The objectives of this study are to develop an understanding of the quality related issues and gaps relevant to apparel merchandising within the South African context, with a specific focus on Fabric Objective Measurement, a relatively new technology and one which could fruitfully be applied in South Africa, but which appears to have been largely neglected to date. Fabric Objective Measurement (FOM) represents a new generation of instrumentally measured parameters which provide a more complete picture of fabric quality, tailorability and clothing performance. The two main FOM systems, FAST and Kawabata, are discussed under FOM in terms of their applications, control charts and their worldwide utilisation. A literature review has been done on the global clothing sector as well as South African clothing industry. The research involved a questionnaire survey of, and interviews with major clothing and retail companies in South Africa with a specific focus on the gap in the South African clothing industry in terms of FOM and other quality related issues. The data and information so captured are presented graphically, statistically analyzed and interpreted, to arrive at the main conclusions and recommendations. Trubok, Newcastle, the only company in South Africa utilizing FOM, was visited in order to obtain hands on experience with the FAST system as operated in a mill. Two different fabrics were tested and the control charts obtained were interpreted. According to the analysis of the questionnaires and interviews, various conclusions could be drawn. When benchmarking a product, quality emerged as the first criterion, 100 percent retailers and manufacturers agreed to this. Most respondents stated that their fabric and garment testing is mostly done in-house while other respondents stated that their fabric and garment testing is mostly done by their respective suppliers. The most commonly used outside laboratories are SGS and ITS. Merchandising and quality complement each other and with proper quality assessment the merchandising workflow becomes smooth, easy and timely delivery of products. All of the respondents (100 percent) supported this fact. Retailers and manufacturers agreed that quality and merchandising are related to each other and hence helping those in achieving product benchmarking (statistically significant at 95 percent confidence level). Retailers and manufacturers conduct fabric and garment tests on a regular/routine basis and mostly use knitted and woven fabrics in garment making. In addition to the above, the worldwide manufacturers and suppliers of the FAST and Kawabata systems were approached to obtain data and information about the number of such systems sold worldwide and their fields of application. This information was considered important in promoting FOM in South Africa. Only one manufacturer is presently using FAST for quality control purposes. Of the manufacturers and retailers covered, most of them were either unfamiliar or totally unaware of FOM and its application. This indicates that there is considerable scope for introducing this highly advanced technology into the textile and clothing manufacturing and retail pipeline in South Africa. Most of the manufacturers and retailers (50 percent) intend to introduce certain new tests in future. The tests that they are planning to introduce in future may include FAST, which is fairly simple, reliable and productive, as well as enhancing the quality of the garment. If used, FOM can improve the quality and competitiveness on the international level which is currently lacking in the South African clothing sector.

This study investigates whether quality management has developed to such an extent that retailers, service repair organisations and consumers are satisfied with product and repair service quality provided by South African manufacturing companies. To investigate these aspects, the colour television industry has been selected because it contains various manufacturing companies of varying sizes and characters, employing different quality policies and performances. It offers relatively standardised products and services, which facilitates intercompany comparisons and employs a simple flow type assembly line process that is representative of other mass production industries. The hypotheses are tested by interviewing four selected populations by means of carefully constructed questionnaires, namely a retail population, a repair service population, a consumer population and a manufacturing population. The empirical results are statistically evaluated in terms of the various manufacturers ability to provide satisfactory product and repair service quality. Consumers and repair service organisations are selected because they represent a broad spectrum of the population with varying, but important opinions on product and repair service quality. Retailers selling colour television receivers are also selected as they play an important role in the management of quality and vary from small independent retailers to large chain stores and discounters. The results obtained from this study show that: • there is a need from the retailers, service repair organisations and consumers for the South African manufacturers to improve the quality of colour television receivers • there is a need by the consumers and the retailers for the manufacturers to improve their repair service quality • there is a need to improve the quality control procedures employed by the colour television manufacturers. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

