Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / SMMEs have been touted as the major driver of any economy – they create jobs, reduce poverty level and generally improve the livelihood of a society. Even with these lofty advantages, SMMEs encounter numerous challenges. These range from lack of access to funding, poor education and understanding of small business management practices. Embedded in small business management practice, is the need to undertake proper marketing. Marketing has recently featured as one of the main challenges of small businesses. Lately several marketing channels have emerged in response to this challenge. These channels have been reported to have positive impact on the bottom line of businesses. This study sought to discover whether social media platforms are deployed within the hospitality sector in the Cape Metropole, Western Cape Province, South Africa, to enhance the growth of restaurants. The study was motivated by the lack of alternative marketing channels using social media platforms, especially in the hospitality industry in the Cape Metropole. Essentially, to achieve this aim, a survey was conducted of SMMEs with employment capacity of not more than 50 employees, specifically within the hospitality sector in the Cape Metropole. A quantitative methodology was applied, using a self-administered questionnaire, distributed to 100 SMMEs in the Cape Metropole. The method of data analysis was purposive. The findings of this research indicate that most of the sampled small businesses used social media platforms. The findings also suggest that SMMEs perceived social media to have moderately effective marketing tools, with WhatsApp as the most effective, followed by Facebook and Twitter. The findings suggest that most respondents used the platform to inform their clients about a business promotion; for new product marketing; for customer loyalty, and for socialising with clients. It was found that if the highest percentage, used for socialising, was then channelled towards strategic marketing, it would significantly boost small business marketing capabilities. This could fill the gap of sustainable marketing strategies.

Thesis (DTech (Informatics))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Any e-commerce venture using a website as main shop-front should invest in marketing their website. Previous empirical evidence shows that most Search Engine Marketing (SEM) spending (approximately 82%) is allocated to Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns while only 12% was spent on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). The remaining 6% of the total spending was allocated to other SEM strategies. No empirical work was found on how marketing expenses compare when used solely for either the one or the other of the two main types of SEM. In this study, a model will be designed to guide the development of a dual SEM strategy.

Dado o contexto competitivo atual, a relevância da tecnologia para alavancar o desempenho de uma empresa em seu respectivo mercado de atuação é inegável. Novos desafios se apresentam em freqüência e intensidade crescentes, potencializados por uma rede de mudanças ambientais, políticas e econômicas que pressionam, constantemente, as empresas a adotarem novas posturas e procurarem novos meios de se diferenciarem de seus concorrentes. É exatamente dentro dessas configurações mutantes do mercado que a Internet se mostra uma ferramenta valiosa para oferecer, de maneira rápida e conveniente, serviços e atendimento aos clientes corporativos, especialmente aqueles dispersos geograficamente. Esse estudo tem cunho essencialmente exploratório e seu objetivo principal foi investigar como a Internet pode agregar valores diferenciados aos serviços oferecidos por uma empresa do setor de telecomunicações. A escolha do setor se deu porque ele: ØÉ, atualmente, bastante importante para o Brasil, sendo responsável, sozinho, por cerca de 7% do PIB nacional. ØÉ um setor intensivo em tecnologia e, portanto, esperava-se que as empresas que nele constam fossem inovadoras no uso de novas ferramentas para obter e manter os seus clientes. ØApenas recentemente abriu suas portas para a concorrência (até 1998 ele ainda era monopólio do governo brasileiro) e, portanto, está demandando estudos que ajudem a delinear sua operação no mercado. Dentro desse setor, foi realizado um estudo de caso junto à Telefónica e um levantamento junto a alguns de seus clientes para verificar quais os atributos inerentes aos serviços on-line que estão sendo valorizados pelo segmento mais atrativo de atuação das empresas atualmente: o B2B. Por meio da revisão bibliográfica procurou-se verificar vários aspectos que influem na competitividade e no desenvolvimento de estratégias de uma empresa, e que, portanto, devem ser considerados também para definir suas linhas de atuação geral no mercado on-line. Na pesquisa de campo, conseguiu-se observar que o uso da Internet no ambiente profissional já é amplamente difundido e que ela também é considerada uma ferramenta importante que pode agregar valor - por meio da sua conveniência e rapidez de obtenção de informações, por exemplo – sendo que alguns clientes já preferem utilizá-la em detrimento de outros canais de contato com a empresa. No entanto, verificou-se, igualmente, que o seu potencial ainda está sendo subtilizado como alavancador de alianças e relacionamentos mais sólidos com os clientes corporativos e, portanto, algumas movimentações estruturais e culturais dentro da empresa se fazem necessárias para que, ela, efetivamente, possa auxiliá-la ainda mais na busca pelos seus objetivos estratégicos. / In the current competitive scenario the relevance of technology to leverage an enterprise performance is undeniable. New challenges come about at increasing frequency and intensity and are potentiated by a net of environmental, political and economical changes that drive companies to adopt new attitudes and to look for, on a regular basis, new ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. It’s exactly in these constantly changing market settings that Internet reveals to be a great means to provide, in a quick and convenient manner, services and customer care to corporate clients, especially those geographically scattered. This exploratory study has the main goal of investigating how Internet can be used to add differentiated values to the services provided by a company in the telecommunications industry. This industry was chosen to be the object of this study because: ØIt’s one of the most prominent sectors in Brazil, corresponding now to approximately 7% of the nation’s total GNP. ØIt is a technology-intensive industry and therefore its companies are expected to be innovative and create new tools to gain and maintain customers. ØAnd, finally, it is an industry that only recently has opened it up to competition (until 1998 it was a monopoly of the Brazilian government) and therefore there is a need of studies to describe its operation in the market. A case study of Telefónica was carried out along with a survey with some of its multinational clients to assess the inherent aspects of on-line services valued by the currently most attractive segment in the market: the B2B. The bibliographical revision covers various aspects affecting a company’s competitive capacity and strategy development, which must be considered in action plans developed for the on-line market. It was observed in the field research that the professional use of Internet is already widely spread and that the net is also considered to be an important tool to add value – among other things, providing a convenient and quick access to information − and for some clients it is the preferred channel to contact the company. Yet it was also observed that Internet’s potential is not being totally explored to strengthen the relationship and alliances between corporate clients and, therefore, internal structural and cultural changes are needed to make the Internet more helpful in the pursue of the company’s strategic goals.

