Title: A marriage in a complex relationship: bank source, bank visibility and banking efficiency. Does clients' perception agree with the balance sheet data?

Authors: Joy Say; Hongjiang Zhao; Evans Asante Boadi; Angela Abena Nusenu; Kafui Y. Girentsi; Francisca S. Agbenyegah

Addresses: School of Management and Economics and Centre for West African Studies, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Department of Economics Education, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana ' School of Management and Economics and Centre for West African Studies, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China ' School of Management and Economics and Centre for West African Studies, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China ' School of Management and Economics and Centre for West African Studies, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China ' The Research Department, Bank of Ghana, Accra, Ghana ' College of Management, Sichuan Agriculture University, Chengdu, China

Abstract: The study sought to find out the effect of bank origin and bank visibility on bank efficiency using the commercial banks in Ghana from 2014-2017. Employing a mixed research of secondary data and primary survey analysed using DEA and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), the study found that bank efficiency and the perception of efficiency differ in terms of the origin of the bank. Firstly, the study found disparities in the conclusions of both the secondary data and the primary data analysis. The study also found that visibility negatively correlates with efficiency and further, the more visible a bank is, the more the bank is perceived to be efficient. The study thus implies that while policy is tailored towards removal of advantages and disadvantages alluding to origin, large stakeholder consultations are required in cases such as banking sector clean-ups.

Keywords: efficiency; visibility; origin; mixed research; Ghana.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2026.151142

European Journal of International Management, 2026 Vol.28 No.2, pp.346 - 364

Received: 18 Jun 2020
Accepted: 20 Oct 2020
Published online: 15 Jan 2026 *

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