Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy: Management Sciences (Marketing), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / Marketing and communications have become part of church activities in order to get the attention of congregations. It has become clear that church activities and marketing activities are interrelated. People become attached to a religion in the same way they become attached to a brand. This study examined whether the principles of marketing in traditional product areas are transferable to the marketing of the church and church services, persons and ideas in South Africa. It examined the ways in which core values of marketing and church are interrelated and interconnected to offer social values. The study also explored the way social marketers make use of the marketing mix in their routine activities. Religious organisations can also apply the marketing mix in order to communicate religious values in their social roles. It emerged that the church can also apply the service marketing mix through the “7P’s” with a view to achieving its social mandate. Specifically, spirituality (product), communication (promotion), delivery (place), exchange (price), employee involvement in service delivery (people), the mechanisms, via which the service is delivered (process), and the environment in which the services are delivered (physical environment). In addition, the church marketing theoretical frame work is derived from social marketing which is designed to influence individuals’ behaviour, improve their well-being and that of society. This study was conducted in Wentworth, Umlazi, Phoenix and Glenwood communities located in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The sample size of this survey and the number of units that were required in the process of gathering data was based on interviews with professionals in the church business. Eight interviews were conducted with the officials in the four communities (two officials in each of the communities) while four focus group discussions consisting of 10-12 participants each were conducted among the selected church members of these four communities. The study used exploratory research design and the qualitative approach as data collection methods. The findings reveal that the church efforts aimed at fulfilling its vi social mandate are clouded by a number of marketing tactics. The use of marketing tactics appears to be more important in achieving church social mandates than the use of specific word-of-mouth (preaching) methods. Furthermore, there is an indication that in developing and running programmes for the church, there is an inclusion of marketing components in the planning, such as programmes that will have effect in transforming the surrounding, community, awareness, and evangelical missions. It was established that although the Holy Spirit is supreme to the church in transforming life, marketing tactics also can be employed to create an atmosphere that is welcoming to the Spirit’s work of restoration, rebirth, and awakening. Overall, the findings suggest that a church’s marketing tactics should be determined by marketing goals that relate to the vision and mission of the church. Hence, the study proposes an additional 8th “P” which is philosophy and underpinned by the vision, mission, passion, planning and ethics which could enhance the church’s ability in presenting a value proposition to its congregation in a similar manner that other marketers do.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The goal of the study was to identify the ideal positioning strategy for the South African Apple and Pear industry to successfully compete as a supplier against Chile in the European retail environment. The hypothesis of the study states that the ideal positioning strategy for South Africa is a combination between a Corporate and a Generic strategy. The Corporate strategy would focus on what wants to be achieved while the Generic strategy would focus on how it needs to be achieved. A strategy framework combining available corporate strategies with available Generic strategies identified 12 potential corporate/generic strategy combinations. The outcome of the study would be the selection of the combination most suited to take the South African Apple and Pear industry into the future. The research in this study included a full description of both the South African and Chilean industries discussing the physical, economic and political environment as well as the available human resources and industry structures. A thorough description of the European retail environment was followed by an external analysis identifying the key success factors required to successfully supply this market. The key success factors were used as the framework to do an internal situational analysis of the South African and Chilean industries. The internal situational analysis identified the key areas that South Africa needs to focus on to improve its competitive position against Chile in the European retail market. These key areas were pivotal in the selection of the optimal corporate / generic strategy combination. The outcome of the study identified a Market penetration strategy (Corporate strategy) through the use of a Differentiation (Generic strategy) as most suited to improve the competitiveness of the South African Apple and Pear industry. This strategy will grow demand and market share for South African apples and pears in the existing EU retail market for its existing product range by focusing on: 1. Improving the retail value and sales volume of SA apples and pears in the European retail market through:  In-store promotional and media campaigns that will create awareness of South African apples and pears and SA Tourism as well as educate and communicate consumers about the attributes and different uses of SA apples and pears as well as SA Tourism opportunities.  The identification of all South African apples and pears through on-pack branding by using the “South Africa, Alive with Possibility brand”. In-pack information booklets providing nutritional information and recipes for South African apples and pears. 2. Communication of real time supply information to European retailers and importers through:  E-mailing retail buyers direct website links giving them access to the weekly South African Pome Fruit newsletters indicating crop estimates, weekly inspection volumes and shipment volumes per variety. 3. Active engagements with the SA government to gain their involvement and financial support for promotional activities in retail stores through:  Active lobbying by industry representatives for the involvement of SA Tourism, the Department of Trade and Industry and the International Marketing Council in promotional campaigns where SA Apples and Pears are used as a vehicle to enhance the image of the South Africa amongst consumers, retailers and importers. 4. The active communication at an industry level to European retailers and importers about the South African Apple and Pear industry’s progress regarding the management of the carbon footprint of its products as well as the production of residue free fruit through.  Yearly visits by industry representatives to European retailers and importers where South African progress reports in these areas are presented. The assessment highlighted that South Africa is relatively strong throughout the value chain activities but that the lack of a unified industry whereby its strengths are communicated to consumers, retailers and importers, has led to South Africa loosing market share to Chile.

