Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37942
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Item Consumer perceptions and readiness to adopt “tap & go” card payments in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Sekhoto, July MotlalepulePayment systems and models are said to be critical in a country’s economy and should a country’s payment systems be problematic then it is likely to affect the stability of the country’s economy. There are new trends in the banking industry which are developing continuously and for businesses to be aligned with these trends it is critically important for marketers, bankers, and business owners to invest and educate consumers on the effectiveness and benefits of using tap & go card payment method. This should also include flexibility in terms of which tap & go payment option to use, whether using a physical card or virtual card. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which the eight underlying constructs namely: optimism, innovativeness, convenience, discomfort, insecurity, resistance to change, lack of awareness and perceived risk, affects or impact on consumers’ perception, experiences, and readiness to adopt and use tap & go card payments. The respondents for this study we random people who own a tap & go enabled bank card within South African borders. The data collection method used was in a form of an online survey/questionnaire. The result of the study somehow indicates that, out of the eight constructs only innovativeness and resistance to change showed a bit of a significant impact on consumers’ readiness to adopt and use tap & go card payments. This proves that all other constructs like optimism, convenience, discomfort, insecurity, lack of awareness and perceived risk are somehow insignificant predictors of consumers’ readiness to adopt tap & go card payments. Given the results of this study, marketers, banks, and business owners should consider making consumers aware of different types of tap & go payment systems. Although respondents did not show any level of insecurity or discomfort on adopting and using tap & go card payments, it is still critical for future researchers to pay attention to these two constructs and add information privacy and cyber security as other constructs to determine how comfortable consumers are transacting using cashless methods like tap & go payment method. Several countries are working hard to try and move to cashless society, therefore South African banks, businesses, government, and business owners should join hands in helping South vii Africa move to cashless. Currently there is a considerable amount of money that is sitting offline, since most consumers still prefer paying for their purchases using cash. Educating consumers and offering them safe and convenient payment options, will help increase the circulation of cash in the system and this will help stabilise out economyItem Consumer perceptions of the transition from coal to renewable energy in South Africa: Consumer perception toward the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy technology for electricity generation in South Africa(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Sebothoma, Captain; Hildebrandt, Diane; Bruce, YoungThe South African government has announced investments in renewable energy technology initiatives to address the electricity supply gap created by loadshedding and inefficiencies at Eskom, the country's power utility. However, a few studies on public acceptance on renewable energy technology have been undertaken in many countries, including one conducted in Nigeria by Rosemary Nike Wojuola, which found that the public always has some opposing thoughts on the deployment of such technologies. The purpose of the study was to understand the consumer's perceptions on the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy technology for electricity generation in South Africa, and it will assist to improve policies that encourage consumers to embrace and learn about electricity generated by renewable energy sources. The “technology acceptance model’ and ‘theory of reasoned action” are used to evaluate the beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions concerning renewable energy technology in relation to sustainable behaviour. A quantitative approach (survey) was employed in this study to investigate South African electricity consumers' awareness of sustainable development (including knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes). Statistical software (IBM SPSS Statistics version 28) was used to conduct inferential and descriptive statistical analysis on the collected data, allowing the researcher to derive predictions (or "inferences") from the data. The majority of participants, according to the data, had high levels of education (at least a graduate degree), which means that the sample does not represent the South African population as a whole. Based on the study findings, participant’s generally have an average level of knowledge regarding renewable energy technology, with females scoring lower than males. The results of a regression study between attitude calculated and behavioural intention of the consumers to adopt renewable energy technology were F=15.378 and p=0.001. This means that the research model fit the data and there was a positive association between the two variables (attitude calculated and behavioural intention). Lack of information, affordability, and unknown benefits of renewable energy technologies were the main barriers to participants' willingness to install renewables in their homes. Additionally, the study revealed that consumers depend on the government to speed up the development of renewable vi energy technologies for the production of electricity; however, there is evidence that the current administration is failing to maintain the existing fossil fuel infrastructure to ensure that the public has access to reliable electricity. The findings also show that the consumer's perception or attitude toward renewable energy technology is influenced by the perceived usefulness and ease of use, as well as the participants knowledge and beliefs about the technology. Thus, there is a need for renewable energy technology education that is sufficient to foster a favourable impression of renewable energy technologies among the general public. To foster a sustainable culture driven by the adoption of renewable energy technology for electricity generation across the country, sustainability should also be covered in education programs at all educational levelsItem The impact of corporate social responsibility on brand equity in the telecommunication industry in Ghana(2021) Salifu, ShaibuRecently, there has been a rising interest for an anchor of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into the business structure of most organizations in Ghana. This is due to the benefits associated with the concept of CSR which has generated a lot of attention and interest of many stakeholders including managers and researchers. However, most of the available research works in this area were carried out on developed countries and in the case of the telecommunication industry, the scope of studies appear narrow as individual telecommunication companies were used as case studies and reported findings are inconclusive. This study investigated the relationship between CSR and brand equity in the telecommunication industry in Ghana. The study adopted quantitative research design and collected primary data from 600 respondents across the 16 regions of Ghana using structured questionnaire. Convenience sampling procedure was employed. The field data was analyzed using inferential statistics (OLS regression and correlation analysis) and descriptive statistics. The study found that both ethical and philanthropic responsibilities of CSR positively relate to brand awareness and brand loyalty at statistically significant levels. The study recommends that telecommunication firms in Ghana should make their philanthropic initiatives and projects visibly known to the general public through intensive public relation activities, media engagements to showcase their donations, sponsorships, community socio-economic projects and voluntary education gestures. The study further recommends that management of telecommunication firms should continuously integrate and incorporate philanthropy in their marketing strategies, making it permanent and integral feature of the formulation and implementation of business differentiation policies