The influence of online consumer reviews on purchasing intent

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing, Wits Business School, Johannesburg 2016The proliferation of social platforms in the digital and online space has given voice to millions of social media users and carved careers otherwise unheard of a few years ago, in the form of expert technology reviewers who enjoy mass online following and sponsorship from brands seeking to leverage millions of followers who log in daily. Social media has enabled access to information otherwise previously restricted to user guides and product manuals. Using the theory of planned behaviour, the study examines the effect that online consumer reviews have on product knowledge, social influence, trust, source credibility, brand image and purchase intent among urban South Africans falling in the Generation Y cohort. The methodology involved a self-administered online questionnaire adapted from past studies. A total of 255 questionnaires were collected from the identified sample. The study tested ten hypotheses using Structural Equation Modelling along with SPSS 22 software used for descriptive statistics and IBM Amos 22. Results indicate that all ten hypotheses have significant influence on purchase intent. All hypotheses displayed equally significant relationships per testing as findings revealed that online consumer reviews have a positive effect on product knowledge, trust, social influence, source credibility and brand image. Findings also revealed a significant relationship between product knowledge, trust, social influence, source credibility, brand image, and purchase intent. The study contributes to the literature and theoretical knowledge on online consumer reviews in the local South African context, and can be applied to similar developing markets. The theoretical implications in the study contributes to both limited, and existing research, literature, and knowledge on the effects that online consumer reviews have on the purchase intent of South African consumers. The study broadens knowledge in the ever growing influence of online consumer reviews and the significant theoretical contributions of the study will benefit academia and scholars. Managerial implications highlight that managers cannot afford to ignore the influence of online consumer reviews on intent to purchase, and that even though these reviews are not under the direct influence of organisations, marketers can indirectly influence these by ensuring quality products that meet both the brand and product promises. Recommendations, iii limitations of the study, and future research on the subject of online consumer reviews are also discussed. Keywords: Online consumer reviews, social influence, brand image, product knowledge, purchase intent, source credibilityGR201

The role of digital marketing: a perspective from Porto hotels’ managers

The role of internet in the purchasing behavior of tourists led to a modification in marketing plans that became increasingly digital. This study aims to identify how managers of the hospitality industry use digital marketing, as a marketing tool. This study adopted a qualitative methodology comprising: a) the analysis of the online presence - website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Booking.com and TripAdvisor - of the 59 four and five stars establishments of Porto; b) semi-structured interviews that were conducted to managers and marketers of the 32 hotels in study. Digital marketing tools provide numerous benefits to the hospitality industry. However, managers still do not take advantage of their full potential. In digital marketing, the performance indicators are always evolving. Although the data were collected at the end of 2016, we think that the conclusions and recommendations still are updated and relevant. This study suggests some recommendations for improving the digital marketing performance of Porto hotels’. Although adopting a case-study approach, this paper provides an extensive assessment of digital marketing communication mix regarding the luxury segment of hotel industry. Moreover, this assessement is made for all units within a city scale.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Epistemic geographies of climate change: the IPCC and the spaces, boundaries and politics of knowing

Science, like other realms of human activity, has its geographies. It proceeds in and through space, and participates in the construction of the political and cultural geographies by which human interactions with the nonhuman come to be known, understood and governed. The phenomenon of climate change stands at this juncture of science, politics, and the elemental materiality of the nonhuman. High-profile controversies about the physical reality, effects and management of the changing climate point to more deep-seated contestations about the place of science in modern democratic societies. This thesis engages with literatures on the historical and cultural geographies of science in order to open-up questions about the situatedness of climate change knowledges, the contested boundaries between the scientific and the political, and the spatial politics of relating epistemic claims to normative interventions in the world. The thesis proceeds through a series of linked case studies which traverse a range of emergent transnational spaces of knowledge production. It begins inside the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and moves through the contested spaces of international climate diplomacy at the 2009 Copenhagen climate talks and through diverse cultures of knowledge authorisation in Indian climate politics. The thesis develops the notions of ‘boundary spaces’ and ‘epistemic geographies’ to capture the emergence, conjuncture and contestation of different modes of knowing and governing climate change. By following the objects of climate change knowledges – like visualisations, numerical targets, simulation models and predictions – conceptual distinctions between the spaces of knowledge production and consumption break down. Instead, a picture emerges of travelling knowledges which emphasises mutability, interpretive flexibility, and the spatial and discursive co-production of the epistemic and the normative. It is argued that by moving from ‘geographies of science’ to ‘epistemic geographies’, the hybridity of science and politics can be more effectively written-in to our accounts of contemporary knowledge politics

