Employees as customers - an internal marketing study of the Avis Motor Vehicle Rental Group in South Africa.

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the mutually beneficial nature of establishing long term relationships with employees as internal customers of the business. The target population for this study was 225 Avis motor vehicle rental branch managers in South Africa. A total of 155 managers of Avis branches participated through structured, personal interviews in the completion of questionnaires. Data analysis was done by calculating averages and standard deviations, Explorative Factor Analysis, Cronbach Alpha-values and practical significance by means of effect sizes. The findings of the study stipulate that a more coherent attempt must be made to improve the level of internal communication between the managers of Avis motor vehicle rental branches and their employees. This creates an environment within the Avis motor vehicle rental group that promotes mutual respect, trust and concern between management and employees

The customer market practices of the travel agency industry in the Gauteng Province of South Africa

Relationship marketing stresses the importance of continuous interaction between the seller and the buyer in order to cultivate a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. High interest rates, increasing prices of basic goods and services and a weakening rand has reduced consumer spending on domestic and international travel. Therefore, there is continued pressure on South African travel suppliers to review their current relationship marketing practices to secure customer retention in a competitive and volatile travel market. The purpose of the article is to indicate the current status of the customer market practices of the travel agency industry in Gauteng, and to provide recommendations to the management of travel agencies in the province regarding the improved application of the principles of relationship marketing. The target population for this study was 280 travel agencies of which 170 managers and/or owners participated through personal interviews in the completion of questionnaires. The findings of the study indicate that the owners and managers of travel agencies must create an environment which is more accessible for the critical interaction with customers. The loyalty of customers can be increased when customers are provided with the opportunity to share their experiences and comments with the travel agency in an interactive manner

A management perspective on the current status of referral marketing in the property selling industry

Increasing role specialization and the partial disintegration of the traditional family structure, social groups, as well as community entities have led buyers (consumers and businesses alike) to search for expert advice on products and services that has been provided informally through local social networks, as family members and peers. Marketing practitioners and theorists also routinely cite the power of the personal referral on customer behaviour. However, relatively few businesses have tried to harness the power of word-of-mouth (WOM). The purpose of the article is to indicate what the current status is of the relationships which estate agencies in the Gauteng Province, South Africa have with their referral market, and to provide recommendations to the management of estate agencies in the province regarding the improved application of the principles of relationship marketing to this market. The target population for this study was 1025 estate agencies, of which 250 managers and/or owners participated through personal interviews in the completion of questionnaires. Data analysis was done by calculating averages and standard deviations, Cronbach -values, p-values, the paired sample T-test, as well as standard marginal homogeneity test statistics. To strengthen their position in a highly competitive industry, estate agencies need to identify positive word-of-mouth referrers who can form part of their marketing strategy. Information pertaining to the products and services of the estate agency can be provided to these individuals to develop their value-added advantage to the marketing strategy of the business. Finally, estate agencies in Gauteng also need to provide customers with products (that is, property) and service delivery of a high quality. As a result, the estate agency can secure that the communication of their customers to the general public will ensure that the latter will purchase the products and services of the estate agency

The referral marketing practices of travel agencies in the Western Cape province - an exploratory study.

Organisations can make use of high levels of customer service delivery to stimulate positive word-of-mouth referrals. Referral marketing is primarily applied by organisations when the budget is the marketers largest limitation. The purpose of the paper is to indicate what the current status is of the relationships which travel agencies in the Western Cape have with their referral market and will provide recommendations to the management of travel agencies in the province regarding the improved application of the principles of relationship marketing to this market. The target population for this study was 118 travel agencies of which 61 managers and/or owners participated through personal interviews in the completion of questionnaires. Data analysis was done by calculating averages and standard deviations, Explorative Factor Analysis, Cronbach Alpha-values and practical significance by means of effect sizes. The owners and managers of travel agencies view their current ability to stimulate customers to provide positive word-of-mouth referrals as good. They also indicate that referral groups are used as a marketing instrument forming part of their marketing strategy. Travel agencies must create and establish more integrated relationships with strategic suppliers to increase the value offering of their (travel agencies) products and services to customers. The travel agency hereby ensures that the needs and wants of customers can be satisfied more successfully which, in the long run, can lead to positive word­-of-mouth referrals

