Browsing by Author "Human, Gert"
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- ItemOpen AccessThe antecedents and consequences of brand equity in the South African running shoe market(2015) Bastian, Julia Christina Margit; Human, Gert; Beneke, JustinMarketers face the challenge with regard to the manner in which consumers perceive their brand. For the assessment of global brands in emerging markets, such as South Africa, progressive empirical research supports managerial approaches so consumer behaviour can be influenced and predicted in a precise way. Gaining insight into factors that increase a brand's equity, and, which allow marketers to reach their objective of creating a strong and valuable brand, is of utmost importance. Current literature has dealt with the subject of Brand Equity extensively (Branaghan & Hildebrand, 2011; Chang & Liu, 2009; Kapferer, 2012; Myers, 2003; Keller, 2013). Within the context of the South African running shoe market, this study empirically tested an integrated framework of the antecedents (Brand Personality, Brand Attitude, Brand Image) and the consequences (Brand Preference, Purchase Intention) of Brand Equity from a consumer's perspective. Moreover, the moderator Social Acceptance was added to investigate its interaction effect on the relationship between Brand Preference and Purchase Intention. The conceptual model was tested with a variance based partial least squares analysis (PLS--‐SEM), due to its complexity measuring multiple indicators simultaneously (Lowry & Gaskin, 2014; Malhotra, 2010). Data was collected from online questionnaires with the two brands, Nike and Asics, as stimuli. These sports brands were compared by means of their marketing strategies using a total sample size of n=315 respondents. The purpose was to reveal the influence each brand's personality had on the development of Brand Image and Brand Attitude. Besides assessing the antecedents of Brand Equity, the significant influence that each brand's equity had on Brand Preference and Purchase Intention was assessed, taking social circumstances into account (Chang & Liu, 2009). The statistical analysis of causal relations reflected that Brand Personality, Brand Image and the attitude towards the brand were antecedents of Brand Equity. The consumer's perception of the brand's value resulted in an increased probability of Purchase Intention due to his/her Brand Preference. Social Acceptance had a minimal effect at the final stage of brand choice. Derived from the results, this study's research should assist marketers with a number of implications to influence perceived value and increase Brand Preference. Meaningful marketing may add equity to brands and create loyal consumers through emotional attachment (Gilbreath, 2010). With the gained insight knowledge, predictive accuracy of consumer behaviour could be enhanced, with due regard to the influence of the individual's social environment.
- ItemOpen AccessCultural predictions of entrepreneurial orientation and the moderating role of entrepreneurial competencies on graduate entrepreneurial intentions: A cross-sectional survey of East Africa(2020) Katono, Isaac Wasswa; Priilaid, David; Human, GertThis research project examines a theoretical gap (impact of culture on entrepreneurial orientation EO) to try and mitigate a practical problem (unemployment) among graduates in three East African countries: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Unemployment would be mitigated if only graduates embraced entrepreneurship by starting their own business projects, and many governments have encouraged their youth/graduates to do this. Unfortunately, graduate student interest in entrepreneurial activities in many countries in Africa is very low, and the three study countries are no exception to this trend. While many explanations have been advanced for this phenomenon, a key theoretical gap left unattended in entrepreneurship research is the way in which culture impacts upon EO and how this affects entrepreneurial intention (EI), yet EO is often considered the most important variable in the formative stage of a given project. A close look at how culture influences EO is important because EO is unexplainable without considering the socio-cultural framework in which it is embedded, since it can be supportive or a hindrance to entrepreneurship in different contexts. Thus the key question which this study tries to address is: „Does culture constrain the development of a strong EO, eventually leading to low start-up in this region?