A Comparative Study of Factors Shaping E-Bussiness Strategies in U.S. And Asian Financial Services Companies

This abstract presents the preliminary findings of a study comparing factors that impact the adoption of e-business strategies by financial services companies in the United States and some East Asian countries (Taiwan, Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan). The goal of our research was to explore the factors shaping e-business strategies intended to provide integrated and international financial services. We focused on 3 main aspects, · Technology and Infrastructure used to support ebusiness, · Political and Economic issues shaping the regulatory environment for financial services in each economy, and, · Cultural issues related to e-business in each country. Following a review of the literature covering each of the above aspects, primary data was collected through the form of structured interviews with managers involved with ebusiness strategy decisions at each company we visited. In each interview, the intent was to gain an overall perspective of what it takes for a financial institution to implement an effective e-business strategy in the context within which it must operate. Three types of companies were chosen to be part of the study, these included: · Financial institutions were studied to gain insight into the motivations behind current e-business strategies, as well as, future directions. The companies in this category include Citibank, Sanwa Bank and Hanvit Bank. · Technology/solution providers were studied to learn about the issues financial services companies face in selecting the appropriate technology and the challenges in integrating the chosen solution. The companies in this category include BizCurrency.com and NTT Docomo. · Consulting companies, including Bain and Co as well as Computer Sciences Corporation, were studied to understand the direction in which the financial services industry in each country was headed with respect to ebusiness strategies