Green marketing is, in a sense, an oxymoron in that it merges the seemingly contradictory concepts of marketing, which focuses on facilitating and encouraging consumption, and environmental concern, which focuses on environmental conservation. Green advertising represents an important marketing tool for communicating an organisation’s green image and is the driving force behind fostering environmental awareness and environmentally friendly behaviour. As with any type of advertising, an important determinant of the success of green advertising is consumers‟ attitudes towards green advertising and corresponding environmental concerns and behaviour. The last decade has shown a staggering number of marketers targeting the green segment of the population with green advertising, with increasing green advertisements manufacturers are informing their customers about the pro-environmental characteristics of their products and services. Green advertising is an essential tool in an organisation’s overall environmental marketing strategy; one which possibly leads to achieving superior performance and assists in creating a sustainable competitive edge. An in-depth understanding of the relevant consumer behavioural aspects of a target market is tantamount to formulating successful marketing strategies. This holds true with the formulating of green marketing advertising strategies, which aim at encouraging consumption in an environmentally sustainable manner. There is a dearth of published literature on the South African Generation Y‟s consumer behaviour in general and none that specifically focuses on the environmental concern, attitudes towards green advertising and environmental behaviour of the significantly sized black Generation Y cohort. The Generation Y cohort is defined as individuals born between 1986 and 2005. In terms of South Africa, Generation Y individuals accounted for 40 percent of the South African population, with black Generation Y individuals making up 84 percent of this generational cohort. In addition, the black Generation Y cohort of South Africa makes up approximately 33 percent of the whole population, resulting in a highly attractive market segment. Individuals attaining tertiary qualifications are of particular interest to marketers since they are likely to enjoy higher earnings and a higher social status, which together is likely to make them opinion leaders amongst their peers. The primary objective of this study was to investigate black Generation Y students‟ environmental concern, attitudes towards green advertising and environmental behaviour within the South African context. The target population of the study was defined as full-time black Generation Y students, aged between 18-24 years, enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame comprised the 23 registered South African public HEIs. Using a judgement sampling method, this was narrowed down to four HEIs located in the Gauteng Province - two of which are country-based and two of which are city-based. For this study, a convenience sample of 400 full-time black Generation Y students who were enrolled at these four South African HEIs during 2012 was drawn. The relevant primary data was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. Lecturers at each of the four HEIs were contacted and requested to distribute the questionnaire to their students either during class or after class. The self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to these lecturers. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a five-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items designed to measure their environmental concerns, their attitudes towards green advertising as well as their current environmental behaviour patterns. In addition, the students were asked to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that South African black Generation Y students are environmentally concerned, have a positive attitude towards green advertising and report behaving in a pro-environmental manner. Previous research found gender to be a significant factor in displaying concerns for the environment. However, this study determined that gender played no significant role towards the black South African Generation Y cohort environmental concerns and attitudes. Similarly, the study found no significant difference between black Generation Y students who were based at city HEIs and black Generation Y students who were based at countryside HEIs. Insights gained from this study will help both marketing academics and practitioners understand current black Generation Y consumer attitudes towards environmental concerns, green advertising attitudes and the significance of their pro-environmental behaviour. / Thesis (MCom (Marketing management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Green marketing is, in a sense, an oxymoron in that it merges the seemingly contradictory concepts of marketing, which focuses on facilitating and encouraging consumption, and environmental concern, which focuses on environmental conservation. Green advertising represents an important marketing tool for communicating an organisation’s green image and is the driving force behind fostering environmental awareness and environmentally friendly behaviour. As with any type of advertising, an important determinant of the success of green advertising is consumers‟ attitudes towards green advertising and corresponding environmental concerns and behaviour. The last decade has shown a staggering number of marketers targeting the green segment of the population with green advertising, with increasing green advertisements manufacturers are informing their customers about the pro-environmental characteristics of their products and services. Green advertising is an essential tool in an organisation’s overall environmental marketing strategy; one which possibly leads to achieving superior performance and assists in creating a sustainable competitive edge. An in-depth understanding of the relevant consumer behavioural aspects of a target