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Mobile banking represents an important addition to retail banks’ digital banking channels and a salient tool for servicing both current and future customers. However, given the cybernetic nature of mobile banking, there is a certain degree of uncertainty and perceived risk associated with the use thereof. This uncertainty and perceived risk elevate the importance of trust in fostering mobile banking adoption. The Generation Y cohort, which encompasses today’s youth, represents an important current and future banking segment and their adoption of mobile banking channels could have a significant effect on the cost of servicing members of this cohort. Understanding the factors that positively contribute to the Generation Y cohort’s trust in mobile banking will help retail banks to better market their mobile banking channels to members of this cohort and thereby foster greater adoption of such channels. The study reported in this article considers the influence of the perceived integrity of the bank and the perceived system quality of mobile banking on Generation Y students’ perceived trust in mobile banking in the South African context. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of 334 students registered at three public South African university campuses using a self-administered questionnaire. The gathered data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and bivariate regression analysis. The results of the study suggest that Generation Y students’ perceived integrity of a bank, together with the perceived system quality of mobile banking, has a significant positive influence on their perceived trust in mobile banking.

MCom (Markering Management), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus In a highly competitive marketplace, advertising is essential for business success. This is because advertising creates awareness of a business’s product or service and conveys important business information which influences the consumers’ purchase decision making. The value of advertising is influence by factors such as the informativeness, entertainment, irritation and credibility of the advertisement. The marketer is tasked to ensure that the most appropriate advertising media for the particular target audience are used, since it influences the success of the advertisement. In South Africa, businesses spend an average of 45 billion South African rand per annum on advertising across various advertising media and sponsorships. Although there is a shift towards advertising on social media, print media remains as a frequently used traditional advertising media in South Africa. Generation Y consumers, who are individuals born between 1986 and 2005, represent 35 percent of the total South African population. These individuals actively seek information prior to making purchase decisions or trusting a business, product, or service. This information is obtained from different digital and traditional advertising media. Regardless of the advertising media, this cohort is interested in advertising messages that are honest, ethical, humorous and include timely and relevant information. Most Generation Y consumers pursuing a higher education qualification have a higher future earning potential and once these individuals enter the work force after obtaining a qualification, they are likely to have more disposable income, which makes them a target population of interest. The importance of advertising for business success and the flood of advertisements to consumers on a daily basis, coupled with Generation Y consumers’ need to search for information prior to decision making and their higher future earnings potential, emphasise the need to determine this cohort’s perceived value of advertisements on the different advertising media. As such, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of informativeness, irritation, entertainment and credibility on Generation Y students’ perceived value of print and social media advertisements and to compare their perceptions of social media advertisements with print media advertisements. For this study, the target population consist of Generation Y students registered at the 26 South African registered public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). From the sampling frame, a non-probability judgment sample of two HEI campuses situated in Gauteng was selected. Of these, one was a traditional university and the other a university of technology. Subsequently, a single cross-sectional non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to select 500 participants aged between 18 and 24 years. Self-administered, structured questionnaires were used to gather the necessary data and were distributed using the mall-intercept method. The students’ perceptions were recorded on a six-point Likert-type scale that comprised 23 items concerning advertising value of print and social media. In addition, each questionnaire included a section aimed at gathering the participants’ demographic information as well as information on their print and social media usage behaviour. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) and included confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, collinearity diagnostics, regression analysis and a paired samples t-test. The findings of this study indicate that Generation Y students have different perceptions about the advertising value of print and social media, with social media advertisements being perceived as most valuable. Furthermore, the findings indicate that social media advertisements are more entertaining than print media. However, print media advertisements are perceived as being more credible than social media advertisements and also less irritating. The findings also suggest that advertisements on both media are informative, with social media advertisements being slightly more informative than print media advertisements. Insights gained from this study will assist marketers and business owners to understand Generation Y consumers’ perceived value of print media and social media advertisements, as well as how informativeness, irritation, entertainment and credibility influence the perceived value of advertisements on these media. By understanding these findings, marketers and business owners can choose the most appropriate advertising media when targeting these consumers and can develop appropriate advertisements that will be valuable to this target audience. Masters

MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2019 The world is becoming more and more digital. In recent years there has been a shift within the way entertainment is being consumed – from the traditional albums and DVDs to more digital options like audio and video-on-demand subscription services, also known as streaming services. This gives the users the opportunity to watch their favourite movie or listen to their favourite song wherever and whenever they want to, as long as an internet connection is available. This has led to consumers becoming independent, as it gives them control over when, where, and how they consume content. Streaming services are a fairly new development in South Africa, with a current internet penetration rate of 54 percent which partly explains the slow adoption amongst consumers. Although the adoption rate is relatively low, there has already been a decline in the selling of DVDs and CDs as the appeal of owning a physical library has become less attractive in an age where there are so many other ways to access films and music. DStv subscriptions are declining as customers move towards on-demand streaming services. Although this shift is gradual, the effect it has on the financial reports of the traditional TV industry is stark. Generation Y is seen as one of the first generations who had access to technology and the internet from an early age. This makes them more likely to write blogs, download music, send instant messages, and watch online videos, on-demand. Thus, combined with their potential to be high-income earners with the highest potential spending power, as result of obtaining a tertiary qualification make Generation Y students the ideal segment for streaming-service adoption. The primary objective of this study is to determine Generation Y students’ intention to use music and video on-demand streaming services. The sampling frame comprised a list of the 26 South African registered HEIs, a convenience sample of two HEIs situated in Gauteng province was selected. By using a non-probability convenience sample of 500 Generation Y students between the ages of 18 and 24 was selected for this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather the required data. After the data cleaning, the 425 questionnaires which were usable giving a response rate of 85 percent. The collected data was analysed using an exploratory factor analysis, a descriptive statistical analysis, a correlation analysis, structural equation modelling and a two independent-sample t-test. Structural equation modelling revealed that Generation Y students displayed positive attitudes and intentions to use towards on-demand streaming services. Furthermore, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norms displayed a positive influence on Generation Y students’ attitude towards on-demand streaming services. Although, social norms, opinions of family and friends, only have a slight influence on their choice of which on-demand streaming service to use or subscribe to. To conclude, the model indicated that Generation Y students’ attitude has a significant positive impact on their intention to use on-demand streaming services. The literature within this study is a clear indication that streaming services are taking over the entertainment industry. The growth in the streaming service industry increases competitiveness between the different streaming service providers. Consequently, for the service providers to be successful, they should attract subscribers through distinguishing factors such as competitive advantages in their marketing strategies. To obtain a competitive advantage, marketers and service providers should know what their potential target market’s wants, and needs are and then develop their marketing strategies accordingly. The youth are considered to be the current trendsetters within the market, influencing not only consumer behaviour within their generational cohort but consumer behaviour in general. Therefore, it is important for marketers to know the factors influencing Generation Y consumers’ attitude and behavioural intention on-demand streaming services Masters

PhD (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2019 The competitiveness of the smartphone market has escalated in recent years and has seen varying brands vie for the top. This has been aided by the diffusion of technology, as well as the streamlining of the supply chain for smartphones. As such, quality or unique features were no longer the most important aspects as the number of substitutes has afforded users to test new brands and at lower prices than had ever been possible before. Thus, it is suggested that brands need a differentiating factor that will set them apart from other brands. This study hypothesised that relationship marketing through social media could prove to be enough of a differentiating feature for brands to be able to showcase a uniqueness, or at the very least, differentiation to the extent of standing out from other brands. When a relationship is sought with consumers, above merely selling a semi-homogenous product, their loyalty and preference to the brand might be a clinching factor in selling. Thus, when brands build relationships, the relationship itself is seen as a differentiating factor, which augments the product, and therefore shows itself as a more attractive option than merely buying a smartphone. This study set out to test factors influencing effective relationship marketing by smartphone brands through social media amongst Generation Y students. Therefore, the focus was on Generation Y students aged 18 to 24, from the Gauteng Province. This data came from using 519 initial respondents, which was trimmed down to 512 after the removal of outliers. The data was collected in 2017, using a self-administered questionnaire, which was given to respondents through non-probability convenience sampling. The factors that were used to test the hypotheses for this study were brand loyalty, brand experience, perceived usefulness, anticipated benefits, brand activities, brand community, intention to be involved, brand trust, commitment, and advocacy intention. The conceptual model for the study showed sufficient model fit in all but two instances, and a new model was proposed to find a balance between theory and the data found in this study. It was found that brand experience and anticipated benefits had a positive effect on brand loyalty. Anticipated benefits, perceived usefulness, and brand community had a positive effect on intention to be involved, and anticipated benefits had a positive effect on brand activities. Next, brand loyalty, intention to be involved, and brand activities had a positive effect on brand trust. Brand loyalty and brand trust had a positive effect on commitment. Brand loyalty, brand activities, and commitment had a positive effect on advocacy intention. This study shows that Generation Y students tend to be brand loyal and value brand experience highly. Moreover, they perceive social media as useful to connect with smartphone brands but anticipate certain benefits and brand activities when following brands on social media. Next, Generation Y students are in favour of brand communities and want to feel valued in those communities. They had the intention to be involved with the social media pages of smartphone brands. Next, they show that they want to trust smartphone brands, are in favour of being committed, and ultimately, can be persuaded to become advocates for the brand. This is the ultimate goal for brands who make use of social media for their relationship marketing. This study contributes to the scarce literature regarding Generation Y students in South Africa, regarding the social media pages of smartphone brands, which is seen as a practical contribution. Furthermore, smartphones are becoming ever more popular but compete in a crowded market. This study highlights the attitude of the Generation cohort regarding smartphones and several specific brands. Moreover, this study showcases a model that shows flexibility and can be used by smartphone manufacturers to attain brand advocacy among their customers. This is achieved by showing several different models, paths, and constructs that are relevant to social media and smartphones, and how they correlate in the different constructs. Next, this study showed brand loyalty as an independent variable, to study whether the individual using a brand and being loyal to a brand, motivates them to make use of the social media pages of smartphone brands. Lastly, the model used could possibly be altered for use in other electronics categories, to assess the way in which the user can be motivated to become a brand advocate. Doctoral

