Trends in Financial Intermediation by the Banking System in Kerala

The study documents the long-term trends in financial intermediation by the principal player in Kerala’s credit system i.e., banking. The process of financial intermediation by the banking system, involving mobilization of deposits from savers and disbursal of credit to investors, is considered to be crucial in the process of economic development. The objective of the study is to explore the interrelationship between financial intermediation and economic growth in Kerala. In order to pursue this objective, the study examine, the trends in intermediation by the banking system in Kerala over a long period, the trend and pattern of bank deposits and credit in the State and Kerala’s economic growth, the trend in the growth and performance of financial intermediaries like the All India Financial Institutions, the links between banking and economic variables, and the difference in the growth trends of banking and economic variables between Kerala and India and the probable reasons for the difference

A comparative study of Glycogen phosphorylase from selected cepbalopods

A comparative study of Glycogen phosphorylase from selected Cephalopods is reported in this thesis. A detailed investigation of an important glycolytic enzyme, phosphorylase, from a selected species, is undertaken. Loligo vulgaris, commonly known as squid, is selected as the source for the study. Phosphorylase is the key enzyme in the mobilization of chemical energy from glycogen and its role in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism is well established. Although a good deal of information is available about phosphorylase from terrestrial animals, not much is known about the enzyme from aquatic fauna. In order to bridge this gap and also to compare the results with the findings from other sources, phosphorylase a was isolated from this marine mollusc and its properties studied in detail in this study

Water Quality Variation, its Influence on Drinking Water Treatment and Remedial Measures - A Case Study of Peechi reservoir, Thrissur, Kerala

The Kerala Water Authority requested the School of Environmental Studies to carry out investigations on the mechanism of sporadic mobilization of iron and odour in the raw water drawn to the drinking water treatment plant. The currently used treatment process failed to remove iron completely. This led to problems in the filter and complaints of taste and colour due to iron in the finished water. The sporadic nature of the problem itself made the trouble shooting difficult. The problem was looked in from three points of view. 1. Influence of environmental (climatic) conditions on the dynamics of the relevant basin of the reservoir. 2. Influence of the physical dynamics on the physico — chemical quality of water. 3. Identification of cost-effective treatment processes to suit the existing plant. Since the problem emerged only during the post- monsoon to pre-monsoon months, a related problem was investigated, namely, influence of anions on the oxidation of Fe(II) in natural waters by air. This is presented in Part II of the dissertation.

Service provider switching: a study on the switching process in retail banking

In a business environment that is characterized by intense competition, building customer loyalty has become a key area of focus for most financial institutions. The explosion of the services sector, changing customer demographics and deregulation and emergence of new technology in the financial services industry have had a critical impact on consumers’ financial services buying behaviour. The changes have forced banks to modify their service offerings to customers so as to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction and also high levels of customer retention. Banks have historically had difficulty distinguishing their products from one another because of their relative homogeneity; with increasing competition,the problem has only intensified with no coherent distinguishing theme. Rising wealth, product proliferation, regulatory changes and newer technologies are together making bank switching easier for customers. In order to remain competitive, it is important for banks to retain their customer base. The financial services sector is the foundation for any economy and plays the role of mobilization of resources and their allocation. The retail banking sector in India has emerged as one of the major drivers of the overall banking industry and has witnessed enormous growth. Switching behaviour has a negative impact on the banks’ market share and profitability as the costs of acquiring customers are much higher than the costs of retaining. When customers switch, the business loses the potential for additional profits from the customer the initial costs invested in the customer by the business get . The Objective of the thesis was to examine the relationship among triggers that customers experience, their perceptions of service quality, consumers’ commitment and behavioral intentions in the contemporary India retail banking context through the eyes of the customer. To understand customers’ perception of these aspects, data were collected from retail banking customers alone for the purpose of analysis, though the banks’ views were considered during the qualitative work carried out prior to the main study. No respondent who is an employee of a banking organization was considered for the final study to avoid the possibility of any bias that could affect the results adversely. The data for the study were collected from customers who have switched banks and from those who were non switchers. The study attempted to develop and validate a multidimensional construct of service quality for retail banking from the consumer’s perspective. A major conclusion from the empirical research was the confirmation of the multidimensional construct for perceived service quality in the banking context. Switching can be viewed as an optimization problem for customers; customers review the potential gains of switching to another service provider against the costs of leaving the service provider. As banks do not provide tangible products, their service quality is usually assessed through service provider’s relationship with customers. Thus, banks should pay attention towards their employees’ skills and knowledge; assessing customers’ needs and offering fast and efficient services.