Alignment of the firm business model in the digitization process : path dependence and reconfiguration at the case of banking business models

The present paper analyses the impact of digitization on business models in the banking industry. With this analysis the study aims to answer the question: How are banks digitizing their business models and what are the roles of path dependencies and ambidexterity in the digitization process of business models? As this study reveals, the banking industry in particular is of relevance to the discussion of digitization since it must reconfigure their business model to changing customer needs in the new digital environment and reinvent their role in the disrupted ecosystem. Banks must drive the digital innovation agenda by linking up with FinTechs and technology providers, as well as cooperate with each other to sustain their competitive position and share costs. Finally, banks have to go beyond traditional innovation strategies by not only restructuring legacy infrastructures from the ground up but by reinventing their organisations with viable organisational structures and core technological capabilities. In order to come to these conclusions, developing a digital business model framework has been one element of the extant research in order to provide a holistic assessment tool on how digitization impacts a company’s business model. The literature review of 80 academic and management articles revealed that the BMI and digitization theory is rather fragmented and that further theoretical streams like path dependence and ambidexterity needed to be investigated to answer the research question. Lastly, banking experts where interviewed to test the developed framework and to gather industry data for which limited empirical evidence exists.Esta tese analisa o impacto da digitalização em modelos de negócio na indústria bancaria. Este estudo pretende responder à seguinte pergunta: Como estão os bancos a digitalizar os seus modelos de negócio e quais são os papéis da dependência e da ambidestria no processo de digitalização dos modelos de negócio? A indústria bancaria torna-se relevante de estudo no processo da digitalização pois deve reconfigurar o seu modelo de negócio devido a mudanças nas preferências dos consumidores neste novo ambiente digital e reinventar o seu papel num novo ecossistema. Os bancos devem entrar na era digital através de ligações com empresas tecnológico-financeiras e provedoras de tecnologia, e estabelecer parcerias com cada uma para mantar uma posição competitiva e partilhar custos. Devem ainda não só restruturar infra-estruturas desde baixo até cima mas também aplicar estruturas organizacionais viáveis e capacidades tecnológicas core. Estas conclusões derivam de vasta pesquisa académica em como construir uma estrutura de modelo de negocio e assim poder fornecer uma ferramenta holística que quantifique em quanto a digitalização impacta os componentes do modelo de negocio de cada empresa. A análise de 80 trabalhos académicos e artigos de gestão revelaram que inovação nos modelos de negócio e a teoria da digitalização é bastante fragmentada e que outras teorias como a dependência de caminhos e a ambidestria precisam de ser investigadas para responder à questão de investigação. Por último, foram entrevistados especialistas bancários para testar a estrutura desenvolvida e para colectar dados da indústria para cada evidência empírica existente

Data Quality Management in Corporate Practice

The 21st century is characterized by a rising quantity and importance of Data and Infor-mation. Companies utilize these in order to gain and maintain competitive advantages. Therefore, the Data and Information is required both in high quantity as well as quality. But while the amount of Data collected is steadily increasing, this does not necessarily mean the same is true for Data Quality. In order to assure high Data Quality, the concept of Data Quality Management (DQM) has been established, incorporating such elements as the assessment of Data Quality as well as its improvement. In order to discuss the issue of Data Quality Management, this paper pursues the following goals: (1) Systematic literature search for publications regarding Data Quality Management (Scientific contributions, Practice reports etc.) (2) Provision of a structured overview of the identified references and the research mate-rial (3) Analysis and evaluation of the scientific contributions with regards to methodology and theoretical foundation (4) Current expression of DQM in practice, differentiated by organization type and in-dustry (based upon the entire research material) as well as assessment of the situation (how well are the design recommendations based upon research results) (5) Summary of unresolved issues and challenges, based upon the research materia

Introduction

On October 24, 2003, SUERF celebrated its 40th anniversary in the Galerie Dorée of the Banque de France with an especially high level and rich seminar. The memorable occasion was further elevated by Jean Claude Trichet giving the tenth SUERF Annual Lecture in his last public speech as Governor of the Banque de France, prior to taking over as President of the European Central Bank. This study brings together in slightly edited form the four papers presented at the seminar and the Annual Lecture.

Working Paper 114 - Additionality of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in Upstream Oil and Gas in Africa

The landscape of oil and gas production in Africa is changing in ways that will increase the demand for upstream development finance and pull on funds from all sources, including development finance institutions (DFIs). A new cohort of countries is coming onstream for the first time, and new players from among the group of indigenous and independent oil and gas firms are carving out strategic niches in the sector around the continent. Commercial banks are strongly present and maintained interest in financing upstream development through the financial crisis. However, the funding needs of the sector are massive and growing. At the same time, for some countries, the sector holds the potential of significant development gains. Joining the club of oil and gas producers can generate a new stream of revenues that, if well managed, can lead to improvements in national welfare, growth and development. DFIs face the challenge of engaging in the sector in a way that is both relevant financially and solidly aligned with the successful realization of development gains among countries on the continent. This paper argues that DFIs should be strategically targeting and selecting positions in transactions where experience indicates they can add value. It takes the position that it is possible to differentiate between opportunities within the development phase of the upstream oil and gas sector in Africa and extract some general criteria to be applied in deal selection and project design. Core recommendations for DFIs, stemming from the paper, include pursuing transactions linked either to emerging, producer nations or indigenous or independent firms and focusing on improving development outcomes linked to governance and extractive industry transparency, social and environmental standards and benchmarks and local content.

Social construction of IS evaluation: a case study of IT investment appraisal

This study explores the phenomenon of the social construction of IS investment evaluation in the financial services industry. The extensive literature on information systems (IS) evaluation stretches back more than thirty years and it is widely agreed that IS evaluation is an important and complex issue. Constructivist evaluation, which serves to develop the interpretivist strand of the literature, concentrates on the notion that evaluations are the outcomes of an interaction and argumentation process between various interested parties. The purpose of this research is to shed further light on the IS investment evaluation area. Explaining the practice of IS evaluation within the dynamic and technologically sophisticated financial services industry would benefit academics and financial services firms alike. This context is relatively neglected in the existing literature. The chosen case study reflects the demands in the financial services industry to upgrade their infrastructure in order to manage an ever increasing number of transactions, as well as increased regulation. The fieldwork produced extensive data concerning traditional trading, brokerage, high frequency algorithmic trading and transaction clearing. The rapid rise of derivative transactions during the last few years caused problems in terms of clearing and managing the transactions. At the same time, hedge funds‘ growing demand for low latency execution services and changes in regulations increased, pressuring firms in the industry to invest heavily. Actor-network theory (ANT) is used in order to describe and explain the formation of networks between human and non-human actors. The theory‘s specific vocabulary allows IS evaluation to be seen in a new light and the study uses ANT analysis to produce insight into the longstanding problem of IS evaluation, human and non-human interactions and roles within the context if IT investment appraisal. Building on ANT, this thesis is an in-depth case study of the employment process of an IT evaluation method at a global financial services company