ISDC Review of 19 Initiative Proposals

external review of the first set of 19 CGIAR Initiatives proposals to launch from January 2022. The external review of Initiative proposals is an essential part of good governance and quality assurance, delivering benefits for the researchers, leadership, and System Council. The reviews presented in this report provide confidence to funders that their investments in One CGIAR research are appropriately targeted with high chances for success. The report is divided into two sections: an executive summary and 19 individual review reports. The executive summary includes essential details of the proposal review to better understand the process and review criteria. It also provides a high-level synthesis of the proposals. The individual review reports are the consensus among the three external subject matter experts and ISDC member who conducted the review of each proposal

In what ways are quality assurance professionals in England responding to the regulatory changes under the Higher Education and Research Act, 2017, and what are the implications for the quality assurance of higher education teaching and learning? A social practice approach.

In opening up higher education to the market and introducing the Office for Students, the Higher Education and Research Act (2017) (HERA) has created a quality assurance system in England which diverges from the rest of the UK and Europe. This qualitative study explores the enactment of policy change and its implications for the quality assurance of teaching and learning. It uses social practice theory (SPT) as the theoretical framework. Methodologically, 20 interviews were conducted with quality assurance professionals (QPs) from 20 higher education institutions and analysed thematically. The key findings related to the changing roles of QPs and the variations in their responses to the HERA. The majority claimed to occupy a third space between administration and academia, which shaped their professional identities and contributed to membership of a strong community of practice centred around the Quality Assurance Agency’s Quality Code (2013-2017) and the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). Two principal issues emerged as a consequence of the HERA: the authoritarian approach of the Office for Students (OfS), and the replacement of cyclical peer review and enhancement with metricised accountability. Responses ranged from the acceptance and implementation of outcomes-based internal monitoring to the operation of a dual system, designed to meet the data requirements of the OfS while maintaining existing enhancement activity. Many were however reconstructing policy, bringing internal monitoring and data management together to enhance provision by changing institutional structures, systems, staff and skills. In most cases, policy was being enacted in a constructivist way, demonstrating that change needs time, support, and differentiated approaches to the socialisation of institutional microcultures. The capacity to effect change varied, indicating that quality practices may become increasingly diverse under the revised Quality Code (2018), with the potential to fragment the community and obfuscate the meaning of quality and the purpose of quality assurance. Rather than dismantling the structures underpinning sustainable change, the OfS should harness the expertise of the whole QP community to co-construct quality assurance practices in new and more creative ways which unite enhancement and accountability. The study has brought new knowledge to the mechanisms of policy enactment in quality assurance at the under-researched meso level of the institution, giving expression to a voice which remains under-represented in higher education. It has also extended the usefulness of SPT into another area of higher education research, offering a framework for policy enactment at a critical juncture in the development of higher education quality assurance

