Title: The effect of the use of sports celebrities as the reference group on the buying preferences of the young generation in the Prague region Objectives: The main objective of the thesis is to determine through marketing research whether and what effect has the use of sports celebrities in marketing communication of companies as a reference group on the buying preferences of the young generation, so-called Generation Y, in the Prague region. Methods: The thesis used a questionnaire survey and subsequent focus groups. For the creation of the questionnaire is used as a basis the US version of the original questionnaire of the authors BUSH, MARTIN, BUSH (2004). Firstly the questionnaire undergoes a process of transcultural transfer, in which is utilized a modified direct translation and confirmatory factor analysis. This survey includes a sample of 416 respondents who are students of Prague secondary schools and universities. Focus groups are conducted with four groups which counts a total of 41 respondents. Results: The research results show that the use of sports celebrities in marketing communication has no demonstrable effect on the word-of-mouth communication and the switching and complaining behaviour for Generation Y. This communication tool can have an indirect positive effect on brand...

Occurrences of four generations working side by side are not unusual. The four generations include Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Members of each generation have views and opinions about their work ethic and their definition of loyalty to the organization. Hiring managers will need to know characteristics of each generation. This knowledge will enable the hiring managers to place the applicant in certain positions within their organizations. By matching applicants with the correct work positions, employees are able to use their skills and abilities to be productive and to establish measurable goals for themselves and their departments. Productive work enables the employees to work individually and as a team member. The research has shown that each generation has its own strengths and weakness. Members of the older generations show characteristics that accommodate customer service and loyalty to an organization. Members of the younger generations have the technical knowledge and the ability to train others in order to use this technology to the benefit of the organization.

The financial sector is transforming as a result of PSD2 and open banking. The traditional retail banks face new competition from FinTechs and BigTechs. 78 percent of Nordic banks are concerned by the threat of disruption and 88 percent think that they need to rethink their business model. Customer experience and customer journeys are crucial as customer expectations is one of the major driving forces for the changing industry.Generation Y (1989 2000) is often defined as early adopters and digital natives which makes them an important but challenging customer segment. According to the Millennial Disruption Index, the banking industry is at the highest risk of disruption from generation Y. This study focus on how traditional Swedish retail banks can manage digital transformation and the needs and behavior of the Swedish generation Y. To identify the needs and demands of generation Y, four focus groups was conducted with 31 participants and four semi-structured interviews. The results was analyzed and related to a customer journey framework and the concept of platform banking.The results indicate that the Swedish generation Y demands personalized services and products as well as tailored Omni-channel experiences. They demand an expansion of financial services in the form of a “one-stop-shop”. In order to meet these demands, traditional Swedish retail banks must utilize their customer data and weight the Swedish generation Y´s trust in their security. This will enable them to develop superior customer experiences as well as extending their context and establish themselves as banking platforms. / Den finansiella sektorn förändras till följd av PSD2 och open banking. De traditionella bankerna möter ny konkurrens från FinTechs och BigTechs. 78 procent av de nordiska bankerna är oroade av förändringarna och 88 procent tycker att de behöver ompröva sin affärsmodell. Kundupplevelser och kundresor är avgörande eftersom kundernas förväntningar är en av de viktigaste drivkrafterna för den föränderliga industrin.Generation Y (1989 2000) definieras ofta som digitala pionjärer vilket gör dem till ett viktigt men utmanande kundsegment. Enligt studien ”Millennial Disruption Index” har banksektorn den högsta risken för störningar från Generation Y. Denna studie fokuserar på hur traditionella svenska banker kan hantera digital transformation och den svenska generation Ys behov och beteende. För att identifiera behov och krav från generation Y genomfördes fyra fokusgrupper med 31 deltagare samt fyra semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Resultaten analyserades och relaterades till en kundrese teori samt konceptet om plattformsbanker.Resultaten indikerar att den svenska generation Y kräver personliga tjänster och produkter samt skräddarsydda Omni-kanalupplevelser. De kräver en expansion av finansiella tjänster i form av en "one-stop-shop". För att möta dessa krav måste traditionella svenska banker använda deras kunddata och utnyttja den svenska generation Ys förtroende för deras säkerhet. Detta kommer att göra det möjligt för dem att utveckla överlägsna kundupplevelser såväl som att utvidga sitt sammanhang och etablera sig som bankplattformar.

