Information services in rural areas — access and delivery

In the UK, considerable interest has been expressed in the extent to which telecommunications could help to improve the accessibility and provision of information services in rural areas. Information services are typically provided by local and central government departments, voluntary advice agencies, and by a wide range of professional, financial, public utility and transport undertakings. It has never been particularly easy to visit service outlets in market towns, but recent changes in the organization and location of information services, together with the withdrawal of many public transport services, have caused a significant deterioration in physical accessibility. The authors summarize their research project on ‘Telecommunications and information services in rural areas’, the final report of which was submitted to the UK Department of the Environment in October 1978.     

Opportunism,knowledge, and the performance of franchise chains

An important feature of most franchise chains is that they simultaneously use franchised and company‐owned outlets. In this study, I show that the relationship between the resources provided to outlet managers and the financial performance of franchise chains is contingent on their governance structure. Specifically, opportunism and knowledge considerations seem to prevent chains with a large proportion of franchised outlets from fully leveraging resources such as a valuable brand name and tacit business practices. On the other hand, brand name value and business practices tacitness are not directly related to the proportion of franchised outlets in chains. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

浅析FDI流入对我国金融服务贸易的影响

随着我国金融服务贸易自由化进程的不断加快,大量外资的流入促进了我国金融服务贸易 的发展,但是,FDI在促进我国金融服务贸易发展的同时也带来了一些负面影响.本文在分析我国金融服务贸易和金融业FDI发展现状基础上,研究FDI流入对我国金融服务贸易产生的积极影响和消极影响,并有针对性地提出利用FDI促进我国金融服务贸易...     

Positioning of Financial Services for Competitive Advantage

The financial services sector is becoming increasingly competitive. Deregulation allows formerly nonoverlapping financial institutions to compete. To survive and succeed, financial institutions must develop strong positions. A position summarizes the distinctive competence that a company seeks to convey to the marketplace to establish its competitive advantage. In this article, Christopher Easingwood and Vijay Mahajan describe a number of positioning attempts in the financial services sector. They are guided by two central objectives.
The first is to show how the special characteristics of services give rise to eight different positioning possibilities for financial services organizations. These positions present a range of potential options from which the manager may choose. For instance, an "extra service" position is one option, a "performance" position is another.
The second objective is to demonstrate the use of the positioning framework, with examples taken from the insurance sector to provide illustrations rather than a complete picture of insurance positioning.
The article concludes with a number of recommendations. For instance, financial institutions should avoid overcrowded positions and occupy underexploited positions. If accepted, these recommendations should help the financial services executive develop a competitive positioning strategy.     

Financial inclusion,mobile money,and individual welfare: The case of Burkina Faso

Access to financial services promotes investment and facilitates consumption smoothing by enhancing resource mobilization. Over 60 percent of Burkinabe adults are excluded from financial services by banks and other nonbank financial institutions, so mobile money is expected to bridge this gap. Accounting for the importance of financial inclusion with the rapid prevalence of mobile money, this paper assesses the effects of financial inclusion and mobile money use on an individual's nonmonetary welfare in Burkina Faso by applying matching methods. The results confirm the significant role of financial inclusion in alleviating poverty. More importantly, our analysis shows that once individuals access financial services through mobile money, such favorable effects on poverty alleviation become more substantial. Financial regulators in Burkina Faso should promote financial inclusion with mobile money to ensure the efficient enhancement of individual welfare with poverty reduction.     

Implementing Technologies for Financial Service Innovations in Base of the Pyramid Markets

