This research formed part of a broader research project that explored respect in relationships between young female adults and older people (60+ years) in a South African context. Different themes emerged from this research such as the motivation younger people have for respecting older persons; as well as different forms of giving and receiving respect. This research will specifically focus on themes that emerged inductively about the relational context in which the experiences of respect were expressed and the challenges of respect in the interpersonal experiences. It has been recorded in literature on intergenerational relationships that respect is not only an essential element in these relationships but also that it contributes to constructive relationships. Most of the research about respect has been conducted in Asian and Western countries, while some research has also been done in Ghana, Africa. The above mentioned research findings identified specific behavioural forms of respect, and attitudes and/or emotions associated with respect. Furthermore it has been found that respect can either be earned or deserved, or not, depending on whether and to what extent the person concerned is considered to have met certain requirements. Little research has been done on how people, especially young female adults in South Africa, experience respect in intergenerational relationships. Experiences of respect between people from different generations always take place in an interpersonal context and therefore the Self-Interaction Group Theory (SIGT) was used to understand young female adults’ experiences of respect in relationships with older people. Following SIGT, for the purposes of this study respect is defined as the subjective experience of the relational interactions between people. The focus in this study falls on the experience of respect in relationships with older people from young female adults’ perspective. Traditionally female gender roles have been associated with care. However, these roles changed to more flexible gendered roles and today women are not able to adopt many different roles. The past generations’ women took care of their older parents, whereas in the present women also pursue careers and this may have an influence on their interactions with older people as they may not necessarily be able to take care of the older people anymore. The research project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the North-West University. A qualitative research method informed by an exploratory and descriptive approach was used in an attempt to describe the participants’ subjective experiences of respect in the relationships they have with older people. A purposive sample was used and 26 women (between 21 and 28 years old) who are post-graduate psychology university students in the North West, South Africa, participated in the study. The study used a homogenous group of participants in order to get a detailed picture of their experiences. Young adults are in a transitory phase of their lives and research indicated that it is important to investigate their attitudes towards older people because they are likely to form new values, because their lives and behaviours are more influenced by their peers and because they have less parental supervision. Data was collected in three data-gathering sessions over the period of three days. Textual and visual data was collected through the use of the Mmogo- method®, a projective visual research method which uses a focus group approach. The Mmogo- method® material consists of a lump of malleable clay, different sizes and colours of beads and dried grass stalks of different lengths. Participants are provided with the open-ended materials and based on an open-ended prompt, they are requested to create a visual representation, which in this research was: Please use the material provided and create anything that can tell us more about how you perceive respect in relation to a person, or persons older than 60 years of age. After the exercise participants were asked to explain what they have created. A collaborative effort of co-constructed meanings took place as the visual representation of each participant became the stimulus material for group discussions. The visual representations of participants were photographed and analysed using visual analysis, while the digital recordings of the individuals’ explanations of their visual representations as well as the group discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying four strategies, including: credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability of the research findings. The findings revealed that the relationship with older persons is subjectively described in terms of emotional or cognitive experiences and associated with specific relational contexts. In the familial and social context the experience of respect were linked with care and most of these relationships were described as affectionate/emotional. In the familial and social contexts, older persons were placed in a one-up position with the young adults, since the young adults want to obey and/or honour them. Some described the relationship as a relationship where they interacted as equals. In different contexts, work related, educational and familial, young adults expressed ambivalent emotions: some expressed admiration and love, while others expressed frustration and anger. In the work-related and educational relational contexts, the relationships were experienced as being formal and described in cognitive terms. In these relationships young adults expressed frustration and anger if their needs were not addressed based on how the relational context defined the relationship. For example in the educational contexts, the needs of the young adults were to get clarity on learning content, to receive support to reach their goals, and to reach emotional safety. Young female adults indicated that respect towards older persons is no longer based on the age of older persons. It rather depends on the reciprocal actions and reactions between young adults and older persons; and that it depends on how the relationship between the generational members develops over time, as well as the ability of generational members to bridge the distance between them and to adopt each other’s life worlds, whilst refraining from judgemental and stereotypical assessment of older persons. This study hence holds important implications for the creation of intergenerational programmes in order to enhance relationships between young adults and older