Thesis 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 Strategic Marketing March 2016 / The banking industry is adopting a holistic and customer centric approach in order to match the evolving customer banking preferences; this study has set out to examine Customer Equity as an antecedent of Perceived Brand Authenticity and Purchase Intentions amongst the South African youth in the banking sector using Social Exchange Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. An empirical model was conceptualised to examine the relationships between Customer Equity and Perceived Brand Authenticity on purchase intentions. Four research hypotheses were developed and a data set of 253 was collected from a sample of Witwatersrand students to empirically test these hypotheses using Structural Equation Modelling (Amos 22 and SPSS). The findings indicated that from the relationship between Customer Equity and Perceived Brand Authenticity, Value Equity and Brand Equity had a significant and positive effect, however Relationship Equity had no significant influence. The relationship between Perceived Brand Authenticity and Purchase Intentions had significant positive effects. The findings from this study provide useful contributions to practitioners measuring marketing efforts and maximising Customer Equity in the banking industry and builds on existing literature on the Customer Equity framework in the South African context. Recommendations are outlined and future research direction is suggested. / GR2018

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

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2016. / Resource selection by animals is a hierarchical process, reflecting the spatio-temporal heterogeneity in biotic and abiotic environmental conditions and resources. In savannah ecosystems, the availability and nutritional quality of forage resources across the seasonal cycle constitute two of the main drivers of feeding choices, seasonal movements, and, ultimately, population dynamics of large herbivores. As a consequence of the increasing insularisation of protected areas in southern Africa, the understanding of the ecological requirements of confined populations of nomadic ungulates constitutes a crucial issue for their management. The study aimed at determining the effects of forage quality and availability across the seasonal cycle on the home range occupation and resource selection by eland in an insular-like protected area, the Kgaswane Mountain Reserve (KMR) in South Africa. I focused on three spatio-temporal scales of selection: seasonal home range selection over the available landscape; habitat selection within the seasonal home range; and selection for plant species included in the diet. The main objectives at the scales of landscape and habitat selection were: 1) to determine the extent and location of the seasonal home ranges utilised by collared adult female eland in the KMR, in order to identify the seasonally favoured resource units within the available landscape; and 2) to determine the influence of environmental drivers, including the seasonal variation in forage quality and abundance, on resource selection by eland at the two different scales. Four adult female eland were fitted with GPS collars, over the course of two years. The extent and location of annual and seasonal home ranges were estimated using a-LoCoH. The influence of environmental factors, including vegetation-type, burnt areas, and NDVI, on landscape- and habitat-scale selection of used locations at peak feeding times over available scattered points was tested using mixed-effects logistic regression models. Despite the small size of the KMR, eland occupied spatially distinct dry and wet season ranges. The dry season ranges were smaller than their wet season counterparts, and During the dry season, seasonal ranges were small, and were located in moderate to very green (as indicated by NDVI values) woodland areas in respect to the available landscape. Eland selected for dry grassland, wet grassland, and open shrubland (associated with low NDVI levels) during the wet season, when they coalesced into a nursery herd and occupied a relatively large home range. The selective use of burnt areas over the available landscape units was mostly restricted to the wet season, after a green herbaceous flush had been prompted by rainfall events. Within the seasonal home ranges, eland preferentially foraged on burnt woodland and open shrubland, where re-growth of woody plants was also available. The study animals also selected for locations characterized by low vegetation greenness and biomass as a consequence of the concentration of foraging activities in open areas where low-lying browse was accessible. At the smallest scale considered for this study, the two main objectives were: 1) to determine the changes in the use of vegetation types and burnt areas during foraging activities between two different seasons; 2) to determine forage selection at the plant species scale, as influenced by the phenophase of grasses and browse. In March-April 2015 (wet-early dry transition season) and July-August 2015 (mid-dry season), feeding sites of eland were located through both VHF-tracking and scanning from vantage points. Characteristics of used feeding sites were only descriptively addressed, and included vegetation type, burning, canopy cover, and soil catenal position. The greenness and basal cover of plant species were also recorded. Availability, acceptance, and dietary contribution for each species were calculated for the two seasons, while the influence of phenological traits on plant species selection was investigated through mixed-effects logistic regression models. Woody plants were consumed in larger proportions than grasses and herbaceous forbs during the entire study period. Woody forbs and shrublets such as Lippia javanica and Athrixia elata were particularly favoured. Eland targeted species offering high proportions of green leaves. During the wet-early dry transition, the deciduous Vangueria parvifolia was particularly selected for, while the consumption of evergreen species, including Searsia lancea, increased during the dry season. Most of the observed grazing took place on flushing burns during the wet-early dry transition. The decline in grass consumption was paralleled by a considerably lowered use of the burns and of the dry grassland during the dry season, as also reflected by collars data. The results indicated that eland in the KMR adjusted their landscape and habitat selection in response to spatio-temporal variations in the availability and quality of food resources. During the wet season, flushing burns provided accessible green forage to nursery herds. Conversely, evergreen woody plants probably represented a crucial resource for eland during the limiting dry season, when herbaceous plants were mostly dormant and foliage on deciduous species was unavailable. Therefore, environmental heterogeneity at different spatial scales likely constitutes a key factor for the persistence of eland populations in small, fenced reserves. / LG2017

