PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how vicarious role models such as television celebrities and entertainers influence purchase intentions of teenagers in Botswana.Design/methodology/approachA survey research design was used. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 200 senior secondary school students using a structured questionnaire. The measures used in the questionnaire were adapted from previous scales.FindingsThe results reflected that there is a relatively high level of vicarious role model influence of television celebrities and entertainers among teenagers in Botswana. Similarly, the results of regression analysis demonstrated that television celebrities and entertainers as vicarious role models positively influence teenagers' purchase intentions, especially their switching behavior and response to the problem.Research limitations/implicationsBy examining how vicarious role model influence of television celebrities and entertainers affects the purchase intentions of Botswana teenagers, this study has not only studied a cultural context that has not been investigated before but also enriches the existing body of research on how young consumers acquire purchase‐related behavior.Practical implicationsBased on the findings of the current study, marketers could safely use vicarious role models such as celebrities and entertainers when designing television advertisements aimed at the teenagers segment.Originality/valueIt is widely held that teenagers learn a significant proportion of their purchase behavior through direct and indirect contact. Hence, various socialization agents that influence teenagers' purchase behavior have been studied using western samples. The paper is one of the few that have contributed knowledge about how the purchase behavior of teenagers in an African context is influenced by television celebrities and entertainers as socialization agents.

With the high rate of unemployment in Botswana, it has become imperative that the alternative source of employment seen by policy makers and researchers as the panacea to the problem, is entrepreneurship. Although, research has been conducted on entrepreneurship, little has been done on the university students" perceptions of entrepreneurial behaviour in Botswana. To fill this gap, this paper seeks to investigate university students" perceptions of various entrepreneurial characteristics, motivators and challenges in Botswana. To achieve this, a sample of 394 undergraduate students of the University of Botswana was targeted. Findings of the current study indicate that students perceived an entrepreneur as an individual who possesses the right managerial skills, take risks, contribute to the economy, utilize available resources optimally, is creative and successful. Although the current study is based on undergraduate students, an investigation of entrepreneurial behaviour that exists among potential entrepreneurs in Botswana is important, since it will enable policy makers and other stakeholders to intensify and channel initiatives to promote self employment.

The issue of rebranding institutions of higher education has attracted little attention in scholarly publications. However, intense competition in the higher education market has forced institutions to modify elements of their brands. The current study seeks to shed light on the challenges of undertaking a rebranding exercise in an institution of higher education in Botswana, a context which is under researched. The purpose of the current study is to establish the perceptions of students of the University of Botswana regarding its brand equity following the rebranding exercise. A structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 336 University students majoring in business. Overall, the results showed that the brand equity of the new logo was lower than that of the old logo. The results of the paired t-tests revealed that students tend to recall and recognize the old logo more than the new logo. Students are also attracted, affectionate and attached to the old logo more than the new one. Since rebranding can erode some of the important aspects of an existing brand, it has to be implemented cautiously. Importantly, effective communication is critical to inspire students to embrace the new logo and their perceptions need to be tracked periodically in order to establish whether the desired brand image has been generated.

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PurposeThe current study seeks to explore ethnic diversity in Britain by investigating the strength of ethnic identity and acculturation levels of two British ethnic minority groups – Indians and African Blacks. The study also aims to examine the role of demographic characteristics in explaining the strength of ethnic identity and acculturation levels between the surveyed ethnic groups.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized a survey research design. Data was collected using a personally administered structured questionnaire from a convenience sample of 365 married ethnic members.FindingsThe results of t‐tests revealed that both Indians and African Blacks are strong ethnic identifiers and highly‐acculturated. Further results based on step‐wise regressions showed that age and income offer more explanatory power of ethnic diversity among African Blacks and Indians respectively.Research limitations/implicationsThe study highlights the complexity and importance of ethnicity in the development of multicultural strategies in Britain.Originality/valueResearch relating to ethnic diversity in Britain is relatively limited and of the very few studies available, there has been more emphasis on qualitative research approaches. This study also offers findings on ethnicity at a time when there is growth in the population of ethnic markets in Britain.