The development of a framework for structuring integrated communication in South African organisations

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this documentThesis (DCom)--University of Pretoria, 2006.Marketing ManagementDComUnrestricte

Advertising credibility across media channels : perceptions of Generation Y consumers

Generation Y consumers have become an important consumer group and, as a result, their perceptions of media credibility has become an important issue for many organisations and media planners. This study explores the credibility of traditional media advertising versus new media advertising, the credibility of broadcast-media advertising versus print-media advertising, the credibility of cellphone advertising versus Internet advertising, and the relationship between the credibility of Internet advertising and likelihood of Generation Y consumers shopping online. The target audience comprises students between the ages of 18 and 30 years at one of the largest residential universities in South Africa. Convenience sampling was used and a total of 1 345 questionnaires were completed. Some of the results indicate that Generation Y consumers rate the credibility of traditional media higher than new media and that print media has higher credibility ratings compared with broadcast media.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_comcare.htm

A classification framework for out-of-home advertising media in South Africa

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising media have expanded worldwide and the shape and format of these media globally, as well as in South Africa, have changed considerably. Until recently, the OOH advertising media landscape consisted primarily of outdoor advertising or billboards reaching vehicular traffic, but now has expanded to include a wide range of OOH advertising media types which aim to reach a mobile audience wherever they live, work, play, drive, shop or commute. Currently there is no coherent contemporary framework to compare and select the most effective media options to reach a selected target market in a specific OOH audience environment. This article draws from academic and practitioner sources to propose a classification framework for OOH advertising media in South Africa comprising four major platforms: outdoor advertising, transit media advertising, street-and-retail furniture advertising, and digital and ambient OOH media channels. The framework serves to inform marketers of viable and cost-effective traditional and contemporary OOH advertising media options. It also indicates what platforms are appropriate to reach specific audiences effectively in a variety of environments outside their homes. This is the first framework of its kind for the South African context that offers an orderly, integrated basis for future research.This article is based on work supported financially by the National Research Foundation.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcsa20am201

Young adult consumers\u27 media usage and online purchase likelihood

Young adult consumers have grown up with computers, with a resultant overspill in new media applications such as the internet, email, blogging, twitter and social networks. In view of this, marketers have to ensure that they understand these consumers’ wants and needs and are knowledgeable on how to get their messages across to them. The objectives of the study are to establish the media usage of traditional versus new media, as well as the usage of internet versus print media. The study also aims to determine whether online purchasers will show increased likelihood to purchase online and whether online purchasing will appeal more to males or females. The target audience included students between 18 and 24 years at one of South Africa’s largest residential universities. Convenience sampling resulted in 1 298 completed questionnaires. The results indicate that young adult consumers use new media more frequently than traditional media. Respondents with online shopping experience displayed a higher online purchasing likelihood than those who have not used this medium before. Male consumers are more likely to purchase online than their female counterparts. The study emphasises the importance of understanding the role of media in building an effective communication platform to meet the changing needs and desires of young adult consumers

Factors threatening the survival of independent financial advisers in their organisational life cycle : an exploratory study

This study investigates various threats to the survival of independent financial advisers in their organisational life cycle. Telephone interviews were conducted to gain more insight into the demographic data of the respodents and to attempt to group them into life-cycle stages. Personal interviews were conducted to investigate the respondents’ problems. The contribution of this study is twofold. First, general life-cycle stages applicable to the businesses of independent financial advisers were determined. Secondly, the study identified the important problems as well as those that ought to be considered in the advisers’ businesses. The findings could be of assistance to independent financial advisers in analysing both their current business position and their planning for future requirements as the business develops from one stage to the next.http://www.sajems.org/index.php/sajem

Factors threatening the survival of independent financial advisers in their organisational life cycle : an exploratory study

This study investigates various threats to the survival of independent financial advisers in their organisational life cycle. Telephone interviews were conducted to gain more insight into the demographic data of the respodents and to attempt to group them into life-cycle stages. Personal interviews were conducted to investigate the respondents’ problems. The contribution of this study is twofold. First, general life-cycle stages applicable to the businesses of independent financial advisers were determined. Secondly, the study identified the important problems as well as those that ought to be considered in the advisers’ businesses. The findings could be of assistance to independent financial advisers in analysing both their current business position and their planning for future requirements as the business develops from one stage to the next.http://www.sajems.org/index.php/sajem