‟ Specifically, can the low graduate start-up in these countries be explained by the impact of five cultural orientation dimensions (ambiguity intolerance, power distance, masculinity, independence and interdependence) and ability perception variables (achievement motivation and learning goal orientation LGO) on two variables of EO namely risk taking and proactiveness? How does gender affect these relationships? Besides gender, this study also sought to know the level of prevalence in the study population of three other important culturally influenced variables in entrepreneurship literature namely experience, fear of failure and modernity in order to throw more light on the study problem In particular, given that individuals with a modern outlook are somehow liberated from firm cultural norms, this study sought to establish whether students with a more modern outlook differ from those with a less modern one in terms of the study variables. Further, does optimism another important culturally inclined characteristic of entrepreneurs moderate the relationship between EO and entrepreneurial intention? Some authors argue, however, that culture does not matter; rather, what matters are the entrepreneurial competencies of an entrepreneur. Hence another major question addressed in the current study is to what extent do entrepreneurial competencies (such as knowledge/networks) moderate the relationship between EO and entrepreneurial intention? Using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), upper echelons theory and image theory, this study seeks to address these questions based on a pragmatic paradigm and thus a mixed methods approach in two phases. Phase one of the study was qualitative consisting of non- structured interviews and conversations with various stake holders and is the basis upon which the study instrument was refined. Phase two was quantitative, utilizing a cross-sectional survey research design based on a non random sampling to gather data from finalists in business faculties in three public and two private universities in the study countries (N=1086) during their classes. Data analysis consisted of three phases, comprising ten steps. Phase one was more of a preliminary analysis and consisted of five steps: Generation of descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, and normality tests in step 1, T-tests to gauge the prevalence of experience, fear of failure, and modernity as well as a MANOVA to gauge the prevalence of the cultural dimensions in each study country in step 2, Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) by Varimax/promax rotation to examine the factor structures of the study dimensions in step 3, followed by examination of validity (construct validity, discriminant validity) and reliability for all study instruments (alpha and composite reliability, CR) in Step 4, while step 5 confirmed the factor structure of the measures using confirmatory factor analysis CFA (Lisrel 8.8). The second phase utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) based on latent variables (using AMOS 23) to first estimate a CFA model, followed by a structural baseline model for all data combined (omnibus model) in step 6. This was followed by fitting the baseline model into each country data set in step 7. In step 8, data was divided by gender into male and female samples and by modernity into low and high modernity groups and the baseline model was fitted into each of these four data sets. This was followed by invariance tests between the gender sets and modernity sets as a basis for their meaningful comparison (step 9). The third phase utilized the process macro in SPSS (step 10) to conduct the moderation analysis. Study findings indicate that in all three countries, only 50% of the respondents had some sort of start-up experience. A third (31%) of the students in the three countries indicated that fear of failure would prevent them from starting a business, while the rest indicated that it would not. Further, students who do not regard fear of failure as a barrier to entrepreneurial activities scored significantly higher on proactiveness, knowledge, achievement motivation and modernity in all the three countries, while in at least two of these countries, these people scored significantly higher on risk taking, networking and learning goal orientation. This finding confirms that fear of failure is an important barrier to graduate entrepreneurship in this region. Turning to the structural models in SEM, findings indicate that the low start-up rate in these countries can be attributed to the negative impact of ambiguity intolerance (the most problematic variable), power distance, and lack of an optimistic bias as well as possible negative attitude towards those with an independent cultural orientation. However, Independence and Interdependence support EO, in agreement with researchers who assert that both cultural variables are good for entrepreneurship. Theoretically, the study makes an extension of the TPB since achievement motivation predicts intention in all study samples (apart from Kenya and Tanzania). In terms of gender, there are no significant differences on the reported levels of risk taking; however females score significantly higher on proactiveness. Further structural models indicate that males are more achievement oriented than females, while the low modernity group seems to be more entrepreneurial than the high modernity group. Lastly, networks and knowledge moderate the relationship between risk taking/proactiveness and intention, while optimism does not. The study calls for a revision of the curriculum to include tolerance for ambiguity, proactiveness and autonomy courses in entrepreneurship education as well as a change in the mode of delivery of this subject. A transformation in the education systems of the three countries is needed to produce critical thinkers and to introduce entrepreneurship early in the education system to make everyone appreciate entrepreneurship, thus nurturing an entrepreneurial culture.