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.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management: Strategic Marketing Johannesburg, 2017 / State-owned enterprises share many similarities with their purely commercial counterparts. There are however, a number of factors that these organisations are obligated to account for that set them apart from traditional product and service brands. This makes them unique in terms of how and why they build their corporate brands and manage their brand portfolios. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are prolific across the world. Enterprises controlled and funded entirely or partially by governments are involved in a broad spectrum of business ranging from arms manufacture to communications and media. These state-owned enterprises often command marketing budgets and resource their businesses with brand managers for the purposes of building strong corporate brands and managing their brand portfolios effectively. In short, SOEs often behave as brands and yet their objectives differ from the very definition of what building a brand is intended to do; deliver bottom-line value to the business. The main problem in this study then was to identify the decision-making factors in corporate brand building and portfolio management in a South African state-owned organisation. This was in a bid to resolve how these factors are prioritised to achieve organisational objectives and what value there is in building a corporate brand in such a state-owned organisation. To do this a qualitative research strategy was selected as a means of identifying insights from key personnel at a state-owned organisation. A single case study method was utilised and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was identified as an ideal SOE in which to conduct the study. The key findings indicated a worrying level of confusion regarding the true objectives of the organisation. This was attributed to be due to two factors. Firstly, that there is a conflict between the mandate of an SOE or its altruistic, normative objective to serve the country and its people and the commercial imperative to build consumers (or audiences in the case of the SABC) and attract revenue to be self-sustaining. Secondly, that due to political influence and the nature of state- ownership of the organisation, the objectives documented and approved differ to those that are truly practiced by managers in the organisation. Further to this it was found that there is a lack of clarity regarding the structure of the brand portfolio and relationships between brands, many of which have strong heritage in and of themselves and form key touchpoints for sizeable audiences. It was found that building a strong corporate brand was essential for the SABC’s success and that each brand in the portfolio should fall under the umbrella corporate brand however this again brought forth the conflict between how things should be and how they can practically be done. Due to its SOE nature, and the public context of the SABC, it was found that the portfolio brands tended to distance themselves from the corporate brand due to its instability and negative corporate reputation which impacted on individual brand performances in the portfolio. Based on the findings in this study, this thesis recommends a clear prioritisation of the three areas of influence within the SOE in the order of audiences followed by mandate and then revenue. The thesis recommends a corporate brand audit, taking stock of the heritage elements of the SABC corporate brand and its brand portfolio so as to mine the value in its 80-year-old history and to turn these heritage-based elements into advantages for the organisation upon which its corporate brand can be built. This thesis recommends the building of a strong corporate brand for the SABC with links between each brand in its portfolio leaning to the branded house side of the spectrum of classical brand relationship typology. The study also proposes practical applications to achieve prioritisation of the corporate brand which requires high level management attention. To this end, it calls for the appointment of a Chief Marketing Officer to the executive of the SABC and a core corporate brand management team. The function of this team would be to articulate the objectives and the prioritisation of these objectives to all stakeholder groups, to audit and reorganise the brand portfolio for effective management according to theory-based guidelines, and to establish and implement a corporate brand building strategy that will deliver value to the SABC and all its stakeholders, using the corporate brand and its messaging as a bridge to connect the brand promise of the organisation to the brand reality experienced by those stakeholder groups most especially its audiences as priority. / MT 2017

