Abstract
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.