Doctoral Degrees (Business Management)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Business Management) by browse.metadata.advisor "Boshoff, Christo"

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    Cellphone banking adoption and continuance of use in an internet banking context : a study of consumers'cross-channel cognitive evaluations
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Nel, Jacques; Boshoff, Christo; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The convergence of the Internet, wireless technologies, and mobile devices has led to the development of a new paradigm of transacting, namely, mobile commerce. Because banking activities are easily digitised and automated, banks have seized the mobile transacting opportunity and have developed cellphone banking applications that allow more flexibility for bank clients than internet banking in terms of anywhere, anytime banking. For banks, considering the benefits associated with multi-channel customers, the ideal situation would be that bank clients using internet banking also adopt and continue to use cellphone banking in the future. Therefore, to assist marketing managers with the development of marketing strategies to enhance the concurrent use of internet and cellphone banking, this study investigates the influence of internet banking cognitive evaluations on the perceived usefulness and the perceived ease of use of cellphone banking in the formation of the intention to use and the continuance of use intention of cellphone banking. A literature review revealed that two consumer behaviour theories can guide crosschannel cognitive evaluations between the internet banking and cellphone banking channel namely, expectation-transfer theory and status quo bias theory. In the context of this study, expectation-transfer theory can explain cross-channel evaluative synergies from the internet banking channel to the cellphone banking channel, as well as dissynergies; whilst status quo bias underpins only evaluative dissynergies. These theories point to internet banking beliefs that could influence the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of cellphone banking. Based on the literature review, a conceptual model was developed of the formation of intention to use and the continuance of use intention of cellphone banking in an internet banking context. To assess the validity of the model empirically, data were collected from 678 users of only internet banking and 491 users of both internet and cellphone banking. The data collected in the empirical phase of the study were analysed using the structural equations modelling (SEM) software program AMOS 20.0. The results revealed that the perceived convenience and time saving of internet banking positively influence the perceived usefulness of cellphone banking for the users of both internet and cellphone banking. On the other hand, only the perceived convenience of internet banking influenced the cellphone banking usefulness perceptions of the users of only internet banking. Furthermore, internet banking trust and risk perceptions only influenced the cellphone banking usefulness perceptions of the users of only internet banking. Expectation-transfer in both cohorts was also confirmed between the ease of use perceptions of internet banking and the perceived ease of use of cellphone banking. The results also confirmed that internet banking facilitating conditions negatively influence the perceived usefulness of cellphone banking (evidence of status quo bias). The theoretical contribution of the study is apparent at three different levels. Firstly, the conceptual model of cross-channel cognitive evaluations extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with beliefs of a related technology as the determinants of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Secondly, the study provides more insights into how cross-channel cognitive evaluations influence the formation of intention to use and the continuance of use intention of cellphone banking. And lastly, the study identifies additional sources of expectation-transfer and status-quo bias in the multichannel marketing context. The study provides valuable insights into internet – cellphone banking multi-channel consumer behaviour that should be considered by managers in the development of cellphone banking marketing strategies. To facilitate the conversion from internet banking to the concurrent usage of internet and cellphone banking, managers of cellphone banking services must ensure that the internet banking service is reliable and risk free. Equally important, cellphone banking must be marketed as a complementary channel to internet banking. In other words, the usefulness of cellphone banking must be emphasised in situations when the bank client is not near a computer to do internet banking or when he/she does not have the time or money to use a computer for internet banking. And lastly, to enhance the adoption of cellphone banking marketing communications must emphasise the similarities between internet and cellphone banking so that expectation-transfer between the two channels can influence behavioural intentions to adopt cellphone banking. Based on the results of the study, several recommendations can be made to enhance the continuance of use of cellphone banking. Firstly, marketing communications must remind the concurrent users of internet and cellphone banking of why they are using cellphone banking. The most important reason to remind them of is the usefulness of cellphone banking in situations where there is a lack of internet banking facilitating conditions. Marketing managers should also take note that cellphone banking users do not draw on internet banking trust and risk perceptions to form perceptions of the usefulness of cellphone banking. It may be that they only consider trust and risk perceptions directly related to cellphone banking. This conclusion emphasises the importance of cellphone banking trust and risk perceptions in cellphone banking continuance of use behaviour. Finally, the study quantified the influence of internet banking cognitive evaluations on the formation of intention to use and the continuance of use intention of cellphone banking. Considering this result, the study provides valuable information for marketing managers of cellphone services. The methodology employed can also guide future studies exploring cross-channel evaluations in a multi-channel marketing context.
