This diploma thesis deals with a business plan of a private company JKWM operating in a business of financial services. JKWM offers to its client's advisory services and specializes in credit advisory and distressed capital solutions. In theoretical part of the thesis were covered necessary information and legislative demands for doing business in financial intermediary services and lending. In practical part of the thesis is a business plan itself with predicted future development and estimated financial results. Significant amount of chapters of the thesis is devoted to recent developments in an economic environment and to credit market analysis. Author provides a risk analysis of lending operations and marketing strategy of the company. Conclusion covers market share potential, evaluates credibility of the planned financial results and identifies an opportunity to establish and manage a fund of qualified investors.

Orientation: CEO remuneration has attracted attention over the past two decades, with significant renewed interest in light of the role it is said to have played in contributing to the global financial crisis. At the heart of the issue is the perceived weak relationship between corporate performance and CEO remuneration.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between corporate performance and CEO remuneration within the South African financial services industry.Motivation for the study: The motivation for the study was to develop a deeper understanding of the relationship within the South African context, as South African banks have remained stable and profitable through the financial crisis.Research design approach and method: The research was a quantitative, archival study, conducted over a six year time period. The primary statistical techniques used in the study included: bivariate regression analysis, multiple regression analysis, and analysis of variance.Main findings/results: The primary finding was that the relationship between corporate performance and CEO remuneration is favourable (moderate to strong), but has experienced a decline. This finding emphasises the impact that macroeconomic trends have on the relationship and the role of managerial power during periods of economic uncertainty.The research further describes the structural changes in CEO remuneration with a shift away from variable pay.Practical managerial implications: The results suggest that the use of discretion and the growing impact of managerial power will be key challenges that iii remuneration committees will face in maintaining a favourable relationship between the two constructs in the future.Contribution/value add: The study provides context to CEO remuneration within a South African framework. It further provides provides a key insight that the relationship between corporate performance and CEO pay is highly dependent on the macroeconomic environment, and that CEO pay in the South African financial services is experiencing structural changes. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Valet av bank är ett komplext köpbeslut vilket kan komma att ha påverkan på privatekonomin. Denna studie undersöker hur svenska privatkunder tänker och resonerar kring deras val av bank samt hur de upplever sina bankrelationer i frågan om kundnöjdhet. Studien är kvalitativ och det empiriska materialet består av tolv semistrukturerade intervjuer med personer i blandade åldrar som har genomfört ett bankbyte och upplevt sökandet efter ny bank. Med stöd i teorierna som förklararar finansiella köpbeslut samt vilka faktorer som kan komma att påverka beslutet så visar undersökningens analys att relationen är av mycket större vikt än vad kunderna själva upplever. Relationer påverkar den upplevda kundnöjdheten vilket resulterar i lojala bankkunder. Respondenterna lägger stor vikt vid smidiga bankaktiviteter och smidig kundrelation.

Mobile phone service is increasing among low income populations; however, with over 1 billion mobile service users worldwide, many people still lack banking services. Banks do not reach out to the poor because of the high operational costs involved. Scholars and industry practitioners have indicated that mobile phones could be an alternative channel for delivering financial services to the less advantaged and unbanked, without requiring a traditional bank with a branch network. The purpose of this bounded case study was to explore the strategies bank managers used to implement the new mobile banking service to the Ethiopian community. The new product development theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. Twenty experienced bank managers were interviewed from the leading private bank in Ethiopia. Data were segmented and categorized. After member checking and triangulation, data were sorted into 4 themes: development, testing, commercialization of new products or services, and an organizational commitment to adopt new technologies and innovative processes. The findings may contribute to the body of knowledge regarding strategies bank managers can use for implementing and introducing new products in order to contribute to the prosperity of individuals, businesses, and communities.

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Due to employees’ reduced entitlements to the German statutory state pension on the one hand, and the challenge to employers of a skilled worker shortage on the other, employers’ contributions towards occupational pension schemes (OPS) might be an effective human-resources management tool. Thus, the overarching research question is: What is the relevance of OPS for the employment relationship in Germany? Five sub-research questions address the role of OPS in recruitment and retention management, organisational commitment, the potential differences between women and men and between young and old employees and the employees’ psychological contract. The empirical study is a single case study in the financial-services sector. Key findings: OPS are of more relevance for retaining employees than for recruiting them. Their role differs significantly between employees with different generations of the OPS and, therefore, different pension entitlements. Only minor differences can be found between women and men and between younger and older employees. Satisfaction with the occupational pension scheme has no significant impact on organisational commitment. The majority of employees perceived psychological contract fulfilment with respect to the OPS. The contribution to theory is the closure of five research gaps. As far as is known, this is the first study in Germany that analyses the role of OPS in a specified context and from multifaceted viewpoints (recruitment/retention, quantitative/qualitative, men/women, age groups). The contribution to practice comprises the provision of a transferable analysis blueprint of the role of OPS in the employment relationship and the provision of recommendations that relate, among others, to communication and information aspects, cost-benefit calculations and the usage of additional employer contributions as a possible selective reward element.

