A Pilot Study of Brand Loyalty in Generation Y of Technical and Vocational Education Training Colleges

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 253-260
Author(s):  
Itani Listen Ramuthivheli ◽  
Dr Kirsty-Lee Sharp ◽  
Prof. Bongazana Dondolo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
South African ◽  
Generation Y ◽  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Communication Service ◽  
Brand Communication ◽  
Brand Satisfaction

Objective - In an increasingly changing and dynamic South African higher education landscape, institutions must communicate their brand to stakeholders to perceive the institution as offering quality services,to have a loyal stakeholder. However, thereseemsto be little attention devoted to the influence of brand communication, brand satisfaction and service quality on brand loyalty in higher education, particularly in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector. Considering this view, and noting that prior research on brand loyalty in the service sector has shown a connection between brand communication, service quality, brand satisfaction and brand loyalty, it is unknown if a similar correlation is found in the South African TVET sector. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate Generation Y students' views of brand communication, brand satisfaction and service quality in the TVET sector throughout the Gauteng Province of South Africa.As a result, this paper summarises the findings of a pilot study to establish the validity and reliability of a questionnaire used to examine Generation Y students' perceptions of brand communication, brand satisfaction and service quality related to brand loyalty in Gauteng TVET colleges. Methodology/Technique - The variables for the paper were derived from previously established questionnaires. A section of the questionnaire asked students about their views of a TVET's brand communication. Additionally, there were questions concerning the quality of service, brand selection and brand loyalty. Finally, all scale items were modified to be more contextually relevant.The questionnaire used a six-point Likert scale, with 1 indicating strong disagreement and 6 indicating strong agreement. The questionnaire was piloted with a convenience sample of 50 students not included in the primary study's sampling frame. Finding - The overall number of respondents (46) was insufficient to undertake extensive statistical testing. As a result, only frequency and correlation coefficients were computed. Correlation analysis revealed a substantial association between brand loyalty and the variables that influence it. All had a strong association between brand loyalty and brand communication, service quality and brand loyalty and satisfaction. Additionally, there were substantial correlationsbetween service quality and brand satisfaction and between service quality and brand communication. Correlation coefficients between constructs ranged from 0.294 to 0.781. This demonstrates that these constructs do not correspond to the same concept. As a result, all construct items were kept for use in the main study. Novelty - The results from the pilot study provides preliminary support for the hypothesised relationship between brand loyalty and its predictors. Marketers and service organisations need to recognise that the future patronage of a service organisation depends on loyalty. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Brand Communication; Service Quality; Brand Satisfaction; Brand Loyalty; Technical and Vocational Training JEL Classification: M31, I23, I29

Predictors Of Brand Loyalty With Technical And Vocational Education Training Colleges İn Gauteng: Results Of A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-49
Author(s):  
Itanı Lısten Ramuthıvhel ◽  
Dr Kirsty-Lee Sharp ◽  
Prof. Bongazana Dondolo
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Generation Y ◽  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Communication Service ◽  
Brand Communication ◽  
Technical And Vocational Education ◽  
Brand Satisfaction

According to Akoojee and McGrath (2008:132), TVET colleges are required to build institutions that are attuned better to satisfy the needs of the stakeholders through their brand. Very few TVET colleges have attracted stakeholders without proper brand communication and service quality (Beneke & Human 2010: 437). In most TVET colleges, very little is done to communicate the brand to stakeholders, which may be a direct result of the lack of proper brand communication and service quality (Azoury, Daou & El Khoury 2013:5). In an increasingly changing and dynamic South African higher education landscape, it is imperative for institutions to communicate their brands to stakeholders in such a way that these stakeholders perceive the institution as offering quality service in order to have a satisfied stakeholder who is loyal to the institution. However, there appears to be little attention paid to effects of brand communication, service quality and brand satisfaction on brand loyalty in the tertiary education sector, especially in the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) sector. This study was conducted in Nigeria. In light of this view, and given previous research on brand loyalty in service industries identifying a relationship between brand communication, service quality, brand satisfaction and brand loyalty, it is unclear whether such relationships exist in the South African TVET sector. Therefore, there is a need to examine Generation Y students' perceptions of brand communication, service quality and brand satisfaction on brand loyalty in TVET colleges in Gauteng. Consequently, this research study reports on the findings from a pilot study conducted to determine the legitimacy and reliability of the measuring instrument being employed to examine Generation Y students' perceptions of brand communication, service quality and brand satisfaction on brand loyalty in TVET colleges in Gauteng. Keywords: Brand Loyalty, Brand Communication, Service Quality, Brand Satisfaction

scholarly journals PENGARUH BRAND COMMUNICATION, SERVICE QUALITY DAN BRAND PERSONALITY ANGGOTA DEWAN TERPILIH MELALUI BRAND TRUST TERHADAP BRAND LOYALTY PEMILIH (Studi Partai Politik Gerindra)