Diploma thesis „Using e-marketing to promote luxury brand WLINIE on the Czech and Slovak market “ deals with possibilities of propagation of luxury brand WLINIE on the internet. The thesis describes how to increase visitors of the web pages and build luxury image. The work discusses possibility of SEO optimization, social media marketing and PPC campaign.

This thesis deals with the issue of marketing activities within the selected company. In the practical part there are suggestions and recommendations made on the basis of theoretical grounds and complex analysis. They are supposed to lead to brand building, improving the situation on the market and to attracting customers. In the practical part there is also a marketing campaign plan using modern marketing tools.

Magister Commercii - MCom / Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) plays an important role in improving organizational competitiveness. Information technology has been instrumental in integrating functional areas within and outside firms. This research used empirical evidence to evaluate the state of EDI in the in the willingness of SME's to connect electronically to a large distribution centre in South Africa. Furthermore, it investigated the EDI adoption rate from the viewpoint of a small business. Many such businesses feel coerced by larger trade partners to adopt EDI or lose the customer. / South Africa

The tourism industry has been identified as the industry with the most potential to create jobs and contribute largely to economic growth. In order to live up to this potential, tourism businesses need to create tourism products for potential tourists which need to be promoted successfully through a number of mediums. The use of the Internet as a medium for promoting and selling tourism products is increasing, however, in order for tourism businesses to successfully promote the tourism product through the Internet, they have to understand the needs and wants of their current and potential target markets. One segment of the tourism market that has come under increasing attention is the mature traveller market. This market is defined as travellers who are 50 years of age and older. Generally, the mature traveller market is viewed as a small homogenous group of old consumers with little or no spending power. However, evidence suggests that this market is comprised of an increasing number of diverse people, who use the Internet and like to spend on tourism products. Therefore, this research will examine differences between Internet users and Internet non-users in the mature traveller market. Specific attention will be paid to investigate differences in demographic, socioeconomic, Internet use and travel-related characteristics. The identification of these characteristics will enable a profile to be d~veloped for each group, which can be used by tourism businesses to effectively promote tourism products over the Internet to the mature market In order to collect data from potential respondents, a questionnaire which was used in a similar study conducted in the US was used. Data was collected using a convenience sample of Internet users and Internet non-users from the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces of South Africa. Cronbach alpha and factor analysis were used to assess the reliability and validity of the research instrument and measurement scales. In order to test whether differences did exist between the two groups the Chi-square and t-test statistics were used. Finally in order to examine which factors where influential in differentiating between Internet users and Internet non-users discriminant analysis was employed. The findings in the present study suggest that there are significant differences in demographics, socioeconomic, Internet use and travel-related characteristics between Internet users and Internet non-users in the mature market. By understanding the differences between Internet users and Internet non-users, tourism businesses can identify marketing strategies that appeal to mature travellers who use the Internet and to those do not, by utilising information gathered from Internet users and Internet non-users demographic, socio-economic and travel-related characteristics.

