The Fourth Industrial Revolution's influence on marketing communications: perspectives of practitioners in Gauteng, South Africa.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This research focuses on how prepared marketing communications practitioners are for the influence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), with emphasis on the challenges they face and how they attempt to address them. Such issues have received scant attention in research thus far, particularly in South Africa. The study included 10 practitioners drawn from both advertising agencies and client companies, and attempted to answer the following questions: How prepared are practitioners in the marketing communications discipline for the influence of the 4IR? How does the 4IR influence their marketing communications? How have practitioners addressed challenges of the 4IR? It is postulated that in the context of the 4IR (Schwab 2017), marketing communications is impacted by the 4IR through theories of digital communication (Guizzo 2003), innovation diffusion (Daraza 2016) and polymedia (Madianou & Miller 2012). The study adopted an exploratory qualitative approach and where semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Data was analysed using thematic content analysis. Four themes were identified in the data, which are: general understanding of the 4IR; advantages of the 4IR; disadvantages of the 4IR; and strategies to address challenges of the 4IR. Overall, findings show that the 4IR was seen as beneficial if it assists marketing communications practitioners to understand the consumer better and provide improved and quicker solutions. Although practitioners felt that jobs might not be severely affected by the 4IR and machines taking over (due to the importance of the human and creative elements in marketing communications), there was agreement that change is a constant, and that recent technologies require marketers to be a step ahead of the curve. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown an additional challenge for marketers, demonstrating that the future is uncertain and that brands and agencies that have future-proofed themselves for success are likely to survive whatever changes are thrown at them. Some of the recommendations from the study include adapting to the changes, devising clear-cut strategies and maintaining an always-on attitude to cope with the 4IR. Recommendations for future research include understanding the perspectives of practitioners in other provinces

Mobile cloud computing and network function virtualization for 5g systems

The recent growth of the number of smart mobile devices and the emergence of complex multimedia mobile applications have brought new challenges to the design of wireless mobile networks. The envisioned Fifth-Generation (5G) systems are equipped with different technical solutions that can accommodate the increasing demands for high date rate, latency-limited, energy-efficient and reliable mobile communication networks. Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) is a key technology in 5G systems that enables the offloading of computationally heavy applications, such as for augmented or virtual reality, object recognition, or gaming from mobile devices to cloudlet or cloud servers, which are connected to wireless access points, either directly or through finite-capacity backhaul links. Given the battery-limited nature of mobile devices, mobile cloud computing is deemed to be an important enabler for the provision of such advanced applications. However, computational tasks offloading, and due to the variability of the communication network through which the cloud or cloudlet is accessed, may incur unpredictable energy expenditure or intolerable delay for the communications between mobile devices and the cloud or cloudlet servers. Therefore, the design of a mobile cloud computing system is investigated by jointly optimizing the allocation of radio, computational resources and backhaul resources in both uplink and downlink directions. Moreover, the users selected for cloud offloading need to have an energy consumption that is smaller than the amount required for local computing, which is achieved by means of user scheduling. Motivated by the application-centric drift of 5G systems and the advances in smart devices manufacturing technologies, new brand of mobile applications are developed that are immersive, ubiquitous and highly-collaborative in nature. For example, Augmented Reality (AR) mobile applications have inherent collaborative properties in terms of data collection in the uplink, computing at the cloud, and data delivery in the downlink. Therefore, the optimization of the shared computing and communication resources in MCC not only benefit from the joint allocation of both resources, but also can be more efficiently enhanced by sharing the offloaded data and computations among multiple users. As a result, a resource allocation approach whereby transmitted, received and processed data are shared partially among the users leads to more efficient utilization of the communication and computational resources. As a suggested architecture in 5G systems, MCC decouples the computing functionality from the platform location through the use of software virtualization to allow flexible provisioning of the provided services. Another virtualization-based technology in 5G systems is Network Function Virtualization (NFV) which prescribes the instantiation of network functions on general-purpose network devices, such as servers and switches. While yielding a more flexible and cost-effective network architecture, NFV is potentially limited by the fact that commercial off-the-shelf hardware is less reliable than the dedicated network elements used in conventional cellular deployments. The typical solution for this problem is to duplicate network functions across geographically distributed hardware in order to ensure diversity. For that reason, the development of fault-tolerant virtualization strategies for MCC and NFV is necessary to ensure reliability of the provided services

