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.

As the competition increase in the Higher Education industry, marketing departments of Higher Education Institutions view students as consumers and market their institutions. At the mean time, universities around the world encourage their international offices to increase the foreign student enrollments. This research investigates the factors influencing international students’ choice of enrolling at Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) via the internet: international students’ Internet use to facilitate information search and decision making. This survey of international students from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) explored the Internet’s role in marketing international education. Based on this exploratory research, NMMU educational institutions gain insights of online customer service for successfully recruiting students. The results show that prospective overseas students do indeed use the internet. Overall evaluation of the factors influencing the use of the internet for enrolling at HEIs was determined by four factors: namely, perceived usefulness, consumer involvement, perceived ease of use and opinion leadership.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing, Wits Business School, Johannesburg 2016 / The proliferation of social platforms in the digital and online space has given voice to millions of social media users and carved careers otherwise unheard of a few years ago, in the form of expert technology reviewers who enjoy mass online following and sponsorship from brands seeking to leverage millions of followers who log in daily. Social media has enabled access to information otherwise previously restricted to user guides and product manuals. Using the theory of planned behaviour, the study examines the effect that online consumer reviews have on product knowledge, social influence, trust, source credibility, brand image and purchase intent among urban South Africans falling in the Generation Y cohort. The methodology involved a self-administered online questionnaire adapted from past studies. A total of 255 questionnaires were collected from the identified sample. The study tested ten hypotheses using Structural Equation Modelling along with SPSS 22 software used for descriptive statistics and IBM Amos 22. Results indicate that all ten hypotheses have significant influence on purchase intent. All hypotheses displayed equally significant relationships per testing as findings revealed that online consumer reviews have a positive effect on product knowledge, trust, social influence, source credibility and brand image. Findings also revealed a significant relationship between product knowledge, trust, social influence, source credibility, brand image, and purchase intent. The study contributes to the literature and theoretical knowledge on online consumer reviews in the local South African context, and can be applied to similar developing markets. The theoretical implications in the study contributes to both limited, and existing research, literature, and knowledge on the effects that online consumer reviews have on the purchase intent of South African consumers. The study broadens knowledge in the ever growing influence of online consumer reviews and the significant theoretical contributions of the study will benefit academia and scholars. Managerial implications highlight that managers cannot afford to ignore the influence of online consumer reviews on intent to purchase, and that even though these reviews are not under the direct influence of organisations, marketers can indirectly influence these by ensuring quality products that meet both the brand and product promises. Recommendations, iii limitations of the study, and future research on the subject of online consumer reviews are also discussed. Keywords: Online consumer reviews, social influence, brand image, product knowledge, purchase intent, source credibility / GR2018

The tourism sector has been identified as an industry that has the potential to make a substantial contribution to job creation, economic growth, and redressing past imbalances in South Africa as it has been recognised as an underexploited sector with considerable potential for growth. The majority of tourism enterprises fall within the definition of small businesses, which have been identified as the most appropriate enterprises through which the economic challenges facing South Africa can be addressed. Small businesses differ from their larger counterparts not only in terms of size, but also in regard to access to resources and marketing expertise. Not surprisingly, one of the issues identified as preventing this sector from reaching its full potential is access to markets. The focus of this study is to identify the primary factors driving the success of the use of the Internet for marketing in small businesses operating in the tourism sector in South Africa. If these factors can be identified, this will allow existing and emerging small businesses to access markets and retain customers more easily leading to a proliferation of these enterprises. A theoretical model was formulated from the literature in which the factors influencing the success of Internet marketing were identified. These factors can broadly be divided into generic (marketing or management) factors and Internet specific factors. The technological aspects of the Internet were not ignored, but regarded as a resource to be managed rather than an autonomous source of competitive advantage. This model was tested by making use of a large-scale empirical study. Convenience sampling was used and the data was collected from small tourism businesses (that is businesses with fewer than 100 employees) in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa. The factors were identified using exploratory factor analysis and the Cronbach alpha coefficients were assessed to confirm the reliability of these scales. Structural equation modelling was used as the principal mode of statistical analysis to measure the relationships amongst the variables in the model proposed in this study. A correlation analysis was used to measure the impact of marketing objectives on the success of Internet marketing. The primary determinants of the success of Internet marketing in small businesses operating in the tow-ism sector in South Africa were identified by the empirical study as: Product champion Links Alliances Owner-manager knowledge Entrepreneurial orientation Owner-manager vision Customer orientation Marketing objectives Interestingly, one factor, Strategic planning, recorded a negative influence on the success of Internet marketing. This is possibly because the owner-manager felt that this was a redundant exercise given the dominant and pervasive influence of the owner-manager in all spheres of the business. Nevertheless, if small tourism firms consider the factors identified in this thesis as essential aspects in the use of the Internet for marketing, this will allow them to overcome one of the biggest hurdles to their prosperity, namely, the access to markets.

