The call centre industry is gaining momentum in the retail sector, which can be attributed to the fact that many companies use call centre agents to communicate with the end users of their products. A major challenge facing retail companies is finding the right employees for their call centres, so that these people are able to perform according to their natural abilities and acquired skills. The South African retail company under study uses the Clerical Test Battery (CTB2) to screen candidates for its call centre. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the CTB2 numeracy subtest scores and work performance scores of employees in this call centre. The literature review examines the use of psychometric instruments in general, and then focuses on the use of the CTB2 in South African contexts. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the validity of the numeracy subtest when used as part of the selection process for call centre candidates. A quantitative research approach was employed to analyse the raw data, which was already available in the company’s database. The two datasets used were the CTB2 numeracy subtest scores and the work performance scores of 300 call centre agents. The correlation between these two sets of scores was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (version 17). No statistically significant relationship emerged between the two research variables. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to use the CTB2 numeracy subtest to screen call centre candidates. The findings of this study suggest that the CTB2 should not be used in isolation when assessing call centre candidates. Face-to-face interviews should form an important part of the decision-making process, and the use of additional instruments to measure general cognitive aptitude and skills such as perceptual speed and accuracy is recommended. The dissertation concludes by outlining the limitations of the study and giving some suggestions for future research in this field. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Psychology / unrestricted

No abstract available. Copyright / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Accounting / unrestricted

Since 2007, several studies have been conducted by international and national role players to establish whether the recent efforts to improve financial reporting have been successful. The respondents to the surveys used as part of these studies have indicated that more concise and less complex financial reports would be more understandable to users of financial reports. In view of the call for shorter and simpler financial reports, the fact that the understandability of financial reports appears to be a problem, as well as the fact that a limited amount of research on the understandability of interim financial reports has been done thus far, it was decided to investigate whether individual shareholders understand the context and content of interim financial reports which, per se, are supposed to be more concise and less complex financial reports presented by companies. The study entailed using a postal questionnaire in a survey of a sample of individual shareholders of three large South African listed retail companies to determine whether individual shareholders understand the context and content of interim financial reports, and whether they use these reports, among other sources, to make investment decisions. The study is based loosely on the high profile studies of Lee and Tweedie in respect of individual shareholders performed in the late 1970s. The primary research objective of the current study was to determine whether individual shareholders of South African listed retail companies understand the context and content of interim financial reports. It was found that understanding of these reports was generally limited. However, there is evidence that experience and training in the field of financial accounting improve shareholders’ understanding of the content of interim financial reports. Apart from questions on the demographics and investment objectives of individual shareholders, a number of other questions were also included in the questionnaire to address several secondary research objectives. The questions relating to the secondary research objectives were designed to gather information, inter alia, on how individual shareholders make investment decisions, sources of information used by individual shareholders when making investment decisions, additional information that should be included in interim financial reports, as well as the medium of communication through which individual shareholders would prefer to receive interim financial reports. The study has shown, amongst other things, that the majority of respondents to this study initiated their own investment decisions, that articles in the financial press are the most popular source of information when making investment decisions, and that individual shareholders still prefer to receive interim reports by post. / Thesis (DCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Accounting / Unrestricted

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att analysera varför konsumenter följer företag i sociala medier, det vill säga vilka konsumentmotiv som är mest förekommande. Studien kommer också att utröna om det finns skillnader i konsumentmotiv sett till de olika branscherna som ska studeras samt om demografiska variabler hos konsumenterna påverkar vilka konsumentmotiv som förekommer mest frekvent. Metod: Studien har utgått från en deduktiv forskningsansats. Datainsamlingen har skett genom en kvantitativ enkätundersökning och data har analyserats kvantitativt genom t-tester och variansanalyser. Resultat: Undersökningsresultatet visar att de mest frekvent förekommande konsumentmotiven till att följa detaljhandelsföretag på sociala medier är för ”att hitta rabattkoder/erbjudanden”, ”att hitta information om företaget och dess produkter”, ”att ta del av nyheter och produktlanseringar” samt “att få inspiration av det företaget publicerar”. Inga signifikanta skillnader kunde hittas gällande motiv varken mellan olika branscher eller mellan demografiska variabler hos konsumenterna. De fyra nämnda motiven här ovan var alltså de genomgående vanligast förekommande bland respondenterna i studien oavsett kön, ålder eller företagens bransch. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Att genomföra en kvalitativ studie med samma frågeställningar och syfte är ett förslag till vidare forskning då en kvalitativ studie hade kunnat ge mer utvidgad information kring de motiv som konsumenter har till att följa företag samt en mer djupgående förståelse för dessa motiv. Ytterligare förslag till vidare forskning inom området hade kunnat vara att undersöka andra branscher än de som denna studie har fokuserat på. / Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze why consumers follow retail companies on social media i.e. which consumer motives are the most common. Method: The study has conducted a deductive approach and a quantitative method for both data collection and analyzes. Findings: The findings show that the most frequent consumer motives for following retail companies on social media are to "find discount codes / offers", "find information about the company and its products", "find news and information about product launches" and "get inspiration from what companies posts online”. No significant differences in motives could be found between different sectors or demographic variables among consumers. The four mentioned motives above were the most common ones among the respondents regardless of gender, age or company sector. Suggestions for further research: proposals for further research could be to perform a qualitative study with the same purpose and research questions as this one. That could contribute to the gain of deeper information and knowledge in this area and could be a complement to the results from this study.