PhD (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2019 The rapid dissemination of smartphones amongst consumers over the past decade has led to a plethora of mobile services being available. Of all mobile services available, mobile application games (hereafter referred to as mobile games) have experienced the most success. Mobile gaming has become a major success in the South African market, with mobile gaming surpassing console video gaming in terms of revenue generated in 2016. A mobile game, as a type of video game, is described as an interactive entertainment that can be played on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. The object of a video game, particularly a mobile game, is to create a pleasurable experience for a player, which is attained by accomplishing certain objectives set out in the game. Mobile games have become ubiquitous amongst smartphone users due to their portability, as well as them being interactive, challenging and fun to play. Internationally, mobile games have become a lucrative business, with consumer expenditure exceeding $35 billion. Players who enjoy the game will either purchase the full-version, make repeated in-game purchases (in-app purchases) to speed up their gameplay progress or download other mobile games from the same company. This type of consumer behaviour is typically linked to brand loyalty, and the success of these mobile gaming brands can be attributed to their ability to attract and retain brand loyal consumers. The primary objective of this study was to determine the antecedents of mobile gaming brand loyalty amongst Generation Y students within the South African context. The empirical objectives included determining Generation Y students’ psychological commitment and behavioural loyalty toward their favourite mobile game, together with their level of satisfaction, perceptions of challenge, level of flow experienced and level of identification with their favourite mobile game. The second empirical objective determined if mobile gaming brand loyalty is a six-factor model comprising mobile gaming satisfaction, challenge, game identification, flow, psychological commitment and behavioural loyalty. The third empirical objective tested a proposed model on the influence of mobile gaming satisfaction, challenge, game identification and flow on Generation Y students’ psychological commitment and behavioural loyalty towards their favourite mobile game. The final empirical objective sought to determine if there are any gender differences in terms of Generation Y students’ mobile gaming satisfaction, challenge, game identification, flow, psychological commitment and behavioural loyalty towards their favourite mobile game. The sampling frame for this study comprised 26 public registered South African universities. From this initial sampling frame, non-probability judgement sampling was applied to select a campus from a traditional university, one from a university of technology and one from a comprehensive university. A non-probability convenience sample of 600 students was taken across these three campuses during 2017. The statistical techniques used to analyse the data collected from the 464 completed questionnaires returned included factor analysis, descriptive statistics, structural equation modelling and an independent samples t-test. The findings in this study indicate that South African Generation Y students experience satisfaction when playing their favourite mobile game, respond positively to challenges posed and identify with their favourite game in terms of in-game characters, social communities and the virtual worlds they present. Furthermore, Generation Y students respond strongest to games that evoke a state of flow. Moreover, they are brand loyal towards their favourite mobile game in terms of both psychological commitment and behavioural loyalty. The study also determined that mobile gaming brand loyalty amongst Generation Y students in South Africa is a six-factor model. The empirically-tested model indicates that satisfaction, challenge and game identification have a significant direct positive influence on Generation Y students’ flow, which, in turn, is a significant positive predictor of psychological commitment. In turn, Generation Y students’ psychological commitment towards their favourite mobile game was found to be a significant positive predictor of their behavioural loyalty towards that game. Game identification, in addition to having an indirect influence on psychological commitment via its direct influence on flow, also had a direct influence on psychological commitment. In terms of gender difference, female Generation Y students were found to experience a statistically significant higher level of satisfaction, challenge and sense of flow with their favourite mobile game than their male counterparts. This study contributes towards to the literature concerning brand loyalty toward mobile gaming in both the South African and global context. This study determined which antecedents contribute to making Generation Y students brand loyal when playing mobile games. In addition, the study demonstrates the underlying relationships between mobile gaming satisfaction, challenge, game identification, flow, psychological commitment and behavioural loyalty amongst Generation Y students. Doctoral

MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2019 Mobile phones have been around for years, with rapid developments leading to the current generation of smartphones. Smartphones have been the latest technological addition to our daily lives. Several studies have proven a rapid growth in the industry with an increased need to own these devices as a modification to our daily connection and convenience in life. The smartphone industry is very competitive with its common focus being to keep existing customers and convert new ones to their brand. It is vital for each manufacturer to stay ahead or in line with its competitors by providing customers with a range of products that will cater for different needs with the latest technology and competitive pricing. Technology adoption remains one of the defining factors of human progress as the world is becoming increasingly interconnected, both economically and socially, due to the high number of smartphone owners (Poushter, 2016:3). The increase in smartphone usage has amplified research interest in this phenomenon (Mohan, 2014:9). The rapid advance in technology causes firms to operate in increasingly competitive environments full of gradual and radical innovations (Eisdorfer & Hsu, 2011:2). Consequently, smartphone brands have to find ways to gain a competitive advantage. This study focussed specifically on Generation Y students as they are present in the marketplace in great numbers and their purchasing power has an unprecedented effect on the economy (Noble et al., 2009:617). This generation is poised to take over as the largest and most lucrative consumer group for marketers (Hughes, 2008:74). Generation Y understand the power they possess as consumers of digital technologies and they are ready to share their opinions and experiences across various platforms, as they rely on each other to make informed purchase decisions (Gailewicz, 2014). The primary objective of this study was to determine which factors influence South African Generation Y students’ smartphone purchasing behaviour. Adopted scales were used to meet this goal, which measured product features, brand loyalty, brand personality, purchase intention, social influence and dependency. The sampling frame comprised a list of the 26 South African registered HEIs, from which a convenience sample of three HEIs situated in Gauteng province was selected. A non-probability convenience sample of 450 Generation Y students between the ages of 18 and 24 was selected for this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather the required data. After the cleaning process, 429 questionnaires were deemed viable. The collected data was analysed using exploratory factor analyses, a descriptive statistical analysis, a correlation analysis, regression analysis and a two independent-sample t-test. Results showed that the students’ most preferred brand was Apple, followed by Samsung. Respondents also indicated that most of them (32.6%) spend more than 8 hours a day on their smartphones. The regression analysis suggests that smart phone purchasing intention is influenced by product features, brand personality, brand loyalty, social influence and dependency. It is therefore important for brands to find a way to connect with Generation Y consumers. Generation Y students’ have preferences for specific smartphones and they show high intentions of better purchasing decision in the near future. Students are very dependent on these devices for both work and personal use. Furthermore, two independent-sample t-test show that females are more dependent on their smartphones than their male counterparts. The data collected in this study can be used by producers, marketers and mobile operators of smartphone brands. The results will help to better understand the Generation Y cohort and what influences their purchasing decisions of smartphone brands. Consequently, marketing efforts can be altered to influence the buying behaviour of this cohort. Furthermore, researchers conducting similar studies could use these results as a point of reference and for comparison. Masters

PhD (Business Management), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2019 Over recent years the traditional advertising industry has suffered some setbacks due to media clutter, mass audience fragmentation, a growth in negative consumer attitudes toward traditional advertising as well as their defence against television (TV) advertising by zipping and zapping through the use of digital recording systems. The progressive loss of a passive audience, therefore, has unequivocally challenged advertising professionals to seek more innovative and effective solutions to brand communication strategies and product placement has presented itself as such. Product placement involves brands being placed in various media content such as movies, TV shows, songs, videogames, websites, magazines and/or novels in an effort to create brand awareness, brand association and, ultimately, brand loyalty. This study endeavoured to explore the use of product placement as an alternative advertising and brand communication tool that has the potential of breaking through the inadequacies of traditional advertising and succeed in the battle to capture an audience’s attention and influence their consumption-related behaviour. Various studies have suggested that there are differences in the way in which consumers react to product placement based on various demographic factors, including geographic, cultural and even generational differences. With this in mind, the primary objective of this study was to propose and empirically test a model of the relationships between Generation Y students’ attitudes and behavioural responses towards product placement in movies and TV shows and the factors of perceived ethics, entertainment, realism, character-product associations and materialism of product placements, as well as attitude towards TV advertising in the South African context. Globally, there are indications that this generation has significant current and future purchasing power and that they exert an influence on the purchasing behaviour of not only their peers but also members of other generations. The focus on university students as a market segment was based on the assumption that a graduate qualification typically correlates to a higher future earning potential and, consequently, higher future disposable income, rendering them a significantly lucrative target segment. The sampling frame for the study comprised the 26 public registered higher education institutions (HEIs) situated in South Africa. From this initial list of 26 registered institutions, a judgement sample of three campuses from three HEIs in the Gauteng province was chosen. These included a campus from a traditional university, one from a university of technology and one from a comprehensive university. A convenience sample of 450 students across these three campuses was taken in 2018. Of the questionnaires completed, 397 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included principle component analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, canonical correlation analysis and an independent samples t-test. Findings of this study suggest character-product association, perceived entertainment, perceived realism, perceived materialism and, to a much lesser extent, attitude towards TV advertising have a direct positive relationship with dependent variate and perceived ethicality a direct negative relationship and, as such, are predictors of South African Generation Y students’ attitudes and purchase intentions toward product placement in movies and TV shows. Furthermore, male and female participants did not differ significantly on any of these dimensions. The findings of this study contribute to the limited literature available concerning product placement effectiveness in the South African market, with specific reference to the factors that contribute to Generation Y students’ positive attitudes and purchase intentions towards product placement. The model developed in the study represents an important tool for predicting Generation Y’s attitudes and behavioural responses towards the placements of brands across a range of entertainment content, including but not limited to movies and TV shows in the South African context. The model may also have value in shedding some light for policy makers with regards to the ethical concern and regulatory frameworks around the placement of brands in non-commercial content. Moreover, an understanding in this regard will enable marketers to realise the opportunities presented by product placement techniques in developing markets such as South Africa and thus tailor their brand communication strategies to maximise effectiveness. The study also seeks to shed some light to policy makers with regards to the perceptions of consumers to the regulation of product placement, thereby making legislative contributions in this regard. Doctoral

