Browsing by Author "Theron, E."

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    Building long-term marketing relationships : new perspectives from B2B financial services
    (AOSIS Publishing, 2013-12-31) Theron, E.; Terblanche, N. S.; Boshoff, C.
    The focus of this study was on the relevance of trust, satisfaction and commitment in maintaining a long-term relationship (intention to stay) with an exchange partner in a Business-to-Business (B2B) context in the financial services industry. The perceptions of 238 B2B clients of a leading South African provider of development capital were investigated. Since support could not be found for the existence of trust, commitment and satisfaction as distinct individual dimensions, this study provides empirical support for the amalgamation of some well-established individual dimensions into broader, more holistic dimensions as drivers of long-term relationship building. Contrary to expectations, B2B banking clients participating in this study appeared to regroup individual dimensions, in a heuristic fashion, to form new dimensions that influenced their attitude towards staying in a B2B relationship. As a result, building long-term marketing relationships seems to be a less complicated process than previously thought. Against this background, the primary contribution of the study is that it highlights the need for marketing practitioners to reconsider their current relationship-marketing strategies. As the findings of the study are inconsistent with conventional wisdom, they also challenge marketing academics to reconsider the theoretical foundations of relationship building in a B2B context.
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    A phase I trial of hypoxoside as an oral prodrug for cancer therapy : absence of toxicity
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1995) Smit, B. J.; Albrecht, C. F.; Liebenberg, R. W.; Kruger, P. B.; Freestone, M.; Gouws, L.; Theron, E.; Bouic, P. J. D.; Etsebeth, S.; Van Jaarsveld, P. P.
    Objective. To assess the toxicity of hypoxoside taken orally by 24 patients with lung cancer. Design. Open study with patients taking 1 200 - 3 200 mg standardised Hypoxis plant extract (200 mg capsules) per day divided in 3 doses in order to maintain metabolite blood levels near 100 μg/ml. Participants and setting. Patients with histologically proven squamous, large-cell or adenocarcinoma were hospitalised initially at the radiation oncology ward, Karl Bremer Hospital, Bellville, W. Cape. Thereafter they returned every 2 weeks for full clinical examinations. Methods. Routine biochemical and haematological measurements were done. Patients underwent regular full clinical examinations including radiographs and computed tomography scanning according to the discretion of the principal investigator. Results. Nineteen patients on hypoxoside therapy survived for an average of 4 months with progression of their primary tumours and metastases, while 5 survived for more than a year. One of them survived for 5 years and histological examination of the primary lesion showed absence of cancer. No toxic effects, in clinical examinations or biochemical or haematological measurements, were found that could be ascribed to the ingestion of hypoxoside. Only one occasion of possible drug intolerance, with anxiety, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, was noted. Conclusion. The absence of toxicity warrants further investigation of hypoxoside as an oral prodrug, especially in patients with slow-growing necrotising tumours that are inoperable and have high concentrations of β-glucuronidase and sulphatase as high sensitivity for rooperol.
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    Using servicescape to manage student commitment towards a higher education institution
    (HESA, 2017) Theron, E.; Pelser, A.
    Although a variety of approaches can be used to manage student commitment, the role of physical elements, such as a facility or institution’s virtual presence, appearance of infrastructure and signage, is often neglected in the literature. This gap in the literature is surprising considering the growing interest in the field of social sciences regarding the influence of physical elements (or tangibles) on commitment. It is against this background that this study investigated the possible effects of physical element attributes on student commitment. A number of antecedents of physical elements were identified by means of a literature review and their expected relationships with student commitment were proposed as hypotheses. These hypothesised relationships were assessed and a survey amongst 290 students from a multi-cultural South African university was conducted. The statistical program SPSS version 23 was used to analyse the data, and the hypothesised relationships were assessed by means regression analyses. The findings of the study indicate that the physical element dimensions ‘communicators’ and ‘virtual servicescape’ most significantly influenced overall student commitment. Contrary to popular belief, the study revealed that social servicescape did not have a significant impact on student commitment. Furthermore, it appears that a specific set of physical element attributes should be applied when student commitment is managed. Finally, the study offers an in-depth discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings for relationship marketing strategies.