Thesis (MSc Food Sc )--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Highly valued Sauvignon blanc wines, with the distinctive cultivar-typical aromas, reminiscent of grassy, green pepper or asparagus-like, are produced in some South African regions. Quite often, however, neutral and sulphur-like, low quality Sauvignon blanc wines are produced and this phenomenon is of great concern to wine producers and consumers, and affects our competition on overseas markets, negatively. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of region, ascorbic acid/S02 treatments and yeast strain on Sauvignon blanc wine aroma and quality. Wines were produced from grapes obtained from the warmer Robertson and the relatively cooler Stellenbosch regions (1998 season). The juices were treated with different combinations of ascorbic acid/S02 treatments [commercially available ascorbic acid/meta preparate, S02 (control), pure ascorbic acid/S02] and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains (Vin 13, VL3C, NT 116). The wines were analysed for esters, higher alcohols, monoterpenes and 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine (ibMP). The wines were also sensorially evaluated for wine aroma intensities (fruity/ester, sulphur-like, grassy/green pepper) and overall quality. Additionally, the synergistic action of ibMP and the sulphur-containing component, 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2- one (MMP), considered to be the most important impact components of Sauvignon blanc, was studied. The two components were added, separately and in combinations at increasing concentrations, to different media. The nuances perceived, varied from dusty, grassy to green pepper for ibMP and from guava, sulphur-like to cat urine or "conifer" for MMP. Significant differences were observed between the wines treated with the different combinations of ascorbic acid/S02 treatments and fermented with different yeast strains, irrespective of region. The highest quality, cultivar-typical Sauvignon blanc wines were produced from the pure ascorbic acid/S02 treatment in combination with yeast strains Vin 13 and NT 116. This coincided with high ester and low higher alcohol concentrations, which did not overpower the typical Sauvignon blanc character. The treatments had, in some cases, a significant effect on monoterpene levels, but it was concluded that these differences were not big enough to affect wine quality. Levels of ibMP were too low and could not be reliably measured. Low quality wines, with prominent, undesirable sulphur-like aromas, were produced from juices, treated with the commercially available ascorbic acid/meta preparate and the French yeast strain, VL3C. Techniques, followed to identify the aroma components causing the sulphur-like offflavours, as MMP or as other sulphur-containing components, were gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, solid phase microextraction and sniffing. However, these tests were not successful and studies to identify these off-flavours should be continued. It was succeeded in this study to produce Sauvignon blanc wines without the undesirable, sulphur-like aromas. Although this investigation showed that a newly developed, commercially available ascorbic acid/meta preparate did not yield any sulphur-like off-flavours, quite often Sauvignon blanc wines with such off-flavours are still produced. Further research is needed to clarify this phenomenon. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hoë kwaliteit Sauvignon blanc wyne, met kenmerkende kultivar-tipiese, gras-, groenrissie- of aspersie-agtige aromas, word in sekere streke van Suid Afrika geproduseer. Die gereelde produksie van neutrale, en swawelagtige lae kwaliteit Sauvignon blanc wyne, wek egter nie net groot kommer by wynprodusente en verbruikers nie, maar het ook 'n negatiewe impak op kompetisie met oorsese markte. Die doel van hierdie studie was dus om die effek van streek, askorbiensuur/Sóbehandelings en gisras op Sauvignon blanc wynaroma en kwaliteit vas te stel. Wyne is berei met druiwe wat verkry is van die warmer Roberston en relatief koeler Stellenbosch streke (1998 seisoen). Verskillende kombinasies askorbiensuur/So, behandelings [kommersieel-beskikbare askorbiensuur/meta preparaat, S02 (kontrole), suiwer askorbiensuur/So-l en Saccharomyces cerevisiae gisrasse (Vin 13, VL3C, NT 116) is gebruik tydens die wynbereidingsproses. Spesifieke ester-, hoër alkohol-, monoterpeen- en 2-metoksi-3-isobutiel metoksipirasienkonsentrasies (ibMP) is in die wyne bepaal. Die wyne is ook sensories vir wynaroma intensiteite (vrugtig/ester, swaweiagtig, gras/groenrissie-agtig) en algehele kwaliteit geëvalueer. Die sinergistiese aksie van ibMP en die swawelbevattende komponent, 4-merkapto- 4-metielpenta-2-oon (MMP), wat beskou word as die belangrikste impakkomponente in Sauvignon blanc, is addisioneel bestudeer. Hierdie komponente is in toenemende konsentrasies, individueel en in kombinasies, tot verskillende media gevoeg. Die nuanses wat waargeneem is, het van stowwerig, gras-, groenrissie-agtig vir ibMP, tot koejawelagtig, swaweiagtig, katurine, konifeer vir MMP, gevarieer. Ongeag streke, is betekenisvolle verskille tussen die wyne wat berei is met die verskillende kombinasies van askorbiensuur/So- behandelings en gisrasse, waargeneem. Hoër kwaliteit, kultivar-tipiese Sauvignon blanc wyne is berei met suiwer askorbiensuur/So- in kombinasie met gisras Vin 13 of NT 116. Alhoewel die hoë ester- en lae hoër alkohol- konsentrasies, hierdie resultate bevestig het, is die tipiese Sauvignon blanc karakter nie hierdeur oorheers nie. Sommige behandelings het wel 'n