Browsing by Author "Oodith, Pravina Devpersadh."

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Bottom of the pyramid: opportunity and feasibility analysis and strategy formulation.
(2015) Oodith, Pravina Devpersadh.; Parumasur, Sanjana Brijball.
ABSTRACT The year 2000 commemorated the inauguration of a millennium declaration in which 192 member countries of the United Nations pledged to achieve eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the first of which is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. These member countries committed themselves to formulating constructive approaches that will uplift impoverished communities, promote human development and halve poverty by 2015. The intensity of this mammoth undertaking had raised skepticism that the poverty alleviation efforts of government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), aid agencies and the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of organisations in the private sector were going to be sufficient in alleviating poverty of approximately 4 billion people who are economically at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) (Prahalad, 2005). The incredulity surrounding the existing poverty reduction tactics had created a necessity for the conceptualisation and implementation of feasible measures that will curtail the problem of poverty. Prahalad, an internationally acknowledged corporate strategist and the prolific author of the book entitled, The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits, believes that a joint collaborative effort by government, NGOs, large domestic firms, multinational corporations (MNCs) as well as the poverty stricken citizens themselves can be a solution to global poverty diminution. He affirms that this alternative, unorthodox approach to poverty alleviation will yield favourable rewards for all constituents involved. This study aims to analyse the consumer behavioural practices and spending patterns of South African BOP consumers. This study also purports to analyse the viability of Prahalad’s BOP proposition within the South African context, assess how prevailing strategies need to be altered in order for MNCs to profitably serve the needs of these consumers and to articulate creative strategies that will form the basis for a model of active engagement and competitive advantage at the bottom of the pyramid. The results of this study indicate that the BOP proposition definitely has the potential to flourish within the South African context and that this is a lucrative market that can be harnessed by MNCs in order to simultaneously generate profits and enrich the well-being and standard of living of the South African BOP citizens. The recommendations generated from the results of this study provide insight into how this goal will be achieved.
The impact of brand elements on the purchase behaviour of University of KwaZulu-Natal students in relation to fast-moving consumer goods.
(2021) Singh, Verushka.; Oodith, Pravina Devpersadh.
Branding, as well as its counterpart brand elements, plays an important role when it comes to a product or company. Branding is not a new concept and has been around for several years; however, the role of branding has become important over the years owing to changing business environments. Therefore, this study focuses on the impact of brand elements on the purchase behaviour of UKZN students in relation to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs). The study focuses on four main objectives. The first objective is to determine the impact that brand elements (brand names, URLs, logos, symbols, slogans, jingles, characters, packaging and spokespeople) have on the purchase decisions of UKZN students in relation to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs). The second objective is to understand the perceptions of UKZN students about the effectiveness of brand elements in building brand awareness, brand image and customer loyalty. The next objective focuses on uncovering the evaluative criteria that UKZN students rely upon when making purchase decisions of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs). Finally, the study focuses on formulating creative competitive advantage strategies that marketers can adopt for successful marketing of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) to university students. A sample of 210 students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus were drawn using the convenience sampling technique. The data were collected through questionnaires, which were then analysed accordingly. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study show that there is a significant positive relationship between the impact of brand elements on purchase decisions and perceptions of the effectiveness of brand elements, as well as the evaluative criteria used when making purchase decisions. There is also a significant positive relationship between perceptions of effectiveness of brand elements and evaluative criteria used when making purchase decisions. Recommendations from the results of the study provide insight into how marketers can adopt creative competitive advantage strategies for successful marketing of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) to university students.
The impact of celebrity endorsements on consumers’ perceptions of the Nike sports brand.
(2019) Pillay, Delwyn Harlon.; Oodith, Pravina Devpersadh.
Celebrity endorsements are constantly growing and increasing in popularity in marketing campaigns and especially in the marketing of sports brands. The aim of this research is to study celebrity endorsements and to determine the impact it has on consumers’ perceptions of the sports brands and the Nike brand in particular. The sample size consisted of 378 students from UKZN. They completed the questionnaire compromising of 9 sections. The sampling method that was used in this study was the simple random sampling method. A probability sampling technique was used to achieve a higher generalisation of results. Section A of the questionnaire was based on the biographical particulars of respondents. Section B to Section I of the questionnaire pertains to questions dealing with the sub-dimensions of this study. The Validity and Reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha respectively. Descriptive and Inferential statistics was employed to generate the results of the study. The literature study revealed that celebrity endorsements play an important role in the marketing of sports brands, even though the cost of using a celebrity as an endorser is high. It also highlighted the importance of choosing the correct endorser for the brand. If the endorser behaves in a negative manner, this behaviour impacts on the perceptions that consumers have of the brand. Therefore marketers need to select their endorsers correctly. Marketers need to be aware that if a celebrity endorsement does not go according to plan, they need to know how to respond appropriately in order to prevent this from harming the image and perceptions of the brand in the minds of the consumers.
