Department of Marketing and Consumer Management
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://197.255.125.131:4000/handle/123456789/5022
Browse
5 results
Search Results
Item The Impact Of Stakeholder Market Orientation On Sustainability Performance At Tourism Destinations(University of Ghana, 2020-10) TsetseMarket orientation has become the cornerstone of the marketing practice and management. As a result, it has attracted scholarly attention in the past years to call for the reconceptualization of market orientation and its combination with other strategic orientations and its ability to have a significant impact on sustainability performance. As a result, this study reconceptualised the market orientation (MO) into sustainability stakeholder market orientation (SStMO) by expanding its constituents and applying it To predict sustainability performance (SP). The study examines the impact of StMO on sustainability performance (SP) at tourism destinations (TDs) in Ghana. Using the stakeholder and institutional theories, the study in conjunction with extensive literature review produce a conceptual framework. A quantitative survey method of 313 respondents of tourism businesses was used for the study. The Smart PLS- structural equation modelling was employed to analyse the empirical data through measurement and structural models as well as examining the moderating role of state regulations. Further, the study finds that, environmental performance tops the level of sustainability practices at the tourism destinations, followed by economic sustainability performance and social sustainability performance. Out of twelve (12) hypotheses that were used to test the relationship between StMO and SP, nine (9) out of the twelve were supported whilst three (3) were rejected. The study also finds that, ecological regulation positively moderates the relationship whilst political regulation was negative. The theoretical and managerial implications as well as future research are also discussed in the study.Item Consumer Behavioural Responses to Online Display Advertising in Ghana – The effects of Ad Characteristics, Consumer Attitude and Internet User Mode(2019-12) Mensah, P.The unrivalled strength of the internet in terms of reach, richness of information, targeting and interactivity has made it a vital medium for advertising which has caused a remarkable growth in online/internet advertising. Over the past decade, online display advertising (ODA) has emerged as the fastest growing category of online advertising spurring several firms and businesses to invest heavily in display ads in order to connect with and keep their brands in front of consumers. While ODA holds various benefits for firms, both the literature and practice point to advertising clutter as a major challenge that has accompanied its growth. This has left advertisers struggling to stand out among the clutter to capture consumer attention and also, gain insights into what types of display advertising work best in the online environment. This thesis sets out to provide a theoretical and practical understanding of consumer behavioural responses to online display advertising by offering insights into how ODA characteristics, consumer-specific factors like attitude toward online advertising (ATOA) and user mode (internet usage motive) as well as how the nature of the advertised brand (product or service) enhance ad acceptance and minimise ad avoidance behaviours of consumers in an emerging market setting – Ghana. The study draws on the stimulus organism response (SOR) model and the reversal theory to propose a conceptual framework to empirically examine and explain the interrelationships among these variables. Adopting a positivist paradigmatic stance, the thesis employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey to collect data from 592 internet users in Ghana. Data gathered was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) as well as ANOVA and Binary Logistic Regression. The study finds that, interactivity, informativeness and personalisation were the relevant ODA characteristics that serve direct stimuli functions in eliciting approach behaviours (ad acceptance). In addition, attitude toward online advertising (ATOA) emerged as a significant mediator (facilitator) of the positive relationship and the negative relationship between these ODA characteristics and ad acceptance as well as ad avoidance respectively. Also, user mode significantly moderated the relationship between personalisation and ad acceptance as well as informativeness and ATOA, and there were differences in behavioural responses of consumers based on the nature of the advertised brand such that, ad avoidance was higher for service-featured ODAs and ad acceptance was higher for product-featured ODAs. These findings bring to the fore knowledge that, reliance on ODA characteristics although may be quite adequate in eliciting positive behavioural responses, may not be sufficient in lessening avoidance behaviours toward display ads; rather how these ODA stimuli generate positive consumer ATOA is more crucial. Findings also point to understanding consumers’ motive for internet usage and the nature of the brands firms seek to promote as vital issues for advertisers and publishers if the appropriate ad features are to be selected in designing display ads that will suit the brands as well as appeal to the various user groups in order to generate the required attitude and responses. Further practical and theoretical implications of the study are discussed in the thesis.Item Entrepreneurial Capability, Institutional Factors and SME Performance in Ghana(University Of Ghana, 2019-03) Akpabli, D.A.Success and survival in today’s dynamic institutional environments and competitive markets require Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to develop and build entrepreneurial capability (EC) to continuously explore and exploit opportunities to generate value by creating and/or expanding entrepreneurial activities. Given the significant contributions of SMEs to the growth of Ghana’s economy, successive Ghanaian governments have sought to regulate, promote, and facilitate SME growth and performance through institutional framework and policy interventions. Despite the existence of these institutional framework