Perceived Quality, Visitor Satisfaction And Conative Loyalty In South African Heritage Museums

Museums are increasingly forced to pay attention to marketing-related aspects such as perceived service quality, satisfaction and loyalty. Using data from three South African heritage museums, this article first delineates the construct of perceived quality and then investigates the relationships between perceived quality, satisfaction and conative loyalty. The resulting perceived quality model comprises two service-based dimensions (service interaction and service evidence) and two product-based dimensions (product functionality and product enrichment). In addition, the results indicate that visitors’ perceived quality has both an indirect effect (through satisfaction) and a direct effect on their behavioral intentions, with the former effect being greater than the latter

Service Quality of On-Campus Student Housing: A South African Experience

This study adds to the service quality literature on student housing, particularly within a South African context. The study proposes and confirms a modified model of SERVQUAL and assesses the quality of on-campus student housing at a South African university based on 430 respondents’ expectations and perceptions. Exploratory, first- and second-order confirmatory factor analyses performed as part of the data analysis confirmed that on-campus student housing service quality can be viewed as a second-order construct defined by four first-order dimensions: interaction, empathy, general amenities, and room amenities. T-tests and ANOVA tests show that neither age nor gender relates significantly to service quality perceptions. The data also reveal a four-tier structure of service quality which can guide residence managers in allocating limited resources to those service dimensions students regard as most important, but least satisfactory

Measurement And Consequences Of U.S. Tourists Perceptions Of Service Quality: A South African Hunting Safari Case Study

This research verifies the usefulness of the service quality principles and the Basic Service Package elements of the Augmented Service Offering model in measuring perceived service quality of a complex wildlife tourist activity. In addition, it determines the existence of a quality-satisfaction and quality-intention link. The South African hunting safari serves as an illustrating example. As U.S. hunters constitute the largest cluster of non-domestic customers in the South African safari hunting industry, their perceptions of service quality and the resulting satisfaction and behavioral intentions can significantly impact the sustainable competitiveness and profitability of safari service providers. The results negate the applicability of the SERVQUAL model, but confirm the usefulness of the Augmented Service Offering model in measuring the service quality of the safari hunt and in identifying areas of service failure and adequate service performance. The regression analysis confirmed the existence of important quality-satisfaction and quality-intention links

Segmenting And Profiling South African Minibus Taxi Commuters: A Factor-Cluster-Tabulation Analysis Approach

Privately-owned minibus taxis provide public transportation to 65% of South African households. However, relatively little is known about the characteristics and expectations of these commuters. This research identified the underlying dimensions of minibus taxi commuters’ expectations, documented market segments based on these dimensions and reports the differences between the segments with respect to their demographic and behavioral characteristics. Following a factor-cluster-tabulation analysis, three sets of expectations, namely, safety, suitability and substantiality and three segments, namely, anxious users, concerned users and apprehensive users were identified. This study showed that expectations, a less common segmentation base, is effective in dividing the market and provides knowledge of consumer identification that can serve as a source of better customer service

An Examination Of The Museum Experience Based On Pine And Gilmore's Experience Economy Realms

This study determined whether Pine and Gilmore’s four experience economy realms (education, entertainment, escapism and esthetics) were represented by visitors’ experiences of three South African heritage museums, evaluated whether their experience expectations associated with the experience realms had been met, and examined the relationship between the latter, satisfaction and behavioral intentions. In addition, the relationship between personal and trip-related factors and the experience realms was investigated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified three experience realms - edutainment, escapism and esthetics. While visitors had positive on-site experiences within all three experience realms, edutainment made the strongest contribution to the prediction of overall satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Age had a significant effect on respondents’ judgment about all three realms. Place of residence (local, national or international) had a significant effect on edutainment and esthetics

A Comparison of Rural and Urban Tourism Experiences: A South African Example

Tourism is a rewarding sector for several countries as it presents opportunities for growth and development. While tourism attractions are predominantly located in either a rural or an urban destination, literature lacks comparative research about experiences in these two contexts. The purpose of this study was to compare tourists’ experiences of visiting a rural or an urban destination in South Africa. Data were conveniently obtained from 401 tourists who visited either one of two rural, or one of two selected urban tourist destinations. This study found significant differences in tourist perceptions for escape and peace of mind. Tourists felt more strongly/positive that they were escaping when visiting a rural tourism destination than when visiting an urban tourism destination.  However, the study also revealed that tourists felt more secure and safe and that their privacy was prioritised (peace of mind) at an urban tourism destination than at a rural tourism destination. Tourism destination managers and governments may use the findings of the study to improve the tourist experience and promote a competitive platform for the tourism destination to attract more tourists.&nbsp

Antecedents Of South African High School Pupils Acceptance Of Universities SMS Advertising

Based on its versatility as a personal and direct medium of communication, short message service (SMS) provides a potentially useful avenue to higher educational institutions for marketing their programs to prospective students. However, the success of mobile marketing depends largely on its acceptance by the target population. This study explores antecedents to pre-final year high school pupils’ acceptance of South African universities’ SMS advertising. Results show that social influence is a better predictor of the target market’s intentions to adopt SMS advertising than attitudes are. Behavioral intentions are a function of attitudes, social influences, innovation levels, and perceived study utility. No significant relationship exists between perceived risk and SMS advertising acceptance.  South African universities could consider using SMS advertising in conjunction with traditional media, but should ensure that SMS content is based on the needs of their target market