bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
When will traditional real estate catch up to the modern world? A professional services occupier view
Authors: O’Donnell Andrew
Published: July 2024

In the changing world of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics process automation (RPA) and the gig economy, is the current approach to buildings and space still relevant? The workplace approach needs to digitise, but are we considering, as our businesses digitise, increasingly adopting contingent workers and alliances, that the principle of an office also needs to change? Businesses now need a wider reach than their own direct employees and buildings that curate and provide experiences, interactions and relationships beyond their sector will be those that truly enhance business. This is one of the underlying forces driving the coworking revolution, but when does it enter the office as opposed to being a separate facility? Increased flexibility also means everything in a long lease will no longer make business sense for many. This paper explores the driving forces changing the current and future world of office buildings.
Challenges in implementing the ‘Fifth Pillar’
Authors: Molloy Robert
Published: July 2024

Since the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) published the customer due diligence (CDD) ‘Fifth Pillar’ rule on 11th May, 2016, there have been a number of articles that have summarised the primary requirements and some have even listed key interpretive challenges and issues. There are many nuances with both design and implementation that are easy to overlook, however. This paper, written from the perspective of the person responsible for writing the business requirements and supporting processes, outlines several key interpretation issues and design/implementation challenges; it also highlights new governance standards and processes that should be constructed to identify ‘triggering events’ and ensure proper due diligence following such an event. At a minimum, this paper may serve as a high-level checklist to help ensure that a covered institution has identified and addressed the key issues driven by the new CDD rule well in advance of the 11th May, 2018 deadline.
How do teenagers project their identity online, and what role do brands play in the process? A multimethod study on Instagram
Authors: Guèvremont Amélie , Dubé-Beaudin Laurence
Published: July 2024

Although teenagers’ active social networking and their tendency to develop strong relationships with brands are both recognised in the literature, not much is known about how the content they post on their social media accounts (eg Instagram) relates to their identity and how brands are integrated in their posts. This study is aimed at improving the understanding of teenagers’ identity projection on Instagram and the role brands play in their self-image presentation. Thirty individual interviews, nonparticipant observation and content analysis of 90 photos were conducted. The results reveal self-profile consistency as well as the portrayal of their actual self by teenagers on their online profile. In addition, results indicate that although teenagers tend to develop strong brand relationships, they do not strategically select brands to post on their social networks. This is particularly true for product brands (eg Nike shoes) in contrast to experiential brands (eg music festival), which are more often shared by teenagers with an intent to communicate some aspects of their self-concept. This study contributes to the literature on teenagers and social networks, a topic that has been overlooked in favour of studies involving adults.
Disruption and coherence: Creating the ‘buzzߣ that builds a brand
Authors: Daun Winfried
Published: July 2024

The re-launch of a global brand, following several years of absence from advertising, poses a formidable challenge to any marketing organisation. Waning effectiveness of paid messaging, sophisticated, diverse target groups and fierce competition are only some of the factors that call for ideas which regain consumer attention and disrupt an organisation’s well-established marketing mix. The launch of a newsworthy activity that earns broad media coverage promises such a disruption. However, as consumers are more than ever looking for relevance and credibility, any brand ‘buzz’ tactic must be coherent with the brand’s positioning and broader messaging activities.
Generating business-to-business leads: How to reach the people behind the logo
Authors: Ahlemeyer-Stubbe Andrea , Müller Agnes
Published: July 2024

For a long time, business-to-consumer companies looking for new customers have included social media in lead generation. There, they identify individual needs, lifestyle, values and topics that are important for future customers. In business-to-business (B2B) marketing, both web and social media are used to support and maintain existing customers. To attract new customers, however, many companies are still using addresses collected through traditional methods, such as cold calling and assembling different address lists and publications. At the same time, digital channels offer a huge potential for new B2B customers to be identified and contacted. This paper shows how text and web mining can be used to track the digital footprints of existing and potential customers in the B2B market, how to create intelligent profiles of companies and organisations (including profiles of relevant contact persons), and how to reach them at the right time with the right content.
Success factors for the deployment of financial technology: An interview with Eric Mouilleron
Authors: Bruggink Diederik , Mouilleron Eric
Published: July 2024

