M. Tech. Business Information Systems / The Banking industry globally provides Internet banking in order to offer their customers easy access to banking services. In South Africa, the banking industry has developed into a mature sector that is well managed and uses most advanced risk-management systems in conducting business. The banks in South Africa, like their counter parts in other parts of the world offer Internet banking to customers. However, the majority of South Africans in rural areas do not adopt and use Internet banking despite its convenience, the availability of Internet banking Infrastructure, the effort of banks in promoting Internet banking awareness and Internet security. This research investigated factors which influence the adoption and use of Internet banking in the context of South African rural areas.

M.Tech. Business Administration (MBA)

Thesis (M.Tech.: Marketing)-Dept. of Marketing, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 xviii, 161 leaves / Information technology is fundamentally changing the banking industry worldwide. The advent of internet banking offers banking firms a new frontier of opportunities and challenges. An understanding of how demographic characteristics, social factors, and consumer perceptions and attitudes towards internet banking influence the adoption of internet banking can allow banks to create solutions and plans to attract consumers to their internet banking services, thus enabling them to gain a greater share in the banking market. In South Africa little is known and understood about the emergence of internet banking even though this is now beginning to represent an important share of the banking market. This is because internet banking is a new industry here, and so consumer acceptance and use of internet banking is still limited. To date very little research has been conducted into factors which influence consumer adoption of internet banking, and so therefore there is a need for a study such as this. This study investigates attitudes of retail banking customers in South Africa, specifically in the Ethekweni metropolitan region, towards the adoption of internet banking.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2012. / Online banking in the financial sector has revolutionised the banking industry. This study aims to determine the perception of electronic banking, from the consumer`s perspective among Congolese consumers using South African banks in the Greater Durban area. Banks are competing on the basis of technology and service offering to win a sizeable share of the online market. Congolese consumer is a good target market, however, very little is known about the factors influencing Congolese consumer behaviour in the online banking sector in Durban. An understanding of the demographic profile, factors prompting the use of electronic banking and motivators influence the adoption of electronic banking. Analyses of Congolese customers adopting electronic banking will facilitate the formulation of marketing strategies to foreign nationals in South Africa. The empirical section of the study involved data collection through the use of self-completion questionnaires administrated by the researcher. A survey was conducted in the greater Durban area using convenience sampling methodology and 288 completed questionnaires were collected by the researcher. The key findings revealed that the demographic profile (gender, area of residence, marital status, and income categories) influences the adoption of electronic banking as a segmentation basis. It was interesting to note that most of respondents were married and reside in Central Durban and South Durban. Furthermore, psychological factors (motivators, attitudes, perceptions and perceived risk) were found to influence the adoption of electronic banking to a large extend. Interestingly, cultural factors (social class, age and education level)play a significant role in the adoption of electronic banking by Congolese customers of South African banks. The findings also revealed that the driving force for the adoption of electronic banking was that respondents have a job which requires them to have a bank account. Most of the banks in South Africa offer free internet banking to their clients. Since convenience sampling method was used, the findings of this study may not be generalised. Based on the findings of this study it is apparent that the customer analysis of banking clients should be examined on a regular basis. A customised strategy for foreign national customers residing in South Africa should be developed on a regular basis.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The internet is widely regarded as a major driving force that is changing the business environment in terms of industry boundaries, competitive forces, and the character of business practices. Electronic commerce on the internet provides businesses and consumers with an alternative choice to conduct their business transactions. In the services research literature the component of electronic commerce that receives the most attention, is the business-to-business component. This study focuses on the business-to-consumer component, with special reference to the service quality of internet banking in South Africa. The literature study investigates extant literature on the internet and electronic commerce, service quality as applied to an internet-based consumer-business interaction, and the current state of the internet banking environment in South Africa. The literature study is supported by statistics on the current internet access, and how this affects the adoption of internet banking in South Africa. Statistics on the current internet banking environment is also presented and discussed. The empirical study focuses on the service quality of internet banking in South Africa. The research instrument is a checklist-based questionnaire and it is applied to the internet sites of the four major banks, namely Amalgamated Banks of South Africa, Standard Bank, Nedbank, and First National Bank. The result of the evaluation yielded data that is useful to determine the qualitative nature of the banks' internet offerings in terms of ease of use, functionality and extra mile service. It also provides a measure of the comparative nature of the internet sites of the banks. Recommendations relating to improved service quality in internet banking are suggested and areas of future research are identified. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die internet word alom beskou as 'n hoof dryfkrag vir die verandering van die besigheidsomgewing in terme van die industrie grense, kompiterende dryfkragte en die aard van die besigheids praktyke. Elektroniese besigheid via die internet verskaf aan besighede en hulle kliente alternatiewe metodes om besigheid-transaksies te beklink. Die komponent van elektroniese besigheid wat tans die meeste navorsings-aandag geniet, is die besigheid-tot-besigheid komponent. Die fokus van hierdie studie is op die besigheid-tot-klient komponent, met spesiale verwysing na die dienste kwaliteit van internet-bankwese in Suid Afrika. Die literatuur studie fokus op huidige literatuur aangaande die internet en elektroniese besigheid, dienste kwaliteit soos toegepas op die internet-gebaseerde klient-besigheid interaksie, en die huidige toestand van die internet bankwese in Suid Afrika. Die literatuur studie word gerugsteen deur statistiek aangaande die huidige internet toegangklikheid, en hoe dit die aansluiting van internet bankwese in Suid Afrika beinvloed. Statistiek wat die huidige internet bankwese in Suid Afrika beskryf word ook aangebied en bespreek. Die empiriese studie fokus op die dienste kwaliteit van internet bankwese in Suid Afrika. Die navorsings instrument was 'n oorsiglys-gebaseerde vraelys wat aangewend was op die internet webtuistes van die vier grootste banke in Suid Afrika, naamlik Amalgamated Banks of South Africa, Standard Bank, Nedbank, and Eerste Nasionale Bank. Die resultaat van die evaluasie het data opgelewer wat nuttig is om die gebruiks vriendelikheid, funksionaliteit, en die kwaliteit van hulle aanvullende internet dienste te bepaal. Dit het ook 'n maatstaf van die kompiterende aard van die banke se internet webtuistes verskaf. Die studie word afgesluit met voorstelle wat kan dien om die dienste kwaliteit van internet bankwese te verbeter en voorstelle vir toekomstige navorsing word aangebied.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Marketing)-Dept. of Marketing, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 xviii, 161 leaves / Information technology is fundamentally changing the banking industry worldwide. The advent of internet banking offers banking firms a new frontier of opportunities and challenges. An understanding of how demographic characteristics, social factors, and consumer perceptions and attitudes towards internet banking influence the adoption of internet banking can allow banks to create solutions and plans to attract consumers to their internet banking services, thus enabling them to gain a greater share in the banking market. In South Africa little is known and understood about the emergence of internet banking even though this is now beginning to represent an important share of the banking market. This is because internet banking is a new industry here, and so consumer acceptance and use of internet banking is still limited. To date very little research has been conducted into factors which influence consumer adoption of internet banking, and so therefore there is a need for a study such as this. This study investigates attitudes of retail banking customers in South Africa, specifically in the Ethekweni metropolitan region, towards the adoption of internet banking.

M.Comm. (Information Technology Management) / The advancement of technology in mobile devices, places South African banking institutions in unique positions to leverage these advancements into innovative, value-added services. Mobile banking is one such innovation that has afforded banking clients the ability to - amongst other services - view bank statements, pay bills, and transfer money. Despite a growing trend towards mobile banking service offerings by South African banks, privacy and security issues are still considered a concern. This dissertation conceptualises the influence of demographic factors on perceptions of mobile banking. Privacy Calculus Model (PCM) has been used as a theoretical lens to explain the cognitive process involved when a potential mobile banking subscriber is presented with mobile banking technology solutions. PCM is extended by abstracting the risk/benefit trade-off psyche held by SA bank clients, and there is an attempt to explain, using PCM, the bank clients’ cognitive process and willingness to subscribe to mobile banking services. A quantitative research method has been used for this purpose. Purposeful sampling that targeted South African bank account holders was applied. Empirical results show that potential South African mobile banking subscribers are not homogenously influenced in the same manner. Instead - for example - people in different age groups are subject to different influences than a grouping defined by highest education level. Thus, in order for South Africa’s four big banks to attract and retain mobile banking subscribers, they should realise that different groups of people are influenced by subscription to mobile banking in different ways.