The impact of customer loyalty programmes on consumer decision-making and brand loyalty: a University of KwaZulu-Natal student perspective.
(2021) Singh, Kavish.; Oodith, Pravina Devpersadh.
Due to the rapid increase in competition in the retail market, retailers offer several types of loyalty programmes and frequent-buyer programmes to increase sales of products through customer repeat purchases over a period of time. This study sought to determine the perceptions of University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) students on loyalty programmes as a means of influencing consumer decision-making, as well as increasing brand loyalty. Furthermore, this study investigated the type of loyalty programmes that were most influential in students’ purchase decisions. The sample size consisted of 375 students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus. A probability sampling technique was used to achieve a higher generalisation of results. The sampling method that was the simple random sampling method. The respondents completed a questionnaire consisting of 2 sections. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed using Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics was employed to generate the results of the study. The results of this study showed that there are significant intercorrelations among the key dimensions (consumer decision-making, increasing customer loyalty, perceived value and brand loyalty and types of loyalty programmes) of the study relating to UKZN students respectively. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of UKZN students, varying in biographical profiles (gender, age, race, educational level and college) regarding each dimension of the study (consumer decision-making, increasing customer loyalty, perceived value and brand loyalty and types of loyalty programmes). The results further indicated that UKZN students are influenced by customer loyalty programmes in terms of consumer decision-making. The recommendations generated from the results of this study provide insight into how this goal could be achieved. Furthermore, recommendations for future research suggest that this research should be done in other universities across the country and globally to compare the differences.
The impact of mobile marketing on consumer decision-making, brand equity and customer relationships: a UKZN student perspective.
(2020) Masiya, Rutendo.; Oodith, Pravina Devpersadh.
The rise of new technology continues to present marketers with new ways of marketing their brands to consumers and mobile marketing has become part of these new advertising mediums. A number of issues continue to rise with regard to the effectiveness of mobile marketing as a means of enhancing communication and customer relationships and its effectiveness as a promotional tool. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of UKZN students towards the use of mobile marketing, the impact of mobile marketing on their purchase decisions and also the perceptions of UKZN students in terms of the efficiency of mobile marketing in building brand awareness, brand image and customer loyalty. The other aim of the study was to uncover the perceptions of students regarding the use of mobile marketing and developing a certain understanding of the effectiveness of mobile marketing when targeting young consumers such as students. A sample of 359 students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus was drawn for data collection using the simple random sampling technique. The data was analysed in order to test the hypotheses of the study and the researcher utilised both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of this study show that there exist significant intercorrelations among the key dimensions (types of mobile marketing, convenience, credibility, informativeness, entertainment, attraction and retention, consumer-decision making, brand equity and customer relationships) of the study relating to UKZN students. It was also revealed that there is no significant difference in the perceptions of UKZN students, varying in biographical profiles (gender, age, race, educational level and college) regarding each dimension of the study (types of mobile marketing, convenience, credibility, informativeness, entertainment, attraction and retention, privacy, consumer-decision making, brand equity and customer relationships). The results also show that students believe that mobile marketing has an impact on their purchase decisions. The recommendations generated from the results of this study provide insight into how marketers can use mobile marketing to successfully target university students.
Importance of cause-related marketing on consumer behaviour and brand consciousness: a University of KwaZulu-Natal student perspective.
(2022) Padayachee, Chandini.; Oodith, Pravina Devpersadh.
The study focuses on the impact of cause-related marketing (CRM) on consumer behaviour and brand consciousness from a UKZN student perspective. The study aims to uncover the effect of CRM on consumer attitudes towards brands, as well as whether or not CRM influences purchase decisions. Additionally, the study aims to determine whether or not CRM enhances the image of brands, creates brand awareness and encourages brand trial. Furthermore, the study aims to uncover whether or not consumers would consider switching to a brand that is affiliated to a CRM initiative, given price and quality were inconsequential to their purchase decisions. The study also aims to uncover the effectiveness of CRM in building and maintaining brand loyalty, as well as the influence of brand communication on social media on purchase decisions. Lastly, the study will determine what influence word-of-mouth (WOM) and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) have on UKZN students’ purchase decisions of brands that support certain causes. A sample of 261 students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville Campus were drawn using the convenience sampling technique. The data was collected through questionnaires, which were analysed accordingly using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study show that there is a significant positive relationship between CRM on students’ attitudes towards brands, the influence on their purchase decisions, their perceptions of brand image, their awareness of brands and brand trial and their brand switching behaviour. The results of the study show that CRM is effective in building brand loyalty and that social media brand communication, as well as WOM and eWOM about CRM initiatives have an influence on UKZN students’ purchase decisions of brands that support causes. Recommendations from the results of the study provide insights into how marketers can adopt creative strategies that may provide companies with a competitive advantage for successfully implementing cause-related marketing initiatives.