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Building Brand Equity through Advertising
(Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER Publishing,, 2014-09-01) Makasi, Africa; Krishna, Govender; Rukweza, Cephas
The study examined the impact of advertising on building brand equity in Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Auction floors. In this study, 100 farmers were selected from 88 244 farmers registered in the four tobacco growing regions of country. A structured questionnaire was used as a tool to collect primary data. A pilot survey with 20 participants was initially conducted to test the reliability of the questionnaire. Results of the pilot study were analysed to test for reliability using SPSS.Results of the study found that advertising affects brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand association and perceived quality. 55% of the respondents agreed that advertising changed their perceived quality on auction floors. A linear regression analysis was performed to predict brand quality as a function of the type of farmer, source of information, competitive average pricing, loyalty, input assistance, service delivery, number of floors, advert mode, customer service, floor reputation and attitude. There was a strong relationship between brand quality and the independent variables as depicted by the regression coefficient of 0.885 and the model fit is perfect at 78.3%. From the ANOVA tables, a good fit was established between advertising and brand equity with p=0.001 which is less than the significance level of 0.05. While previous researches concentrated on the elements of brand equity as suggested by Keller’s brand equity model, this research has managed to extend the body of knowledge on brand equity by exploring the role of advertising. Future research should assess the relationship between advertising and a brand association
The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr) on Corporate Brand Positioning
(Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER Publishing,, 2014-09-01) Makasi, Africa; Govender, Krishna. K; Munyoro, Tendai
The purpose of this paper was to investigate the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in corporate brand positioning in the printing and packaging industry in Zimbabwe. The research was conducted by reviewing various streams of literature and interviews with 10 representatives from 5 companies and 10 customers also participated in this research. A semi-structured questionnaire was used. Two representatives from each of the ten competing companies were selected while customer representatives (both industrial and ordinary) were selected using the companies’ customer records as the sampling frame. These were selected on the basis of the ratio of their revenue contribution which stands at 1: 2 in favour of industrial customers. All qualitative responses were grouped into themes for coding purposes. The data gathered was coded and captured to form panel data for further analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19. Results of the research indicated that15 out of the sampled respondents of 20 confirmed that indeed CSR directed towards employees through provision of health care services and education and other activities as highlighted help to improve corporate image and position. The research also concluded that communities are intertwined with companies and their perceptions matter in corporate brand positioning. Using results of the T-Tests, it was concluded that CSR programs directed towards the environment play an important role in positioning corporate brands. Future research can refine CSR input by recognizing these differences and theorizing about employees’ reactions.
EVALUATING VALUE CHAINS IN TERTIARY EDUCATION: SETTING THE DEVELOPMENTAL AGENDA FOR AFRICA
(European Journal of Business and Social Sciences,, 2015-05-01) Makasi, Africa; Govender, Krishna. K
In comparison to the World average (15.25%), a relatively large (17.4%) share of the national budget in SubSaharan Africa is devoted to education. However, upon closer scrutiny of the value chain, it would become evident that education is not really addressing the broader development agenda of Africa. Porter’s generic ‘value chain’ model requires activities of an organization to be separated into discrete components for value chain analysis to be performed, and recent trends in higher education make such segregation possible, since Higher Education Institutions (HEISs) are seemingly under intense pressure to create value and focus their efforts and scarce resources on activities that drive up value for their respective customers and stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of value chains on Tertiary Education (TE) in Zimbabwe through information gathered by conducting in-depth interviews with 12 representative authorities from the 17 registered universities (13 public and 4 private), and a sample of graduates and captains of industry. From a qualitative study using a structured questionnaire, it became evident that while both primary and secondary activities need to be well supported, it is critical that universities develop industry- driven value adding programmes in order to make the degrees awarded more relevant and addressing the broader development agenda. It is therefore proposed that by unbundling the academic process into its discrete components with well developed performance measures, a balance between university output and industry demand can be created and, thus help drive Africa’s developmental agenda. Key Words: Value chains, tertiary education, impact, knowledge creation, development. I
Globalization and Sustainable Development: A Conceptual Mode
(Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER, 2015-08-12) Makasi, Africa; Govender, Krishna. K
The purpose of this paper is to argue conceptually, that globalization entails challenges, opportunities and realities. It integrates and extends existing theory, focusing on the three pillars of sustainable development into a general framework presenting the fundamental importance of sustainable development strategies in a globalized world. Moreover, the objective of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for globalization and how development can be sustained. A critical review of the multidisciplinary literature on globalization and sustainable development reveals a lack of a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding sustainable development and accompanying strategies for sustaining development. Through a schematic representation of the relationships of the three pillars of sustainable development the paper concludes that a lasting solution to the impact of globalization on sustainable development can be crafted when current debate shifts from theory to the development of strategies to sustain development. The model if empirically evaluated, could serve as a blue print to guide policy and global discourse on how to achieve sustainable development; particularly so in developing economies.
