Krishna K. Govender

Since customer loyalty is key, especially in the highly competitive commercial banking environment, this article evaluated the effects of features of electronic customer relationship management (e-CRM) on customer loyalty. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from a convenience sample of customers of a major international Kenyan bank using self-administered questionnaires. The findings based on correlation and multiple regression analyses, revealed that pre-service, during (the) service and post transactional e-CRM features have a positive and significant relationship with loyalty, and that the pre-service and during service features significantly predict loyalty. Thus, enhancing e-CRM practices could be a strategic competitive tool to impact the banks’ relationship with their customers.

This paper explores the relationship between an external socio-disruptive factor and consumer product and brand decision-making behavior. The social disruption was physical relocation, which resulted in a radical change in the toilet system, which had implications for toilet cleaning product and brands used. By using a sample calculator, a probability sample of 384 households from Cosmo City, South Africa were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The data from 332 respondents (86% response rate) were analyzed using various inferential statistical analysis techniques to test three hypotheses. Multiple regression path coefficients demonstrated positive and significant changes β=1.709,  p<.0005 in the desired brand benefits following the social disruption, and that there were no significant differences β=-0.601,  p<.027 between households that switched brands and those that did not. The findings underscore the importance of recognizing that consumers re-evaluate their brand choices, leading to significant brand switching in cases where the social change has a radical effect on brand usage. The results also indicate that ‘out-of-market’ changes such as a radical social change have the same impact on consumer brand behavior and brand choice, as “in-market” disruptions such as the introduction of an innovative brand. The findings have strategy implications for marketers of toilet cleaning products in particular and consumer goods in general.

In developing countries, non-agricultural micro-sized informal enterprises are known to create employment and income generation opportunities. However, due to the complexity and unregulated nature of the sector and, in particular, the Jua Kali, achieving efficient and effective sustainability remains a major challenge for the owners and policy makers alike. Since many unknown barriers continue to impact the effective and efficient development of the aforementioned enterprises, the aim of this study was to determine the barriers to effective job creation in a developing country’s informal micro enterprise industry using evidence from the Jua Kali sub-sector in Kenya. The data from a survey conducted among a random sample of 118 enterprises, which were listed in one Jua Kali Association Directory Nairobi, were analyzed using exploratory factor and regression analyses. Strong evidence supports the notion that some socio-demographic variables such as age, education and marital status have an impact on entrepreneurial activities in the Jua Kali sector. Training, advise and consultation for Jua Kali entrepreneurs need to be enhanced, as this will be necessary to advance their business prowess. The results contribute to studies in entrepreneurship and management by demonstrating that designing and implementing the systems, activities and programs for supporting employment creation through the informal sector can improve productivity at all levels of the economy and improve the living of these entrepreneurs.

The aim of this study is to empirically examine the relationships between the determinants of start-up SME success, namely start-up awareness and management skills, and the finance suppliers. This study has proposed a framework that improves the ability of start-up SMEs to access external finance. Through descriptive and inferential statistical analyses of data from a survey of a sample of SMEs in South Africa, it was ascertained that the framework which maps the entrepreneur’s start-up awareness and requisite management skills with the finance providers’ requirements will make up a tool to assist start-up SMEs in developing optimal financing options to grow their businesses.