PhD (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2019 The concept of sport marketing has been present for ages. This is an alternative tool available for general marketers and sport marketers. The concept of sport marketing has been applied by many companies to promote and expose their brands to the targeted consumers. This can be proved by the increase in media coverage of televised sporting events. Likewise, sport media coverage is trending worldwide and makes the task of marketers easy as their brands are introduced to the international markets. Therefore, sport marketing plays a vital role as a link between consumers and marketers. Brand personality has been present in marketing literature for many years. Recently, brand personality has been applied in sport brands and attracted the interest of researchers. Sport team activities influence consumer perceptions about the sport team brand. Consumer perceptions are useful to develop marketing strategies in order to set aside a sport team from competitors. Several different scales have been developed to measure such consumer perceptions. There is dearth of published research regarding consumers’ perceptions of brand personality in the South African market (Müller, 2014:532) but currently no published research to report on the measurement of the brand personality of sport teams in South Africa. There are only a few authors who have developed brand personality traits scales for sport teams globally (Tsiotsou, 2012:246; Braustain and Ross, 2010:11; Kang, 2013:13; Kang et al., 2016:6). As a result, the gap in the literature suggests that more research is required on the brand personality of sport teams. Brand personality has always been an important topic for academic research and empirical practice (Bei et al., 2012:131). Marketers applied the concept of brand personality for the purpose of improving the effectiveness of a brand. Since the importance of brand personality, the concept has been well-acknowledged and several efforts to elaborate on the concept has been made (Li et al., 2014:324). The primary objective of this study was to develop and validate a sport-team-brand-personality-trait scale (STBP-trait scale) for South African professional sport teams. Six steps of quantitative and qualitative methods were followed during the scale development. Step 1 was traits identification by means of a focus group. Similarly, Step 2 was traits identification by reviewing literature and website analysis. These traits were reduced into a more manageable number by a subject expert panel(s) in Step 3. Following was the development of STBP-traits scale using the remaining traits in (Step 4). Thereafter, the developed STBP-trait scale was tested for validity in Step 5 and produced results indicating that the scale was valid. The scale had a four factor structure namely: Trustworthiness, Competitiveness, Friendliness and Trendiness. The developed STBP-trait scale may assist sport teams to select brand personality traits to be implemented in their marketing activities and positioning strategies. The results will be used for rebranding sport teams and differentiate these teams from their competitors. Doctoral

PhD (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2019 Part of modern consumerism is the switch from buying with cash to buying on credit. This is a global trend and consumers are spending more and saving less. Banks and retailers are taking full advantage of this fact and are encouraging consumers to open accounts and to buy on credit. Students are a prime target due to their future earning potential and many students are heavily indebted by the time they graduate. South Africa has more than 20 million credit-active consumers of whom approximately half are in arrears with their payments. The South African government, realising the extent of the problem, exacted the National Credit Act (NCA), which has been credited for somewhat shielding South Africa from the worst of the 2008 global recession. A recession many blame on the easy availability of credit. The first empirical objectives of this study were to determine Generation Y students’ actual credit use which includes types of credit used, sources of income, factors influencing Generation Y credit use, credit health and financial concerns. The next empirical objective was to determine Generation Y students’ materialism, status consumption, social comparison, and impulsive buying tendencies and their attitude towards money and credit and credit usage intentions in the South African context. The third empirical objective was to determine whether credit usage intentions among Generation Y students are a seven-factor structure consisting of materialism, status consumption, money as a motivator, impulsive buying, social comparison, attitude towards credit and credit usage intentions. The fourth empirical objective was to test a model of the influence of materialism, status consumption, social comparison, impulsive buying, money as a motivator and attitude towards credit shape on credit usage intentions among Generation Y students in South Africa. The last empirical objective was to determine the influence gender has on materialism, status consumption, social comparison, impulsive buying, money as a motivator and attitude towards credit. The sampling frame consisted of 26 universities in South Africa, of which four university campuses were selected. The selected university campuses included two from a traditional university, one from a university of technology and one from a comprehensive university. A convenience sample of 630 students was taken during 2017. Statistical analysis of the collected data included factor analysis, descriptive statistics, structural equation modelling and an independent samples t-test. The study found that 71 percent of students used some form of credit, mostly NSFAS, although 73 percent claimed to be dependent on parents and family as their primary source of income. Most students were able to fulfil their financial obligations. As such, only 7 percent were struggling to keep up and 9 percent were behind on payments. Tuition and related expenses were the participants’ biggest concern. The empirically tested model indicates that materialism and status consumption tendencies influence Generation Y students’ attitude towards money, which, together with impulse buying and social comparison tendencies, influences their attitude towards credit and consequent credit usage intentions. This study contributes towards understanding the motivations of students when purchasing products on credit. This study determined why Generation Y students chose to use credit, where they obtain credit and on what they spend the available credit. In addition, the study illustrates the relationship between materialism, status consumption, social comparison, impulsive buying, money as a motivator, attitude towards credit and credit usage intentions among Generation Y students. Doctoral

PhD (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2019 Wearable activity-tracking devices have revolutionised health and fitness monitoring over the past decade. The ten different types of wearable trackers as of 2018, have allowed consumers to have real-time data regarding their health. In addition, targeted improvements can be made based on their preferred types of activity, sports performance, heart-rate data, eating regimens as well as sleep quality and patterns. The continuous technological innovation paired with an increased consumer interest has allowed the wearable activity-tracking device market to evolve both globally and in South Africa. In 2017, a significant revenue was generated from this market of approximately R101.8bn and it is expected to reach approximately R114.5bn by 2020. However, despite the significant revenue generating and health-promoting opportunities of wearable activity trackers, adoption in South Africa is trifling. In order to improve the market penetration and adoption rates of these devices in South Africa, it is important to gain an understanding of consumer behaviour as well as the factors that influence the adoption behaviour of these devices. Given the novelty of these technological devices and the lack of research on the topic, previous technology adoption theories and models can be used as a foundation in this understanding. As such, the TAM in conjunction with the TRA, with the addition of the perceived importance of devices’ brand name, was employed to establish a model of the factors that influence consumers’ adoption behaviour of activity-tracking devices in the South African context. The primary objective of this study was to propose and empirically test a model that combined the TRA and the TAM to measure the extent to which perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, subjective norm, with the addition of the perceived importance of brand name, influence Generation Y students’ attitude towards and intention to use wearable activity-tracking devices within the South African context. A model was established, which suggests that perceived ease of use has a direct positive influence on perceived usefulness and these two factors each have a direct positive influence on attitude towards activity-tracking devices. Therefore, with the exception of the direct positive influence between perceived usefulness and intention to use, the TAM has been validated and explains Generation Y students’ probable adoption behaviour of wearable activity-tracking devices. Similarly, the TRA has been established and explains Generation Y students’ adoption behaviour of probable activity tracker adoption in that the model suggests that subjective norm and attitude have a direct positive influence on intention to use. Furthermore, the model established in this study suggests that the perceived importance of device brand name has a direct positive influence on Generation Y students’ intention to use activity-tracking devices. The sampling frame for this study comprised the 26 public registered HEI campuses in South Africa given the nature of the Generation Y cohort, more so the significant future spending potential of those individuals obtaining tertiary qualifications, namely students. From the 26 institutions, three institutions – one traditional, one university of technology and one comprehensive university – in the Gauteng province were selected based on a non-probability judgement sampling method. Lecturers working at each of the three institutions were contacted telephonically to request permission for the questionnaires to be distributed to their students during a scheduled class period. Once permission had been obtained, the questionnaires were hand-delivered to the participating academic staff and distributed by the researcher with the assistance of a trained fieldworker, during a scheduled class period. A convenience sample of 600 full-time Generation Y students, 200 per institution, was taken in 2017. Of the 600 questionnaires distributed, 480 were usable for statistical analysis. The collected data were analysed by specific statistical analysis in order to achieve the empirical objectives set in this study, namely exploratory principal components analysis, internal consistency reliability analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, multicollinearity diagnostics and structural equation modelling. The findings of this study indicate that South African Generation Y students have an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards and intention to use wearable activity-tracking devices. Furthermore, Generation Y students perceive these devices as relatively easy to use to measure their activity levels and find these devices useful to their lives in general. A device’s brand name has substantial importance when it comes to the acquisition of these devices, as Generation Y students perceive that a device with a reputable brand name has less risk of leading to disappointment. However, these devices are not yet perceived as a subjective norm, which may be due to the unacquainted perceived cost and perceived value of these devices due to their novelty in the South African consumer market. This study contributes to filling the gaps in the literature pertaining to Generation Y students’ attitude towards and intention to use activity-tracking devices in the South African context; that is the extent to which the factors, namely perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived importance of brand name and subjective norm influence Generation Y students’ attitude towards and intention to use activity-tracking devices. By understanding these factors, product manufacturers, South African product developers, local businesses including retailers, marketing practitioners, possibly medical professionals, policy makers towards sustained healthy living for all South African citizens and universities, can develop appropriate marketing strategies to create awareness as well as endorse the use of activity trackers amongst the target population. By increasing the adoption rates of activity trackers in South Africa, it is possible to achieve a healthier standard of living through the reduction of non-communicable diseases, as well as promoting a more active nation. Further, this increased adoption can generate a significantly larger income for the country, subsequently advancing the local economy. This study is pioneering research in South Africa and provides the foundation for future research of a similar nature – leading to an increased body of knowledge regarding the adoption behaviour of activity trackers in South Africa. The findings of this study contribute to the literature on and the development of a profile of South African Generation Y students’ consumer behaviour, which is in keeping with the objectives of a larger research project at the North-West University (Vaal Triangle Campus), namely ProGenY (profiling the consumer behaviour of Generation Y in South Africa). Doctoral

