Tomato Newsletter "News 'n Views" No. 141 – September 2011
Here's how this newsletter came about: To choose articles from various sources, I first considered those that relate to our clients’ issues based on my discussions with Martin. Next I examined how many times articles were passed on through Tweets, other social media, and email and how many readers commented on them. Just one example, the article “How Desktop Virtualization Can Help IT Manage Consumer Devices” was shared more than 50 times. What I also liked about it is that it includes links to other pertinent articles. So extensive research is the key! The same applies to Martin's work as you’ll see in Point 1.
Enjoy!
Regula Spottl and the Tomato Team
In Today's Issue:
TOMATO UPDATES
FINANCE AND BANKING
- Zwei Reports über den Online-Handel der Deutschen Bank
- Swift-Studie zu Banken und Liquiditätsrisiken
- GTNews’ Cash Management and Trade Finance Survey 2011
- Is Mobile Banking Entering a Golden Age?
- Risk Envisionment vs Risk Management
IT
MISCELLANEOUS
ZfU-Working Capital Management Seminar: A Success because...
Am ZfU-Working Capital Management Seminar vom 30. August leitete Martin den Workshop “Liquide Mittel freisetzen”. Laut Feedback der Teilnehmer und der Leitung des Seminars war der Workshop ein grosser Erfolg vor allem wegen Martins Vorbereitung.
Martin sammelte Informationen der teilnehmenden Firmen von Tomatos Datenbank, deren Website und Social Media Presenz sowie der Presse. Das erlaubte ihm, bei jedem Teilnehmer auf kritische Punkte, die Massnahmen erfordern, einzugehen. Die Teilnehmer waren überrascht, wie exakt Martin Tipps und Lösungen zeigte und vielleicht auch Ansätze zu Schwachstellen in ihrer Firma identifizierte.
Einen solchen Service können Sie von Tomato immer erwarten, ob Sie ein Meeting festsetzen oder wenn Sie an einem der verschiedenen Workshops teilnehmen.
Zwei Reports über den Online-Handel der Deutschen Bank
Tipp von Martin:
Nach längerer Absenz von Credit Card News zwei Reports der Deutschen Card Services: Insider-Wissen über den Online-Handel!
Die Reports „E-Commerce 2010“ and „E-Retails Reports 2010“ basieren auf rund 8 Millionen ausgewählten realen Transaktionen von Konsumenten aus Deutschland, UK, Rest-Europa und Nicht-Europa. Sie schliessen alle konventionellen sowie neueren Zahlarten wie giropay und Maestro ein. 130 Seiten inkl. zahlreicher Tabellen und Grafiken, die Berichte sind in deutscher und englischer Sprache erhältlich.
Die Reports können hier bestellt werden. Der Preis des aufwändigen Research: EUR 297.50.
Swift-Studie zu Banken und Liquiditätsrisiken
Gemäss einer Erläuterung der SWIFT Studie "Managing liquidity risk: Collaborative solutions to improve position management and analytics" mangelt es beim Management von Liquiditätsrisiken in Banken und Finanzinstitutionen vor allem an der Datenorganisation. Die Risiken betreffen vor allem die Intraday Cash Positionen.
Laut Newsletter Artikel „Banken mit Liquiditätsrisiken“ im Der Treasurer vom 25. August 2011 „wurden unter anderem die fehlende Übersicht über Intraday-Cashpositionen von Währungen, fehlende Liquiditätsrisikoanalysen sowie Unternehmens- und Marktinformationen und unzureichende Cash- und Besicherungsmanagementfunktionalitäten innerhalb der Zahlungsverkehrsinfrastruktur genannt.“
Download „Der Treasurer 16/2011" via Seite 7
Original Source:
Survey: Data management issues delay liquidity risk progress
Brussels, 18 August 2011 - New SWIFT white paper argues collaborative solutions are needed to resolve underlying data problems and enable compliance with forthcoming regulation on liquidity risk management.
GTNews’ Cash Management and Trade Finance Survey 2011
GTNews based the results of their 2011 Cash Management and Trade Finance Survey on responses from 279 companies.
The results revealed that treasurers rank centralization and integration as the most pertinent issues. They also answered that they increasingly look to other areas of the business to improve working capital and are likely to take ownership of trade finance, financial risk management and working capital management.
The report includes broader findings, detailed analyses and graphs.
Full report (registration required, free)
Is Mobile Banking Entering a Golden Age?
