CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION TO THE PLACEMENT COMPANYThis chapter provides an introduction to the organization where the writer has done his foreclosure. In this case the attachment was conducted at Ecobank Zimbabwe, which is an affiliate of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI). This chapter will look at Ecobank's core values, vision, mission, as well as a brief description of the entire organization in general.1. Organization Background1.0 Ecobank GroupEcobank Group is a universal banking group founded through a spirit of private sector integration, cooperation and development. The Ecobank Group was established in 1985 in Togo as a bank holding company thanks to the support of ECOWAS. The Group consists of the parent company called Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) and other subsidiaries in other African countries. However, in such subsidiaries the parent company would be the main shareholder. The bank has agreements with the Togolese government in terms of exchange control and legal rights. The bank was formed to fill the gap that existed in many West African countries as most banks were state-owned or foreign-owned. Ecobank was founded as a commercial bank because there were almost no commercial banks in West Africa. Commercial banks are in the business of offering loans (lines of credit), current accounts, etc. Ecobank is currently present in 35 African countries, making it one of the banks with a large branch network in Africa. Ecobank also has representative offices in France, London, Dubai, Beijing and Johannesburg. However, Ecobank's core vision is pan-African. Ecobank shares are traded on 3 stock markets and these are; the Ni bag...... middle of paper ......strongly discouraged because they harm productivity.c) InnovativeEcobank encourages its workforce to be creative. This is because it is through innovation that the bank can survive in an environment characterized today by ruthless competition. Unproductive habits are not encouraged at all. d) Effective Ecobank believes in hard work culture and as a result employees must be efficient. The objectives set should be smart and performance must be monitored against deadlines. e) EntrepreneurialEcobank expects its employees to be innovative. Employees should always be on the lookout for new business opportunities and then work to explore these opportunities profitably. 1.8 The 3 Pillars of Ecobank The No. 1 Employer of Choice. The No. 1 Customer Service Provider. The No. 1 Bank in Generating Shareholder Returns.