Este estudo tem como objetivo identificar de que forma o processo de comunicação apoia as práticas de sustentabilidade em empresas varejistas. Para alcançar este propósito, primeiramente foi realizada uma pesquisa secundária por meio de uma revisão de literatura sobre os temas sustentabilidade, comunicação e varejo, que ofereceu subsídios para a fase de coleta de dados. Em seguida foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa de campo para coletar dados primários com 12 empresas varejistas de grande porte do Estado de São Paulo dos setores de supermercados, móveis e eletrodomésticos, farmácias, moda e materiais de construção. A análise da pesquisa contou com o apoio de duas abordagens teóricas complementares, o Continuum da Colaboração de Austin (2001) e os modelos de Comunicação elaborados por Grunig (1992). Os resultados da pesquisa apontam para cinco evidências na relação entre o processo de comunicação e as práticas sustentáveis das grandes empresas varejistas: 1) a dimensão ambiental é prioridade na prática de sustentabilidade nas empresas varejistas; 2) no processo de comunicação das empresas varejistas existe predominância de campanhas publicitárias para divulgação de produtos e serviços; 3) as grandes empresas varejistas ainda têm muito que evoluir em relação às suas práticas de sustentabilidade; 4) existem diferenças na prática de sustentabilidade entre os setores varejistas pesquisados; 5) a sinergia entre comunicação e sustentabilidade nas grandes empresas varejistas é influenciada pelo porte das empresas e acontece somente naquelas que foram identificadas no estágio integrativo de Austin (2001) e no paradigma comportamental de Grunig (1992). / This study aims to identify how the communication process supports sustainability practices in retail companies. To achieve this purpose, first we conducted a secondary search through a literature review on sustainability issues, communication and retail, which offered subsidies to the stage of data collection. Then we developed a field survey to collect primary data with 12 large retailers in the state of São Paulo (Brazil) in the supermarket, furniture and appliances, pharmacies, fashion and construction materials sectors companies. The analysis of the research was supported by two complementary theoretical approaches, the Continuum of Collaboration Austin (2001) and models of communication developed by Grunig (1992). The survey results point to five evidence on the relationship between the process of communication and sustainable practices of large retailers: 1) the environmental dimension is a priority in the practice of sustainability in retail companies; 2) the communication process of retailers is predominantly advertising campaigns to advertise products and services; 3) the large retailers still have a lot to evolve in relation to their sustainability practices; 4) there are differences in the practice of sustainability among retailers surveyed sectors, 5) the synergy between communication and sustainability in major retailers is influenced by company size, and happens only in those that were identified in the integrative stage of Austin (2001) and the behavioral paradigm Grunig (1992).