betekenisvolle invloed of monoterpeenkonsentrasies gehad het, maar was te min om 'n effek op wynkwaliteit uit te oefen nie. Die konsentrasievlakke van ibMP swawelagtige aromas, het egter voorgekom in wyne wat met die kommersieelbeskikbare askorbiensuur/meta preparaat en die Franse gisras, VL3C, berei is. Verskeie tegnieke soos gaschromatografie/massa spektrometrie, soliede fase mikroekstraksie en "sniffing", is gebruik om die komponent, MMP, wat moontlik verantwoordelik vir hierdie ongewensde swawelagtige wangeure was, te identifiseer. Die identifikasie hiervan was egter onsuksesvol, en verdere studies is nodig om die komponent(e) verantwoordelik vir hierdie wangeure, te identifiseer. Die suksesvolle produksie van Sauvignon blanc, sonder ongewensde swaweiagtig aromas, was wel moontlik. Alhoewel hierdie studie ook duidelik getoon het dat daar geen swawelagtige wangeure in die wyne wat met die nuut ontwikkelde, kommersieel-beskikbare askorbiensuur/meta preparaat berei was, voorgekom het nie, vind die produksie van Sauvignon blanc wyne met van hierdie wangeure nog steeds plaas. Verdere navorsing rakende hierdie aspek is nodig.

This study investigates whether quality management has developed to such an extent that retailers, service repair organisations and consumers are satisfied with product and repair service quality provided by South African manufacturing companies. To investigate these aspects, the colour television industry has been selected because it contains various manufacturing companies of varying sizes and characters, employing different quality policies and performances. It offers relatively standardised products and services, which facilitates intercompany comparisons and employs a simple flow type assembly line process that is representative of other mass production industries. The hypotheses are tested by interviewing four selected populations by means of carefully constructed questionnaires, namely a retail population, a repair service population, a consumer population and a manufacturing population. The empirical results are statistically evaluated in terms of the various manufacturers ability to provide satisfactory product and repair service quality. Consumers and repair service organisations are selected because they represent a broad spectrum of the population with varying, but important opinions on product and repair service quality. Retailers selling colour television receivers are also selected as they play an important role in the management of quality and vary from small independent retailers to large chain stores and discounters. The results obtained from this study show that: • there is a need from the retailers, service repair organisations and consumers for the South African manufacturers to improve the quality of colour television receivers • there is a need by the consumers and the retailers for the manufacturers to improve their repair service quality • there is a need to improve the quality control procedures employed by the colour television manufacturers. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

With the lifting of sanctions, South African businesses are faced with a new challenge to compete against their international counterparts on the international and domestic markets. Competing on the international markets is dependant on conforming to a recognised quality management system standard such as ISO 9000 (ISO International Standards Organisation). The South African equivalent for this standard is SABS ISO 9000. (SABS - South African Bureau of Standards). It is thus important for South African companies to conform to the requirements of the recognised quality management system and to deliver quality goods by adopting a quality improvement plan. The subject of quality has been studied and put into effect the early 1950's. The four most well known gurus on this subject are Deming, Juran, Crosby and Ishikawa. All of them have different philosophies on how to implement quality. Deming has developed fourteen points for management; Juran concentrated on the planning for quality based on the needs of the customers; Crosby has been the father of the cost of quality, but has since changed his stance to the cost of non-eonformity; Ishikawa, a student of Deming, has developed the cause and effect diagram for determining the root cause of problems. The importance of the above is to evaluate the organisation to determine the .quality needs and then to adopt a philosophy which can be used. The quality needs of an organisation can be determined by means of this diagram. Based on these results a usable philosophy can be adopted. The implementation of quality and a quality management system should take place simultaneously. Both these systems are dependant on each other for successful functioning. Both should be managed as a unit to ensure total quality management. The implementation of a total quality management system is a four step process. These steps are: 1. Awakening 2. Involvement, 3. Commitment, 4. Ownership. The different aspects of the implementation of quality and a quality management system must be addressed in each of the above steps to ensure the success of the quality management system. An important aspect which needs to be addressed when implementing quality management system, is training. This should take place during each of the above mentioned steps. Training for quality is related to on-the-job training and training with regard to new technology. Training for a quality management system should be directed to the development of quality documentation such as procedures and work instructions.