Based on the importance of small and medium-sized family businesses, with regard to their economic contributions, as well as the fact that their high failure rates limit their ability to positively contribute to the economic growth of South Africa, this study focused on selected marketing and branding practices of South African family SMEs, and whether these practices influence their financial performance and ultimately their survival. Against this background, the primary objective of this study was to investigate selected marketing and branding practices adopted by family SMEs in the Eastern Cape. An overview of the literature was provided whereby the nature and importance of SMEs, and more specifically family SMEs, were described. The various challenges SMEs face were explored, with marketing and branding being identified as one of the main challenges that contributes to the high failure rate of family SMEs. In addition to the marketing challenges faced by non-family SMEs, family SMEs face extra marketing hurdles, given the overlapping subsystem of family and business. However, despite these challenges, family SMEs are able to make use of their familial aspect by marketing and branding the business as family-owned. A positivistic research paradigm and quantitative research methodology was adopted for this study, using a descriptive research approach. The primary data collection procedures involved selecting the population, the sample, sampling techniques, and sample size. For the purpose of this study, the population consisted of all family SME owners operating within the borders of the Eastern Cape province. From the population, a sample was selected using both judgemental and convenience sampling. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, which resulted in 325 usable questionnaires, giving an effective response rate of 65.00 per cent. Given the cross-sectional nature of this study, a survey research method using a structured, selfadministered questionnaire was used to collect the primary data. The scales used to measure the factors under investigation were developed based on previous research. In order to assess the validity of the ordinal scales, tests for unidimensionality were undertaken. Only factor loadings exceeding the 0.5 cut-off point were considered significant. Not all the items loaded as expected. Only five of the original six items intended to measure the dependent variable Perceived financial performance loaded onto this factor. The researcher, together with two experts in the field of marketing and family businesses, deemed the items for the dichotomous questions to show evidence of content validity. The reliability of the ordinal scales was assessed by calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, whereby coefficients greater than 0.7 were deemed a scale to be reliable. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of greater than 0.7 were returned for all the factors measured using ordinal scales, except one factor namely Customer service differentiation. This factor was not considered for any further statistical analyses. The reliability of the dichotomous questions was assessed using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (K-R 20). For the purpose of this study, Kuder-Richardson values greater than 0.5 deemed the dichotomous questions to be reliable. Kuder-Richardson values of greater than 0.5 were reported for the dichotomous items relating to Branding of the family name, but not for Marketing function. However, given that the questions were used for descriptive purposes only, the items measuring Marketing function were used for statistical analysis. The independent variables returned mean scores of between 3.220 and 3.773, with the majority of respondents feeling neutral or agreeing with the statements measuring these factors. The dependent variable Perceived financial performance returned the highest mean score of all the factors with the majority of respondents agreeing with the statements measuring this factor. The dichotomous questions relating to the Marketing function indicated that majority of respondents did not have a written marketing strategy or a separate department that deals with marketing for their family business. The dichotomous questions relating to Branding of the family name revealed that in most instances the family name (surname) does not appear in the name, brand, logo or advertising material of the family business. Most of the independent variables (Promotion of family business, Family business image and Stakeholder perception) reported significant and positive relationships with each other. The independent variable Perceived financial performance reported significantly positive relationships with two independent variables, namely Product differentiation and Family business image. The multiple regression analyses undertaken revealed that only one of the independent variables, namely Product differentiation, had a significant positive influence on the dependaet variable Perceived financial performance. This study found that the independent variables Promotion of family business and Family business image did not have a significant influence on the dependent variable Perceived financial performance. The results of the two single regression analyses revealed that a significant positive linear relationship exists between Stakeholder perception and Promotion of family business, as well as between Stakeholder perception and Family business image. The findings of the analysis of variance found that Number of employees was the only demographic variable that exerted a significant influence on Product differentiation. The results also indicated that Age of respondent, Generation ownership and Nature of family business had an influence on Promotion of family business. However, the post-hoc Scheffé test revealed that