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Wuri Arenggoasih
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Choice Theory ◽  
Brand Personality ◽  
Marketing Communications ◽  
The Political ◽  
Brand Trust ◽  
Communication Service ◽  
Brand Communication ◽  
Member Of Parliament

AbstractTalking about marketing communications today is not only to products but has penetrated into the political field. Indonesia as a democratic state which is to become the member of parliament needs to have as many voters and a strong loyalty to the sustainability of the council itself and the political parties. Brand Communication, Service Quality and Brand Personality emerged as a voter votes for member of parliament which gives the possibility of influence in building Brand Loyalty (loyalty) through Brand Trust (trust).The theory used is the Strategy Choice Theory suggests one of the forms Compliance Gaining which argued about strategies of verbal / non verbal and emphasized specific results loyalty.         This research has shown that Brand Communication, Service Quality and Brand Personality as a real form of strategies verbal / nonverbal become voter votes for member of parliament which influence the Brand Loyalty through Brand Trust as a mediating variable.Keyword : marketing communications, Brand Communication, Service Quality, Brand Personality, Brand Loyalty, Brand Trust

Students' Attitudes towards the Use of a Virtual Learning Environment with the Presence of Advertisements: Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-173
Author(s):  
MB Mutheiwana ◽  
KL Sharp ◽  
M Motale
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
South African ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Measuring Instrument ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Students Attitudes

Objective - As Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) begin to investigate how they can increase revenue and decrease costs, the Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) already implemented in most HEIs may be the solution. The opportunity for including advertisements on a VLE allows HEIs to minimise the significant financial implications associated with the development and use of a VLE, without reducing the value of the service provided. While incorporating advertisements onto VLEs makes sense financially, there is limited knowledge on how students will respond to the presence of advertisements on VLEs. Consequently, this research study reports on the findings from a pilot study conducted to determine the legitimacy and reliability of a measuring instrument being employed to investigate students' attitudes towards the use of a VLE with the presence of advertisements at a South African university of technology. Methodology/Technique - A measuring instrument, including constructs of self-efficacy, technology experience, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, satisfaction, pre advert presence and post advert presence on a selected VLE was employed in this research study. A six-point Likert scale, ranging from 1= strongly disagree to 6= strongly agree was used to avoid the utilisation of a seventh scale item of neither agree nor disagree. After the initial pre-testing of the questionnaire, carried out to verify face and content validity, was completed, a non-probability, convenience, judgement sample of 50 students from a South African public higher education institution situated in the Gauteng province was taken. The gathered pilot data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), Version 25.0. Findings - The findings indicate that the measuring instrument was deemed legitimate and reliable with regards to investigating students' attitudes towards the use of a VLE with the presence of advertisements. Novelty - Only one previous study has been conducted with regards to evaluating students' attitudes towards advertising on HEI VLEs, which was conducted in the UK. In addition, other studies closely related are concerned with students' attitudes towards e-learning and do not evaluate students' attitudes towards the use of a VLE with the presence of advertisements. Attitudes contribute to understanding the perceptions of students towards a VLE. Consequently, if HEIs are to incorporate advertisements on the VLEs used within HEIs, then evaluating the attitudes of the students enrolled at these HEIs, towards the use of a VLE with the presence of advertisements, is paramount. Type of Paper - Empirical. Keywords: E-learning, attitudes, virtual learning environments, advertisements, students, higher education institutions, South Africa. JEL Classification: I22, I23, M30, M31, M37 URI: http://gatrenterprise.com/GATRJournals/GJBSSR/vol9.2_6.html DOI: https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2021.9.2(6) Pages 165 – 173

scholarly journals An investigation of students’ experience of service quality delivered by administrative staff at one site of a South African comprehensive university

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Mxolisi Walter Ntoyakhe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
South African ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
Comprehensive University ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Perceptions And Expectations ◽  
The University