Metaverse beyond the hype: Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy

The metaverse has the potential to extend the physical world using augmented and virtual reality technologies allowing users to seamlessly interact within real and simulated environments using avatars and holograms. Virtual environments and immersive games (such as, Second Life, Fortnite, Roblox and VRChat) have been described as antecedents of the metaverse and offer some insight to the potential socio-economic impact of a fully functional persistent cross platform metaverse. Separating the hype and “meta…” rebranding from current reality is difficult, as “big tech” paints a picture of the transformative nature of the metaverse and how it will positively impact people in their work, leisure, and social interaction. The potential impact on the way we conduct business, interact with brands and others, and develop shared experiences is likely to be transformational as the distinct lines between physical and digital are likely to be somewhat blurred from current perceptions. However, although the technology and infrastructure does not yet exist to allow the development of new immersive virtual worlds at scale - one that our avatars could transcend across platforms, researchers are increasingly examining the transformative impact of the metaverse. Impacted sectors include marketing, education, healthcare as well as societal effects relating to social interaction factors from widespread adoption, and issues relating to trust, privacy, bias, disinformation, application of law as well as psychological aspects linked to addiction and impact on vulnerable people. This study examines these topics in detail by combining the informed narrative and multi-perspective approach from experts with varied disciplinary backgrounds on many aspects of the metaverse and its transformational impact. The paper concludes by proposing a future research agenda that is valuable for researchers, professionals and policy makers alike

Digital omvandling av en skidort: en fallstudie

Digital technology and new ways of benefitting from information have the potential to radically alter business models and change interaction between a company and its customers. Some leading ski resorts are becoming aware of the potential of customer data and the benefits of having a digital service offering. Weisse Arena Gruppe (WAG) is the company behind the LAAX ski resort in Switzerland. WAG formed an internal digitalisation team to professionalise data handling, increase their understanding of the digital realm and build future digital capabilities. This thesis gives reasons for why a company running a ski resort decided to assemble an internal team to build digital services, an area out of their core expertise, instead of relying on external contractors. The factors that were instrumental for the digitalisation team’s results are defined. For this purpose, key persons behind the digitalisation initiative were interviewed. Several factors were fundamental for the success of the digitalisation initiative. The digital services team worked in short development cycles, enabling quick creation of minimum viable products resulting in short feedback loops. The team had the appropriate freedom to form suitable processes and work methods, and support from the CEO throughout the process. Certain web- and mobile development technologies were essential for building impactful services with limited resources in a short time.Digital teknologi och nya sätt att utnyttja information kan potentiellt förändra företagsmodeller och företags växelverkan med kunder på ett fundamentalt plan. Några ledande skidorter börjar förstå möjligheterna som kunddata möjliggör och fördelarna av att ha ett digitalt tjänsteerbjudande. Weisse Arena Gruppe (WAG) är företaget bakom skidorten LAAX i östra Schweiz. WAG grundade ett internt digitaliseringsteam för att professionellt kunna hantera data, skapa digital kompetens och bygga en grund för framtida digitala möjligheter. Detta diplomarbete förklarar varför ett företag som driver en skidort och tillhörande tjänster, bestämde sig för att skapa ett internt team för att utveckla digitala tjänster, ett område utanför företagets kärnkompetens, i stället för att anlita utomstående entreprenörer. De viktigaste faktorerna för resultaten av digitaliseringsteamets arbete definieras. För detta har nyckelpersonerna bakom digitaliseringsinitiativet intervjuats. Flera faktorer var grundläggande för framgången av initiativet. Digitaliseringsteamet använde sig av korta utvecklingsperioder, vilket möjliggjorde utveckling av tjänster och insamling av respons så snabbt som möjligt. Teamet hade nödvändig frihet att skapa egna processer och arbetsmetoder, och verkställande direktörens stöd genom hela processen. Vissa teknologier för utveckling av mobilapplikationer var väsentliga för att bygga betydande tjänster med begränsade resurser inom en kort tid

Promotion and Marketing Communications

This edited Promotion and Marketing Communications book is an original volume that presents a collection of chapters authored by various researchers and edited by marketing communication professionals. To survive in the competitive world, companies feel an urge to achieve a competitive advantage by applying accurate marketing communication tactics. Understanding marketing communication is an essential aspect for any field and any country. Hence, in this volume there is the latest research about marketing communication under which marketing strategies are delicately discussed. This book does not only contribute to the marketing and marketing communication intellectuals but also serves different sector company managerial positions and provides a guideline for people who want to attain a career in this field, giving them a chance to acquire the knowledge regarding consumer behavior, public relations, and digital marketing themes