PhD (Entrepreneurship), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2018 Entrepreneurship has become a well-known topic amongst various stakeholders, to the extent that it is considered by international and national researchers and policy formulators as the link to increased and sustained economic development and growth. This is particularly true for developing countries where poverty and high unemployment rates prevail, but also relates to developed economies where entrepreneurship is considered a driver of accelerated economic growth. Today, in the rapidly changing world of business, there is an emergent perspective that entrepreneurship may help unlock stagnating global economic growth. Some experts opine that this is particularly true with respect to females, who constitute more than half the world population, and their role as entrepreneurs. Investment in female entrepreneurship development and support could potentially be one of the most efficient ways to promote sustainable economic growth. Furthermore, investing in entrepreneurship of this type may have an important ripple effect on development, as female entrepreneurs will typically invest more money in the health, education and general well-being of their families and communities than their male counterparts. However, research has consistently demonstrated that men are more likely to a start business and this is also the case in South African. Despite this, some females do become entrepreneurs although many of their businesses remain small and do not have much growth potential. Based on the aforementioned, the primary objective of this study was to determine why female entrepreneurs decide to remain in business rather than returning to full employment or just not working at all. In addition, identifying which factors lead to their intention to remain in business and their business growth ambitions is also investigated. As the study focused on understanding and predicting the factors that motivate female entrepreneurs to remain in business, and determining which factors restrict or promote the growth of their business, a quantitative research approach was deemed most appropriate. This approach also made use of a descriptive, single-sample cross-sectional design which involved the use of a structured questionnaire to collect data from the identified sample. The questionnaire was pre-tested and underwent a pilot test before the final version was sent out to the respondents. It comprised 12 sections containing various constructs on entrepreneurial attitude, intention, growth and other factors. The final two sections requested the respondent’s demographical and business information. A combination of two non-probability sampling techniques was used in the selection of the sample elements as identified from the target population. First, a purposive sampling technique was utilised and second, a convenience sampling technique was employed based on specific participant selection criteria. As to the extent of the study, the research was conducted in South Africa which included respondents from all nine provinces and the final sample amounted to 510 usable questionnaires. Considering the primary and subsequent theoretical and empirical objectives of this study, its underlying philosophical underpinning originates from the radical structuralist or positivist paradigm as it predominantly makes use of empirical data obtained objectively and interpreted in a statistical manner. Reliability of the constructs were insured through the use of Cronbach’s Alpha and nomological validity was established through the use of Pearson’s correlation. The collected data were subsequently analysed and interpreted in a statistical manner making use of canonical correlation, MANOVA and ANOVA. Main findings from this study suggested that South African female entrepreneurs’ do have strong intentions to remain in their businesses, grow them and have a positive attitude towards their businesses. These three variables were further found to be strongly correlated with each other, thus implying that if an entrepreneur has a good attitude towards the business, they may potentially want to remain in it and ultimately grow that business. Findings further suggested that there is an irrefutable relationship between some of the various entrepreneurial factors influencing South African female entrepreneurs’ intentions to remain in business. What was noticeable was that female entrepreneurs’ attitude towards growth factors and their internal motivations, which includes aspects such as independence, work-life balance, perusing a challenge, contribution to society and family security amongst others provide the highest contributions and could thus be regarded as the key predictors of female entrepreneurs’ intention to remain in business. Further findings found that there were indeed significant differences between some of the groups and the various entrepreneurial factors. However, the groups relating to the number of years’ previous work experience, marital status of the entrepreneurs and whether they had children or not, did not result in any significant difference. The most interesting finding from this analysis indicated that internal motivational factors again had the most impact on female entrepreneurs. This study not only contributes in adding to the existing body of knowledge on female entrepreneurship development, but adds valuable new knowledge on why female entrepreneurs decide to remain in business even though several challenges affects them on a regular basis. Determining the factors which contribute most too female entrepreneurs’ intention to remain in business may well assist in future development of policies directed to female empowerment, job creation and business development. These policies could aid in assisting females to remain in business and increase growth potential, which in turn could lead and contribute to improved economic growth. Recommendations to improve the overall level of female development with specific reference to South Africa include the promotion of female entrepreneurial networks and associations, greater media attention on the importance of female entrepreneurship, better implementation of policies and awareness thereof, greater motivation and assistance for business growth, exposing females to the business environment from a young age, greater representation of females in the business world, enhanced finance opportunities and developing a greater understanding of the female entrepreneurship phenomenon. Doctoral

The importance of service quality in service marketing is widely acknowledged by many practitioners and academics worldwide, yet there seems to be limited research on service quality in higher education institutions (HEIs). Therefore, in order to gain an understanding of students’ learning experiences, this paper reports on a study undertaken to determine students’ perceptions of the level of service quality delivered at a traditional university and a university of technology. The study was conducted at two selected higher education institutions located within the Gauteng Province of South Africa. A descriptive research design was employed, whereby a questionnaire survey consisting of item indicators adopted from the SERVPERF model was conducted to analyse the relevant first-, second- and third-year business and marketing management students’ perceptions of each higher education institutions’ respective business schools. The results of the paper suggest that differences exist between the students’ perceptions of service quality between the two types of institutions, with the students indicating a significantly more positive perception of service quality delivery at the traditional university. These findings provide insight into students’ perceptions of the level of service delivery at two types of South African HEIs. http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JSS/JSS-00-0-000-000-1997-Web/JSS-00-0-000-000-1997-1-Cover.htm

In South Africa, mobile gaming revenue has eclipsed the revenue of both traditional console and computer video games. It has also become an important marketing medium for marketers wishing to promote their brands. However, there is a lack of knowledge surrounding how mobile games have grown so rapidly worldwide, including in South Africa, and why consumers are adopting them at such high rates. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of flow, subjective norms and attitude on Generation Y students’ behavioural intention to adopt mobile games in South Africa. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 502 students registered at the campuses of three higher education institutions. The captured data were analysed using descriptive measures, correlation analysis and structural equation modelling. The findings suggest that flow, subjective norms and attitude have a significant positive influence on Generation Y students’ intention to play mobile games.

MCom (Marketing Management) at the North-West University Vaal Triangle Campus, 2017 The global eBook market saw tremendous global growth since its invention, as well as great leaps in technological progress. African countries, however, saw very little growth and only benefited from eBooks long after developed nations did. South Africa joined the trend towards eBook adoption circa 2012, and adoption rates increased. Estimates have shown that traction would increase towards 2019, partly due to government’s new focus on digital, and the higher interest in digital academic material. Conversely, the global eBook market slowed towards 2013 due to a number of factors hindering the further adoption thereof. This study specifically focussed on Generation Y students as they are seen as a high priority segment. Students are seen as the potential high income earners and leaders of the future, and Generation Y is seen as those who will have the highest potential spending power. They are also a generation born into technology, which makes them the ideal segment to further eBook adoption. Furthermore, they have an affinity for causes and use social media on a frequent basis. All of these factors make Generation Y students an attractive market, which is easy to reach but difficult to convince. The primary goal of this study was to examine Generation Y students’ attitudes towards eBooks and eBook adoption. To meet this goal, adapted scales were used which measured awareness, interest and intention to use, self-reported use, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, subjective norms, consumer innovativeness, and environmental awareness. After the data cleaning, the 370 questionnaires which were usable were analysed. To analyse the collected data, the following procedures were carried out: reliability and validity analysis, descriptive analysis, factor analysis, regression analysis, and two independent samples t-test. This study concluded that students preferred to read (mostly skim) for academic purposes, and they used print outs or hard copies to do their reading. It was also found that students mostly had access to smartphones and laptops; few had access to PCs, eReaders, and tablets. The analysed data showed that students were aware of eBooks; showed interest and intention to use them, and perceived eBooks to be easy to use; but were not making frequent use of them at the time of the study. The analysis of the data in this study focussed on interest and intention to use, and self-reported use, and how the other independent variables influenced them. It was found that current usage, the perception of usefulness, how easy eBooks appeared to be to use, and how aware of environmental factors they were, influenced whether Generation Y students were interested and had intention to use eBooks. Next, awareness, interest and intention to use, perceived usefulness, and social influence were shown to affect their self-reported use. Lastly, the data suggested that there were no significant differences in male and female Generation Y students’ attitudes towards eBooks and their adoption thereof. Little other data are available regarding eBook adoption in South Africa and how Generation Y students perceive it. This study adds to the limited literature and illumines several important factors. These findings will assist universities, retailers, publishers, and libraries to motivate eBook adoption among Generation Y students and to showcase the benefits thereof. This study highlights Generation Y students’ medium of preference, and how they tend to read. Furthermore, it showcases certain factors which show their awareness of eBooks, whether they intend to use eBooks in the future, their current usage of eBooks, and whether they deem eBooks easy to use. Next, it also shows how useful they find eBooks, how their social circles influence them, how innovative they consider themselves to be, and how environmentally conscious they are. By using the data in this study, some obstacles might be overcome in order for eBooks to diffuse through to the early and late majority, and reach a new cycle of growth. Masters

