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This study investigates the intentions of South African middle to high-income consumers towards purchasing battery electric vehicles (BEVs) against the backdrop of a global shift towards sustainable mobility. Utilizing the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine the interplay of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control, this research highlights the growing consumer interest in BEVs despite limited market share and firsthand experience. The study's quantitative approach, employing a self-completion questionnaire and leveraging constructs validated in prior research, reveals that attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and environmental concerns are significant predictors of BEV purchase intentions. The findings underscore the significance of subjective norms as the most influential predictor of purchase intentions, followed closely by environmental concerns, suggesting that social influence and environmental awareness play critical roles in shaping consumer behavior towards BEVs in South Africa. This research contributes to the understanding of consumer attitudes towards BEVs in a South African context, offering insights for businesses and policymakers to drive adoption and align strategies with consumer preferences and environmental goals. Future research is recommended to explore longitudinal changes in consumer intentions and actual BEV purchasing behavior, expanding the model with additional constructs to reflect evolving market dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of South Africa as a developing country, we argue that CSR communication should contribute to both business sustainability and the empowerment of society for societal sustainability. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of senior South African communication practitioners regarding sustainability and the practice of CSR communication to support dual sustainability. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten senior communication practitioners responsible for CSR and/or CSR communication in ten national and international organisations across South Africa. Our findings revealed that although all practitioners recognised sustainability as the purpose of CSR, business sustainability was prioritised, while societal sustainability has only been supported. CSR communication was primarily used to enhance business sustainability by portraying the company as a responsible corporate citizen through corporate communication efforts to enhance its reputation. This is attributed to the fact that the current CSR communication theory is based on corporate communication, which prioritises business objectives. We contend that a more comprehensive theoretical framework, including principles of development communication, would enable CSR communication to significantly contribute to societal sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital evolution has disrupted advertising globally, and the outdated business models used by South African advertising agencies are pushing their customers towards their competitors in the digital space. The objective of the study was to provide a framework of Critical Success Factors (CSF) for marketing decision-makers operating in the digital era by investigating the extent and implications of this digital disruption. Triangulation through a mixed-methods approach with the sequential exploratory design was employed. In the qualitative phase, the impact of digital disruption on South African advertising agencies (AA) was explored through interviews. The findings were used to develop a questionnaire for the quantitative phase, in which exploratory factor analysis was employed. As a result, six factors significant for the operations of advertising agencies in the digital age were identified. These are (i) characteristics of modern marketing; (ii) agency sustainability in the digital age; (iii) characteristics of effective advertising in the digital age; (iv) critical skills for advertising agencies to succeed in the digital age; (v) digital capabilities for agencies' success in the digital age; (vi) agency structure and process considerations for the digital age. The resulting CSF Framework provides the marketing decision-makers with a broader perspective on their strongly digitalised business environment and permits a smoother transition of AA towards a new sustainable business model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are the key players in the township tourism sector, which contributes substantially to the growth of the economy in South Africa. Township tourism SMMEs are critical to uplifting the rural and township economies. However, they remain marginalized and continue to struggle to be sustainable. The following paper explains how much township tourism SMMEs use to stay sustainable. The paper aims to identify SMMEs involved in township tourism. The paper also aims to establish factors influencing the sustainability of township tourism SMMEs. In addition, the paper also aims to determine the competitive strategy for the sustainability of township tourism SMMEs. The study adopted a positivist research paradigm through a quantitative approach and a survey research design. As a result of having no reliable available sampling frame, a non-probability sampling strategy was adopted, and relevant data was generated through questionnaires. The data was gathered from 61 owners or managers of township tourism SMMEs, in uMlazi, Durban. This paper’s findings revealed that the most influential factors affecting the sustainability of township tourism SMMEs were a lack of funding, strong business competition, and poor business location. The study's findings revealed that only a few entrepreneurs applied a competitive strategy to their businesses. From the data analyzed, relevant recommendations and conclusions were also drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship has been pointed out as a contributing factor leading to increased job creation, sustained economic development and, ultimately, economic growth. However, many young businesses struggle to survive the first three years, subsequently jeopardising the full potential they may have in terms of contributing to the economy. The literature suggests that motivational factors may play a contributing role in business sustainability and that the reason people decide to start or remain in business might play a part in the survival of a business. The purpose of this study was to determine which motivational factors female entrepreneurs deem most important and whether these factors differ between young and more established entrepreneurs in the South African context. The study made use of primary data obtained through self-administered questionnaires. A convenience sampling technique was used, resulting in a final sample of 515 female owners of small to medium-sized business in South Africa. Various statistical techniques were employed to analyse the data including internal-consistency reliability, descriptive statistics, factor analysis and an independent sample t-test. Results indicated that one's contribution to others and independence as motivational factors yielded the highest means, followed by self-fulfilment and having high status in the community. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference between entrepreneurs with less than three years of experience and those with more than three years of experience was only observed for motivation derived from self-fulfilment. In more established businesses, the entrepreneurs had greater motivation to focus on self-fulfilment aspects. The study showed that South African female entrepreneurs could be considered more socially motivated and less profit-driven, which is also supported by the literature to an extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annual surveys were conducted among a small business panel of 300 businesses during the four-year period 2007 to 2010 aimed at examining small business survival and mortality. By contrasting the profiles of successful businesses with those that closed their doors, a second objective was also attained, namely the identification of principle reasons for small business survival and sustainability. The survey data were applied in a categorical regression model with business survival as dependent variable and several independent variables related to competitive environment, entrepreneurial endowment and comparative advantages as independent variables. The analysis identified the human factor in small businesses and specifically entrepreneurial actions and business management skills as the strongest predictors of small business survival. Businesses portraying these characteristics should be the focus of small business support strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business sustainability entails the incorporation of the objectives of sustainable development, namely social equity, economic efficiency and environmental performance, into a company''s operational practices. Companies that compete globally are increasingly required to commit to and report on the overall sustainability performances of operational initiatives. The current indicator frameworks that are available to measure overall business sustainability do not effectively address all aspects of sustainability at operational level, especially in developing countries such as South Africa. Social criteria, specifically, do not receive due considerations. This article proposes a new framework to assess the sustainability of operations in the manufacturing sector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]