After facing the economic recession, the South–African and global business sectors started revaluating their human capital and the positions they represent within an organisation. Each individual now had to prove that they contributed towards the organisation’s bottom line, as each and every cent had to be counted and accounted for. Some functions within organisations could easily prove their contribution towards the bottom line by providing production or sales outputs. The public relations practitioners and the corporate communication efforts they offered, however, faced a bleak future, as their contribution towards the tangible assets was very rarely recognised (Kim, 2000:276). The financial services sector however, in which an advisor’s contribution towards the organisational bottom line is easily quantified, started to acknowledge the need for this sector to improve upon its ‘softer’ intangible assets such as client communication and client relationships. The sector believes that communication establishes relationships, and sound client relationships is the only way to sell financial products and services, as people seldom entrust their life earnings or financial dreams to strangers (Christiansen & DeVaney, 1998:7). Public relations practitioners know how to use communication optimally in the quest for building client relationships, and financial services need those skills in order to sell their products and contribute towards the bottom line. These two functions could thus work together towards the achievement of their goals - public relations to prove their bottom line contribution, and the financial services sector towards improving client relationships. These statements led to the general Research Question of this study: “What is the nature of the relationship between (i) corporate communication efforts, (ii) client communication satisfaction and (iii) client relationship satisfaction, and these concepts’ relationship to (iv) client economic contribution, within a financial services organisation?” This Research Question is answered from the systems theory as meta–theory with the support of the strategic communication, excellence and relationship management theories, and Futurum Financial Group (FFG) services as the financial services organisation for this study. A qualitative and quantitative research approach was followed to establish the constructs, and the relationships between the constructs. The Financial Advisors and public relations practitioner in FFG have a good understanding of the need for strategic communication efforts, and a relationship between their efforts and the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction could therefore be indicated. A further relationship between the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction and the client economic contribution was also established. Recommendations to improve the situation within FFG included a better focus on database administration, corporate communication consistency, Financial Advisor diligence, and providing clients with more frequent updates regarding their financial situation. The greatest strengths were client–advisor trust and corporate communication professionalism. This study thus contributes to the argument that communication efforts add tangibly, by means of client economic contribution, to the organisation’s bottom line, within the financial services industry. The study furthermore provides some recommendations for the financial services industry to improve their communication skills in order to build client relationships. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

After facing the economic recession, the South–African and global business sectors started revaluating their human capital and the positions they represent within an organisation. Each individual now had to prove that they contributed towards the organisation’s bottom line, as each and every cent had to be counted and accounted for. Some functions within organisations could easily prove their contribution towards the bottom line by providing production or sales outputs. The public relations practitioners and the corporate communication efforts they offered, however, faced a bleak future, as their contribution towards the tangible assets was very rarely recognised (Kim, 2000:276). The financial services sector however, in which an advisor’s contribution towards the organisational bottom line is easily quantified, started to acknowledge the need for this sector to improve upon its ‘softer’ intangible assets such as client communication and client relationships. The sector believes that communication establishes relationships, and sound client relationships is the only way to sell financial products and services, as people seldom entrust their life earnings or financial dreams to strangers (Christiansen & DeVaney, 1998:7). Public relations practitioners know how to use communication optimally in the quest for building client relationships, and financial services need those skills in order to sell their products and contribute towards the bottom line. These two functions could thus work together towards the achievement of their goals - public relations to prove their bottom line contribution, and the financial services sector towards improving client relationships. These statements led to the general Research Question of this study: “What is the nature of the relationship between (i) corporate communication efforts, (ii) client communication satisfaction and (iii) client relationship satisfaction, and these concepts’ relationship to (iv) client economic contribution, within a financial services organisation?” This Research Question is answered from the systems theory as meta–theory with the support of the strategic communication, excellence and relationship management theories, and Futurum Financial Group (FFG) services as the financial services organisation for this study. A qualitative and quantitative research approach was followed to establish the constructs, and the relationships between the constructs. The Financial Advisors and public relations practitioner in FFG have a good understanding of the need for strategic communication efforts, and a relationship between their efforts and the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction could therefore be indicated. A further relationship between the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction and the client economic contribution was also established. Recommendations to improve the situation within FFG included a better focus on database administration, corporate communication consistency, Financial Advisor diligence, and providing clients with more frequent updates regarding their financial situation. The greatest strengths were client–advisor trust and corporate communication professionalism. This study thus contributes to the argument that communication efforts add tangibly, by means of client economic contribution, to the organisation’s bottom line, within the financial services industry. The study furthermore provides some recommendations for the financial services industry to improve their communication skills in order to build client relationships. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The South African Postbank Limited has been tasked by Government with a social mandate to provide basic financial services to people receiving low income and people living in rural areas. Personal financial literacy is an essential element which affects financial inclusion in the target market of a state–owned bank. To achieve the bank?s social mandate and its objective, it would be vital to determine whether people in low income and rural demographics are financially literate. Financial literacy is defined as the ability to manage your money on a day–to–day basis, do future financial planning, choose sound financial products and have appropriate financial knowledge and understanding. Various factors influence the level of financial literacy of a person and in order to improve the financial literacy of a person, cognisance should be taken of that person?s age, gender, living conditions, income–level and socio–economic elements. It will be beneficial for a state–owned bank, in order to reach its social mandate, to implement financial educational programmes to increase financial literacy. The latter will increase the amount of potential customers and thus promote financial inclusion in the long run. The sample in low income and rural areas has been found to be the most wanting in financial literacy and therefore it is crucial to address this shortcoming in the target market of the state–owned bank in order to reach the social mandate of financial inclusion. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The South African Postbank Limited has been tasked by Government with a social mandate to provide basic financial services to people receiving low income and people living in rural areas. Personal financial literacy is an essential element which affects financial inclusion in the target market of a state–owned bank. To achieve the bank?s social mandate and its objective, it would be vital to determine whether people in low income and rural demographics are financially literate. Financial literacy is defined as the ability to manage your money on a day–to–day basis, do future financial planning, choose sound financial products and have appropriate financial knowledge and understanding. Various factors influence the level of financial literacy of a person and in order to improve the financial literacy of a person, cognisance should be taken of that person?s age, gender, living conditions, income–level and socio–economic elements. It will be beneficial for a state–owned bank, in order to reach its social mandate, to implement financial educational programmes to increase financial literacy. The latter will increase the amount of potential customers and thus promote financial inclusion in the long run. The sample in low income and rural areas has been found to be the most wanting in financial literacy and therefore it is crucial to address this shortcoming in the target market of the state–owned bank in order to reach the social mandate of financial inclusion. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.