A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in the field of Strategic Marketing, Johannesburg 2019 / There is increased usage of self-service technology in efforts to deliver superior service quality in business schools. This transition from face-to-face interaction has led to both satisfaction and dissatisfaction with service quality delivered. This study sought to ascertain the impact self-service technologies have on the perception of service quality (Servqual) dimensions of reliability, tangibility, assurance, responsiveness and empathy. A survey research instrument based on an adapted Servqual questionnaire that was self-administered was employed. Convenience sampling was utilised on the Wits Business School campus, with 210 students’ views captured. Then, the data was analysed using GAP analysis and descriptive statistics extrapolated from the data. The results of the study indicate that a transition to self-service portals does not lead to customers having a positive view of all the service quality dimensions as most customers were neutral in their perceptions. Students, therefore, need to have both self-service technologies and walk-in centres for face-to-face interaction. The study contributes to the ever-increasing knowledge on the usage of self-service technology in higher education in emerging markets. While there are significant shifts towards usage of the portals in business schools, there is a need to control the pace of change and avoid drastic adoption without other options as it may not lead to positive customer perceptions. The study recommends that transition not be drastic, that focus be on user-friendliness of the portals, that there be increased use of interactive technologies such as chatbots to increase responsiveness as well as a provision of people to engage with when there is need for escalation of issues aiding service recovery. / XL2019

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Brands, compnsing goods and services, serve to differentiate them from those of competitors. These have now proliferated to such an extent that it is difficult for brand owners to reach consumers and make their brands stand out. Brand loyalty has become one of the most frequently studied aspects of the purchasing process. It is thus defined through its measurements as the repeated purchase behaviour of one brand vis-á-vis other brands in the same category. The definition assumes a choice between two or more brands on the shelf. The objective of this project was to establish the presence of a direct relationship between brand loyalty and brand choice (or the lack thereof), in the emerging black markets of South Africa. The issue at hand is what happens in the absence of choice, i.e. the situation where there is only one brand per category. The second aspect to this is how do you measure brand loyalty in the absence of competition. The, outcome of the study clearly states that the choice that consumers are faced with in a particular market, lacks the dictionary meaning, In the absence of other brands in the same stable, loyalty has been found to exist because of the following: Brand being the first to market. Brand's superiority in terms of delivering on its promise, The presence of a strong advertising and promotions team to demonstrate its quality. Disposable incomes that are low and as such consumers' unwillingness to try other unknown brands, The lack of choice was described as a hostage situation, As long as the brand continues to deliver on quality, consumer choice will be deliberate and biased towards one brand. One very interesting other aspect to loyalty was that once it exists; it gets passed from one generation to the next. It becomes a family tradition, / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Handelsmerke onderskei produkte en dienste van hul mededingers. Die getal handelsmerke het nou tot so 'n mate toegeneem dat handelsmerkeienaars dit moeilik vind om verbruikers te bereik en hul handelsmerke duidelik van ander te onderskei. Handelsmerklojaliteit is een van die aspekte van die koopproses wat die meeste bestudeer word. Op grond van metingsprosedures word dit gedefinieer as 'herhaalde koopgedrag wat een handelsmerk bo ander handelsmerke in dieselfde kategorie bevoordeel'. Hierdie definisie veronderstel 'n keuse tussen twee of meer handelsmerke op dieselfde rak. Die doel van hierdie projek is om die direkte verwantskap tussen handelsmerklojaliteit en - keuse (of die gebrek daaraan) in die opkomende swart markte van Suid-Afrika te bepaal. Die eerste aspek van die ondersoek handel oor wat gebeur as verbruikers geen keuse het nie, m.a.w. as daar net een handelsmerk per kategorie op die rak is. Die tweede aspek handel oor die meting; van handelsmerklojaliteit as daar geen kompetisie van ander handelsmerke is nie. Die gevolgtrekkings van die studie illustreer duidelik dat die keuse wat verbruikers in 'n bepaalde mark het, nie aan 'n woordeboekdefinisie voldoen nie. Daar is ook bevind dat wanneer verbruikers nie 'n keuse van meer as een handelsmerk het nie, lojaliteit wel ontwikkel, om die volgende redes: Die handelsmerk was die eerste een wat in die mark beskikbaar was. Die betrokke handelsmerk doen sy beloftes beter gestand as ander handelsmerke. 'n Sterk advertensie- en promosiespan is teenwoordig om die kwaliteit van die handelsmerk te demonstreer. Die lae besteebare inkomste van verbruikers maak hulle onwillig om ander, onbekende handelsmerke te beproef Die gebrek aan keuse word beskryf as 'n "gyselaar"-situasie. Solank die handelsmerk aan die gehaltevereistes voldoen, sal verbruikers se keuse doelgerig daardie handelsmerk bevoordeel. Een van die interessantste aspekte van lojaliteit wat vorendag gekom het, is die volgende: as lojaliteit eers gevestig is, word dit van een generasie na die volgende oorgedra. So word dit dan 'n familietradisie.

