thesis was to explore the ability of a typological theory of equity management approaches to account for the differences in the status of women's employment. The thesis proposes a typology of equity management approaches that explain the implementation of equity management strategies based on structure and process. Four ideal-typical equity management approaches to achieving workplace parity are identified and explored. The traditional (non-compliance), anti-discrimination, affirmative action and gender diversity approaches proposed inform the a priori Cluster Analysis process that grouped Australian organisations based on their use of the approaches to equity management. Significant numbers of Australian organisations were identified utilising each of the identified approaches to equity management. It was further proposed that the different equity management approaches would be predictors of different outcomes for the employment status of women. MANCOVA was used to analyse the equity management approaches (as the independent variables) and the data on the status of women's employment (as the dependent variables). The findings indicate that the different approaches to equity management are predictors of different outcomes for the employment status of women. Results show that the traditional approach to equity management, which includes the use of none of the equity management strategies identified, is not a predictor of increases in any of the employment measures of women. The anti-discrimination approach, which includes the use of a limited number of equity management strategies identified, is a predictor of increases in some of the employment measures of women. The affirmative action approach to equity management, which includes the use of a number of proactive equity management strategies identified, is a predictor of increases in the employment status of women across a number of measures. The gender diversity approach to equity management, which includes the use of all the equity management strategies identified, is a limited predictor of increases in the employment status of women across some of the measures of employment. Managing the equity process within organisations is increasingly identified as an important tool in managing human resources in competitive, global environments that require productive workers and quality outputs. If equity management is to provide an effective means of addressing disparity between men and women in organisations, this thesis argues for the development of a strategic process to address the specific issues of disparity and the particular needs of the individual and the explicit goals of the organisation in equal opportunity.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce Law and Management, University of Witwatersrand Business School, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, 2015 / Arguably the most important function a business focuses on is revenue generation, which is ultimately achieved through immediate sales and the inculcation of future customer spend. For many businesses, notably in the business-to-business realm, salespeople are still required to form relationships with key customer buyers and to achieve or facilitate sales through this “dyadic” interpersonal relationship. Understanding what makes relationships and interactions between customer buyers and salespeople successful – from a sales perspective – remains an important concern for organisations and marketing theorists. In such sales relationships, the “success” of the sale and the longer term sales relationship can depend on aspects of the interpersonal relationships such as the ability of the parties to communicate well, come to agreement, and potentially even bond socially. The ability of parties to form productive and conducive interpersonal relationships in turn depends on factors such as personality and culture. This thesis argues that there is no particular “best” personality or culture for the formation of successful sales relationships, but that match between the personality traits of salespeople and customers as well as between their respective organisation’s cultures may facilitate success in sales. As indicated above, the thesis studies two main dependent variables, namely sales success and word-of-mouth. These variables are derived from the theory of customer equity management (Rust, Lemon, & Narayandas, 2005). The thesis argues that prior to generating income through either a sale or through word-of-mouth the organisation will need to have a relationship with the customer. Relationship marketing (Morgan & Hunt, 1994) provides a framework for understanding what constitutes a relationship. The current study aligns itself with prior literature arguing that relationship quality comprises three components specifically; trust, satisfaction and commitment. Personality research has remained at the heart of industrial research and managerial practise. Voluminous literature has used the Big Five personality traits for understanding customer’s interactions. The five personality traits include Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to Experience (Soto & John, 2012). The current study argues that it is not the personality traits themselves which are important, but rather the similarities or differences between the customer and the salesperson. Organisation culture has been shown to affect several different arenas within the management field, but has not been much examined within the