As banks operate in a competitive environment, it is important for managers and marketers to identify how customer satisfaction and customer retention levels can be can be improved through social media aspects. Although models of customer satisfaction and customer retention have been well researched for client products/services, the literature available on social media as a marketing tool is limited in quantity compared to other more established areas of marketing. This research study reviews existing literature on the banking industry in terms of its characteristics and challenges. Literature on customer satisfaction and customer retention as relevant to the banking industry is reviewed, as well as how social media aspects can improve customer satisfaction and customer retention. Thus the primary objective of this study is to identify the social media aspects (benefits, clients’ trust and content) that influence the intervening variable (customer satisfaction) and dependent variable (customer retention) in the banking industry. An empirical investigation was undertaken to establish whether the independent variables; namely benefits, clients’ trust and content as related to social media can possibly influence customer satisfaction and ultimately customer retention in the banking industry. A positivistic research paradigm was followed for this study. Quantitative data was gathered by distributing questionnaires to a sample of bank clients and managers. The sample size consisted of 150 bank clients and 30 bank managers in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area in South Africa. The questionnaires were statistically analysed using the computer programmes Microsoft Excel and Statistica Version 12.0. The validity of the study was measured by utilising Exploratory Factor analysis. Cronbach’s Alpha correlation coefficients were calculated to measure the reliability and internal consistency of the measurement instrument of this study. Data was analysed in four phases. Descriptive statistics concerning the respondents and variables were calculated for this study. The validity of the measuring instrument was tested by performing EFA to consider construct validity. Thereafter, the internal reliability of the data was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha correlation coefficients. Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses were calculated. Through multiple regression calculations, the relationships predicted by the four hypotheses were analysed. Finally, t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were conducted. The empirical investigation revealed that significant positive relationships exist between the independent variables benefits, trustworthy content and the intervening variable customer satisfaction, as well as between these two independent variables and the dependent variable customer retention. From the empirical results it was concluded that if banks offer benefits and trustworthy content to their clients through social media channels, clients are likely to be satisfied with and retained by their bank. This study established and confirmed the significant positive relationship that exists between customer satisfaction and customer retention in the banking industry. All bank managers and marketers will benefit from the empirical results as well as the recommendations of this study on how to improve customer satisfaction and customer retention through social media channels which will ultimately improve the performance of banks.

The exponential growth of the Internet and other new technologies globally continues to re-shape the South African consumer and business landscapes. Media and entertainment group Johnnic Communications Limited has invested more than R1 billion in new technologies in the past 10 years alone. However, the company still has to realise the desired returns on this investment – a situation that is forcing management to review all its online activities. This research project sought to determine what the key success factors are for the local and international online media industry, with a view to recommending potentially viable Internet strategies that could turn around operations such as Johnnic Communications’ online offerings from being nice-to-have cost centres, into exciting and key profit-generating streams. The research found that while Internet offerings cannibalise the readership of printed newspapers in South Africa, new technologies also present media houses with the opportunity to tap into new and broader markets, and hence new revenue streams. To that extent, it concluded that continuing to invest in the Internet is an imperative for Johnnic Communications, rather than an option. In addition to recommending new digital strategies, the research also concludes that developing critical mass and having a clear online strategy are crucial factors towards the company making money out of new technologies.

In view of the factors influencing and the steps in the design of a Website, building a successful Website will vary from business to business. This study investigates what is required from a small commercial and industrial property and services business to take their business online and create an effective Website. The environment of the property market reflected the role that government plays in the property industry and also the role of the private sector. Marketing in the real estate context indicated that if real estate agents have access to the right type of information, not only can they add value to their own organizations, but they can also capitalize on the same information to create added value for their clients. The elements of the marketing management process include four steps, namely to gather information, to set marketing goals and plan strategy, to organize and implement marketing strategy and to control the marketing activities. Marketing in the online environment showed that the Marketing Mix includes personalisation, privacy, customer services, community, site, security and sales promotion. The principles of online marketing revealed the important role of the customer and customer relationships. An investigation into the difference between e-commerce and online marketing made it clear that online marketing is one component of e-commerce. This study critically analysed the available literature in order to suggest a proposed framework of what should be included in the Website of a small commercial and industrial property and services business. In order to successfully research online marketing of commercial and industrial properties and services in a small business, a basic but thorough understanding of online marketing principles and Website content are important. In this study a qualitative research approach was followed where secondary sources were critically evaluated to design the required framework. Thereafter three Websites of marketing of commercial and industrial properties and services were content analysed to see whether anything else should be added to the framework. This would assist in taking a small business in commercial and industrial properties and services online. The framework suggests that the Website homepage content should include:  Business overview/information Products/services What’s new Search Employment opportunities Interactive feedback Customer service/ assistance Index/directory  Financial facts Links to other sites Online business services/utilities  Guest book Frequently Asked Questions Messages from CEO A purposeful sample of three Websites was then content analysed so as to provide the information necessary to reach the objectives of the study. The following Websites were included in the content analysis: Broll, which operates as a national agency with international associations. The firm renders services (Estate Agency) and does not own property. Bruce McWilliams Industries Pty Ltd is operative in Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and surrounds. It is a family business that owns property, which it develops and markets itself. Seeff is a national agency. It renders services (estate agency) and does not own property. Lastly, a narrative of a small commercial and industrial property and services business was created by means of document analysis of a specific business. The researcher was allowed to study the documents and diaries of the business in order to provide a narrative for this business. This narrative can be used as part of the envisaged Website for the business.