Relationship intention and satisfaction as predictors of wholesale and retail customers’ loyalty towards their training providers

It is not surprising that service providers are increasingly attempting to establish customer loyalty as competition intensifi es in service industries. Building long term relationships and satisfying customer expectations could be an effective strategy to follow according to research that suggests strong relationships between customer relationships, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. However, some researchers suggest that service providers should direct their marketing efforts only towards customers who have relationship intentions. It is thus essential for service providers to consider customers’ relationship intentions and satisfaction when drafting strategies aimed at building customer loyalty. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which relationship intention and satisfaction predict customer loyalty within the wholesale and retail training sectors. Data were gathered from 185 wholesale and retail skills development decision-makers located across South Africa, who were involved in the selection of their organisations’ training providers. Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the findings indicate that relationship intention and satisfaction significantly predict customer loyalty towards wholesale and retail training providers. Wholesale and retail training providers thus need to understand that establishing customer loyalty depends on their ability to develop strong relationships with customers who are receptive to relationship marketing efforts, and to ensure that these customers’ needs are met.Keywords: relationship marketing, long-term relationships, relationship intention, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, wholesale and retail training industr

The #FeesMustFall protests in South Africa: Exploring first-year students’ experiences at a peri-urban university campus

Students experienced unique challenges in transitioning to their first-year during the FeesMustFall (#FMF) protest actions. It is important to examine students’ first-year adjustment experiences amidst study disruptions to ensure better outcomes of first-year study experiences. The impact of protest actions on the economy, higher education institutions (HEIs) and the individual student may be harmful when not managed effectively. The current study aims to clarify the first-year experience to explore how South African first-year students enrolled at a peri-urban university campus experienced the #FMF protest actions. The peri-urban university campus serves a large rural catchment area. Using the Mmogo-method® and unstructured individual interviews, researchers gathered in-depth experiences of fifteen participants who provided insight into their subjective experiences of their first-year transitions during the #FMF movement. Thematic analysis resulted in four themes: Clashes between students and police or campus security; the impact of protest actions on students’ lives; psychological experiences of trauma and physical harm; and student attitudes towards and needs in times of crisis. The study uncovered the experiences of first-year students at a peri-urban campus. The knowledge gathered could aid universities to develop proactive measures to minimize the impact of the protest actions or disruptions on the institution itself, students and stakeholders involved

Investigating the impact of a combined approach of perceived organisational support for strengths use and deficit correction on employee outcomes

Orientation: The positive psychology paradigm suggests a balanced focus on employee strengths and deficits. However, an overemphasis on strengths has raised questions regarding the value of a focus on strengths use, deficit improvement or a combined approach with a balanced focus on both. Research purpose: The primary objective was to examine whether perceived organisational support (POS) for strengths use, POS for deficit improvement or a combined approach would be the strongest predictor of work engagement, learning, job satisfaction and turnover intention. Motivation for the study: In the literature, there is little empirical evidence to support an approach where both employees’ strengths are used and their deficits improved. Research design, approach and method: This study was conducted among 266 teachers from four public schools in the Western Cape. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Main findings: The results suggest that both strengths use and deficit improvement are important predictors of work engagement, learning, job satisfaction and turnover intention. Learning was higher and turnover intention lower for individuals experiencing a combined approach compared to those believing that their school did not support them in either using their strengths or improving their deficits. Furthermore, a combined approach was associated with higher job satisfaction than a strengths-based approach, and a deficit-based approach was shown to be associated with higher levels of work engagement and lower turnover intentions compared to an environment where neither employees’ strengths nor deficits were addressed. Practical or managerial implications: The results urge organisations to invest an equal amount of resources in their employees’ strengths and deficits, as opposed to neglecting either one. Such a combined approach may be associated with increased work engagement, learning and job satisfaction and lower turnover intention. Contribution: This study provides empirical evidence that supports a combined approach where both employees’ strengths are used and their deficits developed

Breeding value estimation for somatic cell score in South African dairy cattle

Two fixed regression testday models were applied for variance component estimation and prediction of breeding values for somatic cell score, using testday records of the first three lactations of South African Holstein and Jersey cows. The first model (ML-model) considered the testdays of the different lactations as different traits in a multiple-trait animal model and the second analysis (RM-model) treated later lactation records as repeated measures of the first lactation. Heritabilities from the RM-model were more in the range of literature estimates compared to that of the ML-model, i.e. 0.19 + 0.003 for the Holstein breed and 0.18 + 0.003 for the Jersey breed. Rank correlations indicated that minor changes occur in the ranking of proven sires between breeding values obtained from the ML- and RM-models. Although genetic correlations between parities are not unity, the RM-model estimates more competitive variances and requires extensively less computer time to predict breeding values compared to the ML-model and are therefore recommended for breeding value estimation on a national basis. South African Journal of Animal Science Supp 2 2004: 32-3

Susceptibility of Grapevine Sucker and Green Shoot Wounds to Trunk Disease Pathogens

Grapevine trunk disease fungi infect vines through openings, primarily pruning wounds. The main objective of this study was to understand the role of sucker wounds and wounds made by the removal of green shoots from the stems of potted grapevines as potential points of infection for grapevine trunk disease pathogens. Six wine and four table grape vineyards of different ages were sampled in differentproduction areas in the Western Cape grape region of South Africa. Isolations were made from 161 sucker wounds, and fungal pathogens were identified using morphology and DNA sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and the 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene, the translation elongation factor 1alpha or the partial β-tubulin gene. The results show that 62% of the sucker wounds were infected by trunk disease pathogens, including Diaporthe ampelina, Diplodia seriata, Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, Phaeoacremonium minimum, Eutypella microtheca, Cryptovalsa ampelina and Neofusicoccum australe.  Diaporthe ampelina was the most common, followed by D. seriata and P. chlamydospora, in both the wine and table grape sucker wounds. Under glasshouse conditions, wounds made by the removal of young green shoots on one-year-old potted grapevine plants were inoculated with spore suspensions of D. ampelina, E. lata, N. parvum, P. minimum and P. chlamydospora. After four months, all the inoculated pathogens could be re-isolated. This study shows that grapevine sucker and green shoot wounds are susceptible to different grapevine trunk disease pathogens and may therefore play a role in the epidemiology of trunk diseases