This study examines how information communications technologies (ICTs) can be implemented effectively to provide financial service innovations to the poor who live in developing countries, a market collectively known as the “Base of the Pyramid” or BOP. The BOP needs—but commonly lacks—basic financial services, a situation that perpetuates poverty. With a dearth of formal banks especially in rural areas of developing countries, the BOP has almost no access to savings accounts, credit lines, and other necessary services. However, ICTs have the potential to overcome cost, infrastructure, and other barriers to service delivery, and are being used to offer new financial services such as mobile phone banking to the BOP. The purpose of this study is to determine ways of successfully implementing these technology‐enabled service innovations. The study draws on the Socio‐Technical View for theoretical girding, and uses case method to examine multiple ICT implementation projects in five sub‐Saharan African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Uganda). The projects, which were carried out by a leading microfinance banking organization named Opportunity International, provided mobile banks, point‐of‐service, and mobile phone banking services to the BOP. Several techniques were applied to gather data in the field over a two‐year period: depth interviews, direct observations, and internal document and data analysis. Multiple forms of evidence were triangulated against one another, and analyzed across cases until themes emerged and converged. In doing so, two specific forms of analysis, explanation building and cross‐case synthesis, were employed to make sense of the data. The findings, summarized as research propositions, collectively conclude that implementation is effective when the unique socio‐human, governmental‐regulatory, and market conditions of the BOP are accounted for, such that fit is achieved between the technologies and environments they are situated in. More specifically, effectiveness comes when implementation (1) addresses customer and agent limits with the technologies, and is accepted and supported by trained staff who monitor technology use and make responsive system adjustments; (2) exploits and promotes supportive governmental regulations and actions, as well as leverages sound electronic fund transfer (EFT) switches, whether government or bank established; and (3) accounts for low business capabilities and evolving market competition, along with the underdeveloped financial sector and financial literacy of the population. In sum, there are multiple factors that should be considered in the design and installation activities surrounding these technologies to ensure they provide cost‐effective, quality financial services to the poor.     

自助金融服务业务风险防控问题分析

随着中央文件关于消除农村地区空白点和中国人民银行关于开展银行卡助农取款等相关文件的下发,金融机构对农村地区金融服务重视程度明显提高,各金融机构纷纷进军农村市场。为节约成本,在固话终端基础上创新研发的自助金融服务业务,得到各金融机构的青睐,受到了客户的普遍欢迎。但由于自助金融服务业务尚在初期阶段,政策风险、现金风险、技术风险、管理风险和操作风险等均已成为自助金融服务业务推广的"拦路虎"。可以通过丰富产品功能,加强现金监管力度,强化科技支撑作用,规范内控管理体系,营造良好使用环境等手段,不断完善风险防范措施,建立风险报告制度,健全风险化解机制,从而推进自助金融服务业务的健康、持续开展。     

基于产业类型的财务公司业务模式比较

本文通过对先进国家财务公司业务模式的比较研究，特别是针对石油化工、汽车、信息通信和电气等四个行业的大型跨国公司附属财务公司的比较研究，发现不同行业的财务公司具有明显的业务模式特征。这种基于产业类型的财务公司的业务拓展模式有别于任何其他金融机构，这对中国企业集团财务公司的发展具有重要借鉴意义。中国的财务公司应在业务准确定位的基础上，拓展和产业相关的业务模式，这样才能在整个金融服务体系中形成自己的竞争优势，并更好地为企业集团的产业发展提供服务。     

Service transition: A viable option for manufacturing companies with deteriorating financial performance?

When manufacturing firms venture into services, they often do so either in reaction to deteriorating performance or to further enhance their financial position. While extant literature argues that firms are most likely to succeed with strategic change processes out of a healthy position, the majority of manufacturers have started their service maneuver in reaction to deteriorating performance. To date, no empirical studies examine whether a healthy financial situation is a necessary requirement for successful service transition. Drawing on configuration theory and employing qualitative comparative analysis, the present study demonstrates that an increasing focus on services can lead to success for both types of firms. However, depending on their financial situation, firms should tap different resource and knowledge sources to implement the service transition: Whereas healthy companies should focus on customers as a knowledge source, companies in an inferior financial situation need strong links with suppliers to turn their services transition into financial success.     

