This paper investigates the level of consumer awareness and use of Islamic banking products in South Africa. A non-probability sampling method was used whereby a questionnaire was administered to 250 respondents and statistically analysed to determine the factors that are important in the choice between Islamic or conventional banks. It was found that Muslims are aware of Islamic banks, but their rate of use is low, as Muslim customers regard efficiency, lower bank charges, the availability of automatic teller machines and an extensive branch network as important factors when it comes to choosing a bank, rather than religious motivations for compliance with Islamic conventions. It was concluded that, if Islamic banks wanted to attract and retain customers and remain relevant in the South African context, they would have to develop relevant strategies designed to meet customers' needs. Religion as the sole motivation for choosing Islamic banks is inadequate.

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Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between brand positioning and business performance, as well as the mediation effect of brand equity between them within the context of Ghana’s alcoholic beverages industry. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 196 staff across four alcoholic beverage firms in Accra, Ghana was selected using a judgemental sampling technique. A structural equation modelling approach using partial least squares was used to conduct the analyses to answer the research hypotheses. Findings All the hypotheses were confirmed in line with extant literature. Specifically, the study found a positive relationship between brand positioning and business performance. The study also found that brand equity partially mediates the relationship between brand positioning and business performance. Practical implications The study serves as a useful guide to strategy and policy formulation in branding in general and specifically on how brand positioning can be effectively deployed as a key strategy to enhance business performance. Originality/value The study has practical implications not only for the marketing and sale of alcoholic beverages in Ghana to achieve financial performance but also for lasting competitive advantage.

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Worldwide, visual content, such as photos and videos, have increased dramatically on social network sites (SNS), with South Africa being no exception. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between two personality traits -need for cognition and need for affect -and visual and verbal content preference on SNS in South Africa. A survey was conducted and data were obtained from 307 social network site users. The main findings showed that personality does have an influence on SNS users' preference for visual or verbal content. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.

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This paper examines the implementation of market orientation in the South African life insurance firms. A non probability sampling method was employed to select 102 respondents from life insurance organisations. Factor analysis method was used to analyse the data. Results of this study indicate that assessing market orientation practices using customer focus, competitor focus and inter-functional coordination variables is applicable to the South African life insurance industry. The findings suggest that the market orientation scale appears to capture well the construct of market orientation in the South African cultural context and confirms that market orientation is a worthwhile management goal to adopt. The findings are consistent with the literature. The results suggest that the use of sales people in measuring market orientation should be generalised with caution as this factor scored the lowest in the factor loading for customer focus. The Narver & Slatter (1990) scale was found to be reliable in measuring market orientation in the South African life insurance industry.