Consumers’ perception of the functional and symbolic performance failure of major electrical household appliances

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe consumers’ perception of the performance failure of selected major electrical household appliances. The expectancy disconfirmation paradigm (Bearden & Teel, 1983) served as theoretical background to this study. A convenience sampling technique was employed. A total of 216 self-administered questionnaires were collected. Respondents had to select an appliance item from a list of appliances provided, that had caused them the most dissatisfaction within the last four years. Respondents had to indicate the type of product failure they had experienced. The results of the exploratory factor analysis show that respondents did not differentiate between the functional and symbolic performance failures of appliances. Therefore, from a theoretical point of view, consumers’ dissatisfaction with their appliances is determined by a combination of functional as well as symbolic performance results. Marketing analysts, manufacturers and retailers should keep in mind the fact that consumers do not differentiate between the functional and the symbolic performance dimensions of product performance when evaluating the actual performance of appliances. This has implications for the effective handling of complaints. Complaint handling personnel should see complaints through the eyes of customers (i.e. as a combination of functional and symbolic performance failures) to improve their understanding of the customers' dissatisfaction. Significantly more respondents were very dissatisfied to extremely dissatisfied (76%) with the performance of their major electrical household appliances, compared to the respondents who were slightly to moderately dissatisfied (24%). Future research on the disparities between the different gender groups and the different cultural groupings concerning consumers’ interpretation of product failures (i.e. cognition) and their dissatisfaction (i.e. emotion), can improve manufacturers’, retailers’ and consumer organisations’ comprehension of consumers’ complaint behaviour. Hence, it is recommended that conceptions of attribution theory be integrated (aligned) with the expectancy disconfirmation paradigm to develop a theoretical basis for studying consumers’ complaint behaviour concerning appliance performance failures.AFRIKAANS: In hierdie studie word verbruikers se persepsies van die onklaarraak of defekte werkverrigting (produkmislukking, product failure) van bepaalde groot elektriese huishoudelike toerusting verken en beskryf. Die konfirmasie/diskonfirmasie-paradigma (Bearden & Teel, 1983) dien as teoretiese agtergrond vir die studie. ’n Gerieflikheidsteekproef is gebruik om vraelyste, wat respondente self voltooi het, in te samel. Respondente moes uit ’n lys elektriese huishoudelike produkte ’n item kies wat die meeste ontevredenheid oor ’n tydperk van vier jaar veroorsaak het. Respondente moes die tipe produkmislukking aandui. Die resultate van die verkennende faktorontleding toon dat die respondente nie onderskei tussen die funksionele en simboliese werksverrigtingdimensies van toerusting wat faal nie. Verbruikers se ondevredenheid met hulle toerusting word dus, vanuit ’n teoretiese oopgunt, deur ’n kombi-nasie van beide funksionele en simboliese werksverrigtingdimensies bepaal. Bemarkers, vervaardigers en kleinhandelaars moet in gedagte hou dat verbruikers nie tussen die funksionele en simboliese werksverrigtingdimensies onderskei wanneer hulle die werksverrigting van hulle toerusting evalueer nie. Dit het implikasie vir die suksesvolle hantering van verbruikers se klagtes. Personeel wat klagtes hanteer, moet deur die oë van hulle verbruikers na klagtes kyk (dws die mislukking van die werksverrigting van toerusting manifesteer in ‘n kombinasie van funksionele en simboliese dimensies) om groter begrip van verbruikers se ontevredenheid te verseker. Beduidend meer respondente was baie ontevrede tot uiters ontevrede (76%) met die werksverrigting van hulle groot elektriese huishoudelike toerusting teenoor die respondente wat effens tot matig ontevrede was (24%). Toekomstige navorsing oor die verskille tussen die onderskeie geslagsgroepe en verskillende kulturele groeperings se interpretasie van produkmislukkings (d.i. kognisie) en hulle gepaardgaande ontevredeheid (d.i. emosie), kan vervaardigers, kleinhandelaars en verbruikersorganisasies se begrip van verbruikers se klagtegedrag verbeter. Dit word gevolglik aanbeveel dat konsepsies van attribusieteorie geïntegreer (in lyn gebring) word met dié van die paradigma van die diskonfirmasie van verwagtinge om ’n teoretiese grondslag daar te stel vir die bestudering van verbruikers se klagtegedrag oor die mislukking van die werksverrigting van elektriese toerusting