While consumers play a very crucial role in the marketing strategies of companies, effective development of strategies must satisfy their needs and wants. Therefore, an evaluation and understanding of the underlying factors and/or dimensions influencing consumer buying behavior are critical for supermarkets to both retain and acquire new customers. The article reports on factors impacting the consumer buying behavior and the relationship among the factors. The study uses data from a cross-sectional survey conducted within a random sample of 699 customers at 17 supermarkets in Nairobi, Kenya. Reliability and factorial validity of the self-administered questionnaire were evaluated and considered satisfactory, while structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test several hypotheses. Social characteristics were a good predictor of the consumers’ inclination to patronize a supermarket, thus directly influencing the buying behavior. A strong positive connection between psychological factors and buying behavior was ascertained based on income, which suggests that although psychological characteristics impact consumer attitudes towards the supermarket, income and education levels may well play a determining role in this regard. Retail marketers in general and in Kenya in particular are encouraged to be cognizant of the above when developing strategic marketing programs to increase the level of patronage. As a research paper, the study is limited to the data and prior empirical research. It offers the benefit of new research directions for marketing managers in understanding and satisfying the consumers. The main contribution of the present research, interdisciplinary in nature due to combining elements linked to both marketing and psychology, is its focus on consumer buying behavior towards supermarkets in a developing country, thus producing revealing insights.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between enterprise risk management (ERM) and company ethics, so as to understand the central role of risk management in improving company ethics. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to survey all 122 employees of an insurance organization. The level of ethics was measured by posing questions on the integrity, trustworthiness, and level of respect for top management, middle management, and non-management. The overall Cronbach’s alpha for the instrument measuring the level of ethics was 0.865, indicating that the instrument was highly reliable.
The relationship between ERM controls and the level of ethics was determined using regression analysis, which produced a F value of 0.268 (p-value 0.607), which implied that there is no relationship between ERM controls and the level of ethics. It was also ascertained that ethics and compliance-related issues are not fully embraced by the organization. This implied that the insurance company is at a level of “nominal” risk management with uncoordinated, top-down risk management activities.
Since ethics risk exposure resulting from poor corporate governance has been identified by the Institute of Risk Management as being a key contributor to many business failures in South Africa (and internationally), the exploratory findings can stimulate the leadership to institute polices to mitigate poor governance and risk as this will benefit all stakeholders.

Although research in the past focused on the direct association between organizational culture and staff performance, the effect of any mediating variable was not fully investigated. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effect of innovation and communication as mediating variables in the association between institutional culture and staff performance.
A quantitative methodology was used to collect data through a survey using an on-line Likert-scale questionnaire. Simple random sampling was used to select 19 employees from two commercial banks in South Africa, which included senior executives, managers, supervisors, administrative staff and cashiers. Since these banks were very similar in size, 10 respondents were selected from Bank A and 9 from Bank B according to the above selection criteria. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted to address the aim of the study.
The findings confirmed that communication and innovation facilitated the relationship between institutional culture and employee performance, which was mediated by innovation and communication. Thus, the leadership of the banks should strategically and effectively employ communication tools to ensure that the institution remains innovative. Furthermore, an innovative culture should be nurtured, which encourages and invites participation by staff.

An increase in the number of privately-owned higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa has created greater competition among private and public HEIs since all are competing for the same pool of potential students. Thus, marketers of HEIs have begun to realize the importance of placing a renewed focus on their students’ (customers’) needs. This study aimed to establish whether students perceive themselves as customers of HEIs, as well as the extent to which they perceive the attitude of academic and administrative staff toward them as being customer-focused.
A total of 411 online questionnaires were administered to students at select private and public HEIs in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted on the survey data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. As a result, the majority of students perceived themselves as customers of the HEI. Furthermore, students’ perception of the attitude of academic and administrative staff toward them reinforced the view that they are indeed customers of their HEI. Thus, by working with the academics and administrators, HEIs should consistently identify and satisfy the service needs of students.

This study examined the impact of social commerce on the purchase intentions of Millennials who use Facebook by exploring how social commerce constructs influence consumer trust. A quantitative research approach was used and data were collected via an ‘online’ survey. The target population was 386 young adults aged 25 to 34 residing in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, referred to as Millennials, and comprises the largest group of users on Facebook. Convenience sampling, namely snowball sampling, was used to target participants. It was found that social commerce constructs significantly influence trust, which positively influences consumer purchasing decisions. The results of the study showed that trust explained 68% of the variance in purchasing intentions. Since trust is an integral and vital component of social commerce, the role of social commerce constructs and social support is to build trust in the ‘online’ context and consumers’ intention to buy. This suggests that businesses should monitor the quality and content of the engagements around their brands on social media, as information sharing in social commerce has a significant impact on consumer decisions, i.e., purchase intentions.