Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Expanding business operations and exploring additional sources of revenue to ensure sustainability and longevity are some of the key business drivers of any organisation. These drivers have many organisations consider the opportunity of expanding business operations to foreign territories. Some of the major challenges when expanding business operations to new territories are those of competing against local brands in the same industry or introducing a whole new product or service to a new market. It therefore seems much of a demand versus supply consideration when organisations do decide to venture to new territories. Introducing a whole new product or service to a new market addresses the demand issue based on the premise that a need for this product or service exists. The existence of competition, not only directly with industry related brands but also other brands, addresses the supply of the particular product or service. This demand and supply dynamic forms the basis of this research paper. Given this context, considering the complexities of a new market from both an internal business and external industry point of view, is critical in establishing if an opportunity set exists in this new potential market which can be exploited. Once the opportunity set has been confirmed, organisations can shift their focus to the intended business and brand management strategy to be followed when entering this new market. Product and service organisations do, however, face many different challenges when entering new markets. One of the primary differences is that of tangibility of their respective offerings. This complexity leaves services organisations with few instruments to leverage in competing against product providers for the share of wallet of the consumer. As consumers associated with products and services do not have a tangible product per se, the emphasis is placed on the brand of services organisations as the associative connection from a consumer point of view. Given the two mentioned concepts of entering new markets and different challenges which product and service providers face when doing so, the contextual environment of this study is set in the Financial Services Industry. This study explores the key considerations that financial services organisations should be cognisant of, from a branding point of view, when entering new markets.

Text in English with abstracts in English, Sesotho and isiXhosa / The importance of investment information seeking cannot be overemphasised. Seeking information to support investment decision-making is a key component of every successful investment business. The literature review revealed that informed investors make greater use of accounting disclosures and non-earnings information in order to form more precise earnings expectations. By contrast, a lack of accurate investment information makes it difficult for investors to decide when to buy, hold or sell their investment. This study investigated information needs and seeking behaviour of black investors in the MTN Asonge scheme in Capricorn District of Limpopo Province. The study endeavoured to acquire understanding of investors’ information needs and how they seek information to support their investment decisions. To this end, a qualitative phenomenological research approach was followed. Purposive snowball sampling was applied to sample the study respondents who were later interviewed. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with six investors to collect data which were subsequently analysed thematically. The three types of information sources identified as core to investment decision-making include personal, online and printed information. The findings showed that although the majority of MTN Asonge investors were aware of different formats in which investment information is available, they did not use modern electronic information storing and retrieval strategies, such as conducting online internet searches to access information published on corporate websites. The respondents experienced various challenges when seeking investment information, opting to rely on personal sources such as friends, close relatives and colleagues. Furthermore, the investors appeared not to be aware of personal information sources such as investment advisors, information brokers, roundtables and one-on-one discussions. The study recommended intensive investor education as well as a comparative investigation of information seeking behaviour amongst other members of BEE investment schemes in South Africa. / Bohlokwa bja go nyaka tshedimošo ya peeletšo bo ka se gatelelwe go fetišiša. Go nyaka tshedimošo ya go thekga tšeo ya sephetho ke karolo ye bohlokwa ya kgwebo ye nngwe le ye nngwe ya peeletšo ye a atlegilego. Tshekatsheko ya dingwalo e utolotše gore babeeletši ba go ba le tsebo ba šomiša ka tshwanelo