PhD (Marketing Management) at the Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University, 2017 PhD (Marketing Management) North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2017 Branding has been part of human existence for several millenniums and has evolved from being a mark of ownership and identification, to a quality assurance and, eventually, to being a bearer of certain symbolic associations. Brand personality has been identified as one of the pivotal components of the symbolic attributes assigned to a brand. Brands have personalities, like humans, that set them apart from competing brands. Brand personality can be defined as all the personality traits that consumers associate with a brand. Brand personality can increase consumers’ preference for and usage of a brand, resulting in stronger emotional ties and loyalty towards the brand. Marketing academics and practitioners have long since been aware of the important influence that brand personality has on consumer behaviour. Consequently, the concept of brand personality has since become an important facet of marketing. A wide variety of scales have been developed to measure brand personality but there is still a lack of research studies available regarding brand personality in South Africa. Furthermore, there is a global paucity of research specifically concerning the measurement of brand personality perceptions of symbolic product brands. This study analyses the development of several brand personality trait scales to derive a method of developing and validating a symbolic-product-brand-personality-trait scale (SPBP-trait scale). The primary research objective of the study was to develop and validate a SPBP-trait scale for the assessment of consumers’ perceptions of the brand personality traits of symbolic products within the South African context. This entailed a series of six steps using both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The steps included the identification of symbolic brands (Step 1), identification of brand personality traits (Step 2 & 3), reducing the list of brand personality traits (Step 4), developing the SPBP-trait scale (Step 5) and validating the SPBP-trait scale (Step 6). The target population of this study included males and females who are South African citizens. Generally, research studies aimed at developing and validating measuring instruments use student samples from higher education institutions (HEIs). A non-probability convenience sample of 2305 students was taken from a sampling frame of students registered at two South African HEI campuses located in Gauteng province and North West province to participate in the various steps of the study. The study also made use of seven subject experts. The study comprised several steps and therefore utilised various data collection methods (a top-of-mind-awareness survey, a free-association survey, secondary data, an expert focus group and surveys). Statistical analysis of the collected data included frequency distribution, factor analysis, reliability and validity measures, correlation analysis, structural equation modelling for confirmatory factor analysis and descriptive statistics. The findings of this study suggest that the SPBP-trait scale comprises a four-factor structure composed of responsibility, glamorousness, outgoingness and enthusiasm. The SPBP-trait scale represents an important tool for marketing researchers and organisations to gain a better understanding of consumers’ perceptions of brand personality traits associated with symbolic product brands. The developed SPBP-trait scale can be used by marketing researchers or organisations to measure consumers’ perceptions of the brand personality of symbolic product brands. The results may assist organisations to assess the brand personality portrayed by their current marketing efforts and then be used to guide and alter future marketing strategies. Furthermore, organisations planning to enter the symbolic product category, or organisations who would like to rejuvenate their symbolic product brand, could benefit from the SPBP-trait scale by adapting their branding in such a way that they fit in with one of the four dimensions. Doctoral

PhD (Marketing Management) at the North-West University Vaal Triangle Campus, 2017 Conventional wisdom suggests a need for online fashion marketers to find alternative and effective ways of differentiating themselves to ensure customer retention. This, owing to the observed failure rates of pure play fashion retailers, which is attributable to the fact that online firms operate under near perfect market conditions where they find themselves facing many competitors offering similar products to their own. However, the identification of future behavioural intentions of consumers can have a diagnostic value in that it pinpoints to management whether customers could switch to competitors or not. Moreover, given that consumers purchase fashion products for what they symbolise, it is crucial for fashion marketing managers to know the value components their products promote in the perceptive minds of actual and potential customers. In view of that, the importance of focusing marketing efforts to the development and maintenance of value-based offerings cannot be disputed. Notwithstanding this, there have been no scholarly attempts to establish the existence of path relationships between value components with behavioural intentions through the attitude and customer satisfaction constructs. While other researchers have identified a link between these variables, albeit within traditional shopping contexts, there is a dearth of published research that focuses primarily on fashion e-store consumer behaviour among a South African sample. The aim of this study was to determine the behavioural intentions of South African online shoppers by ascertaining the causal relationships between selected value components, attitude, customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions. In 2015, an online questionnaire was administered on a single cross-sectional sample of 600 online shoppers identified from the SurveyCentric™ database that comprises South African online shoppers. From the self-administered questionnaires, 563 were completed and considered usable. The collected data were analysed by means of SPSS version 23.0. Initially, descriptive statistical analysis was conducted with a view to condense the sample composition. Correlation analysis was conducted with a view to identify the existence of relationships among constructs, while indirectly confirming the absence of multicollinearity in the data set. As a prologue to applying stringent multivariate statistics, the attainment of data normality was corroborated using Kolmogorov-Smirnov’s (K-S) test as well as Shapiro-Wilk’s (S-W) test. Thereafter, it was possible to test a measurement model using confirmatory factor analysis. The measurement model was verified using various statistical accuracy tests, thereby confirming that the behavioural intentions model was a six-factor structure comprising utilitarian value, hedonic value, intellectual value, attitude, customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions. A structural equation modelling procedure was then performed with a view to test the theoretic-based model that was proposed in this study. The SEM procedure revealed that fashion e-store consumers derive utilitarian value and intellectual value from their shopping experiences of which both value components have a direct significant influence on the consumers’ satisfaction evaluations of their shopping experiences. Intellectual value and customer satisfaction have a positive significant effect on consumers’ attitude towards fashion e-store shopping while hedonic value was found to have a negative significant association with attitude toward fashion e-store shopping. Moreover, a direct, positive relationship was found between both hedonic value and customer satisfaction with behavioural intentions towards fashion e-store shopping. Findings from this study could aid marketers’ to advance a workable model that can be used as the starting point in informing the development of segmentation and loyalty strategies to enhance the cogency of the e-store merchandising formulae. Even though the senses of touch and smell are lacking, the results of this study indicate that fashion e-stores can still successfully recreate the character elements of their online fashion merchandise in order to support positive behavioural intentions. The ultimate goal is to push beyond aesthetics and create online e-store interfaces that add value for the consumer by leveraging utility, entertainment and community in fashion e-store shopping. In view of that, the recommendations suggest utilitarian, hedonic and intellectual value-based marketing strategy guidelines tailored at effectively targeting the fashion e-store market segment. Doctoral

Despite the benefits that mobile banking has to offer, coupled with positive mobile penetration rates, the use of mobile devices to perform banking transactions and access financial information is not as widespread as expected. The significantly sized Generation Y cohort is a rewarding market segment for retail banks. In South Africa, however, this cohort’s mobile banking adoption is largely under-researched. Understanding the antecedents that positively influence Generation Y students’ attitudes towards and usage behavior of mobile banking will assist retail banks in their efforts to tailor their business and marketing strategies effectively towards this cohort, and in doing so, foster increased acceptance of their mobile channels. As such, the purpose of this study was to extend the technology acceptance model (TAM) and determine the influence of perceived ease of use, relative advantage, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, perceived integrity and the perceived system quality of mobile banking on South African Generation Y students’ attitudes towards and usage behavior of mobile banking. Following a descriptive research design, self-administered questionnaires were completed by a non-probability convenience sample of 334 students registered at the campuses of three registered public South African universities located in the Gauteng province. Data analysis included correlation analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that while perceived ease of use, perceived integrity and the perceived system quality predict Generation Y students’ mobile banking usage behavior, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and the perceived relative advantage of mobile banking predict attitudes towards mobile banking, which, in turn, predict their mobile banking usage behavior.

MCom (Marketing Management) at the Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University, 2017 Mobile games are currently the fastest growing mobile service in the market. The prevalence of traditional video games is dissipating, as mobile games experience much higher growth rates in the industry. The same can be said in South Africa, where mobile gaming revenue is growing at double the rate of traditional video games. The success of mobile games has attracted the interest of various organisations and marketers who wish to use mobile games as platform for advertising. Advertising expenditure in the video games market already exceeds R70 billion, thereby providing evidence of its importance as a marketing medium. Organisations and marketers seeking to exploit the success of mobile games may be wise to target the Generation Y cohort in South Africa. They are individuals born between the years 1986 and 2005, placing them between the ages of 11 and 30 years old in 2016. At 38 percent of the South African population, this age cohort manifests as a sizable market segment. Generation Y individuals are known for their early adoption rates, willingness to be pioneers and tech-savviness. In particular, Generation Y members studying at tertiary institutions are an attractive segment to marketers as they generally have a higher future earning potential and social standing amongst their peers. The primary objective of this study was to propose and empirically test a model of the drivers of mobile games adoption amongst Generation Y students in the South African context. The sampling frame for the study consisted of 26 public registered HEIs located in South Africa. Non-probability judgement sampling was followed to select three HEIs situated in the Gauteng province. The three HEIs comprised a traditional university, a university of technology and a comprehensive university. Lecturers at the participating campuses were contacted and asked for permission to distribute the questionnaires. Once permission was obtained, a sample of 600 students, split equally across the three campuses, was drawn for the study in 2016. Of the questionnaires returned, 502 were useable giving a response rate of 84 percent. The collected data was analysed using an exploratory factor analysis, a descriptive statistical analysis, a correlation analysis, structural equation modelling and a two independent-sample t-test. Structural equation modelling revealed that Generation Y students’ use-context has a significant positive impact on perceived attractiveness, perceived enjoyment, habit and subjective norms. It also revealed that perceived attractiveness, perceived enjoyment and habit have a direct positive impact on flow, with flow having a direct positive impact on attitude. Moreover, subjective norms and attitude were found to have a direct positive impact on behavioural intentions. In terms of the differences between male and female participants, the findings of this study indicate that male Generation Y students have a statistically and practically significant higher perception of attractiveness of mobile games as well as a statistically and practically significant stronger behavioural intention towards playing mobile games. The findings of this study aid marketers in understanding consumer behaviour towards mobile gaming in the South African context. In addition, a proposed model that predicts the drivers of mobile games adoption may assist marketers targeting Generation Y students or other segmented groups. These findings can also open up future opportunities for organisations, both local and international, who wish to directly serve this lucrative market segment in South Africa. Masters

