This study intends to assess determinants of nonperforming loans. The mixed research approach was adopted for the study. Survey was conducted with professionals engaged in both private and state owned Banks in Ethiopia holding different positions using a self administered questionnaire. In addition, the study used structured review of documents and records of banks and in-depth interview of senior bank officials in the Ethiopian banking industry. The findings of the study shows that poor credit assessment, failed loan monitoring, underdeveloped credit culture, lenient credit terms and conditions, aggressive lending, compromised integrity, weak institutional capacity, unfair competition among banks, willful default by borrowers and their knowledge limitation, fund diversion for unintended purpose, over/under financing by banks ascribe to the causes of loan default.

The objectives of this study are to investigate the formulation and implementation of strategies within Retail Bank at corporate, business unit, functional and operational levels, focusing specifically on who is accountable and responsible for strategy formulation and implementation at each of these levels, as well as the factors related to the success or failure of strategy implementation and how success is measured. In addition, this study attempts to determine whether or not the financial industry as a whole plays a significant role in the success of strategy implementation within Retail Bank.

M.Sc. (Computer Science) / In the rapidly evolving world that we live in, the methods by which items are purchased are starting to be revolutionized. In a developing country such as South Africa, financial institutions within the banking sector are starting to implement their own systems or processes to process bank transactions. These processes include the identification and authentication of bank transactions, as well as the validation of the integrity of bank transactions between buyer and merchant. The changing of these processes by the banking sector could be viewed as a result of the increase in mobile device users. The purpose of the research presented within this dissertation is to explore an alternative method for identifying and authenticating a user in order to authorize a purchase made from a mobile device. The research will include evidence for the necessity of an alternative process as well as investigate the current technology by examining a few mobile banking solutions provided by the banking sector. The alternative process will be based upon a prototype design, which will employ Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to forward the purchase information from a point-of-sale (POS) device to the client’s mobile device, as well as employ fingerprint recognition technology to improve the identification and authentication of a user in order to authorize the purchase. The prototype will be known as BankAuth. The researcher hopes that this dissertation encourages other academics to discover new approaches in further researching mobile banking solutions.

M.Comm. / The Financial Sector Charter is a transformation charter in terms of the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act (Act 53 of 2003). The Charter is a voluntary initiative by the financial sector to address racially based income and social inequalities in South Africa. It aims to encourage black economic participation through its six pillars. The Charter came into effect in January 2004 as a result of the Financial Sector Summit hosted by the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC), the multilateral social dialogue forum on social, economic and labour policy. The Nedlac partners – government, business, labour and community constituencies – negotiated the Financial Sector Summit Agreements on transforming the financial sector and signed the Summit declaration on 20 August 2002. The Charter commits its participants to 'actively promoting a transformed, vibrant, and globally competitive financial sector that reflects the demographics of South Africa, and contributes to the establishment of an equitable society by effectively providing accessible financial services to black people and by directing investment into targeted sectors of the economy. Financial institutions affected by the Charter include banks, long-term insurers, shortterm insurers, re-insurers, collective investment schemes, investment managers, retirement funds, and licensed exchanges. Any other institution in the financial sector may opt to participate in the Charter. The objectives of the Charter are to: • constitute a framework and establish the principles upon which BEE will be implemented in the financial sector; • provide the basis for the sector’s engagement with other stakeholders; • establish targets and unquantified responsibilities in respect of each principle; • outline processes for implementing the charter and mechanisms to monitor and report on progress. Progress on the Financial Sector Charter Scorecard in the South African Banking Sector In pursuit of these objectives, the Charter commits financial institutions in the sector to transforming in the areas of: • Human resource development; • Procurement of goods and services; • Access to financial services; • Empowerment financing; • Ownership and control; • Corporate social investment. The study provides an overview on the above objectives of the Charter and seeks to measure and assesses in detail the progress of the banking sector regarding the six key areas of the FSC as outlined in the FSC Scorecard against the set targets of 2008. The scorecards analysed would be those that have been submitted to the Council as at the 31 December 2006. • Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (Absa Group); • FirstRand Group (including First National Bank); • Nedbank Group; • Standard Bank Group. The study will assess the performance of each bank, highlighting the positives and providing recommendations where there are shortfalls. The results will be consolidated to give an overall performance overview of the banking sector in South Africa in meeting transformational challenges faced by the country. According to the South African Reserve Bank (2008:106) the financial services sector including insurance, real estate and business services added 22% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2007 making it the biggest contributor. It is therefore imperative for this study to be undertaken to assess and ensure that the sector commits to the process of transformation in addressing the past imbalances with regard to inclusive participation by all in the South African economy.

