MBA & MM Theses

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Motivation of Chinese Commercial Banks for Foreign Venturing
(2016) Wang, Guanhua
ABSTRACT Over the past few years, the Chinese banking industry has been recording tremendous growth. As a result, many scholars have focused on topics that explain the growth of commercial banks in China. The main aim of this study is to explore the motivation of Chinese commercial banks for foreign investment (cross-border expansion). There are three objectives of the study which include establishing the major success factors in terms of the globalisation strategy of leading international banks, such as HSBC and CITI, determining the major differences in terms of the motivation and operations for the ‘going overseas’ strategy between leading multinational banks and top Chinese banks, and assessing likely methods for and the direction of Chinese banks’ overseas operation. The set of drivers of banking institutions in obtaining a share of the market overseas are one of the areas that was examined in the literature review. Some of the drivers include the blending of Chinese and international cultures, especially the Western culture. Relevant government policies which are in favour of foreign investment are also drivers for commercial banks’ investment overseas. Success factors of leading international banks are also covered in detail. The literature review of the study entails the various strategies that Chinese commercial banks have adopted for their success in international businesses as well as the challenges and differences of international and Chinese banks. The theories that underpinned this study are internalisation theory and eclectic paradigm. The study adopted a mixed method to collect information from the sampled population. 100 respondents’ inputs were used for the quantitative analysis while the qualitative analysis relied on 20 respondents who were selected from the employees of international banks for detailed interrogation. The study concludes that the growth of Chinese commercial banks has increased, as well as their venture in the international markets. It was concluded iii that mergers and acquisitions, organisational restructuring and increased government support are some of the drivers of Chinese commercial banks towards venturing abroad. The study also concluded that key challenges Chinese banks faced in international markets are communication barriers and increases in restrictions in the developed countries. The recommendations made on the way forward include an increase in training for the management in terms of international bank management prerequisites and reduced government interference with commercial bank operations. This study recommends conducting a study which utilises secondary information and the inclusion of more Chinese commercial banks as a case study.
Supplier identification and inbound logistics management for an African lingerie brand.
(2018) Nyawade, Cheryl Horesia
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is a consultancy project that is focussed on the supplier identification of an African lingerie brand using the traditional method of sending out a request for proposal to selected manufacturers as compared to the modern method of using e-procurement portals. The report starts off by giving data that encourages the need for the creation of more African brand names in the continent and globally. This notion discourages the re-selling of international brands while promoting the creation of local brands across all industries in the continent. The report further gives insight into the manufacturing industry and the evolution advancements that have been witnessed. I decided to focus on the fashion industry, specifically within the intimate apparel sector. I chose to perform our research based on the start-up company Ressiers, which is based in Kenya, East Africa as my case study. Ressiers is a company that is looking to identify suppliers and manufactures who will assist in the design, manufacturing and delivery of its upmarket lingerie brand. Their goal is to come up with cutting-edge designs that are comfortable, and custom made to the African woman’s shape and skin tone. I therefore take a detailed look at the fashion industry, analysing traits and exploring concepts such as lean retailing in order to reduce costs while simultaneously managing to meet the demand by staying relevant in the industry. The report employs both traditional and modern supplier identification methodologies, and analyses the benefits, quality of responses as well as the pros and cons of using either one of the supplier identification methods. I then conclude by outlining a methodology that will assist future start-ups within the intimate apparel industry in efficiently identifying and sourcing suppliers globally who will produce their merchandise. The findings will also help start-ups to build strong business relationships that will help them envision the creation of a legacy African brand name product.
Leadership, colleague support, reward & recognition as antecedents of employee work engagement at Bathopele Platinum Mine
(2017) Moyana, Shephard
ABSTRACT The level of work engagement (dedication, vigour, concentration) by employees has an important effect on their job performance and ultimately the profitability of a business. The Platinum mining industry has been subjected to low commodity prices and safety challenges therefore requires engaged employees who do their work with all their effort in order to meet production and safety targets. This research examined factors that affect the employees work engagement at Bathopele Platinum Mine, with a special focus on the effect of leadership, reward, recognition and social support. A survey was administered whereby employees were given a questionnaire with structured questions that measured their perception on these factors. The total number of usable questionnaires was 122. The data was analysed using Multiple Regression Analysis. Leadership and reward were found to play an insignificant role in motivating employees to be engaged. However, recognition and colleague support were found to be the major drivers of employee work engagement at Bathopele mine. In an underground mining environment where safety of employees and production are crucial factors for profitability, recognising the efforts the employees put in their job performances can lead to an engaged workforce. Mine management can put in place programmes that foster teamwork in order to have engaged employees who meet their production targets safely.
Towards an integrative supply chain performance measurement model: A case study of Vivo Energy lubricants
(2018) Muputisi, Moses
ABSTRACT This research presents the use of a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) based approach for equitable performance evaluation of supply chain partners in today’s increasingly global, complex and extended supply chains. A case study company is analysed to validate the proposed shortcomings of current performance measurement approaches and hence qualify the need for an alternative approach that promotes integration and collaboration. An alternative DEA based supply chain performance measurement approach, which addresses the extended nature of the supply chain, is proposed and demonstrated. Through the case study, DEA is proven to overcome the shortcomings of existing approaches and exhibit most of the attributes of an effective supply chain performance evaluation tool. The proposed method can help supply chain managers make better trade-off and benchmarking decisions across the supply chain as a whole thereby minimizing potential conflicts that emanate from localized decision making.
Predictors of customer experience within retail banking in South Africa
(2018) Kala, Sacheen Udai
ABSTRACT Purpose: The context of business, specifically banking, has fundamentally shifted in that customers are seeking not only basic product and service offerings, but value adding experiences throughout their engagements. Extensive literature in marketing describes this phenomenon; however there is a lack of empirical evidence relating to customer experience and its predictors in the South African retail banking industry. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the predictor effects of select independent variables, namely service quality, customer satisfaction, brand relationships and brand loyalty on customer experience. Design/Methodology/Approach: An empirical quantitative study was conducted, where banking customers‟ perceptions of service quality, customer satisfaction, brand relationships, brand loyalty and customer experience were assessed. The sample consisted of 151 retail banking customers, from across all major banks, in South Africa, including some smaller institutions. A regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationships between the presumed predictors and customer experience. Findings: The results have shown positive predictor effects on customer experience for three independent variables, namely, service quality, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. These findings suggest that quality services, satisfied customers and brand loyalty can be regarded as predictors of a customer‟s experience. The relationship between brand relationships and customer experience was not supported by the results. Implications: Banks should focus on delivering superior customer experiences through service quality and customer satisfaction. The net promoter score can be used to predict customer experience; however it is not the ultimate measure. This paper provides strategies to assist banks in South Africa to be more „customer-centric‟ and to design relevant experiences. Originality/Value: There is a lack of evidence in literature focusing exclusively on customer experience within retail banks in South Africa. This research is beneficial to both academia and business as it aims to unpack and understand the complexities around customer experience management.
Employee-owned companies : a potential solution to minimising industrial action in South Africa
(2018) Sebesho, Bonga Mpho
The purpose of this research was to assess the employee-owned company model as a potential solution to minimise industrial action in South Africa. Employee ownership, positioned as a key pillar of broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) (Mosai & Reynolds, 2003), is linked to increased employee participation and ultimately to improved industrial relations as a result of increased engagement between employers and employees. Research was undertaken through a study of the multiple methods in which employee ownership is implemented across various industries in South Africa taking into account the reasons for the implementation of employee ownership. This research attempted to cover a wide spectrum of employee ownership models ranging from once-off employee share ownership schemes (ESOPs) to closed employee ownership schemes. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews, utilising the Delphi technique, with a sample of 11 respondents who have been involved in the implementation of employee ownership schemes. The data was content-analysed and the findings suggested that employee ownership has the ability to engender increased participation. The findings of the study suggest that the successful implementation of employee ownership in South Africa has been severely impacted by historical issues relating to financial preparedness from employees and the deep entrenchment of the shareholder value as well as the compliance burden from a business perspective. The study concludes that employee ownership can play a role in engendering meaningful economic participation and consequently reduce the incidence of industrial action. However, in order to achieve its desired objective the government will need to put in place effective incentives as well as powerful disincentives to encourage implementation of long term ownership schemes. iii This study may provide guidance to South African companies, government and other stakeholders seeking to find broad-based and inclusive models in order to increase employee representation and participation in corporate decision-making. The research findings may assist these organisations to find new ways to create a more inclusive economic environment through leveraging the benefits of employee ownership to decrease the incidence of industrial action and ultimately improve output
Realising Benefits from IT Projects at Barclays Africa Corporate and Investment Banking
(2018) Leseyane, Silindile Portia
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Before committing to any Information Technology (IT)-based solution, a business needs to know whether the transformation effort (cost) can be justified relative to the perceived future value that this change will bring. Often projects are undertaken with a stated objective but this undertaking can come with significant risk to the organisation when making investments that will not realise material benefits. That is why Benefits Management (BM) is essential for any organisation to undertake as it ensures that the right investments are made that will realise business value. Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB), a division of Barclays Africa Group Limited (BAGL) is interested in implementing a Benefits Management (BM) programme in order to realise benefits from investments in IT projects. The reason for this is that banks spend millions of Rands on IT projects and yet projects have a high failure rate, possibly due to rudimentary cost benefit analysis and failure to do any post-implementation analysis to determine whether the project delivered what was expected. The goal of this research project was to establish what the current practices to realise benefits were at CIB, and, based on these findings, to provide recommendations. Research was conducted through a critical analysis of the existing BM literature, followed by interviews with various senior stakeholders during November and December 2017 and in-depth analysis of project documents such as Business Cases (BCs), minutes, governance documents, etc. to understand the BM process. Four dimensions to BM arose as themes during the research; namely, a technical perspective, a governance perspective, organisational context and user context. This indicated that a BM solution would need to cater to the specifics of each of these dimensions; otherwise the adoption of any BM intervention would not be successful.
Perceptions on the outlook for the securitisation market in South Africa
(2018) Dhliwayo, Patience
The sophisticated financing technique, securitisation, was blamed for the global financial crisis of 2007 -2008. After the crisis, the securitisation industry suffered globally as the number of issuances dwindled. Today, the USA and Europe securitisation markets have recovered as a result of support from the Central Banks, but the securitisation market in South Africa has not experienced a similar trend. The purpose of this research was to gather the views and opinions of key market participants on the development of securitisations in South Africa. This research, qualitative in nature, was conducted through semi-structured interviews with market participants who included: originators, both bank and nonbank lenders, arrangers, credit rating agencies, trustees and investors. The results revealed that securitisation is an important financing technique and is still very useful in the South African economy. The downward trend in securitisation activity that began during the global financial crisis has somewhat continued because the market faces a few constraints. The market participants identified the constraints to growth as being the lack of education by investors on asset-backed securities, the conservative approach by credit rating agencies, the outdated securitisation regulations and the absence of a secondary market for securitisation paper. As long as these issues are not addressed, the market participants do not expect growth in securitisation activity.
Emerging business models exploiting the Internet of Things : a critical qualitative review of the literature with an emphasis on South Africa
(2018) Grabe, Jarrod Daniel
ABSTRACT The Internet of Things (IoT), or the connection of everyday objects to data-sharing networks, is widely viewed as the next stage in the development of the Internet. This analysis, therefore, presents a wide-ranging evidence-based analysis of existing and potential business models designed to capitalize on this new development utilizing a systematic review methodology grounded in Rogers' (2010) diffusion of innovations theory, based on the research question: How might current and potential business models be adapted to exploit the opportunities (and minimize the risks) posed by IoT in the near to medium terms? In addition to exploring contexts and emerging tools, the report considers distinct case studies of IoT applications that might be indicative of future developments. Data collection was performed using database searches of academic and industry literatures; after sampling, data was subjected to thematic content analysis.
Factors affecting the implementation of a Balanced Scorecard in a South African financial organisation
(2018) Banjo, Olanrewaju Isimeme
The research carried out in this paper sought to identify the factors that promote or hinder the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard within the South African financial industry. The literature review explained the role of the Balanced Scorecard in mapping out and implementing corporate strategies via identification, monitoring and measurement of quantitative and non-quantitative factors that enhance corporate performance, and thereafter, described ten factors that promote and ten factors that hinder the successful implementation of the Balanced Scorecard within companies. The researcher conducted 12 structured interviews of stakeholders of the Balanced Scorecard in a South African financial organisation for the purpose of extrapolating evidence used in reaching conclusions contained in this report. A quantitative analysis of the responses and findings from these interviews was performed and the themes discovered provided the researcher with better knowledge of the factors that promote or hinder the successful implementation of the Balanced Scorecard. The research findings indicate that obtaining effective top management commitment, agile organisational culture, identification of BSC objectives, effective communication style of management and linking BSC scores with the reward system are the five most critical factors that can impact the effectiveness or otherwise of the Balanced Scorecard to achieve its purpose within financial organisations. Further findings are explained in the research. The outcome of this research therefore provides ample evidence to company directors, managers and other stakeholders of factors that require their focused efforts to stimulate the successful implementation of the Balanced Scorecard. It equally indicates other factors that hinder the Balanced Scorecard from fulfilling its promises of strategy formulation and alignment, as a means of improving overall corporate performance of South African financial institutions.

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