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    Consumer ethnocentrism and attitudes towards domestic and foreign products : a South African study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Pentz, Christian Donald; Terblanche, N. S.; Boshoff, Christo; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The continued growth of international trade has resulted in levels of global product availability that is not only unprecedented, but would have been regarded as impossible not too long ago. Products of almost every conceivable national origin are now readily available in numerous countries throughout the world. Because the “country of origin” label of a product is a factor that could influence the buying behaviour of consumers, prescient international marketers know that they need to investigate consumer attitudes toward both domestic and imported products and the findings of these investigations should be used to formulate more effective marketing strategies. Previous research into the “country of origin” phenomenon has focused on consumer ethnocentrism as a possible reason why consumers would buy a domestic rather than an imported product. The basic premise of the concept of consumer ethnocentrism is that the attitudes and purchase intentions of consumers can be influenced by what could be called nationalistic emotions. In short, consumer ethnocentrism implies that consumers might regard the purchase of foreign products as “wrong”, as it might harm the domestic economy and result in job losses in industries that compete with imports. As a result, consumer ethnocentrism has been actively researched in developed countries in particular, but there seems to be a dearth of knowledge about consumer ethnocentrism in developing countries. This study‟s primary objective is therefore to investigate consumer ethnocentrism in a developing country, in this case South Africa. The study is based on a review of the literature, covering aspects such as marketing, consumer behaviour, globalisation and especially the phenomena of country of origin and consumer ethnocentrism. The literature review was followed by an empirical, survey-based study investigating consumer ethnocentrism in South Africa. A novel contribution of this study is that consumer ethnocentrism was investigated among different racial groups in the same country. This was done to assess whether there are significant similarities and/or differences between different racial groups in terms of consumer ethnocentrism and any of the attitudinal variables relevant to international marketing. A conceptual model (containing sixteen variables) was developed as a guideline from the literature review to investigate consumer ethnocentrism and how it could influence the attitudes of South African consumers (of different races) towards the import of foreign products (Chinese clothing in this case) and ultimately the willingness of these consumers to buy imported clothing. A questionnaire was subsequently developed to collect data from a sample of black and a sample of white South African respondents. An exploratory factor analysis of the data was done and the results indicated that for the samples of both black and white respondents, the original number of variables (excluding demographic variables) that drive consumer ethnocentrism could be reduced to ten. These variables were exactly the same for both sub-samples studied. The proposed theoretical model was also empirically tested by means of the structural equation modelling technique. The result of these tests was the creation of structural models for both sub-samples, illustrating all the variables and indicators of the measurement model and the structural relationships among the different variables. From the results it is clear that even though there were differences in terms of the impact of a number of antecedents on consumer ethnocentrism, the two sub-samples responded in a relatively similar way. The results also indicated that the antecedents, cultural openness, patriotism, individualism, age, income, attitude towards human rights and history of oppression, were regarded as antecedents for consumer ethnocentrism by both sub-samples. The differences confirmed were that the sample of white respondents also regarded nationalism and gender as predictors of consumer ethnocentrism. The results also revealed that black respondents seemed to be more ethnocentric than their white counterparts. From the results it seems that, due to the differences between the two sub-samples of this study, marketing strategies related to consumer ethnocentrism should not be identical for white and black South African consumers. Based on the results, a number of marketing strategies that could be implemented by both local and international marketers for the South African market are proposed.
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    The impact of fear appeal advertising on disposition formation in HIV/Aids related communication
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008-12) Terblanche-Smit, Marlize; Terblanche, Nic S.; Boshoff, Christo; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management.