M.Com. (Economics) / The aim of this study is to identify the various monetary variables financial risks involved in the structuring of the Asset and Liability portfolio of a bank and to establish their influence on a dynamic financial system. The implementation of a successful Asset and Liability management plan is the ultimate objective of trying to maximize capital gains. Therefore, the success of such a management plan lies in its ability to limit the exposure of the bank to financial risks and monetary variables and finally to increase profitability. In this study an attempt is made to create a portfolio management plan. For this purpose a linear optimization computer nodal, is used. In order to obtain better understanding of the financial system in 'which such a portfolio management plan is implemented, a description of both the international and local financial systems ,including a comparison between the South African and United States markets,is set out in this study. In chapter V the strategy to limit financial risk exposure used in the United States' is discussed. Following a comparison made between the workings of the South African and United States financial markets, the conclusion is that, given a few adjustments, the same strategy could be used in the South African financial system...

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of the Texas unit commercial banking system in comparison with branch banking systems, limited area branching systems, and unit banking systems.

This research study had two distinct objectives. The first objective was to determine in which areas in South African banks the most severe operational risk losses are likely to occur (based on the Basel II seven loss event types and eight business lines). Severity was assessed based on single operational risk events that might have significant monetary values attached to them. The likely frequency of single operational risk events was also assessed. The investigation of the aforementioned research problem was explorative and quantitative of nature, as the researcher made extensive use of survey research in the form of a questionnaire to all registered banks. The second part of the research study’s objective was to assess the range of practices in collecting internal loss data for operational risk purposes as required by Basel II. This part was approached from a qualitative perspective, by benchmarking the research findings against the Basel II text, the researcher’s experience in risk management in banks, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s Sound Practices for the Management and Supervision of Operational Risk, and related literature. The literature review, including reference to certain surveys and studies, focuses on the main concepts of operational risk within banks that are pertinent to the research problem. The literature review also includes several references to the Basel II text and other relevant publications and papers issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. The research results revealed that respondents in South African banks believed that ‘business disruption and system failures’ is the loss event type that is likely to result in the most severe single operational risk loss. ‘Trading and sales’ scored the same high average rating as ‘business disruption and system failures’ as the business line where the most severe single operational risk loss is likely to occur in South African banks. ‘External fraud’ and ‘execution, delivery and process management’ scored the highest average ratings as the loss event types where the most frequent operational risk losses are likely to occur. Respondents indicated that ‘retail banking’ is the business line where the most frequent single operational risk losses are likely to occur in South African banks. Based on the above-mentioned findings the researcher recommends that these high-risk areas be highlighted to the Bank Supervision Department of the South African Reserve Bank, the boards of directors and senior management of banks in order for them to strengthen banks’ internal controls. The researcher recommends the inclusion of near misses and opportunity cost in operational risk loss databases. Banks should at least capture the date of the discovery of an operational risk event as this represents acceptable practice among the majority of banks. Operational risk losses should be assigned to the multiple business activities in which it occurred on a pro-rata basis. All recoveries of operational risk losses should be processed separately, but associated with the original loss event. Replacement cost is seen as the most appropriate way to capture gross loss amounts for the damage to fixed assets. The researcher encourages the recording of overtime cost for fixing systems failures. Market risk losses due to operational risk events should be treated as market risk losses, while loan-related losses due to operational risk failures should be treated as credit risk losses by banks. The researcher’s view is that banks should set different thresholds for the collection of operational risk losses for its various business units based on each business unit’s operations and nature of business. Banks should, as a starting point, map operational risk events to the Basel II 8x7 matrix. Operational risk losses should be assessed by both legal entity and on a consolidated basis.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / The effects of shoaling inner shelf solitons on the bottom boundary layer have been observed and analyzed over a two month summer period at the Monterey Inner Shelf Observatory in Monterey, CA, during 2002. Utilizing CTD data to characterize the temperature field of the water column, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data to measure the velocity structure from 3m height above the bed (HAB) to the near surface, and Bistatic Doppler Velocity Sediment Profiler (BDVSP) data to measure the velocity structure and sediment concentration from a range of 60cm to 1cm HAB, solitary internal waves and internal tidal bores were regularly observed at the observation site. These events were characterized by their large isotherm displacements and the sudden change from near surface to near bed stratification as the internal tidal bores passed the observation site. Cross-shore timeseries revealed that the strongest events pushed water onshore near the surface and offshore near the bed, indicating a baroclinic water column during their passage. To analyze their effects on the bottom boundary layer, 3m HAB ADCP and BCDV velocities were compared with backscatter data and surface gravity wave energy at 3m HAB to determine their relative contribution to bed stress and resulting sediment suspension. As the strong internal waves passed, a logarithmic layer formed indicating that shear stress above the bed was occurring. This allowed the friction velocity within the log layer to be estimated. Combining this term with the stress contribution due to the wave energy, the total stress on the bed was then estimated. From this it was determined that typically moderate surface gravity wave forcing at the bed suspended sediment, while solitary internal waves and internal tidal bores continued to transport suspended sediment offshore near the bed. / Ensign, United States Navy

M.Com. (Business Economics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract