Private banking consumer perception and the influence of acquisition

The primary aim of this dissertation is to research the private banking consumer perception and to analyse the impact acquisition in private banking has or might have on private banking consumer perception. A literature review discovered that existing research in the field of private banking consumer perception is relatively rare and no studies were discovered that dealt with private banking consumer perception and, in particular, the influence of an acquisition. In addition to that, private banking consumer perception is not defined by any literature. Hence, there is a gap in existing literature and the literature review resulted in research questions which were analysed and discussed by gathering primary data. A holistic case study based on the Swiss and German private banking market was used to gather primary data. This type of case study offers the researcher a holistic view(Patton, 1990) on the present subject as it considers all parties which have an influence on the topic under investigation. The first phase of the case study consisted of nonparticipant observation at a finance fair. Private banking consumers, relationship managers and consultants were observed. In the next phase semi-structured interviews were undertaken with relationship managers, banking managers, private banking clients and lawyers. Both phases were qualitative in its nature. Based on the findings it was established that private banking consumers have expectations on private banking. If the private banking service provider is able to fulfil or exceed these expectations the client perceives this as "satisfaction". Determinants of private banking consumer perception were elicited. These determinants are defined as categories and sub-categories of different criteria used by the consumer to evaluate a perceived service. Apart from that, the research findings revealed that acquisition can influence all private banking consumer perception determinants depending on the context of the acquisition. The independent advice of private banks as well as retaining the relationship manager was found to be of primary concern to the clients during an acquisition process. A model of private banking consumer perception was developed from the primary data results. With the knowledge gained from this research private banks are better able to understand bank consumers’ expectations and perceptions. This contributes to higher levels of competitiveness for banks as customers’ needs can be better met, and client movements during an acquisition process reduced

Private banking consumer perception\ud and the influence of acquisition

The primary aim of this dissertation is to research the private banking consumer\ud perception and to analyse the impact acquisition in private banking has or might have\ud on private banking consumer perception. A literature review discovered that existing\ud research in the field of private banking consumer perception is relatively rare and no studies were discovered that dealt with private banking consumer perception and, in particular, the influence of an acquisition. In addition to that, private banking consumer\ud perception is not defined by any literature. Hence, there is a gap in existing literature and the literature review resulted in research questions which were analysed and\ud discussed by gathering primary data.\ud \ud A holistic case study based on the Swiss and German private banking market was used to gather primary data. This type of case study offers the researcher a holistic view(Patton, 1990) on the present subject as it considers all parties which have an influence on the topic under investigation. The first phase of the case study consisted of nonparticipant observation at a finance fair. Private banking consumers, relationship managers and consultants were observed. In the next phase semi-structured interviews\ud were undertaken with relationship managers, banking managers, private banking clients and lawyers. Both phases were qualitative in its nature.\ud \ud Based on the findings it was established that private banking consumers have expectations on private banking. If the private banking service provider is able to fulfil\ud or exceed these expectations the client perceives this as "satisfaction". Determinants of private banking consumer perception were elicited. These determinants are defined as\ud categories and sub-categories of different criteria used by the consumer to evaluate a perceived service. Apart from that, the research findings revealed that acquisition can\ud influence all private banking consumer perception determinants depending on the context of the acquisition. The independent advice of private banks as well as retaining\ud the relationship manager was found to be of primary concern to the clients during an acquisition process. A model of private banking consumer perception was developed\ud from the primary data results. With the knowledge gained from this research private banks are better able to understand bank consumers’ expectations and perceptions. This contributes to higher levels of competitiveness for banks as customers’ needs can be better met, and client movements during an acquisition process reduced

Acquisition effects in private banking: avoiding client losses

The credit crunch of 2009 has had significant impact on financial services, and the effects on customer service are only now becoming apparent. Private banks offer a custom-made and individual financial service with a close personal relationship between customer and bank. During a process of acquisition a significant percentage of an acquired private bank's client base is lost and, therefore, client retention is important in this context. This paper takes notice of this circumstance during the credit crunch when unplanned acquisitions were occurring. It uses a qualitative content analysis and interview data. Although the owners of the bank have changed, the bank is urgently advised to design sustainable client relationships based on the knowledge of their clients' perceptions. The paper proposes a new model of private banking consumer perception that identifies determinants of client migration. This model will be of use for researchers and practitioners in this area of management