Este estudo tem como objetivo identificar de que forma o processo de comunicação apoia as práticas de sustentabilidade em empresas varejistas. Para alcançar este propósito, primeiramente foi realizada uma pesquisa secundária por meio de uma revisão de literatura sobre os temas sustentabilidade, comunicação e varejo, que ofereceu subsídios para a fase de coleta de dados. Em seguida foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa de campo para coletar dados primários com 12 empresas varejistas de grande porte do Estado de São Paulo dos setores de supermercados, móveis e eletrodomésticos, farmácias, moda e materiais de construção. A análise da pesquisa contou com o apoio de duas abordagens teóricas complementares, o Continuum da Colaboração de Austin (2001) e os modelos de Comunicação elaborados por Grunig (1992). Os resultados da pesquisa apontam para cinco evidências na relação entre o processo de comunicação e as práticas sustentáveis das grandes empresas varejistas: 1) a dimensão ambiental é prioridade na prática de sustentabilidade nas empresas varejistas; 2) no processo de comunicação das empresas varejistas existe predominância de campanhas publicitárias para divulgação de produtos e serviços; 3) as grandes empresas varejistas ainda têm muito que evoluir em relação às suas práticas de sustentabilidade; 4) existem diferenças na prática de sustentabilidade entre os setores varejistas pesquisados; 5) a sinergia entre comunicação e sustentabilidade nas grandes empresas varejistas é influenciada pelo porte das empresas e acontece somente naquelas que foram identificadas no estágio integrativo de Austin (2001) e no paradigma comportamental de Grunig (1992). / This study aims to identify how the communication process supports sustainability practices in retail companies. To achieve this purpose, first we conducted a secondary search through a literature review on sustainability issues, communication and retail, which offered subsidies to the stage of data collection. Then we developed a field survey to collect primary data with 12 large retailers in the state of São Paulo (Brazil) in the supermarket, furniture and appliances, pharmacies, fashion and construction materials sectors companies. The analysis of the research was supported by two complementary theoretical approaches, the Continuum of Collaboration Austin (2001) and models of communication developed by Grunig (1992). The survey results point to five evidence on the relationship between the process of communication and sustainable practices of large retailers: 1) the environmental dimension is a priority in the practice of sustainability in retail companies; 2) the communication process of retailers is predominantly advertising campaigns to advertise products and services; 3) the large retailers still have a lot to evolve in relation to their sustainability practices; 4) there are differences in the practice of sustainability among retailers surveyed sectors, 5) the synergy between communication and sustainability in major retailers is influenced by company size, and happens only in those that were identified in the integrative stage of Austin (2001) and the behavioral paradigm Grunig (1992).

Internationaliseringen har blivit en av de största och viktigaste trenderna för detaljhandeln idag. Vanligtvis börjar företag först expandera till länder som ligger nära både geografiskt och kulturellt. Det kan dock bli problematiskt att träda in på en närliggande marknad om företaget inte är förberedd på de skillnader som finns och underskattar den marknaden.      Syftet med denna studie var att skapa förståelse för de utmaningar svenska detaljhandelsföretag kan stöta på vid etablering till närliggande marknader samt hur dessa kan hanteras.     För att kunna besvara studiens syfte har sex semistrukturerade intervjuer utförts. Två av dessa utfördes med respondenter från detaljhandelsföretagen Stadium och Jula. De resterande intervjuerna gjordes med experter från Business Sweden som arbetar bland annat med att hjälpa svenska företag med sin internationalisering.        De utmaningar som visade sig finnas på de närliggande marknaderna för de intervjuade företagen var exempelvis kulturella, politiska och ekonomiska skillnader som påverkade modebilden, konsumtionsmönstret, prisbilden, sortimentet, ledarskapet, konkurrensen, marknadsföringen, hyresnivåerna och etableringen på marknaderna.      De olika marknaderna och sortimenten bidrog med olika utmaningar, dessutom upplevdes vissa utmaningar vara större än andra för företagen. De intervjuade företagen hanterade utmaningarna på olika sätt men framförallt genom konsulter, konkurrenter, marknadsundersökningar, kunskap, lärande över tid samt genom anpassning till de närliggande marknaderna. / Internationalization has become one of the largest and most important trends for retail trade today. Usually, companies start expanding to countries that are both geographically and culturally close. However, it may become problematic to enter a nearby market if the company is not prepared for the differences that exist and if the company underestimates the market.      The aim of this essay was to investigate the challenges that may occur for Swedish retail companies when establishing to nearby markets and how these challenges can be handled.       In order to respond to the aim of this study, six semi-structured interviews have been held. Two of these were held with respondents from Stadium and Jula. The remaining interviews were held with experts from Business Sweden who, among other things, works to help Swedish companies with their internationalization.      The challenges that were found in the nearby markets of the companies interviewed were for example cultural, political and economic differences affecting the fashion image, consumer pattern, price range, assortment, leadership, competition, marketing, rental levels and the establishment in the markets.      The different markets and assortment contributed to different challenges, in addition, some challenges were experienced to be greater than others for the companies. The interviewed companies handled the challenges in different ways especially through consultants, competitors, market research, knowledge, learning by time and through adaptation in the nearby markets.

