Strategic Risk in E-Banking

This is the current and prospective risk to earnings and capital arising from adverse business decisions or improper implementation of business decisions. Many senior managers do not fully understand the strategic and technical aspects of Internet banking. Spurred by competitive and peer pressures, banks may seek to introduce or expand Internet banking without an adequate cost-benefit analysis. The organization structure and resources may not have the skills to manage Internet banking. In other words, will the bank get it right? Will it make the right choices when it comes to investing in e-banking or will it waste money by going down a technological blind alley? Should it attempt to take the lead in new technology ahead of its competitors, or should it be a follower and adopt a “wait and see” approach? The latter may be the safer course of action for smaller banks, though it does create the risk Continue reading

What is Research and Development (R&D)?

For a new business initiative it is essential to recognize the development stages through which the enterprise is likely to pass, and prepare for the issues and challenges which will be faced. For a business unit within a corporate it is important to recognize that the same development process applies — often with the same challenges! However, these challenges are sometimes eased by the protection of an established corporate parent able to soften the impact of negative cash flow and poor profitability at the relevant stages. Creativity becomes the responsibility of Research and Development (R&D), which is staffed by specialists in visualizing and realizing marginal or major product changes. Ever since companies such as Dupont and Bell Labs first took, and successfully traveled along, this road, setting up a separate R&D group has been a popular way to enhance value at the concept stage. There are many ways of distinguishing Continue reading

Credit Creation by Commercial Banks

Credit creation is the most significant  function  of the  commercial banks.  Commercial banks accept deposits and lend loans and advances. In this process they create two types of deposits, namely primary deposits and derivative or active deposits. The former refers to the cash deposited by a customer in a bank or deposit a cheque with the bank for collection. The banker merely accepts cash am converts it into a deposit. Hence, this is merely a passive role performed by the banks. These primary deposits do not add to the money stock in the economy. From their experience and observation the banks know that not all the customers will withdraw their deposits on any single day. Hence, after providing for some reserve to meet the cash requirement of the depositors, the banks lend the balance to the borrow. The amount of reserve to be maintained by the banks is Cash Reserve Continue reading

Calculation of Exchange Rates for Forward Contracts

When computing exchange rates for merchant transactions, the cover or the base rate at which the cover transaction can be undertaken in the Forex market is first computed, thereafter the profit margin as allowed by the Foreign Exchange Dealer’s Association of India (FEDAI) is taken and the rate rounded off as per FEDAI Rule. In case of forward contracts, the procedure is similar except that while computing the base rate, the forward margin has to be appropriately taken. The forward margin is the extent to which the forward rate for a currency differs from its spot rate against a second currency. The forward margin when it tends to make a currency cheaper is called a ‘Discount’ while if it makes it costlier it is called a ‘Premium.’ Obviously if one currency is getting cheaper in the forward against another, the second should be getting costlier against the first. Thus while Continue reading

Wage Payment Systems

The system of wage payment is the method adopted by organizations  to remunerate workers. It is the way of giving financial compensation to the workers for the time and effort invested by them in converting materials into finished products. It indicates the basis of making payment to the workers, which may be either on time basis or output basis. The selection of the system depends on the type and nature of the concern and its products. The different methods of wage payments are as follows : 1. Time Wage System   Time wage system  is the oldest method of wage payment. The “Time” is made a basis for determining wages of a person. The wages are paid according to the time spent by workers irrespective of his out put of work done. The wage rates are fixed for an hour, a day, a week or a month. The time spent Continue reading

What is Stress?

Stress is a biological term which refers to the consequences of the failure of a human or animal body to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined. It includes a state of alarm and adrenaline production, short-term resistance as a coping mechanism, and exhaustion. It refers to the inability of a human or animal body to respond. Common stress symptoms include irritability, muscular tension, inability to concentrate and a variety of physical reactions, such as headaches and accelerated heart rate. The term “stress” was first used by the endocrinologist Hans Selye in the 1930s to identify physiological responses in laboratory animals. He later broadened and popularized the concept to include the perceptions and responses of humans trying to adapt to the challenges of everyday life. In Selye’s terminology, “stress” refers to the reaction of the organism, and “stressor” to the perceived threat. Stress Continue reading