Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 70-72).

Thesis (M.B.M.) -- University of Adelaide, Faculty of Economics, 1969.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xxii, 211 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-158).

The South African banking industry is currently facing increasing macro- and micro-environmental pressures which had led banks to move towards customer-oriented strategies. This has influenced the way their systems and processes are developed and innovated to provide a satisfactory service to their clients. It appears that service quality has been the differentiating factor that has set the competitors apart in providing their customers with a unique customer experience through client relationships and interaction. As a consequence, banks have resorted to implementing various training and leadership interventions as a driver, to effectively empower their employees to improve service quality The aim of this research study was to identify the impact that training and leadership programmes implemented by a particular branch of Standard Bank South Africa (SBSA) had on employee empowerment. This was achieved through a comprehensive literature review and an empirical study to measure whether employees had perceived themselves to be empowered. The results from this study will be used by the Human Resource Division of SBSA to evaluate and implement effective training methods for the employees of the selected branch in order to improve employee empowerment. This would serve as a great benefit for the bank as employees that are satisfied with the work are generally more productive, hence producing increased revenue for the organisation. An empirical study was embarked on to measure the respondents’ perception of being empowered and involved a survey of eighty-three employees of the retail branch in the Sandton, Johannesburg area. Forty-three of the employees responded to the anonymous questionnaire and the data obtained was analysed and interpreted into meaningful results. The results of the survey indicated that the majority of the employees at the selected branch perceived themselves to be empowered and it was concluded that the implementation of the training and leadership programmes by SBSA had a positive impact on them. The following recommendations were made: - Firstly, to increase training and development, in the form of leadership courses, inter-departmental learning and on-the-job training sessions to develop the employees to their full potential; - Secondly, management needs to encourage employees to participate in discussion forums and staff meetings and involve them in decision-making thus improving the perceived lack of a free-flow of information and transparency within the workplace; - Thirdly, team leaders and supervisors should encourage support and coaching of the junior employees by giving them constructive on-going feedback, supporting their ideas, delegating tasks, and giving them direction on the way forward; - Fourthly, a review of the reward and recognition system would be advisable where employees are rewarded (financially or non-financially) for a job or task well done, or to promote certain behaviours and attitudes in the workplace; and - Finally, it was recommended that the employees be informed and educated on the benefits, associated for both the employees and the organisation, of the Scheme in order to increase their commitment and performance. The empowerment of employees in the organisation is important as it involves employees who take responsibility for their decisions and actions because they are primarily the ones who solve the problems in their own teams. Empowerment in organisations can thus lead to less absenteeism, lower employee turnover, less employee training costs, increased employee satisfaction and more productive employees.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1985.

Thesis (PhD) -- Australian Catholic University, 2003. / Submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Bibliography: p. [230] - 262. Also available in an electronic format via the internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xv, 241 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-201). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

The purpose of this study was to determine what the motivational drives are for employees working in an investment bank and whether money plays a roll in motivating employees working for an investment bank. The target group for this study was all the employees who have been in the employment of the target organisation for one year and longer. This group was divided into subgroups of specialist transactors and specialist support personnel. The profile of these two subgroups included a variety of ages, gender, races and educational backgrounds. Data was collected using a questionnaire that was discussed with each employee who agreed to participate in the study. The study clearly illustrates that money can be the primary drive for motivation to certain employees within an investment bank. When one ranks what makes the two subgroups work, it is quite clear that the ability to earn a bonus and the ability to earn more money is highest on the list of specialist transactors, whereas the specialist support personnel enjoys the culture of the bank and has to get job satisfaction to make them work. These results reflect the motivational drives of the sample group at the time of this research. The study concludes that one of the primary motivational aspects for the subgroup of employees which was subject to the empirical study is that these employees are motivated by the mere fact that they can earn more money and a bigger bonus as well as obtaining job satisfaction and having the ability to make their own decisions. The study discussed Maslow’s and McClellands need theories as well as various other motivational theories and approaches employers can introduce to motivate employees. Maslow’s and McClelland’s need theories were directly related to the empirical study with the view whether these two motivational theories can be applied successfully within an investment bank. Based on the results of the empirical study, the researcher came to the conclusion that both these theories can be equally successfully applied to employees working in the target organisation. / Dr. K. Stanz

M.Com. (Business Management) / In the course of firms serving their own interest of securing financial profit, there is a responsibility to take action in protecting and enhancing the interest of the society in which they operate, with the total endeavour and effect of improving the quality of life. This is often done by giving back to the society in the form of community involvement projects. The main objective of this study is:  To investigate the extent to which the value chain in employee volunteering - community involvement programmes is understood and fully optimised from these stakeholders‟ perspective. There were three types of respondent groups within the entire population of Choma, involved in this study. Firstly, there was a respondent group of five senior CSR managers at Choma who manage and co-ordinate all CSR activities within the bank. They have full knowledge of the scope of Choma CSR stated objectives and what is happening in the context of Choma CSI projects, and can thus give valuable insight to the Choma CSI projects‟ current state, including successes and challenges. Two CSR projects were selected by these senior CSR managers, where one was really outstanding and one was also completed, but not considered as valuable in attaining Choma CSR objectives as good as the first. The first group of respondents are members who were actively involved in Project 1 from Choma RBB operations, while the second group was involved in Project 2, from RBB Choma personal loans. Three employees were interviewed from each project. These projects were executed in two different communities leading to two additional respondent samples drawn from the two communities. Two community members were interviewed from each community. This provides three views of the research problem and a triangulation from three different sources of CSR value to a community. All interviews were face-to-face in the respective offices of the respondents by scheduled appointments.