Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how age and job identification affect entrepreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers draw on a representative sample of the Austrian adult workforce and apply binary logistic regression on entrepreneurial intention. Findings: The findings reveal that as employees age they are less inclined to act entrepreneurially, and that their entrepreneurial intention is lower the more they identify with their job. Whereas gender, education, and previous entrepreneurial experience matter, leadership and having entrepreneurial parents seem to have no impact on the entrepreneurial intention of employees. Research implications: Implications relate to a contingency perspective on entrepreneurial intention where the impact of age is exacerbated by stronger identification with the job. Practical implications: Practical implications include the need to account for different motivational backgrounds when addressing entrepreneurial employees of different ages. Societal implications include the need to adopt an age perspective to foster entrepreneurial intentions within established organizations. Originality/value: While the study corroborates and extends findings from entrepreneurial intention research, it contributes new empirical insights to the age and job - dependent contingency perspective on entrepreneurial intention. (authors' abstract)

How consumers pay influences how they feel about a transaction. In particular, paying by card has been argued to have an effect on the perception of cost; making it less salient and painful. We propose and show that payment method also influences how consumers feel about the acquired good. Specifically we focus on effects of the payment method on psychological ownership, i.e. the perception of an object as "mine". We propose that cash payment results in stronger psychological ownership because it influences the extent of perceived investment in an object. We provide evidence for the proposed effect from field and laboratory settings. Results of a longitudinal exit-survey and an experiment show that cash payers report higher levels of immediate psychological ownership than card payers. However, this effect seems to depend on the meanings associated with a payment method. Asian students (who associate credit card payment with investment and debt) do not exhibit this effect. Moreover the initial boost in psychological ownership seems to be comparably shortlived. Whilst those paying in cash experience no further increase in psychological ownership over time, those paying by card do. (author's abstract)

The comprehension of how job satisfaction impacts on an employee’s intention to quit is critical to an organisation. Consulting engineering firms who do not retain their skill sets will not survive. Knowledge of the relationship between job satisfaction and intentions to quit will allow managers to manipulate the variables that increase job satisfaction, which in turn can minimise an organsation’s employee turnover rate. A theoretical analysis was done. As an empirical analysis, a targeted cross-sectional survey by means of a standardised questionnaire was sent to 3 000 (three thousand) engineers, technicians and technologists registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). Multiple regression analysis was done and Spearman Correlation Coefficients were used to indicate the relationships between variables. Achievement was the factor that was most significantly related to job satisfaction and intention to quit. The strong negative relationship between job satisfaction and intention to quit was confirmed, the effect of which would be that the more job satisfaction increases, the more intention to quit decreases. Management techniques that consist of supervisory consideration, participative decision making, performance feedback and communication are therefore advocated. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The comprehension of how job satisfaction impacts on an employee’s intention to quit is critical to an organisation. Consulting engineering firms who do not retain their skill sets will not survive. Knowledge of the relationship between job satisfaction and intentions to quit will allow managers to manipulate the variables that increase job satisfaction, which in turn can minimise an organsation’s employee turnover rate. A theoretical analysis was done. As an empirical analysis, a targeted cross-sectional survey by means of a standardised questionnaire was sent to 3 000 (three thousand) engineers, technicians and technologists registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). Multiple regression analysis was done and Spearman Correlation Coefficients were used to indicate the relationships between variables. Achievement was the factor that was most significantly related to job satisfaction and intention to quit. The strong negative relationship between job satisfaction and intention to quit was confirmed, the effect of which would be that the more job satisfaction increases, the more intention to quit decreases. Management techniques that consist of supervisory consideration, participative decision making, performance feedback and communication are therefore advocated. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Konsumenterna har under de senaste åren blivit mer och mer medvetna. Till följd av detta har företagens CSR arbete både ökat och utvecklats. Idag är CSR ett brett och svårdefinierat begrepp enligt många forskare. För att hjälpa konsumenterna att hitta rätt har diverse märkningar vuxit fram vilka syftar till att certifiera de initiativ som tas. Fairtradecertifieringen vilken använts som plattform i denna studie är en av många mer eller mindre välkända märkningar vilka finns för konsumenterna att tillgå. Fairtradecertifieringens främsta syfte är att främja rättvis behandling och skapa bättre arbets- och levnadsvillkor för odlare och anställda i tredjevärldsländer. Dit vi som konsumenter nu börjat lyfta våra blickar. Vi konsumenter har börjat fråga oss vem som egentligen betalar priset för vår konsumtion? Båda inom forskning och i direkta rapporter från näringslivet visar konsumenterna starkt intresse