MCom (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2016. There has been a significant amount of growth in soccer game attendance and media coverage since the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in South Africa was established in 1996. However, match attendance started to decline from the 2013 season. PSL teams need to do something to get the fans back into the stadiums. A stable fan base is of vital importance for a team’s competitive advantage since the growing commercialisation of sport. The South African PSL is no exception and teams need to comprehend the importance of loyal fans. Team identification is linked to higher game attendance and more fans that are loyal and, therefore, it is relevant to the PSL teams. Higher game attendance will increase the teams’ revenues through ticket sales. Highly identified fans are loyal fans and increase the likelihood of better sponsorship deals for a team. Higher levels of team identification with a team could be obtained through a unique brand personality. Brand personality is necessary for sport team managers in order to understand fans’ perception regarding a team brand. As such, managers will be able to better position the teams’ brand and reach the target market accordingly. In South Africa, members of the Generation Y cohort made up 38 percent of the country’s population in 2014 (Statistics South Africa, 2014:9), which in terms of its size, make this cohort a highly relevant market segment. Generation Y, specifically African Generation Y, represents an important current and future market segment for PSL teams. This study focuses on the student segment of the Generation Y cohort. Given that a tertiary qualification generally is associated with a higher future earning capacity and a greater role model status within a society, university students are likely to be of particular interest to marketers. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of African Generation Y students’ perceived brand personality of South African PSL teams on their PSL team identification. The study used an adapted version of a team identification scale (Swanson et al., 2003) and sport brand personality scale (Braunstein & Ross, 2010) to measure the perceptions. The sampling frame for the study comprised the 26 public registered higher education institutions (HEIs) situated in South Africa. The study used one traditional university and one university of technology located in the Gauteng province. A non-probability convenience sample of 450 full time African Generation Y students was taken from the two HEIs. Of the questionnaires completed, 438 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis and independent sample t-tests. The findings suggested that Generation Y students exhibit a positive level of team identification towards their favourite team. Generation Y students perceived their favourite PSL team more hard working, confident, respected, skilled and successful. The results also suggest that the level of team identification with the PSL teams could be predicted by two dimensions (successfulness and ruggedness) of brand personality. Generation Y male and female students only differ regarding the perception of two of the brand personality dimensions (successfulness and sophistication). The findings of this study contribute to the limited literature available concerning the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of sport teams in the South African context. The study shed light specifically on the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. These were the top two teams identified by the respondents. These findings will assist these PSL teams to understand the brand personality perceptions of the team amongst African Generation Y fans better. The study also indicates some relationship between brand personality and team identification. The results suggest teams can use their brand personality to influence team identification amongst fans positively. These results can be used to assess and alter their current marketing strategies. Masters

PhD (Marketing Management) - North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2016. In South Africa, the three sports that enjoy the most popularity in terms of spectatorship support are rugby, cricket and soccer, with local soccer being mainly supported by black South Africans, a population group who in 2015 made up approximately 80.5 percent of the population. The South African Premier Soccer League (PSL), first established in the 1996/1997 season, is the country‟s top soccer league and is widely acknowledged for playing a significant role in improving the standard of local club soccer through attracting greater media exposure and funding from sponsors. In terms of revenue, the PSL is mostly dependent upon broadcast deals and sponsorships from major businesses in South Africa, including financial service providers and cellular service providers, for its survival and success. The League‟s ability to attract such lucrative deals is significantly influenced by the extent to which the clubs in the League manage to attract and maintain a passionate and loyal fan base. The concept of branding is essential to professional sport teams as it contributes to achieving a sport team‟s long-term objectives, which is to increase team brand loyalty and, thereby, attract more or better sponsorship deals. The continued survival of South Africa‟s PSL teams is reliant on their ability to attract and retain the support of today‟s youth – currently labelled Generation Y – particularly African Generation Y members (hereafter referred to as black Generation Y). Generation Y encompasses individuals born between 1986 and 2005. In 2015, members of the Generation Y cohort made up an estimated 38 percent of South Africa‟s population, with members of the black Generation Y cohort accounting for 84 percent of the country‟s Generation Y cohort and 32 percent of the country‟s total population of approximately 54 956 920 people. PSL team marketers are likely to be particularly interested in the university student members of this race and age group because a tertiary education is Doctoral

MCom (Marketing Management) at the Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University, 2016 Globally, shopping malls are growing rapidly both in number and in size. South Africa, viewed as the gateway to Africa, has moved increasingly towards mall-based retailing. Currently, in 2016, there are 1 785 shopping malls in the country. The role of shopping malls in consumers’ lifestyles is significant and has changed over time from selling needed products to providing one-stop convenience shopping and entertainment to increasingly more empowered, sophisticated and demanding consumers. As a distinct form of consumer behaviour, consumers’ motives for shopping at a mall differ significantly from one individual to another. As such, shopping mall management and marketers are compelled to continuously develop marketing strategies, to meet the changing consumer demand in order to retain current and attract new customers. The Generation Y cohort, born between 1986 and 2005, account for approximately 37 percent of South Africa’s population and are characterised as high spenders and influential pacesetters who spend a significant amount of time and money at shopping malls. More specifically, when segmenting this cohort, black Africans account for 84 percent of the Generation Y cohort. Owing to the significant size, the black Generation Y cohort makes for an attractive and lucrative market segment, specifically those involved in higher education, as they are linked with higher future earning potential and a higher social status, which together are likely to make them opinion leaders amongst their peers. Understanding black Generation Y students’ mall shopping motivations makes an important contribution in that it will help guide the development of specific targeting and positioning strategies for this specific target market. As such, the primary objective of this study was to determine black Generation Y students’ mall shopping motivations within the South African context, in order to guide the formation of marketing strategies for effectively targeting this market. For the purpose of this study, the sampling frame consisted of the 26 registered South African public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). A judgement sample of two institutions in the Gauteng province was selected from the initial list of 26 registered institutions. A convenience sample of 400 full-time undergraduate black Generation Y students was then conveniently selected in order to conduct this study. The relevant primary data were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, a one-sample t-test and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings of this study suggest that aesthetic stimulation, escape activity, preference for flow, desire for exploration, need to enact a role, desire for social interaction and desire for shopping convenience are strong motivators for black Generation Y students in South Africa to visit a shopping mall. Moreover, they find the convenience offered by shopping at a mall to be the most important mall shopping motive. The aesthetic stimulation of a mall was found to be the second most significant positive motivation for shopping at malls amongst black Generation Y students in South Africa. In addition, Black Generation Y students reported that the desire for flow – having the opportunity to lose sense of time because of the pleasurable state of absorption – is the third most important mall shopping motivator. Insights gained from this study will aid shopping mall managers and marketers seeking to profile and target the lucrative Generation Y consumer shopping market in South Africa. Masters

PhD (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2017 Fashion is regarded as a significant part of the economy, as the global fashion industry revenue reaches an astounding 1.2 trillion USD annually (Attire Club, 2013). In South Africa, fashion is regarded as an important industry that forms part of the economic development programme of the government (Grail Research, 2009:13). Brown (2013) explains that the African fashion industry has a forecast to become an industry worth 15.5 billion USD by 2019 (Aderibigbe, 2014). Fashion is perceived by the fashion industry as a selection of material and non-material aspects and, therefore, defined as an object as well as a process (Vieira, 2009:179). According to Rudd and Lennon (2000:152), the fashion process includes any aspect that forms part of managing one's outward appearance. Therefore, individuals do not only make use of apparel, they also utilise cosmetics to enhance their appearance or express their style. Accordingly, fashion comprises a number of different industries, namely apparel, footwear, leather, jewellery, perfumes, and cosmetics (Macchion et al., 2015:173). The Euromonitor International (2015) specifies that the global cosmetic industry maintained an industry growth of five percent in 2014. Allied Market Research (2015), reiterates this by stating that lifestyle improvements and the increase of disposable income will result in a future growth in the global cosmetics market. In 2013, the South African cosmetic industry accounted for six percent (R17 billion) of the manufacturing industry (Vorster, 2014:4), with a growth of 4.1 percent annually, between 1995 and 2013. In a market that has reached such a level of vigorous development, it is imperative to understand consumers’ consumption regarding cosmetics or beauty products (Chen et al., 2011:11630). The young female market’s significant interest in cosmetics is perceived to be especially salient to fashion marketers and retailers (Nezakati et al., 2013:127). Yalkin and Rosenbaum-Elliot (2013:301) contest that it is essential to understand the underlying factors of the consumption of younger consumers. Parment (2013:190) states that younger consumers, the Generation Y cohort, is sizeable and has significant purchasing power. Markert (2004:21) defines Generation Y as those individuals born between 1986 and 2005, which in 2016 puts them at 11 to 30 years of age. South Africa’s population totalled around 55 908 900 in 2016, of which an estimated 37 percent formed part of the Generation Y cohort (Statistics South Africa, 2016). The size of this cohort makes them salient to South African marketers and retailers. Generation Y members who have engaged in tertiary education are especially important to marketers, as higher education correlates with higher future earning potential and higher social standing (Bevan-Dye & Surujlal, 2011:49; Day & Newburger, 2002). In addition, Kim and Jang (2014:39) opine that the Generation Y cohort has more occasions and reasons to spend, and that women from this group are prone to spend more money on luxury purchases. Female consumers enjoy considerable purchasing power, which increases their economic force (Pudaruth et al., 2013:179), as they control 20 trillion USD in annual consumer spending globally, and this amount is expected to increase to nearly 30 trillion USD (Barmann, 2014). Research reveals that the impact of female consumers is ascendant in the cosmetic and beauty care industry (Pudaruth et al., 2013:180). Moreover, research indicates women’s physical appearance is more important in society than men’s physical appearance, and women will most likely use fashion to express their identity and uniqueness (Bakewell et al., 2006). The primary objective of this study was to propose and empirically test a model of the antecedents of female Generation Y students’ purchase intention of beauty products in South Africa. The proposed model suggests that attitude towards beauty products, variety-seeking, status consumption, subjective norms, media influence, group influence, celebrity influence, physical vanity, price consciousness and beauty product innovativeness are factors that influence female Generation Y students’ purchase intention towards beauty products. The sampling frame consisted of a list of the 26 registered South African public HEIs, which included 11 traditional universities, nine comprehensive universities and six universities of technology. From the sampling frame, a non-probability judgement sample of three HEI campuses situated in the Gauteng province was selected. Of these, one is a traditional university, one a university of technology and one a comprehensive university. Thereafter, a single cross-sectional non-probability convenience sample of 780 full-time undergraduate female Generation Y students aged between 18 and 24 was taken in 2016. Of the questionnaires completed, 610 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis and structural equation modelling. The findings of this study indicate that female Generation Y students have a favourable attitude towards beauty products, and that these attitudes, together with subjective norms, price consciousness and product innovativeness have a direct influence on these consumers’ purchase intention of beauty products. Moreover, they display positive intentions towards beauty products. Furthermore, these consumers are influenced by their variety-seeking and status consumption orientation regarding their beauty product purchases. Media-, celebrity-, and group influence, as well as their level of physical vanity, price consciousness and beauty product innovativeness play an imperative role in the beauty product purchases of these consumers. This study contributes to the limited literature available on consumers’ purchase intention towards beauty products in the South African market, with specific reference to the factors that influence the female Generation Y cohort’s purchase intention of beauty products. Furthermore, this study will add information and theory to the literature of South Africa and enhance beauty product purchase intention literature internationally. The findings of this study provide insight into predicting the female Generation Y cohort’s purchase intentions across a range of beauty product categories in the South African context. In addition, the results of this study have important implications for South African and international marketing practitioners and retailers involved in beauty product retailing, given that they can use the model proposed by this study to understand the factors that influence female Generation Y students’ purchase intention of beauty products. This study offers guidance for selecting, developing or adapting effective marketing strategies to target the female portion of the Generation Y cohort within the South African beauty product industry. Doctoral

