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on Information and Communication Technologies |
| By: | Francesca Arnaboldi (Dipartimento di Economia, Università di Milano); Peter Claeys (Faculty of Economics, University of Barcelona) |
| Abstract: | A key strategic issue for banks is the implementation of internet banking. The ‘click and mortar’ model that complements classical branch banking with online facilities is competing with pure internet banks. The objective of this paper is to compare the performance of these two models across countries, so as to examine the role of differences in the banking system and technological progress. A fuzzy cluster analysis on the performance of banks in Finland, Spain, Italy and the UK shows that internet banks are hard to distinguish from banks that follow a click and mortar strategy; country borders are more important. We therefore explain bank performance by a group of selected bank features, country-specific economic and IT indicators over the period 1995-2004. We find that the strategy of banking groups to incorporate internet banks reflects some competitive edge that these banks have in their business models. Extensive technological innovation boosts internet banking. |
| Keywords: | Banks, Internet, Innovation. |
| Date: | 2008–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ira:wpaper:200811&r=ict |
| By: | [Vymetal], [Dominik] |
| Abstract: | Four years of EU membership has brought new opportunities and challenges for local companies and public administration in member countries. New small and medium companies (SMB) emerged in the neighboring regions cross over the former frontiers, there are new clusters using inter-regional cooperation. Based on the extensive cooperation with “old” EU countries new best business practices are being introduced in the existing processes. The public administration has to follow not only the new legislation but also the new business needs. All mentioned changes create new impulses for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Basic statistic data presented in this paper imply considerable reserves in document workflows on municipal administration level. SMB companies lag behind the EU average in electronic business level. One of the reasons could be relatively low support of Content Management Systems and logistic chains (SCM) by existing ICT. In order to meet the demands described some changes and tuning in the infrastructure, security and standardization is necessary. Necessary changes are regularly put into operation what leads to new opportunities for ICT students leaving the universities. The ratios of ICT students and graduates compared with the total numbers stagnated in the last years. Hence, changes in the ICT education and its permanent actualization are needed in all branches of ICT. |
| Keywords: | information technology; content management; public administration; small and medium sized companies; electronic commerce; e-Government; document management; ICT education |
| JEL: | D23 C88 H83 A29 |
| Date: | 2008–05–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:10704&r=ict |
| By: | Jason Allen; Robert Clark; Jean-François Houde |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the role that market structure plays in affecting the diffusion of electronic banking. Electronic banking (and electronic commerce more generally) reduces the cost of performing many types of transactions for firms. The full benefits for firms from adoption, however, only accrue once consumers begin to perform a significant share of their transactions online. Since there are learning costs to adopting the new technology firms may try to encourage consumers to go online by affecting the relative quality of the online and offline options. Their ability to do so is a function of market structure. In more competitive markets, reducing the relative attractiveness of the offline option involves the risk of losing customers (or potential customers) to competitors, whereas, this is less of a concern for a more dominant firm. We develop a model of branch-service quality choice with switching costs meant to characterize the trade-off banks face when rationalizing their network between technology penetration and business stealing. The model is solved numerically and we show that the incentive to lower branch-service quality and drive consumers into electronic banking is greater in more concentrated markets and for more dominant banks. We find support for the predictions of the model using a panel of household survey data on electronic payment usage as well as branch location data, which we use to construct measures of branch quality. |
| Keywords: | Financial institutions; Market structure and pricing |
| JEL: | D14 D4 G21 L1 |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bca:bocawp:08-32&r=ict |
| By: | Antonescu, Mihai; Antonescu, Ligia |
| Abstract: | The unprecedented development of information technology in the past few years has made possible the transmission of information, inclusively fiscal information, by electronic means of transmission at distance. Tax payers can use the method of submission of fiscal declarations by electronic means of transmission at distance as alternative method of deposition of fiscal declarations. The date of deposition of a fiscal declaration is the date of its registration on the site of the Ministry of Economy and Finances, A.N.A.F. portal. The declaration submitted by electronic means is presumed to be signed by the person authorized to sign fiscal declarations, whose signature was attached to the declaration, according to the used digital certificate. The issue of simple and qualified certificates is done by the suppliers of services of certification administered by the National Authority for the Settlement in Communications and Information Technology. The period of validity of a certificate is of maximum 1 year from the date of communication by the client. In case of renewal of a qualified certificate there is issued a new certificate with the same identification and checking data of the electronic signature, as the other validity data. For the submission of fiscal declarations by electronic means of transmission at distance, tax payers should use the service “Depose on-line declarations” existing on the MMSF site, on A.N.A.F. portal. |
| Keywords: | fiscal declarations; electronic means of transmission; digital certificate |
| JEL: | H30 K34 |
| Date: | 2008–09–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:10880&r=ict |
| By: | Philippe Barla; Denis Bolduc; Nathalie Boucher; Jonathan Watters |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we develop an econometric model to estimate the impacts of Electronic Vehicle Management Systems (EVMS) on the load factor (LF) of heavy trucks using data at the operational level. This technology is supposed to improve capacity utilization by reducing coordination costs between demand and supply. The model is estimated on a subsample of the 1999 National Roadside Survey, covering heavy trucks travelling in the province of Quebec. The LF is explained as a function of truck, trip and carrier characteristics. We show that the use of EVMS results in a 16 percentage points increase of LF on backhaul trips. However, we also find that the LF of equipped trucks is reduced by about 7.6 percentage points on fronthaul movements. This last effect could be explained by a rebound effect: higher expected LF on the returns lead carriers to accept shipments with lower fronthaul LF. Overall, we find that this technology has increased the tonne-kilometers transported of equipped trucks by 6.3% and their fuel efficiency by 5%. |
| Keywords: | Information and Communication Technology, Efficiency, Load factor, Trucking, Energy Efficiency |
| JEL: | O33 Q55 R40 |
| Date: | 2008–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ete:ceswps:ces0813&r=ict |