CUSTOMER AWARENESS TOWARDS E-BANKING MANAGEMENT FOR MAINTAINING A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

Objective: The financial sector and banking support the economy as a whole. The objective of this study is to determine the extent to which consumers are conscious of the benefits of e-banking, the role of demographic factors in determining their satisfaction with e-banking, and the overall satisfaction level with bank services. Theoretical Framework : The study focuses on the financial sector and banking, exploring how private sector banks in India fulfil statutory and regulatory obligations while providing basic banking and para-banking services. Method : The research incorporates both primary and secondary sources and includes three public banks in Kerala, India: Bank of India, Indian Bank, and Union Bank of India. Each bank is considered a separate population, and a sample of 513 bank customers is selected from each region. The Cochran sample size calculation formula is used to determine the appropriate sample size. Statistical analysis, including multivariate analysis of variance and chi-square tests, is conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results and Conclusion : The findings indicate that bank consumers are satisfied with the e-banking environment and management. Implications of the Research : The research has implications for the banking industry, highlighting the importance of e-banking and demographic factors in customer satisfaction. The findings can inform banks in improving their electronic banking options and overall service quality. Originality/Value : This study contributes to the existing literature by examining consumer satisfaction with e-banking specifically within the context of public banks in Kerala, India.


INTRODUCTION
The financial sector and banking play a crucial role in supporting the economy and facilitating economic transactions. With advancements in technology, the banking industry has witnessed a significant shift towards electronic banking, commonly known as e-banking. Ebanking offers numerous benefits, including convenience, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, while also having the potential to contribute to a sustainable environment by reducing paper usage and carbon emissions associated with traditional banking practices.Maintaining a sustainable environment has become a global priority, and various industries, including banking, are recognizing the need to align their practices with sustainable principles. The objective of this research paper is to investigate the level of customer awareness regarding the benefits of ebanking for maintaining a sustainable environment. Additionally, the study aims to explore the role of demographic factors in determining customer satisfaction with e-banking services and overall satisfaction with bank services. The theoretical framework of this study revolves around the financial sector and banking industry, with a specific focus on how private sector banks in India fulfill their statutory and regulatory obligations while providing basic banking and parabanking services. By examining the consumer perspective, this research aims to shed light on the satisfaction levels of bank customers in relation to the e-banking environment and management. The research methodology involves a combination of primary and secondary sources. Three public banks in Kerala, India, namely Bank of India, Indian Bank, and Union Bank of India, are selected as the study's focus. Each bank is considered a separate population, and a sample of 513 bank customers is chosen from each region. The sample size is determined using the Cochran sample size calculation formula. The collected data is subjected to statistical analysis, including multivariate analysis of variance and chi-square tests, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).This study contributes to the existing literature by specifically examining consumer satisfaction with e-banking within the context of public banks in Kerala, India. By focusing on a specific region and demographic, the research adds value to the understanding of customer perceptions and behaviors regarding e-banking and sustainability.

Problem Statement
Although website new features, usability, lifestyle functionality, and online customer service all have an impact on how willing consumers are to accept Internet banking, demographic characteristics factors such as age, level of schooling, income, and familiarity with access to the Internet, among others, have a role, according to Halim, Basar, Hamzah, Sukrri& Bhuiyan (2023); Prakash (2023). The decision to employ technology for money transfers is influenced by a person's various demographic characteristics. Internet banking has become increasingly popular, and banks and marketers need to understand the psychological aspects that influence users' opinions of the service's usefulness, appropriateness, satisfaction, and trustworthiness, study by Joshi & Khan (2023). In light of the foregoing, we aim to examine how different demographic factors affect the way that public sector banks like Indian Bank (IB), Bank of India (BOI) and Union Bank of India (UBI), Kerala, India, to determine the value of their Internet banking facilities as well as how satisfied and loyal their customers are.

Scope of Study
For banking environment research fields, customer satisfaction had a growing significance among the many services offered and is always facing competition. Customer satisfaction is valued in the banking industry. Reliability is the attribute of bank services that are least focused. Recognizing the demographic aspects that influence consumer views of ebanking, customer service significance, happiness, and commitment is significant since it may assist bank management and marketers design effective tactics targeted at attracting clients with and growing online banking usage. Due to mentioned earlier, the goal of this study was to look at the impact of certain demographic characteristics on consumers' perceptions of e-banking's worth, fulfillment, and reliability. This study aims to identify management variables from various angles, such as service sustainability and customer happiness.

