Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA)

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Browsing Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA) by Author "Appiah, Erasmus Kofi"

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    Digital transformation and human capital in retail banking in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022-03) Lediga, Katlego; Appiah, Erasmus Kofi
    The digital transition is disruptive because it brings great change along with it. The banking business is being reshaped by powerful forces like but not limited to expectations from customers, technological abilities, legislative requirements, demographic trends, and economics. These are all combined to create a pressing need for change. Banks must anticipate these problems and retool in order to succeed in the future age. Banks must not only meet today's demands but also drastically innovate and restructure themselves in order to be competitive in the future. In the banking industry, digital transformation is a continual process involving both the micro and macro environment through revamping internal procedures and systems. Digital transformation occurs for a variety of reasons, including serving rural areas without branch locations, differentiating from competitors, and lowering operational expenses. In any event, there are many reservations about digital technologies' acceptability. Most people's computers or mobile phones are now used to conduct a substantial proportion of banking transactions. The variety of options, as well as the time and cost savings, and the ease of use of these applications, ensure that they continue to outperform traditional banking channels like bank branches. (Kitsios & Giatsidis, 2021) The purpose of the study is to ascertain how human capital in the form of business units and line managers within retail banks responded to the technological disruptions within the South African context. The objective of this research is to provide an overview of the shift from a workplace that does not rely on technology to one that is heavily reliant on technological integration to achieve operational needs. It will examine the repercussions of process automation migrations, as well as how this affects attrition rate and retention as human capital tries to adjust to such a radical change
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    The impact of organisational governance on team autonomy in large-scale agile projects
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Dhlamini, Bridgette Sebueng; Appiah, Erasmus Kofi
    Traditional software development methods have proven to be ineffective for large- scale projects in the current digital era. This, as well as the complexities of large-scale projects, has exacerbated the need for more and more organisations to adopt agile project methodologies for large-scale projects to keep up with the fast-paced technology landscape. The adoption of agile methodologies can only work if it is supported by organisational structures that enable agile to be effective. These include governance structures and organisational culture that enable continuous rapid delivery of quality software. Team autonomy is key in enabling fast-paced delivery, and there should be alignment between the organisational governance structures and the autonomy of project teams. It is not clear as to what level of autonomy should be afforded to project teams, at the same time ensuring that the project receives the right level of oversight. The research followed a qualitative research approach, and 10 participants who had experience working on agile projects in one of the big banks in South Africa were interviewed. The study found that the lack of team autonomy in large-scale agile projects was due to the organisation’s little to no tolerance for risk and the blaming culture. To change this, the organisation needs to cultivate a learning culture that will allow project teams to learn and grow through their mistakes
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    The impact of teleworking on job satisfaction in the Financial Services Sector: A case of a South African Bank
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Ndlovu, Velile; Appiah, Erasmus Kofi
    Even though teleworking has been around for a while, recent developments with COVID- 19, which increased the rate of teleworking or working from home, led to the introduction of many employees to teleworking or working from home (WFH) for the first time. This quantitative research study used emotional support as an independent variable, job competencies as a moderator, as well as trust and equity inside a South African bank to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction with telework. A sample of 150 professionals from a South African bank make up the participants. The variables of interest are job satisfaction, emotional support, trust and equality, and finally job competencies were examined using regression and proportions analyses to determine the degree of shared variance and the strength of the relationships between them. The results of this study show that there is no significant connection between teleworking and the impact it can have on employees of a South African bank's level of job satisfaction. According to the analysis, work competence, emotional support, trust, and equity are all positively correlated with job satisfaction. There isn't much evidence to suggest that work and home borders are advantageous. Additionally, there was no statistically significant correlation between job satisfaction and having a suitable home workspace, technological aid, or training to perform the job
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    The perceived impact of artificial intelligence on operations performance in the South African life insurance industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Kunene, Thamsanqa Mxolisi; Appiah, Erasmus Kofi
    Organisations are increasingly implementing AI applications in their operations in order to stay competitive. The Covid-19 pandemic has further fuelled the implementations of AI technologies. However, do these applications improve the operation’s performance of an organisation? The study investigates how managers and employees that have implemented AI technologies within life insurance organisations perceive AI to have impacted their operations performance. Operations performance measures used by the study are cost, quality, speed, flexibility, and dependability. A qualitative methodology was undertaken by the study, using in-depth interviews that were made up of open-ended questions. The participants that contributed to the study were selected based on their profile and experience with AI technologies and in the life insurance industry. The findings of the study show that AI technologies generally improved operations performance. However, it must be noted that AI implementations come at a very high cost. Therefore, using cost savings as a sole use case driver is discouraged. Also, AI must not be implemented to improve inefficient business processes. Lastly, the quality of data to be used by the AI application is essential to the success of the project. In conclusion, managers and employees that have implemented and/or used AI technologies in the life insurance industry perceive AI to have improved operations performance of their organisations. An improved operations performance helps the organisation to stay competitive among its peers.
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    The Relationship Between Talent Management Practices and Organisational Competitiveness in South African Law Firms
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mbuqe, Sinomtha; Appiah, Erasmus Kofi
    The globalisation of legal services has massively amplified competition among professional service firms in South Africa and globally. To compete more effectively in the present-day environment, characterized by increased competition and enhanced customer expectations, sustaining high performance is critical. Due to scarcity of talent, law firms compete for the same pool of human resources to acquire and retain to increase growth in profitability and service. Literature has identified talent management practices (“TMP”) such as talent identification, selection, retention, and development as sources of sustainable competitive advantage. Despite talent management and its practices being established concepts in literature and in practice, there is an apparent lacuna in research on TMP in the context of South African law firms and whether such practices enhance their competitiveness. The objective of this study was to ascertain the relationship between TMP and organisational competitiveness in South African law firms operating within the Gauteng province. A quantitative study was undertaken, with statistics gathered from employees of law firms located in Gauteng, South Africa. A random sampling technique was used and data was collected from 56 participants using a semi-structured survey questionnaire. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to generate descriptive and inferential statistics. The empirical findings indicated that all constructs associated with TMP, namely talent attraction, talent development, talent retention and reasons for using these practices, were positively correlated with organisational competitiveness. However, statistically, talent development increased an organisations competitiveness. The findings thus indicate that talent attraction, talent development and talent retention are important and have an impact on organisational competitiveness. These findings will enable law firms to apply talent development towards continuous organisational competitiveness, which further aids the sustainability of the organisation
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    Understanding factors that influence digital banking user intention: a South African banking perspective
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Maharaj, Yashna; Appiah, Erasmus Kofi
    In an increasingly digital landscape, retail banks in South Africa need to keep abreast of the factors that influence consumers digital banking usage intention. According to existing literature, the most prominent factors include economic value, social influence, firm reputation, product features, product rewards and perceived ease of use. This study aims to explain the relationship between these variables and whether a user’s intention to use digital banking is influenced by these factors at the start of their decision-making journey. In order to assess the impact of each of these factors, an online survey was distributed to students from a South African university. The online survey used a 5-point Likert scale to measure statements related to each variable. A cross-sectional approach to data collection was preferred. There were 191 respondents that completed the survey. Majority of respondents in this study were African females between the ages of 18 and 24. 98% of respondents indicated that they use digital banking. The key findings indicated that social influence, firm reputation, product features and perceived ease of use did in fact influence consumers digital banking usage intention in South Africa. However, economic value and product rewards were found to be statistically insignificant. It was therefore concluded that banks should focus on strategies that improve these factors to attract and retain customers, especially within the younger generation.