Kommuner använder platsmarknadsföring för att attrahera och behålla medborgare vilket under senare år blivit mer aktuellt då konkurrensen mellan platser har ökat. Tidigare har städers platsmarknadsföring varit riktad mot att utveckla turism, men idag används strategin framförallt för att framhäva staden som en attraktiv plats för företag, och medborgare att leva i. Då det är viktigt för kommuner att ha en gynnsam befolkningsutveckling för att överleva, samt att få yngre individer att stanna inom kommunen, vilket bidrar till långsiktiga skatteintäkter. För att kommuner ska kunna utföra lyckade marknadsföringsstrategier är det viktigt att förstå medborgarnas behov och spegla det i marknadsföringen. Ovan nämnd fakta bidrog till avsikten med denna uppsats som var att beskriva och till viss del förklara hur platsmarknadsföring kan användas av en kommun för att behålla medborgare av Generation Y. Uppsatsens syfte var att uppnå en djupare förståelse för hur kommuner kan behålla Generation Y, där studiens forskningsfrågor utformades och kopplades till relevanta teorier inom forskningsområdet för att besvara studiens syfte. Genom en kvalitativ fallstudie genomfördes flertalet intervjuer med respondenter från Generation Y, vilket gav insikt till aspekter som Generation Y värdesätter inom en kommun. Studien fann att utbud, variation och tillgänglighet är centrala aspekter för att behålla medborgare. Där aspekterna nattliv, evenemang och offentliga transportförbindelser var mest önskvärda för Generation Y. Även möjligheten till delaktighet, och att kunna påverka beslut var centrala aspekter. Utifrån studiens resultat bör kommuner i större utsträckning sträva efter att skapa en relation med medborgare av Generation Y. Där kommuner involverar medborgarna så att de känner delaktighet och upplever att de kan påverka utvecklingen av kommunen de bor i, vilket ökar möjligheten till att behålla Generation Y. Studiens resultat kombinerat med bakomliggande teorier i ämnet påvisar relevansen av att kommuner behöver kunskap om vad Generation Y värdesätter, detta för att kunna utföra en passande marknadsföringsstrategi som behåller de som medborgare.

Магистерская диссертации посвящена исследованию работы с молодыми специалистами путем развития внутреннего HR-бренда компании. В теоретической части отражены теоретические аспекты изучения проблемы работы с молодыми специалистами, влияние теории поколений на работу с молодыми специалистами, рассмотрены вопросы удержания персонала и роль HR-брендинга в удержании специалистов. В аналитической части описывается общая характеристика линейного производственного управления магистральных газопроводов, проведен анализ существующей системы работы с молодыми специалистами и разработка рекомендаций по ее совершенствованию. Исследование состояло из трех этапов. Первый – анализ нормативных документов организации регламентирующих работу с молодыми специалистами, второй – анализ организации работы с молодыми специалистами, третий – выявление карьерной мотивации студентов к профессиональной деятельности в контексте теории поколений. В практической части на основе полученных данных, разработаны рекомендации по развитию внутреннего HR-бренда организации в целях совершенствования работы с молодыми специалистами. В заключении подведены итоги в соответствии с поставленными задачами. / Тhe master's thesis is devoted to the study of working with young specialists through the development of the company's internal HR-brand. Тhe theoretical part reflects the theoretical aspects of studying the problem of working with young specialists, the influence of the theory of generations on working with young specialists, the issues of personnel retention and the role of HR- branding in retaining specialists. Тhe analytical part describes the general characteristics of the linear production management of main gas pipelines, analyzes the existing system of work with young specialists and develops recommendations for its improvement. Тhe study consisted of three stages. The first is the analysis of normative documents regulating the work with young specialists, the second is the analysis of the organization of work with young specialists, the third – identifying career motivation of students to professional activity in the context of the theory of generations. In the practical part, based on the data obtained, recommendations were developed for the development of the internal HR-brand of the organization in order to improve work with young specialists. In conclusion, the results are summed up in accordance with the tasks set.