- ItemOpen AccessEffects of content marketing on attitude formation in the South African energy drink market(2015) Hirschfelder, Benedikt; Human, GertThe rapid technological innovation of the last decade has altered the way people understand and communicate information. The internet specifically has made possible unprecedented access to information which has added another dimension to consumer and marketing practitioner behaviour. The most salient consequence of these developments in the marketing communication arena has been the transition from domination by the marketing practitioner to that of the consumer. More precisely, the huge product variety and the access to non-commercial information in terms of user-generated content gives the consumer incredible autonomy. Facing these circumstances, marketing practitioners are adjusting their strategies in producing informative or entertaining content to surround their product in order to impact the new complex, user-driven market. This specific type of content driven marketing is referred to as content marketing. While the idea of providing useful content around the product/brand is a well-known marketing strategy, consistent technological innovation enables marketers to approach the consumer in a different way. Encouraged by a proliferation of user-generated content, marketing practitioners have already embraced content marketing and established a considerable case series of effective examples. Nevertheless, a scholarly analysis of the impact of content marketing on attitude formation has not yet occurred. Thus the goal of this thesis is to unpack content marketing, and explore its impact on the consumer in order to locate content marketing within Integrated Marketing Communications. Specifically, this study investigates how consumers perceive the sponsor through content marketing, and if emotions triggered by this content influence consumer attitudes towards the sponsor. In order to substantiate the theoretical discourse with practical evidence, a video from the energy drink manufacturer Red Bull serves as a research object and real-world example. By demonstrating the particular strengths of the medium, this thesis aims to establish an academic foundation for the analysis of content marketing, and contribute to the content marketing renaissance.
- ItemOpen AccessThe influence of employee engagement on customer experience in business-to business relationships(2015) Hill, Michelle; Human, GertA customer's overall experience of interaction with a firm can be influenced by a variety of antecedents including employee behaviour, and can affect a variety of constructs including a customer's intention to remain loyal to a firm. The study contributes to the customer experience literature by constructing and empirically testing a theoretical model that integrates the construct of employee engagement as an influencing variable on customer experience in a business-to-business environment. Employee engagement is characterised by the level of engagement an employee depicts through attributes such as vigour, dedication and absorption. The study sampled 106 employee respondents and 1,216 customer respondents of a South African mining and construction firm. The combined dataset of both employee and customer responses was empirically tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. The research finds a relationship exists between employee engagement and customer experience of employee performance. Additionally, customer experience of employee performance was significantly statistically associated with overall customer experience, a construct focusing on customer experience comparative to competitors and alternate suppliers. The enhancement of understanding of the antecedents of employee engagement and the effect of customer experience on customer loyalty may assist in the development of interventions to address the gaps in the employee-customer encounter. The principle implication emanating from this study is that customer experience, as a construct, should not be ignored, as the inclusion of a customer experience construct may enhance and complement the prediction of customer behaviour, not only in a business-to-business environment. Establishing the positive and negative levels of the required competencies of employees assists in guiding the supervisory performance discussion, subsequent training suggestions and required on-the-ground coaching.
- ItemOpen AccessMarket orientation of frontline employees and its impact on service quality and productivity within the South African contact centre industry(2014) Van Pallander, Sharlene; Human, GertThe study of market orientation has received considerable attention in the marketing literature, and remains well debated. Despite numerous conceptualisations and approaches to understand the relationship between market orientation, service quality and productivity across diverse industries, few studies have considered it at individual level and within the South African contact centre industry. This study employs self reported data from frontline employees and their Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to empirically consider the notion that market orientation, service quality and productivity are related. A survey was used to collect data from 218 respondents and the hypothesised model was tested using Partial Least Squares (PLS) path analysis and Pearson correlation analyses. The results confirm significant and positive relationships between a number of market orientation components and those of service quality. Interestingly, a number of components of market orientation and service quality were found to be significantly correlated with only one of the productivity indicators - Average Handling Time. Counter to expectation, the components of service quality were not found to be negatively correlated with productivity. This finding contradicts the literature that argues that service quality and productivity are often in conflict, and highlights that the methods often employed to measure productivity in certain South African contact centres, do not correspond to service quality in the way that is commonly assumed.