Over the last decade the institutional framework within which most universities in South Africa operate has undergone major transformation forcing the higher education sector to become more competitive in its approach to attracting and retaining quality students. Against this background, service quality has been put forward as a critical determinant of competitiveness. Higher Education Institutions are increasingly placing greater emphasis on meeting students’ expectations and needs. As institutions of higher learning become more student orientated, student perceptions of higher educational facilities and services are becoming more essential. It is clear that there is a need to measure students’ experience of service quality in order to develop innovative academic structures, facilities and services to retain and attract new students. Therefore, this study used a mixed research approach and a nonprobability sampling technique to identify the sample size. The purpose of this study was to investigate the students’ experience of service quality delivered by administrative staff at one site of a South African Comprehensive University. Underpinned by the Gap Model of service delivery and an adapted SERVQUAL instrument, this study sought to determine perceptions and expectations of service quality across five dimensions, namely: tangibles; reliability; responsiveness; assurance; and empathy. Questionnaires were used as data collection instrument to collect data from two hundred and sixty (260) registered students; twelve (12) academic departments, residence and library administrative staff members. Questionnaires were used to gather data from administrative staff of academic department, library and residence; and registered students in one comprehensive university in South Africa. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 was used to analyse the data. Statistical tools that include frequencies, mean scores and tabulations were utilized to present the data from findings. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was also utilized to further analyse the significance of the gaps. Various gaps between students’ perceptions and expectations indicating dissatisfaction with administrative services particularly among the students were identified. The findings from the study indicated that, a negative service quality gap exists at selected site of Comprehensive University in SA. The findings further suggested that issues such as service quality planning and monitoring, establishing recovery mechanisms for service failures, and student- driven service design and standards need to be high on the agenda at higher education institutions to ensure service quality. All five dimensions of SERVQUAL indicated a negative score or quality gap suggesting that the administrators of selected departments need to urgently close the gaps that exist at their institution; key recommendations were thus made to improve the gaps identified. Frequent interaction between the administrators and the students is recommended for the university as it provides important information on student expectations and perceptions. Continuous employee training to improve the existing skills is also recommended for comprehensive university employees as it can have a good impact on meeting the students’ expectations of the service quality dimensions. The study therefore, concluded that the university needed urgent intervention in terms of developing proper academic support structures, facilities and quality services that would satisfy the needs of students.

scholarly journals Measuring Service Quality In Higher Education: A South African Case Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Green
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
South African ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Quality In Higher Education

The goal of this paper is to report on the SERVQUAL gap which causes unsuccessful service delivery at a University of Technology in South Africa. Using a quantitative research design, the study adopts a SERVQUAL model adapted to a tertiary environment containing five dimensions of service quality (tangibles, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, and reliability). A convenience sampling technique was applied, the data were collected from 280 respondents at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), and the results and discussion are presented. The findings reveal that, on average, customers had high expectations in tangibles, reliability, and assurance dimensions and their highest perceptions were found in the assurance dimension. This study will benefit management of higher education institutions in identifying cost-effective ways of reducing service quality gaps.

scholarly journals Service quality – Cases of private higher education institutions explored

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riaan Dirkse van Schalkwyk ◽  
Rigard J. Steenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
South African ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
Niche Markets ◽  
Private Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Educational Need ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Primary Service

The South African higher education landscape has changed significantly. PHEIs (private higher education institutions) play a more important role although they are not yet fully acknowledged as higher education “universities”. This may be a strategic incentive for service quality excellence. It seems if the market responds well to PHEIs, because they complement the higher educational need and cater for unique niche markets. The article reports on the level and importance of service quality in three cases of South African PHEIs with the focus on primary service quality dimensions. The purpose of the study was to explore the strategic importance of service quality at PHEIs per se, its general service quality status and their endeavours to manage (measure and improve) service quality. The investigation followed a mixed method approach and applied interviews, observation and questionnaire surveys (using the SERVQUAL instrument). Case research has consistently been of the most powerful research methods in operations and quality management, particularly in contributing to the paucity of literature and the development of new theory and/or new hypotheses. Besides the paucity of literature, the results indicate that service quality at the PHEIs is a high strategic priority and may be a higher priority than service quality at public universities (a hypothesis for further investigation).

Student perception on a supplementary multimodal tool for Academic Literacy: A pilot study

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-93
Author(s):  
Susan Marais ◽  
Mariska Nel ◽  
Jaco Fourie
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
South African ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Student Perception ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Teaching Tool ◽  
E Learning

In light of the various advantages the e-learning experience could have for students, a blended teaching approach, where instructors make use of e-learning, has become increasingly prominent in higher education institutions. This study, which was conducted at a South African institute of higher education with a diverse and multilingual student population, focusses on student perceptions of theefficacy and accessibility of a multimodal tool called WIReD to supplement the existing academic literacy module. The review of student perceptions was structured around the outcomes for the module unit with which WIReD is intended to blend. In order to determine student perception, a questionnaire using a Likert-scale to measure responses along with open-ended questions, were used. As such, this study firstly examined students’ impressions of the design (overall appearance) and accessibility of WIReD. Secondly, it  investigated the appropriateness of content, especially with regard to the envisaged blend between WIReD and the module contentas taught during lectures and in the workbook. Despite being a pilot study with results based exclusively on student perception, it seems that WIReD can be utilized as a supplementary multimodal tool and that the outcomes thereof blends effectively with the outcomes of the academic literacy module. Keywords: academic literacy; blended learning; e-learning; multimodal teaching tool; student perception; WIReD

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