Data and the city – accessibility and openness. a cybersalon paper on open data

This paper showcases examples of bottom–up open data and smart city applications and identifies lessons for future such efforts. Examples include Changify, a neighbourhood-based platform for residents, businesses, and companies; Open Sensors, which provides APIs to help businesses, startups, and individuals develop applications for the Internet of Things; and Cybersalon’s Hackney Treasures. a location-based mobile app that uses Wikipedia entries geolocated in Hackney borough to map notable local residents. Other experiments with sensors and open data by Cybersalon members include Ilze Black and Nanda Khaorapapong's The Breather, a "breathing" balloon that uses high-end, sophisticated sensors to make air quality visible; and James Moulding's AirPublic, which measures pollution levels. Based on Cybersalon's experience to date, getting data to the people is difficult, circuitous, and slow, requiring an intricate process of leadership, public relations, and perseverance. Although there are myriad tools and initiatives, there is no one solution for the actual transfer of that data

The Future of Marketing – An Investigation into Disruption and Innovation

The future of marketing, looking out as far as 2050, is envisioned in this thesis. According to a world-renowned futurist, one theory is the end of marketing as we know it. Another describes the discipline as entirely controlled by artificial intelligence, without the need for direct human interaction, while others foresee a healthy balance between humans and machines. The future of employment will therefore have a significant impact on marketing practice, as automation and machine learning may sharply reduce the need for ‘human marketers’. Despite existing research into the future, the future of marketing is largely overlooked by researchers. Exponential technological advancements are on the horizon, giving rise to the concept of the Singularity. The future is complex, perhaps chaotic, and futures studies are increasingly used in academia, business, and government as a means of coping with uncertainty. Marketing is the practice of identifying the needs of consumers, creating and communicating value, engaging with the right audience, and ultimately, increasing sales and profitability. While these goals are likely to endure, the means at which these are achieved are constantly evolving. This is of interest to those in business, especially due to the marketing potential of current innovations, for example Big Data, machine learning, augmented reality, blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and more. This thesis asks, to what extent will these concepts impact the future of marketing? Further, how will the discipline evolve over the next thirty years, and what are the implications for marketing professionals today? This discovery-oriented thesis utilises qualitative research methods, including personal interviews and comparative analysis, in a grounded theory approach. These proved applicable as new in-depth information was gained beyond what is known to the researcher, and the discussions were broad – but bounded – using moderately scheduled interviews. Twelve business leaders and senior practitioners from different industries were interviewed, and three future scenarios were developed. The results were then compared with recent papers and articles produced by research organisations, think tanks, and well-known online publications. Three future scenarios are presented in this thesis: Possible, Probable, and Preferable. The Possible scenario embraces exponential innovation and the concept of the Singularity, i.e. a state at which artificial intelligence drives innovation. Our lives will be comprehensively tracked, and sophisticated prediction engines will map out our experiences to come. Employment in this scenario is a particularly contentious issue – while new job types will naturally arise in the coming years, they are unlikely to balance job losses. Shifting to a post-work society may be a factor, driven by the need to develop solutions that avoid an economic catastrophe. In the Probable scenario, current issues were given more weight, in the sense that inefficiencies and bureaucracy hinder the trajectory of innovation, thus delaying progress. In the Preferable scenario, the need for long-term planning was emphasised, especially with regards to larger societal and environmental issues. In this case, automation has less of an impact; it is carefully managed and supplements human work. The future of marketing can be described as intensely personal. Marketing systems will have access to consumers’ demographic information, behaviour, affinities, and physical location at any given time. Machine learning will optimise targeting and delivery, and smart devices link our physical selves to our digital entities, providing marketers with invaluable data. This study will argue that marketing is therefore one of the most valuable applications of artificial intelligence, and that the pace of change largely depends on the factors discussed in each of the scenarios and in the discussion chapters

Assessing the effectiveness of customer relationship management (CRM) in the hotels in Pretoria

This study is set out to assess the effectiveness of customer relationship management (CRM) in the hotel industry. Relying on the integration of several CRM scholars, the study seeks to answer questions about the relationship between CRM and performance. A mixed research method approach was adopted. The research targeted 106 hotels in Pretoria. 47 responses were received from the hotel personnel who answered the questionnaire. The findings of the survey clearly indicate that hotel performance is dependent on CRM, as shown in the variance of performance levels in line with the level of CRM practised by a specific, named hotel. The study further suggests that hotels’ management should continuously embark on various CRM practices in order to improve their performance. Responses will be captured and analysed using the SPSS computer software. The results will be subjected to quantitative data analysis. It is expected that the findings will highlight important implications for hotels and other hospitality and tourism stakeholders in Pretoria and beyond. Stakeholders wishing to improve their understanding of the effectiveness of CRM in hotels will find this study helpful.Business ManagementM. Tech. (Business Administration