Rapid advances in mobile technologies and the increase in mobile device usage and ownership, specifically mobile phones, have contributed to the introduction and development of mobile technology as a banking services delivery channel by retail banks. As such, mobile banking has emerged as the focal point of growth strategies for the retail banking industry. In comparison to traditional in-branch banking, mobile banking offers various utility advantages for both retail banks and consumers. However, the slow adoption rate of mobile banking as an emerging banking service remains a dilemma for strategists, analysts and banking- and marketing managers in emerging economies, such as South Africa. Owing to perceptions of high risk and uncertainty, building consumers‘ trust in digital banking channels, including that of mobile banking is essential for retail banks. This highlights the importance of understanding the extent to which perceived utility and trust in mobile banking influence consumers‘ attitudes towards and usage behaviour of mobile banking, including those of the youth. The Generation Y cohort, born between 1986 and 2005, is the most technologically astute generation to date. Owing to its sheer size, the Generation Y cohort presents as an attractive and lucrative market segment, especially those who hold a tertiary education. Individuals who pursue a higher education are linked to higher future earning potential. The primary objective of this study was to propose and empirically test an extended TAM that measures the extent to which Generation Y students‘ perceived utility and trust in mobile banking influences their attitudes towards and usage behaviour of mobile banking within the South African context. The proposed model suggests that subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and perceived relative advantage have a direct positive influence on attitudes towards mobile banking. Furthermore, the model infers that perceived ease of use, perceived integrity and perceived system quality have a direct positive influence on mobile banking usage behaviour. In addition, the model advocates that attitudes towards mobile banking have a direct positive influence on mobile banking usage behaviour. The sampling frame for the study comprised the 26 public registered HEIs situated in South Africa. From this initial list of 26 registered institutions, a non-probability judgement sample of three institutions in the Gauteng province was chosen. Of the three HEIs, one was a traditional university, one a university of technology and one a comprehensive university. Lecturers at each of the three HEI campuses were contacted telephonically and asked whether they would allow the questionnaire to be distributed to their students during class time. The questionnaires were hand-delivered to the participating academic staff members to be distributed to the students for voluntary completion during class time. A convenience sample of 450 full-time Generation Y students across these three campuses was taken in 2015. Of the questionnaires completed, 334 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory principle components analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, multicollinearity analysis, structural equation modelling, two independent-samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance. The findings of this study indicate that South African Generation Y students have a positive attitude towards mobile banking, perceive mobile banking as easy to use and take into consideration the opinions of their significant others regarding mobile banking usage. Furthermore, Generation Y students believe that they are in control of mobile banking in terms of their capability and resources needed to use mobile banking, and trust that their retail banks are likely to be honest, keep promises, and act ethically in providing mobile banking services. Moreover, these students report behaving actively in terms of their mobile banking usage and recognise the perceived utility in mobile banking concerning convenience and timesaving advantages. Furthermore, they trust that the mobile banking system likely has adequate structural assurances, can provide quality and relevant information and that the system is likely to be user-friendly in terms of navigation and loading of texts and graphics. This study will contribute to filling the gaps that exist in understanding the extent to which Generation Y students‘ perceived utility and trust in mobile banking influences attitudes towards and usage behaviour of mobile banking; that is, the antecedents of attitudes towards and usage behaviour of mobile banking in South Africa by developing and empirically testing a conceptual model. An understanding of these antecedents will enable retail banks to tailor their mobile banking business- and marketing efforts towards the Generation Y cohort in South Africa. From a strategic perspective, marketers, policy makers, and strategists could use the results of this study as a guide for deploying strategies to promote increased consumer acceptance of mobile banking, influence consumer behaviour as well as transform and integrate the retail banking distribution mix, thereby delivering substantial returns on investment in providing these services. In addition, the findings of this study will contribute to existing studies of mobile banking in South Africa, a subject matter that is largely under-researched, as well as the information systems knowledge base. Furthermore, the findings of this study will contribute to the literature on, and the development of, a profile of South African Generation Y students‘ consumer behaviour. Doctoral

MCom (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015 Brand personality is a set of human personality traits that are relevant to a brand. A distinctive brand personality serves a symbolic or self-expressive function and helps to create a set of unique and favourable associations in the consumer’s mind. Generation Y consumers are considerably more brand and image conscious than any other generational cohort. Given that motor vehicles, especially luxury motor vehicles, are a conspicuous consumption item that are often used to signal status to others, luxury motor vehicle marketers need to understand Generation Y members’ perceptions of brand personality. Aaker (1997) developed a brand personality trait scale to measure brand personality perceptions. This study established a factor structure for Aaker’s (1997) brand personality trait scale applicable for luxury sedan brands. This adapted brand personality trait scale was used to investigate the brand personality perceptions of luxury sedan motor vehicles amongst Generation Y. The target population for this study was defined as students registered at South Africa’s public HEIs in 2014. This study made use of a non-probability convenience sample to select one traditional university campus and one university of technology campus located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed in two separate steps. Step 1 of the study distributed the questionnaire to 65 participants to identify Generation Y students’ top-of-the-mind awareness concerning luxury sedan motor vehicle brands. Step 2 of the study distributed 500 questionnaires to investigate the brand personality perceptions of luxury sedan brands amongst Generation Y students by means of Aaker’s (1997) brand personality trait scale. Step 2 also investigated Generation Y students’ purchasing intentions of luxury sedan motor vehicles by making use of an adapted a scale by Zeithaml et al. (1996:31-46). The statistical analysis included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis and significance tests. The findings of the study suggest that Generation Y students’ top three luxury sedan brands are BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The brand personality perception results revealed that all three brands are associated with the ‘Competence’ and ‘Sophisticated’ brand personality dimensions. In addition, BMW is also associated with the ‘Excitement’ brand personality dimension. The findings of the study also suggest that Generation Y students do have purchasing intentions of luxury sedan motor vehicles. Some gender differences regarding Generation Y students’ brand personality perceptions and purchasing intentions of luxury sedan motor vehicles do exist. However, the differences are limited with a small effect of practical significance. The study offers insight into the brand personality perceptions in the South African market. Generation Y consumers have unique perceptions regarding different brands and it is therefore important to gain insight regarding their perceptions. The results presented in this study can aid the marketers of the selected luxury sedan motor vehicle brands in identifying the personality traits associated with their brand. This information can be compared with their current marketing strategy to determine if any differences exist between the desired and perceived brand personality. This can also help the marketers to tailor the marketing strategy accordingly to achieve the desired brand personality Masters

Following the first democratic elections in 1994, the South African government has introduced several laws regulating the country's business environment for the purpose of protecting consumers from unethical business practices. One such law is the Consumer Protection Act (68 of 2008) (CPA). The CPA was implemented for a number of reasons,including to conform to international best practices regarding consumer law, to replace the existing but out-dated laws, and, most importantly, to provide protection to vulnerable consumers who in the past were exposed to unethical business practices as a result of the antecedent of apartheid. Despite the good intentions of the CPA, the law will be of little value to consumers if retailers do not generally know and apply it. Therefore, a study was undertaken to measure the perceived and actual knowledge of the CPA amongst retailers. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure perceived and actual knowledge of the CPA amongst a sample of 97 small independent retailers located in 10 shopping malls in the Vaal Triangle area of South Africa. The findings indicate that whilst small independent retailers consider themselves well-informed regarding the CPA, their actual knowledge of the Act is lacking. This suggests that a number of small independent retailers in South Africa may be conducting their business in a manner that does not comply with the CPA and, therefore, is not in the best interests of consumers. https://www.journals.co.za/content/irmr1/11/2/EJC181705

Mobile advertising has given business organisations great opportunities to reach consumers and clients directly with products and services irrespective of time and location. These possibilities have made mobile advertising a strategic business plan in today’s global competitive marketing world. This trend of mobile advertising in South Africa and the extent to which it infringes on the information privacy of consumers is examined in this paper. Using 440 questionnaires administered to Generation Y students at two universities: North West University, and Vaal University of Technology, the perceptions of these Generation Y students towards information privacy with regard to mobile advertising was explored. Data analysis which included regression analysis, Pearson’s correlation analysis, reliability test and preliminary data analysis revealed that Generation Y students seemed not to be bothered about the usefulness of mobile advertising messages but were however concerned about the information privacy associated with such marketing activities. It was also revealed that the ability of Generation Y students to control the usage of their data and the frequency of exposure to mobile advertising will positively influence their perception towards mobile advertising. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0736585314000471 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/07365853/32/1 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2014.08.001