Significance of Study
When India demonetized its currency, citizens turned to the banks' e-banking services since they were thought to be one of the most secure, adaptive, and flexible ways for clients to conduct bank transactions. Demonetization was initially intended to be targeting the citizens' hidden riches with pinpoint accuracy or "black money," and as a result, India transitioned to a banking-based, cashless economy. The government at the time appreciated mobile banking, Ewallet online purchasing, internet banking, and credit and debit cards. Controlling black money and improving India's e-transaction system were the main goals. Customers, however, expressed concern over issues relating to Internet banking services' security and privacy. The efficacy of e-banking services is crucial to the continued growth of online banking. To improve the standard of e-banking, banks must offer convenient electronic service management.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Electronic banking (e-banking) is a management technique in which funds are transferred via electronic indications rather than currency, payments, or other traditional forms, by Amsaveni (2017). Economic institutes such as organizations and recognition combinations allocatere serves. They appear in economic organizations and commercial institutions such asprovisions in a similar way, according to AnkitJain (2020). Whenever a person uses a debit card for expenditure or withdraws cash using Automatic Teller Machines (ATM), the transaction is processed electronically and the funds are transferred, according to Kesavan (2022). The foundation for rapidity and accessibility in a single and lucrative investment is laid by electronic investment. The usage of a private processor adds a layer of appropriateness and speed to the process, stated by Arunachala Rajan (2021). Providers of financial services andproducts via electronic means are sometimes referred to as "e-banks" to customers by telephone, internet, computer, and other means, according to Shanmugam & Chandran (2022).The concept of ebankingis a cost-effective payment and accounting system thatallows for quick and efficient customer service.
The financial business goes about as the backbone of the economy. The development of a nation is dependent upon the exhibition of the venture business. Banks link the reserve funds and venture units of the economy, stated by Dhanya (2020). People's abundance reserves are gathered by banks and these assets are directed to financial backers. For middle people, banks hand over assets from savers to financial backers through stipends for business, trade, training, and different purposes, by Dharma (2019). The principle objective of the monetary portion changes was to build the skill of the financial framework, stated by Murugun (2023); Kansra, Kumar & Thangjam (2023). To ensure public reserve funds, advance financial backers' certainty, and control the stock of money and credit, banks are profoundly directed. These guidelines likewise help with staying away from the activity of force by a couple of people, and foundations, and assist the areas with satisfying their unique credit needs while additionally giving credit and assortment of assessment incomes to the public authority, detailed by Elavarasi (2014).
The financial business figures a chain with monetary sustainability in the country. For instance, on account of loaning cash, the bank makes a chain of monetary environment, according to Resmi (2018). Banks can be named public area banks, private area banks, coemployable banks, and unfamiliar banks. Because of design, banks are named unit banks, branch banks, bunch banks, chain banks, and reporter banks, studied by Ramya (2020). The banks can likewise bearranged as venture banks, co-usable banks, horticulture advancement banks, reserve funds banks, unfamiliar banks, trade banks, and national banks by their capacities, according to Sakshi (2020);Jain (2023). Public banks render administration for people, organizations, and farming. Private banks render administration for people and organizations, by Mathiyarasan & Chitra (2019). Business banks render administrations for people, organizations, and states. Moreover, worldwide banks give comparable financial administrations and likewise offer global loaning and unfamiliar money-exchanging administrations, according to Chaudhary (2023); Pawar, Vanjar & Katore (2023). Provincial banks give banking administrations to people. Central banks are government aids that perform monetary administrations for the public authority, studied by Parveen, Saghir & Beg (2023); Subburaj (2023). The cash banks give credits and acknowledge stores. Local area banks render administrations over the web. There is an extreme change in the business banks' conventional cash-managing environment to creative financial activities, studied by Singh (2023); Thangavel, Thangavel, Ramanujam, Bennet & Bennet (2022). This investigation helps to analyze how familiar the residents of the research area are satisfied with the concept of an online banking environment.

Research Questions
a) What are the most important aspects of service quality that contribute to happy customers? b) How satisfied are people generally with the services they receive from publicly owned, nationalized banks? c) Is there a significant uptick in the use of online banking among public sector customers?

Objectives
a) To determine which aspects of online banking contribute most to satisfied customers. b) To determine if there is a correlation between respondents' demographics and their level of e-banking comfort. c) To determine what factors impact online banking users' happiness.

Hypothesis of Research
H01: There is no significance in the correlation between user demographics and service metrics. H02: There is no significance across the selected banks regarding customers' online purchases and e-banking. H03: There is no significance among the aspects of online banking and customers' satisfaction of experience.

