The view that a visually appealing corporate identity is the most important contributor to a good corporate image is a myth. The process of corporate image formation is regulated by the corporate personality which consists of three groups of elements: conscious behavioural identity cues, such as customer service; need-satisfying products or services; and visual cues, such as the corporate name, logo, and slogan. Makes a major assumption that a visual design cue, such as a corporate logo, recalls impressions or perceptions in the minds of audiences. These perceptions are based on corporate behaviour which constitutes an overall corporate image. Perceptions measured through a semantic differential subsequently revealed that the following factors contribute to the corporate image of South African banking institutions: dynamism, credibility/stability, customer service, and visual identity. The research results therefore confirmed the assumption that corporate behaviour and corporate visual identity contribute to corporate image.

SYNOPSISPurpose: To investigate the choice factors students consider when selecting a higher education institution, with a focus on the differences between gender and language groups. Problem investigated:The educational landscape has seen several changes, such as stronger competition between institutions for both student enrolments and government funding. These market challenges have led to an interest in students' institution selection processes as it has implications for the way higher education institutions (HEIs) manage their marketing and recruitment strategies. The research objective of this study was to identify the most important choice factors of prospective South African students. It also aimed to determine if any gender and language differences exist with regard to students' institution selection processes.Methodology: A convenience sample of 1 241 respondents was drawn, representing six South African universities. A selfadministrated questionnaire was used to collect the data. Questions from the ASQ (Admitted Student Questionnaire) and CIRP (The Cooperative Institutional Research Programme) were used and adapted to the South African context after pilot testing. Hypotheses were analysed using the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test with Wilks' lambda as the test statistic.Findings/Implications: Irrespective of gender or language, the most important choice factor for respondents was the quality of teaching at HEIs. The findings showed that males and females differ according to the selection of certain choice factors which suggest that HEIs can consider recruitment strategies for each gender group. Significant differences between the language groups were found for 17 of the 23 choice factors, signalling that different language groups make decisions based on different choice factors. African language-speaking students have, amongst other, indicated that the multiculturalism of the institution is a very important choice factor for them. Conclusion:The findings provide HEIs with an indication of the importance of choice factors considered by students in selecting a HEI. This will enable HEIs to use their limited funds more efficiently to attract the right calibre student (recruitment policies), to create a unique position, to segment the student market more appropriately and to gain a competitive advantage.

A survey of current literature and corporate identity manuals may create the impression that corporate identity consists solely of visual identity cues. In this paper the view is explored that corporate identity consists of both visual and behavioural cues. Most corporations strive towards a positive corporate image. This can be attained only by taking into account also such aspects as customer service and employee behaviour, and not just creating attractive buildings, uniforms, logos and slogans. An analysis of selected literature and the results of four independent studies are reported to support the proposal of a Corporate Image Model that needs further research and refinement.

Customer satisfaction and loyalty are important drivers of business profits. In the online arena, acquisition costs are high, switching costs are low, the service encounter is non-personal and the Internet is often used only as a source of information. The aim of this article is to determine the relationship between critical eService quality elements utilised in online tourism portals in order to establish eLoyalty. The target population of this study was South African tourism accommodation establishments who advertised on online tourism portals during 2005. A personalised branded HTML email with a clickable link to the online survey was mailed to all respondents. One hundred and nine valid responses were received. A multi-item questionnaire was used to measure the relationship between eService quality, eValue, eSatisfaction and eLoyalty pertaining to online tourism portals utilised by the respondents. The findings imply that online tourism portals would increase their eLoyalty (and thus increase profits) if they first satisfied their suppliers' needs by providing them with a secure, visually pleasing user interface with which they could identify. Secondly, there is a need for online tourism portals to provide services that add value, making it easy for suppliers to add and change details on their own pages, as well as ensuring that their suppliers receive a substantial income stream through the portal. JEL M31

It is assumed that fine-dining creates immersive experiences that could enhance the flavour of a meal or dish by leveraging a combination of multi-sensory stimuli. An exploratory hybrid-study identified multi-sensory dining experience stimuli from scientific literature, namely visual (eyes), haptic (touch), taste, olfactory (smell), auditory (hearing), and design and layout that affect restaurant choice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the important multi-sensory stimuli in the dining experience of middle of the pyramid (MOP) consumers. Data was collected from a convenient sample of 363 respondents representing MOP-consumers who returned an emailed questionnaire or those who completed the same questionnaire while dining at a full-service restaurant in Gauteng Province. The measuring instrument listed multi-sensory dining experience stimuli identified through a literature review. Additional items were generated via personal interviews and comments in dining-related websites that discussed multi-sensory dining. The results suggest that multi-sensory stimuli do contribute to the creation of a comprehensive dining experience. A high premium was placed on tasty and freshly prepared meals; the dining area; pleasant food odours; comfortable and spacious seating; attractive bathrooms; close-by and safe parking; and service staff (pleasant appearance, clean/neatly dressed, a professional attitude, and providing prompt service) that create sociable away-from-home family-orientated experiences. It is concluded that multi-sensory stimulation creates a memorable dining experience, which can create the opportunity to differentiate a restaurant from its closest competitors.