PhD (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015 While there have been numerous studies directed at addressing the female Generation Y cohort’s fashion consumption patterns, there is a dearth of published research focused on male consumer fashion conscious behaviour, especially not that of the African Generation Y (hereafter referred to as black Generation Y) males. There are global indications that contemporary males are engaging in fashion apparel shopping more frequently than ever before. Moreover, unlike past generations, today’s male consumers have become increasingly fashion aware and fashion conscious, taking care of their looks and developing their own fashion style. Born between 1986 and 2005, in 2013, black Generation Y individuals made up approximately 83 percent of South Africa’s total Generation Y cohort and 38 percent of the country’s 52 981 991 population. In 2013, black Generation Y males accounted for an estimated 42 percent of the South African population. As a consequence of its size, the black Generation Y male market segment represents a potentially lucrative and attractive market for apparel retailers and fashion marketers. Marketers are particularly interested in those individuals pursuing tertiary qualifications given that a higher education ultimately acts as a predictor of their higher future spending potential and an indication of their social standing and influence within a society. The aim of this study was to determine the causal relationships between black Generation Y male students’ need for uniqueness, fashion awareness, fashion consciousness and fashion conscious behaviour in order to model the determinants of black Generation Y male students fashion conscious behaviour. A self-administered questionnaire was administered on a single cross-sectional sample of 400 black Generation Y male students at three university campuses in the Gauteng province in 2013 – one from a comprehensive university, one from a university of technology and one from a traditional university. From the administered questionnaires, 213 were completed and returned as usable. The collected data was analysed by means of exploratory factor analysis, reliability and validity analysis, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. In addition, structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to test a proposed model derived from the literature. According to the results of the SEM analysis, black Generation Y males’ fashion awareness has a significant positive influence on their fashion consciousness, and their fashion consciousness has a significant positive influence on their fashion conscious behaviour. In terms of the dimensions of the need for uniqueness, unpopular choice has a significant positive influence on black Generation Y male students’ fashion awareness, whilst creative choice has a significant positive influence on their fashion consciousness, and avoidance of similarity has a direct significant positive influence on their fashion conscious behaviour. Furthermore, the findings suggest that their fashion consciousness is reliant on their fashion awareness, which in turn influences their fashion conscious behaviour. Findings from this study will aid marketers’ in better understanding black Generation Y male students’ fashion conscious behaviour. Furthermore, the recommendations provided suggest marketing strategy guidelines tailored at effectively targeting this market segment. Doctoral

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of soccer involvement and team identification on African Generation Y students’ Premier Soccer League (PSL) team psychological commitment in the South African context. In the South African market, the African Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) represents a large yet under-researched segment that in 2013 made up 32 percent of the country’s population. Understanding the influence of soccer involvement and PSL team identification on PSL team psychological commitment amongst African Generation Y members will help inform PSL team marketing efforts targeted at this significantly sized segment. Those pursuing tertiary qualifications are likely to be of particular interest to marketers, including sport marketers in that a tertiary qualification is generally associated with a higher future earning potential as well as a higher social standing in a community, making graduates likely current and future role models. A descriptive research design was followed whereby data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire from single cross-sectional convenience sample of students across three South African public higher education institutions’ campuses situated in the Gauteng province. The data set was analysed using exploratory principle component analysis and structural equation modelling. The findings suggest that soccer involvement and PSL team identification have a direct significant positive effect on African Generation Y students’ PSL team psychological commitment. http://reference.sabinet.co.za/document/EJC172420

PhD (Business Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2016. Entrepreneurship is considered a vital driving force for stimulating economic growth, economic competitiveness and for creating employment opportunities. Consequently, the creation of new ventures and the growth of existing entrepreneurial businesses are vital contributing factors to a robust economy. Female entrepreneurship, in particular, is a phenomenon that is viewed as a driving force in the economy because it has a significant effect on employment growth and the global business environment. More specifically, female entrepreneurs are perceived as important agents of social and economic change, significantly contributing to the world economic development in terms of employment generation, innovation and wealth. Understanding female Generation Y students‟ inclination towards entrepreneurship from an emerging and developed economy makes an important contribution in that it will help better tailor marketing strategies designed to stimulate interest in entrepreneurship amongst female students. As such, the primary objective of this study was to determine and compare undergraduate university female Generation Y students‟ inclination towards entrepreneurship in the South African and the Netherland’s context in order to facilitate the creation of a strong entrepreneurial climate amongst South African female Generation Y students. For the purpose of this study, two samples were conveniently selected, namely Sample South Africa (SA) and Sample Netherlands (NL). A non-probability, convenience sample of 400 South African Generation Y female students (Sample SA) and 400 Generation Y female students from the Netherlands (Sample NL) were drawn in order to conduct this study. In both the South African and Netherland’s samples, the questionnaires were divided equally between the two HEIs sampled per country. A structured self-administered questionnaire was utilised to gather the required data for this study. This questionnaire comprised scales measuring Generation Y students‟ motivations, perceived barriers and attitudes towards entrepreneurship. The collected data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis, reliability and validity analysis, descriptive statistics analysis, correlation analysis, logistic regression analysis and a two independent-samples t-test. The findings of this study suggest that independence motives, intrinsic motives and personal motivational barriers have a significant influence on female Generation Y cohort members‟ entrepreneurial interest. In addition, the findings of this study suggest that economic and financial barriers, positive attitudes, extrinsic motives, personal competence barriers, organisational barriers, entry barriers and negative attitudes do not have a significant influence on female Generation Y cohort members‟ entrepreneurial interest. Furthermore, the findings of this study indicate no statistically significant difference between South African and Dutch female students concerning perceived economic and financial barriers as a determinant of entrepreneurial inclination. However, in comparison to Sample NL, South African female Generation Y students (Sample SA) scored a statistically significant higher means for independence motives, extrinsic motives, intrinsic motives, personal motivational barriers, personal competence barriers, organisational barriers, entry barriers, positive attitudes and negative attitudes. This model developed in this study represents an important tool for predicting the Generation Y female student cohort’s entrepreneurial inclination in both the South African and the Netherlands context. In addition, the recommendations emanating from the study will enable HEIs and industry professionals, such as business incubator managers, academics and incubator managers to tailor marketing strategies designed to stimulate interest in entrepreneurship as well as tailor entrepreneurship programmes towards the female generation cohort in South Africa and the Netherlands. Doctoral

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are gender differences concerning Premier Soccer League (PSL) spectator motives amongst black Generation Y students in South Africa. In South Africa, the black Generation Y cohort (individuals born between 1986 and 2005) represents an important but under-researched market segment in that, in 2013, they made up 32 percent of the country's population. From a PSL marketing perspective, understanding the motives that drive game spectatorship amongst male and female black Generation Y members will offer important insights on how best to tailor marketing strategies targeted at this significantly sized segment. Those pursuing tertiary qualifications are likely to be of particular interest to marketers, including sport marketers given that a tertiary qualification is generally associated with a higher future earning potential as well as a higher social standing in a community, making graduates likely current and future role models. The study, following a descriptive research design, made use of a self-administered questionnaire designed to measure black Generation Y students' PSL spectator motives. A single cross-sectional convenience sample of 400 students across two South African public higher education institutions’ campuses situated in the Gauteng province was drawn to gather the required data. Data analysis was done using confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics and an independent samples t-test. The findings suggest that there is a statistically significant difference between black Generation Y male and female students concerning five of the PSL spectator motives, namely aesthetics, knowledge, physical skills, family and entertainment. http://reference.sabinet.co.za/document/EJC162504

MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014 Over the past two decades, South Africa has introduced several laws regulating business and providing protection to consumers. These include the Competition Act (89 of 1998), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (25 of 2002), the National Credit Act (34 of 2005), and the Consumer Protection Act (68 of 2008) (CPA). The CPA was implemented to conform to international best practice regarding consumer law, to replace the existing but outdated laws, and most importantly, to provide protection to vulnerable consumers (Department of Trade and Industry, 2004:14; Rampersad & Reddy, 2012:7407). The importance of protecting vulnerable consumers can be attributed to South Africa’s history of discrimination and excluding the majority of the population from quality education and equal opportunities in the marketplace (Rampersad & Reddy, 2012:7407). However, the CPA is of small value to consumers if it is not generally known and applied; thus, consumers will continue to be at the mercy of retailers who very often do not have their best interests at heart. Therefore, this study was undertaken to measure the awareness and knowledge of the CPA among retailers. The research was done among small independent retailers located in shopping malls in the Vaal Triangle, South Africa. The study followed a quantitative approach, using a self-administered questionnaire to obtain a single cross-sectional sample. From the data gathered, it is clear that most of the participants considered themselves well informed regarding consumer rights; 88 present of the participants indicated that they are familiar with the nine consumer rights contained in the CPA. However, this stands in stark contrast to the results obtained in the section measuring the actual knowledge of the CPA; only 49 present of the participants managed to answer more than half of the questions correctly, and none answered more than 70 present correctly. In addition, the participants seemed to score higher on those rights that existed before the CPA came into effect, and lower on the new rights introduced by the Act. This seems to indicate that retailers are not yet familiar with the Act; it is, therefore, unlikely that they do business in a manner that complies with the CPA, which robs consumers of the benefit and protection of the Act. Of the retailers who participated in this study, 72 present said they believe the CPA is necessary to protect consumers. This would seem to indicate that it is the lack of knowledge rather that real resistance to the Act which is standing in the way of wider compliance. Therefore, steps should be taken with utmost urgency to educate and increase awareness of the Act, both among retailers and consumers. Masters