Being defined as the first Digital Natives, Generation Y is often subjected by expanding practices and amounts of observation and exploitation of their social media profiles by companies because of their behavioral characteristics such as a higher dependence on technology and using social networking sites to create a sense of belonging. This paper aims to investigate whether Generation Y is concerned that their use of social media is being exploited for profit by large companies and if this practice has behavioral effects on Generation Y. As an appropriate methodology to investigate the research questions, this study is based on an online survey as well as personal semi-structured interviews to enquire about the behavior and attitude of members of Generation Y regarding the exploitation of their social media profiles. Due to the research findings, it can be implied that most of Generation Y is concerned that companies exploit their social networking profiles for profit. Thus, the first research question can be affirmed. The second research question about the behavioral effects of RQ1 can also be affirmed but the extend of behavioral effects is depending on the type of user and their attitude towards data protection on social networking sites. Some users seem to accept the risk of data exploitation as the cost of convenience to stay in contact with their friends and to get entertained. Therefore, the more a Millennials is concerned about his or her online data, the more likely the person will actively protect it and vice versa. / Definierade som de första digitala infödingarna, används Generation Y ofta för att utöka praxis, för mängder observationer samt utnyttjande av deras sociala medie profiler av företag på grund av deras beteendemässiga egenskaper, såsom ett högre beroende av teknik och användning av sociala nätverkssajter för att skapa mening och tillhörighet. Det här dokumentet syftar till att undersöka om Generation Y är oroade över att deras användning av sociala medier utnyttjas för vinstdrivande syften av de stora företagens och om denna praxis har beteendeeffekter på Generation Y. Som en lämplig metod för att undersöka forskningsfrågorna är denna studie baserad på en online-undersökning samt personliga halvstrukturerade intervjuer för att fråga om beteende och attityd hos medlemmarna i Generation Y angående utnyttjandet av deras sociala medier. Baserat på forskningsresultaten kan det antas att de flesta inom Generation Y är oroade för att företagen utnyttjar sina sociala nätverksprofiler för vinst. Således kan den första forskningsfrågan bekräftas. Den andra frågan om beteendemässiga effekter av RQ1 kan också bekräftas, men utsträckningen av beteendeeffekter beror på vilken typ av användare och deras inställning till dataskydd på sociala nätverk. Vissa användare verkar acceptera risken för datautnyttjande som en kostnad för bekvämligheten att hålla kontakten med sina vänner samt att bli underhållen. Därför, ju mer en ”Millennial” är oroad över hans eller hennes online data, desto mer sannolikt kommer personen även att skydda den aktivt och vice versa.

This study consists of a survey among the customers of an ITservice company. The survey examines organizational buyingbehavior in relation to the factors of age, role, and industry.Age is divided into three generations: the post-wargeneration, Generation X, and Generation Y. Other factors,such as role in the buying process and industry, are limited toone of each, which includes influencers and "State,Municipality & Region." Marketing related to buyingbehavior is also examined in this survey.First theory was collected in order to later build hypothesesabout the factors that were going to be examined in thisstudy. In total there were four hypotheses about age, oneabout role, and one about industry. After this, the survey wasmade to either reject or accept the hypotheses. The surveyconsisted of nine questions about buying behavior and twoabout marketing.The results of the survey indicated that there was not a bigdifference between the generations, as well as for theindustry. Influencers deviated from the average in somequestions, and it was observed that they gathered moreinformation before making a purchase compared to others.The results for the marketing questions provided anindication of how organizations could attempt to sell productsor services to the respondents. / Denna studie består av en enkätstudie bland kunderna av ettIT-tjänsteföretag. Enkäten undersöker det organsationellaköpbeteendet i relation till faktorerna ålder, roll och bransch.Åldern är indelad i tre generationer: efterkrigsgenerationen,Generation X och Generation Y. Övriga faktorer inkluderar:roll i köpprocess och bransch som avgränsas till en av varje,vilket blev Påverkare och “Stat, kommun & region”.Marknadsföring som är kopplad till köpbeteende undersöksäven i denna enkät.Först samlades teori in för att senare kunna bygga hypoteserom samtliga faktorer som ska undersökas i denna studie. Detblev totalt fyra hypoteser om ålder, en om roll och slutligenen om bransch. Efter hypoteserna skapades en enkät somantingen skulle avslå eller bekräfta dem.. Enkäten bestod i sintur av nio frågor om köpbeteende och två ommarknadsföring.Det som kunde konstateras av enkätens resultat var att detendast inte fanns en stor skillnad mellan generationerna menäven för branschen. Påverkare avvek sig från snittet i vissafrågor, och det kunde konstateras att de samlade in merinformation innan inköp än övriga. Resultatet för frågorna ommarknadsföring gav en indikation på hur organisationerskulle försöka sälja produkter eller tjänster tillrespondenterna.

