Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37942

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Loyalty

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Influence of Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction on Customer Loyalty in The South African Retail Petroleum Industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Khaliphayo, Musawenkosi; Chalomba, Nakuze
    The South African petroleum products industry is a significant contributor to the South African economy. Like every other industry, its business environment is dynamic and prone to rapidly changing circumstances, thus companies must reinvent their operations to successfully deliver superior customer value. In today's competitive environment, businesses compete strategically based on marketing strategies to influence consumers to gain a competitive advantage. Retail petrol stations do not compete based on price or product qualities because these factors are regulated by the government. The uniformity of product and price means that there are other factors, or not, that consumers use to base their choice of petrol or diesel filling station. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of service quality and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty in the South African retail petroleum industry, using empirical studies based on primary survey data and verifiable hypotheses. This study undertook a quantitative approach in which a questionnaire was distributed to explore the influence of service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction, the influence of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty, and lastly, the influence of perceived service quality directly on customer loyalty. The findings of the study supported all three proposed hypotheses. The findings of this study contribute to knowledge by providing an empirical exploration of the determinants of consumer preference regarding petrol station service outlet selection. This study also adds to existing literature on how service quality dimensions can be used as a lever to maintain customers and inadvertently grow company profits in the South African retail petroleum industry context. The findings of this study provide marketing practitioners with an understanding of strategies that can be employed to influence consumers buying behaviour through the design of an industry specific SERVQUAL model. This study outlines the strategies, methods and suggests further research that can explored by future researchers. This study also adds value by showing how structural equation modelling can be used as a statistical tool to model consumer behaviour in different industries
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Chatbot says “Sorry, I don’t understand”: Recovery strategies for chatbot service failure
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Greaves, Claudette
    AI Chatbots, especially those that are in early stages of development, can often be prone to ‘failure’ such as the inability to understand a customer question or to retrieve appropriate answers. This paper integrates the theories of expectation- confirmation, equity, and justice to construct an understanding behind customer’s preferences for organisational recovery strategies when nascent chatbots fail in South African financial services. The study proposes that when a failure occurs with a chatbot, customer expectations, perceived inequity, and justice influence recovery of customer outcomes to pre-failure levels or even better. The research takes an experimental approach to examine the impact of different organisational recovery strategies on satisfaction, loyalty, and intent to re-use the chatbot in a banking case study
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A meal preparation and delivery service business in Maseru
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Raphuthing, Lomile
    The purpose of this study was to assess consumer preference for an online meal ordering and payment service in the food industry in Maseru, Lesotho. This service would offer office bound workers delivery of a variety of light meal alternatives, even catering for specific dietary preferences such as Banting and vegetarian. Lesotho is a small landlocked country in Southern Africa, wholly encircled by South Africa, and one of 46 countries that falls into the United Nations category of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) (UN, 2019). With South Africa being a more developed country and with better facilities and services all round, Basotho people continuously import South African goods, services, and culture, including ways of eating (Rantšo, 2017). In many areas of urban South Africa, consumers take it for granted that they can access a variety of prepared meals and have them to their door. This experience companies likes Mr. Delivery and Uber eats have made ordinary. Conversely, very few delivery services currently exist in Lesotho. The research explored the preference of Maseru’s working-class towards a new meal preparation start-up offering a menu with freshly prepared healthy eating alternatives paired with the convenience of delivery to the office in time for their lunch break. The research question was answered by collecting data from 60 potential customers, being office bound workers, from both the private and public sectors in Maseru within the 24 to 50 year age range. Data was collected using an electronic survey and analysed using Microsoft Excel and a statistical programme called Jasp.014. Frequencies and related graphs were created in Microsoft Excel, while Jasp.014 was used for Chi-Square calculations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Impact of Big Data in Customer Retention in Telecommunications within South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Pereira, Clint; Chalomba, Nakuze
    The research methodology used a survey-based approach with a sample size of 123 individuals who are familiar with Big Data approaches. The survey employed a 7-point Likert scale to measure the impact of service quality, customer knowledge, advanced analytical techniques, and customer relationships on customer satisfaction and retention. Additionally, secondary research was conducted using data statistics to support the survey findings. The study found that personalized options and advanced analytics through Big Data approaches significantly impact customer retention and satisfaction. Service quality elements, such as dependability, tangibility, and assurance, positively correlated with customer satisfaction. However, improved customer service and relationships were not significantly correlated with customer retention. The research identified challenges in data management, security, and leadership skills, recommending organizations to address these issues through proper consent management, data security measures, and providing relevant training for executives. In summary, the study emphasizes the positive influence of Big Data techniques on customer retention and satisfaction in the South African telecommunication industry, providing valuable insights and implications for decision-makers