LL.M. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M. Tech. Business Administration / Leadership and management style play a crucial role in an organization, yet not all leaders and managers are good. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dominant leadership and management style at First National Bank (FNB) in Gauteng. A quantitative, sample-based research method was used. An MLQ questionnaire instrument was used to collect data. A random sample comprising 150 FNB managers was selected. Of the 150 questionnaires distributed, 69 were completed which comprises 46% of the population. SAS Software version 9.2 was used to describe and cluster respondents & biographical variables. The General Linear Model was used to test the effect of each demographic variable.

Thesis (M.M. (Finance & Investment)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, 2016 / The study is an assessment of the current treatment of business risk, as a significant risk type for financial institutions. It includes an industry analysis of the five major banks in South Africa, as well as international banks, and how these banks currently manage business risk in the Pillar 2 supervisory process. It assesses economic capital frameworks and the importance of business risk in the risk assessment and measurement process in the global and local industry. Various methodologies have been researched to assess which statistical methods are best suited in the measurement of this risk type as well as the quantification of the capital levels required. This study has compared the available statistical methodologies currently used in the industry and concludes which is best given the issues pertaining to the modelling of business risk quantification. A statistical model has been developed to quantify business risk for a specific bank using bank specific data, using a methodology which is relatively generic and could be applied widely across all financial institutions. The model serves to illustrate the principles surrounding the quantification of business risk economic capital. / GR2018

M. Tech. Business Administration / Technology has become an integral part of the marketplace and customers are increasingly given the option or are being driven to access services by themselves through the use of Self-Service Terminal. The purposes of this study is to investigate factors that influences customer perceptions and associated value of self-service terminals machines within the South African banking context and particular within the province of Gauteng, as well as understand the influences of demographic variables that lead to acceptance and usage of self-service terminals in Gauteng.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Mzansi account initiative on the performance of the Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (ABSA). Mzansi account is a national entry level bank account that was launched in October 2004. The Mzansi bank account was established to cater for the previously disadvantaged people, living in remote and rural areas of South Africa. The Mzansi account is a product of the voluntary commitment by the Financial Services Sector as a response to the Government effort to address inequalities of the past. Historically, banks among other service providers did not actively offer banking services to poor people, especially those who lived in the rural and remote areas. This study examined how ABSA, in particular, reacted to Mzansi account conceptualization. The study also looked at the financial and non-financial impact of the implementation of the Financial Services Charter Initiative since 2004 until 2008. While the study focused on the charter since its conceptualisation, it also tracked the performance of ABSA a year before the charter which is the year 2003. Lastly, the study intended to evaluate the performance of ABSA, its macro and micro environment and the present day business environment within the FSC initiative scenario. The data collection for the study was acquired through literature review, observational study and case study research methodology. Findings of this study show that Mzansi initiative was found to have been a worthwhile initiative that has reached millions of low income people, who now have access to banking facilities and a formal banking instrument. However, the Mzansi initiative has not added a markedly value to the performance of ABSA bank. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

This research is an investigation of the relationship between employees 'happiness' and the financial performance of a financial services organisation in South Africa. As a component of the financial services industry the banking sector contributes greatly to the economic growth of the country. The South African Banking sector is concentrated and highly competitive. It is vital for banks to maintain competitiveness and ever increasing global competition adds further pressure on organisations to financially perform so as to meet the demands of their shareholders. The literature that has been reviewed and previous research suggest that employee 'happiness' is a vital variable influencing the performance and success of individuals. Organisational performance will be measured in terms of financial performance for the purposes of this research. The concept of financial performance and 'happiness' are discussed and a questionnaire based on the Satisfaction With Life Scale (Diener et al,1985) is used to determine the levels of 'happiness' at selected branches within the institution. The individual branches financial performance is determined via calculating selected ratios, namely cumulative leverage, cost to income ratio and net yield. An analysis of correlation was conducted to establish whether or not a relationship of statistical significance exists between employee 'happiness' and financial performance. It was concluded that there is no relationship of statistical significance between employee 'happiness' and the financial performance of branches within the organisation, it was suggested that other factors exert a much greater influence over financial performance. Some of these factors influencing financial performance are discussed and recommendations for further research are made.

