This study examines the overall customer satisfaction (OCS) with the service delivery of mobile network operators (MNOs) in South Africa. The study adopted a quantitative method and followed a survey research design involving 2013 cell phone users located across various South African metropolitan cities. These cell phone users were conveniently sampled by means of structured questionnaires and the data collected were analysed using Stata, the Statistical Software Package. The findings from the Minnesota Customer-Satisfaction Index (MnCSI) reveal that there is a high level of customer satisfaction regarding the services received from MNOs. Despite the high rate of OCS, an alarming proportion of dissatisfied customers was also found. Such a proportion of customer dissatisfaction needs to be investigated and appropriate improvement measures are urgently needed. The study found a significant difference in perception regarding OCS, with respect to monthly income and according to the metropolitan cities in South Africa. On the other hand, no significant difference in perception was observed on the OCS in terms of gender and occupation. The study extends the current literature on customer satisfaction globally and in South Africa and provides some managerial implications.
Understanding students' learning styles and adapting instructional strategies to the variety of student learning styles are determinants for effective learning and enhance learning performance. Using Kolb's learning style inventory (LSI) and demographic questions, this study assesses the learning styles of undergraduate logistics university students by identifying their dominant learning style and by exploring whether students' demographic factors influence their learning styles. To this end, a cross-sectional survey involving 429 undergraduate logistics university students in South Africa was conducted. The results show that accommodating learning style as the most predominant learning style among undergraduate logistics university students, followed by students with assimilating learning style. The combined proportion of these two groups of students represents more than two-thirds of the sampled population. The study's findings show that gender and learning styles were significantly related. While the majority of male logistics students displayed the diverging learning style, their female counterparts exhibited the converging learning style. On the other hand, learning styles and age group; learning styles and type of high school attended; and learning styles and nationality were found not to be related. This study has implications for practice and extends the literature on learning styles and demographic factors in the unexplored logistics discipline.
Background: The costs incurred in the provision of products and services across the supply chain are on the rise in many industries, including the mobile phone industry. Despite this, there is limited information in South Africa on the perceptions of supply chain players regarding cost reduction in the mobile phone industry. Furthermore, there is currently no framework for reducing supply chain costs in the South African mobile phone industry.Aim: The purpose of this study is to explore supply chain costs in the South African mobile phone industry, and to develop a supply chain cost-reduction framework for the South African mobile phone industry.Setting: This study explores supply chain costs in four mobile phone companies operating in the South African mobile phone industry, of which three mobile network operators and one mobile retailing group. It uses semi-structured interview data collected in 2011.Method: This study adopted a qualitative case study design to understand supply chain costs and develop a supply chain cost-reduction framework for the South African mobile phone industry. Eight semi-structured interviews with managers of mobile phone companies were conducted. The data were analysed with the help of Atlas.ti, using an adapted three-phased analytical framework as suggested by Miles and Huberman (1994) and O’ Dwyer (2004).Results: The study found that consolidation of strategic relationships through collaboration and strategic alliances between MNOs and other supply chain players is one of the ways to drive costs down across the supply chain. Outsourcing of some of the support activities and retailers’ direct purchasing transactions from device manufacturers were also found to be other avenues for reducing supply chain costs in the industry.Conclusion: The study suggests that mobile network operators (MNOs) need to consolidate their strategic relationships by increasing the share of the network infrastructure, and emphasising the need to strive for operational efficiencies. This combined effort should result in significant cost reductions across the supply chain. The findings of this study provided some avenues that managers of mobile-phone companies could consider to drive costs down supply chain-wide and service end-users at lower rates. The findings of this study could also help regulating authorities to get insights into supply chain cost reduction and develop appropriate mobile phone policies in South Africa.
Background: Many industries, including the mobile phone industry, experience a surge in supply chain (SC) costs in the provision of products and services to their customers. Despite this, only a few studies have been conducted on SC cost reduction in South Africa and globally.Objective: This study seeks to understand the perceptions of managers regarding cost reduction in the South African mobile phone SC.Method: A qualitative case study was conducted, involving eight willing managers and using semi-structured interviews, observation and documents. Interviews transcripts were analysed thematically with the help of Atlas.ti and a threefold process was followed, comprising data reduction, data display and data interpretation and conclusion drawing.Results: The findings suggest that mobile phone companies should consolidate their strategic relationships and be efficient, in order to effectively reduce costs in the South African mobile phone SC. To achieve this, whilst South African mobile network operators have to share more and more infrastructure and outsource their operations, other mobile phone companies should re-engineer their operational processes and their reduce costs across the SC.Conclusion: The knowledge generated from this study should assist South African mobile phone companies to reduce their SC costs and address high-priced mobile services. On the other hand, this study should assist regulating authorities (the Department of Communications and the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa) to gain insights into the challenges faced by the mobile phone industry in South Africa and, therefore, to make appropriate and adequate mobile telecommunication policies.
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