Stakeholder Collaboration Strategies in the Hawaii Tourism Industry

Travel and tourism are concepts that date back to 3000 B.C. with globalization extending possibilities of travel to people across the world. Addressing stakeholder concerns is especially important in promoting the development of sustainable tourism contributing to the protection of Earth\u27s natural resources and long-term sustainability of tourism businesses through collaboration and participation. This qualitative case study incorporated a strategic stakeholder management framework, focusing on exploring strategies that Hawaii tourism industry leaders use for increasing stakeholder participation in sustainable tourism development. The population consisted of individuals across 6 categories of Hawaii tourism industry stakeholders identified as visitors, residents, government or public servants, representatives of academic institutions, tourism business owners, and special interest groups. Data triangulation occurred through semistructured interviews of 10 participants, comprehensive review of archival data and government statistical data, and organizational documents. Data analysis included both manual and multiple systemic coding for each sources of data. Three thematic strategies emerged: establishing relationship management, consistent and effective communication, and partnership programs with a variety of stakeholders. Within establishing relationship management, participants articulated conflict resolution as the most critical and challenging aspect to successful stakeholder collaboration strategies. This research has implications for social change by offering enhancement to relationships necessary to develop sustainable tourism options, ultimately bolstering the local economy while fostering protection of natural and cultural resources

The role of APPRAISAL in the National Research Foundation (NRF) rating system evaluation and instruction in peer reviewer reports

This thesis reports on two aspects of interpersonal meaning in peer reviewer reports for eleven researchers in the Animal and Veterinary Sciences awarded NRF ratings in A1, B1, C1 and Y1 rating categories. These aspects are the evaluation of the researcher applying for a rating, and the instruction to the NRF as to the rating the researcher ought to receive. A full APPRAISAL Analysis (Martin & White 2005) complemented by an investigation of politeness strategies (Myers 1989) is used to analyse the reports and show how the various systems of interpersonal meaning co-function and to what effect. The analysis reveals that there are clear differences between the evaluative and instructive language used in the reports. Those for the A1 rated researchers are characterised by only positive evaluations of the applicant, frequently strengthened in terms of Graduation and contracted in terms of Engagement. Overall there is less Engagement and politeness in these reports rendering them more ‘factual’ than the reports for the other rating categories. The A1 rated researcher is therefore construed as being, incontestably, a leader in his/her field of research, worthy of a top rating. The reports for the B1 and C1 rated researchers are characterised by the increasing presence of negative evaluations. In addition, there are more instances of softened/downscaled Graduation, dialogic expansion and deference politeness, showing that there is more perceived contention about the evaluations made. The reports for the Y1 rated researchers (a category for young researchers) focus on the applicant’s demonstrated potential to become a leader in the field. In addition to a high incidence of negative evaluations, downscaled Graduation, dialogic expansion and deference politeness, the Y1 reports are also characterised by a high incidence of advice and suggestions from the reviewers concerning the applicant’s work and standing. At a broader level, the analysis reveals that the language used in the reports has a profound influence on the outcome of the rating process. The reports are crucial, not only for evaluating the applicant but, also, more subtly, in directing the NRF towards a specific rating category. It offers insights into what is valued in the scientific community, what is considered quality research, and what leads to international recognition. The research also adds uniquely to current thinking about the language of science and, more particularly, highlights the nuanced understanding of evaluative and instructive language in the reports that is possible if one draws on the full APPRAISAL framework, and insights into politeness behaviour

Dynamic Capability Building through partnering: An Australian Mobile handset case Study

Dynamic capabilities are increasingly seen as an organisational characteristic for innovation and are regarded as a source of competitive advantage. In a quest for sustainability, service organisations are partnering with their stakeholders, and subsequently are aptly bringing innovation in services to market. Most of existing empirical research regarding dynamic capabilities seeks to define and identify specific dynamic capabilities, as well as their organizational antecedents or effects. Yet, the extent to which the antecedents of success in particular dynamic capabilities, contribute to innovation in service organisations remains less researched. This study advances the understanding of such dynamic capability building process through effective collaboration, and highlights the detailed mechanisms and processes of capability building within a service value network framework to deliver innovation in services. Deploying a case study methodology, transcribing interviews with managers and staff from an Australian telco and its partnering organisations, results show that collaboration, collaborative organisational learning, collaborative innovative capacity, entrepreneurial alertness and collaborative agility are all core to fostering innovation in services. Practical implications of this research are significant, and that the impacts of collaboration and the dynamic capabilities mentioned above are discussed in the context of a mobile handset case study