With the proliferation of digital services and technologies, industries, including thebanking sector, are looking for innovative ways to improve customer experience. The criticalaspect of improving customer experience is increased customer satisfaction, which helps toattract new customers and to retain existing ones. Chatbots have emerged as a promisingsolution, offering a convenient and personalized way for customers to interact with banks andother financial institutions. This thesis analyses the impact of chatbots on customer satisfactionthrough a comparative study of customer satisfaction between Sweden and India. By providinginsights into the similarities and differences in customer perceptions between the two countries,this thesis aims to contribute to the existing literature on the effectiveness of chatbots. This studytakes a socio-technical perspective to explore how customers perceive satisfaction when usingchatbots in their financial services. The findings shed light on the impact of chatbots on customersatisfaction in different markets and contribute to the understanding of the adoption of chatbots inroutine banking assistance, especially in a cross-cultural context. In designing effective strategiesfor using chatbot technology to improve customer experience in the digital age, the findings arevaluable for banking institutions and policymakers.

This study investigates the impact of technological advancement in community bank lending, more specifically, how online financial product and service offerings affect community banks' performance. Community banks, institutions with assets under $1 billion are praised as relationship banking specialists, are important source of credit to individuals and businesses. Their productive performance is highly beneficial for the economic development of the communities and customers that they serve, yet community banks' competitive power against large banks has become increasingly more challenging. Technological advancements radically shift all production and service based industries, including the banking industry and its institutions' offerings. The increasing use of online products and services provides convenience for bank customers, and eventually creates more demand, and boosts up the industry competition. Regarding the impact of technological advancements in the banking industry and the specific position that community banks carries, the question arises of "How does a changing technological landscape affect community banks' performance?". This study aims to contribute to the understanding of how these institutions can better utilize their limited resources to improve their performances.

In an era of increasing globalization and rapid technological evolution, SMEs are leveraging innovations to navigate complexities and seize opportunities in global markets. Various firms have adopted innovative technologies in their operations, with FinTech breakthroughs being a particularly interesting area for companies to explore. This qualitative study aims to provide a deeper understanding of how FinTech is reshaping pathways for SMEs to expand internationally beyond their domestic markets and seeks to explore the specific FinTech solutions facilitating this expansion. Utilizing a combination of methodological tools, including semi-structured interviews with key business players, real-life case studies, analysis of previous scientific research, and thematic exploration, the study employs an abductive research approach to gather comprehensive data and contribute significantly to the topic in question. The findings reveal that FinTech products and services significantly influence European SMEs, facilitating cross-border operations, improving access to foreign markets, and managing the risks of international business. Essential FinTech services identified include digital payments, online lending, cash flow management tools, and online billing and invoicing tools. The research also highlights that for certain underserved regions in Europe, FinTech solutions often represent the only viable option for international operations. Tech-driven SMEs and younger entrepreneurs are the most frequent consumers of FinTech technologies. While the future of FinTech is uncertain, its current importance in the SME landscape is clear, influencing both its continued relevance and potential for further evolution. Through this in-depth investigation, the thesis emphasizes FinTech’s transformative role in helping SMEs thrive in the international arena, making it a key aspect of the international business plans of SMEs.

Direct response advertising in the financial services industry in South Africa has become one of the most important tactics companies utilise to build and maintain market share. Ensuring that these advertising campaigns yield optimal return on investment numbers is the responsibility of marketing departments and their partners in the marketing and sales processes, such as the creative and media agencies, the distribution force, as well as the client service area that supports the client value proposition. The marketing executive therefore is accountable for the planning, budgeting and execution of direct response campaigns, which need to deliver sufficient results to support the company’s overall business objectives. The challenge all marketers face is the lack of a proven structured and scientific methodology to facilitate this planning, budgeting and execution process. It has always been a general view in the marketing fraternity that it is extremely difficult if not impossible to combine creative output measures, which are subjective in nature, with cost, sales and profit measures, which are objective in nature. This study aims to create a structured approach to marketing strategising and planning, by creating a marketing metrics model that enables the marketing practitioner to budget according to output needed to achieve the overarching business objectives of sales, cost management and profit. This marketing metrics model therefore unpacks the business drivers in detail, but through a marketing effort lense, to link the various factors underlying successful marketing output, to the bigger business objectives. This is done by incorporating both objective (verifiable data, such as cost per sale) and subjective variables (qualitative factors, such as creative quality) into a single model, which enables the marketing practitioner to identify areas of underperformance, which can then be managed, tweaked or discontinued in order to optimise marketing return on investment. Although many marketing metrics models and variables exist, there is a gap in the combination of objective and subjective factors in a single model, such as the proposed model, which will give the marketer a single tool to plan, analyse and manage the output in relation to pre-determined performance benchmarks. / Business Management / DCOM (Business Management)