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 Strategic Marketing. / Globally there has been a decrease in fixed line telephones while Smartphone sales have been on the rise; the same trend has also been happening in South Africa. Due to this trend, Smartphone brands have been placing importance on the retention of existing customers, therefore focusing on repurchase intentions. The research investigates the relationship between experiential marketing (sense, feel, think, act and relate experience), customer satisfaction and the repurchase intentions of Smartphones amongst the youth market of South Africa. The paper reviews literature on experiential marketing, customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions, then tests six hypotheses which were proposed which led to the development of a research model. Non-probability sampling was used at The University of the Witwatersrand where the study was conducted amongst 223 youth aged 15 – 35 years. Structural equational modelling was used to analyse the data, using SPSS and Amos software. The results revealed sense experience has the most influence on the customer satisfaction of Smartphone brands which then leads to repurchase intentions. The findings are expected to add to literature on experiential marketing, customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions as well as provide practical implications. / GR2018

The standing debate regarding how preferences should be defined is still evident in research today. Are they invariant to current endowment as a neoclassical practitioner would proclaim, or reference dependent as a behavioural economist would state? This theoretical discrepancy, regarding how preferences should be defined, when agents are experienced at what they do is found by List (2003) to be non-existing. In recollection of this notation, this thesis investigates how professional agents adopt risk in reference to a point that a neoclassical practitioner would deem irrational. With data on professional golf players on the U.S professional golf tour during 2013-2018, I find evidence that players respond in terms of what risk they adapt to a normatively irrelevant reference point in accordance to what Prospect Theory would predict. Indicating that even experienced agents have reference dependent preference towards risk. To give what the data proclaim a causal interpretation I adopt a quasi-experimental regression kink design. My estimates indicate a causal kink at my artificial threshold but are proven fragile to bandwidth alterations. Even though a causal claim is questionable, a sensitivity analysis finds evidence that my artificial threshold drives the relationship. Supporting the viewpoint that preferences towards risk are reference dependent and that experience does not eradicate the difference between what we do and what we should do.

O presente estudo, realizado em escolas de Primeiro Grau do município de são Paulo, teve por objetivo investigar os motivos pelos quais os escolares assistem à televisão, suas preferências, tempo dispendido em assistir a seus programas, horário de maior audiência, quem costuma ligar o televisor nos programas a que o escolar assiste, liberdade e orientação dada pelos pais para assistir a estes programas e opinião do escolar sobre o caráter educativo dos programas. O trabalho compara também o tempo dispendido com a televisão e o tempo gasto em outras atividades. Os dados consideram as variáveis idade, sexo do escolar, bem como o nível sócio-econômico da família. Recomendações àqueles que pretendem utilizar a televisão como método de Educação em Saúde são apresentadas. / This paper reports a research carried out in Schools in São Paulo City with the objective to provide data on the factors motivating students to watch television programs, amount of time spent watching television, favorite programs and watching time. The study provides information on who usually turns the television on, permission and orientation given by parents to children concerning television programs and students\' opinion on their educational value. It compares time spent with television and other activities. Consideration was given to age and sex of children involved, as well as to the socioeconomic status of the family. The author makes recommendations to those who intend to utilize television as a method of Health Education.

O objetivo deste trabalho é estimar a distribuição conjunta do risco e da aversão ao risco no mercado de seguros de automóveis. Para tal, será utilizado o modelo estrutural proposto por Cohen e Einav (2007), que permite identificar esta distribuição à partir das coberturas escolhidas pelos segurados e dos sinistros declarados. Na metodologia empírica, utilizamos o método de Monte Carlo via Cadeias de Markov (MCMC). A base de dados utilizada se refere à apólices de seguros transacionadas na região metropolitana de São Paulo, apenas para a seguradora com maior participação neste mercado. Os resultados obtidos indicam que os coeficientes de aversão ao risco absoluto apresentam média baixa, mediana ainda menor e elevada heterogeneidade não observada. Observou-se também uma correlação negativa entre o risco e a aversão ao risco. / This study aims to estimate the distribution of risk aversion from the car insurance market. For this, the method proposed by Cohen e Einav (2007) model that allows unobserved risk is used. The data refer to the metropolitan area of São Paulo with an analysis restricted to only one insurer. The methodology will be the Gibbs sampling which enables increased data risk of latent variables and risk aversion. The results indicate a small mean level of absolute risk aversion and even lower median, featuring high dispersion coefficients.