[pt] O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar as estratégias competitivas adotadas por empresas varejistas brasileiras e o impacto dessas estratégias em seus resultados, gerando uma taxionomia que possibilite um melhor entendimento deste setor. As empresas selecionadas são as maiores do segmento no Brasil, representando mais de 60 por cento do faturamento no período entre 2017 a 2021. Foram utilizados dados secundários da Economática e dos portais de informação ao investidor de cada empresa para seleção das variáveis estratégicas e de desempenho. Tais dados foram analisados por meio de algoritmos do SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science). Após a preparação da base de dados, constituída por 37 empresas e com tratamento de outliers e valores ausentes, foram extraídos do espaço estratégico os fatores relevantes para definição das variáveis de clusterização. A aplicação de análise de cluster hierárquica e k-means possibilitou determinar o número ótimo de clusters e gerar grupos de empresas com perfis estratégicos definidos, de forma a perceber que, as que fazem parte do mesmo grupo, adotam estratégias semelhantes, distintas daquelas empregadas por empresas de outros grupos. Testes MANOVA foram realizados para validar tal conclusão. Finalmente, foram calculados os vetores de desempenho de cada cluster e realizados os testes estatísticos adequados, MANOVA e ANOVA, incluindo análise post hoc, para elaborar uma hierarquia que emprestasse sentido prático à taxionomia. A conclusão é que a taxionomia com três clusters tem melhor aderência à realidade do setor e que as empresas que praticam estratégias de diferenciação ampla apresentam desempenho melhor do que aquelas que praticam custo ou qualquer tipo de enfoque. / [en] The present study aims to analyze the competitive strategies adopted by Brazilian retail companies and the impact on their results, generating a taxonomy that allows a better understanding of this sector. The selected companies are the largest in the segment in Brazil, representing more than 60 percent of revenue, from 2017 to 2021. Secondary data from Economática and from the investor information of each company were used to select strategic and performance variables. Such data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) algorithms. After preparing the database, consisting of 37 companies, with treatment of outliers and missing values, the relevant factors for defining the clustering variables were extracted from the strategic space. The application, in sequence, of hierarchical cluster analysis and k-means made it possible to determine the optimal number of clusters and generate groups of companies with defined strategic profiles, so that those in the same group adopt similar strategies, although different from those employed by companies in other groups. MANOVA tests were performed to validate this conclusion. Finally, the performance vectors of each cluster were calculated and the appropriate statistical tests, MANOVA and ANOVA, including post hoc analysis, were performed to create a hierarchy that would lend practical meaning to the taxonomy. The conclusion is that the taxonomy with three clusters has better adherence to the reality of the sector and that companies that practice broad differentiation strategies perform better than those that practice cost or any type of approach.