Relationship intention and satisfaction as predictors of wholesale and retail customers’ loyalty towards their training providers

It is not surprising that service providers are increasingly attempting to establish customer loyalty as competition intensifi es in service industries. Building long-term relationships and satisfying customer expectations could be an effective strategy to follow according to research that suggests strong relationships between customer relationships, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. However, some researchers suggest that service providers should direct their marketing efforts only towards customers who have relationship intentions. It is thus essential for service providers to consider customers’ relationship intentions and satisfaction when drafting strategies aimed at building customer loyalty. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which relationship intention and satisfaction predict customer loyalty within the wholesale and retail training sectors. Data were gathered from 185 wholesale and retail skills development decision-makers located across South Africa, who were involved in the selection of their organisations’ training providers. Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the fi ndings indicate that relationship intention and satisfaction signifi cantly predict customer loyalty towards wholesale and retail training providers. Wholesale and retail training providers thus need to understand that establishing customer loyalty depends on their ability to develop strong relationships with customers who are receptive to relationship marketing efforts, and to ensure that these customers’ needs are met.http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=22335am2016Marketing Managemen

A High-Efficiency 4x45W Car Audio Power Amplifier using Load Current Sharing

A 4x45W (EIAJ) monolithic car audio power amplifier is presented that achieves a power dissipation decrease of nearly 2x over standard class AB operation by sharing load currents between loudspeakers. Output signals are conditioned using a common-mode control loop to allow switch placement between loads with minimal THD increase. A prototype is realized in a SOI bipolar-CMOS-DMOS process with 0.5μm feature size. Die area is 7.5x4.6mm2. THD+N @(1kHz,10W) is 0.05%

Verification of Exhaust Quasineutrality in a Pulsed Cathodic Arc Thruster Testbed

Electric propulsion systems have become more common on-orbit in recent years due to their many benefits[1]. Most flight-rated systems generate thrust by producing an ion beam directed away from the spacecraft, which must then be neutralised to ensure proper spacecraft operation [2]. Despite decades of flight heritage, neutraliser lifetime is one of the more common life-limiting factors for Hall and ion thrusters [2, 3]. Systems currently under development that generate neutral plasma jets do not require a neutraliser, removing failure modes and reducing system complexity [4]. Neumann Space has developed to flight-readiness a pulsed cathodic arc thruster, which does not require a neutraliser. Here we present work done using the inner surface of a steel vacuum chamber as a Faraday cup to capture the exhaust of a pulsed cathodic arc thruster testbed, instrumented to measure charge flow and verify exhaust neutrality

An audit of root canal treatments completed by students and dentists at an academic hospital

The University of Pretoria Oral Health Centre (UPOHC) houses the School of Dentistry where dental, oral hygiene and post graduate students are trained. Dentists employed at the School of Dentistry generally do not complete root canal treatments (RCTs) due to their academic and research commitments but mainly perform emergency dental procedures such as pulpectomies for the relief of acute pain. The pulpectomy procedure includes the extirpation of the necrotic or inflamed pulp, minimal shaping of the canal and irrigating with sodium hypochlorite. This is followed by placing a medicament with an anti-inflammatory action such as Ledermix® or calcium hydroxide and sealing the tooth with a temporary restoration. The patient is then placed on a waiting list (approximately 18 months) for completion of the RCT by students in their fourth and fifth year of study. Dentists complete RCTs mainly in cases where previous attempts made to locate the canals were not successful orwhere files have fractured in the canals or when retreatment is indicated. The students complete a limited number of RCTs due to the time-consuming nature of the procedure and their relative lack of skill and experience. During the fourth year of study the students are required to complete five RCTs on teeth with one and two canals. The clinical quota for the students in the fifth year of study is five RCTs on teeth that have three or four canals. Several studies have been conducted on the acceptability of root canal obturations with regard to the technical quality as viewed on post-operative radiographs. The studies in question reported an acceptable technical quality of 47.4%, 84.1%, 61.35%, 57% and 44% respectively. In four of these, the RCTs assessed were completed by undergraduate students. Root fillings between 0.5mm to 2mm from the radiographic apex, consistent density and uniform taper were the criteria used to categorize the RCT as acceptable. Peak et al. also included the absence of apical pathology in the criteria. To date no research has been conducted on the technical quality of root canal fillings at tertiary institutions in South Africahttp://www.sada.co.zaam2016Dental Management Science

Preschool/Kindergarten teachers' conceptions of standardised testing

Standardised tests play an important role in early childhood (EC) education in many countries. Although teachers' conceptions largely determine whether and how these instruments are used, research on this topic is scarce. As a result, factors that influence conceptions of standardised testing have remained largely unexplored. To examine teachers' conceptions of standardised testing and aspects that may influence these conceptions, Brown's CoA-III-A questionnaire was distributed to 97 EC educators. Based on their responses, a selection of six preschool/kindergarten teachers participated in a series of semi-structured interviews. Analyses of the questionnaire and the interviews indicated that the teachers did not see these tests solely as instruments for accountability or improvement. While some perceived the test as pleasant confirmation, others perceived the results as negative opposition to their own observations. The teachers' conceptions were influenced by classroom population, management team, and the ascribed purpose of the test