1,720,994 research outputs found
An investigation into the impact of service quality frequent flier programs and safety perception on satisfaction and customer loyalty in the airline industry in Southern Africa
No full textThis study aims to identify the factors that make passengers loyal to an airline in Southern Africa by investigating
the impact of service quality and safety perception on customer satisfaction and how satisfaction
and frequent flyer programs (FFP) subsequently influence customer loyalty. The key finding was that service
quality positively influenced customer satisfaction, and satisfaction was an important antecedent of
customer loyalty. The analysis also suggested that safety perception and FFP positively influence customer
loyalty, while their relationship with satisfaction was not significant. An analysis of switching behaviour revealed
that satisfied customers may still switch to other airlines. The main contribution of this study is the development
of a customer loyalty model for the aviation industry in Southern Africa. Knowledge of customer
loyalty drivers will assist airline marketing managers in developing strategies for improving passenger load
factors and profitability
MISSION AND VISION, ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING AND FORMALITY OF STRATEGIC PLANNING AS PREDICTORS OF THE PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMES) IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA
No full textFaced with volatile business conditions and the hyper competitive market environment, SMEs are continuously focusing on finding ways to improve their performance. This paper attempts to establish the effect of mission and vision, environmental scanning and the formality of the strategic planning process on the performance of SMEs. A quantitative research approach was pursued through a self-administered survey questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to analyse the data. The main findings of the study suggest that, the mission and vision statements, environmental scanning and the formality of strategic planning have a positive effect on the performance of SMEs. The formality of strategic planning emerged as the factor with a stronger impact on SME performance than environmental scanning and mission and vision. The study provides some practical insights for SMEs for improving their performance in line with the identified effect of these three factors. Ultimately, improving their performance along these factors is set to reinforce SME sustainability and which will further stimulate their profitability
Assessing the impact of the predictors of organisational citizenship behaviour in the hospitality industry in Zimbabwe
No full textThe importance of Oganisational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) is widely acknowledged by many practitioners and academicians in Zimbabwe and the world over. However, there is generally limited literature on OCB in Zimbabwe as there are few studies that were carried out especially on the Zimbabwean hospitality industry. To address this dearth of published studies, the current study attempts to examine the factors that influence OCB. The conceptualised model and four hypotheses are empirically validated using a sample of 200 non-managerial hospitality industry employees who were randomly selected from three identified categories of hotels which were stratified according to the hotel star rating (3, 4, and 5 star hotels categories). The data were analysed using descriptive, correlation and regression analyses. The results indicate that the individual, organizational and leadership characteristics are significant predictors of OCB. However, task characteristics emerged as an insignificant factor to OCB. The findings have implications to hospitality management in Zimbabwe who are advised to make efforts of ensuring proper individual, organizational and leadership characteristics among employees and management so as to enforce OCB
How do board characteristics influence business performance? Evidence from non-life insurance firms in Zimbabwe
No full textThe purpose of this study was to contribute to the corporate governance literature by
establishing the relationship between board characteristics and corporate performance within the nonlife insurance firms in Zimbabwe. The study sought to provide some insights on corporate governance since the phenomenon is relatively an emerging discipline in Zimbabwe. The paper sought to complement other corporate governance studies that were conducted in other environments by producing evidence on the phenomenon from a developing country context. A quantitative research approach was adopted and respondents were selected through a stratified random sampling. The results of the study confirm that board characteristics (board composition, diversity, and size) exhibit a statistically significant positive predictive relationship with the performance of non-life insurance firms measured by gross premium written and customer retention. However, CEO/Chairman duality showed a negative relationship with business performance. Non-life insurance companies need to be cognizant of board characteristics in order to improve their performance. Moreover , the findings in this research has practical relevance for the selection process of directors as it highlights the importance of having a sizeable number of board members as well as an appropriate mix of competences and qualifications on the board. Although corporate governance is has been extensively researched, there is limited study in this area from a developing country like Zimbabwe with relatively less developed capital markets. It
would be wrong to assume that the findings found in other countries can apply here because the conditions are different
An analysis of the factors leading to rising credit risk in the Zimbabwe banking sector
No full textThe study sought to analyse the factors that lead to rising credit risk in the Zimbabwean
banking sector. The objective was to ascertain the impact of macroeconomic, industry and bank specific factors on rising credit risk in in Zimbabwe. The study aimed at contributing to credit risk management literature by providing evidence Sub Saharan context. Being anchored on the positivist quantitative research approach, a survey was carried out to gather the data that were analysed using descriptive, correlation and regression analyses. The results revealed that the most significant factors leading to credit risk in the Zimbabwean banking sector were macroeconomic and bank specific