Som resultat av globalisering och teknologisk utveckling genomför människor flera beslut i sina privata och professionella liv från digitala enheter. Beslutsfattningen varierar från informationsinhämtning, underhållning och framför allt näthandel. Användandet av digitala miljöer för detaljhandeln ökade under Covid-19 pandemin, och en ledande marknad var sport- och livsstilsmodesegmentet. Däremot har digitaliseringsvågens tillgång inneburit ett informationsöverflöd, som ofta överskrider individers bearbetningsförmåga. Utfallet är felaktiga eller närmare bestämt dåliga beslut utifrån snabba och impulsiva beslut utifrån heuristiska och underliggande fördomar. Som svar försöker organisationer implementera knuffar i sina digitala kanaler för att vägleda individer till bättre beslutsfattning. Tidigare forskning gällande knuffar har analyserat traditionell handel, användarupplevelse och design av digitala knuffar, däremot finns det begränsad forskning om detaljhandelsföretag med digitala handelskanaler och plattformar inom det alltmer viktigare segmentet för sport- och livsstilsmode. För detaljhandelsföretag med digitala teknikkanaler kan det vara svårt att identifiera lämpliga knuff-tekniker och ofta står verksamheterna inför en tids- och resurskrävande arbetsprocess, med risk för negativ påverkan av kundupplevelsen och eventuellt förlorade försäljningsintäkter. Denna studie syftar till att öka förståelsen om hur digitala knuffar kan appliceras och används av detaljhandelsföretag med digitala teknikkanaler inom sport- och livsstilsmodesegmentet. Detta uppnås genom att besvara forskningsfrågorna: Hur kan detaljhandelsföretag inom sport- och livsstilsmodesegmentet gynnas av digitala knuffar utifrån interna företagsfördelar? Och vilka knuff-tekniker kan tillämpas av detaljhandelsföretag inom sport- och livsstilsmodesegmentet för sina digitala handelskanaler? För att kunna uppnå forskningsarbetets syfte och svara på forskningsfrågorna applicerades en kvalitativ enfallsstudiedesign hos ett ledande detaljhandelsföretag, inom sport- och livsstilsmodesegmentet, med digitala teknikkanaler. Datainsamling skedde genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer samt analys av publika dokument, rapporter och pressmeddelanden som fallföretaget har publicerat. Studien redogör hur detaljhandelsföretag inom sport- och livsstilsmodesegmentet kan gynnas av digitala knuffar utifrån interna företagsfördelar då knuff-arbetet möjliggör bättre förståelse av detaljhandelsföretagets målsättning och konsumenternas livsstil och behov, effektivare resursanvändning, utveckling av digitala förmågor som möjliggör medarbetarnas arbete, och till en intern arbetskultur som utgår från företagsmålen för att skapa en miljö där samarbete och en lärande organisation står i fokus. Vidare redovisas fallföretaget arbete med knuff-strategierna känsla av brådska och multiplattformsaktivitet, och presenterar exempel på hur applicering av knuff-tekniker såsom förenkla och inrama information, använda och påverka sociala normer, och förändringar av handelsmiljön kan planeras, implementeras och integreras i ett detaljhandelsföretags verksamhetsaktiviteter. / As a result of globalization and technological development, people make many decisions in their private and professional lives from digital devices. The decision making varies from gathering information, entertainment, and online shopping. The degree of use of digital environments within the retail industry increased during the Covid-19 pandemic, where a leading market was the sports and leisure fashion segment. However, the digitalization wave has led to an abundance of information which often surpasses the individual's ability to process, resulting in wrong or simply put bad decision making which is quick and impulsive, and based on heuristic and underlying prejudices. To respond, companies implement nudges to help guide consumers in their digital channels. Previous research regarding nudging has focused on nudging in traditional retail, as well as the user experience and design of digital nudges. Yet there is limited research on retail companies with digital channels within the increasingly important segment of sports and leisure fashion. For many retail companies with digital channels, it is difficult to identify which nudging techniques are appropriate. In many cases, retail companies are faced with work which is consuming both time and resources, and with the risk of negatively impacting the consumer experience and possible loss of revenue. This research aims to increase the understanding of how digital nudges can be applied and used by retail companies with digital channels in the sports and leisure fashion segment. This by answering the research questions: How can retail companies in the sports and lifestyle fashion segment benefit from digital nudging based on internal company benefits? And what nudging techniques can retail companies in the sports and lifestyle fashion segment apply to their digital channels? To achieve the study’s purpose and answer the research questions, a single-case case study design was conducted at a leading retail company within the sports and leisure fashion segment, with digital channels. Data collection materialized through semi-structured interviews and analysis of public documents, reports, press statements released by the case company. The study showcases how retail companies within the sports and leisure fashion segment can benefit from digital nudges and attain internal company benefits as the nudging work enhances understanding of the company's objectives and the consumers' lifestyles and needs, enables resource efficiency, development of digital capabilities which enables the employees, and contribute to improved internal work culture which is based on the company’s objectives, where collaboration and a learning organization are at center stage. Furthermore, the study showcases how the case company works with the nudging strategies sense of urgency and multiplatform activity, and presents examples on how nudging techniques as simplification and framing of information, use of social norms and changes to the retail environment can be planned, implemented and integrated in a retail company’s activities.