Daniel Petzer

Sustainable business models : corporate reasons, economic effects, social boundaries, environmental actions and organizational challenges in sustainable business practices

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe: corporate reasons for, and organizational challenges of sustainable business models; and the evolution of economic effects, social boundaries and environmental actions in sustainable business practices. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on insights gained from eight Norwegian companies in different industries. Purposeful sampling was employed to ensure that the companies had sustainable business models beyond the level of mere compliance, of sustainable business practices in the marketplace and society. A deductive approach to data collection ensured that the companies had sufficient understanding to relate their sustainable business practices to interviewers. The interviews were subsequently transcribed and analyzed systematically by the research team. Findings – The empirical findings indicate evolutionary changes as companies move on a continuum from superficial to embedded sustainable business models and the application of sustainable...

Trials and tribulations: marketing in modern South Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a background into the challenges and developments faced by marketers in South Africa as well as those wanting to enter the South African market.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the viewpoints of the authors based on their knowledge of happenings within the marketing field in South Africa.Findings – Marketers in South Africa face both challenges and developments from the macro and market environment. These challenges and developments include the diverse nature of the South African consumer, competition, infrastructure issues, government legislation and bureaucracy.Practical implications – South African marketers need to adapt their marketing strategies to accommodate the developments in the market. Furthermore, marketing strategies need to be adapted to meet the new challenges in South Africa markets in terms of the diversity of consumers in order to be successful.Originality/value – The originality and value of this paper lies in the fact t...

A mediated model of relationship quality factors affecting behavioural intention at a luxury motor vehicle dealership

Purpose The aim of this study is to determine whether customer satisfaction, trust and commitment as relationship quality factors can be valuable to a luxury motor vehicle dealership in generating favourable behavioural intentions concerning post-purchase service and repair offerings. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive research design was followed, and self-administered questionnaires were fielded among customers of the luxury motor vehicle dealership. A total of 301 questionnaires were returned and the interrelationships between the constructs were examined using structural equation modelling. Findings It was discovered that customers who trust the dealership may be more committed, and commitment may strengthen the relationship between customer satisfaction and a favourable behavioural intention towards the dealership. Research limitations/implications The findings of the study add to the developing body of empirical literature on relationship quality and behavioural intention. Practical implications The study indicates how relationship quality factors can influence behavioural intentions of customers, assist in building long-term relationships with customers and retain current customers where post-purchase service and repairs of luxury goods are concerned. Originality/value The study provides an emerging market perspective of the interrelationships between relationship quality factors affecting behavioural intention regarding service and repairs of luxury goods.

A triple bottom line construct and reasons for implementing sustainable business practices in companies and their business networks

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to test a Triple Bottom Line (TBL)-construct as well as to describe the TBL-reasons for implementing sustainable business practices in companies and their business networks. This study explores how linking these seemingly disparate pillars of sustainability may be facilitated through a TBL construct. The notion of sustainable business practices has been evolving and is increasingly understood to encompass considerations of economic viability, as well as environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Design/methodology/approach – The research is quantitative in nature, exploring and analysing how companies in different Norwegian industries implement and manage sustainable business practices based on TBL. The survey results are reported here. Findings – The relevance of TBL to different aspects of sustainable business practices is outlined. The study generally supports the view that a heightened propensity for sustainable business practices ensures that organi...

Banking customers’ attitudes toward complaining : their likelihood of voicing a complaint and service recovery they consider appropriate.

This paper measures the attitude of banking customers towards complaining and their likelihood to complain when a service failure is experienced at their current and another bank. Insight is also provided into the service recovery responses customers consider appropriate when a service failure is experienced. The target population included individuals in the Gauteng Province of South Africa who hold a bank account in their personal capacity. An interviewer-administered survey was used to collect data using non-probability quota sampling based upon population group and gender. A demographic profile of respondents, as well as the findings in terms of the aforementioned constructs and related hypotheses is provided. The study found that respondents have a positive attitude towards complaining, and that they are significantly more likely to voice a complaint when experiencing a service failure at their current bank than at another bank. Significant differences also exist with regard to the individual responses respondents consider appropriate when confronted with a hypothetical service failure experienced at their current bank and another bank.

Perceived justice in South African airline and hospital industries: measurement model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and test a construct of perceived justice from an airline and hospital industry perspective. Furthermore, the similarities and differences of perceived justice in negative service encounters within the airline and hospital setting, and the validity of the constructs in the two different contexts is investigated.Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports on the results obtained from a South African survey on respondents who experienced a negative service incident in the last year in the airline and hospital industries. The two service settings being used purposely to reveal possible differences in the constructs in settings where life and health are at risk compared to a more hedonistic service. Comparative and confirmatory testing of perceived justice during service encounters in a hospital and airline setting was performed.Findings – Three dimensions of the perceived justice construct tested in the airline and hospital service encounters presented ...