In this interview, Eric Mouilleron shares his view on the success factors for deploying financial technology (FinTech) solutions. He suggests that the tech is there to improve the ‘fin’, and that FinTech itself exists to serve clients. FinTech is about enabling and facilitating innovation in financial services. It is about becoming relevant and a priority for banks and corporates to see and derive value from all the niche, industrial FinTech offerings. Mouilleron argues that a partnership approach between FinTech and the financial services industry is essential. Where banks can provide the distribution and legacy infrastructure, FinTech providers can align with the strategic objectives of financial institutions to develop innovative solutions catering to business needs through research, development and innovative experimentation.
The ETF industry: A retrospective and suggestion for the future
Authors: Gogna Monica
Published: July 2024

The exchange traded funds (ETF) industry has developed a long way since its inception. This article provides an overview and analysis of past and current regulatory developments affecting the ETF and wider asset management industry, and the steps that ETF product providers need to take to stay relevant in the current environment. These include improving their cost efficiencies when managing a multi-jurisdiction platform and innovating new ways to raise distribution levels for their product.
The Single European Cash Area: Towards a more efficient European cash society
Authors: De Meijer Carlo R. W.
Published: July 2024

Since the introduction of the euro, the use of cash as a means of payment in the euro area has been declining. But this trend is being identified in other countries also, such as the US and the UK. Nevertheless, cash continues to represent a huge number of payment transactions. Though consumers still think cash is costless, the problem with cash is its relative inefficiency, reflected by its high (but hidden) social costs. It involves a major cost especially for banks and merchants. It is thus not surprising that, to reduce these costs, the euro cash cycle is undergoing fundamental changes. Substantial cost savings in processing and handling cash are possible by creating a level playing field in the European Union, a so-called Single Euro Cash Area (SECA). This, however, necessitates reforming the present complex wholesale cash distribution and collection infrastructures within the eurozone. This paper focuses on how to realise the SECA, what requirements are posed by the banking sector, and what steps should be taken by all parties involved.
Four pivotal capabilities for marketers to support the growth mandate
Authors: Patterson Laura
Published: July 2024

Whether times are uncertain or our sails are full of wind, there is always the pressure to grow. Every company must take a customer-centric approach to stay on track or to ramp up. This paper explores four pivotal capabilities that every company needs their marketing organisation to master in support of the growth mandate.
How to leverage internet of things data to generate benefits for sales and marketing
Authors: Ahlemeyer-Stubbe Andrea
Published: July 2024

Across a variety of industries, companies both large and small are leveraging the flood of data generated by the internet of things (IoT) to develop new business models, initiate disruptive innovations and open up new sources of revenue. This paper explores how sales and marketing functions, in particular, can benefit from IoT data. Using concrete examples from the areas of smart homes and wearables, connected cars and smart factories, the paper describes the data generated in each area, shows opportunities for value creation, and explains some essential technologies, methods and skills as well as critical success factors.
Bath Abbey Footprint Project : An architect’s view of the project objectives and the works
Authors: Morris Alex
Published: July 2024

Bath Abbey is the largest and arguably the most significant building in the World Heritage City of Bath, recognised by UNESCO as a site of international importance. The Footprint Project sought to prepare the Abbey and its associated buildings for the next century of occupation, to ensure that the fabric of the Abbey is properly looked after and appreciated, as well as providing the kind of facilities that a contemporary church and visitor attraction requires. The Footprint Project not only repaired a failing floor but has taken the opportunity to document and research the carved gravestones that made up the floor, record the archaeology beneath the stones and install an innovative sustainable heating system to provide comfort to parishioners. New spaces have been created in the adjacent buildings that will serve the Abbey and those who work in it, repairing the Georgian buildings, but also creating unexpected spaces within them for learning, administration and for the 60-strong Abbey choir. Over ten years in development, and now close to completion, the Footprint Project has tackled major historic damage to the Abbey floor, while also creating a range of new facilities. This paper discusses the Footprint Project, during which the Abbey sought to put its buildings in a condition that will enable them to serve the mission of the church for the next 100 years. It analyses how the removal of the nave pews at Bath Abbey and the repair of its historic floor enhances the significance of the Grade I Listed Building and the outstanding universal value of the city of Bath World Heritage Site.
Satisfied: An enduring platform for an enduring bar
Authors: Miazga-Bedrick Alison , Miller James
Published: July 2024