market is tantamount to formulating successful marketing strategies. This holds true with the formulating of green marketing advertising strategies, which aim at encouraging consumption in an environmentally sustainable manner. There is a dearth of published literature on the South African Generation Y‟s consumer behaviour in general and none that specifically focuses on the environmental concern, attitudes towards green advertising and environmental behaviour of the significantly sized black Generation Y cohort. The Generation Y cohort is defined as individuals born between 1986 and 2005. In terms of South Africa, Generation Y individuals accounted for 40 percent of the South African population, with black Generation Y individuals making up 84 percent of this generational cohort. In addition, the black Generation Y cohort of South Africa makes up approximately 33 percent of the whole population, resulting in a highly attractive market segment. Individuals attaining tertiary qualifications are of particular interest to marketers since they are likely to enjoy higher earnings and a higher social status, which together is likely to make them opinion leaders amongst their peers. The primary objective of this study was to investigate black Generation Y students‟ environmental concern, attitudes towards green advertising and environmental behaviour within the South African context. The target population of the study was defined as full-time black Generation Y students, aged between 18-24 years, enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame comprised the 23 registered South African public HEIs. Using a judgement sampling method, this was narrowed down to four HEIs located in the Gauteng Province - two of which are country-based and two of which are city-based. For this study, a convenience sample of 400 full-time black Generation Y students who were enrolled at these four South African HEIs during 2012 was drawn. The relevant primary data was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. Lecturers at each of the four HEIs were contacted and requested to distribute the questionnaire to their students either during class or after class. The self-administered questionnaire was hand delivered to these lecturers. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a five-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items designed to measure their environmental concerns, their attitudes towards green advertising as well as their current environmental behaviour patterns. In addition, the students were asked to provide certain demographic data. The findings of this study indicate that South African black Generation Y students are environmentally concerned, have a positive attitude towards green advertising and report behaving in a pro-environmental manner. Previous research found gender to be a significant factor in displaying concerns for the environment. However, this study determined that gender played no significant role towards the black South African Generation Y cohort environmental concerns and attitudes. Similarly, the study found no significant difference between black Generation Y students who were based at city HEIs and black Generation Y students who were based at countryside HEIs. Insights gained from this study will help both marketing academics and practitioners understand current black Generation Y consumer attitudes towards environmental concerns, green advertising attitudes and the significance of their pro-environmental behaviour. / Thesis (MCom (Marketing management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Opinion leadership and opinion seeking are central constructs in academic studies of new product innovations. Fashion opinion leaders as those individuals who accelerate the fashion maturity process by legitimising a fashionable trend and influence other consumers to adopt the new innovative style as a replacement for the current accepted one. Consumers who accept information and adopt new style innovations are called opinion seekers and are important to the diffusion of new fashions because they may act on the information they receive from the opinion leaders. In South Africa, the fashion industry, which consists of a combination of the manufacturing, retail, media and recruitment sectors, generates billions of South African rands per annum, and is the fifth largest employment sector in the country. In fact, the fashion and textile industry in South Africa employed approximately 143 000 people in March of 2005, and contributed 12 percent to total manufacturing employment. Post 1994, it was evident that the fashion industry in South Africa underwent a metamorphosis from a protected market where domestic manufacturers dominated to a market that increasingly faced competition from international sources. During the first decade of democracy, the country joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and opened its creative market to international trade. This saw the industry generate sales of R34 billion, of which 9.4 percent was from clothing sales, and with only 18.7 percent of textiles output being exported. This suggests that the South African retailing industry yields substantial value chain power. There appears to be few published research studies focusing on fashion opinion leadership and opinion seeking amongst the black Generation Y students in South Africa. Owing to the importance of the fashion industry sector, together with the ethnic and cultural diversity of Abstract South Africa, the size of the black Generation Y cohort, and the higher social standing and future earning potential of those with a tertiary qualification, it is important to explore black Generation Y students’ fashion opinion leadership/seeking and fashion involvement. In South Africa, the Generation Y cohort is the first generation to grow up in an era of freedom and constantly changing technology – two forces that serve to broaden the divergence between this fascinating generation and previous generations. In 2013, the Generation Y