people. A specific contribution of the findings is that when planning interventions intergenerational programmes should be designed to take into consideration the specific interpersonal context. Furthermore, the definitions of respect as held by both of the generational members should be considered in planning intergenerational interventions in specific interpersonal contexts. / MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Children’s rights to participate in decision-making in matters which impact them directly, is a topic leading to increased research since the 1990s. Today, most countries, including South Africa, have included the right of children to participate and to be heard, in their legislation. In reality, however, there is still a big gap in the implementation of children’s right to participation. Home schooling as an alternative to mainstream schooling has also gained momentum in South Africa with an estimated 50 000 – 75 000 children being home schooled. When children are home schooled, the families spend more time together than children who spend 6-8 hours per day attending a local school. Decisions with regard to curriculum, subjects and social interaction which would normally be the responsibility of the school, now become the responsibility of the parents. Children in the adolescent life phase have an increasing need to gain independence from their parents. In the home school context, the fact that the parents are also the teachers, could lead to increased frustration and conflict between adolescents and parents. In this context it would therefore be important that the adolescents should be allowed to participate in decisions pertaining to their schooling. This study focused on exploring adolescents’ participation in decision-making in the home schooling context. This research is important as little is known about the perceptions of adolescents and their parents about participation in the home schooling context. The research took place in the Western Cape. Eight families, which consisted of 21 participants, were involved in the study. Data saturation determined the sample size. The participants were selected from specific home schooling forums and had to reside in the Western Cape. Semi-structured interviews were held with all the participants and an interview guide was used for consistency. Different themes were identified by using thematic analysis. The study found that families have different views about the adolescents’ role in participation. It varied from adolescents who were allowed to initiate change to adolescents not allowed to participate in decisions at all. In the families where the adolescents were allowed limited or no participation in decision-making, the adolescents indicated that they understood that their parents had their best interest at heart, although they felt that they (the adolescents) would welcome a bigger say. It is recommended that home schooling families be made aware of the need of their adolescent children to be allowed to participate more in decision-making in the home schooling context on all levels, ranging from educational matters to social interaction. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

For many years the focus of research on child well-being and development has been primarily on the dynamics of the mother-child relationship. The mother was seen as the more influential parent as she spends more time with the children. The father’s role in the development process was thus undermined. Fortunately research on the father’s involvement in a child’s life has improved over the past thirty years. Where previously fathers were mostly perceived as the breadwinners and providers they are now also considered as being caregivers who are more closely involved with their children and the accompanying responsibilities. Research indicates the importance of a father’s role in child development and has found that the intellectual, emotional and social development of a child is influenced by the father. The most beneficial circumstances for children to grow up in is where both of the biological parents are part of the household, satisfied with their marital relationship and loving towards their children. Unfortunately there is a significant increase in South African families where the father is absent and where the mother is burdened with additional responsibilities. However, a father can be emotionally absent despite physical proximity and emotionally absent fathers can be included when describing fatherlessness due to the destructive effect it has on children. Some research indicates that a father is the most significant factor in his daughter’s life and the quality of their relationship influences her personality and general well-being in life. Most literature focusing on the paternal parenting role is more focused on the father-son dyad, the least studied parent-adult child dyad is that of adult daughters and fathers. A great number of research studies on the subjects of divorce, single parents, physically absent fathers and the resulting effects on males are available. Much less literature, especially in the South African context, can be found to focus on and explain the experiences of young adult women who grew up with an emotionally absent father. The aim of the study was thus to explore the subjective experiences of young adult women who grew up with an emotionally absent father. A qualitative research method was used with a phenomenological approach as research design. Eleven voluntary, 20-31 year old adult women, participated in the study and were recruited by word of mouth. Data were collected through in-depth interviews that were audio taped and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data were analysed by means of thematic analysis from which themes and sub-themes were derived. Two main themes with sub-themes were identified. It was found that the participants experienced their fathers as emotionally absent because it was difficult to share their emotions with them, the participants' fathers did not show affection or express their love. They showed no interest, approval or acknowledgement and the participants found it difficult to trust their fathers. According to the participants their relationships with other men were influenced because of this. They further struggled with trusting other people and suffered from a low self-esteem. Due to repressed emotions they did not portray their true self and sought their fathers’ approval by doing things he liked. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Competition in the smart phone market is fierce and despite the high market growth, smart phone manufacturers find it difficult to maintain their market share. Generation Y consumers generally have a good command of technology and engage in technology-related behaviour such as texting, tweeting and web-surfing. Therefore, when it comes to the adoption of smart phones applications, Generation Y is leading the way. For this reason, it is important to consider Generation Y consumers‟ attitudes and perceptions towards smart phone manufacturers and their brands. It has thus become critical for smart phone manufacturers to achieve customer satisfaction, generate loyalty, and build meaningful long-term relationships with Generation Y consumers. The primary objective of this study was to investigate customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and relationship intention amongst Generation Y consumers towards smart phone brands. The questionnaire was distributed by means of non-probability, convenience and quota sampling among 18 and 26 year old respondents living in Gauteng who owned or used a smart phone. In total, 395 respondents participated in the study. Based upon the literature review, a theoretical model was proposed that hypothesised the relationship between customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and relationship intention amongst Generation Y consumers with respect to their current smart phones. From the data analysis, it was evident that respondents exhibit a strong level of customer satisfaction, a mediocre level of brand loyalty, and a strong relationship intention towards their current smart phone brand. The results confirm that the measurement scales used to measure customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and the five dimensions of relationship intention all exhibit construct validity and internal consistency reliability. The study also uncovered significant differences between groups of Generation Y consumers in terms of gender, home language, education, employment status and time period of smart phone brand usage. The results of the structural equation modelling (SEM) technique used to test the theoretical model found that customer satisfaction exhibits a significant and large positive influence on brand loyalty, and a significant and medium positive influence on relationship intention. Furthermore, brand loyalty exhibits a significant medium positive influence on relationship intention. Finally, the dimensions of relationship intention exhibit significant medium to large effects on relationship intention. It is recommended that smart phone manufacturers should provide customers with a customer service application to measure customers‟ satisfaction in terms of their needs met. Smart phone manufacturers should also introduce new ways to communicate with Generation Y consumers to generate brand loyalty. Innovating ideas should be considered for smart phone manufacturers to retain Generation Y consumers. Brand loyalty can be improved by adding more applications according to Generation Y consumers‟ needs. The more a smart phone manufacturer focuses on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, the more consumers will want to build long-term relationships with their smart phone brands. Recommendations for future research include the possibility to investigate each construct separately to ensure a more detailed investigation. Different cultures and age groups, as well as geographical areas can be studied to broaden results on how different consumers of different generations exhibit customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and relationship intention towards their smart phones. Specific smart phone manufacturers could be investigated to obtain specific information on customer satisfaction, brand loyalty and relationship intention so as to formulate appropriate strategies on improving the constructs measured. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This research formed part of a broader research project that explored respect in relationships between young female adults and older people (60+ years) in a South African context. Different themes emerged from this research such as the motivation younger people have for respecting older persons; as well as different forms of giving and receiving respect. This research will specifically focus on themes that emerged inductively about the relational context in which the experiences of respect were expressed and the challenges of respect in the interpersonal experiences. It has been recorded in literature on intergenerational relationships that respect is not only an essential element in these relationships but also that it contributes to constructive relationships. Most of the research about respect has been conducted in Asian and Western countries, while some research has also been done in Ghana, Africa. The above mentioned research findings identified specific behavioural forms of respect, and attitudes and/or emotions associated with respect. Furthermore it has been found that respect can either be earned or deserved, or not, depending on whether and to what extent the person concerned is considered to have met certain requirements. Little research has been done on how people, especially young female adults in South Africa, experience respect in intergenerational relationships. Experiences of respect between people from different generations always take place in an interpersonal context and therefore the Self-Interaction Group Theory (SIGT) was used to understand young female adults’ experiences of respect in relationships with older people. Following SIGT, for the purposes of this study respect is defined as the subjective experience of the relational interactions between people. The focus in this study falls on the experience of respect in relationships with older people from young female adults’ perspective. Traditionally female gender roles have been associated with care. However, these roles changed to more flexible gendered roles and today women are not able to adopt many different roles. The past generations’ women took care of their older parents, whereas in the present women also pursue careers and this may have an influence on their interactions with older people as they may not necessarily be able to take care of the older people anymore. The research project was approved by the Ethics Committee of the North-West University. A qualitative research method informed by an exploratory and descriptive approach was used in an attempt