1,720,992 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
The effects of cellular phone innovation on brand image and purchase intention amongst UKZN students.
Get PDFMaster’s Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Abstract
Given the rapidly and continually changing economy, innovation has become a
necessity for companies that wish to endure and grow. This study approached
innovation from a consumer perspective and aimed to discover whether innovation is
associated with brand image and purchase intention in the cellular phone industry
amongst Generation Y consumers. Brand image is important as it influences
purchasing decision; when customers see one brand as more innovative as compared to
others, they are more likely to purchase. The importance of purchase intention stems
from its ability to determine actual purchase of a product and thereby to determine the
success of innovation; therefore these two variables, brand image and purchase
intention, were selected. The study also aimed to answer the question of which
innovation factors - performance or appearance - are most valued by consumers, with
focus on the cellular phone industry from the perspective of South African students.
A quantitative approach was employed in the study to survey students and a four part
questionnaire was physically distributed to 372 students at the Westville Campus of
the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). A five point Likert scale was used with
responses to questions ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). An
interval scale was used to measure the responses. The data was captured and a
software program, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), was used to
analyse the data and create graphs to present the findings. Descriptive statistics, factor
analysis, t-tests and regression were conducted so as to obtain comprehensive results.
The highly competitive nature of the cellular phone industry and high penetration in
South African markets has created a demand for brands to become more innovative
and to differentiate their products in order to survive and maintain a competitive
advantage. The findings of the study were consistent with the literature sources and
indicated that features related to performance were slightly more important than those
related to appearance. Based on the findings it was also concluded that by improving
innovation in cellular phone technology, brand image is consequently improved.
Enhancing innovation and strengthening brand image in turn increases purchase
intention. This creates a further incentive to implement and practice innovative
initiatives which have a positive trickledown effect
Measuring service quality delivery at Impendle Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.
Get PDFMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.The study explored service quality provided to citizens at the Impendle Local Municipality. The
study is stimulated by the continuous violent protest and sometimes taxi conflicts at the Impendle
Local Municipality, resulting in poor service delivery. The service quality model was used to
inform the study. A case study research design, quantitative research methodology and cluster
sampling was used to select 240 community members. Reliability and validity was upheld to
ensure that the findings are credible. Data was analysed using SPSS version 25. The findings
show a significant gap between citizens’ expectations and experiences: reliability (-3.2);
assurance (-2.88); tangibility (-2.02), empathy (-2.88) and responsiveness (-3.17). Based on the
findings presented in this study, in order to understand and deal with the gap between citizens’
expectations and experiences of service quality, the Impendle Local Municipality management
should pay special attention to the dimension of reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and
responsiveness as they influence service quality. The findings in this study may help the
Impendle Local Municipality to understand and enhance the effectiveness of service quality
efforts
Customer care at University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg : an investigation into services received by students from support departments during registration.
Get PDFThesis (MBA.)- University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.This study examines customer care at University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg (UNP). It investigates the quality of service received by students, from support departments, during registration. Data was collected via a simple random sample within the three libraries (Main, Law and Life Sciences) on campus. This ensured that students from the different faculties had an equal probability of being part of the survey, providing a true representation of the campus population. The research instrument was a questionnaire, 300 of which were administered to establish the attitude and helpfulness of staff from the departments of Finance, Financial Aid, Library, Risk Management Services, Student Admissions, Student Counselling and Student Housing. A total of 287 students responded.
The software package that was used to run all the analyses was SPSS version 9. Results are graphically displayed in the form of bar graphs, tables and a pie chart. Interpretation of the results reveals that the overall rating for all departments ranged from average to excellent.
Recommendations are made in light of the results of the survey and the literature reviewed
An evaluation of the promotional factors influencing general practitioners' prescribing behaviour, primarily the pharmaceutical representative.
Get PDFThesis (M.B.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.Generally the pharmaceutical industry operates in a heavily regulated and controlled environment. In South Africa, the regulations governing prescription drugs do not allow the pharmaceutical companies to advertise the prescription drugs directly to the consumers. As a consequence, the greater part of the marketing efforts of the pharmaceutical companies is directed at the medical practitioners, who occupy the crucial decision-making position for the prescription drugs. The study broadly investigates the relative influence of the various promotional factors that may influence the General Practitioner's choice of prescription drug and more specifically, focuses on the characteristics of the pharmaceutical sales representatives that may influence the prescribing behaviour of the General Practitioners.
