M. Tech. Business Administration / In many developing countries, including South Africa, the banking sector is highly concentrated resulting in intense competition among the big four banks in South Africa (e.g. Standard Bank, Nedbank, First National Bank and Absa, and one emerging bank Capitec). In favourable economic conditions, the banking sector plays an essential role in the economic growth of the country. However, the global financial crisis of late 2007 changed the outlook for an already slowing economy, and South Africa was not immune to the impact of the global financial crisis-induced economic slowdown. The banks have been faced with increasing competition and rising costs as a result of regulatory, financial and technological innovation, entry of the foreign banks in the retail banking environment, local competitors who are introducing new and innovative product offering and the challenges of the recent financial crisis. These changes have had a dramatic impact on the performance in sales for commercial banks. Retail banking offers a comprehensive suite of products (e.g. Home Loans, Vehicle Finance, Sales and Investments and Cheques) to customers. It also provides these products through extensive branch networks. Over a period of six months, certain branches of Absa Bank have not been able to meet set targets in sales of the banking products and have caused under-performance in sales for the relevant branches. There are 47 branches in the Gauteng East Region and, among these, six branches were randomly selected under-performing branches in terms of sales targets. This research aims to determine the causes behind under-performance in these East Gauteng branches, as such information would provide management with useful information. The aim of the study is to tests the influence of employee satisfaction, service quality, and customer satisfaction on sales performance, i.e., how these variables impact on sales performance at the branch level.

Research on the labor impact of privatization usually equates the process to other types of restructuring processes, such as downsizing, mergers or acquisitions. It is argued that not unlike other restructuring processes, privatization is likely to generate organizational changes that may lead to major alterations in employment quality. Few studies, however, have investigated the labor effects of privatization and other restructuring processes in a comparative manner, especially in developing countries. The overall purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of the labor consequences of privatization in developing countries. This objective is undertaken through an exploration of the association between privatization and other restructuring processes occurring within the Brazilian banking industry and changes in employment quality, i.e., fluctuations in wages, non-wage benefits and job security. The most basic premise guiding this study's comparative framework is that the process of privatization is likely to affect labor in unique ways, that is, generating employment quality changes unlike those occurring at other sectors undergoing alternative restructuring processes. / The sample consists of 476 respondents: employees (survivors) and ex-employees (retrenched) of public, privatized and private banks. Data were collected in 1998 by using a method of triangulation, i.e., surveys and in-depth semi-structured interviews. The principal results for this study confirm that changes in employment quality are more significant for workers associated with the privatized sector when compared to workers affiliated with other sectors of the Brazilian banking industry. Both quantitative and qualitative data for this study suggest that significant transformations in employment quality occurred as a result of privatization. It is further argued that the decline in employment quality after privatization can be conversely understood as a negative commitment on the part of Brazilian employers. This lack of commitment can be ultimately associated with a new developmental model with a particular type of economic orientation and specific form of labor organization based on flexibility.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 114-115).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Tulane University, 1989. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-140).

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In the increasingly competitive world of retail banking, organizations are focusing their attention on customer service as a means of increasing customer loyalty and retention. With this goal of increasing customer retention, the link between the attitudes of the service provider (employee satisfaction), the customer interaction behaviors that those attitudes lead to (customer service quality), and the attitudes that those behaviors generate in the customer (customer satisfaction) has become an increasingly important area of investigation. The goal of this research is to analyze the relationships that exist between these three variables: employee satisfaction, customer service quality, and customer satisfaction in a mid-sized retail bank. Data from three separate surveys collected during the same time period in 137 branches of a regional bank are analyzed using multiple regression analysis to determine whether relationships and interactions exist at a banking center level. While results of the analyses did not show a significant relationship between the variables, issues relevant to this determination are discussed and conclusions drawn regarding the nature of these constructs.

This study was interested in female bank employees’ perceptions of work life balance at a banking institution in the Durban region. The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model was used as a theoretical framework to consider the demands that these women encounter as well as the support systems that they utilise to help facilitate work-life balance (WLB). Importantly, as a theoretical framework, the JD-R was used to bring to light employee experiences of their WLB in relation to their work demands and the resources that are available to them. A qualitative research design was used. Semi-structured interviews on a purposive sample of eight research participants were conducted within the sales and credit division at a large banking institution in the Durban region. Theory-led thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview transcripts. The findings of the study indicated that these women relied heavily upon domestic helpers in terms of household duties, extended family and their spouses in terms of childcare duties and needs. These employees felt that work dominates their lives more due to the core demands of meeting targets within the sales and credit divisions. These employees perceived that the bank as a whole was not supportive of WLB as they claimed to be and wanted to be involved with the HR Department in the formation of work-life balance policies. This research study offers insight into the needs of female bank employees and suggests the way forward for organisations to appropriately prioritise WLB as a quality strategy in an attempt to retain talented women in their sales and credit divisions. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.