för hållbart arbete och inte minst etisk handel. Dock har inte detta intresse visat lika stor effekt i hur konsumenterna faktiskt handlar. Forskningen säger att en möjlig förklaring till detta är ett informations- och kunskapsgap hos konsumenterna. Att de faktiskt inte vet varför de skall handla eller vad det innebär när de handlar hållbart. Vi ställde oss därmed frågan: Vilken betydelse har information för konsumentens gap mellan intention och handling vid köp av Fairtradecertifierade varor? Studien genomfördes utifrån en experimentell metod i kombination med en enkätundersökning, vilken syftade till att kartlägga studenternas uppfattning om Fairtradecertifieringen och undersöka huruvida det fanns ett samband mellan dessa och informationsperceptionen. Vi ensamställde informationsfaktorn i experimentet och fann att den inte har en ensam påverkan isolerad och som presenterad i experimentet. Däremot antydde resultaten att information har en effekt på konsumenternas uppfattning såväl som på köpbeslut. Studien visade även en stor spridning i uppfattning om Fairtradecertifieringen, där det bland annat indikerades en hög grad av trovärdighet samt att ett informationsbehov verkade existera.

Marketers use relationship marketing in order to establish mutually beneficial long-term relationships with their customers as a means to retain these customers in the competitive market environment. Relationship marketing should, however, not be used to target each and every customer as not all customers want to build long-term relationships with organisations. In order to identify the most profitable customers to target through relationship marketing, organisations should consider their customers' relationship intentions to form long-term relationships with them. The primary objective of this study was to determine young adults' (aged 18 to 25) relationship intentions towards the South African cell phone network providers they use, namely Vodacom, MTN or Cell C. This was done by considering the five constructs used to measure relationship intention, namely involvement, expectations, forgiveness, feedback and fear of relationship loss. A focus group was used to determine which features related to cell phone network providers young adults consider when selecting a cell phone network provider. This data was used to develop a self-administered questionnaire, which was distributed among respondents studying at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University in the North-West Provirice. A convenience (non­ probability) sampling method was used and a total of 315 respondents participated in this study. The distribution between the cell phone network providers was Vodacom (115), MTN (101) and Cell C (99). Initial data analysis revealed that 73% of respondents had high relationship intentions, while the remainder (26%) had low relationship intentions of forming long-term relationships with their respective cell phone network providers. By means of a factor analysis it was determined that the five relationship intention factors, namely involvement, expectations, forgiveness, feedback and fear of relationship loss, were valid and reliable to measure the relationship intentions of respondents. The results further indicated that respondents with a t"iigh relationship intention are more involved with thei r cell phone network providers and feared losing thei r relationships with their cell phone network providers more than those respondents with a low relationship intention. Furthermore, respondents from the different cell phone network providers do not view the five factors comprising relationship intention differently, but they do differ with regards to other factors related to cell phone network providers. It was found that the majority of respondents regard Vodacom (not necessarily the respondent's cell phone network provider) as the cell phone network provider with the latest technology, as being the quickest, having the best coverage, best handsets, coolest image and best service. The majority of respondents regard Cell C as being the cheapest and MTN as being the most expensive. Results also indicate that respondents' parents play an important role with regard to the choice of their cell phone network providers as the majority of respondents' parents initially chose the cell phone network providers and pay their cellular expenses. It is recommended that cell phone network providers should target young adults' parents with a view to gain a foothold in the young adult market. Furthermore, it is recommended that cell phone network providers should determine how their customers perceive them as compared with competitors in order to better position themselves and to improve communication with young adults. Most importantly, it is recommended that cell phone network providers should identify those young adults with high relationship intentions (those young adults who are more involved with and fear losing their relationship with the cell phone network provider more) in order to retain them by attempting to build long-term relationships with these young adults through dedicated relationship marketing efforts. Recommendations for future research include examining relationship intention with regards to other age groups (such as scholars and adults), other service industries and other geographical areas. Furthermore, the influence which young adults exert on decisions concerning cell phone network providers and the influence of parents on young adults' product and service choices, can be explored in future research by means of the family decision roles. / Thesis (M.Com. (Marketing Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The retention of artisans is becoming an increasingly important challenge faced by many organisations. The decision to intensify artisan retention strategies arises from the fact that there is currently a shortage of artisans in the country. This situation is aggravated by the fact that many of our country's current supply of artisans are being lured away to Canada and Australia by the highly competitive packages offered them. For effective retention of their artisans, organisations must be aware of the factors that artisans perceive