Role of Information Technology (IT) in the Banking Sector

Banking environment has become highly competitive today. To be able to survive and grow in the changing market environment banks are going for the latest technologies, which is being perceived as an ‘enabling resource’ that can help in developing learner and more flexible structure that can respond quickly to the dynamics of a fast changing market scenario. It is also viewed as an instrument of cost reduction and effective communication with people and institutions associated with the banking business. The Software Packages for Banking Applications in India had their beginnings in the middle of 80s, when the Banks started computerizing the branches in a limited manner. The early 90s saw the plummeting hardware prices and advent of cheap and inexpensive but high powered PC’s and Services and banks went in for what was called Total Branch Automation (TBA) packages. The middle and late 90s witnessed the tornado of financial reforms, Continue reading

Case Study: Starbucks Successful Entry into the Japanese Market

Starbucks is a chain of coffee shops created by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegl in 1971 in the American city of Seattle. At first, they sold roasted coffee beans, but in 1987 the company was sold to Howard Schultz, who began to form the chain known today. At the moment (2021), it has reached annual revenue of about 24 billion dollars. The American coffee company has 32,660 coffee shops worldwide and continues to expand. For example, in China, one of the most priority markets, Starbucks Corp. It has about 3,700 coffee shops and opens new ones approximately every 15 hours – 600 locations per year. The goal by 2023 year is 6000 new coffee shops. The company is implementing plans for delivery services in the United States and other countries. The main competitors of Starbucks are Caffè Nero, Costa Coffee, Mc Café, Dunkin Donuts, Cafè Ritazza, Café Coffee Continue reading

Distribution Requirement Planning (DRP)

Distribution Requirement  Planning (DRP)  is a more sophisticated approach that considers multiple distribution stages and the characteristics of each stage. It is a logical extension of Material Requirements Planning (MRP), although there is one fundamental difference between the two. MRP is determined by a production schedule that is defined and controlled by the enterprise. On the other hand, DRP is guided by customer demand, which is not controllable by the enterprise. So, while MRP generally operates in a dependent demand situation, DRP operates in an independent environment where uncertain customer demand determines inventory requirements. The manufacturing requirements planning component coordinates the scheduling and integration of materials into finished goods. MRP controls inventory until manufacturing or assembly is complete. DRP then takes coordination responsibility once finished goods are received in the plant warehouse. The fundamental DRP planning is the schedule, which coordinates requirements across the planning horizon. There is a schedule Continue reading

Literature Review – Strategic Alliances

Strategic alliances are collaborative organizational arrangements that use resources or governance structures from more than one present organization. Strategic alliances have three main characteristics, First, two or more firms partnering remain independent to the formation of the alliance. Second, alliances perform the feature of ongoing mutual interdependence, from which one party is vulnerable to the other party. Mutual interdependence between party leads to shared control and management, which contributes to the complexity of alliance management and often creates significant administrative costs. Third, because the partners of alliances remain independent, there is uncertainty as what one party expects the other party to do. Literature Review on Strategic Alliances Buckley, Glaister, Klijn, & Tan (2009) describe that, two types of knowledge accession partnerships: one pursuit of efficiency and productivity based on complementary knowledge transfer and the other in pursuit of business scope and product adaptability based on supplementary knowledge transfer. They also Continue reading

4 Reasons Why Marketing is Important for Every Business

Managers face an endless challenge to create unique strategies that will enable them provide positional advantage in an effort to achieve superior financial or customer performance. A company’s pecuniary success largely depends upon prudent marketing efforts along with financial, operational, accounting and other business functions. Marketing is identified as focusing on strategies concerning the critical decision of market definition and market segmentation as well as the identification of potential bases for differentiation. Sometimes, people ask why marketing is important in the financial success of a company. The answer to this question is, assume you have a product to offer with excellent features, best quality and amazing packaging but no one knows about your product? There will be no demand in the market for your it, the company will make no sale and eventually no profit. Here comes the importance of marketing. The most important function of marketing, along with others, Continue reading

Possible Courses of Exchange Control

Exchange control is one of the important means of achieving certain national objectives like an improvement in the balance of payments position, restriction of inessential imports and conspicuous consumption, facilitation of import of priority items, control of outflow of capital and maintenance of the external value of the currency. Under the exchange control, the whole foreign exchange resources of the nation, including those currently occurring to it, are usually brought directly under the control of the exchange control authority (the Central Bank, treasury or a specially constituted agency). Dealings and transactions in foreign exchange are regulated by the exchange control authority. Exporters have to surrender the foreign exchange earnings in exchange for home currency and the permission of the exchange control authority have to be obtained for making payments in foreign exchange. It is generally necessary to implement the overall regulations with a host of detailed provisions designed to eliminate Continue reading