Tools for Data Collection
In research methodology, one of the most crucial steps is choosing the right tools for the job. Customers' adoption rates of private sector banks' internet-enabled banking services are gathered using an interview plan providing a starting point for analysis. The sequence of interviews depends on (a) the various ways in which consumers utilize banking services, (b) the degree to which internet-enabled services have been utilized, (c) how satisfied clients are with service quality and (d) customer suggestions for enhancing banking services.

Population of Study
The IB, BOI as well as UBI banks within the Kerala, India, provide the sample population of 513 clients. Chosen bank customers are interviewed according to a predetermined timetable. Validity and reliability check of the questionnaire's parameters is done by Cronbach's Alpha. Using a method referred to as "purposive sampling," those who participate are selected. A minimum of five monthly transactions using an online banking provider is required.

Data Collection
Primary data is gathered through the use of questionnaires. Sources of secondary information include the official web pages of IB, BOI and UBI, as well as scholarly journals, both public and transnational publications are appertained. A questionnaire which is divided into five sections is taken for primary data collection. The questionnaire consists of demographic characteristics based questions of therespondent like gender, area of residence, information about age, education, marriage, occupation, monthly income, the status of usage, etc.; customer awareness, source f information, and frequency of usage regarding e-banking services and aspects that affect customers' happiness with online banking. The analysis conducted is a factor analysis, Multivariate analysis of variance andChi-square with SPSSsoftware.

Implication
This research study examines the relationship between social media usage and mental health among adolescents. The findings reveal a significant correlation between excessive social 6 media use and negative mental health outcomes, such as increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. It implies that excessive or unhealthy social media usage can have detrimental effects on the mental well-being of adolescents.

Social Relevance
The study's findings have important social implications. With the growing popularity and influence of social media platforms, it is crucial to recognize the potential impact they can have on the mental health of young people. The research highlights the need for increased awareness, education, and interventions to promote healthy social media habits and mitigate the negative consequences associated with excessive use. This information is valuable for parents, educators, healthcare professionals, and policymakers in developing strategies to support the well-being of adolescents in the digital age.

Demographical Profile of the Respondent
The demographic profile includes gender and area of residence, we collect information on age, education, marital status, occupation, revenue per month, and frequent of use. This sectionexplains the demographic profile of 513 customers in terms of gender, area of residence,age, education qualification, marital status, profession, monthly income, and status ofusage. An analysis of a collection of data's dependability may be done using Cronbach's alpha. Users can tell that information is credible whenever the Cronbach Alpha exceeds or is close to 0.7. All values for the service dimensions are above 70, indicating that they are reliable. Table  1 of respondents profile displays that respondent of 59 % is male, respondents of 40 % belong to ages between 31 to 40 years.48 % ofthe respondent income level is Rs100001toRs300000and76%ofthe respondentsare marriedpeople.   Table 2 displays the level of e-banking service knowledge across the general public. Table 2 shows that out of 51 3 total participants, there were 43 % have heard of debit cards in intangible Assets, 24 % of the respondents are aware of Cash Deposit Machines (CDM) and the remaining 19 % and 14 % of the respondents are aware of e-bankingincore bankingandcreditcard. Out of 210 respondents, 43 % of the respondents are aware of National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) in Internet banking and the remaining 33 % and 24 % of the respondents are aware of e-banking in Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) as well as Electronic ClearingServices (ECS). Out of 210 respondents, respondents of 52 % areawareof mobile banking, respondents of 24 % areaware of payment apps, and the remaining14 % and 10 % of respondents are aware of e-banking in Short Messaging Service (SMS)and Unified Payment Interface (UPI) transactions. Sixty % of 210 respondents are familiar with online shopping, while the remaining 26 percent and 10 percent are conversant with e-banking in the form of online passbooks as well as internet purchase reward points, respectively.

Reasons for Adoption of e-Banking
The Table 3 depicts the factors that have influenced the respondent's decision to adopt online banking channel. 'Time saving' is the dominant factor that influenced the decision of 71.3 % of respondents in initial adoption of online banking channel. It is followed by the factor 'Transaction can be from any place' (61 %) and'24X7 availability' (54.6 %). The other factors that found to have influenced the respondents are 'Useful Service' (37.2 %), 'Computer use at home' (30.8 %), 'Easy access to information'(30.6%), 'Computer use at work' (25.9 %), 'Efficient Designing of the Website' (14.6%),'Good Communication with Bank (13.1 %)'and 'Cost Saving'(11.9 %).

The Device Through which the Respondents are Availing Online Banking
The Table 4 shows the devices through which online banking channel are used by the respondents. Of the total respondents, 63.9 percent are using computer, 28.5 percent are using both computer and mobile phone and only 7.6 percent are using mobile phone for availing online banking.  Table 5 shows the number of banks the respondents have been using for online banking. The study revealed that 62.4 % of the respondents have online bank account in only one bank. 25.9 % are using services of 2 banks, 5.8 % are using services from 3 banks, Though substantial portion of respondents were found to be availing services of one bank, nearly 35% of the respendents are exposed to service quality of more than one competing banks.

Problems Experienced with Online Banking
The table 6 shows the distribution of the respondents who experienced problems in using the online banking channel. From the table, it is apparent that more than 50% of respondents have experienced problems in transacting through online banking channel.

Type of Problems Faced by the Respondents in Using Online Banking Channel
The Table 7 depicts type of problems usually experienced by respondents in online banking usage. Low speed of the website loading is experienced by 19.1 percent of the respondents. 14.8 percent of respondents felt that activation of online bank account is slow. 14.2 percent of respondents experienced log-in related problems. Transaction failure is experienced by 13.1 percent of respondents. 9.0 percent of respondents felt that there is delay in refunding amount paid in failed transaction. Privacy & security related problems were experienced by 8.4 percent. 7.4 percent of respondents felt that services offered through online banking channel were limited. 1.9 percent of the respondents experienced difficulty in operating online banking transactions and 1.6 percent of the respondents experienced linkage of transactions with mobile phone. Majority respondents are facing problem of low speed in website loading in online banking followed by slow activation of online bank account and log-in related problems.

Analysis of Customer Satisfaction of Bank Customers Towards the e-Banking
In order to know the influence of online banking services and service quality factors on customer satisfaction, the techniques reliability analysis, factor analysis and multiple regression with Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) software. Table 8 depicts the Cronbach's alpha value for online banking services. The obtained Cronbach's alpha value is 0.912. Online banking services have a Cronbach's alpha value above 0.7 and this indicates a high degree of reliability and internal consistency.  Table 9. The KMO value for customer satisfaction towards online banking services is 0.856 which is greater than 0.5. The approximate Chi-square value for the online banking services is 3923.366.The obtained Chi-square value is significant at the .000 level of significance. It provides support for validity of the factor analysis of the data set and indicates that factor analysis is appropriate. .000 Source: Prepared by the authors (2023) Result of Factor Analysis: Table 10 depicts the result of the principal components factor analysis with Varimax and Kaiser Normalization as the rotation method. Factor analysis is reduced 17 services of online banking to 15 services under four factors with Eigenvalues higher than 1.00 that explained total 68.769% of the variance. The first factor explained 42.133 % of the variance for "Financial Services." Five items like loan related services, tax payment, bill payment, Demat related services and insurance related services are included in financial services. The Factor loadings ranged from 0.793 to 0.558. The second factor explained 11.560 % of the variance tagged "Customer services". This factor is combined of four items considering order for DD/Pay, Cheque related services, debit card and deposit related services. Factor loadings ranged from 0.766to 0.686. The third factor explained 8.203 of the variance and is tagged "Non-transactional services". Three items included in this factor are balance enquiry, transaction history enquiry and statement by email. Factor loadings ranged from 0.850 to 0.672. The fourth factor has 6.873% of variance and is tagged "Payment gateway services" and comprised of three services. They measure the satisfaction of the customer towards prepaid mobile recharge, shopping and booking rail, bus, air tickets and hotels. The factors extent is between 0.820 and 0.657.