Purpose – The primary aim of the study was to establish to what extent company vision impacted on productivity, profitability, morale and the quality of product at Borbet SA. Borbet SA is an aluminium wheel manufacturer situated in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The secondary aim of the study was to establish whether the vision would be reached by applying the company values in action at Borbet SA. Methodology – Seventy-seven respondents employed at Borbet SA completed a Likert Scale Questionnaire to measure their knowledge and application of the company vision and values. The research study made use of a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The research study was qualitative as the topic was subjective to perception of the participants. However, the data was to be analyzed quantitatively through statistical practices. Findings – Overall, the participants were 99 percent aware of the vision statement at Borbet SA. Therefore, Borbet SA had succeeded in making company vision a part of their business strategy. The successful implementation of a vision and values at Borbet SA have improved productivity, profitability, morale and quality of product at the company. The study’s main findings were that employees between the ages of 18 – 29 years were especially optimistic of the company vision and values. Employees working at Borbet SA for between 4 – 5 years and working at Borbet for between 0 – 3 years tended to be more unenthusiastic about company vision and values. Middle management, including supervisors and team leaders, were also pessimistic about certain aspects concerning the vision of the company. Research limitations – One of the limitations of the research were that only 77 of the workforce completed the voluntary questionnaire. The questionnaire was in English and this was not the first language of the majority of the employees at Borbet SA. This could have prevented them from completing the questionnaire because they might not have felt confident in responding in ii English. Educational levels could also have influenced the response to the questionnaire seeing that not all employees had the same educational levels and, thus, this could have been intimidating. Recommendations – The main recommendation was that a mentoring programme be implemented in which younger and older employees could motivate each other and build morale. The management of Borbet SA was recommended to have team building sessions with middle management, supervisors and team leaders to build morale and optimism in these groups. Employees working for 4 – 5 years needed to be evaluated and motivated as some of them could have felt stagnant in their job positions.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa (SA) contribute significantly to job creation, wealth, social stability, economic growth and reduction of poverty. While research has been conducted, with regard to customer’s perception for entire world, not too many studies have focused on the automotive sector, with specific reference to the Durban Metropolitan areas. Therefore the understanding of the factors affecting Automotive SMEs are clearly defined and explained, in order to help entrepreneurs to improve product quality and attract customers to the business. Furthermore, the study focused on examining the customers’ perceptions towards product quality. The research sample was selected using convenience sampling because populations are easily available to the researcher. The target population for this study were all owners of SMEs in the automotive sector in Durban. Based on the census study, the sample size of the study was 120 owners of the SMEs in the Durban Metropolitan Areas. A combined method of both quantitative and qualitative techniques were employed, while the analysis of data was done using the Statistics Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 23.0, with the result presented by figures developed in Microsoft Excel and cross tabulation tables. Various techniques were tested such as (Pearson Chi-square Test, qualitative analysis and, factor analysis). However, the report based on testing techniques were as follows: The result of the gender participants of males were greater than females who participated in the study. Therefore, the Pearson Chi-square Test was done and the result state that p = .000. Qualitative analysis was tested and the result report of “what exactly are the customers’ perceptions towards product quality in the business”. However, the result of the qualitative analysis shows that the larger number of the respondents, they felt that “good customer service” were their customers’ perceptions in the study. Factor analysis was also tested using KMO and Bartlett’s Test to present results. The result of Bartleytt’s Test of Sphericity was = 212.800; Sig = .000 this indicated that the data were appropriate for the purpose of factors analysis. The result of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy was = .609. This result shows that there were sufficient items for each factor. The findings of the study revealed that lack of managerial skills and development negatively compromises product quality of the automotive sector. The findings further revealed that creativity and necessary entrepreneurial skills influence implementation of sustainable growth of SMEs, and the entrepreneur’s success depends on the identification of crucial entrepreneurial skills for starting a business as well as for helping the business to survive and grow in the early stages. Therefore, capacity building for SME owners to sustain business growth is recommended. The results of the study further revealed that the absence of financial support from financial institutions delays the improvement of stock in the business as this is an obstacle resulting in the unsustainability of the SMEs in the long term. / M