Journal of Business and Retail Management Research

Lack of appropriate leadership and entrepreneurial skills has hindered most SMMEs to achieve sustainable growth. Current leadership approaches in SMMEs are modelled on Western multinationals that are mainly productivity oriented, with very different organizational challenges and contexts. There is a need for a framework that provides a lens through which leadership approaches in SMMEs can be identified and understood from other perspectives.

Purpose of the Research: The aim of the study was to formulate a leadership framework informed by the Ubuntu and Samurai leadership approaches that can be used to foster growth in SMMEs.

Methodology: The study was exploratory or descriptive in nature and quantitative techniques were used for data collection from a sample size of 377. Data was gathered from owners and executive managers of SMMEs in the Gauteng province and analyzed through quantitative statistical techniques.

Results: The results reviewed show that the values emerged from both leadership contexts include respect, humility, courage integrity and humility. The findings also indicated that the participants possess a favorable disposition towards employee relationships and demonstrate leadership attributes that foster employee engagement and contentment. Thus, the findings indicate preference for Samurai and Ubuntu leadership approaches.

Practical Implication of the Study: The study contributed to the body of literature on leadership approaches by proposing a framework that can be adopted by SMMEs in the real world of work.

Conclusion: SMMEs also experience failure among other challenges towards their growth as well as sustainability due to several challenges including skills shortage. The identified values are essential for the success of SMMES.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction within the context of betting shops in the United Kingdom. It does this by outlining the stringent regulations that govern these businesses. This study contributes to understanding the affinities of correlation between these variables. The study draws on gambling theory to present a conceptual framework on the cause-and-effect link between service quality, customer satisfaction, and its outcomes in betting shops.

Methodology: A positivist research philosophy and a deductive approach are employed to conduct the survey. The quantitative research method is used, and the sample size is seventy customers drawn from the Gambling sector in the UK.

Findings: Findings show that, regardless of whether they intend to gamble or engage in other activities, win, or lose money, customers may still experience betting as having healing properties. Professional sports now rely heavily on sponsorship income from the betting sector, and the number of agreements for commercial partnerships has been growing in recent years. Many national and international sports organisations still don't get that close coordination between all parties, including bookmakers, is essential.

Practical Implications: Furthermore, the context of this study is emphasized as being quite significant. Because customer satisfaction and service quality are critical factors in expanding the betting industry's market position, these two factors added credibility to the study. The study explores that certain socially unacceptable services might benefit people's well-being and connects gaming studies to the transformative research paradigm in substantial market demands. This study explores scenarios involving customers and service providers and makes the case that various "sinful services" could provide customers life-changing advantages.

Originality: As it demonstrates that betting shops may be "healthy places" for specific customers, the study is among the first to examine the positive elements of gambling and the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze how Brazilian fast-moving consumer goods startups born in digital environments - also known as DNVBs (digitally native vertical brands) - are adopting effective customer experience (CE) practices in order to maximize their purchase recurrence rates and growth.  In fast-moving categories such as food, beverages, cleaning or hygiene products, repeat purchases generally occur in shorter cycles and, for this reason, this research chose to target these sectors, thus observing the potential application and effects of CE in this context.

Method: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with seven executives from Brazilian companies operating under the DNVB business model within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. The research instrument was based on a review of CE literature and questions regarding recurring purchases in this product category. The interviews were subsequently transcribed, analyzed and constitute the results of this study as proposed by Cheron et al. (2022). This report adheres to the COREQ checklist ensuring transparency and rigor in the presentation of qualitative research findings (Tong et al., 2007).

Results: All seven fast-moving DNVBs investigated employ at least some CE practices. Post-purchase satisfaction surveys and the proximity between leaders and their customer service teams proved to be the central pillars for most of these companies. In this group of companies, the trend towards business growth was observed, as was the use of purchase recurrence metrics, yet subscription programmes remain technically complex and often misaligned with the business model; accordingly, only two companies have implemented them successfully, underscoring a need for further technical support and innovation. The relationship between company growth and the application of CE techniques has not yet been shown to be sufficiently relevant: managers have initially prioritized evaluations of the quality of products and aspects of services, such as delivery times.

Contributions: The research identified a still small number of CE management practices being applied by these startups in the day-to-day running of their businesses. It also revealed frustration on the part of these leaders in exploring emerging technologies that are effective in improving their metrics, demonstrating opportunities for researchers and startups in retail technology that can address this type of management need. The research also sheds light on the agenda of companies born in the digital age, operating their own channels, and the challenges that entrepreneurs or executives in the fast-moving consumer goods industry may encounter when undertaking business in this segment. 

Total Quality Management (TQM) has arisen as a reliable quality and performance method that can meet or even surpass the expectations of stakeholders. This technique is anticipated to improve organizational performance and has received considerable attention in recent times. This study investigates the impact of total quality management practices on the telecommunications industry's business performance. Questionnaires were used in the study as survey instruments to collect information about the impact of TQM methods on business performance. The researchers used a multiple regression model to ascertain this. The Descriptive statistical analysis tool is used to find the Correlation matrix, Coefficients, t-statistics, R square and p-values, and, Robustness and Diagnostic Test to examine the impacts of Total Quality Management on business performance.

To assess the situation, eight hundred (800) responses were received from, employees and top management of MTN Ghana Ltd. The study established that principles applied to total quality management have a significant bearing on business performance. It is, therefore, recommended that employees in the telecommunication industry need to be well enlightened on the practices of total quality management to increase performance. The study revealed that top management commitment, employee satisfaction, quality information and reporting, managerial design, and reward and recognition have a positive influence on business performance on Ghanaian telecom companies.