individuals accounted for an estimated 38 percent of the South African population, and members of the black Generation Y accounted for 83 percent of the country’s Generation Y cohort. The primary objective of this study was to investigate fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst South African black Generation Y students. The target population for this study were male and female black undergraduate and postgraduate students, aged between 18 and 24, and enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame for this study constituted the 23 South African registered public HEIs that existed in 2013. This sampling frame was narrowed down using judgement sampling to two HEI campuses in the Gauteng province – one from a traditional university and one from a university of technology. The Gauteng province was selected over other provinces in the country because it contained the highest percentage of the 23 public HEIs. A self-administered questionnaire was designed based on the scales used in previous studies. Lecturers at each of the two campuses selected to form part of the sample were contacted and asked if they would allow the questionnaire to be administered on their students during lectures. Once permission had been gained, the questionnaires were distributed to students during the scheduled lectures. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items designed to measure their fashion clothing involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking. In addition, the students were asked to provide certain demographic data. Abstract The findings of this study provide valuable insights into fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst black Generation Y students in South Africa. Findings from this study show that there is a significant relationship between fashion product involvement, fashion purchase involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking amongst black Generation Y students, and that females have a significantly higher level of fashion product involvement compared to males. Insights gained from this study will help fashion marketing better understand this cohort’s involvement in fashion, which, in turn, should help them tailor their marketing efforts in such a way as to appeal to this segment in an improved manner. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Green marketing is now recognised amongst academics as a reputable area of study and conventional marketing has taken a step back as green marketing comes into prominence in the fight against unsustainability. A number of organisations are using green marketing as a tool to differentiate their market offerings from those of their competitors in an effort to gain a strong position in today’s markets. These organisations are seeking to exploit consumers‟ growing environmental concerns and increasing green purchase intentions in order to acquire market share in the newly developed green consumer markets. The Generation Y cohort, born between 1986 and 2005, are the most technologically astute generation to date. When segmenting the Generation Y cohort, the black Africans hold the majority share, comprising 84 percent of the Generation Y cohort and approximately 32 percent of the entire South African population. Owing to its sheer size, the black Generation Y cohort presents as an attractive and lucrative market segment, especially those who hold a tertiary education. Individuals who pursue a higher education are linked to higher future earning potential. The primary objective of this study was to propose and empirically test a model of the antecedents of black Generation Y students‟ green purchase behaviour within the South African context. The proposed model suggests that environmental knowledge, subjective norms, and perceived behaviour control have a direct positive influence on environmental attitude, which, in turn, has a direct positive influence on green purchase intentions. Moreover, the model infers that green purchase intensions have a direct positive influence on environmental purchase behaviour, while accounting for the mediating effects of perceived price (price) and perceived quality (quality). The sampling frame for the study comprised the 25 public registered HEIs situated in South Africa. From this initial list of 25 registered institutions, a judgement sample of four institutions in the Gauteng province was chosen, of which two included country-based universities and two city-based universities. Of the four universities, two were traditional universities, one a university of technology and one comprehensive university. Lecturers at each of the four campuses were contacted and asked if they would act as gatekeepers to the student participants. A convenience sample of 500 students across these four campuses was taken in 2014. Of the questionnaires completed, 332 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modelling and independent sample t-tests. The findings of this study indicate that South African black Generation Y students are knowledgeable about the environment, consider the opinions of their peers regarding the environment, perceive their actions as having a positive effect on the environment and display strong pro-environmental attitudes towards the environment. Moreover, they display positive intentions to purchase green products and aim to behave in a pro-environmental manner. The influence of green purchase intentions on green purchase behaviour is partially mediated by the perceived price and quality of green products. This may explain the noticeable gap between environmental awareness and lack of actual green product purchases. Environmental knowledge and perceived behaviour control had a significant direct effect on black Generation Y students‟ environmental attitude, which, in turn, has a significant direct influence on black Generation Y students‟ green purchase intentions. Similarly, subjective norms and environmental knowledge had a significant direct effect on green purchase intentions. This study contributes to developing the green consumer profile of the black Generation Y consumer in South Africa. Furthermore, the study will aid in identifying the green consumer behaviour patterns amongst the South African youth. This study offers a conceptual model that illustrates the antecedents of black Generation Y students‟ green purchasing behaviour. The findings of this study will be helpful to national and international marketers seeking to profile and target the lucrative green market segment in South Africa. / PhD (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015