M.Com. (Strategic Management) / Computer technology is a phenomena that has impacted on each and every sphere of life. The business world, in particular, has had to take cognisance of this fact. This study focused on how South African banks have made use of computer technology, more specifically CBIS. The study concentrated on the four largest banks in South Africa, being ABSA, FNB, Nedcor and SBIC. Besides being rated as some of the largest businesses in the country, these banks were also extensive users of CBIS. They also regarded IS of great strategic importance to them. Technology and information resources were looked at from a banking perspective. The technology resource was narrowed down to computer technology, consisting of hardware and software components. Information, having its origin in data, is a resource that was either overlooked or neglected by businesses. Banks did recognise the strategic importance of these resources, however they rated top managements' computer literacy somewhat unfavourable, which poses a problem for them. EIS was stated as a medium for executives to obtain their information from. The integration of IS as a strategic resource into the strategic management process of a bank formed the crux of this study. The strategic management process has to address this issue at a corporate level. In banks IS was regarded as an IT matter rather than a VlJ management matter, resulting in top management not getting involved or supporting IS strategies effectively. The supporting role of IS, both in business activities and management decisions, have to be fully understood and appreciated for optimal use of this resource. The strategic management process was discussed with strategy formulation coming first. Practical ways of integrating IS activities were given by addressing the strategic fit between the organisation and IS. Banks said that they did focus on IS in their strategic management process and that IS strategies were mostly implemented by them. Strategic control has to determine whether the intended IS strategies have materialised in what they were set out to achieve. A practical framework, based on IRM, was developed for banks. Some alternate strategies for IS, related to the revamping or upgrading of IS, were also highlighted. Banking IS for the future seem to be unlimited with new technologies developing daily. IS for banks in the future has to form an integral part of their strategic management processes. A bank has to assess where they are now regarding their IS, where they would like to be and then how to get there.

LL.M. (Banking Law) / When a bank employee commits fraudulent acts within the course and scope of his employment, he renders the bank vicariously liable for his fraud. The logical conundrum is that since a bank never employs someone to commit fraud, and since fraud is thus never in this sense within the course and scope of his employment, should the bank never be liable for this fraudulent conduct? If this were the law, the public could potentially be defrauded with impunity, because those defrauded would be left only with a claim against a fraudster who likely has no assets. This dissertation examines the common-law doctrine of vicarious liability and illustrates the sometimes-haphazard manner in which courts have applied the underlying principle to the varying facts that arise. It will be shown that the application of the doctrine to cases involving fraud by bank employees is particularly inconsistent and unsatisfactory. It will be proposed that the solution lies in the development of the common law so as to promote the spirit, purport and objects of the Bill of Rights, and particularly section 25 of the Constitution. 2 This paragraph conceptualises the vicarious liability doctrine. Paragraph 2 considers the application of the doctrine by the courts, and points to inconsistencies in approach. The third paragraph deals briefly with the position in two common-law jurisdictions, Canada and Britain. The final paragraph proposes a solution to the observed inconsistencies: an employee acts in the course and scope of his employment for purposes of imposing vicarious liability when the employer’s right not to be arbitrarily deprived of his property in terms of section 25 of the Constitution is acknowledged, and his vicarious liability is limited to cases where there is a rational relationship between the employee’s fraudulent conduct and the scope of his employment, and not an arbitrary deprivation. In considering the South African cases, it readily becomes apparent that the courts have already instinctively adopted the approach of examining the nature and extent of the deviation by the employee from the scope of his employment, but have not done so in the context of the property clause ...

This research investigates the relationship between organisational culture and financial performance in a selected financial services institution in South Africa. The banking sector as part of the financial services industry contributes to economic growth in the economy. The banking sector in South Africa is highly concentrated, but also highly competitive. It is important for banks to retain their competitiveness and increased global competition places further pressure on banks to perform financially in order to satisfy the demands of shareholders. The literature reviewed and previous studies both suggest that organisational culture is an important variable that influences organisational performance. For purposes of this research, organisational performance will be measured in terms of financial performance. The concepts of organisational culture and financial performance are discussed and a questionnaire based on Hall’s (1988) theory of organisational competence is used to determine the strength of the levels of the dimensions of competence as indicators of organisational culture within the selected financial institution. The financial performance of the branches within the organisation is determined by calculating certain selected financial performance ratios, namely cost-to-income ratio, cumulative leverage and contribution per employee. A correlation analysis is conducted in order to establish whether there is a statistically significant relationship between organisational culture and financial performance. A conclusion is drawn that there is a statistically significant relationship between the organisational culture and the financial performance of the branches of the selected institution and recommendations are made as to how financial performance can be improved by strengthening the dimensions of competence as indicators of organisational culture. These recommendations include specific actions that can be taken by leaders to improve commitment, collaboration and creativity.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the interest rate transmission mechanism for South Africa as an emerging economy in a pre-repo and repo system. It explains how the money market rate is transmitted to the retail interest rates both in the long-run and short-run and tests the symmetric and asymmetric interest rate pass-through using the Scholnick (1996) ECM and the Wang and Lee (2009) ECM-EGARCH (1, 1)-M methodology. This permitted the examination of the impact of interest rate volatility, along with the leverage effect. An incomplete pass-through is found in the short-run. From the entire sample period, a symmetric adjustment is found in the deposit rate, which had upward rigidity adjustment, while an asymmetric adjustment is found in the lending rate, with a downward rigidity adjustment. All the adjustments supported the collusive pricing arrangements. According to the conditional variance estimation of the ECM-EGARCH (1, 1), negative volatility impact and leverage effect are present and influential only in the deposit interest rate adjustment process in South Africa.