as being important in the decision to remain with an organisation. The main research objective was, therefore, to establish the factors that are important for artisan retention. It was also decided to measure the level of intention to leave among a sample of artisans, as there were no results available from previous research. The research was explorative in nature and a mixed-methods design was used to achieve the objectives. The participants were selected by means of a judgement sample to consist only of participants who hold a formal qualification as an artisan, as prescribed by Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) standards. Employees were requested to take part voluntarily in the research and a total population of 14 employees responded (N = 14). A semi-structured interview was used as means of collecting the qualitative data, while the quantitative data were collected by means of questionnaires. The results indicated that remuneration had the highest rank of all the factors for the retention of artisans, closely followed by development opportunity in second place. Other factors that were also perceived as important for artisan retention by the participants included equality (ranked third), recognition (ranked fourth), management and the working environment (ranked fifth), working relationships (ranked sixth), while change management, job security, belongingness, the merit system, job satisfaction and employee wellness were all ranked jointly in seventh place. With regard to Turnover Intention, the results indicated a mean score of 2,38 out of 5,00; it can thus be concluded that the sample reported an average level of turnover intention. The spread of the scores was quite large, indicating that some artisans had a strong intention to continue working at the organisation, while others were likely to consider other offers. By way of conclusion, recommendations were made both for the organisation and for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The retention of artisans is becoming an increasingly important challenge faced by many organisations. The decision to intensify artisan retention strategies arises from the fact that there is currently a shortage of artisans in the country. This situation is aggravated by the fact that many of our country's current supply of artisans are being lured away to Canada and Australia by the highly competitive packages offered them. For effective retention of their artisans, organisations must be aware of the factors that artisans perceive as being important in the decision to remain with an organisation. The main research objective was, therefore, to establish the factors that are important for artisan retention. It was also decided to measure the level of intention to leave among a sample of artisans, as there were no results available from previous research. The research was explorative in nature and a mixed-methods design was used to achieve the objectives. The participants were selected by means of a judgement sample to consist only of participants who hold a formal qualification as an artisan, as prescribed by Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) standards. Employees were requested to take part voluntarily in the research and a total population of 14 employees responded (N = 14). A semi-structured interview was used as means of collecting the qualitative data, while the quantitative data were collected by means of questionnaires. The results indicated that remuneration had the highest rank of all the factors for the retention of artisans, closely followed by development opportunity in second place. Other factors that were also perceived as important for artisan retention by the participants included equality (ranked third), recognition (ranked fourth), management and the working environment (ranked fifth), working relationships (ranked sixth), while change management, job security, belongingness, the merit system, job satisfaction and employee wellness were all ranked jointly in seventh place. With regard to Turnover Intention, the results indicated a mean score of 2,38 out of 5,00; it can thus be concluded that the sample reported an average level of turnover intention. The spread of the scores was quite large, indicating that some artisans had a strong intention to continue working at the organisation, while others were likely to consider other offers. By way of conclusion, recommendations were made both for the organisation and for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

This study investigated the quality and quantity of sexual communication between teens and parents in relation to the teens' sexual intentions. Perceptions about communication were examined of parents and adolescents of both genders separately. Both same- and cross-gender effects of parental communication on adolescent sexual intentions were explored. Approximately 290 families (target teen and parent) were measured in pre- and posttests. Parents perceived higher quality communication with teens than teens did, but not necessarily more frequent sexual communication. As teens' perceptions of quality of communication with mother and father went up, teens' sexual intentions went down. The higher sons' intention toward early sexual involvement, the more often sons perceived that their parents talked with them about sexual issues. Daughters who perceived more sexual communication with parents at Time 1 reported higher sexual intentions at Time 2. Fathers perceived that as quality and frequency of communication with daughter went up, the daughter's sexual intentions also went up. Fathers perceived that as frequency of communication with all teens went up, the teen's sexual intentions also went up. Mothers perceived that the higher the quality of communication with sons at Time 1, the higher the sexual intentions among sons at Time 2. The more often mothers perceived that their daughters talked with them about sexual issues at Time 1, the higher the daughters' intention toward early sexual involvement at Time 2. The more the discrepancy between teens and fathers and mothers about c communication quality, the more the adolescents' intention toward early sexual involvement.