Opinion leadership and opinion seeking are central constructs in academic studies of new product innovations. Fashion opinion leaders as those individuals who accelerate the fashion maturity process by legitimising a fashionable trend and influence other consumers to adopt the new innovative style as a replacement for the current accepted one. Consumers who accept information and adopt new style innovations are called opinion seekers and are important to the diffusion of new fashions because they may act on the information they receive from the opinion leaders. In South Africa, the fashion industry, which consists of a combination of the manufacturing, retail, media and recruitment sectors, generates billions of South African rands per annum, and is the fifth largest employment sector in the country. In fact, the fashion and textile industry in South Africa employed approximately 143 000 people in March of 2005, and contributed 12 percent to total manufacturing employment. Post 1994, it was evident that the fashion industry in South Africa underwent a metamorphosis from a protected market where domestic manufacturers dominated to a market that increasingly faced competition from international sources. During the first decade of democracy, the country joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and opened its creative market to international trade. This saw the industry generate sales of R34 billion, of which 9.4 percent was from clothing sales, and with only 18.7 percent of textiles output being exported. This suggests that the South African retailing industry yields substantial value chain power. There appears to be few published research studies focusing on fashion opinion leadership and opinion seeking amongst the black Generation Y students in South Africa. Owing to the importance of the fashion industry sector, together with the ethnic and cultural diversity of Abstract South Africa, the size of the black Generation Y cohort, and the higher social standing and future earning potential of those with a tertiary qualification, it is important to explore black Generation Y students’ fashion opinion leadership/seeking and fashion involvement. In South Africa, the Generation Y cohort is the first generation to grow up in an era of freedom and constantly changing technology – two forces that serve to broaden the divergence between this fascinating generation and previous generations. In 2013, the Generation Y individuals accounted for an estimated 38 percent of the South African population, and members of the black Generation Y accounted for 83 percent of the country’s Generation Y cohort. The primary objective of this study was to investigate fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst South African black Generation Y students. The target population for this study were male and female black undergraduate and postgraduate students, aged between 18 and 24, and enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame for this study constituted the 23 South African registered public HEIs that existed in 2013. This sampling frame was narrowed down using judgement sampling to two HEI campuses in the Gauteng province – one from a traditional university and one from a university of technology. The Gauteng province was selected over other provinces in the country because it contained the highest percentage of the 23 public HEIs. A self-administered questionnaire was designed based on the scales used in previous studies. Lecturers at each of the two campuses selected to form part of the sample were contacted and asked if they would allow the questionnaire to be administered on their students during lectures. Once permission had been gained, the questionnaires were distributed to students during the scheduled lectures. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items designed to measure their fashion clothing involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking. In addition, the students were asked to provide certain demographic data. Abstract The findings of this study provide valuable insights into fashion clothing involvement, fashion purchase decision involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking behaviour amongst black Generation Y students in South Africa. Findings from this study show that there is a significant relationship between fashion product involvement, fashion purchase involvement, fashion opinion leadership and fashion opinion seeking amongst black Generation Y students, and that females have a significantly higher level of fashion product involvement compared to males. Insights gained from this study will help fashion marketing better understand this cohort’s involvement in fashion, which, in turn, should help them tailor their marketing efforts in such a way as to appeal to this segment in an improved manner. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Green marketing is now recognised amongst academics as a reputable area of study and conventional marketing has taken a step back as green marketing comes into prominence in the fight against unsustainability. A number of organisations are using green marketing as a tool to differentiate their market offerings from those of their competitors in an effort to gain a strong position in today’s markets. These organisations are seeking to exploit consumers‟ growing environmental concerns and increasing green purchase intentions in order to acquire market share in the newly developed green consumer markets. The Generation Y cohort, born between 1986 and 2005, are the most technologically astute generation to date. When segmenting the Generation Y cohort, the black Africans hold the majority share, comprising 84 percent of the Generation Y cohort and approximately 32 percent of the entire South African population. Owing to its sheer size, the black Generation Y cohort presents as an attractive and lucrative market segment, especially those who hold a tertiary education. Individuals who pursue a higher education are linked to higher future earning potential. The primary objective of this study was to propose and empirically test a model of the antecedents of black Generation Y students‟ green purchase behaviour within the South African context. The proposed model suggests that environmental knowledge, subjective norms, and perceived behaviour control have a direct positive influence on environmental attitude, which, in turn, has a direct positive influence on green purchase intentions. Moreover, the model infers that green purchase intensions have a direct positive influence on environmental purchase behaviour, while accounting for the mediating effects of perceived price (price) and perceived quality (quality). The sampling frame for the study comprised the 25 public registered HEIs situated in South Africa. From this initial list of 25 registered institutions, a judgement sample of four institutions in the Gauteng province was chosen, of which two included country-based universities and two city-based universities. Of the four universities, two were traditional universities, one a university of technology and one comprehensive university. Lecturers at each of the four campuses were contacted and asked if they would act as gatekeepers to the student participants. A convenience sample of 500 students across these four campuses was taken in 2014. Of the questionnaires completed, 332 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modelling and independent sample t-tests. The findings of this study indicate that South African black Generation Y students are knowledgeable about the environment, consider the opinions of their peers regarding the environment, perceive their actions as having a positive effect on the environment and display strong pro-environmental attitudes towards the environment. Moreover, they display positive intentions to purchase green products and aim to behave in a pro-environmental manner. The influence of green purchase intentions on green purchase behaviour is partially mediated by the perceived price and quality of green products. This may explain the noticeable gap between environmental awareness and lack of actual green product purchases. Environmental knowledge and perceived behaviour control had a significant direct effect on black Generation Y students‟ environmental attitude, which, in turn, has a significant direct influence on black Generation Y students‟ green purchase intentions. Similarly, subjective norms and environmental knowledge had a significant direct effect on green purchase intentions. This study contributes to developing the green consumer profile of the black Generation Y consumer in South Africa. Furthermore, the study will aid in identifying the green consumer behaviour patterns amongst the South African youth. This study offers a conceptual model that illustrates the antecedents of black Generation Y students‟ green purchasing behaviour. The findings of this study will be helpful to national and international marketers seeking to profile and target the lucrative green market segment in South Africa. / PhD (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015

The use of celebrity endorsers is a popular marketing strategy in many countries. Typically, many marketers believe that using celebrities is a viable marketing strategy for attracting customers, increasing market share and improving sales for their market offerings. The celebrity endorsement strategy using local celebrities is increasing in South Africa. Many South African marketers are now using popular local black celebrities in an attempt to attract the prosperous black emerging middle class, known as Black Diamonds. Black Generation Y students offer great promise to marketers in the South African market as their tertiary education is likely to lead to higher future earning potential and subsequent entry into the already prosperous black emerging middle class segment. Given the increased use of local black celebrities and the market potential of the black Generation Y cohort in South Africa, it is important to investigate whether this marketing strategy may be effective when used in this segment. Celebrity endorsement may work effectively if the correct celebrity is chosen to promote a product but may have costly results if an inappropriate celebrity is chosen. Ohanian (1990) developed a scale to facilitate the selection of celebrity endorsers. The scale is based on the source credibility model that includes the source attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise model. This study set out to determine whether the black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of local black celebrity endorsers using the celebrity endorsers‟ credibility scale developed by Ohanian (1990). Furthermore, the scale was validated using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling in order to ascertain whether the scale remains applicable when used in the South African context. A non-probability convenience sample of 880 (440 per institution) black students aged between 18 and 24 years was taken in 2012 from the two registered public higher education institutions in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Following a top-of-the-mind-awareness test, four local black celebrities were identified, namely Connie Ferguson, Black Coffee, DJ Sbu and Zahara. In a second top-of-the-mind-awareness test to determine which product types each celebrity is considered to most suitable to endorse, Connie Ferguson was linked to cosmetics, Black Coffee to hot beverages, DJ Sbu to men’s clothing and Zahara to traditional African clothes and jewellery. The relevant primary data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that had four versions – one per identified celebrity. Lecturers at the two public HEIs were contacted and asked if they would distribute the questionnaires (four versions) to their students to complete during lecture periods. The questionnaires were hand delivered to the relevant lecturers and those completed were immediately collected. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their perceptions of the four selected celebrities‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, respondents were asked to provide certain demographic data. Findings from the study indicated that black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of the selected local black celebrity endorsers‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, the results of both the confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling suggest that the scale developed by Ohanian (1990) to be a valid measure for selecting celebrity endorsers when applied in South Africa. Insights gained from this study will assist both marketing academics and practitioners understand the perceptions of the black Generation Y students towards the use of local black celebrities in product promotions in the South African market. / MCom, Marketing Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The effective and efficient management of personal finances is critical for everyone, particularly in a world where uncertainties prevail. Owing to continuous change, new financial challenges frequently confront individuals that culminate ultimately in uncertainties concerning individuals’ financial position and future. Having low levels of debt, an active savings and retirement plan, as well as following an expenditure plan, will lead to financial wellness, which demonstrates an active state of financial wealth. A comprehensive financial plan makes individuals attentive when dealing with financial issues, and acts as a guide when making financial decisions. Owing to insufficient financial literacy and skills, personal financial management is challenging and often results in erroneous financial decisions. Financial knowledge forms the basis for financial skills and competence, which are influenced by personal attitudes in both spending and saving. Therefore, in order to plan effectively, and control and manage financial risks and opportunities in the future, financial skills and abilities are essential. Adequate financial knowledge and skills lead to effective personal financial management and sound financial decisions in the short-term as well as in the long-term. Planning for financial independence should start as early as possible during the financial life cycle, usually at 18 years of age. Students are a rewarding market for financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, pension funds and brokerage companies, potentially leading the way forward to establish brand-loyalty throughout adulthood. However, the lack of financial management and planning experience, as well as financial literacy and financial skills, make students particularly susceptible to the aggressive marketing tactics of financial institutions, which may be harmful to students’ financial freedom. As such, financial institutions and professionals have to gauge effective ways to convey financial knowledge and product information to a target market to deliver improved financial service as well as understand the relevant consumer behavioural aspects of a target market when developing marketing strategies. Published literature on the South African Generation Y consumer behaviour is limited and none that is focused specifically on attitudes towards personal financial planning, financial literacy and perceived personal financial management skills of the significantly sized black Generation Y cohort. This cohort is defined as individuals born between 1986 and 2005. In South Africa, Generation Y individuals accounted for 38 present of the South African population, with the black Generation Y individuals representing 83 present of this generational cohort. Additionally, the black Generation Y cohort of South Africa account for approximately 32 present of the total population, resulting in a highly salient market segment. Of particular interest to marketers and professionals, including financial institutions and those involved in financial management, especially financial planning, are those individuals attaining tertiary qualifications, and as such they are likely to enjoy higher earnings and a higher social standing, which together is likely to make them opinion leaders and trendsetters amongst their peers. The primary objective of this study was to investigate black Generation Y students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards personal financial management within the South African context. The target population, relevant to this study, was defined as full-time undergraduate black Generation Y students, aged between 18 and 24 years, enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). From the sampling frame, comprising 23 registered South African public HEIs, one traditional university and one university of technology located in the Gauteng province, were selected using a judgement sampling method. A convenience sample of 400 full-time black Generation Y students, who were enrolled at these two South African HEIs during 2013, was drawn for this study. To conduct this study, a structured format was applied where lecturers of the applicable classes were contacted and permission was requested to carry out the survey. Thereafter, during the scheduled class times of the full-time undergraduate students, hand delivered self-administered questionnaires were distributed for completion, which were collected thereafter. The students’ attitudes towards personal financial planning were measured on a six-point Likert scale, whereby