context of dyadic relationships. The specific relationship that the study addresses is the customer-salesperson relationship. In this thesis I argue that both the customer and salesperson to some extent embody and reflect their respective organisational cultures, and in addition, sales systems can reflect organizational cultures, for instance where bureaucratic organizational culture creates sales systems with high levels of formality. In turn, match or mismatch in organizational cultures may affect sales or relationship outcomes in various ways. The well-known organisational culture index (Wallach, 1983) will be used to capture the cultures from both the salesperson and customer. The three elements of organisational culture measured by the index include bureaucratic cultural aspects, innovative cultural aspects, and supportive cultural aspects. To test these relationships, the thesis presents an empirical study based on a cross-sectional, quantitative, survey of the SME market in South Africa. One hundred salesperson-customer dyads participated in the study, and data from each member of the dyad was surveyed separately. Statistical techniques such as partial least squares structural equation modelling and polynomial regression were used in the analysis of the data. A response surface methodology allowed for graphical representation of the polynomial regression results. These results then acted as inputs for a Bayesian Networks analysis (Charniak, 1991), which are used to improve the understanding of causality. Results of the empirical survey indicate that trust, satisfaction and commitment affect the level of word-of-mouth while only trust and commitment have an effect on sales. The analysis indicates that matches or mismatches in the personality traits of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness do affect dependent variables of relationship quality, sales success and word-of-mouth, and do so in differing ways. This thesis provides several unique contributions to sales theory and literature. First, although the salesperson-customer dyad has been studied before, the differences in personality traits have not been included. This is particularly true within the South African context. Secondly, organisational culture literature has been reviewed and studied but has neglected the role that organisational culture plays in the sales environment, specifically when interacting with a customer. Third, several theories are used to explain why the constructs came together; however certain aspects of these theories are questioned. Lastly, several practical applications are provided that allow organisations to improve the hiring process and implement training objectives for their sales force. Key Words: Dyad, satisfaction, trust, commitment, customer lifetime value, relationship marketing, relationship quality, organisational culture, bureaucracy, innovation, supportive, response surface, polynomial regression, Bayesian network, customer equity management. / MB2016

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / David G. Barton / The goal of this thesis was to help Farmers Cooperative Equity Company (FCE) remain a firm, stable cooperative while increasing wealth of their patron owners. This thesis evaluated alternative equity redemption strategies to help FCE decide what decisions need to be made for proper use of equity for financing assets and increasing patronage returns. To develop an understanding of FCE and their current financial structures, we looked at the history of FCE and cooperatives in general. Then we gave a brief background of financial performance measures that were used to evaluate the profitability, solvency, liquidity, and efficiency of FCE. A cooperative performance profile was then run on FCE, by using a financial analysis program called PERFORM, to compare it to other agriculture cooperatives. The results for FCE were very strong in that they were performing at or above the 50th percentile range for many of the measures examined. FCE appears to be a very profitable, liquid, solvent, and efficient cooperative. We then used the results provided by the financial analysis program called PERFORM to make financial projections for the future to evaluate alternative equity redemption strategies for FCE. A computer program called FINPLAN was used to make the financial projections and evaluate the alternative equity redemption strategies. Five different strategies were evaluated and compared to the status quo, “strategy S0,” business as usual. The results showed that if the projections made for the future are correct, FCE would be able to return larger redemptions to patron owners by implementing an alternative equity redemption strategy that adheres to strict balance sheet management. Balance sheet management requires a cooperative to meet predetermined solvency and liquidity goals and then distributes the residual equity over and above that needed to finance assets, in combination with debt, as the equity redemption budget for that year. FCE could return larger redemptions while financing their operations through the use of patron equity and then return excess equity to patrons based upon cooperative usage. FCE’s general manager and board of directors have been provided with this thesis and the full project report. This thesis and project provide FCE with valuable information for them to make critical decisions on cooperative finance, including income distribution and equity management decisions.

