Journal of Business and Retail Management Research

This article surveys the available academic literature on using the proper metrics to measure the effectiveness of a social media marketing campaign.  The academic literature is sadly outdated and incomplete when compared to the trade literature.  There is no consensus on which metrics matter, but research points to the importance of developing social media objectives at the very beginning of the process.  This lays the foundation for choosing a platform with the target audience in mind and then analysing the metrics that measure whether those objectives were ultimately achieved.  This paper first compares the metrics offered for each of the five most commonly used social media platforms.  A conceptual framework is then proposed to determine which metrics to use in evaluating the effectiveness of a social media campaign.  This proposed four-step process must begin at the same place a social media campaign must start, by determining the campaign's marketing objectives. Only then can the proper metrics be determined.

The growth of computer-mediated communication (CMC) has influenced the communication process channels and the possible effects of the interaction between job satisfaction, communication satisfaction, and leadership. The aim of the current research is to test how transactional, transformational, and level 5 leadership styles influence the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction in CMC environments. The sample included 103 participants from Colombian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the tertiary sector. Cronbach's alpha coefficient, SPSS was used to determine the relationships between variables and test the moderating effects. Results show that 65.4% of organisational communication is performed via the Internet. Findings also demonstrate that level 5 leadership is the only style that influences the relationship. Results also indicate that the influence of level 5 leadership increases the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction.

Implications are particularly relevant during the current global COVID19 pandemic when people have been required to move to a virtual work environment. In this scenario, the findings are valuable for scholars and managers as contributions for literature, research, evaluation, decision-making, and policy creation that help to understand and improve communication satisfaction, job satisfaction, and leadership practices in CMC environments. Outcomes offer new insights in the literature about leadership styles on SMEs in CMC environments. Level 5 is a recent leadership approach which has not been widely studied by researchers and scholars. The moderating effect of level 5 in relation to transactional and transformational leadership styles is an important theoretical input for literature

Traditional banking methods evolved and included services as a method of differentiation, reducing operating costs, and providing additional benefits to the customer. Banks re-invented themselves and provide innovative solutions to remain competitive. This research explores whether using value added services contributed to changes in transactional banking behaviour and was done in one of the largest banks in South Africa over a period of four months. Two banking products in the youth customer segment were selected.  The control group received one treatment at the beginning of the four-month period, and the experimental group received a further three treatments at different times of each month. Two data sets (1) VAS usage and (2) bank transactions were analysed. The results showed that the intervention had a positive effect on transactional banking behaviour. Additional causative factors were identified that increased the usage of value-added services and increased transactional banking behaviour.

Purpose of Research: The present paper studies the effectiveness of the factors in motivating the employees working in the retail industry. It also analyses the perception of the employees about the effectiveness of the factors influencing staff motivation and the difficulties faced by them in their workplace and their opinions on being better off. This study is very crucial in present day context as competition in retailing is getting steeper. Particularly after the economic slowdown in a highly volatile economic environment, retailers must analyse the factors affecting their employee motivation.

Methodology: In this study, the researchers have tended to highlight the positivist philosophical approach. The research has been carried through the survey done on the staffs of operations and sales team of some top organised retailers in Kolkata by a standardised questionnaire, blended with open ended and close ended questions. It also delves into the effect of demographics and psychology of the staffs and their perception about the factors influences their motivation level in the workplace, by using various statistical tools like Chi-Square Test, Cronbach’s Alpha and Factor Analysis in the study.

Findings: Reward and Recognition structure and Cash Benefit structures are the most influential factors in motivating the staffs to work in retail sector, closely followed by Career growth opportunities. Again, the Incentive structure influences the staff motivation to perform better in sales.

Practical Implications and Conclusions: The components give an unadulterated and fulfilling experience to the staffs which makes them feel good about their work and also make them feel hopeful in order to make betterment in their career. These leads to positively influencing the motivation level of the staffs in the retail industry. This leads to better performance from the staffs in both quality and quantity. This also reduces employee turnover. This helps in maintaining a healthy environment work balance with a healthy relationship between the staffs and the management, in the retail sector. This in turn helps the retail sector to grow and prosper

This paper is based on the study that sought to identify the core competitive factors that differentiate foreign national small business retailers from local South African small business retailers in the way they operate their small retailing businesses. Primary research was conducted in two of Cape Town’s (South Africa) townships, Delft and Eindhoven. The population of the study comprised two groups, namely, South African and foreign national small business retailers operating grocery retailer stores. The first group consisted of 55 South African small business retailers while the second group consisted of 75 migrant small business retailers. A random sample was targeted from each group and the quantitative research methodology was used in this study using a structured questionnaire with close-ended questions.

The results showed growth of foreign national retailers and decline in the number of the local retailers in the two townships. The study showed that migrant retailers have a competitive edge over local retailers. The study also revealed that most local traders have a lower level of education compared to their migrant trader counterparts. Furthermore, the study revealed that most of local small business retailers have never had a business finance mentor in their entire trading life. The study revealed that there is a need for a targeted funding model for potential and current local small business retailers. The study proposes a three-stage business intervention model to assist South African small business retailers to become more competitive in township retailing environments

This research paper suggests the Means-End Chain theory, has relevant and potential application in domestic tourism research and, as such, should receive wider debate in emerging tourism destinations. It is argued that the theory is particularly useful for understanding personal values as the basis of tourist behavior. This paper argues a personal values approach is a more potent way to understanding domestic tourist participation in contrast to previous survey research findings. A dominate narrative in most developing nations is to target domestic tourist with amenities envisioned for global tourists as a result of failure to generate international tourist demand. The review of literature method was used in this research paper as methodological approach. The study shows the effectiveness of Means End Chain analysis in understanding travel markets and demonstrated the use of motivation chains as a basis for segmenting, positioning, and targeting domestic tourist; The study deduces that means end chain analysis has advantages over quantitative research methods in cross-cultural research given the ability of the approach to reveal unique insights.