An empirically-based typology of product innovativeness for new financial services: Success and failure scenarios

During the last decade, an increasing number of studies have been concerned with the factors that lead to new service success. Quite a few studies, however, have examined the role of product innovativeness in new service development and performance. The present article aims to test empirically a widespread, yet under‐researched argument, according to which, different innovative types may be associated with different development patterns and performance outcomes. On the basis of a detailed literature review we designed the conceptual framework for the present study. More specifically, we propose that the performance outcome of a new service is the result of the development process followed, which, in turn, is influenced by the innovativeness of the new service. The development process is examined through three blocks of variables, namely new service development activities (i.e., the “what” component), process formality (i.e., the “how” component) and cross‐functional involvement (i.e., the “who” component). Performance is viewed in relation to both financial and non‐financial outcomes. The different dimensions of innovativeness form the basis of our classification scheme. To collect the data, we followed the “dropping off method. That is, we handed in self‐administered questionnaires to participants and, a picking‐up appointment was set. Respondents were NSD project leaders who were asked to select two financial services, one successful and one unsuccessful, that they had developed within the last three years and reply to all questions relating to the development and launching of these services. Overall, 84 financial companies participated in the study, providing data for 132 new financial services (80 successes and 52 failures) developed and marketed in Greece. Data analysis revealed that six distinct service innovativeness types exist. They can be represented in the form of a continuum depending on the degree of innovativeness that characterizes each type. At the most innovative extreme of the continuum we find the new‐to‐the‐market services followed by new‐to‐the‐company services, new delivery processes, service modifications, service line extensions, while at the least innovative end service repositionings are placed. These six types are found to be associated with different development patterns in terms of activities, formality and cross‐functional involvement as well as performance outcomes. Interestingly enough, our data suggest an almost inverted U‐shaped relationship between the degree of innovativeness of a new financial service and financial performance. On the other hand, the major service innovations make the strongest contribution on non‐financial performance, while “me‐too” offerings are the least successful ones. The study has a number of research contributions as well as implications for managers involved in new service development in the financial services industry. The conceptualization of the continuum of innovativeness helps disclosing the critical points of the NSD process and its structuring which, depending of the type of new service and the degree of innovativeness that characterizes it, ensures that the management's objectives regarding the performance of the new service are attained.     

Friends or Foes? Mobile money interaction with formal and informal finance

Access to formal financial services is a key determinant of financial inclusion and yet, informal mechanisms still dominate the financial system in developing countries. In this context, the purpose of our article is to investigate how the growing effort to harness mobile money designed for unbanked individuals may help to overcome barriers to access formal financial services. Using a unique dataset obtained from an individual-level survey conducted in Burkina Faso, we explore the interplay between mobile money innovation and pre-existing formal and informal financial instruments. Our main findings show that, overall there are no differences in the inclination of mobile money users and non-users to make deposits in formal or informal deposit instruments. However, a closer investigation reveals suggestive evidence that it may increase the probability of participants in informal mechanisms to make deposits in formal financial instruments, especially using a bank account. Moreover, considering disadvantaged groups, we find for women, irregular income and less educated individuals that mobile money may increase their probability to make deposits in a bank and/or credit union accounts. Our results are robust to using instrumental variables and propensity score matching techniques that mitigate the endogeneity problem. They also pass a number of robustness checks as well as considering an alternative dataset. Given the low access to formal financial services in developing countries, our findings taken together indicate how the increasing adoption of mobile money may act as a stepping-stone towards financial inclusion. (JEL Classification C83, D14, G21)     

EFT and social stratification in the USA: More inequality?

Current financial services using EFT are resulting in inequalities within American society. Disadvantaged groups could be further handicapped by technology which develops and implements computer systems but fails to provide knowledge of access to them. However, the authors stress that EFT could be designed to universalize access to financial services.     

Gender Pay Gap,Voluntary Interventions and Recession: The Case of the British Financial Services Sector

State institutions and trade unions put pressure on the British financial services sector to reform its gendered practices and reduce its gender pay gap following both the recession and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Inquiry (2009). This article considers the effect of these pressures by comparing the gender pay gap pre‐, during‐ and post‐recession periods. Using Labour Force Survey data, the article finds a marginal pay gap reduction in the post‐recession period, a reduction that was greater in financial services than in the rest of the economy. However, the financial services pay gap remained resilient and substantially higher at the top of the earnings distribution. Union membership and collective bargaining were shown to reduce the pay gap including for women members with children. In contrast, countervailing factors, including ethnicity and post‐recession longer working hours, contributed to the pay gap. The study reveals the limitations of voluntary interventions against a resilient gendered culture.     

