Problems of Management and Decision Making in Multinational Banking

Many organisations are tempted to introduce a centralised computer-based information system to serve all the information business needs of the organisation. A popular belief is that such information systems will solve many business problems. There are some organisations in which an integrated information system is a success story. However, this is not always possible or indeed desirable. An example of an organisation in which the implementation of a centralised computer-based system, whilst potentially desirable, does not satisfy the short-term information needs of the company is given. This paper examines multinational retail banking and the problems related to gathering and maintaining the information that is needed for making business decisions. The banking industry is undergoing a period of rapid intensification of competition and fundamental change where new products and services are both agents and consequences of change. The competitive position of banking is under increasingly serious challenge from non-banks offering financial services. Banks are confronted with numerous challenges in order to survive and indeed make a profit in such a competitive market where efficient and effective information management is of foremost importance. The complexity of the problem is illustrated using the example of Barclays Bank, which has a long history of operating internationally. The paper focuses on the problems and challenges of information gathering for the purpose of carrying out the business strategy of such organisations.