Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: Within the last few years, dramatic changes took and still take place in the retail banking business. On the supply-side competition for cooperative banks is increasing due to various reasons. New competitors with different business models have entered the market. There is no doubt that they pose a serious threat to cooperative universal banks (which were the focus of this dissertation) and whose market share is declining constantly. Furthermore, non-banks and near-banks have to be considered in this respect, too, as these entities' business models are increasingly targeting customers of universal banks. On the demand side, changing customer behavior has accelerated transformation processes in recent years. An increased willingness to change suppliers can be noticed as consumers are placing more and more importance on price. A strong price awareness is changing market conditions in many business sectors in Germany. Decreasing customer loyalty forces universal banks to push sales activities and to intensify their personal relationship with the customer. The main objectives of this dissertation are the following: Work out a strategy within today s typical structure as a universal bank. Identify key success factors and evaluate this strategy for its chances for success. Derive the consequences for the future business model of a cooperative bank. Determine the change steps necessary to strengthen the competitiveness. Furthermore, the prerequisites of such a change process will have to be worked out. An inductive approach was chosen to achieve the aims of this thesis (Gill & Johnson). Firstly, an in-depth analysis of existing literature was carried out in order to gain an overview on current developments such as a) customer behaviour, and b) the competitive situation of the financial services sector. The results were to produce not only an explanation for current trends but also allow the prediction of future trends over the course of the next years. The environment in which cooperative banks are operating was described in detail. This approach provides a good basis to identify the relevant factors and to work out the necessary consequences for cooperative banks. In order to examine possible conclusions, interviews with 12 experts in the field were conducted. The target groups were CEOs of cooperative banks and representatives of cooperative bank associations. It is those people who are confronted with new challenges [...]

Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: The German banking sector, as in most Western European countries, is confronted with drastic changes which deeply affect the conditions of the financial service market and the characteristics of populations in banks. In the last few years, the isolation of the national financial markets decreased due to the increasing of foreign trade, international competition, and further developments of new financial products, like futures for example. Therefore, all banks have to think globally and have to establish branches in all financial centers to be available for their clients and stay competitive; like in New York City, London, Tokyo, Zurich, and Frankfurt am Main, cities in which the financial market plays an important role. As it is widely known, Switzerland has an outstanding international position in the investment banking sector. This condition was taken as an opportunity to examine the diamond concept of Porter related to the Swiss and German human resources. The thesis is divided into five chapters, of which the first chapter gives a general overview of the investment banking sector, which is the definition, the fields of activity, and the traded securities in the investment banking sector. The German and Swiss bank system is exemplified in the second chapter. Furthermore, this chapter gives a short overview of the banks ́ history in Germany and Switzerland as well as examples of training programs of the German Deutsche Morgan Grenfell and Commerzbank AG and of the Swiss SBC Warburg. In addition, the training profession Bankkaufmann/-frau which exists in Germany as well as in Switzerland is explained in this chapter. The third chapter deals with the cultural and organizational factor in the investment banking sector. The German and Swiss culture is investigated by the example of Hofstede s dimensions of cultural differences. Furthermore, the organizational changes, a new network approach in investment banking, and a brief outlook of Culbert s mind-set management of the power of advising are expounded in the third chapter. The fourth chapter deals with the main focus of this thesis which is the description of the Swiss and German advantages and disadvantages in the field of human resources within the investment banking sector. A comparison between German s and Switzerland s human factor is followed by proposals and solutions to strengthen the German human factor of investment banks, so that the German banking business [...]

Applying the new economics of organisation and relational theories of the firm to the problem of understanding cross-national variation in the political economy, this volume elaborates a new understanding of the institutional differences that characterise the 'varieties of capitalism' worldwide.

Florian Mueller empirically investigates how retail, private, and corporate banking institutions need to set up their sales management control strategy in accordance to their specific environment, business strategy, and organizational characteristics in order to increase performance.

We study versions of a general equilibrium banking model with moral hazard under either constant or increasing returns to scale of the intermediation technology used by banks to screen and/or monitor borrowers. If the intermediation technology exhibits increasing returns to scale, or it is relatively efficient, then perfect competition is optimal and supports the lowest feasible level of bank risk. Conversely, if the intermediation technology exhibits constant returns to scale, or is relatively inefficient, then imperfect competition and intermediate levels of bank risks are optimal. These results are empirically relevant and carry significant implications for financial policy.

A midst stormy waters, financial systems develop and evolve. New institutional forms and instruments are invented and put into use. Some of them turn out to be successful while others disappear: a natural process of creative and dynamic competition argues for diversity. Diversity offers an optimal environment in which new ideas can come to life, existing ideas can evolve and old ideas make a comeback. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the foundations of several decades of modern and innovative financial systems have suffered serious damage. This has triggered massive state interventions and has led authorities to revamp the regulatory structures and frameworks. While many voices have called for a return to more traditional approaches to banking and finance, no one has argued the merits of diversity. This book investigates the merits of a diverse banking system with a special focus on the performance and role of cooperative banks in seven European countries where they are prominent (Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain). The theoretical and empirical arguments that are developed in this book tend to support the view that it is economically beneficial to have stakeholder-value banks with a dual bottom-line function, such as cooperative banks. For those who accept this premise, it would suggest that policy-makers should not take or support actions that could jeopardise this valuable element of the financial system in various countries in Europe and of the emerging integrated European financial system. Book jacket.

The paper finds that while there are important regional and national differences, countries are broadly embracing the opportunities of fintech to boost economic growth and inclusion, while balancing risks to stability and integrity.