In this thesis we have examined in which way the long term travel can be seen as an obligation among young adults. The survey is made through semi structured interviews with 52 young adults that have completed a long term travel. The responses that we received during the interviews helped us categorize six different ways. The different ways are discussed in the thesis and are summed up in the conclusion. There are many things that affect people and we have discussed the ways that the generation of our respondents experience in their life. The overall focus was the generation that our respondents exist in. The interviews were a way to grasp what we questioned. By connecting our empirical data from the interviews with theoretical framework and analyzed the different ways that creates an obligation, we have come to a conclusion.

Opinion leadership and opinion seeking are central constructs in academic studies of new product innovations. Fashion opinion leaders as those individuals who accelerate the fashion maturity process by legitimising a fashionable trend and influence other consumers to adopt the new innovative style as a replacement for the current accepted one. Consumers who accept information and adopt new style innovations are called opinion seekers and are important to the diffusion of new fashions because they may act on the information they receive from the opinion leaders. In South Africa, the fashion industry, which consists of a combination of the manufacturing, retail, media and recruitment sectors, generates billions of South African rands per annum, and is the fifth largest employment sector in the country. In fact, the fashion and textile industry in South Africa employed approximately 143 000 people in March of 2005, and contributed 12 percent to total manufacturing employment. Post 1994, it was evident that the fashion industry in South Africa underwent a metamorphosis from a protected market where domestic manufacturers dominated to a market that increasingly faced competition from international sources. During the first decade of democracy, the country joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and opened its creative market to international trade. This saw the industry generate sales of R34 billion, of which 9.4 percent was from clothing sales, and with only 18.7 percent of textiles output being exported. This suggests that the South African retailing industry yields substantial value chain power. There appears to be few published research studies focusing on fashion opinion leadership and opinion seeking amongst the black Generation Y students in South Africa. Owing to the importance of the fashion industry sector, together with the ethnic and cultural diversity of Abstract South Africa, the size of the black Generation Y cohort, and the higher social standing and future earning potential of those with a tertiary qualification, it is important to explore black Generation Y students’ fashion opinion leadership/seeking and fashion involvement. In South Africa, the Generation Y cohort is the first generation to grow up in an era of freedom and constantly changing technology – two forces that serve to broaden the divergence between this fascinating generation and previous generations. In 2013, the Generation Y individuals accounted for an estimated 38 percent of the South African population, and members of the black Generation Y accounted for 83 percent of the country’s Generation Y cohort. The primary objective of this study was to investigate fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst South African black Generation Y students. The target population for this study were male and female black undergraduate and postgraduate students, aged between 18 and 24, and enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame for this study constituted the 23 South African registered public HEIs that existed in 2013. This sampling frame was narrowed down using judgement sampling to two HEI campuses in the Gauteng province – one from a traditional university and one from a university of technology. The Gauteng province was selected over other provinces in the country because it contained the highest percentage of the 23 public HEIs. A self-administered questionnaire was designed based on the scales used in previous studies. Lecturers at each of the two campuses selected to form part of the sample were contacted and asked if they would allow the questionnaire to be administered on their students during lectures. Once permission had been gained, the questionnaires were distributed to students during the scheduled lectures. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items designed to measure their fashion clothing involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking. In addition, the students were asked to provide certain demographic data. Abstract The findings of this study provide valuable insights into fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst black Generation Y students in South Africa. Findings from this study show that there is a significant relationship between fashion product involvement, fashion purchase involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking amongst black Generation Y students, and that females have a significantly higher level of fashion product involvement compared to males. Insights gained from this study will help fashion marketing better understand this cohort’s involvement in fashion, which, in turn, should help them tailor their marketing efforts in such a way as to appeal to this segment in an improved manner. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Green marketing is now recognised amongst academics as a reputable area of study and conventional marketing has taken a step back as green marketing comes into prominence in the fight against unsustainability. A number of organisations are using green marketing as a tool to differentiate their market offerings from those of their competitors in an effort to gain a strong position in today’s markets. These organisations are seeking to exploit consumers‟ growing environmental concerns and increasing green purchase intentions in order to acquire market share in the newly developed green consumer markets. The Generation Y cohort, born between 1986 and 2005, are the most technologically astute generation to date. When segmenting the Generation Y cohort, the black Africans hold the majority share, comprising 84 percent of the Generation Y cohort and approximately 32 percent of the entire South African population. Owing to its sheer size, the black Generation Y cohort presents as an attractive and lucrative market segment, especially those who hold a tertiary education. Individuals who pursue a higher education are linked to higher future earning potential. The primary objective of this study was to propose and empirically test a model of the antecedents of black Generation Y students‟ green purchase behaviour within the South African context. The proposed model suggests that environmental knowledge, subjective norms, and perceived behaviour control have a direct positive influence on environmental attitude, which, in turn, has a direct positive influence on green purchase intentions. Moreover, the model infers that green purchase intensions have a direct positive influence on environmental purchase behaviour, while accounting for the mediating effects of perceived price (price) and perceived quality (quality). The sampling frame for the study comprised the 25 public registered HEIs situated in South Africa. From this initial list of 25 registered institutions, a judgement sample of four institutions in the Gauteng province was chosen, of which two included country-based universities and two city-based universities. Of the four universities, two were traditional universities, one a university of technology and one comprehensive university. Lecturers at each of the four campuses were contacted and asked if they would act as gatekeepers to the student participants. A convenience sample of 500 students across these four campuses was taken in 2014. Of the questionnaires completed, 332 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modelling and independent sample t-tests. The findings of this study indicate that South African black Generation Y students are knowledgeable about the environment, consider the opinions of their peers regarding the environment, perceive their actions as having a positive effect on the environment and display strong pro-environmental attitudes towards the environment. Moreover, they display positive intentions to purchase green products and aim to behave in a pro-environmental manner. The influence of green purchase intentions on green purchase behaviour is partially mediated by the perceived price and quality of green products. This may explain the noticeable gap between environmental awareness and lack of actual green product purchases. Environmental knowledge and perceived behaviour control had a significant direct effect on black Generation Y students‟ environmental attitude, which, in turn, has a significant direct influence on black Generation Y students‟ green purchase intentions. Similarly, subjective norms and environmental knowledge had a significant direct effect on green purchase intentions. This study contributes to developing the green consumer profile of the black Generation Y consumer in South Africa. Furthermore, the study will aid in identifying the green consumer behaviour patterns amongst the South African youth. This study offers a conceptual model that illustrates the antecedents of black Generation Y students‟ green purchasing behaviour. The findings of this study will be helpful to national and international marketers seeking to profile and target the lucrative green market segment in South Africa. / PhD (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015

Brand personality is a set of human personality traits that are relevant to a brand. A distinctive brand personality serves a symbolic or self-expressive function and helps to create a set of unique and favourable associations in the consumer’s mind. Generation Y consumers are considerably more brand and image conscious than any other generational cohort. Given that motor vehicles, especially luxury motor vehicles, are a conspicuous consumption item that are often used to signal status to others, luxury motor vehicle marketers need to understand Generation Y members’ perceptions of brand personality. Aaker (1997) developed a brand personality trait scale to measure brand personality perceptions. This study established a factor structure for Aaker’s (1997) brand personality trait scale applicable for luxury sedan brands. This adapted brand personality trait scale was used to investigate the brand personality perceptions of luxury sedan motor vehicles amongst Generation Y. The target population for this study was defined as students registered at South Africa’s public HEIs in 2014. This study made use of a non-probability convenience sample to select one traditional university campus and one university of technology campus located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed in two separate steps. Step 1 of the study distributed the questionnaire to 65 participants to identify Generation Y students’ top-of-the-mind awareness concerning luxury sedan motor vehicle brands. Step 2 of the study distributed 500 questionnaires to investigate the brand personality perceptions of luxury sedan brands amongst Generation Y students by means of Aaker’s (1997) brand personality trait scale. Step 2 also investigated Generation Y students’ purchasing intentions of luxury sedan motor vehicles by making use of an adapted a scale by Zeithaml et al. (1996:31-46). The statistical analysis included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis and significance tests. The findings of the study suggest that Generation Y students’ top three luxury sedan brands are BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The brand personality perception results revealed that all three brands are associated with the ‘Competence’ and ‘Sophisticated’ brand personality dimensions. In addition, BMW is also associated with the ‘Excitement’ brand personality dimension. The findings of the study also suggest that Generation Y students do have purchasing intentions of luxury sedan motor