Adapted SERVQUAL for evaluating the provision of information as an agricultural extension service in South Africa

The paper describes the adaptation of the Service Quality Instrument (SERVQUAL) for measuring the provision of information as an Extension Service. It explores agricultural Extension Services as a customer service and SERVQUAL as a service evaluation tool. The study aims to provide an adapted SERVQUAL instrument which includes a dimension for the measurement of the provision of information as a service. The reliability of the adapted instrument is tested by examining the results of a practical implementation thereof. The reliability of the adapted instrument is confirmed by using quantitative analysis of empirical data. Data used in the analysis was collected by means of a case study involving an agricultural organisation in the South African grain sector. This paper serves as the impetus for a discussion on the evaluation of the provision of Information as a Service, as provided by an agricultural organisation using Extension Services.Keywords: SERVQUAL, Information as a Service, Agricultural Extension Service

The use of mobile technologies amongst South African commercial farmers

Organisations offering extension services provide services to farmers which include the provision of relevant and current information pertaining to agriculture. The increased use of mobile technologies is changing the way farmers access information, specifically by using the Internet. This paper focuses on South African (SA) commercial farmers who currently use the Internet to establish their Internet access profile, the devices they utilise for Internet access and the purpose for which they use mobile technologies.An Internet and Mobile Device Usage Survey was conducted in the SA agricultural community. Farmers were found to have embraced mobile technology and in excess of 70% of the farmers who participated in the study indicated that they use their mobile devices to access the Internet. No brand of mobile phone or tablet computer was found to dominate the agricultural community. Importantly, close to 50% of respondents indicated that they owned and used a tablet. The primary reason for which mobile devices are used by farmers is for business purposes, including access to information about agriculture. Agricultural organisations offering extension services could benefit from embracing the technology and exploring new ways to provide information services to their farmer base

Sport Events in a City – The Residents’ Choice

City marketing focuses on the use of marking tools with a customer-orientated philosophy for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging urban offerings that have value for its citizens. City marketing can be described as a long term plan which includes various related activities that are aimed at the attraction and retention of specific target groups of people for a city. Sport has become an identity for many nations in the world. There are three benefits of branding a city through sports events. Firstly, sports are the easiest events to market and promote as the audience is large. Secondly, sports epitomise the human spirit of survival and competitiveness and as a result, spectators cannot help but be engrossed in the match or event. Thirdly, sports events enable a city’s image to be displayed to audiences watching the event, whether it is live or through a secondary medium. Media coverage is predominantly free and the benefits can generate a visibility that attracts residents, tourism and investment to the city. The objective of this study was to determine which sport events the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB), South Africa would support. This exploratory study used an on-line questionnaire and convenience and snowball sampling methods. There were 952 responses from the population of NMB, including Port Elizabeth in South Africa. The results indicated that sporting events create job opportunities and that sporting events such as cricket and rugby are supported by all residents and sporting events such as Ironman can be leveraged to increase tourism