Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)
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Item Consumer perceptions of green products, purchasing behaviour and loyalty(2018-06-14) Chikosha, Felix; Potwana, NobubeleGreen products have gained prominence on the market largely due to their perceived benefits of environmental sustainability. In view of the growth in influence of green products, the objectives of the study were to determine the impact of product quality on purchase intention for green products; ascertain the influence of environmental concerns on purchase intention for green products; establish the influence of situations affecting green product purchase on purchase intentions for green products; establish the impact of preference for green products on purchase intention and to assess the impact of purchase intention on re-purchase intention of green products. To establish these facts the study adopted a quantitative methodology, which made use of a self- reporting questionnaire which was administered to consumer households as the target population. For the suburban areas and locations, simple random sampling was done by arbitrarily picking out a number from the housing list secured from the Municipality. In the city center, convenience sampling was done by arbitrarily approaching consumers buying in shopping malls. The 497 responses received were accepted as the sample size of this study. Data collected was captured and analysed on Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) v22.0 and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) v 24.0 to yield descriptive and inferential statistics. Structural Equation Modelling was then used to provide estimates of the strength of all the hypothesised relationships. The key findings of the study were that green purchase intention was significantly and positively influenced by product quality, environmental concern, preference for green products, environmental responsibility and selection attributes, but not by situations affecting purchase behaviour. Purchase intention has a strong correlation with re- purchase intention. The implications of the findings to marketers are that they need to formulate and implement green marketing strategies to improve consumer perceptions of green products. It is also suggested that marketers drop deceptive marketing practices that cause consumers to be skeptical about green products. Future research may need to be directed at green marketing practices to see what business is doing to enhance the adoption of green products by consumers.Item Co-branding through soccer in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa(2018) Ndlovu, Mduduzi Victor Mphathi; Govender, Jeevarathnam Parthasarathy; Penceliah, SoobramoneyThe issues of branding, co-branding and sponsorship are critical aspects of marketing management studies. The fundamental problem surrounding co-branding and sponsorship in soccer is that professional soccer clubs hold a short-term view to relations with sponsors, whereas sponsors themselves hold a long term view to co-branding. The study explores the applications of co- branding through soccer in KwaZulu-Natal, more specifically, whether parties to sponsorship agreements appreciate the magnitude of investment in marketing where co-branding is pursued with an intention of enhancing the image of both the sponsor and the club. A qualitative research approach was used in the study as it is often conventional for studies of this nature. Soccer fans were interviewed through focus group sessions whilst club officials, sponsorship officials, and professional soccer players were personally interviewed. Similarly, NVivo as a qualitative data analysis tool was used. It emerged that players did not appreciate the link between their performance and the image of the sponsor. Again, soccer clubs as well sponsors did not rigorously evaluate the impact of sponsorship and that soccer clubs and sponsors did not internalize the objectives of co-branding in terms of its mutual benefit. This is an important highlight on the findings for professional management of soccer clubs to enhance co-branding related issues. As a critical contribution to understanding negotiating and concluding sponsorship agreements, a framework has been proposed that will guide executive managers of both soccer clubs and sponsorship organizations in managing sponsorship programmes.Item Factors affecting brand loyalty of cellular network provider brands in South Africa(2018) Ramlall, Karishma; Meintjes, CorneBrand loyalty is the relationship customers have with the service provider from the usage of a cellular network provider’s brand. There are many factors affecting brand loyalty of cellular network provider brands in South Africa. Brand loyalty is an effective tool in that it makes customers become emotionally attached to the brands they purchase. Thus, there is a need to explore the factors which affect brand loyalty of cellular network provider’s brands. Cellular phones have become a basic communication aspect in both developed and developing countries. In South Africa, cellular phones at present are estimated to have about forty million sim cards in distribution and ninety percent individual users. Therefore, this study, seeks to reveal the factors that influence cellular network provider brand loyalty. The aim of this study was to determine factors affecting brand loyalty of cellular network provider brands in South Africa. A quantitative, non-probability research approach was employed and convenience sampling was used to identify and select study participants consisting of three hundred and ninety-four (394) participants. From a literature study, it was determined that brand elements, identity, image, awareness, the information advertised on online media, reputation, customer needs, satisfaction and customer expectations influenced brand loyalty of cellular network provider’s brands. Based on the findings, it was revealed there is a significant relationship between these factors affecting brand loyalty. Various recommendations are suggested and implications outlined to cellular network providers. The main elements which need attention is customer expectations and customer needs. The findings indicated that cellular network providers need to increase their network providers brand recall and develop marketing strategies to ensure customers can recognize cellular network brands amongst other network providers in the cellular network provider brand industry.Item The development of an internal brand strategy for a post-merged organisation(2004) Hartley, Philip David; Raap, Peter JohnThis thesis describes and analyses the integration process of mergers and acquisitions, which is often blamed for the failure of such undertakings. It explains the status quo for internal branding in general and in the environment of mergers and acquisitions. The two aspects are integrated in such a manner as to develop an internal brand strategy that resolves many of the common integration problems. Since the traditional focus on branding is on the external environment rather than the internal environment, the objective of this thesis is to emphasise the employee rather than the customer. As the writer believes that through the development of internal brand awareness and loyalty, the net effect is that the overall effectiveness of the entire merged organisation will increase exponentially. In this thesis, a meta-analysis approach is utilised to develop theory, thus this study is exclusively a qualitative styled study. The strategy developed in this thesis is not a once off fix, but is a continuous process that must be maintained and implemented by the management and shareholders of the organisation to ensure the success of the brand and the new merged organisation.Item An investigation into the residual effects of a change in sponsorship of a sports event on consumer perceptions of, and attitudes towards the original sponsor and the event itself(2007) Cochetel, FabriceThis study examined brand awareness after a change in sponsor and audience perceptions about the sponsors and the event before and after the change.