D.Com. / When low cost carriers are introduced into domestic or regional scheduled air transport markets, the effects tend to be profound. In most markets where they have been introduced, lower prices have tended to lead to the stimulation of demand. As the scope of the market increases, so too does the number of entrants in the market, resulting not only in higher levels of competition but also lower prices and services. The success of the low cost model is indicated by the uptake in the air transport markets, where low cost carriers sometimes account for as much as 50% of the total air traffic movements. The presence of the low cost carriers is not necessarily a guarantee of success and the market failure rates tend to be high...

A DISSERTATION Submitted in full fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF COMMERCE (Marketing) at the UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND 2016 / In the retail sphere of coffee shops, the increase in competition has led retailers to revert to alternative methods of capturing the attention of customers. By means of multi-sensory branding, retailers aim to stimulate consumers‟ emotions towards a brand, which ultimately influences buying behaviour. Although the success of multi-sensory branding is still relatively low, there seems to be an increased awareness of involving the five senses into the retail sphere. Its successful implementation can help marketers benefit financially through increased sales, profits and market share. The purpose of the present study is therefore to fill this void by exploring the effect of multi-sensory branding on purchase intention at coffee shops in Johannesburg. For the purpose of this study, the five senses (sight, touch, taste, smell and sound) are the predictor variables, with customer satisfaction as the mediating variable, and purchase intention as the outcome variable. Despite a number of studies that have been conducted in this field, little research has focused on the South African coffee shop industry, which is gaining increased attraction from global investors. This study follows a quantitative approach in which 400 surveys were distributed among male and female students at University of the Witwatersrand to explore the influence of multi-sensory branding on purchase intention at coffee shops. Although the findings indicate that all six proposed hypotheses are supported, the strongest relationships were found to be between customer satisfaction and sound, taste, and smell respectively. Thus indicating that sound, taste and smell have the most significant influence on customer satisfaction. Likewise, customer satisfaction has a significant influence on purchase intention. The contribution of this paper is firstly, to expand the contextual knowledge multi-sensory branding and its factors that are used to influence consumer purchase intentions. Secondly, it will add to existing literature on multi-sensory branding. Theoretically, it also contributes to the consumer behaviour literature in marketing and retail branding. Lastly, the investigation completed on the influences of purchase intentions, provides marketing practitioners with a proper understanding of techniques and strategies that can be employed to influence buying behaviour through manipulation of multiple sensory cues. / MT2017