to describe the participants’ subjective experiences of respect in the relationships they have with older people. A purposive sample was used and 26 women (between 21 and 28 years old) who are post-graduate psychology university students in the North West, South Africa, participated in the study. The study used a homogenous group of participants in order to get a detailed picture of their experiences. Young adults are in a transitory phase of their lives and research indicated that it is important to investigate their attitudes towards older people because they are likely to form new values, because their lives and behaviours are more influenced by their peers and because they have less parental supervision. Data was collected in three data-gathering sessions over the period of three days. Textual and visual data was collected through the use of the Mmogo- method®, a projective visual research method which uses a focus group approach. The Mmogo- method® material consists of a lump of malleable clay, different sizes and colours of beads and dried grass stalks of different lengths. Participants are provided with the open-ended materials and based on an open-ended prompt, they are requested to create a visual representation, which in this research was: Please use the material provided and create anything that can tell us more about how you perceive respect in relation to a person, or persons older than 60 years of age. After the exercise participants were asked to explain what they have created. A collaborative effort of co-constructed meanings took place as the visual representation of each participant became the stimulus material for group discussions. The visual representations of participants were photographed and analysed using visual analysis, while the digital recordings of the individuals’ explanations of their visual representations as well as the group discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured by applying four strategies, including: credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability of the research findings. The findings revealed that the relationship with older persons is subjectively described in terms of emotional or cognitive experiences and associated with specific relational contexts. In the familial and social context the experience of respect were linked with care and most of these relationships were described as affectionate/emotional. In the familial and social contexts, older persons were placed in a one-up position with the young adults, since the young adults want to obey and/or honour them. Some described the relationship as a relationship where they interacted as equals. In different contexts, work related, educational and familial, young adults expressed ambivalent emotions: some expressed admiration and love, while others expressed frustration and anger. In the work-related and educational relational contexts, the relationships were experienced as being formal and described in cognitive terms. In these relationships young adults expressed frustration and anger if their needs were not addressed based on how the relational context defined the relationship. For example in the educational contexts, the needs of the young adults were to get clarity on learning content, to receive support to reach their goals, and to reach emotional safety. Young female adults indicated that respect towards older persons is no longer based on the age of older persons. It rather depends on the reciprocal actions and reactions between young adults and older persons; and that it depends on how the relationship between the generational members develops over time, as well as the ability of generational members to bridge the distance between them and to adopt each other’s life worlds, whilst refraining from judgemental and stereotypical assessment of older persons. This study hence holds important implications for the creation of intergenerational programmes in order to enhance relationships between young adults and older people. A specific contribution of the findings is that when planning interventions intergenerational programmes should be designed to take into consideration the specific interpersonal context. Furthermore, the definitions of respect as held by both of the generational members should be considered in planning intergenerational interventions in specific interpersonal contexts. / MA (Research Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Children’s rights to participate in decision-making in matters which impact them directly, is a topic leading to increased research since the 1990s. Today, most countries, including South Africa, have included the right of children to participate and to be heard, in their legislation. In reality, however, there is still a big gap in the implementation of children’s right to participation. Home schooling as an alternative to mainstream schooling has also gained momentum in South Africa with an estimated 50 000 – 75 000 children being home schooled. When children are home schooled, the families spend more time together than children who spend 6-8 hours per day attending a local school. Decisions with regard to curriculum, subjects and social interaction which would normally be the responsibility of the school, now become the responsibility of the parents. Children in the adolescent life phase have an increasing need to gain independence from their parents. In the home school context, the fact that the parents are also the teachers, could lead to increased frustration and conflict between adolescents and parents. In this context it would therefore be important that the adolescents should be allowed to participate in decisions pertaining to their schooling. This study focused on exploring adolescents’ participation in decision-making in the home schooling context. This research is important as little is known about the perceptions of adolescents and their parents about participation in the home schooling context. The research took place in the Western Cape. Eight families, which consisted of 21 participants, were involved in the study. Data saturation determined the sample size. The participants were selected from specific home schooling forums and had to reside in the Western Cape. Semi-structured interviews were held with all the participants and an interview guide was used for consistency. Different themes were identified by using thematic analysis. The study found that families have different views about the adolescents’ role in participation. It varied from adolescents who were allowed to initiate change to adolescents not allowed to participate in decisions at all. In the families where the adolescents were allowed limited or no participation in decision-making, the adolescents indicated that they understood that their parents had their best interest at heart, although they felt that they (the adolescents) would welcome a bigger say. It is recommended that home schooling families be made aware of the need of their adolescent children to be allowed to participate more in decision-making in the home schooling context on all levels, ranging from educational matters to social interaction. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Integration of material composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties with geometry information enables many product development activities, including design, analysis, and manufacturing. To address such needs, models of material composition have been integrated into CAD systems, creating systems called heterogeneous CAD modeling. In order to support the heterogeneous CAD system, extensive process-structure-property relationships have to be captured and integrated into current CAD system. A new method for reverse engineering of materials will be presented such that microstructure models can be constructed and used in the heterogeneous CAD system. Reverse engineering of material consists of three parts: image analysis, structure-property-process relationship, and repository. In this research, an image processing method, which comprises the Radon transform and the wavelet transform, will be used in order to recognize geometric features from a microstructure image. Recognizing geometric features can be obtained by combinations of three techniques, masking, clustering, and high frequency component on wavelet transform, that are integrated with the Radon transform. Then, recognized geometric features can be used to construct an explicit geometric model of microstructure. The proposed work will provide an explicit mathematical method to recognize and to quantify microstructure features from an image. In addition, explicit geometric models of microstructure can be automatically constructed and utilized to get effective mechanical properties, establishing structure-property relationship of the material. In order to demonstrate this, polymer nano-composite sample and metal alloy sample will be used.

For many years the focus of research on child well-being and development has been primarily on the dynamics of the mother-child relationship. The mother was seen as the more influential parent as she spends more time with the children. The father’s role in the development process was thus undermined. Fortunately research on the father’s involvement in a child’s life has improved over the past thirty years. Where previously fathers were mostly perceived as the breadwinners and providers they are now also considered as being caregivers who are more closely involved with their children and the accompanying responsibilities. Research indicates the importance of a father’s role in child development and has found that the intellectual, emotional and social development of a child is influenced by the father. The most beneficial circumstances for children to grow up in is where both of the biological parents are part of the household, satisfied with their marital relationship and loving towards their children. Unfortunately there is a significant increase in South African families where the father is absent and where the mother is burdened with additional responsibilities. However, a father can be emotionally absent despite physical proximity and emotionally absent fathers can be included when describing fatherlessness due to the destructive effect it has on children. Some research indicates that a father is the most significant factor in his daughter’s life and the quality of their relationship influences her personality and general well-being in life. Most literature focusing on the paternal parenting role is more focused on the father-son dyad, the least studied parent-adult child dyad is that of adult daughters and fathers. A great number of research studies on the subjects of divorce, single parents, physically absent fathers and the resulting effects on males are available. Much less literature, especially in the South African context, can be found to focus on and explain the experiences of young adult women who grew up with an emotionally absent father. The aim of the study was thus to explore the subjective experiences of young adult women who grew up with an emotionally absent father. A qualitative research method was used with a phenomenological approach as research design. Eleven voluntary, 20-31 year old adult women, participated in the study and were recruited by word of mouth. Data were collected through in-depth interviews that were audio taped and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data were analysed by means of thematic analysis from which themes and sub-themes were derived. Two main themes with sub-themes were identified. It was found that the participants experienced their fathers as emotionally absent because it was difficult to share their emotions with them, the participants' fathers did not show affection or express their love. They showed no interest, approval or acknowledgement and the participants found it difficult to trust their fathers. According to the participants their relationships with other men were influenced because of this. They further struggled with trusting other people and suffered from a low self-esteem. Due to repressed emotions they did not portray their true self and sought their fathers’ approval by doing things he liked. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Customer relationship management (CRM) as an academic subject and a business tool is as relevant today as ever before. As part of the CRM model banks have implemented the concept of relationship banking. The retail banking industry has been troubled with the issue of customer loyalty as both personal and commercial customers have shown the tendency to utilise different products and services from different banks or financial institutions. The problem seems to be Customer Loyalty (or is it?), which as a field of research has been exploited in recent years. The aim of the research report will be to contribute to the existing research on Customer Loyalty and the effects of Relationship Banking (as part of a CRM model) thereon. / Relationship banking, as exemplified by retail banks, is a valuable enabling strategy that promotes competitiveness and provides sustainable success. The utilisation of relationship banking as a business strategy to increase customer retention, create customer loyalty and ultimately increase long-term profits is a relative young tactic, originating in the 1980s and gathering pace during the 1990s. The correct application of relationship banking could impact on the bottomline of banks favourably. Hence the positioning of this research to investigate the effect of the relationship banking offering on customer loyalty, and its use in realising customer loyalty and long-term value from relationship banking initiatives. The retail banking industry in South Africa is a complex and very competitive environment, which is dominated by the big four banks (ABSA, First National Bank, Nedbank, and Standard Bank). It is a business imperative for the management of the banks to ensure that they establish, develop and improve relationships with their most important asset, their customers. Operating in such a dynamic environment requires of banks to fully understand all the factors of relationship banking that affect their success and market share. What is the impact of relationship banking on customer loyalty, and what are the possible results that can flow from a close relationship between bank and customer? The main research hypothesis states that business customers who receive the relationship banking offering from their retail bankers are more loyal towards their bank than those business customers who do not receive the relationship banking offering. With this in mind the research seeks to clarify specific primary objectives based on the hypothesis: • To investigate the impact that relationship banking has on the loyalty of business banking customers in the retail banks in South Africa. ii • To identify the critical factors of relationship banking that can influence customer loyalty. • To identify the benefits of relationship banking and customer loyalty. The research composed of a field study in the retail banking industry, with a sample of 80 business banking customers with a close business relationship with their banker or having a personal banker looking after the relationship, and 80 business customers without a close business relationship with their banker or no personal banker looking after their relationship. The survey focused on the attitude or perception of business customers based on relationship and loyalty dimensions. The research, in combination with the literature review provided valuable insight into the factors influencing relationship banking, its value as part of a retail business banking proposition, as well as the effect it has on customer loyalty. It also provided insight into the importance of customer loyalty and its impact on customer retention and long-term profitability. It is clear from the literature review and research that a relationship banking offering adds value with regard to customer retention and loyalty. The results and findings from the research and literature review represent a remarkable difference between the perceived levels of customer loyalty of the two groups. This is an indication that relationship banking affects customer loyalty positively. The critical factors of relationship banking that were found to influence customer loyalty included the value proposition, service and quality, employee competency (relationship banker), price, reward and recognition, and communication. The benefits of developing and building customer loyalty included: retention of customers and staff, customer satisfaction, trust, word of mouth referrals and growth, cost reduction, cross-sales, profitability (relationship lifetime value) and enhancing the bank’s competitive advantage. iii The researcher recommends that retail banks must continue to implement relationship banking offerings across all business customer segments. A possible consideration will be to divide the relationship banking offering on different levels: high-touch; medium-touch; and low-touch. These different value propositions should represent mutual (bank and customer) requirements and financial feasibility for banks. Banks must place customer-centricity at the core of their relationship banking strategy. To support the relationship strategies banks need to understand the behaviour of their customers and their buying habits. Market segmentation is a critical aspect of relationship marketing and the segmentation of business customers must be in line with the different levels of relationship offerings. Segmentation should also be in line with customer value or customer profitability, complexity of financial demands, annual turnover and industry. This segmentation will allow banks to provide the correct relationship banking offering to the right customer. To support the segmentation process banks need to be able to determine the individual customer profitability. Management information systems must be developed and used to determine the customer’s profitability. Once the segmentation has been concluded banks must implement and use applicable CRM strategies and CRM systems to complement the relationship banking offering. It’s about knowing their customers well enough to determine the kind of relationship they would like to have. Banks must also try to extend their CRM strategy across all customers. The support from top management and understanding of the relationship banking offering is critical as a lack of support can derail the success. The main recommendations for further study that transpired from the research included: • Research on the calculation of relationship life time value. iv • Research on a model for appropriate market segmentation of business banking customers in South Africa. • Research on the importance of reward and recognition strategies to valued customers, plus loyalty programmes. • Research on the key characteristics of relationship bankers.

This research project evaluates the dynamics of stakeholder interaction, the development and change of culture and its effects on strategic drift within Skynet, a South African courier company under investigation. The problem statement is: An evaluation of value creation in a South African managed courier company and the objectives are: To evaluate the dynamics of stakeholder interaction and its affects on value creation activities. To investigate how the development and change of culture and how it affects value creation. To determine the extent and effect of strategic drift and how this affects the value creation activities of the company.