ETD Collection

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/104


Please note: Digitised content is made available at the best possible quality range, taking into consideration file size and the condition of the original item. These restrictions may sometimes affect the quality of the final published item. For queries regarding content of ETD collection please contact IR specialists by email : IR specialists or Tel : 011 717 4652 / 1954

Follow the link below for important information about Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Library Guide about ETD

Browse

Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Case study

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    An employee's perspective of co-branding separation on brand commitment
    (2014-07-11) Munzhelele, Mukundi
    The use of co-branding as a strategy has become increasingly important to managers due to saturation in mature markets and the search for growth in emerging nations (Chul, 2009; Helmig, Huber, & Leeflang, 2008; Uggla & Asberg, 2010). In this study, a co-branded joint venture strategy is seen as an enterprise or an organisation introducing a national brand into a foreign market using brands that are successful in that foreign market, thus creating a co-brand (Kuvykaite & Mascinskiene, 2010). Co-branded strategies do not necessarily last for an indefinite period of time and the companies involved may want to separate after some time, particularly when the multi-national firm wants to align subsidiaries under the same corporate identity and brands. This split leads to impacts on a number of different levels including internal stakeholders (e.g. employees), external stakeholders (suppliers, consumers etc.) and the reputation of the firms. It can be argued that employees are the most affected by co-branded ventures above all other stakeholders. Danone Southern Africa is a firm of French origin which entered the South African dairy market through a joint venture with Clover South Africa. The two companies formed the Joint venture, Danone-Clover in 1998 (Abratt & Motlana, 2002), to operate within the fresh dairy produce market (i.e. Yoghurt, Custard and Maas). Whilst the two organisations had formed a joint-venture, Clover South Africa continued to operate separately within the broader dairy and beverages market. Danone subsequently bought out Clover’s share in the joint-venture in 2010 (Danone, 2010), resulting in the two firms no longer having a joint venture operation and functioning as separate entities within the South African market. This study explored the effects of a co-branding joint-venture separation, on the brand commitment of employees of the separated organisation. The study explored the process of the separation from a case study perspective. One-to-one interviews were conducted, with the use of open-ended and semi-structured questions with the responses recorded. The population of the study were employees of Danone Southern Africa, based at the Roodepoort head office. There were two sets of respondents, the first being employees who were part of Danone-Clover and are now employees of Danone Southern Africa. The second were respondents that had only being under the employment of Danone Southern Africa, i.e. joining the organisation post the joint venture separation in 2010. The study made use of judgemental sampling where sample sizes are often determined on the basis of theoretical saturation, as a result 18 respondents were interviewed. The results of the study showed that a co-branding joint venture separation has a negative impact on brand commitment, in that brand commitment decreases after the dissolution of the joint venture. In this specific case study, Danone’s brand performance was not negatively impacted particularly in terms of market share, where Danone is the dominant player within its category. The corporate brand, however, was negatively impacted in terms of external brand recognition, as there is confusion between the Clover and Danone brands with consumers seeing Danone as part of Clover South Africa. The Danone brand, post dissolution, performed well in the marketplace due to the fact that there was high fit between the two organisations that had formed the joint venture, a restraint of trade agreement post the joint venture dissolution, Danone Southern Africa buying the dominant sub-brands from Clover, the inability of competitors to take advantage of the dissolution of the joint venture and manager performance in managing the brand post dissolution. Danone has however, been negatively impacted internally by the dissolution. The organisation has experienced high turnover across senior, middle and junior management, leading to a loss of institutional knowledge. The results also suggest that due to the high fit between the firms, brand promise and understanding of the brand were negated as issues, post dissolution, for Danone. The dominance of the sub-brands also made it somewhat easier for employees to continue to perform, as those brands were already well established within the organisation and the country. The Danone organisation also experienced a negative culture in the eyes of the internal stakeholder, which in part has been a large contributor to the higher turnover. The study also showed that employees who remained with the organisation post the co-branded joint venture separation had higher commitment than employees who joined post the joint venture separation. There were also informal processes for learning within the organisation post dissolution, it was recognised that a more formal and prioritised knowledge management process needed to be started by the organisation. This study has theoretical and managerial implications. Future research could include other geographic territories, industries and a consumer evaluation on the effects of the dissolution. Given that the two organisations will become competitors (from 2015 onwards), it offers an opportunity for a longitudinal study on the two organisations and how they interact (in the areas of brand standing, identity, employee perception, market share and brand interaction with consumers) over the coming years.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    "Let's think together!" (a review of dialogue in the workplace).
    (2010-08-18) Marais, John
    This thesis explores a conceptual understanding of dialogue within a community of practice. It argues that meaningful conversations are at the core of critical, reflective, and analytical praxis, and that a critical understanding holds transformative possibilities for teaching and learning. Aspects of western and ethnic paradigms and their theoretical constructs, which may either enhance or hinder current practices, are identified, as are elements that arise from several case studies drawn from a large banking organisation operating out of South Africa. It is hoped that an evaluation of the research findings will provide a basis for an understanding of dialogue within a local context and that, further, it will provide a platform for extended dialogical exploration and research.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Electronic literacy practices in English teaching: a case study
    (2009-01-22T12:06:24Z) La Fleur, Jeanette A.
    ABSTRACT This research is a Qualitative Case Study which investigates the electronic literacy practices of one English teacher and two Grade 10 English classes in a Muslim High school outside of Johannesburg. This study seeks to find out what the forms of electronic literacy used in the classroom are and for what purposes these are used. It is also aimed at investigating how the students in the English classroom engage with these forms of electronic literacies and whether or not gender plays a role in their engagement. This study draws on work in New Literacy Studies, particularly theories of literacy as social practice, Multiliteracies and multimodality as well as current research in the field of electronic literacy. Although there have been numerous studies in the fields of electronic literacy and digital literacy in developed contexts like the United Kingdom and Australia, there is a paucity of research in South Africa in the field and particularly in the area of electronic literacy in the English classroom. The main sources of data were: classroom observations from which field notes were created and group interviews with the students as well as an interview with the English teacher. The findings of this study reveal that being electronically literate in the English classroom means having access to sophisticated forms of technology not only inside the classroom but also outside as well as having a certain degree of fluency around computer use. The forms of electronic literacy used by the English teacher and the purposes for which they were used demonstrate his pedagogy in English and the social forces that shape the production of this pedagogy. The research shows an expansion of the teacher’s role in the English classroom as he is no longer only ‘a mediator of learning’ but a mediator of technology. The status of the text has also changed as the ‘disappearance’ of print-based texts from the classroom was noted with the foregrounding of visual texts and hypertexts. It was found that the students on the whole were engaged with the technology used in the classroom and expressed a preference for its integration into their lessons as opposed to the traditional ‘reading and writing’ practices. Additionally, students’ engagement did not vary according to gender.