factors. The industry factors did not show a significant influence on the rising credit risk. The research findings of this study will a valuable addition to the existing knowledge and provide a platform for further research on how the credit risk problems can be dealt with. While credit risk is known as one of the risks inherent to any banking institutions, the alarming levels of credit risk in the Zimbabwe banking sector has motivated this current study to critically analyse the factors that have led to the high credit risk level
What determines the resilience of retail business in an unstable business environment? Evidence from Harare Province
No full textOver recent years, a growing number of researchers and practitioners have developed an interest in the concept of organizational resilience. Amid the turbulent, complex and unpredictable business environment, organisational resilience is regarded as useful in helping organisations to thrive. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of organizational learning, innovation, organizational flexibility and business networks on the resilience of retail organisations in Harare, Zimbabwe. A quantitative approach was used in this study in which two hundred and three retail managers were randomly selected. The results indicate that both organizational learning and innovation have a statistically significant predictive effect on retail business resilience. The results also indicate that both organizational flexibility and business networks do not have statistically significant impact on retail business resilience. Therefore, to be resilient in turbulent environments, retail organizations need to create an environment that promotes learning and innovation
An evaluation of the role of instructional leadership on the performance of schools in Zimbabwe
No full textThe purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which instructional leadership is contributing to the performance of schools in Zimbabwe. The research was prompted by the little body of knowledge about the phenomenon in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a quantitative approach. A self-administered survey was conducted to collect data from three strata; council primary schools, government primary schools and secondary government schools. Data was analysed using descriptive, correlation and regression analyses. The findings of the study revealed that instructional leadership significantly contributes to both dimensions of school performance: teacher and pupil performances. The results provide some invaluable insights on how school leaders can improve the performance of schools through instructional leadership. Given the robust relationship between instructional leadership and school performance, the school heads should consider to use instructional leadership style in order to enhance the performance of their schools
The determinants of consumer trust in the banking industry in Zimbabwe
No full textThe purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of customer trust in
the Zimbabwean banks. The study determines the effect of bank competence, bank
integrity, benevolence, structural assurance and service recovery on customer trust.
The data were collected by self-administered questionnaires and analyzed by
correlation and multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that benevolence,
structural assurance, and service recovery exhibit a statistically significant influence on
customer loyalty in the context of Zimbabwean banks. By contrast, bank competence
and integrity have an insignificant effect on customers’ trust. The study concludes that
in the context of Zimbabwean banks, in order to influence customer loyalty, banks
need to invest in service recovery programs, display benevolent character and assure
customers of quality service
The impact of corporate branding dimensions on firm performance: Evidence from the Zimbabwean petroleum industry
No full textThe study sought to establish the impact of corporate branding dimensions (mission
statements, corporate visual identity and identity review on the performance of petroleum firms in
Zimbabwe. The study sought to complement other previous studies that were carried out in other
different contexts by producing evidence on the same phenomenon from a developing country context.
The study adopted a quantitative approach. A self-administered survey was conducted to collect data
that was processed by SPSS version 21. Data analysis techniques namely descriptive, correlation and
regression were used to analyse the data. This study has shown that in a developing country context,
mission statements, corporate visual identity and identity review impact significantly on performance.
On the other hand there is no statistical evidence to support that corporate culture and corporate
communications are predictors of firm performance. The findings of the study if taken seriously can
provide some invaluable insights to managers of petroleum companies in developing countries and
other parts of the world about how they can leverage on corporate dimensions to ensure firm
performance. The study sought to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on corporate branding
by developing a comprehensive conceptual framework of corporate branding and performance, a
research area that has not being exhausted in a developing country context
The driving forces for the practice of strategic planning in SMEs: Evidence from Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe
No full textDespite Zimbabwe sharing with the rest of the world, the notion that SMEs are the
impeccable engines to economic revival, growth and development, many of the nation`s SMEs are
plagued with high failure rates. Previous studies carried out in most foreign countries suggested that
the high failure rate of SMEs was attributable to lack of strategic planning among a host of other
factors. Against this backdrop, the purpose of this study was to examine the driving forces for the
practice of strategic planning in SMEs. A quantitative cross sectional study was conducted among
active SMEs who are registered with the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative
Development in Zimbabwe. The study revealed that globalisation, business ownership motivations,
environmental dynamism and innovation & technological advancement have a positive and
statistically significant influence on the adoption or practice of strategic planning among SMEs. The
study has important implications for the practice and implementation of strategic planning among
SMEs especially in the context of a developing country such as Zimbabwe
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