    Research to guide marketing practitioners in social issue-related communication remains underexplored. The increases in various social problems have caused practitioners to return to fear appeals as motivation to influence individuals to think and behave in a certain way. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a major concern worldwide, as well as in South Africa, and some marketing communication campaigns do not seem to be producing the expected results. During 2007, an alarming 33.2 million people worldwide were infected with HIV. The African continent, and specifically sub-Saharan Africa, is still hardest hit by this pandemic. The high level of new HIV infections occurring daily in South Africa reflects the difficulties faced by HIV/AIDS education and prevention campaigns. Approximately 5.41 million people were living with HIV in 2006. This equates to about 11 percent of the total population and approximately 1 000 AIDS deaths occur every day. The social climate in South Africa has not been conducive to safe sexual messages, and there is a continuing need to encourage safe sexual behaviour, and awareness of the detrimental effects of HIV/AIDS. An estimated 60 percent of all new HIV/AIDS infections in South Africa occur in people between the ages of 15 and 25 years, with young women being more at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS than young men. This trend implies that the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic will be felt extensively in the next decade. Additionally, HIV/AIDS prevention programmes for the youth are not having the intended effect to promote partner reduction, consistent condom use and prompt treatment for sexually transmitted infections. These factors confirm that HIV/AIDS marketing communication programmes are of central importance in slowing down the spread of the disease among South African adolescents. Marketing communication is evolving to an era of tailored messages targeted at individuals and more sophisticated segmentation of target audiences. South African young adults reside in a country with diverse racial groups and cultural backgrounds. The more knowledge about their feelings and fears about HIV/AIDS become available, the more effective marketing communication can be developed. Overall marketing communication campaigns must be tailored to the specific needs of adolescents and the promotion of safer sexual behaviour should be at the core of HIV/AIDS programmes, since they are embarking on their sexual lives and are therefore open to behavioural change interventions. This study investigated whether the use of fear increases the likelihood of adopting appropriate behaviour pertaining to HIV/AIDS. Fear, attitude towards the advertisements, severity, susceptibility and efficacy were examined to ascertain the influence of fear appeals. Findings provide encouraging evidence for the persuasive power of fear appeals. Fear appeals can be a strong motivator if accompanied by high efficacy messages, to improve knowledge and to influence attitudes about HIV/AIDS. Susceptibility to the disease among adolescents also influences behaviour, and the importance of individual factors, including racial characteristics and personality, was confirmed. The empirical results of the study reveal that together with message factors like message content and media usage, the goal of changing adolescents’ sexual behaviour in the midst of the HIV/AIDS pandemic can be achieved.
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    The management of long-term marketing relationships in business-to-business financial services
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008-12) Theron, Edwin; Terblanche, N. S.; Boshoff, Christo; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management.
    Since relationship marketing re-emerged as an approach to marketing, the concept was met with a great deal of interest. This interest resulted in relationship marketing being researched extensively, whilst businesses started to look for ways to build relationships with their clients. Relationships with clients can, however, only be managed if the dimensions contributing to the relationship are adequately identified. From an academic viewpoint, once all the relevant dimensions have been identified, these dimensions can be used to construct a model that can guide the management of long-term marketing relationships. The aim of this study was to identify the dimensions that are important when longterm marketing relationships in business-to-business (B2B) financial services are managed. The study started with a comprehensive review of the marketing literature. The literature review was followed by two empirical studies. The first empirical study was conducted among relationship managers, while the second empirical study focused on both the relationship managers and clients of a leading South African financial services provider. Both the relationship managers as well as the clients were part of the afore-mentioned financial services provider’s B2B domain. Phase 1 of the empirical research (the exploratory study) focused on an assessment of the perceptions of 75 relationship managers in respect of the importance of a number of pre-determined dimensions. A web-based approach was used and a questionnaire was developed according to the requirements of the Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) method. Based on the literature review and the results of the exploratory study, a set of 11 dimensions emerged as important for the management of long-term relationships in B2B financial services. The second phase of the empirical research focused on the perceptions of both relationship managers (the relationship manager sample) and B2B clients (the client sample). In the case of the relationship manager sample, a web-based questionnaire was sent to 300 relationship managers, while 400 clients participated in the client study. Relationship manager data were analysed by means of regression analysis whereas the client data were analysed with the aid of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The LISREL 8.80 software program was used to fit both the measurement model and the SEM model. The results of the study confirmed the important roles of especially trust and commitment on a person’s intention to stay in a relationship. Furthermore, the study found that relationship managers and clients appear to view the process of relationship management as an intricate process. Although relationship managers and clients differ on the importance of some of the further dimensions, agreement existed for the importance of especially satisfaction and communication. It was also found that relationship managers appear to over-estimate their performance levels on some of the identified dimensions. The uniqueness of the study lies in the simultaneous consideration of the perceptions of both relationship managers and clients. The most important contribution of the study is the construction of a model through which long-term marketing relationships in the B2B financial services industry can be managed.