SMS, the traditional mobile connection between banks and clients, has its advantages and will continue to play a very important part in the structure of mobile banking services. The rise of apps-based approaches to mobile banking further stimulates usage. No wonder Karol Nita of MACH calls our times the Golden Age of Mobile Banking in her GTNews article.
The article includes the current state of affairs in mobile banking, projections for the future, advantages as well as considerations of SMS and apps.
Full story (registration required, free)
Risk Envisionment vs Risk Management
Traditional risk management includes collecting data and quantifying risks, and when a financial crisis occurs, calculating new risks in an attempt to avoid such crises in the future.
Harvard Business School professor Anette Mikes' working paper “From Counting Risk to Making Risk Count: Boundary-Work in Risk Management” explains the approaches of two banks. The first relies primarily on quantifiable risks; the second focuses more on the immeasurable risks of the future.
After the financial crisis, many experts are convinced that the traditional model which focuses on quantifiable risks doesn’t work and suggest that “risk envisionment” may play a bigger role.
Abstract with a link to the full article
Challenge for IT: Providing Technology Leadership
Many companies are unhappy with the way they decide how much to invest in IT, where to invest it and how much financial benefit its investments return. The process is often confusing and controversial; and it’s riddled with emotions and sensitivities.
In the CIO.com blog “Providing Technology Leadership Bob Lewis, author of Leading IT: The Toughest Job in the World and consultant explains how to design a set of arguments that executives understand and on which they will sign off. Lewis highlights distinctions between terms that are easily missed or misunderstood.
CIO Magazine’s Reading Suggestions
CIO’s “What we’re reading” webpage includes books, blogs, and research about IT, management and leadership.
For example, the Sept. 15, 2011 issue points to
- How
Great Leaders Create Economic and Social Value
By Michael Beer, Flemming Norrgren and co-authors - Streamlined Process Improvement: The
Breakthrough Strategy to Reduce Costs, Improve Quality, Increase Customer
Satisfaction, and Boost Profits
By H. James Harrington
Complete list of what they are reading
To find out more about Harrington’s book I visited his website and came across this quote and, coming from a veteran in his field, it is based on a lot of experience.
Too many managers expect their employees to correct the problems that are created by management. They cannot. Management must resolve 80 percent of the problems that face most organizations.
Desktop Virtualization for IT to Manage Consumer Devices
The Sept 15 CIO Magazine featured two opposing views on how to deal with rogue users (end users who insist on using non-standard or unapproved computing devices, such as tablets and smartphones etc).
“Taming the Rogue Element” suggests that if users understand what IT capabilities are already available, they’ll less likely want to buy technology themselves.
“Embrace Rogue IT” asserts that “CIOs no longer control all of a company’s technology choices. But they still need to manage risk and save rogue users from themselves.”
A more constructive article on this topic, “How Desktop Virtualization Can Help IT Manage Consumer Devices”, was published on July 15, 2011. Kevin Fogarty, CIO suggests that “The clearest solution is to create a virtual desktop that runs on a server in the data center but that can be launched, viewed and used as easily by an end user in the office at a traditional computer as by a worker logging in from a PC in a public kiosk or smartphone connecting via open WiFi.”
Switzerland Tops Overall Ranking in The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-1012
The Competitiveness Report 2011-1012, published by The World Economic Forum on Sept. 7, 2011, revealed that Switzerland tops once again the overall rankings.
Following Switzerland are Singapore (2nd), Sweden (3rd), Finland (4th), USA (5th) Germany (6th), the Netherlands (7th), Denmark (8th), Japan (9th) and the United Kingdom (10th).
For commentaries, visit the Forum Blog:
From the Desk of Regula Spottl, Greensboro, North Carolina
I'm finalizing this newsletter on Sunday, the tenth anniversary of 9/11; it's a day of remembrance and soul searching for us in the United States and probably in other parts of the world as well.
Here's how I spend my Sunday: As usual, we read the New York Times, the Saturday Wall St. Journal and the local paper at a coffee shop near the university. Next I work out at the fitness club watching TV's broadcast of memorial services at Ground Zero. What gets me the most today is that there are a thousand kids who lost their fathers that day; kids who are growing up without the guidance of their Dad.
As I'm working, I'm listening to Andrea Bocelli's CD Vivere. (He is going to give a concert in Central Park on Thursday. How I wish to be there!) Ane once I'm done, I'm going to prepare dinner for a few friends. It's a great way to end the weekend.
Enjoy the week and be thankful for what you have!