An area sample of 67 general practitioners in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, was carried out. A total of 58 responses were analysed to determine the perceived influence of various factors on the GPs' choice of new and existing prescription drugs. A specific attempt was made to determine the key influential factors with respect to the promotion by the pharmaceutical representatives and GPs' appreciation of basic statistics used in the presentations by the pharmaceutical representatives
The association between brand equity and consumer perceptions of smartphones among millennials in Pietermaritzburg.
Get PDFMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Mobile technologies, particularly smartphones, have become an essential part of millennials’ lives.
It is imperative to understand the fundamental building blocks of the influence that brand equity
and consumer perceptions have on the purchasing decisions made by millennials in the long haul.
Therefore, offering and designing attractive smartphones is crucial to increasing sales and revenue
in the mobile industry, especially because the purchasing decision of millennials is still
indecipherable and hybrid.
The purpose of this study is to determine the key brand equity associations between consumer
perceptions of smartphones among millennials at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg)
campus. This study employed a quantitative research approach. A sample of 165 students, between the
ages of 24 and 39, who have a smartphone were selected to represent the population.
The data collection process was conducted by means of analysing the respective constructs of this
study. Furthermore, the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was employed in this study.
Descriptive statistics were presented in the form of graphs and tables, while cross tabulations and
chi-square tests were used to present inferential statistics. Lastly, the essence of reliability
was tested through Cronbach Alpha statistics. The findings of the study indicated that all key
concepts were positively correlated, meaning that a relationship exists between the variables.
There were moderate correlations between brand awareness and brand association (r=.537), brand
loyalty (r=.518), brand image (r=.558), perceived quality (r=.604), product packaging (r=.649),
online and offline presence (r=.538) as well as overall brand equity (r=.540). Weak correlations
were shown between brand awareness and product pricing (r=.317) as well as brand values and ethics
(r=.354). On the other hand, brand association was highly correlated with brand loyalty (r=.806),
brand image (r=.745), perceived quality (r=.722), and overall brand equity (r=.744).
The results obtained in this study had revealed that the overall brand equity in the smartphone
industry continues to grow rapidly and the offering in the market becomes more multifaceted.
Therefore, it is imperative that organisations incorporate more than just the handset and the whole
package from software systems, applications, and network services. Most significantly, it is
imperative to understand the fundamental building blocks of the influence that brand equity and
consumer perceptions has on the purchasing decisions amongst millennials in the long haul. Hence,
offering and designing attractive smartphones are crucial to increase sales and revenue in the
mobile industry, especially since smartphones' purchasing decision among millennials is still
indecipherable and hybrid.
Keywords: Brand equity, consumer perceptions, smartphones, millennials, University of KwaZulu-
Natal, Pietermaritzburg, brand awareness, brand association, brand image, perceived quality, brand
loyalty, product pricing, product packaging and brand values and ethics
An investigation into the problems and constraints facing small business in 'downtown' Pietermaritzburg.
Get PDFThesis (M.B.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.This study attempts to investigate the perceived problems and constraints facing small Indian owned businesses in the 'downtown' area of Pietermaritzburg. An attempt was further made to profile businesses in the area, to investigate the specific problems and constraints facing them, and to look at problems on the basis of business sector and type of business. Further, the study aimed to provide information to marketers in the area and to make recommendations from a management point of view.
The problems facing SMME's were broadly divided into internal problems, external problems and those facing the firm at industry level. Internal problems are those over which the owner-manager has control and external problems are those over which the owner-manager has no control. The main problem facing SMME's at industry level appears to be competition from similar businesses.
The profile of businesses in downtown Pietermaritzburg is as follows:
• Owners
• Retail businesses
• Family owned
• Sole proprietors
• Male co-owners
• Approximately 72% of the businesses in the sample exist for a period of longer than 10 years.
The internal problems faced by the businesses include:
• 24% have no business experience
• Businesses do not offer credit facilities
• 32% experience problems in recruiting skilled staff
• Location is by far a major constraint in the business
The external problems do not seem to be having a serious! very strong negative impact, however the common external problems faced by these businesses include
• Business cycle
• Exchange rates
• Changes in distribution patterns
• Social Cultural factors
• Rentals
Crime however appears to have the most serious negative impact on the businesses in this area.
Medical practices in the area surprisingly do not appear to have stock control systems in place. Operating costs were high for clothing businesses and general dealers. Location appears to be a problem for general dealers, jewelers, medical practices and clothing businesses. Crime appears to be a problem especially for jewelers, medical practices, and general dealers. General dealers, hairdressers and clothing businesses are affected by competition from similar businesses. Clothing businesses are negatively impacted by changes in distribution patterns.
