4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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Subject: search.filters.subject.South AfricaSubject: search.filters.subject.Banking

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    Financial inclusion through WhatsApp banking in Johannesburg
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Miller, Jade Rowan; Balabanoff,Garth
    Approximately three billion people will use mobile banking by 2024. Mobile devices and widespread Internet access are helping to boost mobile banking's popularity. Retail banks can now offer their customers even more convenience with mobile banking applications like WhatsApp. Consumers and financial institutions have embraced advanced technologies, including mobile banking, in recent years. Social media, mobile banking and new ideas like WhatsApp banking have made it easier for people to do business. Mobile banking is now possible thanks to high smartphone penetration and technological advancements. The fourth industrial revolution will continue to exponentially transform the modern economy. Globalisation has forced banks to open new channels to remain competitive in today's market. Banks have had to cut costs and improve their financial position by introducing new products and services. Mobile banking has grown rapidly globally due to the rapid development of information technology. Due to multi-channel distribution, most banks now have a global presence with cross-border customers. A quantitative approach was taken to examine factors that may influence behavioural intention to use WhatsApp banking in the context of financial inclusion. A questionnaire was used as the primary data collection instrument. The survey was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to people living in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study adds to the body of knowledge by identifying factors that influence WhatsApp banking adoption, particularly in developing countries. The Technology Acceptance Model by Davis (1985) was used to investigate behavioural intention to use WhatsApp banking. My findings show that perceived trust, banking inclusion, perceived usefulness and awareness all play a significant role in WhatsApp banking adoption. Managers in financial institutions should focus on increasing consumer trust across all age groups to increase customer comfort with non-traditional banking platforms in general and thus increase financial inclusion. This is crucial because ix WhatsApp banking has the potential to bank the unbanked and underbanked while also increasing financial inclusion.
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    Determinants of intrapreneurial performance within the banking industry in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Govender, Thanusha; Urban, B.
    The ability for large corporates to remain competitive and grow ahead of the market in an era that has been defined by globalisation, the fourth industrial revolution, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic has become increasingly difficult. Therefore, it is a critical imperative for organisations to develop a new capability that equips them to navigate the turbulent global macro-economic environment and complex business markets successfully. Globally, banks have experienced severe pressure to transform their business models from capital intense businesses into revenue diversification drivers through new fee-based services. Investors are leaning towards new generation banking models that serve customers holistically, intuitively, and better by employing “new age” technology solutions, as profitability levels within global banks have slipped below the cost of shareholder equity. Coupled with the reality on the ground pre-2020, COVID-19 has become awatershed transformation moment for banks. It has accelerated many long-term banking trends that have resulted in customer shifts in relation to their needs, behaviours and expectations and has subsequently impacted their recovery performance. As such, African banks need to pivot their focus towards growth and relevance by ensuring the establishment of a fundamentally different business model that provides integrated digital ecosystem solutions that go beyond traditional banking, and offer to ensure market competitiveness. Corporate entrepreneurship is a strategic capability that enables organisations to embed innovation as a core competency and simultaneously engage in explorative and exploitative activities, which are essential thrusts in the strategic renewal of a company. This research study enriched the domain of corporate entrepreneurship by deepening the understanding of the mechanisms that underpin the corporate entrepreneurial embedment process, within a dynamic complex organisational setting. This was through the development of a core embedment capability model of corporate entrepreneurship that predicts the value drivers of corporate entrepreneurial performance and explores the contextual corporate entrepreneurship nuances attributed to banking corporations domiciled in Africa. This study importantly furthered contextual setting theory development and shed light over the heterogeneity of corporate entrepreneurship, which arose due to an idiosyncratic corporate entrepreneurship embedment process. This process consists of institutional path dependencies that resulted from gradations in the macro, meso, and micro layers. The model and theories emanating from this study not only aimed to bridge the research gap by exploring the dynamic complexity of corporate entrepreneurship, but also assessed the knowledge transfer of market intelligence into corporate entrepreneurial performance, and the significance of network ties in developing countries as an influencer of corporate entrepreneurial activity. In this research study, the levels of corporate entrepreneurship within the financial services sector of companies domiciled in South Africa were analysed to determine the quantum of influence that organisational, individual, and environmental antecedent factors have as predictors of corporate entrepreneurial performance. This was a precursor to crafting an embedment capability model that would enable financial services organisations to embed a corporate entrepreneurial ecosystem systematically, and enable effective and agile corporate entrepreneurial transformation. The research purpose was achieved by employing a three-prong approach. First, a