A Research Report Submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Witwatersrand University School of Economics and Business Sciences, In partial fulfilment of the requirements of a Master Degree in Marketing, May 2017 / The consumer market of Smart wearable technology has shown a massive growth, therefore convincing that Smart wearable technology will be the next great thing, with market analysts forecasting its market to be worth over $30 billion by 2020. However this belief is mainly driven by major new technology manufacturers to produce Smart wearable devices that commoditise cellphones, tablets, and portable computers to influence consumer purchase intention. Consumers purchase intention is crucial for every business survival, therefore cannot be overemphasised. With the increasing number of Smart wearable technology brands on the electronics market, South African consumers have to make a choice on which brands to purchase. This study examines the factors influencing the purchase intention of Smart wearable technology in South Africa, with a special focus on product quality, design, price, and consumer attitude. From the academic side, the study makes a significant contribution by exploring the impact of product price and consumer attitude on consumer purchase intention. As a result, manufacturers in the wearable technology industry may apply this study information to develop proper strategies that will help influence more people to purchase wearable devices and ensure Smart wearable technology market growth. The study data were collected through the aid of a self-administered hardcopy questionnaire, which was circulated by the researcher in the University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg. The research findings show that both consumer attitude and product price have a significant positive effect on the intention to purchase Smart wearable devices. Nevertheless, to be more precise, the effect of consumer’s attitude on purchase intention goes through the positive effect of a product design on consumer’s attitude. Both product quality and price are found to extend the effect of positivity of consumer’s attitude toward the product or brand, and the price tag of the product. These scenarios are fully supported in hypotheses one, two, and three. Although both quality and design positively influence product price, Product design is found to have an enlarging effect on product price. Generally, it can be stated that the design of a product successfully influence the price set for product. / XL2018

This dissertation is part of requirement for the completion of the Master of Commerce in Marketing within the School of Economic and Business Science, January 2017 / The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that influence young consumer’s acceptance of electronic cars in South Africa. A modified technology acceptance model was adopted in order to develop the research conceptual model that was used to test hypothesised relationships. The research examined the effect that perceived usefulness has on perceived trust and value. Further the relationship that potentially existed between perceived value and trust was also assessed. Lastly the effect of perceived trust, value and risk on the intention to potentially use electric cars was examined. The study was quantitative in nature whereby 380 surveys were self-administered to willing participants selected through probability sampling at the University of the Witwatersrand. To analyse research data structural equation modeling approach was adopted whereby AMOS 23 and SPSS 23 were utilised. A key finding of the study revealed that the perceived usefulness of electric cars was positively related to its perceived value and perceived trust. However it was important to note that the influence that the perceived usefulness had on perceived value was significantly greatly than that of perceived trust. The main implication of this finding was that potential customers of electric car were of the notion that if they were to purchase the vehicle it would be based more on the potential value and less on their trust. The overall finding of the study was that all proposed hypotheses were supported whereby it was clearly indicated that the youths sample had favourable attitudes towards the use of electric cars. This TAM was indeed a model that could be used to predict users’ acceptance of a new technology. The chief contribution of this study was introducing a unique approach through a modified TAM to assess youth’s potential acceptance of electronic cars. / XL2018

A research report submitted to Wits Business School, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing November 2015 / Building, maintaining and measuring consumption frequency over a specific period of time has become the primary driver of success for nonalcoholic beverage organisations; however, there is limited research on youth consumption frequency within South Africa. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study aimed to investigate the impact of brand association, flavour variety, peer influence and perceived value on consumption frequency intention in the sparkling soft drink (SSD) category amongst youth in South Africa. A quantitative research design was followed and data collected from 300 research participants aged between 16 and 24 years in Soweto, Gauteng Province in South Africa. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 22 and AMOS 21 statistical packages for structural equation modelling. All four hypotheses are supported, with results indicating a positive relationship between brand association, flavour variety, peer influence, perceived value and consumption frequency intention. Peer influence and perceived value have a significantly stronger influence on consumption frequency intention. The results also indicate that flavour variety “ambiguous SSD flavour names” scored higher amongst 16 to 18 years olds. Ambiguous flavour naming strategies have proven to be successful in other beverage categories. Quantity-frequency (QF), a consumption frequency measurement instrument has been used, with consumption skewed towards “sharing” with friends or family. This study contributes significant new knowledge to the existing body of marketing literature in Africa and consumer behaviour in emerging markets. This study has implications for practitioners, academicians and public policy makers. / MT2017

