3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Banks and banking, Mobile--South Africa

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    The adoption of artificial intelligence by South African banking firms: a Technology, Organisation and Environment (TOE) framework
    (2019-02-28) Mariemuthu, Clayton
    Artificial intelligence (AI) is the creation of intelligent machines that have the ability to work and act like humans and comprises various technologies. AI-powered technology is having a transformative effect on industries such as banking. This study investigated the adoption of AI technologies by South African banking firms. The investigation into the factors that explain the current extent of adoption was focused through the lens of the Technological, Organisational and Environmental (TOE) framework. Through a review of existing literature and online resources, this study firstly identified a basket of AI technologies perceived as relevant for South African banking firms. Six technologies that represent the basket of AI technologies were identified, namely: machine learning, robotic process automation, expert systems, virtual assistants, natural language processing, and pattern recognition. Secondly, the study aimed to determine the current state of adoption of the AI technologies. Thirdly, the study aimed to determine the factors influencing the adoption of AI technologies by banking firms. A systematic literature review was undertaken to determine the technological, organisational and environmental factors that influence technology adoption. A model using pre-determined TOE factors was developed and tested. The cross-sectional, quantitative study was undertaken via a self-administered, online questionnaire to a sample of 307 respondents from South African banking business units, resulting in 62 responses. Diffusion curves were used to illustrate the current adoption of AI technologies. The results revealed that robotic process automation is the most diffused technology, while natural language processing was the least diffused technology. The results also revealed a significant intention to adopt AI technologies in the next three years. The data was subjected to reliability and validity tests which established that the construct measures rendered consistent and reproducible results, and accurately depicted the constructs they were assigned to measure. Thereafter, correlations analysis was utilised to test the model’s hypotheses, and a multiple and stepwise regression were used as further tests of the model. Results revealed that AI technology skills, top management support, firm size and competitive pressure were positively related to the adoption of AI technologies, while perceived benefits, information technology infrastructure, cost, competitive pressure, regulation and mimetic pressure were not supported. AI technologies is a contemporary topic and is gathering a great deal of attention in both academia and practice. By applying the TOE framework, this study has provided a theoretical contribution and addressed a research gap in existing literature, specifically demonstrating that AI adoption is a function of all three contexts, i.e. technological, organisational and environmental. This study also provides a practical contribution for banking firms as they can understand the current adoption status of the average South African bank. Furthermore, for firms considering the adoption of AI technologies, this study offers insights into the relative influence of the TOE factors, and provides guidance to facilitate benchmarking and processes of adoption.
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    The adoption of social media in a South African banking organisation :a qualitative diffusion of innovation perspective
    (2019) Mehlomakulu, Sidima
    Social media adoption has seen a rise across businesses in recent history, this is also seen in the increase of publications related to this subject. ICT adoption studies have used many theoretical lenses, in multiple contexts to observe the diffusion phenomenon at an organisational level. However, the understanding of the adoption of social media in large South African organisations has scant research. This study explores the antecedents surrounding the decision to adopt social media, in a South African banking organisation, using an extended Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theoretical framework. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews are deployed as the methods used to gather insights from decision makers and other impacted business functional areas, to gain a richer understanding of the phenomena. The theoretical contribution of this study provides an enriched understanding of social media diffusion in a South African banking organisational setting, by incorporating concepts of strategy, vision and goals, internal organisational social and cultural structures, as well as external and competitive pressures to the DOI theory. Findings suggest that further concepts such as reputational risk, social media innovativeness and organisational change, could be further explored. Practically, the findings may be used in the decision process of social media implementation, social media strategy development and to improve business operational efficiencies.
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    The impact of mobile banking on the bottom of the pyramid consumers in South Africa
    (2017) Tshabalala, Thobile
    Menstrual Hygiene Management is a process of keeping clean by girls and women through washing, changing and disposal of sanitary protection during their monthly periods. When schools provide a conducive environment for girls to manage their menses, girls become empowered and confident to participate in education without fear and embarrassment. Lasi High school in Mpolonjeni constituency is a rural school in low income settings whose girls like many girls in the area have to manage their monthly menstruation. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences and practices of rural school girls in Mpolonjeni community in managing their menses. A qualitative exploratory and descriptive study was undertaken through focus group discussions. The researcher managed to purposively select a sample of two focus groups with ten participants, each, three teachers and the Deputy Head Teacher. The study finding reveals that girls experience a number of challenges when managing their menses in the school setting which the school administration is not entirely aware of. Some of the issues raised by the girls can be addressed without unreasonable costs implications but through empathy and general support. The study recommends a further investigation for Education and school policies that will enhance enabling school environments to support girls in managing menstruation at school.
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    Turning on the townships: a study of discourses of financial inclusion in South Africa
    (2016-10-10) Kruger, Graunt
    Financial inclusion is promoted as an important economic development program to solve the lack of access to formal financial services for billions of people around the world. The concept “financial inclusion” has entered mainstream business and development discourses as an all-encompassing term for innovation in financial services for the poor. South African policymakers and financial service providers have embraced this approach to address some of the country’s political, social and economic imbalances. A number of examples are held up as successes of financial inclusion such as India’s “Jan Dhan Yojana” initiative. The program, launched in August 2014, signed up 75 million people to new bank accounts in under three months. South African policymakers and financial service providers have also embraced financial inclusion to address the country’s political, social and economic imbalances. Several consequences challenge this optimistic view. The first issue is the high level of dormancy across various services. India’s account has up to 75% dormancy, much like South Africa’s Mzansi account launched expressly for financial inclusion in 2005. It was abandoned by 2012 due to lack of use. The second major issue is adverse inclusion that arises after people are “financially included” and they end up worse off than before. In August 2014 African Bank, the largest lender to low-income individuals in South Africa, failed because it had issued loans to customers who eventually could not afford to repay them. Despite these issues, the focus of financial inclusion remains on targets of density, penetration and geographic access as measured in the World Bank’s Findex, a global financial inclusion database. Practitioners and researchers tend to be concerned with how people as borrowers, savers, bank account users and mobile phone users access and use financial services. Yet an unexplored issue is how these subject positions came to be, how they are maintained and the specific rationalities that accompany them. Following Foucault, this study is an attempt to understand how the concept of financial inclusion has functioned in our society to create human beings as subjects. This is a seven-year genealogical research project of South Africa’s national financial inclusion effort. Over this period, three discourse clusters were identified and analysed. The first cluster consists of 12 texts produced by a range of public, private and civil society institutions. The second cluster of academic discourses on financial inclusion consists of 3 83 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2009 and 2013. The third cluster is a collection of texts from local sources in two townships produced by those individuals who are often the subjects in the other discourse clusters. The analysis reveals dominant modes of objectification in each cluster and the synthesis enables the search for evidence of a regime of truth on financial inclusion. Evidence indicates that dominant discourses of financial inclusion, irrespective of origin, limit subjects to existing practices of money management. Therefore, despite claims of the sweeping changes that can result from financial inclusion, this study argues that this form of development discourse perpetuates existing concentrations of wealth. Counter-narratives that link financial inclusion and asset building offer an important break in this dominance
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