participants were requested to indicate the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items pertaining to personal financial planning. The students’ financial literacy was measured, using multiple-choice questions, whereby the students were asked to choose one of the four alternatives provided. The students’ perceived personal financial management skills were measured on a six-point Likert scale, whereby the participants were requested to indicate the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items pertaining to personal financial management skills. Additionally, certain demographical data were requested from the participants. The findings of this study indicate that South African black Generation Y students exhibit a positive attitude towards personal financial planning, have low levels of financial literacy and perceive themselves as being equipped with having the necessary personal financial management skills. More specifically, students’ attitudes towards estate planning were ranked the highest, whereas attitudes towards the financial planning process were raked the lowest. In terms of financial literacy, students scored the highest in general financial knowledge and the lowest in spending related financial literacy questions. Students’ perceptions towards decision-making skills were rated the highest, whereas stress management skills were rated the lowest. Insights gained from this study will help academics, government, financial institutions and other economic role players understand current black Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards personal financial planning, their level of financial literacy and their perceived personal financial management skills. / MCom (Business Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

The use of celebrity endorsers is a popular marketing strategy in many countries. Typically, many marketers believe that using celebrities is a viable marketing strategy for attracting customers, increasing market share and improving sales for their market offerings. The celebrity endorsement strategy using local celebrities is increasing in South Africa. Many South African marketers are now using popular local black celebrities in an attempt to attract the prosperous black emerging middle class, known as Black Diamonds. Black Generation Y students offer great promise to marketers in the South African market as their tertiary education is likely to lead to higher future earning potential and subsequent entry into the already prosperous black emerging middle class segment. Given the increased use of local black celebrities and the market potential of the black Generation Y cohort in South Africa, it is important to investigate whether this marketing strategy may be effective when used in this segment. Celebrity endorsement may work effectively if the correct celebrity is chosen to promote a product but may have costly results if an inappropriate celebrity is chosen. Ohanian (1990) developed a scale to facilitate the selection of celebrity endorsers. The scale is based on the source credibility model that includes the source attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise model. This study set out to determine whether the black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of local black celebrity endorsers using the celebrity endorsers‟ credibility scale developed by Ohanian (1990). Furthermore, the scale was validated using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling in order to ascertain whether the scale remains applicable when used in the South African context. A non-probability convenience sample of 880 (440 per institution) black students aged between 18 and 24 years was taken in 2012 from the two registered public higher education institutions in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Following a top-of-the-mind-awareness test, four local black celebrities were identified, namely Connie Ferguson, Black Coffee, DJ Sbu and Zahara. In a second top-of-the-mind-awareness test to determine which product types each celebrity is considered to most suitable to endorse, Connie Ferguson was linked to cosmetics, Black Coffee to hot beverages, DJ Sbu to men’s clothing and Zahara to traditional African clothes and jewellery. The relevant primary data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that had four versions – one per identified celebrity. Lecturers at the two public HEIs were contacted and asked if they would distribute the questionnaires (four versions) to their students to complete during lecture periods. The questionnaires were hand delivered to the relevant lecturers and those completed were immediately collected. The questionnaire requested respondents to indicate on a six-point Likert scale their perceptions of the four selected celebrities‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, respondents were asked to provide certain demographic data. Findings from the study indicated that black Generation Y students have positive perceptions of the selected local black celebrity endorsers‟ attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise in endorsing their selected product types. In addition, the results of both the confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling suggest that the scale developed by Ohanian (1990) to be a valid measure for selecting celebrity endorsers when applied in South Africa. Insights gained from this study will assist both marketing academics and practitioners understand the perceptions of the black Generation Y students towards the use of local black celebrities in product promotions in the South African market. / MCom, Marketing Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The effective and efficient management of personal finances is critical for everyone, particularly in a world where uncertainties prevail. Owing to continuous change, new financial challenges frequently confront individuals that culminate ultimately in uncertainties concerning individuals’ financial position and future. Having