Analysis processes as antecedents for decision-making related to growth strategies of South African Game Ranchers
- Authors: Van Eyk, Marlé
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Tourism -- Marketing , Game farms -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DTech
- Identifier: vital:9356 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1546 , Tourism -- Marketing , Game farms -- South Africa
- Description: Game ranching offers an economic alternative to conventional stock farming and is a means of supplementing income derived from agricultural activities. Competition is intensifying as ranchers continuously look for ways to improve and expand their businesses and gain a competitive advantage. Ranchers consequently have to find strategies that can ensure growth. Since a reciprocal relationship and dependency exists between a game ranch and the environment in which it operates, it is essential that ranchers take cognizance of aspects in the marketing environment that can either limit, and hence encumber the choice of growth strategy, or stimulate the growth potential of game ranches. As the objective of marketing is to offer customers superior value, it is pertinent for ranchers to know and understand the needs, requirements and motivations of visitors. Failure to do so will cause visitors to patronise other game ranches, or alternative tourism offerings that meet their expectations. A literature review was conducted to define strategy and assist in identifying growth strategies available to a game ranch. The literature review assisted in categorising elements in the external, internal and customer analysis phases of strategic marketing management. Surveys were conducted by means of self-completion questionnaires which were distributed throughout South Africa. Two sets of questionnaires were distributed - one to respondents with prior experience of a game ranch, and one to respondents with no-prior experience. A qualifying question directed the fieldworker to decide which questionnaire should be completed by the respondent. The surveys were constructed in such a way as to determine to what extent various factors would persuade respondents to visit a ranch or extend their stay. Based on a factor analysis, an eight factor structure emerged which represented the personal values of respondents and their levels of expectation for each of the factors. The eight factors were stimulation, universalism, tradition, security, hedonism, power, socialisation, and self-direction. The study revealed the following. - The majority of respondents with no-prior experience of a game ranch is either unaware of the offerings of game ranches, or perceives them as too expensive. - The sustainable use of natural resources is not only essential for the existence of a game ranch, but is also an important motivator for respondents to either visit a game ranch or extend their stay at a ranch. - Staff play a critical role in the overall experience of visitors and act as an important motivator to either visit/revisit a game ranch or extend their stay at the ranch. - Clean and comfortable overnight facilities are deemed important by all respondents. - Respondents have a strong desire to relax and spend time with family and friends. A decision-making framework from which game ranches can select applicable growth strategies resulted from the study. The decision-making framework comprises a three-phase process; phase 1 is the identification of a game ranch's target market; phase 2 is the use of a simplistic framework to determine a possible growth strategy for a game ranch; phase 3 is the identification of ways to implement the selected strategy. As the game ranch industry makes significant contributions to the economic, social and ecological welfare of South Africa, this study added to the body of knowledge of game ranching in South Africa, particularly with regard to the growth options available to game ranches. Recommendations for consideration of future research included the following. - As the current study investigated hunting and tourism, future research on growth strategies for game ranches could also include other aspects of game ranching such as the sale of live game and game products. - More focused empirical research into external and internal strategic analysis should be considered to supplement the empirical research into customer analysis resulting from the current study. - Finally, additional information obtained on the external and internal strategic analysis process could lead to expanding the decision-making framework developed in this study into a more holistic tool to be used in selecting a growth strategy, or combination of strategies for a game ranch3.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Van Eyk, Marlé
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Tourism -- Marketing , Game farms -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DTech
- Identifier: vital:9356 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1546 , Tourism -- Marketing , Game farms -- South Africa
- Description: Game ranching offers an economic alternative to conventional stock farming and is a means of supplementing income derived from agricultural activities. Competition is intensifying as ranchers continuously look for ways to improve and expand their businesses and gain a competitive advantage. Ranchers consequently have to find strategies that can ensure growth. Since a reciprocal relationship and dependency exists between a game ranch and the environment in which it operates, it is essential that ranchers take cognizance of aspects in the marketing environment that can either limit, and hence encumber the choice of growth strategy, or stimulate the growth potential of game ranches. As the objective of marketing is to offer customers superior value, it is pertinent for ranchers to know and understand the needs, requirements and motivations of visitors. Failure to do so will cause visitors to patronise other game ranches, or alternative tourism offerings that meet their expectations. A literature review was conducted to define strategy and assist in identifying growth strategies available to a game ranch. The literature review assisted in categorising elements in the external, internal and customer analysis phases of strategic marketing management. Surveys were conducted by means of self-completion questionnaires which were distributed throughout South Africa. Two sets of questionnaires were distributed - one to respondents with prior experience of a game ranch, and one to respondents with no-prior experience. A qualifying question directed the fieldworker to decide which questionnaire should be completed by the respondent. The surveys were constructed in such a way as to determine to what extent various factors would persuade respondents to visit a ranch or extend their stay. Based on a factor analysis, an eight factor structure emerged which represented the personal values of respondents and their levels of expectation for each of the factors. The eight factors were stimulation, universalism, tradition, security, hedonism, power, socialisation, and self-direction. The study revealed the following. - The majority of respondents with no-prior experience of a game ranch is either unaware of the offerings of game ranches, or perceives them as too expensive. - The sustainable use of natural resources is not only essential for the existence of a game ranch, but is also an important motivator for respondents to either visit a game ranch or extend their stay at a ranch. - Staff play a critical role in the overall experience of visitors and act as an important motivator to either visit/revisit a game ranch or extend their stay at the ranch. - Clean and comfortable overnight facilities are deemed important by all respondents. - Respondents have a strong desire to relax and spend time with family and friends. A decision-making framework from which game ranches can select applicable growth strategies resulted from the study. The decision-making framework comprises a three-phase process; phase 