The advent of shopping mall in the Soweto township has an impact on the small township businesses. The objective of this research was to explore the impact of Jabulani shopping mall on the spaza shops and general dealers and assess their responses to competitive pressures from large retailers in the shopping mall. 20 township small businesses (10 spaza shops and 10 general dealers) were interviewed face to face at their business premises. A semi-structured interview guideline was used. Each business provided data on all the questions. The data was then mapped to research questions. Various descriptive statistical techniques were used to collate and analyse the data. A model based, on the findings, was designed for the purpose of summarising the findings. The model (Figure 6) illustrates the key findings relating to the impact experienced by spaza shops and general dealers and their response to competition. The extent of involvement by each business type in competitive strategies is illustrated in the model. Although the model only highlights the key findings, this research identified other findings that improve the understanding of the responses undertaken by small township businesses to differentiate their value proposition from that of large retailers at the shopping malls. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Thesis (M.U.R.P. 1980) from the Department of Architecture, University of Adelaide.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the consumers' decision-making process in the selection of shopping centres. The South African society is undergoing a rapid transformation in its consumption patterns. The development and expansion of shopping centres means that consumers, in most cases, have an increasing choice of shopping destinations that meet their needs for goods, services and entertainment. The development and rapid expansion of planned shopping centres, often called Shopping Malls, has been one of the greatest retail revolutions in South Africa in the last twenty years. The competitive retail environment poses serious threats and opportunities for growth and profitability of shopping centres. The empirical research, which was conducted amongst shoppers at the various centres in the greater Durban area, confirms the significance of the various situational influences, which are the physical surroundings, the social surroundings, time, task definition and antecedent states as they impact on the shopping centres. The findings of this study reveal that stakeholders of shopping centres should go beyond the tactical aspects of shopping centre operations and adopt a strategic approach to business, in which customers' needs and competitors' actions are monitored in their quest to obtain preference vis a vis their competitors. The need to create and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage over other centres is at the heart of ensuring the continued viability of individual shopping centres. Against the urgent need to adopt a strategic approach to shopping centre development and management, recommendations are provided for developers and managers to acknowledge the impact of the dynamic aspect of the factors that influence the consumers' decision-making process and their implications for shopping centre development and promotion. This study is aimed at providing valuable information to a variety of stakeholders such as the tenants, property developers, investors, shopping centre managers, retailers and consumers at shopping centres as well as academics interested in consumer behaviour and the impact of shopping centres in South Africa. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.

The service sector in the world economy is growing and becomes increasingly important. It is widely recognised that the success and vitality of the service sector are the essential factors in measuring an economy’s progress, its quality and its future. Improving service quality is therefore considered an essential strategy for success and survival in today’s competitive economic environment. Small businesses are equally important for a country’s economy. They play an important role in the economic and social development of countries. The correct location for small businesses can contribute to their success and, many consider shopping centres as a good location for their businesses. The landlords however, have a huge impact on small business tenants’ success in shopping centres. Although landlords of shopping centres realise the importance of accommodating small independent businesses in their centres, it is argued that they are at a competitive disadvantage regarding the service they receive in comparison with that of bigger anchor tenants. There are several research studies on the measurement of service quality in several service sectors, but none has addressed the quality of service rendered by landlords of shopping centres to their small business tenants. The purpose of this study is to measure the perceived service quality that small business tenants in shopping centres receive from landlords. The study will also determine whether the existing SERVPERF and FAIRSERV service quality models will be suitable to measure the service quality that landlords render to small business tenants. The findings of the empirical study have revealed that small business tenants in shopping centres are in general dissatisfied with the service that they receive from their landlords. Factor analysis was done to determine the factors or dimensions of service quality that small business tenants deemed as important. From this study it became clear that small business tenants in shopping centres are concerned about mainly two aspects of the service they receive from landlords, namely intangible aspects as well as marketing and tangible aspects. This study has therefore proved that the five dimensions of SERVPERF and the one dimension of FAIRSERV cannot be applied directly to measure the perceived service quality that small business tenants receive from their landlords. The One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was also executed to illustrate statistical differences between various variables. The contribution of this study to the science, as well as its possible limitations and areas for future research, is also discussed. This study further shows that, although small business tenants are dissatisfied with the service they receive from landlords, they have indicated that they will stay on as tenants in the centres. The reason for this is that it is simply too expensive for them to move to another location and also because shopping centres are good locations for their businesses. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Business Management / unrestricted

The activity with which this thesis is concerned is that of retailing; the area of focus being the shopping centre. This environment is one which displays a complex set of spatial and human relationships involving amongst others location, size, rent structure, shopping mix, movement, fashion, socio-economic status, expenditure patterns and consumer behaviour. It can be demonstrated that if certain of these factors are left to respond to what is generally known as the "market mechanism", the resultant environment usually exhibits certain undesirable features such as congestion, pollution and commercial blight. The planner seeks, amongst other aims to create an environment which is optimal and balanced and which provides for human needs such as convenience and safety.

Thesis (M.Urban Design) / Cannot copy abstract

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1984.