The influence of human investment on the performance of SMEs in the manufacturing sector, Harare, Zimbabwe

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the influence of human investment on the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector of Harare, Zimbabwe. The target population for this study was 609 SMEs of which a sample of 241 SME owners or managers participated in the study. Data analysis was done using the Chi-square test to test for association. The results indicated that human resources and managerial skills do affect the performance of SMEs in the manufacturing sector of Harare, Zimbabwe. Based on the results it can be concluded that staff motivation and staff development are the most important human resources management skills for the growth of SMEs in the manufacturing sector of Harare, Zimbabwe

Customer Retention Strategies For Disintermediated Travel Agents: How To Stop Customers From Migrating To Online Booking Channels

This article has been retracted and now appears in the Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), Issue 32.3.  For more information, please visit: http://www.cluteinstitute.com/ojs/index.php/JABR/article/view/966

Investigating the linkage between trust, empathy, communication, brand associations and brand reputation in Africa : a Botswana perspective

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between trust, empathy, communication, brand associations and brand reputation of selected small and medium enterprise (SME) brands in a developing economy of Botswana. The population was defined as all retail customers of SME brands operating within the metropolitan city of Gaborone in Botswana. A stratified-convenience sampling approach was followed and a self-administered questionnaire was disseminated amongst 450 customers at the service points of SMEs. The Structural equation modelling (SEM) procedure was used to analyse the hypothesised relationships in this study. The findings conclude that trust, empathy and communication exerted a positive and significant influence on brand associations, whilst brand associations had a direct impact on brand reputation. In addition, brand commitment significantly mediated the influence of brand associations on brand reputation. It is therefore important for SMEs in the apparel industry of Botswana to cultivate the levels of trust, empathy, communication, brand associations and brand commitment to secure a genuine reputation with their customers

Customer complaints in the airline industry : a case of domestic and international air travellers in South Africa

Abstract: Service failures are inevitable in business. Understanding the nature of service failures that customers experience is critical to ensuring that proper measures are put in place to address them and avoid loss of customers. The study examined the types of customer complaints experienced by domestic and international travellers in South Africa. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 300 travellers at selected South African airports. The findings reveal that flight delays, baggage delays and poor food quality were some of the most complaints raised by travellers. Airlines were recommended to avoid those flight delays which are not naturally caused at all cost, and ensure that such delays are not repeated by securing pro-active strategies and that domestic airlines should consider the upgrading of their seats to better quality seats that can result in reduced customer complaints in this area

South African corporate ethics codes : establishment and communication

Abstract: The focus of this study is on the top 500 companies in South Africa (as per the TopCo 2014 list) that have a code of ethics, in order to see the current state of development in this area after twenty years of focus by the government and business on making corporate South Africa a more ethical environment in which to conduct business. Methodology – A structured questionnaire survey method was used to gather the data, and it was directed to the company secretaries of these top 500 companies. Findings – Many companies in South Africa have a well-established set of protocols to enact the ethos of their code of ethics, indicating that they are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits to them of having a code. South African companies are therefore implementing both a code of ethics and strategies that contribute to creating an ethical corporate culture

Antecedents and outcomes of satisfaction in buyer-supplier relationships in South Africa: A replication study

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to validate the proposition that in a business buyersupplier relationship, the variables trust and commitment influence satisfaction. Satisfaction then influences cooperation, coordination and continuity. A research model showing the hypothesised relationships was first tested in an original study before being replicated in the current study. Both the original and replication studies followed a quantitative approach and targeted large companies in South Africa. In the original study, data was collected from 500 large South African companies while in the replication study data was collected from 250 large companies. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data. The results in both studies provide support for the proposed model in the study