Franchising vs. company ownership as a decision variable of the firm

This paper investigates the mix of franchised and company-owned outlets among franchise chains. Hypotheses are formulated about the proportion of franchised outlets and are tested using firm-level data from a national survey of franchisors. Empirical results support the hypothesis that company-owned outlets serve as a way for the franchisor to give itself an incentive to maintain system quality.     

浅谈私人银行业务在我国内地商业银行的发展

私人银行业务是指以商业银行为主的金融机构面向社会富裕人士提供的以财富管理为中心的一揽子专业化的高层次金融服务.而随着中国经济金融的全面开放和内地富裕群体的日益壮大,外资银行纷纷企图在这一利润丰厚的财富蛋糕上沾点甜头.这项涵盖银行、保险、证券、信托、遗产安排、艺术品收藏与拍卖等领域的多元化服务,将成为中资银行丰厚利润的新...     

Is better access to mobile networks associated with increased mobile money adoption? Evidence from the micro-data of six developing countries

In several developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, accessibility to digital financial services is increasing because of the development of mobile money services. People previously excluded from the financial system have started to have access to financial services such as receiving and sending remittances, saving, and borrowing. This study examines the effect of network accessibility on the use of mobile money in six developing countries (Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Uganda) using GPS information on each household and mobile phone network coverage maps. We find that among these six countries, network accessibility is associated with the use of mobile money in a robust way only in Pakistan and Tanzania. In those two countries, when a household location becomes 10 km closer to the center of the area with multiple mobile networks, the probability of using mobile money increases by 10 percent. In the other countries, we did not find a robust relationship between the use of mobile money and network accessibility. This suggests that increasing network accessibility may not be an efficient method for increasing mobile money adoption in certain countries. The fact that mobile money use rates differ between Tanzania and Pakistan also suggests that the effect of mobile networks is unrelated to the overall level of mobile money adoption.     

我国银行理财业务发展趋势研究

对国内商业银行理财业务的发展状况进行了简要概述， 进而对理财业务开展过程中的一些问题进行了分析， 强调指出市场化应该成为银行理财业务转型升级和创新发展的方向， 并提出了实现市场化发展方向的若干具体措施。     

疫情冲击下金融服务实体经济发展的问题与对策

受新冠肺炎疫情影响,2020年,我国GDP一季度同比下降6.8%,二季度由于疫情好转,复工复产,GDP由负转正,但依旧面临不小的压力。基于此,文章提出了疫情冲击下金融服务实体经济发展过程中存在的一系列问题,如市场流动性低、中小微实体企业资金链紧张、金融产品服务与新产业不匹配等,因此给出了从信贷供求两端共同发力,增强市场主体的流动性,大力帮扶中小微实体企业解决资金链难题,以及丰富金融市场的产品和服务来支持新产业发展的建议。     

Organisational culture in the age of the Internet: an exploratory study

Through an exploratory study of a large financial services organisation, this study finds that the idiosyncratic nature of the Internet and Internet operations point to a range of implications for both the interaction of organisational subcultures and the internal and external perceptions of organisational culture.     

普惠金融的反贫困效应研究——基于西部地区的面板数据分析

本文基于2005~2015 年西部12 省市（区）数据,测度普惠金融发展水平、贫困程度,运用面板数据实证检验普惠金融的反贫困效应,研究表明：（1）西部地区普惠金融发展水平整体较低,发展速度缓慢,省际差异明显;（2）西部地区的扶贫开发取得了明显效果,贫困程度较轻;（3）从普惠金融的各个维度看：金融服务覆盖率、金融服务可得性以及金融资源的实际使用效率对贫困均有明显的减缓作用;（4）普惠金融对西部地区反贫困效应整体显著,但分省效果并不明显。最后,就发展普惠金融以减缓西部地区的贫困现状提出相关的政策建议。