Usability evaluation of blood glucose meters for elderly diabetic patients

In the context of this study the usability of the first blood glucose meter that is connectable to a smartphone has been investigated by the use through diabetic patients of different ages and with different technical experiences. According to DIN ISO 2028-1 the participants had to solve usabilitytasks with the think-aloud-method. Additionally the cognitive load has been measured for each task. As control variables we asked for age and gender as well as technical affinity and Health Literacy. A total of 12 participants (mean age = 60.17 years) took part in this study. The results show that elderly diabetic patients are willing and able to use modern blood glucose meters. A blood glucose meter for elderly should store data for about three months and should be able to export data easily to the physician by a file type like CSV. The blood glucose testing strip should have a mark which describes the orientation and way it should be inserted into the blood glucose meter. The testing strip should also be illuminated to improve blood glucose measurements during nighttime. Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016.Scopu

Sex-specific differences in hpa axis activity in vlbw preterm newborns

Objective: Sex-specific differences in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity might explain why male preterm infants are at higher risk of neonatal mortality and morbidity than their female counterparts. We examined whether male and female preterm infants differed in cortisol production and metabolism at 10 days post-partum. Design and methods: This prospective study included 36 preterm born infants (18 boys) with a very low birth weight (VLBW) (<1.500 g). At 10 days postnatal age, urine was collected over a 4-to 6-h period. Glucocorticoid metabolites were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Main outcome measures were: (1) cortisol excretion rate, (2) sum of all glucocorticoid metabolites, as an index of corticosteroid excretion rate, and (3) ratio of 11-OH/11-OXO metabolites, as an estimate of 11B-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11B-HSD) activity. Differences between sexes, including interaction with Score of Neonatal Acute Physiology Perinatal Extension-II (SNAPPE II), sepsis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), were assessed. Results: No differences between sexes were found for cortisol excretion rate, corticosteroid excretion rate or 11B-HSD activity. Interaction was observed between: sex and SNAPPE II score on 11B-HSD activity (P = 0.04) and sex and BPD on cortisol excretion rate (P = 0.04). Conclusion: This study did not provide evidence for sex-specific differences in adrenocortical function in preterm VLBW infants on a group level. However, in an interaction model, sex differences became manifest under stressful circumstances. These patterns might provide clues for the male disadvantage in neonatal mortality and morbidity following preterm birth. However, due to the small sample size, the data should be seen as hypothesis generating

Sex-specific differences in HPA axis activity in VLBW preterm newborns

Objective: Sex-specific differences in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity might explain why male preterm infants are at higher risk of neonatal mortality and morbidity than their female counterparts. We examined whether male and female preterm infants differed in cortisol production and metabolism at 10 days post-partum. Design and methods: This prospective study included 36 preterm born infants (18 boys) with a very low birth weight (VLBW) (<1.500 g). At 10 days postnatal age, urine was collected over a 4- to 6-h period. Glucocorticoid metabolites were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Main outcome measures were: (1) cortisol excretion rate, (2) sum of all glucocorticoid metabolites, as an index of corticosteroid excretion rate, and (3) ratio of 11-OH/11-OXO metabolites, as an estimate of 11B-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11B-HSD) activity. Differences between sexes, including interaction with Score of Neonatal Acute Physiology Perinatal Extension-II (SNAPPE II), sepsis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), were assessed. Results: No differences between sexes were found for cortisol excretion rate, corticosteroid excretion rate or 11B-HSD activity. Interaction was observed between: sex and SNAPPE II score on 11B-HSD activity (P = 0.04) and sex and BPD on cortisol excretion rate (P = 0.04). Conclusion: This study did not provide evidence for sex-specific differences in adrenocortical function in preterm VLBW infants on a group level. However, in an interaction model, sex differences became manifest under stressful circumstances. These patterns might provide clues for the male disadvantage in neonatal mortality and morbidity following preterm birth. However, due to the small sample size, the data should be seen as hypothesis generating

Role of glucocorticoid metabolism in childhood obesity-associated hypertension

Objective: Childhood obesity is associated with alterations in hypothalamus–pituitary– adrenal axis activity. We tested the hypothesis that multiple alterations in the metabolism of glucocorticoids are required for the development of hypertension in children who become overweight. Methods: Spot urine for targeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry steroid metabolome analysis was collected from (1) overweight/hypertensive children (n = 38), (2) overweight/non-hypertensive children (n = 83), and (3) non-overweight/non-hypertensive children (n = 56). Results: The mean (± s.d.) age of participants was 10.4 ± 3.4 years, and 53% of them were male. Group 1 and group 2 had higher excretion rates of cortisol and corticosterone metabolites than group 3 (869 (interquartile range: 631–1352) vs 839 (609–1123) vs 608 (439–834) μg/mmol creatinine × m2 body surface area, P group 2 or 3), and CYP3A4 activity (group 1 < group 2 or 3). Discussion: The sequence of events leading to obesity-associated hypertension in children may involve an increase in the production of glucocorticoids, downregulation of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity, and upregulation of 5α-reductase activity, along with a decrease in CYP3A4 activity and an increase in bioavailable cortisol