configurational method was applied to existing literature to consolidate prevailing theories and to integrate existing models and frameworks as a basis of the proposed theoretical model. Second, the theoretical model was empirically tested using partial least squares structured equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to validate the model and to establish causal relational influence among the three different sets of antecedent variables. This would determine their quantum of impact on corporate entrepreneurial performance. Finally, an optimal configuration was proposed as a premise to describe and predict corporate entrepreneurial performance as a function of system thinking. The empirical evidence from this study validated that the most significant transformational driver of corporate entrepreneurial activity within incumbents remained organisational antecedents and entrepreneurial corporate strategy as the bedrock of a corporate entrepreneurial embedment ecosystem. Its singular effect on corporate entrepreneurial activity was circa five times larger than any other predictor within the corporate entrepreneurial embedment ecosystem. This was flanked equally by employee enablement of the corporate entrepreneurial strategy and the execution of the corporate entrepreneurial strategy. Employee enablement consisted of two supporting predictors, namely, the decisions and behaviours of transformation leaders, and the entrepreneurial cognitive horsepower of employees to develop initiatives and formulate strategic plans that enable the delivery of the corporate entrepreneurial strategy. Strategy execution encompassed two underpinning predictors, namely, the implementation of an organic organisational structure and the deployment of novel resource recipes to build new capabilities and adjacent capabilities to a firm’s core offering. Considering the nuances in the African operating environment, both macro level antecedents and network ties were deemed non-significant direct value drivers of corporate entrepreneurial performance within African banks.
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    Determinants of intrapreneurial performance within the banking industry in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Govender, Thanusha; B, Urban
    The ability for large corporates to remain competitive and grow ahead of the market in an era that has been defined by globalisation, the fourth industrial revolution, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic has become increasingly difficult. Therefore, it is a critical imperative for organisations to develop a new capability that equips them to navigate the turbulent global macro-economic environment and complex business markets successfully. Globally, banks have experienced severe pressure to transform their business models from capital intense businesses into revenue diversification drivers through new fee-based services. Investors are leaning towards new generation banking models that serve customers holistically, intuitively, and better by employing “new age” technology solutions, as profitability levels within global banks have slipped below the cost of shareholder equity. Coupled with the reality on the ground pre-2020, COVID-19 has become a watershed transformation moment for banks. It has accelerated many long-term banking trends that have resulted in customer shifts in relation to their needs, behaviours and expectations and has subsequently impacted their recovery performance. As such, African banks need to pivot their focus towards growth and relevance by ensuring the establishment of a fundamentally different business model that provides integrated digital ecosystem solutions that go beyond traditional banking, and offer to ensure market competitiveness. Corporate entrepreneurship is a strategic capability that enables organisations to embed innovation as a core competency and simultaneously engage in explorative and exploitative activities, which are essential thrusts in the strategic renewal of a company
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    Analysis of cultural identity mix within Chinese banks operating in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-04) Mongalo, Theodora Thandekile; Volker, Cordelia
    Banking in South Africa has evolved with the internationalisations of banks over the years. As at 31 December 2021, there were 31 banks operating in South Africa. Of these, 13 were local branches of foreign banks, employing both home and host country nationals. The blend of nationalities in these banks results in a cultural mix. The aim of the study is to understand structural consensus in a setting that has a cultural mix. The structural consensus theory states that socialisation within a setting is guided by rules and behaviour, and these form the culture in the setting. To understand this, the researcher analysed the cultural identity mix in a Chinese bank operating in South Africa, guided by the work- related cultural dimensions used in studies of cross cultures. The cultural dimensions were applied to communication, conflict management, decision making, leadership and employee satisfaction. The study followed a deductive approach, on a single case study which allowed the researcher deep engagement with participants. Qualitative data was collected by way of semi-structured interviews from participants, representative of the cultural identity mix in the case. Focus was on understanding how cultural values affect communication, conflict and conflict management, decision making and leadership support. The aim of the researcher was to verify whether the assumption in the literature on cultural dimensions hold, in the selectedcase and how / if there is cultural consensus and social consensus. The data collected was analysed through the application of Colaizzi’s strategy, a data analysis method that allows for exhaustive approach to understanding the everyday lived experience in a social setting. The study reveals some similarities and some differences in the cultural values and beliefs of Chinese and South Africans. The two national cultures were found to display different values when communicating. These differences create barriers to social order. The cultural identity mix further displayed conflicting values in their approach to conflict and conflict management. The adopted values to conflict and conflict management are those of the Chinese culture and this creates an illusion of social