Marketers use relationship marketing in order to establish mutually beneficial long-term relationships with their customers as a means to retain these customers in the competitive market environment. Relationship marketing should, however, not be used to target each and every customer as not all customers want to build long-term relationships with organisations. In order to identify the most profitable customers to target through relationship marketing, organisations should consider their customers' relationship intentions to form long-term relationships with them. The primary objective of this study was to determine young adults' (aged 18 to 25) relationship intentions towards the South African cell phone network providers they use, namely Vodacom, MTN or Cell C. This was done by considering the five constructs used to measure relationship intention, namely involvement, expectations, forgiveness, feedback and fear of relationship loss. A focus group was used to determine which features related to cell phone network providers young adults consider when selecting a cell phone network provider. This data was used to develop a self-administered questionnaire, which was distributed among respondents studying at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University in the North-West Provirice. A convenience (non­ probability) sampling method was used and a total of 315 respondents participated in this study. The distribution between the cell phone network providers was Vodacom (115), MTN (101) and Cell C (99). Initial data analysis revealed that 73% of respondents had high relationship intentions, while the remainder (26%) had low relationship intentions of forming long-term relationships with their respective cell phone network providers. By means of a factor analysis it was determined that the five relationship intention factors, namely involvement, expectations, forgiveness, feedback and fear of relationship loss, were valid and reliable to measure the relationship intentions of respondents. The results further indicated that respondents with a t"iigh relationship intention are more involved with thei r cell phone network providers and feared losing thei r relationships with their cell phone network providers more than those respondents with a low relationship intention. Furthermore, respondents from the different cell phone network providers do not view the five factors comprising relationship intention differently, but they do differ with regards to other factors related to cell phone network providers. It was found that the majority of respondents regard Vodacom (not necessarily the respondent's cell phone network provider) as the cell phone network provider with the latest technology, as being the quickest, having the best coverage, best handsets, coolest image and best service. The majority of respondents regard Cell C as being the cheapest and MTN as being the most expensive. Results also indicate that respondents' parents play an important role with regard to the choice of their cell phone network providers as the majority of respondents' parents initially chose the cell phone network providers and pay their cellular expenses. It is recommended that cell phone network providers should target young adults' parents with a view to gain a foothold in the young adult market. Furthermore, it is recommended that cell phone network providers should determine how their customers perceive them as compared with competitors in order to better position themselves and to improve communication with young adults. Most importantly, it is recommended that cell phone network providers should identify those young adults with high relationship intentions (those young adults who are more involved with and fear losing their relationship with the cell phone network provider more) in order to retain them by attempting to build long-term relationships with these young adults through dedicated relationship marketing efforts. Recommendations for future research include examining relationship intention with regards to other age groups (such as scholars and adults), other service industries and other geographical areas. Furthermore, the influence which young adults exert on decisions concerning cell phone network providers and the influence of parents on young adults' product and service choices, can be explored in future research by means of the family decision roles. / Thesis (M.Com. (Marketing Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.