low levels of debt, an active savings and retirement plan, as well as following an expenditure plan, will lead to financial wellness, which demonstrates an active state of financial wealth. A comprehensive financial plan makes individuals attentive when dealing with financial issues, and acts as a guide when making financial decisions. Owing to insufficient financial literacy and skills, personal financial management is challenging and often results in erroneous financial decisions. Financial knowledge forms the basis for financial skills and competence, which are influenced by personal attitudes in both spending and saving. Therefore, in order to plan effectively, and control and manage financial risks and opportunities in the future, financial skills and abilities are essential. Adequate financial knowledge and skills lead to effective personal financial management and sound financial decisions in the short-term as well as in the long-term. Planning for financial independence should start as early as possible during the financial life cycle, usually at 18 years of age. Students are a rewarding market for financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, pension funds and brokerage companies, potentially leading the way forward to establish brand-loyalty throughout adulthood. However, the lack of financial management and planning experience, as well as financial literacy and financial skills, make students particularly susceptible to the aggressive marketing tactics of financial institutions, which may be harmful to students’ financial freedom. As such, financial institutions and professionals have to gauge effective ways to convey financial knowledge and product information to a target market to deliver improved financial service as well as understand the relevant consumer behavioural aspects of a target market when developing marketing strategies. Published literature on the South African Generation Y consumer behaviour is limited and none that is focused specifically on attitudes towards personal financial planning, financial literacy and perceived personal financial management skills of the significantly sized black Generation Y cohort. This cohort is defined as individuals born between 1986 and 2005. In South Africa, Generation Y individuals accounted for 38 present of the South African population, with the black Generation Y individuals representing 83 present of this generational cohort. Additionally, the black Generation Y cohort of South Africa account for approximately 32 present of the total population, resulting in a highly salient market segment. Of particular interest to marketers and professionals, including financial institutions and those involved in financial management, especially financial planning, are those individuals attaining tertiary qualifications, and as such they are likely to enjoy higher earnings and a higher social standing, which together is likely to make them opinion leaders and trendsetters amongst their peers. The primary objective of this study was to investigate black Generation Y students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards personal financial management within the South African context. The target population, relevant to this study, was defined as full-time undergraduate black Generation Y students, aged between 18 and 24 years, enrolled at South African registered public higher education institutions (HEIs). From the sampling frame, comprising 23 registered South African public HEIs, one traditional university and one university of technology located in the Gauteng province, were selected using a judgement sampling method. A convenience sample of 400 full-time black Generation Y students, who were enrolled at these two South African HEIs during 2013, was drawn for this study. To conduct this study, a structured format was applied where lecturers of the applicable classes were contacted and permission was requested to carry out the survey. Thereafter, during the scheduled class times of the full-time undergraduate students, hand delivered self-administered questionnaires were distributed for completion, which were collected thereafter. The students’ attitudes towards personal financial planning were measured on a six-point Likert scale, whereby participants were requested to indicate the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items pertaining to personal financial planning. The students’ financial literacy was measured, using multiple-choice questions, whereby the students were asked to choose one of the four alternatives provided. The students’ perceived personal financial management skills were measured on a six-point Likert scale, whereby the participants were requested to indicate the extent of their agreement/disagreement with items pertaining to personal financial management skills. Additionally, certain demographical data were requested from the participants. The findings of this study indicate that South African black Generation Y students exhibit a positive attitude towards personal financial planning, have low levels of financial literacy and perceive themselves as being equipped with having the necessary personal financial management skills. More specifically, students’ attitudes towards estate planning were ranked the highest, whereas attitudes towards the financial planning process were raked the lowest. In terms of financial literacy, students scored the highest in general financial knowledge and the lowest in spending related financial literacy questions. Students’ perceptions towards decision-making skills were rated the highest, whereas stress management skills were rated the lowest. Insights gained from this study will help academics, government, financial institutions and other economic role players understand current black Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards personal financial planning, their level of financial literacy and their perceived personal financial management skills. / MCom (Business Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014