Despite the widespread adoption of Internet banking, no guidelines exist on what functionality the techno-savvy Generation-Y customer segment (20–37 years) expects from Internet banking websites. This research investigated the functionality that South African Generation-Y customers require from this transacting platform. A user-centred design philosophy with a mixed method research design was used. The technological characteristics of Generation-Y, abstracted from the literature, were aligned with functionality trends of future Internet banking websites to formulate an initial list of Internet banking functionality guidelines. These were evaluated using a survey and interviews, and were also used in a heuristic evaluation of the Internet banking platforms of five South African banks. The findings were integrated to synthesise functionality guidelines. A visual representation of these guidelines was constructed as wireframes for evaluation by Generation-Y users. This study makes a contribution by providing a validated list of Internet banking functionality guidelines for Generation-Y banking customers. / College of Engineering, Science & Technology / M. Tech. (Information Technology)

Despite the widespread adoption of Internet banking, no guidelines exist on what functionality the techno-savvy Generation-Y customer segment (20–37 years) expects from Internet banking websites. This research investigated the functionality that South African Generation-Y customers require from this transacting platform. A user-centred design philosophy with a mixed method research design was used. The technological characteristics of Generation-Y, abstracted from the literature, were aligned with functionality trends of future Internet banking websites to formulate an initial list of Internet banking functionality guidelines. These were evaluated using a survey and interviews, and were also used in a heuristic evaluation of the Internet banking platforms of five South African banks. The findings were integrated to synthesise functionality guidelines. A visual representation of these guidelines was constructed as wireframes for evaluation by Generation-Y users. This study makes a contribution by providing a validated list of Internet banking functionality guidelines for Generation-Y banking customers. / College of Engineering, Science and Technology / M. Tech. (Information Technology)

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / The study investigated the effects of social media on mobile money adoption in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The main gap identified in empirical literature is the omission of social media use in technology adoption models and social networking theories. While some theories acknowledge the role of social influences in technology adoption, the social interactions considered therein are not mediated through the internet as is social media. Furthermore, no empirical study has to date focused on how social media influences mobile money technology adoption. Thus, this study deviates from the offline social network analysis approach which is restricted to the neighbourhood effects, physical contact, cell phone calls and text messages where information on mobile money technology is disseminated to an individual’s limited social circle. The secondary data used for the study were obtained from individual responses in the cross-sectional FinScope consumer surveys South Africa 2015 and Zimbabwe 2014 which were conducted and reported by FinMark Trust (2015; 2014). The study employed the binary logistic regression model to estimate the nature of effect. The results of the study indicated that use of social media had a positive and statistically significant impact on mobile money adoption in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. The results also revealed that despite there being a lower internet penetration and social media usage rate in Zimbabwe than South Africa, the use of social media in the former led to a higher rate of mobile money adoption. The study also established that mere use of social media and availability of mobile money technology did not translate to a high adoption rate; instead, availability had to be matched by a demand for the financial services. Additionally, the study found that the interaction of mobile money adoption and use of social media increased the overall mobile money adoption in both countries. The study recommended the implementation of collective policies that increase internet penetration to facilitate increased use of social media platforms and promote mobile money adoption to foster improved financial inclusion in developing countries. / Hierdie studie het die gevolge van sosiale media op die ingebruikneming van mobiele geld in Suid-Afrika en Zimbabwe ondersoek. Die belangrikste leemte wat in empiriese literatuur geïdentifiseer is, is die weglating van