Perceived justice, service satisfaction and behavior intentions following service recovery efforts in a South African retail banking context

The interactional and distributive dimensions of perceived justice as one of its objectives are to reveal the link between perceived justice and service satisfaction (SS). The purpose of this paper is to consider the influence of the perceived justice that South African retail bank customers experience based on the service recovery efforts of these banks in response to their complaints, the customers’ SS, and, consequently, the behavioral intention (BI) toward these banks.,This study focuses on the perceived justice construct where a service failure has occurred followed by a customer complaint and a resultant service provider response. In total, 281 respondents completed a structured self-administered questionnaire.,The study found that interactional and distributive justice (DJ) experienced in response to the service recovery efforts of a bank significantly and positively influence SS, and that SS in turn significantly and positively influences the BI of these customers. However, it was found that interactional and DJ had no direct effect on BI.,The research model tested addresses the interfaces between service receivers’ perception of interactional justice, distributional justice and SS as well as the interface between SS and BI. The tested research model indicates that both are interrelated through SS.,It is evident from the findings that retail banks should utilize the service encounter that follows a customer complaint as a desirable prospect to implement strategies to recover from service failures in an effort to bring about perceived justice that will ultimately influence customers’ levels of SS and BI.,This study makes a complementary contribution to previous studies and existing theory building a nomological framework of constructs in service encounters consisting of service receivers’ perceived justice, SS and BI.

Key information sources influencing prospective students' university choice: a South African perspective

Universities are facing increasingly complex trends and challenges in attracting and retaining the best students. This has coaxed university marketers to embrace marketing practices and ideas in order to acquire and retain these students. The study aims at understanding potential students’ decision-making with respect to what and who influences them when choosing a university. The research design is descriptive and self-administered questionnaires were fielded to first-year students at a comprehensive university early in the academic year. A total of 1 290 useable responses were realised. The study uncovered that brochures and the students’ parents are most influential in their choice. Significant differences were uncovered based upon demographics of respondents and key information sources that influence university choice. The findings imply that university marketers should segment the prospective student market by taking into account that prospective students differ with regard to the extent of who and what influence their university choice. Key words: South African Higher Education, South African university, prospective student, university choice, key information sources, decision-making process.

Comprehension of marketing research textbooks among South African students : an investigation

Reading is a skill people require in order to operate successfully in all spheres of life. Mastering this skill is even more critical when pursuing academic studies. This study investigated the reading comprehension of final year undergraduate marketing students at a South African higher education institution (HEI) relating to their comprehension of marketing research textbooks. Two measurement instruments were used to test their reading comprehension. One instrument contained two passages from the respondents’ prescribed marketing research textbook and the other two passages from a comparative international textbook. Following the Cloze procedure, every 9th word was removed from the passages and respondents were subsequently required to complete the non-subject related words in one of the instruments fielded on a random basis. The results indicated that the majority of respondents exhibited a reading comprehension that is at the frustration reading level. A further evaluation that allowed for synonyms (Semantically Acceptable Scoring Method or SEMAC) to be included, did not impact meaningfully on the classification of respondents. Significant differences in reading comprehension could also not be uncovered based upon the respondents’ gender and home language. The results furthermore presented challenges for all those involved in higher education (HE), more specifically impacting on textbook choice as well as assessment and performance practices.

Stakeholder Considerations in Business Sustainability Efforts

The research objective of this study is to develop and test a stakeholder construct in the context of companies’ business sustainability efforts within their business networks, the marketplace and the society by identifying underlying dimensions and items. A mixed-method approach was used. Firstly, qualitative research involving a case study approach was followed so as to describe how companies in different industries in Norway implement and manage sustainable business practices. This was followed by a quantitative research phase to empirically measure and test a stakeholder construct in the context of business sustainability efforts, which is reported here. The results report both an initial factor solution as well as a refined factor solution. The factor analyses confirmed five stakeholder dimensions related to business sustainability in a cross-industry sample of organisations, their business networks, marketplace and society. These include (1) the focal company, (2) downstream stakeholders, (3) societal stakeholders, (4) market stakeholders and (5) upstream stakeholders. The results indicate satisfactory convergent, discriminant and nomological validity, as well as reliability of each dimension. The study provides a stakeholder construct in the context of business sustainability efforts in focal companies and their business networks, the marketplace and the society, based upon five common dimensions. The multidimensional framework may be used in both qualitative and quantitative research in the future. It may also be used to assess stakeholders’ business sustainability efforts. The study provides a general stakeholder construct in the context of business sustainability efforts in business networks, the marketplace and the society. The proposed framework can be incorporated in further studies and could be used to assess the general status of stakeholders’ sustainability efforts in their networks, the marketplace and the society.