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The study aims to examine problems that hinder the creation of a sustainable Microfinance industry in Namibia. It looks into the assertion that certain Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have problems that hinder them from being able to service clients and still be able to remain profitable. A Microfinance Institution (MFI) is defined as an institution that provides financial services to people and small and micro enterprises that do not have access to commercial bank loans. Categories are a credit union, savings and credit co-operatives (SACCOs), non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), self-help organizations or specialized banks (Mushendami, Kaakunga, Amuthenu-Iyambo, Ndalikokule & Steytler, 2004). The study looks at three critical aspects of operational, regulatory and legislative framework. The current regulations that are in place are administered by the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (NAMFISA) and the Bank of Namibia, for the protection of clients against unscrupulous practices by MFIs. Out of 347 MFIs, a purposeful sample population was drawn and 34 Questionnaires administered due to time and financial constraints. The Questionnaires were distributed to MFIs and individuals in the industry. From these 25 responses were received during the survey. A descriptive statistical analysis was used in deciphering the data. The results are that the Namibian MFIs are new, but out of 11 factors, four were outliers, being the challenges of fraud, consumer education, lack of resources and high costs. The main recommendation is that the MFI industry must establish a fund through charging levies for client education and to look at the transparency of operations and costs to encourage both MFIs and clients to better understand the terms of engagement. Further recommendations include ensuring that MFIs develop products which meet the needs of clients in urban and rural context. Also to address the issue of lack of funding in the form of a strategy to arrange for exit strategies after donor withdrawal, in order for MFIs to survive based on their internal revenue base. Lastly, the regulatory environment in Namibia needs to be improved with the government introducing clearer principles for market participants. The government needs to become an enabler for the provision of financial services. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

The combined environmental effects of technological change, increasing competition, new legislation and increasingly demanding consumers have created pressure within the financial services industry for change. One outcome has been a proliferation of new products in the marketplace. This research explores new product development within one subset of this industry -- building societies. By combining the new product development, service marketing and financial services literature, a foundation has been developed for an empirical study into the development practices and the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful new products. The determinants of success and failure for new product development have been examined utilizing a comparative methodology, and subsequently a discriminant model has been developed that successfully classifies successful and unsuccessful new products. By determining how new products are actually developed, the findings support previous claims that intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity and perishability do have an effect on the development process. Further, the level of sophistication of the development activities is lower than in previously reported research. Notable variations from the development process for tangible new products are the inclusion of system design, system testing and personnel training stages. The majority of societies have been found to lack strategic integration of the development process, to apply different measures of success and to prefer qualitative market research techniques over quantitative approaches. As well, considerable variation exists in the organizational approaches used to manage the process, although organizational related variables were found to have a strong impact upon the predictability of a successful outcome for a new product.

In developing countries, especially in Bangladesh, poor people are excluded from the formal financial sector credit services through the collateral requirement to receive a loan. Informal financial sector sources, especially moneylenders, are exploitative in nature. Therefore, poor people do not receive the minimum amount of capital, which is required to start any income generating activity, from either of the financial sector sources. The Grameen Bank initiated the microcredit programme in Bangladesh around 1976, to alleviate the poverty of poor households through providing them with the minimum amount of capital as credit without collateral and exploitation. The present study evaluates the impact of microcredit on the poverty of borrowing households. Both quasi-experimental as well as non-experimental designs have been formulated to achieve the objective. The survey-design covers one group of households (programme households), which have already received more than one loan, and another group of households (comparison households), which have just joined the programme. This study goes beyond earlier studies by developing a comprehensive framework, which covers income, consumption, assets, basic-needs, living standards, entitlement, poverty, and poverty risk of households, for assessing the impact of microcredit on the poverty of borrowing households. This study uses both subjective as well as objective measures of poverty for determining the poverty status of households. The present study compares income, consumption, basic-needs, some proxies for living standards, poverty, and poverty risk of programme households with those of comparison households to assess impacts of microcredit. On the basis of the results obtained, the study argues that microcredit increases income, consumption, expenditure, and assets of borrowing households. Through increasing income and assets, microcredit enhances entitlement of borrowing households. Microcredit also improves fulfilment of basic-needs and living standards of borrowing households. Finally, this study argues that microcredit reduces poverty risk and alleviates poverty of borrowing households significantly.

Services marketing is a relatively new concept for the banking industry. Intense competition has forced banks to take greater interest in consumer banking. The focus of consumer banking is the provision of retail bank services which meet individual customers needs. Therefore, bankers need better ways to explore and understand the consumers market and needs. Banks need to understand the attitudes which affect consumers evaluation of bank services. This thesis is concerned with assessing the attitudes and marketing practices of Saudi banks and the consumers attitude towards these banks. A conflict exists between the two parties. Interest is prohibited by Islamic law, however, commercial banks operate on the basis of interest. The views of the bankers and consumers were analysed through questionnaires administered in Jeddah in the summer of 1988. Issues raised include attitude, concept, and marketing approach, usage of and satisfaction with bank services, attitude towards banks and bank interest as well as views on Islamic banking. While it is shown bankers grasp the concept and practise of marketing, consumers show reluctance and strong negative attitudes to dealing with banks due to the religious factor. It seems Islamic banking is an attractive alternative banking system for Saudi Arabia.

This case study explored the lessons arising from the implementation of the Insurance Preparedness Project. This was a pilot project funded by the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority as part of a strategy for transforming the insurance industry and to establish a model for learnership implementation.Financial services industry.

<p>This study was on the anticipated impact of GATS on the financial services industry in Africa. The paper examined the possible positive and negative impact of the GATS agreement on the financial services industry in the African countries. The research focused on the banking sector and the insurance sector as the main financial sectors under investigation.</p>