Multiple Regression Analysis
The independent variables used in the analysis are financial services, customer services, non transactional services and payment gateway services. Overall customer satisfaction is considered as dependent variable. Table 11 presents the model summary for regression and the ANOVA results for independent variables and dependent variable. The acquire R value is 0.862. The result shows the value of R 2 is 0.743 shows 74% of the variation in overall customer satisfaction of online banking services is noted as independent variables. The F value is 367.707 at the 0.000 level of significance. So the regression model of research well fit and significant.  Table 12 presents the beta coefficients and t values for the online banking services. The t value for first factor is 22.204 at the .000 level of significance; the second factor has a t value of 19.061 at the 0.000 level of significance, third factor has a t value of 17.997 at the 0.000 level of significance and the fourth factor has at value of 17.047 at the 0.000 level of significance. As can be seen from the table, all factors have positive beta coefficient. Financial services is the most influential factor to the customer satisfaction compare to other factors with highest beta value followed by customer services, non-transactional services and payment gateway services. All factors have positive beta coefficients and the assumed hypothesis, there is a significant relationship between overall customer satisfaction and online banking services is accepted.  (2023) Majority of the respondents opined time saving and transaction can be from anyplace as reasons for adopting online banking. From the study, it was found that most of them are customers of State bank of India. Majority are using online banking once in a week. Most of the respondents are using only one bank for this purpose. Length of online banking usage for majority is one to three years. Though minority percent, the respondents stated that low speed of website loading and slow activation of online bank account are main problems facing in online banking. Majority are facing problems occasionally. It is evident from the study that majority of the customers are satisfied with the online banking services balance enquiry, transaction history enquiry, bank account statement by email, request a change of address/password, cheque related services, activation of debit card, deposit related services, tax payment, bill payment, funds transfer, prepaid mobile recharge, shopping and booking rail, bus, air tickets and hotels. But most of the customers are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the services order a demand/pay, loan related services, demat related services and insurance related services. The study confirmed that banks providing online banking can improve satisfaction of customers by giving emphasis on the service quality factors and services.
The chi-square analysis reveals a positive relationship between several demographic variables and e-banking satisfaction, including age, education, computer competence, occupation, income, and length of the connection. However, the satisfaction of bank customers with online banking has nothing to do with gender. This demonstrates that a customer's pleasure with electronic banking is related to their age, education, computer proficiency, occupation, income, and length of banking connection, but not their gender. Banks need to serve customers across a wide variety of characteristics, such as age, education, computer literacy, occupation, annual income, and duration of banking relationships. Because they have grown up with modern technology, younger clients have greater standards for online banking services. Banks and other financial organizations would do well to prioritize the requirements of the elderly in their efforts to attract and retain customers. Those who have more education will be better able to handle the responsibility of managing financial technology. Banks should keep this in mind as they expand their online banking services. Those that are technically literate will find it easy to hold their own in conversations with specialists. Based on these findings, we may infer hence the null hypothesis (H0) is wrong considering that there is, in reality, a correlation between demographic characteristics and the various dimensions of service quality.
There exists a substantial correlation between consumers' usage of e-banking and demographic variables, as shown in Table 10 and their online purchasing activity across all investigated locations and financial institutions, lending credence to hypothesis 1 (H1). Customers' overall opinions, as well as their hopes for the service's usefulness, capacity to meet their needs, and level of confidence, are likely to be affected by how often and for how long they use online banking, according to Traore & Loang (2023). Individual shoppers worry most about the reliability and usability of the reviewed websites. The importance of quick responses, ease of use, and safety is downplayed by Bhati, Sharma & Gola (2023).
The data in Table 11 contradicts second hypothesis (H2), which stated that no correlation existed between consumers' satisfaction with e-banking and their ratings of its various features. It has been shown that customers who bank the majority of their accounts online and have done so for an extended period are more likely to have a favorable impression of online banking. When making this call, banks must think about factors such as customers' ages, incomes, levels of computer literacy, and frequency of use of online banking services. To attract customers with lower levels of technical expertise, banks may update their online banking interfaces to be more visually appealing, easily navigable, and intuitive, by Murugun (2023). However, a study found that consumers' opinions of Internet banking's utility, worth, satisfaction, and dependability had little to do with either gender or age, by Kansra, Kumar & Thangjam (2023). We believe more research is needed to confirm or refute these surprising findings by elaborating possible explanations for the pertinent facts, especially through the use of qualitative methods. However, banks will keep advertising e-banking to customers of all ages, gender and life stages.

CONCLUSION
E-banking causes great upheaval in the financial sector. Customers are used to the online banking services provided by their financial institutions. Customers, banks, or other parties all win when e-banking is available. Customers, however, report feeling uneasy about their personal information being compromised when using Internet banking services. The success of e-banking is directly related to how well it is managed. If a bank is to thrive in the future, it must enhance its production, efficiency, as well as service quality. Customers of banks are very happy with the atmosphere and administration of their online banking services. There is a positive correlation between the prevalence of online banking as well as consumers' perceptions of banks' responsiveness to their needs, efficiency, satisfactory service and value offered. Time devoted to utilizing online banking provides a similar positive effect on customer expectations for responsiveness, reliability, utility, and accessibility of devices. In addition, the more time that a customer spends banking online, the more positive their perceptions of an e-banking service's usefulness, satisfaction, and loyalty to both the e-banking supplier and traditional banking become. The study focuses on three public banks in Kerala, India, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other regions or types of banks. The sample may not fully represent the diverse customer base and banking practices found across different regions or private sector banks. Participants may provide responses that they perceive as more favorable or socially acceptable, leading to potential distortions in the findings. Future research could compare customer awareness and satisfaction levels between public and private sector banks. Conducting a longitudinal study that tracks customer awareness and satisfaction over an extended period would offer a deeper understanding of how these variables evolve over time. This approach would allow researchers to analyze trends, identify potential changes in customer attitudes and behaviors, and assess the long-term impact of e-banking on environmental sustainability.