The final work of master studies, 65 pages, 20 figures, 6 tables, 41 literature sources, 3 appendices, in Lithuanian. KEYWORDS: brand, brand name, brand mark, logo, brand equity, protection of the brand, brand equity management, brand equity management strategy, consumer. The object of research – closed joint stock companies “Galinta ir partneriai” and “Skanėja”. The subject of research – brand equity management strategy. The purpose of research – to recommend brand equity management strategies of friable products for closed joint stock companies “Galinta ir partneriai” and “Skanėja”. The task of research: 1. To survey the history of a brand development, branding goals and functions, principles of designing and legal protection of the brand. 2. To discuss theoretical fundamentals of the brand equity management. 3. To prepare methodic for research of the friable products brand equity influence on consumer behavior. 4. To conduct a sample survey and to analyze the GALINTA and SKANĖJA brands influence on consumer attitudes and behavior. 5. To recommend the brand equity management strategies for closed joint stock companies “Galinta ir partneriai” and “Skanėja”. The methods of research: rationale comparative analysis of scientific literature, sample survey, descriptive, data grouping and graphic representation. The brand equity management strategies recommended for closed joint stock companies “Galinta ir partneriai” and “Skanėja” are based on the historical survey of brand... [to full text]

This study investigates the customer-based brand equity of the major cellphone network service providers (Vodacom, MTN and Cell C) amongst principal estate agents registered with the Estate Agency Affairs Board in Gauteng. Secondary research covered the marketing environment of the major service providers. An extensive study of literature on branding, brand management and brand equity measurement was undertaken. An empirical study was conducted. Telephone interviews were used for initial contact and screening. An invitation to participate in the survey, with a link to a questionnaire, was e-mailed to qualified respondents. Cell C users were excluded from the quantitative analysis. There were several significant findings: Vodacom and MTN users are alike in terms of personal and estate agency-related demographics. With the exception of age and gender, the sample fits the stated descriptors of individuals in the LSM seven to LSM ten groups. Cronbach‘s alpha coefficient confirmed a high level of reliability (0.870) for the summated measurement scale developed as an indicator variable of customer-based brand equity and Vodacom and MTN‘s rating on the summated scale did not differ at a statistically significant level. The service provider used proved to be an important driver of loyalty, but overall satisfaction with the cellphone service does not differ statistically significantly between Vodacom and MTN users. Vodacom has established a much more favourable positioning on the brand association statements evaluated. Factor analysis identified five brand association dimensions that should be considered for measurement of brand associations. Multiple regression analysis identified the brand as a product dimension as the best predictor of customer-based brand equity. Vodacom received more favourable brand performance ratings than MTN. Factor analysis identified six brand performance dimensions that should be considered for inclusion when measuring brand performance. Multiple regression analysis identified the easy to use and one-stop-service dimensions as the best predictors of customer-based brand equity. The customer-based brand equity of the user group is moderate (16 out of 25, or 64%). / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

This study investigates the customer-based brand equity of the major cellphone network service providers (Vodacom, MTN and Cell C) amongst principal estate agents registered with the Estate Agency Affairs Board in Gauteng. Secondary research covered the marketing environment of the major service providers. An extensive study of literature on branding, brand management and brand equity measurement was undertaken. An empirical study was conducted. Telephone interviews were used for initial contact and screening. An invitation to participate in the survey, with a link to a questionnaire, was e-mailed to qualified respondents. Cell C users were excluded from the quantitative analysis. There were several significant findings: Vodacom and MTN users are alike in terms of personal and estate agency-related demographics. With the exception of age and gender, the sample fits the stated descriptors of individuals in the LSM seven to LSM ten groups. Cronbach‘s alpha coefficient confirmed a high level of reliability (0.870) for the summated measurement scale developed as an indicator variable of customer-based brand equity and Vodacom and MTN‘s rating on the summated scale did not differ at a statistically significant level. The service provider used proved to be an important driver of loyalty, but overall satisfaction with the cellphone service does not differ statistically significantly between Vodacom and MTN users. Vodacom has established a much more favourable positioning on the brand association statements evaluated. Factor analysis identified five brand association dimensions that should be considered for measurement of brand associations. Multiple regression analysis identified the brand as a product dimension as the best predictor of customer-based brand equity. Vodacom received more favourable brand performance ratings than MTN. Factor analysis identified six brand performance dimensions that should be considered for inclusion when measuring brand performance. Multiple regression analysis identified the easy to use and one-stop-service dimensions as the best predictors of customer-based brand equity. The customer-based brand equity of the user group is moderate (16 out of 25, or 64%). / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)