Social media is an important part of the everyday lives of young and old alike. Consumers today turn to online sources more and more to help them make decisions. They ask for advice online on purchases they want to make and read extensive reviews that help them to make a purchase decision. With a broad literature review conducted, it was noted that in the past traditional media was mainly used by students as information sources in their decision-making process. The purpose of this study was to determine what role social media as an information source has in the decision making of students when selecting a university. Data was collected from University of South Africa students by means of an online questionnaire. The sample was selected using probability sampling in the form of simple random sampling. The results of this study indicated that students use social media as an information source to some extent when making a decision about a university. Social media was found to be a credible source of information albeit it only has a slight influence on their decision-making process. Students are present online and use social media mostly on their cell phones for entertainment purposes. Universities should take note of the role that social media plays in the lives of students. It can enable them to better market their institutions to potential students. / Business Management / MCOM (Business Management)

Social media is an important part of the everyday lives of young and old alike. Consumers today turn to online sources more and more to help them make decisions. They ask for advice online on purchases they want to make and read extensive reviews that help them to make a purchase decision. With a broad literature review conducted, it was noted that in the past traditional media was mainly used by students as information sources in their decision-making process. The purpose of this study was to determine what role social media as an information source has in the decision making of students when selecting a university. Data was collected from University of South Africa students by means of an online questionnaire. The sample was selected using probability sampling in the form of simple random sampling. The results of this study indicated that students use social media as an information source to some extent when making a decision about a university. Social media was found to be a credible source of information albeit it only has a slight influence on their decision-making process. Students are present online and use social media mostly on their cell phones for entertainment purposes. Universities should take note of the role that social media plays in the lives of students. It can enable them to better market their institutions to potential students. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The objective of this specific research report is to analyse the internet marketing function within the South African tourism industry. Furthermore, the hotel industry is analysed to establish how the introduction of the internet changed the playing field in terms of marketing and how customer behaviour has changed over the past 13 years with the introduction of the internet to the already established global distribution systems (GOS) and computer reservation systems (CRS). An in-depth literature review is conducted to analyse the marketing function in general, after which an analysis in terms of production and services organisation is discussed. Here, the focus is on the 4 P and 7 P marketing mix theories of Michael Porter. The influence of the internet on the service marketing mix is discussed with specific reference to the luxury hotel industry. The specific research and interviews conducted in this study are focused on the luxury hotel industry in the Cape Town city area. Focus areas of the interviews with the specialist in the industry are on the following: • Influence of the internet on customer relationship management • Influence of the internet on the relationship between the luxury hotels and intermediaries • Influence of the internet on marketing functions such as cost and service. The findings of the primary research in the interviews are then compared to the findings in the literature review and recommendations and managerial implications are drawn in the final chapter of the research report.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: E-commerce in South Africa is currently experiencing considerable growth, as in the rest of the world. Substantial foreign investments are being made in selected South African online retail stores and the majority of businesses have an online presence to sell or promote their products and services. Yet, as e-commerce is a dynamic and relatively new industry, there is a need for South African companies to understand business model adaptation for e-commerce, and specifically for successful e-marketplace participation. Kalahari Marketplace was established in 2011 as a C:C platform for customers to sell books and media. In January 2014, this platform was expanded to a fully integrated B:C platform that enables third-party retailers to sell directly to Kalahari.com customers in various categories. The Kalahari Marketplace platform follows the same development outline as the very successful Amazon.com Marketplace platform in the United States. The premise is that sellers have an additional channel to sell to customers they would not normally have had, and customers benefit by having access to a wide product range and competitive pricing. The aim of this research study is to understand the typical business model of a successful e-marketplace participant. It furthermore set out to explore the success factors, which translate into value creation for the seller achieved through participation in an e-marketplace. This investigation was done through a case study approach by examining existing sellers retailing through Kalahari Marketplace. To achieve the research aim, qualitative, exploratory research was conducted. The research method involved a combination of primary and secondary research. Secondary research was conducted regarding the external environmental factors of Kalahari Marketplace sellers. Primary data was gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews with Kalahari Marketplace sellers. The external environmental analysis for participating in an e-marketplace, such as Kalahari Marketplace, was overall positive, taking into consideration challenges such as expensive Internet and low Internet usage penetration. The key findings from the internal analyses were that participating in an e-marketplace has substantial benefits for a traditional retailer that wants to trade online. These advantages include transaction cost savings, exposure to new customers, and reduced marketing expenses. The following recommendations were made for successful e-marketplace participation: • Take an active involvement in e-marketplace listings; • Effective procurement and use of resources; • Excellent customer service; • Build reliable and cost effective delivery channels; and • Offer a wide and mixed product range. The research limitation of this study stated that Kalahari Marketplace is a moderately new B:C e-retailing platform; therefore, retailers are still learning to adapt. Suggested additional research involves a wide-reaching quantitative research into key success factors for e-marketplace participation from a South African perspective.

Thesis (M.B.A.)-Business Studies Unit, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 vii, 108 leaves / The South African nursery industry has faced many challenges over the last ten years. Excess in both demand and supply occur in any given year. The cost of maintaining a plant beyond its ideal ‘sell-by-date’ erodes profit and after time, results in complete wastage. The seedling nursery industry cannot afford to throw away large quantities of surplus seedlings or those that have become root-bound. The size of the wastage problem was unknown. It was believed that a website for trading surplus stock of seedlings might be the answer to the oversupply experienced by individual nurseries. The literature was consulted to establish what had made large companies successful. The advantages and disadvantages of E-business were investigated. / M