vehicles. Some gender differences regarding Generation Y students’ brand personality perceptions and purchasing intentions of luxury sedan motor vehicles do exist. However, the differences are limited with a small effect of practical significance. The study offers insight into the brand personality perceptions in the South African market. Generation Y consumers have unique perceptions regarding different brands and it is therefore important to gain insight regarding their perceptions. The results presented in this study can aid the marketers of the selected luxury sedan motor vehicle brands in identifying the personality traits associated with their brand. This information can be compared with their current marketing strategy to determine if any differences exist between the desired and perceived brand personality. This can also help the marketers to tailor the marketing strategy accordingly to achieve the desired brand personality / MCom (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015

The main aim of the study is to compare the extent to which the need for autonomy, relatedness and competence of baby boomers, generation X, Y and Z employees of Denel Dynamics is being satisfied and how this influences motivational strategies. The issue of generation is becoming more important due to different ways and methods required to manage different generations. A quantitative study was done by means of a structured questionnaire which was used in to determine the motivational preferences of the participants. This questionnaire was developed by Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste, De Witte, Soenens and Lens (2010) and is based on the self-determination theory developed by Deci and Ryan. Results indicate that baby boomers have a stronger need for autonomy as compared to the other generations. Similar needs for relatedness were shown by all the generations. In view of the findings, recommendations are made to management to optimize motivational strategies and these recommendations show how each generational needs relating to self-determination theory should be addressed. / MBA (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The main aim of the study is to compare the extent to which the need for autonomy, relatedness and competence of baby boomers, generation X, Y and Z employees of Denel Dynamics is being satisfied and how this influences motivational strategies. The issue of generation is becoming more important due to different ways and methods required to manage different generations. A quantitative study was done by means of a structured questionnaire which was used in to determine the motivational preferences of the participants. This questionnaire was developed by Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste, De Witte, Soenens and Lens (2010) and is based on the self-determination theory developed by Deci and Ryan. Results indicate that baby boomers have a stronger need for autonomy as compared to the other generations. Similar needs for relatedness were shown by all the generations. In view of the findings, recommendations are made to management to optimize motivational strategies and these recommendations show how each generational needs relating to self-determination theory should be addressed. / MBA (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Opinion leadership and opinion seeking are central constructs in academic studies of new product innovations. Fashion opinion leaders as those individuals who accelerate the fashion maturity process by legitimising a fashionable trend and influence other consumers to adopt the new innovative style as a replacement for the current accepted one. Consumers who accept information and adopt new style innovations are called opinion seekers and are important to the diffusion of new fashions because they may act on the information they receive from the opinion leaders. In South Africa, the fashion industry, which consists of a combination of the manufacturing, retail, media and recruitment sectors, generates billions of South African rands per annum, and is the fifth largest employment sector in the country. In fact, the fashion and textile industry in South Africa employed approximately 143 000 people in March of 2005, and contributed 12 percent to total manufacturing employment. Post 1994, it was evident that the fashion industry in South Africa underwent a metamorphosis from a protected market where domestic manufacturers dominated to a market that increasingly faced competition from international sources. During the first decade of democracy, the country joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and opened its creative market to international trade. This saw the industry generate sales of R34 billion, of which 9.4 percent was from clothing sales, and with only 18.7 percent of textiles output being exported. This suggests that the South African retailing industry yields substantial value chain power. There appears to be few published research studies focusing on fashion opinion leadership and opinion seeking amongst the black Generation Y students in South Africa. Owing to the importance of the fashion industry sector, together with the ethnic and cultural diversity of Abstract South Africa, the size of the black Generation Y cohort, and the higher social standing and future earning potential of those with a tertiary qualification, it is important to explore black Generation Y students’ fashion opinion leadership/seeking and fashion involvement. In South Africa, the Generation Y cohort is the first generation to grow up in an era of freedom and constantly changing technology – two forces that serve to broaden the divergence between this fascinating generation and previous generations. In 2013, the Generation Y individuals accounted for an estimated 38 percent of the South African population, and members of the black Generation Y accounted for 83 percent of the country’s Generation Y cohort. The primary objective of this study was to investigate fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst South African black Generation Y students. The target population for this study were male and female black undergraduate and postgraduate students, aged between 18 and 24, and enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame for this study constituted the 23 South African registered public HEIs that existed in 2013. This sampling frame was narrowed down using judgement sampling to two HEI campuses in the Gauteng province – one from a traditional university and one from a university of technology. The Gauteng province was selected over other provinces in the country because it contained the highest percentage of the 23 public HEIs. A self-administered questionnaire was designed based on the scales used in previous studies. Lecturers at each of the two campuses selected to form part of the sample were contacted and asked if they would allow the questionnaire to be administered on their students during lectures. Once permission had been gained, the questionnaires were distributed to students during the scheduled lectures. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items designed to measure their fashion clothing involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking. In addition, the students were asked to provide certain demographic data. Abstract The findings of this study provide valuable insights into fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst black Generation Y students in South Africa. Findings from this study show that there is a significant relationship between fashion product involvement, fashion purchase involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking amongst black Generation Y students, and that females have a significantly higher level of fashion product involvement compared to males. Insights gained from this study will help fashion marketing better understand this cohort’s involvement in fashion, which, in turn, should help them tailor their marketing efforts in such a way as to appeal to this segment in an improved manner. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Green marketing is now recognised amongst academics as a reputable area of study and conventional marketing has taken a step back as green marketing comes into prominence in the fight against unsustainability. A number of organisations are using green marketing as a tool to differentiate their market offerings from those of their competitors in an effort to gain a strong position in today’s markets. These organisations are seeking to exploit consumers‟ growing environmental concerns and increasing green purchase intentions in order to acquire market share in the newly developed green consumer markets. The Generation Y cohort, born between 1986 and 2005, are the most technologically astute generation to date. When segmenting the Generation Y cohort, the black Africans hold the majority share, comprising 84 percent of the Generation Y cohort and approximately 32 percent of the entire South African population. Owing to its sheer size, the black Generation Y cohort presents as an attractive and lucrative market segment, especially those who hold a tertiary education. Individuals who pursue a higher education are linked to higher future earning potential. The primary objective of this study was to propose and empirically test a model of the antecedents of black Generation Y students‟ green purchase behaviour within the South African context. The proposed model suggests that environmental knowledge, subjective norms, and perceived behaviour control have a direct positive influence on environmental attitude, which, in turn, has a direct positive influence on green purchase intentions. Moreover, the model infers that green purchase intensions have a direct positive influence on environmental purchase behaviour, while accounting for the mediating effects of perceived price (price) and perceived quality (quality). The sampling frame for the study comprised the 25 public registered HEIs situated in South Africa. From this initial list of 25 registered institutions, a judgement sample of four institutions in the Gauteng province was chosen, of which two included country-based universities and two city-based universities. Of the four universities, two were traditional universities, one a university of technology and one comprehensive university. Lecturers at each of the four campuses were contacted and asked if they would act as gatekeepers to the student participants. A convenience sample of 500 students across these four campuses was taken in 2014. Of the questionnaires completed, 332 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modelling and independent sample t-tests. The findings of this study indicate that South African black Generation Y students are knowledgeable about the environment, consider the opinions of their peers regarding the environment, perceive their actions as having a positive effect on the environment and display strong pro-environmental attitudes towards the environment. Moreover, they display positive intentions to purchase green products and aim to behave in a pro-environmental manner. The influence of green purchase intentions on green purchase behaviour is partially mediated by the perceived price and quality of green products. This may explain the noticeable gap between environmental awareness and lack of actual green product purchases. Environmental knowledge and perceived behaviour control had a significant direct effect on black Generation Y students‟ environmental attitude, which, in turn, has a significant direct influence on black Generation Y students‟ green purchase intentions. Similarly, subjective norms and environmental knowledge had a significant direct effect on green purchase intentions. This study contributes to developing the green consumer profile of the black Generation Y consumer in South Africa. Furthermore, the study will aid in identifying the green consumer behaviour patterns amongst the South African youth. This study offers a conceptual model that illustrates the antecedents of black Generation Y students‟ green purchasing behaviour. The findings of this study will be helpful to national and international marketers seeking to profile and target the lucrative green market segment in South Africa. / PhD (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015