M. Tech. (Department of Fashion, Faculty of Human Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The focus of this dissertation is to examine the relationship between footwear cues, perceived quality and consumer satisfaction amongst Generation Y at River Square mall in Vereeniging. This research considers the effects of these cues as important arrays of quality indicators that consumers utilise in their evaluation process when selecting products. This knowledge is important to managers in the footwear industry. The lack of these considerations may lead to the manufacturing of fashion footwear that may not meet the consumers expectation regarding quality of the product and hence their satisfaction or possibly dissatisfaction. Footwear is alleged to be indispensable for the development of fashion apparel. Thus, the study sought to investigate underlying variables that influence footwear for the purpose of identifying ways in which the fashion industry can improve performance and presentation of footwear. A conceptual model was developed, drawing from cue utilization theory (CU) and utility theory (UT). Generation Y consumers at River Square mall in Vereeniging formed the sample of the study. A survey was conducted and research data was collected from 550 consumers. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data via Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22 and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) 22. The findings indicate that footwear cues have a strong influence on perceived quality and perceived quality has a strong influence on satisfaction amongst Generation Y consumers. This indicates that Generation Y consumers perceive quality of footwear through extrinsic and intrinsic cues hence their satisfaction. Consequently fashion footwear business should regard effective cues when trading footwear.

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The purpose of this study was to explore how Generation Y engineers in South Africa experience their work and based on this to determine how companies should be orientated toward their retention and engagement. I followed a qualitative research approach informed by the hermeneutic phenomenological paradigm, making use of a case study approach and in-depth unstructured interviews with six Generation Y engineers. My findings showed that even though retention cannot be ensured, hygiene retention factors are needed for initial retention and task and work-setup engagement for prolonged retention. Personal passion and commitment relating to career engagement are valued above organisational engagement and commitment. Companies should focus on the identified hygiene retention factors and on engaging these participants through providing for certain elements in their task and work setup. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The purpose of this study was to explore how Generation Y engineers in South Africa experience their work and based on this to determine how companies should be orientated toward their retention and engagement. I followed a qualitative research approach informed by the hermeneutic phenomenological paradigm, making use of a case study approach and in-depth unstructured interviews with six Generation Y engineers. My findings showed that even though retention cannot be ensured, hygiene retention factors are needed for initial retention and task and work-setup engagement for prolonged retention. Personal passion and commitment relating to career engagement are valued above organisational engagement and commitment. Companies should focus on the identified hygiene retention factors and on engaging these participants through providing for certain elements in their task and work setup. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The thesis reports on the evaluation of a digital information literacy program (DILP) to determine the program’s effectiveness in enhancing students’ digital information literacy skills. The program was originally designed and developed for the South African student, as member of Generation Y, but was adapted to suit the demographics and characteristics of Generation Z. New learning technologies were incorporated to enhance students’ learning experience. One of the characteristics of information literacy programs that illustrate best practice is the evaluation of the program itself to judge it’s effectiveness and validate the program as a learning tool. A review of the literature confirmed the paucity of the evaluation of such programs using assessment of student learning through outcomes assessment instruments, based on information literacy competency standards, designed with proven validity and reliability. The literature review found no evidence of the evaluation of the effectiveness of such programs through meaningful assessment of student learning using outcomes assessment in South Africa. For these reasons, the evaluation of the DILP was undertaken. To evaluate the effectiveness of the DILP, a non-randomised quasi-experimental research design, focusing on a single-group pre-test/post-test design which incorporated a combined quantitative and qualitative research approach was used. The primary research instrument was a pre- and post-test. A group of students, belonging to Generation Y and Z, completed a pre-test, worked through the DILP and completed a post-test. Telephonic and e-mail interviews were used to collect further data. The statistical analysis is presented by using descriptive statistics (stacked bar charts for the quantitative data and pie charts for the qualitative data). Inferential statistics were used to reach conclusions beyond the immediate data presented in the charts. The final step was to judge the overall effectiveness of the DILP. The difference between the means was statistically significant, indicating that the DILP was effective in enhancing the digital information literacy skills of students. Based on this research, additional research could be the evaluation of a DILP designed specifically for “digital natives”; the development of online outcomes assessment instruments for web-based tutorials with proven validity and reliability and research in the area of integrating emerging learning technologies with such programs, evaluating their effectiveness. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)