1 is the identification of a game ranch's target market; phase 2 is the use of a simplistic framework to determine a possible growth strategy for a game ranch; phase 3 is the identification of ways to implement the selected strategy. As the game ranch industry makes significant contributions to the economic, social and ecological welfare of South Africa, this study added to the body of knowledge of game ranching in South Africa, particularly with regard to the growth options available to game ranches. Recommendations for consideration of future research included the following. - As the current study investigated hunting and tourism, future research on growth strategies for game ranches could also include other aspects of game ranching such as the sale of live game and game products. - More focused empirical research into external and internal strategic analysis should be considered to supplement the empirical research into customer analysis resulting from the current study. - Finally, additional information obtained on the external and internal strategic analysis process could lead to expanding the decision-making framework developed in this study into a more holistic tool to be used in selecting a growth strategy, or combination of strategies for a game ranch3.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
An examination of internet usage patterns by mature travellers
- Authors: Correia, Sérgio Barradas
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Tourism -- Marketing , Internet marketing , Internet users , Older people -- Travel , Older consumers -- Travel
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1194 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008182 , Tourism -- Marketing , Internet marketing , Internet users , Older people -- Travel , Older consumers -- Travel
- Description: The tourism industry has been identified as the industry with the most potential to create jobs and contribute largely to economic growth. In order to live up to this potential, tourism businesses need to create tourism products for potential tourists which need to be promoted successfully through a number of mediums. The use of the Internet as a medium for promoting and selling tourism products is increasing, however, in order for tourism businesses to successfully promote the tourism product through the Internet, they have to understand the needs and wants of their current and potential target markets. One segment of the tourism market that has come under increasing attention is the mature traveller market. This market is defined as travellers who are 50 years of age and older. Generally, the mature traveller market is viewed as a small homogenous group of old consumers with little or no spending power. However, evidence suggests that this market is comprised of an increasing number of diverse people, who use the Internet and like to spend on tourism products. Therefore, this research will examine differences between Internet users and Internet non-users in the mature traveller market. Specific attention will be paid to investigate differences in demographic, socioeconomic, Internet use and travel-related characteristics. The identification of these characteristics will enable a profile to be d~veloped for each group, which can be used by tourism businesses to effectively promote tourism products over the Internet to the mature market In order to collect data from potential respondents, a questionnaire which was used in a similar study conducted in the US was used. Data was collected using a convenience sample of Internet users and Internet non-users from the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces of South Africa. Cronbach alpha and factor analysis were used to assess the reliability and validity of the research instrument and measurement scales. In order to test whether differences did exist between the two groups the Chi-square and t-test statistics were used. Finally in order to examine which factors where influential in differentiating between Internet users and Internet non-users discriminant analysis was employed. The findings in the present study suggest that there are significant differences in demographics, socioeconomic, Internet use and travel-related characteristics between Internet users and Internet non-users in the mature market. By understanding the differences between Internet users and Internet non-users, tourism businesses can identify marketing strategies that appeal to mature travellers who use the Internet and to those do not, by utilising information gathered from Internet users and Internet non-users demographic, socio-economic and travel-related characteristics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Correia, Sérgio Barradas
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Tourism -- Marketing , Internet marketing , Internet users , Older people -- Travel , Older consumers -- Travel
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1194 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008182 , Tourism -- Marketing , Internet marketing , Internet users , Older people -- Travel , Older consumers -- Travel
- Description: The tourism industry has been identified as the industry with the most potential to create jobs and contribute largely to economic growth. In order to live up to this potential, tourism businesses need to create tourism products for potential tourists which need to be promoted successfully through a number of mediums. The use of the Internet as a medium for promoting and selling tourism products is increasing, however, in order for tourism businesses to successfully promote the tourism product through the Internet, they have to understand the needs and wants of their current and potential target markets. One segment of the tourism market that has come under increasing attention is the mature traveller market. This market is defined as travellers who are 50 years of age and older. Generally, the mature traveller market is viewed as a small homogenous group of old consumers with little or no spending power. However, evidence suggests that this market is comprised of an increasing number of diverse people, who use the Internet and like to spend on tourism products. Therefore, this research will examine differences between Internet users and Internet non-users in the mature traveller market. Specific attention will be paid to investigate differences in demographic, socioeconomic, Internet use and travel-related characteristics. The identification of these characteristics will enable a profile to be d~veloped for each group, which can be used by tourism businesses to effectively promote tourism products over the Internet to the mature market In order to collect data from potential respondents, a questionnaire which was used in a similar study conducted in the US was used. Data was collected using a convenience sample of Internet users and Internet non-users from the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces of South Africa. Cronbach alpha and factor analysis were used to assess the reliability and validity of the research instrument and measurement scales. In order to test whether differences did exist between the two groups the Chi-square and t-test statistics were used. Finally in order to examine which factors where influential in differentiating between Internet users and Internet non-users discriminant analysis was employed. The findings in the present study suggest that there are significant differences in demographics, socioeconomic, Internet use and travel-related characteristics between Internet users and Internet non-users in the mature market. By understanding the differences between Internet users and Internet non-users, tourism businesses can identify marketing strategies that appeal to mature travellers who use the Internet and to those do not, by utilising information gathered from Internet users and Internet non-users demographic, socio-economic and travel-related characteristics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
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