Antecedents of psychological well-being among workers within small and medium enterprises

ORIENTATION : In the contemporary business environment, employee mental health is neglected, especially in mental health research and practice in African Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This occurs even though this sector is the largest contributor to developed economies. This study highlights the importance of psychological well-being in SME performance and the individual employee. RESEARCH PURPOSE : To investigate the influence of perceived organisational support, career goal development and empowering leadership on the psychological well-being of SME employees in Gauteng province, South Africa. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY : Despite increasing research on SMEs, few studies have investigated the impact of perceived organisational support, career goal development, and empowering leadership on psychological well-being in a Southern African context. RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD : This study followed a quantitative approach, using the survey methodology where a structured questionnaire was administered to 250 SME employees. To evaluate the psychometric properties of measurement scales, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses. MAIN FINDINGS : Perceived organisational support, career goal development and empowering leadership have a positive and significant impact on the psychological well-being of SME workers. A robust, positive and significant relationship exists between empowering leadership and psychological well-being. PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS : The results indicate that SME managers in South Africa should pay more attention to, or place greater emphasis on, supporting employees in their organisations, recognising and assisting them in achieving their goals, and empowering them to be happy at work. If the psychological well-being of employees is prioritised, SME business performance will ultimately improve. CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD : This study contributes to the current body of Africa’s industrial psychology and mental health literature – a field that has received little research attention in developing countries like South Africa.http://www.sajip.co.zahj2019Marketing Managemen

Key drivers that influence store choice in the contemporary Gauteng apparel retail market

The purpose of this article is to explore apparel store choice behaviour of female Generation Y student shoppers and analyse factors that influence their choice of apparel store. Generation Y female consumers have been identified as an important segment, particularly for apparel. A total of 370 Generation Y female students provided usable responses to the survey. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to examine the research aim. The results revealed that store atmosphere, sales personnel and availability of merchandise influence apparel store choice. The study has practical implications for apparel retailers targeting female consumers and suggests how they can improve store atmosphere to enhance the shopping experience, ensure that sales personnel are friendly, supportive and knowledgeable, and ensure the right merchandise is available to avoid customer switching and negative word-of-mouth. The results of this study, while not generalisable, offer important insights for apparel stores and apparel marketers targeting female Generation Y consumers.http://www.journals.co.za/content/journal/jcmanhj2019Marketing Managemen

Navigating on the antecedents that influence store patronage, apparel purchase decision and store attachment among the Generation Y cohort

This study sought to determine the influence of store reputation, social influence, store atmospherics and store convenience on store patronage and apparel purchase decision on store attachment among the Generation Y female cohort in Johannesburg, South Africa. The aim of the study is to identify which independent variable is the most effective at influencing store patronage behaviour and apparel purchase decision and whether this, in turn, will lead to store attachment. This has been undertaken through a quantitative analysis of participants’ responses. Additionally, the premise of this study is that Generation Y whom are obsessed with fashion have a significant purchasing power, yet studies on store attachment on young South African females remain limited. Upon examination of the questionnaire results, it was found that most of the latent variables have a positive relationship with each other. However, store patronage behaviour emerged as having the strongest relationship with apparel purchase decision, suggesting that female Generation Y consumers strongly consider which store they purchase their apparel from. In conducting this study, the results highlight the importance of continued research in the field of store patronage and store attachment as a means of reaching a lucrative segment such as Generation Y female South Africans.https://journals.co.za/content/journal/irmr12020-07-01hj2019Marketing Managemen