Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 376-389). / Microfiche. / 2 v. (xix, 389 leaves, bound) ill. 29 cm

The financial industry and more specifically Retail banking is a very competitive industry. The profit margins are shrinking with the entrance of newcompetitors into the market place. During the last two to three years various foreign banks have opened offices in South Africa, cherry picking the high net worth customers fromthe traditional high street banks. The product range between these banks is the same, maybe at times presented in a different wrapping. The one differential factor between the various banks is service and the quality thereof. The researcher, being a banker, decided to investigate how to improve the quality of service which is the main problemof this study. The secondary problems or subproblems are: * How to solve service breakdown? * How to retain customers after a service breakdown? The researcher first did a literature survey focusing on the key drives of this research namely: * Improving quality service. * Problem resolution. * Customer retention. An empirical investigation was also undertaken focusing on the personal market segment and the high net worth individuals. The demarcation of the survey was restricted to a specific area on the South Coast of KwaZulu Natal, and in particular the retail market and three specific branches on the South Coast, namely: * Scottburgh; * Margate, and * Port Shepstone. The main finding of the empirical survey indicates an average service rating of 8.38, which is in excess of the financial institution’s national service objective of 8.22 for 2001. This indicates that in most areas the service quality of this financial institution is good. The results fromthe literature survey as well as the empirical investigation indicated that service quality can only be achieved through a collective effort from all role players within the bank. The resolution of service breakdown needs to be controlled and managed to rectify breakdowns effectively within specific time limits that are acceptable to the individual customer. The barriers to retain customerswill become less effective should the financial institution not be able to restore or improve service quality for their customers.

M.Comm. / This dissertation reports on the findings of a study conducted in order to understand the factors that impact on retail bank customers‘ attitudes towards and usage of internet and cell phone banking services in Gauteng, South Africa. A conceptual model based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) plus other variables including trust, subjective norm and demographic variables was used to help understand factors that impact on adoption of electronic banking. Data was collected from customers of the four biggest banks in South Africa namely ABSA, Standard Bank, First National Bank and Nedbank. A total of 394 usable responses were obtained. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. A number of statistical tools were used in the analysis including descriptive statistics, correlation analysis correlation analysis, regression analysis and independent sample ttesting. The findings of the study reveal that customers‘ attitude towards internet and cell phone banking contributes significantly to customer‘s intention to start using or continue using internet and cell phone banking services. The findings also show that while differences in attitude may exist between customers across different demographic groups, demographic factors, alone, are weak predictors of attitude. The study found that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and trust; significantly contribute to customers‘ attitude towards internet and cell phone banking. Of these variables, trust emerged as the most important predictor of attitude towards internet and cell phone banking while the subjective norm was found to be the weakest predicator of attitude. The findings have wider implications on efforts aimed at attracting more customers to start using or continue using internet or cell phone banking services. The implications have also been discussed and suggestions for future research made.

As banks operate in a competitive environment, it is important for managers and marketers to identify how customer satisfaction and customer retention levels can be can be improved through social media aspects. Although models of customer satisfaction and customer retention have been well researched for client products/services, the literature available on social media as a marketing tool is limited in quantity compared to other more established areas of marketing. This research study reviews existing literature on the banking industry in terms of its characteristics and challenges. Literature on customer satisfaction and customer retention as relevant to the banking industry is reviewed, as well as how social media aspects can improve customer satisfaction and customer retention. Thus the primary objective of this study is to identify the social media aspects (benefits, clients’ trust and content) that influence the intervening variable (customer satisfaction) and dependent variable (customer retention) in the banking industry. An empirical investigation was undertaken to establish whether the independent variables; namely benefits, clients’ trust and content as related to social media can possibly influence customer satisfaction and ultimately customer retention in the banking industry. A positivistic research paradigm was followed for this study. Quantitative data was gathered by distributing questionnaires to a sample of bank clients and managers. The sample size consisted of 150 bank clients and 30 bank managers in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area in South Africa. The questionnaires were statistically analysed using the computer programmes Microsoft Excel and Statistica Version 12.0. The validity of the study was measured by utilising Exploratory Factor analysis. Cronbach’s Alpha correlation coefficients were calculated to measure the reliability and internal consistency of the measurement instrument of this study. Data was analysed in four phases. Descriptive statistics concerning the respondents and variables were calculated for this study. The validity of the measuring instrument was tested by performing EFA to consider construct validity. Thereafter, the internal reliability of the data was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha correlation coefficients. Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients and multiple regression analyses were calculated. Through multiple regression calculations, the relationships predicted by the four hypotheses were analysed. Finally, t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were conducted. The empirical investigation revealed that significant positive relationships exist between the independent variables benefits, trustworthy content and the intervening variable customer satisfaction, as well as between these two independent variables and the dependent variable customer retention. From the empirical results it was concluded that if banks offer benefits and trustworthy content to their clients through social media channels, clients are likely to be satisfied with and retained by their bank. This study established and confirmed the significant positive relationship that exists between customer satisfaction and customer retention in the banking industry. All bank managers and marketers will benefit from the empirical results as well as the recommendations of this study on how to improve customer satisfaction and customer retention through social media channels which will ultimately improve the performance of banks.

Customers have become the lifeblood of any organisation. Without customers, or-ganisations would not exist let alone survive in this competitive global environment (Grigoroudis, Politis and Siskos, 2002). Banks depend on sufficient and sustaining profitability to survive in the global business world. Customers are the source of banks‟ profitability. By satisfying the customer, the bank is able to retain the custom-er and reap maximum benefits from the relationship which ultimately leads to higher profitability. Customer satisfaction has therefore evolved as a strategic business ini-tiative which banks cannot ignore. Retention of the bank customer has become one of the most important objectives of the overall marketing strategy of any bank. In Kenya, the term „customer service‟ came to the fore just over fifteen years ago when banks started acquiring customer service departments. Since then, many cus-tomer training programs for staff have been put in place to transform the image of the customer as not just a profit-maker for the banks but as a human being with needs, which if not fulfilled will cause the customer to look for alternatives in the market. Training has focused on the bank staff whose customer handling skills have been sharpened. In spite of this, no empirical study has attempted to find out if the intended satisfaction of the customer has been achieved or not, which is indicative of little or no attention being given to this important phenomenon. In Africa, with the ex-ception of South Africa, empirical studies on customer satisfaction in the banking in-dustry are few. This gap presented the motivation for this study. The primary objective was to establish the determinants of customer satisfaction and retention in the Kenyan banking industry. The secondary objectives were to establish the relationship between socio-economic factors and customer satisfaction in Ken-yan banks; secondly, to determine whether bank-related factors influence customer satisfaction in Kenyan banks; thirdly, to identify the various strategies known to cus-tomers and employed by Kenyan banks to ensure customer satisfaction and customer retention and finally, to analyse the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer retention in Kenyan banks. The study adopted a descriptive survey design to suit the target population which was dispersed over a wide geographical region spanning the entire Kenya. The tar-get population included every bank customer in Kenya. Both qualitative and quantita-tive data were used. The data collection instrument was a self-administered ques-tionnaire that contained both closed and open-ended questions. Statistical tests were done using Pearson, Chi Square, Anova, Pearson Correlation and Multi-linear re-gression. Data were presented using frequency distribution tables, percentages, cross tabulation and pie charts. The findings indicated a positive relationship be-tween bank-related factors and customer satisfaction and retention. The conclusion was that if banks improved on factors like quality service, staff orientation towards customers, availability of management and ATM uptimes just to name a few, propor-tionately, customer satisfaction and retention would be enhanced. Finally, recommendations based on the findings were made to the Kenyan banks highlighting antecedents which would enhance the customers‟ satisfaction and reten-tion in the Kenyan banking industry.

If you do not own the latest technology today it is thought that you are left behind in this technology driven age. More businesses use Self- Service channels to accommodate the increasing demands of customers. It has been said that the use of self-service channels can reduce input costs, increase efficiency and improve customer service. Unfortunately, many customers are left unsatisfied because retail banks are moving away from the human interaction when visiting a branch or advise customers to use their self-service channels, sometimes without any assistance. This causes customers to move banks, complain and in so doing reduce profits and customer relationships with their banks.This research’s main objective was to determine the impact of customer relationship management on retail banks that make use of self-service channels. A theoretical overview of self-service channels and customer relationship management was given. Advantages and disadvantages of each option were explored. The researcher wanted to explore the relation between customers using self-service channels and the assistance and protection provided by retail banks. The customer experience questionnaire used in this research asked retail banking customers from the South African population to determine how customers perceive and experience their banks’ self-service channels and customer service. Many questions relating to their needs and wants with regards to banking have been explored. The results show that most customers are satisfied with their banks in general but do feel that the banks can improve their customer service and assistance with regards to using self-service channels like ATM’s, online and telephone banking and E-Wallet. It has concluded that most customers choose their banks based on advertisements and other media, not customer service, product range or word-of-mouth. The general perception is that customers say that their bank charges do justify the customer service received.

This study investigates the relationship of bank customers’ behavioural patterns based on the customers past transactions, with respect to their profile characteristics. The main aim of this study is to illustrate that different categories of customers (based on demographical variables such as race, gender and age) have statistically significant differences in behaviour, with respect to how they operate their accounts. A theoretical overview on the literature of customer relationship management in the banking sector emphasises the importance of understanding customers to ensure that a business is successful. Four null-hypotheses where formulated based on a general research hypothesis. The data base provided a major South African bank is used to achieve the objectives. Extensive cleaning of the data set was necessary to ensure the validity of the results. The data set had 7860 customer keys. The large data base used contributed to the reliability of the results. The following behavioural variables were used in the study namely, transaction data, average debit and credit transaction amounts and average number of transactions per month. The main results of study indicate that different customer categories have statistically significant differences in behaviour, with respect to how customers operate their accounts. This implies that it is important for the banking sector to consider customer gender differences, age differences and race group differences in the relationship strategies which they employ in their multicultural environment. Further research in the area may be necessary before generalisation can be made on all banking customers.

M.B.A. / Assessment of the service quality in the banking sector is necessary to obtain general performance result for both bankers and customers. Barclays presence in Mauritius dates back to 1919, and since that time the Bank has played a key role in the expansion of business on the island. Barclays currently holds a sixteen percent market share with the two local banks Mauritius Commercial Bank and State Bank Mauritius dominating their presence with a forty percent and thirty percent market share respectively. Barclays Bank Sub Sahara Africa has recently embarked on a major customer service revolution. This study attempted to examine any significant gaps between actual methods used to measure service quality within Barclays Bank Mauritius and empirically tested models in service quality and suggest how service can be better measured at Barclays by measuring service areas where significant gaps are identified between actual methods and empirically tested models. Models have been developed to find measure and assess the determinants of service quality. The works of Parasuraman et al. (1985, 1988, 1991, and 1994) led to the development of a service quality model (SERVQUAL) which is the result of a comparison of the expectations and perceptions of customers regarding a particular service and this model is used in this study. In view of improving customer service, Barclays Bank has been involved in a number of customer service surveys. For the purpose of this study, the researcher has used the results of existing surveys collected from 250 customers of Barclays in Mauritius. In addition, primary data was randomly collected in Mauritius at the main branch which is located in Port-Louis and a sample total sample size of 120 of which 60 were customers and 60 Barclay’s staff. iv Existing surveys shows that service is on the decline within Barclays Banks Mauritius. An overall gap of -1.2, performance (P) is less than expectation (E), showed that customers are dissatisfied with the overall level of service offered by Barclays Bank in Mauritius. An overall service gap of -1.04, performance (P) is less than expectation (E), showed that staff are dissatisfied with the overall level of service offered by Barclays Bank in Mauritius. Four new service dimensions were extracted from the customer data and six new service dimensions from the employee data which confirms that there is significant difference between customer and staff service dimensions at Barclays Bank Mauritius. Both the exiting surveys done by external researchers and the data in this study have the same overall conclusion, that is, service quality at Barclays Bank Mauritius is on the decline. Hence, no significant difference between theory and practice of customer service satisfaction at Barclays Bank Mauritius. A starting point to get service right within an organization has to start with the service providers themselves, all too often organizations steam ahead with service initiatives and campaigns but do not have the support and buy in of their staff. This study concludes that if employees are not properly equipped and motivated, service quality is adversely affected. Training is of prime importance to assist the company in increasing the level of service. Areas of further research has been identified for other industries in the country, banks and other institutions in the region and internationally.

M.Comm. / Rationalization processes are part and parcel of the environment within which we all function. ABSA Bank Limited is one of the companies that had to be rationalized. The banking sector is a very competitive sector. The only way for a company to be distinguishable from other similar companies, is to excel in quality service performance. The overall goal of this study was to determine to what extent, Gap 3: The performance gap, exists in the International Banking Services of ABSA Bank Limited and also to formulate recommendations on how to decrease the size of Gap 3. Gap 3 forms part of the service quality model, which consists of five gaps, designed by Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml (Zeithaml et al, 1990:46). The first of these gaps, Gap 1, constitutes the difference between the client's expectations and the management's perception of the client's expectations. The second gap, Gap 2, is representative of the difference between the management's perception of the client's expectations and the expected service quality specifications. The third gap, Gap 3, concerns itself with the difference between the specifications for the service and the actual service delivered. The fourth gap, Gap 4, represents the difference between the actual service delivered and the promise of the service which was communicated to the client. The fifth gap, Gap 5, called the service quality gap, defines the difference between the client's expectations and the client's perceptions of service quality. Gap 5 is the result of all the aforementioned gaps. The study was based on a questionnaire designed by Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml (Zeithaml et al, 1990:196 - 197, 201-205). In conclusion, the studies showed that the actual size of Gap 3 is smaller than expected for a company which has recently been rationalized. The main factor contributing to the existence of Gap 3, is the evaluation and remuneration processes. The second factor, is the employees' need to be empowered to take more decisions on their own. The last main contributor to the size of Gap 3, is role conflict: due to the rationalization process, the employees are not sure of what is expected of them. Recommendations were made to decrease the size of Gap 3 even further, in order for ABSA Bank Limited to be more successful in the banking sector.

by Chan Kit Ping, Wendy. / Includes questionnaire in Chinese. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-52). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.vi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.viii / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TELEPHONE BANKING SERVICE IN HONG KONG --- p.7 / High Telephone Usage in Hong Kong --- p.7 / Telephone Banking Service as Differentiation Weapon --- p.8 / Hectic Life Style of Hong Kong People --- p.8 / High Property Prices in Hong Kong --- p.8 / Labor Shortage in Hong Kong --- p.9 / Chapter III. --- INDUSTRY REVIEW --- p.10 / Development of Telephone Banking Service in Hong Kong --- p.10 / Procedure of Using Telephone Banking Service --- p.12 / Variants of Telephone Banking Services --- p.16 / Chapter IV. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.20 / Adoption of a Service Innovation --- p.21 / Adoption of New Banking Technology --- p.21 / Hypotheses Setting --- p.25 / Chapter V. --- RESEARCH METHOD --- p.27 / Research Information Needed --- p.27 / Research Design --- p.29 / Demographic Characteristics of the Sample --- p.33 / Chapter VI. --- RESEARCH ANALYSIS --- p.34 / Awareness of Telephone Banking Service in Hong Kong --- p.34 / Way of Learning about Telephone Banking Service --- p.34 / Adoption of the Service --- p.35 / Reasons for Using the Service --- p.35 / Frequency of Using Telephone Banking Services --- p.36 / Most Frequently Used Services --- p.36 / Satisfaction Level of Users --- p.37 / Reasons for Not Using the Service --- p.37 / Attitude Towards Telephone Banking Service --- p.37 / Psychographic Characteristics of Users vs Non-users --- p.38 / Chapter VII. --- RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.40 / Ways to Recruit New Users --- p.40 / Ways to Encourage More Usage from Existing Users --- p.43 / Operational Recommendations --- p.44 / Chapter VIII. --- LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS --- p.46 / Questionnaire Setting --- p.45 / Sample Size --- p.47 / The Use of Personal Questions --- p.48 / Suggestions for Future Researches --- p.48 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.50 / APPENDIX --- p.53 / Questionnaire --- p.53 / Figures 1-13 --- p.63-80 / Tables 1-13 --- p.81-93