Research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Commerce in Development Theory and Policy at The University of the Witwatersrand 2016 / This study investigates the nature of labelling and regulation in South African free-range dairy production. It aims to reveal the complexities of designing and implementing regulation on process characteristics and policy’s failure to address the heterogeneous needs of consumers and producers. In parallel, the tensions that arise in the policy-production interaction are considered. This research addresses a gap in the theoretical and industry literature regarding understanding and explaining labelling, certification and regulation of credence attributes, such as animal welfare, within food systems. It provides interesting and important insight into regulation’s role in developing alternative production structures and niche markets as a response to variety in consumers’ needs and tastes. It is therefore relevant more broadly for understanding drivers for and governance of other niche production structures such as organic, fair-trade and religious or cultural influences. / MT2017

Thesis (Msc Food Sc (Food Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The aim of this research project was to determine the preference of pear appearance and taste among South African pear consumers using descriptive sensory analysis, consumer preference and physical maturity measurements. The preference of external pear appearance among European consumers was also established. The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, South Africa, aims to breed new cultivars with a local as well as export market potential. They are focused on a range of blushed cultivars from early to late season which do not loose their skin colour. Important eating quality characteristics they are focused on are high sugar content (sweet taste) and a strong pear flavour. Both research studies performed on local South African consumers showed that these objectives align very well with consumer preference. Lightly coloured blushed pears were preferred and important sensory attributes were pear flavour, sweet taste, melt character, juiciness and a soft texture. Sour taste, astringency, mealiness and grittiness were negative attributes. The appearance preference conducted on European consumers determined that these consumers prefer a bright yellow or green colour with a light red or pink blush. Shape played a role and a typical pear shape was preferred. The outcomes of the research performed on local South African consumers were compared to results found internationally. The findings were consistent with important sensory attributes being pear flavour, sweetness and juiciness and yellow or green colours preferred or a light blush was also acceptable. Age and gender did not seem to play a role in the preference analyses. Therefore, preference studies can be conducted locally on new cultivars for the export market. Blushed cultivars are prone to red colour loss in high temperature conditions. Breeding of selections (e.g. ‘Cheeky’) that accumulate more red pigment and are therefore less prone to colour loss has been done to try to overcome this problem. However, these selections are redder and darker in colour and have a lower preference among consumers. A possible solution to this could be to breed light blushed pears (e.g. Rosemarie) but to market the cultivar, as is the case with Cripp’s Pink apples, with separate trademark names for fruit with adequate and inadequate blush development. Thereby, the producers will still receive compensation for their produce if the colour is lost but if not, a higher premium will be received.

Writers as diverse as Oscar Wilde (1915), Matthew Arnold (1960), Erich Fromm (1997) and a proliferation of contemporary self-help gurus, variously assert that it is preferable for people to focus on “being”, or to value “who you are”, instead of emphasising “having” or the material possessions you have acquired. These discourses assert that individuals content with “being” are happier and more fulfilled than those involved in the constant (and alienating) motion of acquiring material goods as representations of themselves (de Botton, 2004; Fromm, 1997; James, 2007). This thesis provides an in-depth critical exploration of one of these ideal “ways of being”: authenticity. It does not seek to discover what authenticity is in an empirical sense, nor to define what it should be in a normative sense, but to map the cultural work done by changing and often contradictory discourses of personal authenticity. More specifically, this study uses a qualitative research design, social constructionist theoretical framework, and discourse analytic method to critically discuss the discursive constructions of subject authenticity in South African brand culture. The sample consisted of (1.) ten marketing campaigns of several large, mainstream brands, which were popular in South Africa from 2015 to 2017, and (2.) fifteen smaller South African “craft” brands popular in the “artisanal” context. The analysis is presented in two distinct, but interrelated, sections (namely, Selling Stories and Crafting Authenticity), where the relevant discourses of authenticity for each data set are explored in depth. Through this analysis the thesis provides a critical discussion of the ways in which these discourses of authenticity work to produce and maintain, (or challenge and subvert), subject positions, ideologies, and power relations that structure contemporary South African society.