die gebruik van sosiale media in tegnologieaanvaardingsmodelle en sosialenetwerkvorming-teorieë. Hoewel sommige teorieë (teorie van beredeneerde handeling; teorie van beplande gedrag; diffusie van innovasie) die rol van sosiale invloede op tegnologieaanvaarding erken, word die sosiale interaksies wat daarin oorweeg word nie deur middel van die internet bemiddel nie, soos wel in die geval van sosiale media. Boonop het geen empiriese studie tot op hede gefokus op hoe sosiale media die ingebruikneming van mobielegeld-tegnologie beïnvloed nie. Hierdie studie wyk dus af van die niegekoppelde sosialenetwerkontleding-benadering, wat beperk is tot die omgewingsgevolge, fisieke kontak, selfoonoproepe en teksboodskappe, waar inligting oor mobielegeld-tegnologie aan ʼn individu se beperkte sosiale kring versprei word. Die sekondêre data wat vir die studie gebruik is, is verkry uit afsonderlike response in die deursnee- FinScope-verbruikersopnames (Suid-Afrika 2015 en Zimbabwe 2014), wat onderneem en bekendgemaak is deur FinMark Trust (2015; 2014). Die studie maak gebruik van die binêre logistiese regressiemodel om die aard van effek te skat. Studiebevindings dui daarop dat die gebruik van sosiale media ’n positiewe en statisties beduidende uitwerking op die ingebruikneming van mobiele geld in sowel Suid-Afrika as Zimbabwe het. Die resultate wys ook dat, ondanks ’n laer internetpenetrasie en sosialemedia-gebruikskoers in Zimbabwe, die gebruik van sosiale media in Zimbabwe tot ’n hoër koers van ingebruikneming van mobiele geld in dié land as in Suid-Afrika tot gevolg het. Daar word verder waargeneem dat die blote gebruik van sosiale media en die beskikbaarheid van mobielegeld-tegnologie nie geredelik omgesit kan word in ’n hoë ingebruiknemingskoers nie; beskikbaarheid moet met ’n vraag na die finansiële dienste gepaard gaan. Daarbenewens toon die studie dat die interaksie tussen mobielegeld-ingebruikneming en die gebruik van sosiale media die oorkoepelende ingebruikneming van mobiele geld in albei lande versterk. Die studie beveel die implementering van beleide aan wat internetpenetrasie verhoog om wydverspreide gebruik van sosiale media te fasiliteer, wat op sy beurt die ingebruikneming van mobiele geld sal bevorder, wat finansiële insluiting sal bevorder. / Ucwaningo luphenyisise imiphumela ye-social media ekwamukelweni kwe-mobile money eNingizimu Afrika naseZimbabwe. Igebe elikhulu eliphawuliwe kwimibhalo yobufakazi ukweqiwa kokussetshenziswa kwe-social media ekwamukelweni kwama-technology adoption models kanye namathiyori e-social networking. Kodwa amanye amathiyori (i-theory of reasoned action; i-theory of planned behaviour; i-diffusion of innovation) amukela indima yemithelela ye-social influences ekwamukelweni kwetheknoloji, ngokusebenzisana kwama-social interactions abonelelwe lapha, awaxhunyaniswa nge-inthanethi, njenge-social media. Kanti-ke futhi okunye, akukho bufakazi bocwaningo kuze kubemanje obugxile kwindlela i-social media enomthelela ngayo kwi-mobile money technology adoption. Ngakho-ke, lolu cwaningo luyehluka kwizinqubo ze-offline social network analysis approach, enezihibe kwimiphumela esondelene nayo, ukuxhumana ngokubamba, ukushayelana izingcingo nge-cellphone, kanye nemilayezo ebhaliwe, lapho ulwazi kwi-mobile money technology lusatshalaliswa kumuntu ngamunye nalabo asondelene nabo. I-secondary data esetshenzisiwe kucwaningo itholakale kwizimpendulo zabantu ngamunye kwi-cross-sectional FinScope consumer surveys (iNingizimu Afrika 2015 kanye neZimbabwe 2014), olwenziwa nokubikwa nge-FinMark Trust (2015:2014). Ucwaningo lusebenzisa i-binary logistic regression model ukulinganisa inhlobo yomphumela. Imiphumela yocwaningo ikhombisa ukuthi i-social media inomphumela omuhle futhi ngomphumela wezibalo ezibalulekile ekwamukelweni kwe-mobile money okwamukelwe kuwo womabili amazwe iNingizimu Afrika kanye neZimbabwe. Imiphumela ikhombise nokuthi, ngisho noma i-inthanethi ingakangeneleli kangako kwezinye izindawo, kodwa izinga lokusetshenziswa kwe-social media eZimbabwe kungaphezulu kuneNingizimu Afrika, ukusetshenziswa eZimbabwe kuhola phambili ngezinga eliphezulu ekwamukelweni kwe-mobile money kunaseNingizimu Afrika. Kanti futhi kuphawulwa ukuthi ukusetshenziswa kwe-social media kanye nokutholakala kwe-mobile money technology, akuhambelani ngezinga lokwamukelwa kakhulu; ukutholakala kumele kuhambelane nesidingeko samasevisi ezezimali. Nangaphezu kwalokho, ucwaningo lukhombisa ukuthi ukusebenzisana kokwamukelwa kwe-mobile money nokusetshenziswa kwe-social media kuphakamisa ukwamukelwa kakhulu kwe-mobile money kuwo womabili amazwe. Ucwaningo luncoma ukuthi ukwamukelwa kwemigomo enyusa ukungenelela kakhulu kwe-inthanethi ukulekelela ukusetshenziswa kakhulu kwe-social media, kanti futhi lokhu okuzophakamisa kakhulu ukwamukelwa kwe-mobile money okusiza ukubandakanya wonke kwezezimali. / Business Management / D. Phil. (Management Sciences)