Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This report presents a structured approach to design and implement a shared services model for Capricorn Investment Holdings (CIH), Namibia. Shared services are tactical by nature and aim to support the organisation's strategy. Shared services are the consolidation of support activities into a business unit which operates on business principles and focuses on value creation, and the leverage of the skills and knowledge in an organisation. The successful transformation to a shared services business unit requires the transformation of the employees (people), business processes, and technology. Without the required transformation shared services will remain "faddish-, and the organisation will not gain the full benefits associated with shared services. The banking operations under the CIH group, similar to the other banks in Namibia are under ever increasing pressure to reduce costs, improve service, develop and deliver high quality banking products. These issues are important to increase market share and profits in order to position themselves as leaders against both traditional and non-traditional competition. CIH group now has a perfect opportunity, with business in Botswana, Zambia and Namibia to build a shared services model suitable to its needs and also to support the group strategy to expand throughout Africa. Although geographically dispersed operations or transaction centres will not go the way of the dinosaur, companies must design and manage each support function according to the integrated and, when possible, standardised model. This framework should allow for necessary geographic, regulatory or cultural variations, while ensuring maximum control and management. It must also achieve economies of scale and leverage employee expertise. That is why CIH firstly started off, with the process blueprint project, which caters for standard processes, and will be rolled out to the rest of the banking business. Secondly, after completion of the process blueprint project, CIH is going to follow a component business approach in order to make the transition to a shared services model much easier. Component business models offer a proven approach to driving a specialised focus, both internally and externally. With this exercise, CIH will be in a position to identify both the core and non-core components of its banking business. This will enable the group to take an informed decision on which components to share and which should remain in the different business units. Thirdly, the group is going to redesign the supply chain. Especially with the shared services model, a much closer, deeper relationship with intermediaries and service companies should be built to ensure that the group move in a customer centricity way. The optimum relationship would be long-term cooperation, joint planning of sales strategy and operations, and shared knowledge in order to optimise business, develop innovative initiatives and continuously improve to consolidate market position. Further to this study, CIH is going to re-evaluate its value chain where the support activities in a single organisation are extended across organisations, multiple companies, divisions or business units to cater for its expansion strategy. Lastly CIH, with its approach to firstly sharing the IT structure, then business processes, still have a few critical decisions to make. The shared services centre involves finding and assessing service providers, determining geographies from which to source the services, like will it be Botswana, Zambia, Windhoek or South Africa? Other critical issues are developing contracts, defining service levels and a myriad of other tasks. Whichever road CIH chooses, successful implementation demands considerable front-end investment and cultural transformation. To clear these initial hurdles, the group, especially senior management, must be fully committed to significant change. Key to successful implementation is distinguishing between the types of services to share, developing service contracts, choosing shared services staff carefully, benchmarking the service against outside vendors, establishing a governance board and designing an implementation approach unique to the specific needs of the group. It is very important to ensure successful transformation of the shared services model, existing of all the projects currently running within the group. In order to do that the executive team should know that implementing shared services is not a simple process. The rollout and implementation will take time, at least one to two years. Finally, building a shared services model requires focusing on the internal clients. The solution is not a simple, quick fix, but calls for careful consideration and implementation of all the points made throughout the course of this research report, from strategy and design to governance and transparent metrics. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verslag stel 'n gestruktueerde benadering voor tot die ontwikkeling en implimentering van 'n gedeeldedienste-model vir Capricorn Investment Holding groep (CIH) Namibie. Gedeeldedienste is takties van aard en het ten doel om organisasie- struktuur te ondersteun. Die beginsel van gedeeldedienste impliseer die samevoeging van Ondersteuningsaktiwiteite en fokus op waarde ontsluiting en die hefboom van kennis en vaardighede binne die organisasie. Die sukses van transformasie na gedeeldedienste is afhanklik van die transformasie van die mense, prosesse en tegnologie in die organisasie. Sonder hierdie transformasie sal gedeeldedienste onsamehangend gelewer word en sal die organisasie nie die volle voordele daarvan geniet nie. Bankdienste binne die CIH groep, soos ook die geval is met ander handelsbanke in Namibie,is geduring onder toenemende druk om kostes te verlaag, dienslewering- standaarde te verhoog en bankprodukte van kwaliteit te voorsien. Hierdie aangeleenthede is belangrik om markaandeel te verhoog en wins te verseker, maar ook om die CIH groep te posisioneer as markleiers onder beide tradisionele en minder tradisionele rolspelers. Die CIH-groep is nou in 'n gunstige posisie met besigheid in Botswana, Zambie en Namibia, om 'n gedeeldedienstemodel daar te stel wat die groep se strategie vir uitbreiding in Afrika kan ondersteun. Alhoewel geografies wydverspreide operasies of dienspunte nie sal verdwyn nie, moet die onderskeie maatskapye ondersteuningsdienste ontwerp en bestuur volgens 'n geintegreerde en, waar moontlik, 'n gestandaardiseerde model. Hierdie raamwerk moet ruimte laat vir geografiese, wetlike en kulturele verskille terwyl dit effektiewe kontrole en bestuur moet verseker. Dit moet ook aan die beginsel van skaalekonomiee voldoen en moet die optimale benutting van vaardighede van personeel verseker. Om hierdie rede het CIH 'n projek geloots, Proses Witskrif, wat die standaard prosesse verval. Hierdie projek sal uiteindelik ook die res van die prosesse in die bank se besigheid insluit. Na voltooiing van die Proses Witskrif projek sal CIH 'n benadering volg van besigheid in komponente om sodoende die transformasie na 'n gedeeldedienste-model te vergemaklik. Die model van besigheid in komponente bied 'n beproefde benadering tot die implimentering van 'n gespesialiseerde fokus, beide intern en ekstern. CIH sal met die implimentering van hierdie projek beide kern en nie-kern komponente van die bank se besigheid kan identifiseer. Dit sal die groep in staat stel om ingeligte besluite te neem oor watter komponente gedeel behoort te word, en oor watter komponente in die verskillende besigheidseenhede moet bly. Hierna kan die groep die verskaffingsketting herontwerp. Om te verseker dat die groep sake doen in 'n klientgesentreerde manier, veral met die gesentreerdedienste-model moet hegter verhoudings met tussengangers en diensverskaffers gesmee word. Die ideale verhouding is een van langtermyn samewerking, gesamentlike beplanning van verkoopstrategiee, die implementeering van operasies, en 'n gedeelde poel van kennis om sodoende operasies, ontwikkeling van innoverende voorstelle en deurlopende verbetering van markaandeel te bewerkstellig. Vervolgens gaan CIH sy waardeketting herevalueer waar ondersteuningsaktiwiteite in die groep oor die grense van organisasie, maatskappye, afdelings of besigheids- eenhede strek om sodoende te beantwoord aan sy uitbreidingstrategie. Laastens sal CIH met 'n benadering van gedeelde tegnologiese platvorms en besigheidprosesse nog 'n paar kritieke besluite moet neem. Die gedeeldedienste-sentrum moet geskikte diens- verskaffers identifiseer en beoordeel, of dit in Botswana, Zambia, Namibie of Suid Afrika moet wees. Verdere uitdagings is die ontwikkeling van kontrakte en definiering van diensleweringstandaarde asook ander aspekte. Afgesien van watter rigting die groep mag inslaan, sal suksesvolle implementering 'n relatiewe hoe aanvanklike beleggings- en kulturele-transformasie verg. Ten einde hierdie aanvanklike hindernisse te oorkom, moet die groep, veral senior bestuur, ten volle toegewyd wees aan groot verandering. Die sleutel van suksesvolle implementering le in die vermoe om te bepaal watter dienste gedeel moet word, watter standaarde van diensleweringooreenkomste te ontwikkel, personeel wat gedeelde dienste moet lewer noukeuring te kies, dienslewering te meet aan standaarde van eksterne verskaffers, 'n beheerliggqaam te vestig en 'n benadering tot implementering te ontwerp wat die spesifieke behoeftes van die groep kan vervul. Dit is belangrik om te verseker dat suksesvolle transformasie van die gedeeldedienste-model alle bestaande projekte kan akkomodeer. Die kompleksiteit hiervan moet nie deur senior bestuur onderskat word nie. Die ontwerp en implimentering kan een tot twee jaar neem. Dit verg verder 'n deurlopende benadering van fokus op interne kliente. 'n Oplossing verg deeglike oorweging en implimentering van alle aspekte wat tydens die navorsing na vore gekom het. Dit sluit strategie en ontwerp in om sodoende deursigtige beheer te verseker.