and policy interventions, there is rather a high persistent failure of SMEs and entrepreneurship in general across Ghana. Studies assessing the failure of SMEs have not reached a consensus regarding the perspective from which the high persistent SME failure could be comprehensively investigated and understood. Process-view perspective of investigating SME failure has not been given much needed research attention. Thus, this thesis seeks to develop a theory-driven and process-oriented model to examine and predict the impact of EC and institutional factors on SME performance in Ghana. To achieve this purpose, three research objectives were put forth as follows: to examine and validate the theoretical linkages between opportunity exploration and exploitation as the proposed dimensions of EC; to assess the direct impact of EC on SME performance in Ghana; and to determine the moderating effect of institutional factors (IFs) on the relationship between EC and SME performance in Ghana. The resource-based theory, dynamic capabilities theory and institutional theory were employed as theoretical underpinnings of the study. Drawing on these theories, a conceptual framework was developed to examine the differential roles resources and capabilities played in capturing the dynamics in the entrepreneurial process. Based on the positivistic worldview, a quantitative research strategy was designed in a single stage cross-sectional survey. Five hundred and fifty (550) questionnaires were sent out to respondents who were conveniently sampled from the sampling frame of all registered SMEs in the Greater Accra region, drawn from the Integrated Business Establishment Survey database. Out of the 512 complete responses retrieved, 488 of them were found useable. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and partial least square structured equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings validate EC as a process-oriented concept consisting of explorative and exploitative capabilities, where opportunity exploration precedes opportunity exploitation. The findings further show that EC positively and significantly impacts SME performance in Ghana. Regarding the moderating role of institutional functions on the relationship between EC and SME performance, the study found that the moderating effect is negative and significant for the regulatory functions; positive and significant for the promotional functions and positive but not significant for the facilitatory functions. In consequence, therefore, SME growth and sustainability requires continuous exploration and exploitation of opportunities, while taking into consideration the institutional constraints or enablement. The study, recommends that future studies should replicate this study in the informal sector to investigate how the sector builds EC and is affected by institutional functions.Item Social Capital and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Performance in Ghana: The Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence(University of Ghana, 2018-10) Appiah-Gyimah, R.Major problems faced by Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) all over the world is limited access to business funds, accounting records, human resource management and managing their SMEs productively. Part of the solution to address the aforementioned challenges is inherent in social capital. Social capital provides opportunities for entrepreneurs to use mutual relationships to access financial and other forms of capital without having to provide collateral securities. Despite the numerous benefits associated with mobilising social ties, studies at the firm level and its effect on small business outcomes have not increased as would have been desired. Previous researches have delved into the usage of social relationships in organizations, but less attention has been paid to its effect on SMEs. Limited extant studies on the moderating role of emotional intelligence on the relationship between social capital and firm performance necessitated this study. The main purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which Emotional Intelligence (EI) moderates the relationship between social capital and SMEs performance. More specifically, the research draws on the resource-based view, emotional intelligence and the social capital theory, to examine the social network relationships that can be harnessed to improve SMEs performance. Through extensive literature review, a conceptual framework and empirical results from 717 SMEs, the study employs a confirmatory factor analyses along with hierarchical linear regression to evaluate a proposed model for understanding the relationships among the constructs, as well as examining the moderating effects. The results revealed that social capital has a positive and significant relationship with emotional intelligence. Moreover, the study also showed that emotional intelligence has a positive and significant relationship with SME performance. Lastly, the study found that emotional intelligence enhances the relationship between social capital and SME performance. SME owner/managers are advised to enact policies that encourage the establishment of meaningful social networks and also help employees understand their emotions while creating social capital, as both would help improve the performance of their firms. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are also discussed in the thesis.Item Service Quality In Small Hotels In Ghana: A Comprehensive Framework(University of Ghana, 2014-12) Braimah, M.M.The hospitality industry is dynamic and highly competitive. It is an industry in which the guest dictates the pace and type of service, and in which because of increasing competitiveness, has resulted in satisfactory service being the minimum expectation of guests (Crick & Spencer, 2011). The role of service quality in the success of hotel businesses cannot be overemphasised. It is therefore vital for hotel managers to have a good understanding of what customers want. Identifying the specific expectations of customers, the dimensions of the service quality, and their relative importance for customers for each specific segment of the hotel industry would help hotel management surmount the challenge of improving and delivering quality service (Akbaba, 2006).