There does not seem to be much difference between retail, service and other businesses with respect to internal and external problems. There also does not seem to be much difference between owners, managers and partners with respect to internal and external problems
A survey of the perception of sport brands amongst select customers in the Pietermaritzburg region.
Get PDFM. Com. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2014.The global sportswear industry has experienced significant growth with future growth projected to reach a value of US $125 billion and a category growth of 6% (Lucintel, 2012). Two brands dominate this category, namely Nike and Adidas. As one of the leading sports brands in the business, Nike features as the highest valued sports brand according to the Brandz Top 100 Report (Milward Brown, 2014). Such brands have contributed to the consistent growth trends of this category. Other factors contributing to the positive growth experienced by sports brands are due to an increase in the participation of sports, the increasing number of women participating in sport and more consumers leaning towards a healthier lifestyle (Transparency market research, 2013). There has also been an increase in sports spectatorship with spending on tickets growing by 20% between 2006 and 2010 (Spectator Sports – UK, 2011). Evidence supporting these trends can be attributed to such statistics that crowds attending football league games in the United Kingdom reached the highest number in 2004 – 2005 after 45 years (Robinson, 2008) whilst three quarters of adults in Britain claimed to watch or listen to sport in 2004 (Mintel, 2005). Successful branding of sports brands have also been shown to have positive implications such as influencing the likelihood that a brand will be chosen, the willingness of consumers to pay a price premium (Gladden & Milne, 1999), and a positive spread by word of mouth (Arai, Ko & Ross, 2013). These effects have also been tied to athlete endorsers who have been shown to maintain the support of their fans regardless of their performance within their areas of sport, resulting in more athletes being used to endorse products (Arai et al., 2013).
Another potential contributor to the growth of sportswear brands is the growing usage of sportswear for the purpose of following fashion trends (Sweeney, 2006), for the use of comfortable casual wear (Yee & Sidek, 2008) and to show support towards a particular sports team. A number of factors are believed to have contributed to how sportswear brands are perceived. The usage of sportswear brands more for fashion and comfort than just for sport and the growing importance of sport and athlete endorsers have both potentially contributed to how sports brands are seen and perceived by consumers.
This study aims to explore how sportswear brands are perceived within a selected sample of respondents at a health club within the Pietermaritzburg area. The objectives are to determine what the influencing factors are that drive sportswear brand preference and to determine which attributes are associated with sportswear brands, as well as how the leading brands in the industry are perceived and whether there are emotional factors influencing sportswear brand preference. Demographic factors were also evaluated to determine whether perceptions of sportswear can be attributed to specific demographics. The study takes
an exploratory and descriptive approach to uncover insights pertaining to how sports brands are perceived and aimed to describe group characteristics that may exist. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to 100 respondents. The sample of respondents was conveniently selected at a health club in the Pietermaritzburg region. Participation was strictly voluntary. The data was analysed using the statistical programme, SPSS.
The literature covers the construct of perceptions and provides insight from the sportswear brands, where possible with the intention of understanding how sportswear brands are perceived. The study is of an exploratory and descriptive nature, with the objective of investigating factors relating to the perceptions of sports brands held by consumers in the Pietermaritzburg region. Therefore a self-administered questionnaire was used as the method of data collection. The data was analysed mainly by using non-parametric and descriptive statistical methods.
The study evaluates several variables of perception in relation to sports brands. The results of the study showed that there were no significant gender differences impacting on how sports brands are perceived. Furthermore, the market leaders within this category tested very strongly on values of awareness, association and brand preference. In contrast to the available literature, weak levels of loyalty to sports brands were evident, indicating that respondents are likely to switch between brands regardless of their strong preference for a particular brand.
Positive emotional variables were visible indicating that emotion may play a role in influencing the perceptions of sports brands. However, no relationship was found with negative emotional variables. Respondents reportedly did not place significant value on advertising or their preference for either male or female athletes who were featured in sport brand advertising. This is supported by the results indicating that sport, athlete and sports team endorsement do not impact on their preference for brand or brand choice and do not influence which brand is selected.
The most popular media sources for information on sports brands were reportedly television, online and magazines. Overall, respondents reported holding their favourite sports brands in high regard, perceiving favourite sports brands to be relevant to their needs. Respondents also sought quality, innovation, comfort and style as mandatory variables that sports brands should possess and which are likely to result in their switching behaviour to brands other than their preferred brands, should the alternate brand meet their needs. Price was shown to be a driving factor in switching behaviour. This was an indication that the choice of sports brands may be needs driven and that decisions are influenced by price, even though respondents reported strong preferences towards particular brands
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