The Impact of Operational Customer Relationship Management on Customer Loyalty
(Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER, 2014-11-01) Makasi, Africa; Saruchera, Fanny
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of operational customer relationship management (OCRM) on customer loyalty with special reference to the mobile telephone industry in Zimbabwe. Motivation for the research was generated by the need to find out how customer loyalty can be created through OCRM. The research was conducted by reviewing various streams of literature and interviews with 7 representatives from the 3 dominant companies in the industry and 15 sampled customers from these three competing companies in the mobile telephone industry (MTI). A semi-structured questionnaire was used. All qualitative responses were grouped into themes for coding purposes. The data gathered was coded and captured to form panel data for further analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS0. Results of the research showed that because of the highly dynamic market environment, consumers have become highly demanding calling for the strategic significance of the intelligent network in OCRM for the creation of customer satisfaction. The research also revealed that increasing organizational performance through operational CRM implementation can increase customer perceived value which results in customer loyalty and competitiveness. Our current research focused on operational CRM’s influence on customer loyalty. Future research should assess the impact of analytical CRM on customer loyalty. The measurement and critical analysis of customer life time value against company investments in building loyalty should redirect future research towards this area
Price as a Proxy of Quality: Achieving Something Out of Nothing through the Placebo Effect
(Journal of Economics, 2014-12-20) Makasi, Africa; Govender, Krishna. K
The purpose of the present paper is to critique the concept ‘placebo effect’ as applied in marketing. Most of the researches explain this concept largely by drawing on the expectancy and classical conditioning theories, which theories, together with the consideration of extrinsic and intrinsic product attributes, have largely shaped the price-quality relationship, hence the concept of placebo effect. A variety of literature, albeit not most recent, is reviewed from both the medical and marketing perspectives in order to create a rich expose. It is concluded that despite the ubiquity of price and consumers’ substantial experience with this attribute, a strong convergent support for the prediction that utility judgments are more precise and preferences are more stable, when price is considered as a proxy of quality. Future researches should transgress from expectations, beliefs and theories of conditioning to assessing how demand-related factors such as income, influence this phenomenon within the marketing field.
Re-Branding and Its Effects on Consumer Perceptions: A Case Study of a Zimbabwean Bank
(Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER Publishing, 2014-09-01) Makasi, Africa; Govender, Krishna. K; Madzorera, Nyasha
The purpose of this study is to investigate re-branding and its effects on consumer perceptions. Relevant theoretical data were critically reviewed, compared and contrasted as they relate to the topic of rebranding and consumer perceptions. A mixed research methodology was adopted hence the combination of questionnaires and interviews in the data collection process. The study used a sample size of thirty customer representatives and five staff members of a local bank which has recently rebranded. Data was gathered, recorded, analyzed and interpreted on the basis of the research objectives and research questions using the Statistical Package for social sciences (SPSS) software. The mean and standard deviations of the responses were 1.08 and 0.277 respectively which reflected respondents’ strong positive impression of the bank after it rebranded. Based on these and other results, the study therefore established that rebranding has positive effects on consumers’ perceptions and can be used as a marketing tool in order gain competitive advantage and has an impact on the financial performance of an organization.
Succeeding through Disruption: Exploring the Factors Influencing the Adoption of Disruptive Technologies in the Mobile Telecommunications Industry in Zimbabwe
(Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences., 2014-09-01) Makasi, Africa; Govender, Krishna. K; Tapfuma, Lloyd
The research explored factors influencing the adoption of disruptive technologies in the mobile telecommunications industry in Zimbabwe. Data was gathered from the second biggest competitor in the industry with over 3 million subscribers. A survey was conducted by purposively selecting 70 respondents from a population of 3,000,000 (three million) active subscribers from the company’s database. A skip interval of 42,857 was used to randomly select the sample. Customer representatives were selected from the company’s five regional offices using a two-stage cluster sampling technique. Employee participants were purposively selected from the company’s head office. A pilot test was conducted to assess the reliability of the research instrument used. Self-administered questionnaires were used in the research. Research results were collected, recorded and analyzed. All T-tests conducted produced results with p= 0.001 (which was less than 0.05 at which the tests were conducted) indicating that internal company influences such as staff competence, availability of funding and the type of infrastructure help impede or accelerate the rate of adoption of disruptive technologies in companies. Future research should however look at organizational ambidexterity as well as exploitation and exploration paradigms in organizations in the telecommunications industry and their impact on the adoption of disruptive technologies