only Generation ownership had a significant influence on Promotion of family business. The analysis of variance also found that the demographic variables Age of respondent, Generation ownership and Number of employees exerted a significant influence on Family business image; however, the post-hoc Scheffé found that only Generation ownership had a significant influence on Family business image. Based on the findings of this study, numerous recommendations were proposed to assist the owners of family SMEs to ultimately improve their business’s financial performance by adopting appropriate marketing and branding practices. The findings of this study showed that by adopting a Product differentiation competitive orientation, family SME owners can enhance their financial performance. It is hoped that the findings of this study will provide family SME owners with practical suggestions on how to use a product differentiation competitive orientation to ultimately increase their longevity, and that the suggestions for future research will inspire future researchers to continue investigating the unique marketing and branding practices of family SMEs.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Management Sciences (Marketing), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are known to be important for the development of economies in developing countries. This is so because SMEs create jobs therefore reducing unemployment and alleviating poverty. The South African government has done a lot to help SMEs grow and become established businesses. They offer, among other things, financial assistance and expert advice in the field of marketing, technology and venturing into foreign markets (SEDA, 2014). However, it seems that it is difficult for SMEs to establish themselves in the different sectors such as the Manufacturing, Retail, Service, Financial and Agricultural sectors. They complain among other things, of financial constraints and the global economic crisis (NCR report 2011). Olawale and Garwe (2010) go on to say that, SMEs in South Africa have a high failure rate compared to other countries and only about 7% of new SMEs become fully established firms. The reason for this might be the inability of those firms to utilise marketing and in particular branding to market their firms. Branding is the process of stamping a product, which the marketer offers with some identifying name, mark or a combination of both (Sawant 2012). Thus branding creates individuality in the product or service offered facilitating it to be distinguished and recognised in the market from competitors. For this reason different aspects of branding especially brand dimensions will be explored to identify shortcoming of SMEs branding practices to assist them survive the dynamic business environment. The study involved SMEs in KwaZulu Natal in the manufacturing, retail, agriculture and financial services sectors. To address the research problem a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Participants, more specifically those from the very small SME category, were selected and questionnaires were distributed to them. Those participants who responded to the questionnaire, in depth interviews were held with them. In both approaches a convenient samplings technique were used to select participants. The data will be analysed by using normal descriptive statistics and content analysis. The problem under investigation in this study is that SMEs in KZN may lack the ability to harness branding in support of their business survival. SMEs are limited financially when it comes to creating a brand. Randall (2000) says that companies face a number of challenges when it comes to creating a brand such as mature markets, brand proliferation, consumer revolt, management failure, fragmentation of media and retailer power. The contribution of the study is to help SMEs in KZN to understand branding and especially brand dimensions to assist them survive the dynamic business environment. The study found that SME owners have an understanding of brand creation and management. However, they agreed that more needs to be done when it comes to creating strong brands. SMEs express the brand dimension of sincerity and competence when branding their products. They face financial constraints, lack of creativity and competition as some of the challenges when it comes to creating brands. / M

A website with a good e-commerce design will positively influence a customer’s attitude, strengthen the trust of the customers towards the organisation, increase the satisfaction of the customer, draw consumers, and bring forth purchases/repeat purchases from them. The purpose of this study was to determine viable e-commerce opportunities for the Ficksburg Cherry Festival website. The study endeavoured to ascertain how the Ficksburg Cherry Festival could improve its website by identifying e-commerce opportunities for the Ficksburg Cherry Festival website. In this study a non-random self-administered survey approach was used where attendees were intercepted at the venue of the Ficksburg Cherry Festival and the exhibitors in their stalls. The existing Ficksburg Cherry Festival website was analysed for e-commerce features that are present and opportunities for further implementation of e-commerce features were identified with help from the attendees and exhibitors. The findings of this study presented a demographic profile and attendance characteristics of both the attendees and exhibitors, which the management team of the Ficksburg Cherry Festival can use to better market the festival using traditional and online communication for both attendees and exhibitors. The recommendations will assist the management of the festival to improve the website and to progress from a straightforward information-only website to a fully-developed e-commerce site, with positive effects for all the stakeholders. Similar South African festivals could find the research findings and recommendations of value for their own website development as well. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Die tradisionele Suid-Afrikaanse kontant-afhaal-groothandelaar het vir meer as twintig jaar in sy bestaande vorm oorleef maar vertoon tans tekens van 'n kragtige innoveringsproses. Aspekte soos kleiner verpakkings, kredietverlening, aflewering en bemarking aan die verbruiker wat teen die grondbeginsels van die tradisionele kontant-afhaal-groothandel indruis, is besig om pos te vat. Die impetus tot innovering is afkomstig van veranderings in die doelmark en spesifiek as gevolg van die insluiting van die spazawinkeldoelmark. Verhoogde groei in die kontant-afhaalgroothandelsektor kan deels toegeskryf word aan die opkoms van die spazawinkel maar ongelukkig is hierdie doelmark nog te klein en versplinter om die voortbestaan van die kontant-afhaal-groothandelaar te waarborg. Die navorsing toon dat die spazawinkel 'n belangrike, toekomstige doelmark van die kontant-afhaal-groothandelaar is. In die navorsing wat gedoen is, is menings van die kontant-afhaal-groothandelaars ingewin oor 'n verskeidenheid aspekte aangaande die plek en funksie van die kontant-afhaal-groothandelaar in die Suid-Afrikaanse distribusiekanaal. Van die bevindings was dat intratipe mededinging toegeneem het en dat dit die voortbestaan van die kleiner kontant-afhaal-groothandelaars bedreig. Die groot kleinhandel is ge'identifiseer as die kontant-afhaal-groothandelaar se grootste mededinger. Strawwe mededinging dwing die kontant-afhaal-groothandelaar om sy bemarkingsfunksies te verander en veranderings is reeds aan die verpakkings-, verkoopsverteenwoordigers-, krediet- en afleweringsfunksies aangebring. Gevolglik verrig die kontant-afhaal-groothandelaar al hoe meer kleinhandels- en aldiensgroothandelsfunksies. Daar is sprake van die ontwikkeling van 'n nuwe tipe kontantafhaal- groothandelaar wat eienskappe van die groot kleinhandel en die aldiensgroothandel besit. Sa.IJ).evattend kan gekonstateer word dat die kontant-afhaal-groothandelaar beslis 'n belangrike plek in die Suid-Afrikaanse distribusiekanaal het. Die voortbestaan van die kontant-afhaal-groothandelaar in die distribusiekanaal is grootliks afhanklik van sy vermoe om aanpassings aan sy bemarkingsfunksies te maak om tred te hou by veranderende doelmarkte. / The traditional South African cash and carry wholesaler survived for more than twenty years in its present form but shows signs of a strong innovative process. Aspects such as smaller packaging, credit, delivery and consumer marketing, which go against the principles of the traditional cash and carry wholesaler, are taking root. The impetus for innovation derives from changes in the target market, specifically as a result of the inclusion of the spaza shop target market. Increased ' growth in the cash and carry wholesale sector can partly be ascribed to the rise of the spaza shop, but this target market is unfortunately still too small and fragmented to guarantee the survival of the cash and carry wholesaler. The research shows that the spaza shop is an important future market of the cash and carry wholesaler. In the research undertaken the opinions of cash and carry wholesalers were gathered on various aspects of the role of the cash and carry wholesaler in the South African distribution channel. The main findings are that mutual competition has increased and this threatens the survival of the smaller cash and carry wholesalers. The large retailer was identified as the main competitor of the cash and carry wholesaler. Intensive competition forces the cash and carry wholesaler to modify its marketing functions. Modifications have already been made to the packaging, sales representative, credit and delivery functions. Consequently, the cash and carry wholesaler performs more functions typical of the large retailer and full-service wholesaler. There are indications that a new type of cash and carry wholesaler is developing with characteristics of both the large retailer and the full-service wholesaler. It can be concluded that the cash and carry wholesaler definitely performs an important role in the South African distribution channel. The existence of the cash and carry wholesaler in the distribution channel depends largely on its ability to adapt its marketing functions to keep abreast with changing target markets. / Business Management / D.Comm. (Sakebestuur)