order. Hierarchy was found to play an important role in decision making and involvement in the decision making process. Both cultures displayed respect for hierarchy and therefore there was social order when it comes to decision and decision making. Leadership and the support they offer was situational and supported the theory that states that leaders create a culture within an organisation. The outcomes of the study will contribute to existing literature and close gaps in existing literature. The first contribution is that culture is innate, secondly cultural dimensions can be partially used to explain cultural values, but they necessarily reflect the values of individuals. The study also provides support that culture is learnt and this results in tools for cultural and social consensus where there is a cultural identity mix. Another contribution of the study is the understanding of the Chinese and South African national culture, and emphasis on the strong cultural values of Confucianism for Chinese and Ubuntu for South Africans. Future research is recommended to focus on limitations of the study which include a replication of the study on a different population in order to add to the dependability and credibility of the results. Another recommendation is for a study that distinguishes between the various sub- cultures within the blanket South African culture
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    Determinants of non-performing Loans and their impact on profitability in South African banks
    (2020) Mogagabe, N
    The study aimed to examine the determinants (macroeconomic and bank specific) of nonperforming loans in South Africa and assess the impact of non-performing loans on banking profitability. It has been demonstrated by the above statistics that South African banks are facing bad loan debt repayments which in turn turns into non-performing loans. Although it can be argued that the level of non-performing loans in South Africa is relatively low, the level of bank credit impairments threatens bank stability in the economy. The study was based on the cointegration and Granger causality method which was applied to panel data drawn from a sample of 8 banks. The granger causality test indicated that no variable Granger causes non-performing loans although non-performing loans granger caused GDP and capital adequacy. Furthermore, the Granger causality test indicated that non-interest income to total income Granger causes return on assets. Therefore, non-interest income to total income is a significant determinant of bank profitability as measured by return on assets.
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    The influence of digitalisation on the changing nature of employment within the South African banking sector workforce
    (2020) Naidoo, Therusha
    Digitalisation, and the acceleration of technological innovations, is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and is resulting in the disruption of many industries across the world. The growing impact that digitalisation is having on existing skills and jobs is a cause for concern as this will potentially result in job displacement and a skills and talent shortage. This research aims to better comprehend the influence of digitalisation on employment within the South African banking sector workforce to ensure that banks are ready for this impact. This will enable banks to act by designing and implementing informed plans of action for their employees as they drive towards a greater degree of digitalisation in their businesses, minimise potential job losses, and create new jobs. This research therefore seeks to investigate and understand the following research questions: • How has digitalisation affected employment in the financial services sector, specifically banking? • How has digitalisation changed the nature of jobs in banking? • What type of new jobs have been created as a result of digitalisation? • What can banks do differently when digitising as it relates to employees? To answer these research questions, a qualitative research methodology was applied with a single case study being utilised. The case study was conducted on one of the big five major banks in South Africa on which the study was conducted. The primary data was collected via semi-structured interviews with 15 respondents (executives and senior managers) who have experience in the organisation and/or exposure to how digitalisation has influenced the changing nature of employment across the various levels of employment within the banking sector. The key findings of this research are that: • Digitalisation has resulted in a decrease in the demand for routine, mundane, clerical, and administrative jobs, and an increase in the demand for highlyskilled and more service jobs that need to be fulfilled by individuals who are highly-skilled. • The three key drivers that have impacted the changing nature of jobs in banking as a result of digitalisation have been identified as: o Prudent and robust cost management, improving business efficiencies, and growing revenues and profits. o The clients’ influence on the changing nature of employment in banks. o The growing importance of the role of data in a bank’s digitalisation journey. • The new jobs that have been created as a result of digitalisation have been identified. • The key focus areas for banks as they digitise have been identified as: o Change management. o The need to upskill, re-skill, and/or re-purpose employees so that they remain relevant as new skill sets and expertise are required, and to ensure the future readiness of employees as digitalisation becomes more embedded in the organisation. o Increasing support by banks for growing entrepreneurs through the creation of an entrepreneur ecosystem. This research recommends that in order for banks to manage the impact of digitalisation on banking, they need to: • Identify jobs at risk of no longer existing, and implement ways to re-skill, upskill, and/or re-purpose individuals in these jobs so that they can be transitioned into highly-skilled jobs or jobs that are becoming more in demand as a result of digitalisation. • Upskill, re-skill and/or re-purpose employees to ensure that they have the skills to cope in the digital world. This can be done through a variety of initiatives such as learnerships, academies, mentorships, and partnering with Fintechs. • Establish entrepreneurship support systems to decrease the dependency on formal employment.