Benchmarking best practice in financial services

This article summarises a wider report on the current state of best practice benchmarking in UK and US commercial banking

Customer value creation in financial services

Customer value creation is allegedly at the centre of relationships between service recipients and service providers (such as financial service organisations in general, and commercial banks in particular). This research considers the role of customer value creation in the strategic response of banks to external changes in their growth opportunities. The analysis established that there had been changes in the framework in which banks' pursued synergy since 1980 (or 1990 in Mexican and 1992 in Estonian interviews). As a response to external change banks have created new synergies in the pursuit of greater growth and interviewees expected that changes in synergy creation should be reflected in banks' diversification and market positioning moves. New synergies required new capabilities and participants from all countries agreed that the current wave of change in synergy creation had carried through greater emphasis on customer profitability. All countries recorded a shift from a supply-oriented strategic stance to the development of skills to retain customers and even becoming a one-stop financial service institution for their customers. However, greater emphasis on customer profitability was seldom followed by recognition of the key capabilities required for high customer value creation. This as most interviewees failed to provide an articulated account of how to achieve that profitability

The Matrix Product Ansatz for integrable U(1)^N models in Lunin-Maldacena backgrounds

We obtain through a Matrix Product Ansatz (MPA) the exact solution of the most general $N$-state spin chain with $U(1)^N$ symmetry and nearest neighbour interaction. In the case N=6 this model contain as a special case the integrable SO(6) spin chain related to the one loop mixing matrix for anomalous dimensions in ${\cal N} = 4$ SYM, dual to type $IIB$ string theory in the generalised Lunin-Maldacena backgrounds. This MPA is construct by a map between scalar fields and abstract operators that satisfy an appropriate associative algebra. We analyses the Yang-Baxter equation in the N=3 sector and the consistence of the algebraic relations among the matrices defining the MPA and find a new class of exactly integrable model unknown up to now

The Case Study Method and The Methodology of Business History

In this brief paper I place the case study method within the methodology of business history and in a broader perspectiveof researching business and management. I also illustrate the sue of case studies as a pedagogical tool and itsimplications for the teaching of MBAs in Latin America.Keywords: Business history, method, case study, MBA, Latin Americ

Best Practice Benchmarking in Financial Services

This article summarises a wider report on the current state of best practice benchmarking in UK and US commercial banking.Banks, competition, IT innovation

GSK - A CASE STUDY ON THE STRATEGY OF “MERGER OF EQUALS” IN ETHICAL PHARMACEUTICALS

This case summarises events leading to the creation of a global giant. The merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham had implications that went beyond the UK, where both companies were domiciled. The new company sought to take residence in the US but anti-trust authorities kept the companies formally apart for more than a year as they examined every aspect of the deal. The case invites readers to consider the process of integration as a general strategy, as well as the expectations, deliberations and motivation of managers and shareholders in doing so.

The emergence and growth of US-style business education in Mexico (1955-2005)

Structured Abstract Purpose - This article contributes to efforts documenting the incursion of Anglo-American capitalism into Latin America by looking at the emergence and development of graduate and postgraduate business education in Mexico. Design/methodology/approach - Archival research (including current writings) combines with unstructured interviews and a database of teaching case studies. The database considers teaching case studies looking at multinational companies working in Mexico and cases focusing on Mexican companies. Findings – The emergence of graduate degrees in management during the 1950s and 1960s mirrors a move to a more hierarchical structure of family businesses. The emergence of postgraduate business education in the 1960s reflects the existence of a large group of salaried managers. Between 1948 and 1997, teaching case studies overwhelmingly sought to help US managers doing business in Mexico. Since then a significantly greater number of Mexican business experiences have been documented, suggesting a greater effort to link indigenous businesses with trends in global companies. Originality/value – Contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between multinationals, indigenous businesses and management education in emerging markets. Paper type - Empirical.master’s in management, case method, business schools, family businesses, multinationals, Mexico, USA

COMPETITIVE EFFECTS OF IT INNOVATION ON BANK STRATEGY, 1985-1995

Through case study research this paper illustrates opportunities presented by IT-based technological change in British retail bank markets (1985-1995). For the managers of the Royal Bank of Scotland IT appeared to lower entry barriers, exit barriers and deliver high sustainability of competitive advantage. The strategic intent behind diversification patterns of the Royal Bank of Scotland suggested competitive considerations were at a premium because unsolicited take-over bids in the early 1980s put pressure on managers to create growth opportunities. Direct Line Insurance was a subsidiary from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Direct Line was also the first retail finance institution to establish a clear competitive advantage based on information technology. The success of Direct Line enabled an increase in the market share of British retail financial services of The Royal Bank of Scotland. Direct Line is a case of planned success that questions the extent to which banks’ competencies must change to master alternative delivery channels. The success of Direct Line also suggested more effective execution than other activities explored by managers of the Royal Bank of Scotland.Financial institutions; technological change; corporate strategy