Machine learning applications in operations management and digital marketing

In this dissertation, I study how machine learning can be used to solve prominent problems in operations management and digital marketing. The primary motivation is to show that the application of machine learning can solve problems in ways that existing approaches cannot. In its entirety, this dissertation is a study of four problems—two in operations management and two in digital marketing—and develops solutions to these problems via data-driven approaches by leveraging machine learning. These four problems are distinct, and are presented in the form of individual self-containing essays. Each essay is the result of collaborations with industry partners and is of academic and practical importance. In some cases, the solutions presented in this dissertation outperform existing state-of-the-art methods, and in other cases, it presents a solution when no reasonable alternatives are available. The problems are: consumer debt collection (Chapter 3), contact center staffing and scheduling (Chapter 4), digital marketing attribution (Chapter 5), and probabilistic device matching (Chapters 6 and 7). An introduction of the thesis is presented in Chapter 1 and some basic machine learning concepts are described in Chapter 2

Commercial communication in the digital age : information or disinformation?

In today’s digital age, online and mobile advertising are of growing importance, with advertising no longer bound to the traditional media industry. Although the advertising industry still has broader access to the different measures and channels, users and consumers today have more possibilities topublish, get informed or communicate – to “co-create” –, and toreach a bigger audience. There is a good chance thus that users and consumers are better informed about the objectives and persuasive tricks of the advertising industry than ever before. At the same time, advertisers can inform about products and services without the limitations of time and place faced by traditional mass media. But will there really be a time when advertisers and consumers have equal power, or does tracking users online and offline lead to a situation where advertisers have more information about the consumers than ever before? The volume discusses these questionsand related issues

Can Upward Brand Extensions be an Opportunity for Marketing Managers During the Covid-19 Pandemic and Beyond?

Early COVID-19 research has guided current managerial practice by introducing more products across different product categories as consumers tried to avoid perceived health risks from food shortages, i.e. horizontal brand extensions. For example, Leon, a fast-food restaurant in the UK, introduced a new range of ready meal products. However, when the food supply stabilised, availability may no longer be a concern for consumers. Instead, job losses could be a driver of higher perceived financial risks. Meanwhile, it remains unknown whether the perceived health or financial risks play a more significant role on consumers’ consumptions. Our preliminary survey shows perceived health risks outperform perceived financial risks to positively influence purchase intention during COVID-19. We suggest such a result indicates an opportunity for marketers to consider introducing premium priced products, i.e. upward brand extensions. The risk-as�feelings and signalling theories were used to explain consumer choice under risk may adopt affective heuristic processing, using minimal cognitive efforts to evaluate products. Based on this, consumers are likely to be affected by the salient high-quality and reliable product cue of upward extension signalled by its premium price level, which may attract consumers to purchase when they have high perceived health risks associated with COVID-19. Addressing this, a series of experimental studies confirm that upward brand extensions (versus normal new product introductions) can positively moderate the positive effect between perceived health risks associated with COVID-19 and purchase intention. Such an effect can be mediated by affective heuristic information processing. The results contribute to emergent COVID-19 literature and managerial practice during the pandemic but could also inform post-pandemic thinking around vertical brand extensions

Factors affecting the attraction and retention of teachers in the uMkhanyakude Education District.

Master of Commerce in Leadership Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville 2015.The purpose of this study was to explore the factors influencing teachers‟ attraction and retention in the uMkhanyakude Education District of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The objectives of the study included the following: to identify the factors that attract teaching staff; to identify the factors that retain teaching staff; and to determine the attraction and retention strategies that should be put in place in the uMkhanyakude Education District. The study adopted an exploratory research design using a qualitative approach. The researcher used a sample of 15 participants, and the purposive sampling method was applied. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, and was then analysed by means of thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that several factors attract teachers: availability of vacancies for teachers, good roads, community values, teachers‟ allowances, affordable cost of living, safety and social needs, decent learners, funding for teachers to further their education, philanthropic beliefs, and others. The study found that the retention of teachers is influenced by affordable accommodation, good roads, personal characteristics, infrastructure and service delivery, and a suitable climate. The study recommends that the uMkhanyakude Education District consider the hygiene factors that are necessary to avoid dissatisfaction among teachers, such as overcrowding in learners‟ classrooms and among teaching staff, as well as the motivators that contribute to teachers‟ job satisfaction, such as adequate and timely remuneration and fringe benefits, rural allowances, teaching materials, good salaries, performance-based rewards, and a clear vision of the uMkhanyakude Education District