Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 275-286).

Not available / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-108) Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on July 29, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Maryland at College Park, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-103).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 408-416).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2005. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (July 14, 2006) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This study is designed to examine distribution channel selection and evaluation policies of small, medium, and large United States manufacturers. Significance of various factors considered in the selection and evaluation procedures is ascertained.

The increase in number of banks entering the South African banking sector has caused the big four banks to lose their market share to the new entrants. As a result, the new entrants in this sector have also had negative effects on the existing banks’ sales growth and net profits. Business banking, in particular, has been one of the departments which has become competitive as it is considered to generate the most revenue from all the different bank departments. Business clients have been targeted as their fees are high compared to normal individual clients and also, their investment sizes are big compared to individuals, hence the increased interest in this section. This then prompts the question, what are the factors influencing sales growth in business banking? This question then brings one to the following sub-problems: Is the pricing offered by the various banks to their business bank customers competitive enough to retain them?; How competent and knowledgeable is the staff dealing with business bank customers in ensuring good relationships with business banking clients?; is the technology used by the banks advanced enough to address the banking requirements of business banking customers? Are business banking customers loyal to their respective banks to ensure repetitive sales? In dealing with the above, the author undertook a research study to determine whether factors such as competitive pricing, competent staff, advanced technology and customer loyalty influence sales growth in business banking in Buffalo City Municipality “BCM”. The sample of 90 business banking customers who were given questionnaires to test the above were from a population of business banking customers in BCM. The author underwent a theoretical and an empirical investigation using the survey method through questionnaires. These questionnaires were distributed to the various financing institutions dealing with business banking clients. The findings of the empirical study suggest that through the use of the hypothesis test, it was concluded that of the four factors, advanced technology and customer loyalty influence sales growth in business banking in BCM. While pricing and competent staff do not influence sales revenue growth.

The ‘bottom of the pyramid’ (BoP) refers to the world’s poorest socio-economic group. In South Africa, consumers in this segment are an increasingly attractive target market for multi-national corporations (MNCs), partly because they constitute more than one-third of the population. However, a key managerial challenge remains in distributing goods and services to these consumers. This research sought to identify the alternative channels of distribution that firms develop to reach the BoP. Using a qualitative research methodology, eighteen depth interviews were conducted tracing the channels of seven firms from firm to end-user. The results suggest that many MNCs are indeed developing BoP channels, with varying degrees of success. Further, success seems to be driven by the level of managerial commitment. In addition, the BoP in South Africa is best understood as two distinct sub-segments, the urban BoP is characterised by more competition and crime, while the rural BoP has lower population density which heightens logistical challenges. Community involvement, where locals serve as distributors or salespeople, is a central feature of successful strategies to reach the BoP. Finally, the findings suggest that alternative distribution channels present benefits for MNCs in terms of cost to serve, local knowledge and increased penetration. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted