M.Com. / The purpose of this study is to consider the financial advice an estate agent should give the purchaser and seller of a house in order to allow the parties to have a clear understanding of the financial implications of the sale. Entering into an agreement of sale in respect of personal property, with specific reference to housing, has to be one of the biggest single investments of a person's life. Should a person make such a decision without having sufficient advice concerning the financial implications, making a mistake could have far-reaching results. That is why it is in the best interests of the country that both parties should receive comprehensive financial advice. Not all estate agents are able to provide professional financial advice to purchasers and sellers of houses. The main reason for this is insufficient agent training. In addition to this, agents are allowed to close deals between purchasers and sellers for a year before writing an examination according to law. Purchasers are generally uninformed about sale transactions and what is more, usually respond to advertisements encouraging them to purchase a home of their own at low monthly instalments. The hidden cost items are not always revealed to the parties to a sale agreement. An estate agent is not an "agent" in the true juridical sense of the word,because he cannot close a deal on behalf of his principal (who instructs him).

M.Comm. / The aim of this study was to prove the effectiveness of a Customer Service Index in improving customer service in a financial services environment. For this purpose, the implementation of a CSI in WesBank Corporate Finance was used as a case study. The success of this service strategy was dependent upon constant interaction with the customer in order to identify specific needs, to measure the delivery of these requirements, and to monitor the responses received from the customer base. By making comparisons between the two CSI's used, it was possible to discern a significant improvement in the ratings concerning various aspects of WesBank's service to customers, in addition to an increase in production, profitability and professionalism. The overall success of this measurement strategy was made possible by the total commitment and dedication of the entire staff of the organisation, and is clearly evidenced by the high standard of service quality which was attained, and is being maintained, through the implementation of this monitoring system.

D.Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) / The aim of this study was to develop a clearly defined organisational change management model to facilitate effective change leadership within Group Payment Systems. one of the departments of a South African bank A modernist qualitative methodology, with casing as research design and grounded theory as research strategy, was employed to develop a substantive model ...

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / This study assesses the challenges of microfinance and its prospects for poverty reduction in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. It further assesses the challenges faced by the regulators of microfinance in this economy. In doing so, the study informs the policy makers in Lesotho about strategies that could be adopted to improve the microfinance industry in the country for the benefit of a large sector of the population that does not have access to formal lending channels. The study examined ten informal and formal microfinance groups, five representatives of the formal institutions and two from the Government: the Central Bank of Lesotho (CBL) and the Ministry of Finance and Social Development. The results of the study reveal some fundamental lessons for microfinance industry in Maseru, Lesotho, which could be applicable to other developing countries as well. First, microfinance in Maseru has had a positive change on the lives of its participants as articulated by the interviewees in this study. Second, it has promoted entrepreneurship and enabled its participants to open small and medium enterprises. The results of which has been a shift in consumption patterns of participants and poverty reduction. Despite the positive impacts, microfinance in Maseru has had challenges. These challenges include unlawful practices undertaken by the informal microfinance institutions such as seizure of the assets from those who default on their loans. The lending risks faced by formal institutions as well as regulation challenges by the CBL. The policy implication of this study is that the CBL and the Ministry of Finance need to require informal groups to register for licences to eliminate the level of corruption and unlawful practices experienced in the informal microfinance industry.

This thesis, entitled “An analysis of bank risk management and its relevance for the non-bank corporate sector”, investigates the extent to which financial risk management by the banking sector can be applied to the non-bank corporate sector. As banks’ risk management techniques are more sophisticated than those of the non-bank corporate sector we have endeavoured to ascertain the applicability of these established risk management methods to the non-bank corporate sector. The main objectives of this study were to analyse the banking sectors’ risks and management thereof, and compare them to the risks faced by the nonbank corporate sector. This analysis was then used to present a theoretical financial risk management model for the corporate sector. This analysis was conducted using qualitative research. The thesis engaged in an in-depth investigation of financial risk management through a documentary, literature and media analysis. It was elucidated that not all companies face the same financial risks and therefore each company requires its own unique financial risk management model. Furthermore, it was established that there are several risks that both banks and non-bank corporates are subjected to. However, the management of these risks is not necessarily the same for these two types of institutes. This thesis concludes by putting forward a financial risk management model which presents all the possible financial risks that non-bank corporates may face.

In Kenya, like in many developing countries, Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) have become the main focus for achieving the much-needed social and economic development and alleviating poverty. However, their development has been hampered by lack of access to appropriate financial and related services. Micro financing has been seen as a viable alternative to providing financial services to entrepreneurs in the MSE sector. The focus of this study was to explore the role of MFIs in the development of MSEs and to see if there are ways in which this role can be enhanced to better support the growth of MSEs. Such enhancement would contribute greatly towards government efforts to foster social-economic development. The results of the research indicate that generally, MFIs appear to have positively influenced the growth of MSE in Kenya and have potential to further influence MSE growth. There were however a number areas that if paid attention to could enhance this influence. These include the need for MFIs to offer supportive services as opposed to merely credit facilities to MSEs and the need for government intervention by putting in place a suitable Act to regulate the operations of MFIs.

Rising global competition, the influence of advances in information technology and the re-engineering of business processes are some of the imperatives that force organisations to restructure their businesses. In South Africa, the situation is even more compelling, with the recent democratisation of the country that requires companies to implement certain restructuring programmes designed to empower previously disadvantaged individuals. Organisational restructuring is therefore inevitable for any organisation. These changes, however, do affect organisations and employees. Employees become insecure, confused about their jobs, and therefore less productive. To the extent that change can adversely affect both organisations and employees, it becomes critical that organisations should implement it carefully, if they are to survive. To achieve this, requires managers to fully understand drivers of change, the possible consequences of change on both organisation and employees, and to take appropriate actions. The main objective of this study was to identify possible approaches that organisations can pursue in implementing restructuring without adversely affecting the employees. The practical context chosen was an organisation that had recently implemented organisational restructuring. The research methodology for this study entailed the conducting of an intensive study of the relevant literature, to determine what the theory reveals in respect of restructuring strategies that can assist organisations in effectively implementing the restructuring process. Dissertations, theses, research reports and journals were consulted, in an attempt to formulate a theoretical basis for this study. The contemporary literature reveals that there are various strategies that organisations can employ to effectively restructure their organisations with minimal adverse influence on employees. The restructuring organisations should ensure that employees are genuinely involved in the process at the iv outset. The desired changes and the benefits thereof, should be clearly and consistently communicated to the employees at the beginning of the restructuring process. An empirical study was then conducted at the chosen organisation that had recently embarked on an organisational restructuring. The focal point of the empirical study was to determine how this organisation had implemented its restructuring process. The main purpose was to establish the impact that this restructuring had on the morale and motivation of the employees. The final step of this study included an assessment of the findings. This was done so that suitable conclusions could be drawn and appropriate recommendations made. The conclusions revolved around the effects of restructuring on the employees of this organisation. The focus of the recommendations was on what approaches the restructuring organisations should follow to successfully and effectively implement the restructuring process, without adversely affecting the employees.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the management of micro-finance institutions in Uganda has affected the performance indicators of these institutions, and whether or not the management of these institutions is responsible for their failure. The need to carry out this study arose as micro-finance institutions in Uganda failed to attain their planned performance indicators, to such a degree that most of them closed down. Although at their inception there was considerable entrepreneurial activity supported by a highly favourable government policy environment, their closure soon after establishment raised concern as to what caused them to fail. This study was encouraged by the observation that most of these institutions failed to realise their performance indicators as planned, but the underlying cause was not clear. Thus, the study focuses on establishing stakeholder perceptions of the management of the micro-finance institutions, and the relationship between their management (planning, implementation of planned programmes, and control) and their performance indicators, following the rationale of the functional and contingency paradigms of the concept of management. The study examines the way management dealt with these institutions‟ internal and external environments to influence their ability to realise their planned performance. The study is conducted using positivistic research methodology. This involved a collection of quantitative data from a sample of 454 respondents, including 64 managers, 177 employees, and 213 clients. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data, and purposive and convenience sampling were applied to select the respondents. The respondents were selected from 56 randomly selected micro-finance institutions operating in Central Uganda and representing 75 percent of the country‟s operational institutions by December 2009. The data were analysed using the narrative, chi-square test, the ANOVA, factor analysis, and correlation and regression methods of analysis aided by the SPSS programme. The findings show that 79.2 percent of stakeholders (managers, employees, and clients) perceived that the management of their institutions was not conducted well in terms of planning, plan implementation, and control. Eighty-one (81) percent of both managers and employees and 83.4 percent of clients held the perception that the institutions failed xvi to achieve their performance indicators as planned. Furthermore, 81.7 percent of both managers and employees described their institutions‟ internal environment as largely defined by unsatisfactory supervision, and 66.9 percent of them revealed that their institutions‟ external environment was defined by family relations. These relations adversely affected the ownership, decision-making, employee recruitment, and deployment in the institutions. The findings also show that there were significant positive but weak relationships between management (planning, implementation, control, and dealing with the internal environment and the impact of the external environment) and the performance indicators of the institutions. The management of the institutions realised only 24.8 percent of their predicted performance indicators. Of the 13 null hypotheses that were formulated for this study, seven were rejected and the alternative hypotheses were accepted, while six were accepted. All the dimensions of the management of the micro-finance institutions in Uganda need to be developed if the performance of the institutions is to be improved and sustained to desired levels. It is suggested that large performance improvements will be realised by ameliorating all the dimensions of the institutions' management, while placing more emphasis on improving the following dimensions: the organisation of the institutions; the managing of their internal environment and the impact of their external environment; the conduct of their internal concurrent control; and the planning of their performance indicators and marketing, involving all the stakeholders, in particular the managers, employees, clients, Government, and the Uganda Micro-finance Forum, where necessary. Further research is recommended into other factors affecting the performance indicators of the institutions, since none of the management functions had explained them properly.

Comparison of American and Czech financial system followed by analyses and investment strategy for selected institutions.

The dissertation focuses on different institutional models of financial regulation. It aims to ascertain whether any of the institutional models responds better to the current nature of financial markets.