dikutullo tša tšhupamatlotlo le tshedimošo ye e sego ya go tsenya letseno, go bopa gagolo ditetelo tše itšeng tša letseno. Ka go le lengwe, tlhokego ya tshedimošo ya peeletšo ye e nepagetšego e dira gore go be boima go babeeletši go tšea sephetho sa gore ke neng mo ba rekago, swarelelago goba go rekiša peeletšo ya bona. Nyakišišo ye e nyakišišitše dinyakwa tša tshedimošo le mokgwa wa go nyaka tshedimošo ya babeeletši ba bathobaso ka gare ga sekema sa MTN Asonge ka seleteng sa Capricorn sa Profentshe ya Limpopo. Nyakišišo e lekile go hwetša kwešišo ya dinyakwa tša tshedimošo ya babeeletši le ka fao ba nyakang tshedimošo ya go thekga diphetho tša peeletšo ya bona. Go fihla mo, mokgwa wa khwalithethifi wa nyakišišo wa diponagalo o latetšwe. Go dira sampole ya koketšo ya nepo go šomišitšwe go dira sampole ya bakgathatema ba nyakišišo bao go boledišanwego nabo. Dipoledišano le batho ka o tee ka o tee tša dipotšišo tše di bulegilego di didirilwe ka babeeletši ba selela, go kgoboketša datha yeo morago e sekasekilwego ka tekanyetšo. Mehuta ye meraro ya methopo ya tshedimošo yeo e hlaotšwego bjalo ka ya motheo tšeong ya diphetho tša peeletšo e akaretša ya motho ka noši, onelaene le ya go gatišwa. Dikutullo di laeditše gore le ge bontši bja babeeletši ba MTN Asonge ba be ba lemoga mehuta ya go fapana yeo tshedimošo ya peeletšo e hwetšegago ka yona, ga se ba šomiše mekgwa ya sebjalebjale ya go hwetša le go lota tshedimošo ya ilektroniki, go swana le go dira diphuruphutšo tša inthanete tša onelaene go fihlelela tshedimošo ye e phatlaladitšwego diweposaeteng tša dikgwebo. Bakgathatema ba itemogetše ditlhohlo tša go fapana ge ba nyaka tshedimošo ya peeletšo, ba kgetha go tshepha methopo ya bona ka noši go swana le bagwera, maloko a kgauswi le bašomišane. Gape, babeeletši ba bonagetše ba sa lemoge methopo ya tshedimošo ya batho ka noši go swana le baeletši ba peeletšo, dientšente tša tshedimošo, dikopano le dipoledišano tša batho ka o tee ka o tee. Nyakišišo e šišintše thuto ya babeeletši ye e tseneletšego, le nyakišišo ya papetšo ka go mokgwa wa go nyaka tshedimošo magareng a maloko a mangwe a dikema tša peeletšo tša BEE ka Afrika Borwa. / Nkoka wa ku lava vuxokoxoko bya vuvekisi wu nga ka wu nga tsongahatiwi. Ku lavana na vuxokoxoko bya ku seketela ku endliwa ka swiboho hi vuvekisi i xiyenge xa nkoka swinene eka bindzu ra vuvekisi rin'wana na rin'wana ro humelela. Ku hlayiwa ka matsalwa swi kombe leswo vavekisi lava va nga na vutivi va tirhisa ngopfu ku paluxiwa ka vutivi hi swa malawulelo ya swa timali na vutivi lebyi byi nga vuyeseriku, ku endla leswo ku languteriwa vuvuyerisi byo kotlana swinene. Loko swi pimanisiwa, ku pfumaleka ka vutivi bya vuvekisi swi endla leswo swi nonon'hwa eka vavekisi ku endla swiboho loko va xava, va khoma kumbe ku xavisa vuvekisi bya vona. Dyondzo leyi yi endle vulavisisi hi swilaveko swa vutivi, na matikhomelo yo lava vutivi bya vavekisi va vantima eka xikimu xa MTN Asonge eka distriki ya le Capricorn eka xifundzhankulu xa Limpopo. Vulavisisi lebyi byi na xikongomelo xa ku kuma ku twisisa hi swilaveko swa vutivi eka vavekisi na leswo xana va byi lavisa ku yini vutivi ku seketela swiboho swa vona swa vuvekisi. Mayelana na leswi, ku landzeleriwe fambiselo ra ndzavisiso wa qualitative phenemenological. Ku tirhisiwe sampuli ya fambiselo ra purposeful snowball sampling ku kuma sampuli ya ndzavisiso hi vateka xiavo lava ku nga endliwa mabulu ya interview na vona. Ku endliwe ti-interview na vanhu hi wun'we wun'we leri vitaniwaka semi-structured interview, leswi nga endliwa na vavekisi va ntsevu, ku hlengeleta data, leyi endzhaku ka swona yi nga xopaxopiwa hi tinhlokomhaka to karhi. Minxaka minharhu ya swihlovo swa vutivi swi ve swi voniwa tani hi swa nkoka eka ku endla swiboho hi vuvekisi, ku nga leswi katsaka munhu xiviri, ku kuma vutivi eka inthanete (online) na leswi printiweke. Vuyelo lebyi kumiweke byi kombise leswo hambi loko vunyingi bya vavekisi va MTN Asonge a va twisisa hi tifomete to hambana laha ku kumekaku kona vuviti bya vuvekisi, vavekisi a va tirhisangi vutivi bya elektroniki lebyi hlayisiweke na maqhinga yo byi humesa vutivi bya kona, yo fana na ku secha eka online hi inthanete ku fikelela vutivi lebyi paluxiweke eka ti-website ta khampani. Lava nga hlamula swivutiso va ve na mintlhontlho yo hambana-hambana loko va lava vutivi bya vuvekisi, leswi nga endla leswo va tshembela eka vutivi bya vanhu xiviri, byo fana no byi kuma eka vanghana, va ndyangu na maxaka na vatirhikulobye. Ku ya emahlweni, vavekisi va kombisa ku kala ku twisisa hi swihlovo swa vuviti swo fana na vatsundzuxi hi swa vuvekisi, tibrokhara ta vutivi bya vuvekisi, tinhlengeletano ta vanhu to tsundzuxa na mabulu yo khoma na munhu hi wun'we wun'we. Dyondzo leyi ya ndzavisiso yi bumabumela leswo ku endliwa dyondzo ya vuvekisi, na tindlela to lava vutivi hi ku pimapimanisa eka swikimu swa BEE swa vuvekisi eAfrika Dzonga. / Information Science / M. Inf.