- ItemOpen AccessRecruiting undergraduate students in South Africa - towards a relationship orientation(2006) Beneke, Justin Henley; Human, GertIncludes bibliographical references.
- ItemOpen AccessThe role of social media in HIV/AIDS communication: The relationship between perceived need and design utilities(2014) Robertson, Jeandri; Human, GertThis study aims to explore the role of social media in HIV/AIDS communication, by investigating the relationship between perceived need utilities of social media and the design utilities of the communication channel. Following the media richness theory (MRT) and channel expansion theory (CET), a model is proposed that suggests that need utilities drive social media utility. It is furthermore suggested that social media utility is positively associated with the design appropriateness of social media to create or consume HIV/AIDS content. The proposed model presents the interpersonal consumer expectations of message control, privacy, trust and endorsement as need utilities, while social media as a place to interact and a place to which to escape, are identified as social media utilities. As a high at-risk HIV- group, the research approach is outlined within the demographic segment of university students in the Western Cape, between the ages of 18 to 24 years. The constructs of social change (communication objective), social capital (product of communication) and social influence (targeted communication), are operationalised within a social media context to explore consumer motivations to interact or escape. The benefits and limitations of using social media for effective HIV/AIDS communication are also assessed, as these practically influence the perception of the role of a communication channel within a particular communication context. The research methodology firstly comprised of six qualitative focus group discussions, which assisted in the generation of the hypotheses and facilitated the formulation of the conceptual model. Secondly, data from 991 online surveys were analysed to quantitatively test the formulated hypotheses and gauge support for the proposed model. The results support the hypotheses and proposed model, by indicating that need utilities drive social media utility, which in turn drive design appropriateness. Furthermore, the results also reveal that the social media utility of being a place to interact is positively associated with the design appropriateness of social media for HIV/AIDS content creation and consumption. The perception of social media as a place to which to escape, however negatively affects the design appropriateness of social media for HIV/AIDS content creation and consumption. The study discusses the implications for health communication from an integrated marketing communications approach and puts forward recommendations for strategy development, as well as monitoring and evaluation. Lastly several recommendations are put forward for future research.
- ItemOpen AccessStudent recruitment marketing in South Africa - An exploratory study into the adoption of a relationship orientation(2010) Beneke, Justin; Human, GertChanges in the competitive environment, largely spurred by restrictions in government funding and an increase of educational service providers in the market, have forced higher education instructions to become more proactive in terms of student recruitment. In response, many institutions have turned to corporate principles to run their operation and to recruit their ‘customers’ (that is, the students themselves). This exploratory study serves to ascertain whether using a relationship marketing approach is conducive to the task of identifying, selecting and recruiting highly desirable students. In this respect, particular emphasis is placed on whether these individuals are actually interested in establishing a pre-application relationship with a selected number of institutions, as well as the benefits they hope to accrue from such relationships. A hypothesized framework is thereafter appended as a guide for initiating and developing relationships with prospective students. Key variables influencing the decision process were probed. The reputation of the institution was found to be the most important factor in a scholar’s decision of a place of further study, followed by geographic location and thereafter campus safety. However, these differed between ethnic groups. Scholars’ receptiveness to the prospect of entering into a pre-application relationship with a tertiary education institution was found to be favourable. A mere eight percent of respondents claimed that they didn’t wish to have a relationship with an institution prior to the applications period. The remainder wished to be associated with one or more institutions. It was concluded that on average, the more serious scholar is interested in relationships with two institutions. In this regard, the factors attracting scholars to such relationships were identified. The availability of financial aid was found to be the most prominent factor, followed by curriculum advice and reduced application fees. It was therefore concluded that scholars seek real value and are less concerned with social benefits.