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    A motivational perspective on the user acceptance of social media
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) Nelmapius, Albert Hugo; Boshoff, Christo; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The use of social media as a unique marketing communication tool to engage with a new age of consumers has become an essential element of any organisation's strategic planning. On social media sites, consumers are engaging with and producing information, as opposed to traditional media where the marketer is in control of the media message content and information dissemination. The challenge for marketers in this new market communication context is to create a venue for conversation with the customer without appearing to control the conversation. In order for the marketer to be this invisible influencer, marketers need to understand the dynamic perceptions, motivations and uses of social network sites. User acceptance theories can be a valuable framework for exploring human behaviour in this computer-mediated environment. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the intentions of users and non-users of social network sites to either continue using social network sites or to use social network sites in the future, by using a comprehensive, decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour. Due to the size and complexity of the decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour, the antecedents to the Intention to use social network sites were divided into two sub-models, namely motivators and barriers to social network sites usage. In addition to the antecedent motivators and barriers, the gratifications sought from social network usage were also explored, to identify the reasons for continued social network sites usage or non-usage. This choice of continued usage of or non-usage of social network sites by both user and non-user groups, was further investigated, using a logistical regression analysis, to quantify the probability of group. The demographical attributes of the users of social network sites with regard to certain specific social network site use, were also investigated. The study utilised a questionnaire with closed-ended questions to collect demographical information of the respondents. A seven-point Likert scale was selected as the appropriate measurement scale, taking into consideration that the variables under investigation were latent and, therefore, not directly observable. The Likert scaled questionnaire was used to draw a quota sample of 307 users of Facebook and 337 non-users of Facebook. The data was analysed using the statistical computer programmes LISREL 8.80, AMOS 18 and SPSS 21. The results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the genders with regard to the reported number of years’ membership of Facebook, number of hours spent on Facebook per week, the number of Facebook visits per week and the number of Facebook friends. A statistically significant difference did exist, however, between males and females, with regard to the number of hours spent on Facebook per week. The differences among the age categories showed a statistically significant difference only in relation to the number of the Facebook friends’ dimension, with the age group 15-25 having statistically significantly more friends than the older age categories. The results denoted that three of the potential barriers of Facebook usage, namely Dispositional trust, Internet self-efficacy and Psychological risk, had the same influence on the intention of individuals to use Facebook among both users and non-users of Facebook. These constructs are an intrinsic, dispositional part of the character and abilities of an individual and suggest that the reason for the lack of use by non-users of Facebook is not due to systematic differences, in the characteristics between the users and non-users of Facebook. The one exception is Privacy risk, which was found to be a statistically significant barrier to Facebook usage by Facebook non-users only and represents an important finding for social media marketers, as it serves as evidence that privacy concerns do influence users, to such an extent that they will choose not to use technology as a result of these concerns. In a similar manner to the barriers to Facebook use, the results indicated that the motivators of Facebook usage (Perceived enjoyment, Perceived usefulness, Perceived ease of use, Need for cognition and Susceptibility to norm influence) had the exact same influence on the Intention to use Facebook for both users and non-users of Facebook. The motivators of Facebook were all external influences, except for the Need to belong (intrinsic), which was found to be an insignificant predictor of Facebook usage. This finding implies that there is no difference in the external influences exerted on both users and non-users of social network sites and, therefore, external influences are not the cause of the lack of use of social network sites by non-users. The results showed significant statistical differences between the gratifications sought by Facebook usage between the users and non-users of Facebook. The results further indicated a greater Continued intention to use Facebook by the users of Facebook compared to non-users in terms of gratifications sought. Based on these findings and the results of the motivators and barriers of Facebook usage, it is concluded that non-users’ lack of social network site usage is not as a result of systematic dispositional difference with users or because of differing external influences, but rather due to the fact that non-users of social network sites are not motivated sufficiently by specific gratifications created by social network site usage. The results for specific gratifications, rather than dispositional characteristics or external influences, thus, has a greater influence on non-users’ lack of participation in social network sites. This could suggest that specific gratifications are the reason for the usage of social network site by users of these sites. Marketers, therefore, need to ensure that any marketing offerings should address the specific gratifications needs of their target market, in order to attract more traffic to their social network sites. An important objective of this study was to compare users of Facebook with the non-users, to establish whether specific dispositional, situational or outcome variables were significant in influencing group membership. A logistic regression analysis was used to assess which variables had the biggest influence on group membership. The results showed that the variables: specific Age categories, Perceived ease of use, Perceived usefulness, Psychological risk, Perceived enjoyment and Susceptibility to norm influence were all significant predictors of Facebook usage. However, the variables gender, the age categories 26-35 years and 36-45 years, Dispositional trust, Internet self-efficacy, Need for cognition and Privacy risk were not statistically significant predictors of group membership. This research provides marketers with a full range of social network site perceptions to consider, so they can devise customised, multi-layered marketing offerings to encourage the use of social network sites for e-Commerce.