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since many Small Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) have a lack of resources and knowledge of foreign markets, they tend to develop their activities in the domestic market ftrst. When the home market limits opportunities for expansion. pro-active SMEs naturally progress to international activities by exporting to foreign markets. This natural evolution culminates in decisions of how to enter foreign markets and which markets to enter. Selection of overseas markets and entry modes lies at the heart of any international strategy. The value of the small business sector is recognised in economies worldwide. The SMEs' contribution towards growth, job creation and social progress is valued highly and small business is regarded as an essential element in a successful formula for achieving economic growth. It is thus postulated that SMEs will be one of the driving forces to grow the South African economy. By gaining an understanding of the internationalisation process of International Active Enterprises it is hoped to provide the South African SMEs with a tool that can be used for their international expansion programs. The author starts by reviewing relevant and related literature. He then investigates and highlights the different schools of thought on intemationalisation by looking at process, models, strategy and motivation. The research then describes the different modes of market entry and continues by listing the basic factor categories for market entry mode selection. The penultimate step highlights the various factors for selection of foreign markets and applies these factors into a holistic market entry and mode selection model. Finally the internationalisation is focused on SME and more specifically South African SMEs. Their internationalisation behaviour is explained in the light of the model that was developed. The author explains the framework that will be used to model an international market selection and the mode of entry into that international market. This model can guide SMEs into initial international market entry and to make decisive choices as to which international market and mode of entry they select to penetrate international markets. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Klein en medium grootte sake-ondernemings het 'n tekort aan bronne en kennis van oorsese markte en dienooreenkomstig ontwikkel hulle eers hul besigheidsaktiwiteite in die binnelandse markte. Wanneer die binnelandse besigheidsgroei-geleenthede versadig word, sal sodanige pro-aktiewe klein en medium grootte sake-ondernemings huI produkte begin uitvoer in 'n poging om nuwe markgroei te stimuleer. Hierdie natuurlike evolusie dwing die onderneming om besluite te neem oor hoe om sodanige buitelandse markte te betree, asook die markkeuse op sigself. Die markkeuse en markbetredings metodiek is die kern van enige internasionale strategie. Die ekonomiese waarde van die klein en medium grootte sake-ondememingsektor word wereldwyd erken. Hulle bydrae tot groei, werkskepping, en sosiale ontwikkeling word wyd erken. So word klein en medium grootte sake-ondememings dan gesien as 'n kardinale bestanddeel om ekonomiese groei te behaal. Dit word dus gestel dat klein en medium grootte sake-ondememings een van die dryfvere vir ekonomiese ontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika sal wees. Die ondersoek van die intemasionaliseringsproses van buitelands-aktiewe ondernemings sal 'n model formuleer wat die Suid-Afrikaanse klein en medium grootte sake-ondememings kan bystaan met hul buitelandse markgroei. Die skrywer begin om die relevante literatuur te bestudeer en beklemtoon die verskillende denkwyses oor buitelandse groei deur te kyk na prosesse, modelle, strategiee en motiverings. Die navorsingstuk beskryf dan die verskillende metodes van markbetreding en Iys die verskillende faktore wat 'n invloed het op die betredingsvraagstuk. Die voorlaaste stap in die model beskryf die verskillende faktore wat 'n rol speel op die buitelandse markkeuse. Al hierdie mark- en betredingsfaktore word in 'n globale model gestruktureer. Laastens word daar gefokus op die Suid-Afrikaanse klein en medium grootte sake-ondememings en hulle internasionaliseringsoptrede word in die lig van die model geskets. Die skrywer verduidelik dus die raamwerk wat gebruik word om buitelandse markbetreding en markkeuse te modelleer. Hierdie model toon rigting aan klein en medium grootte sakeondememings se aanvanklike buitelandse belangstelling en ook hoe om daadwerklike besluite te neem oor buitelandse markbetreding en buitelandse markkeuses.

Thesis (MA (Political Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This thesis aims to assess what perceptions a sample population of Dutch students in Amsterdam have of South Africa from a broad range of social, political and cultural indicators. Until now, research into the existent perceptions regarding South Africa in the international community has been limited, which has implications for the formulation of its branding strategies and the possibility of their successful implementation at a crucial stage in the development of the country’s international reputation. Based on a theoretical framework which assumes the potential of nation branding for developing states, this thesis aims to provide an assessment of several historical and contemporary challenges faced by Brand South Africa, the most salient of which are linked to the fundamental need for consistency in the promotion of the nation’s identity. This analysis introduces the empirical research upon which the study is based and thereby explains the ambiguous nature of South Africa’s post-Apartheid brand identity.