Some argue that in the fast and fluid world of modern digital marketing, big creative platforms have become obsolete. Big Data, behavioural targeting and timely and cost effective digital production mean brands are better built with highly targeted, tactical executions designed to engage audiences constantly on the lookout for the new, novel and personally relevant. Stunts, not stories, are the new norm. This paper demonstrates how the demands of modern marketing have actually made big creative platforms more valuable than ever. It is the story of how Mars and BBDO have used the Snickers ‘You're Not You When You're Hungry’ creative platform to help turn an iconic, almost 90-year-old American brand into one of the most innovative, talked about and respected brands in modern marketing. The insight and clarity of thought required to shape a big creative platform like ‘You're Not You When You're Hungry’ has allowed Snickers to react more quickly to consumers and culture, encouraged innovation across new media and technology, and made it easier for audiences to appropriate the brand and push it out into culture.
COVID-19: Lessons learned and next steps for internal audit
Authors: Beale Ian
Published: July 2024

This article describes the issues and challenges faced by chief audit executives (CAEs) in supporting their organisation during the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes the range of most urgent issues arising from the changes made by — and imposed upon — organisations, together with the various responses deployed by different CAEs in different sectors and at various stages of the pandemic. The insights provided are based on the experiences of clients of the Gartner Audit Leadership Council. The article concludes with some reflections on how CAEs can support organisational resilience.
Using formal verification to develop higher assurance, more maintainable financial software
Authors: Kerber Manfred , Rowat Colin , Vosloo Neels
Published: July 2024

Formal verification — a sibling of artificial intelligence — uses computers to prove that a design — whether hardware, software or a mathematical proof — is correct. As such, it offers higher assurances than testing, which cannot provide guarantees beyond the test data. As formal’s cost comes down, it is spreading beyond its roots in computer hardware and aerospace software into consumer technology and finance. This paper surveys successful use cases outside finance, as well as more recent applications to finance, including by industry leaders such as Bridgewater and Goldman Sachs.
Reducing time inefficiencies associated with the airport master planning process in the USA: Insights from other planning processes
Authors: Bond Gordon , Young Seth
Published: July 2024

Airports within the United States' National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems require updated master plans to qualify for federal funds to complete the capital improvements necessary for maintaining aviation system efficiency. Preparation of such plans can take an inordinately lengthy period. Through both theoretical and case study analyses, this paper develops three hypotheses that relate limitations in the master planning process to its time inefficiency, including misdirected strategies, lack of effective decision mechanisms, and ineffective methods for conflict resolution. Based on insights from a review of alternative planning processes, suggestions for addressing the inherent limitations in the current process are presented.
Blockchain in corporate real estate
Authors: Koester Georg
Published: July 2024

This paper introduces Blockchain as a technology family more aptly designated as shared ledger technology. It describes generic fields of application such as agency problems. Then specific areas of application in real estate such as financial transactions and asset management are described. Finally experiences from projects in which the author participated are discussed.
How COVID-19 has shaped the operational resilience of Knab Bank
Authors: Negenman Ebbe
Published: July 2024

In this paper, I describe the learning skills of the risk team and the chief risk officer (CRO) when acting on the COVID-19 crises that emerged in the world in 2020. Being a digital bank made it easier for us to continue our operations in the lockdown situation, but still Knab had to solve many issues that did arise. Also, the lockdowns worked as an accelerator for improving the digitisation of our competitors. The base of our success is our company and risk culture. We strive to learn continuously and are open to taking intelligent risks. As a result, we create an ability to learn faster than others. This might after all be the only sustainable competitive advantage.
Single euro payments area from the retail banking perspective
Authors: Fieseler Bernd M.
Published: July 2024

Europe-wide cashless payments are soon set to become reality with the ‘single euro payments area’ (SEPA). In line with plans by the European Commission and the European Central Bank, from January 2008 bank customers in all EU countries will be able to make cross-border credit transfers, direct debit and card payments as easily and securely as they already do in their home countries. This paper will also outline the viewpoint on SEPA of the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe (group of German savings banks, Landesbanken and associated companies), who believe this transformation of cashless payment transactions must be customer-oriented — in other words private customer-oriented too — and improve rather than worsen the competitive landscape in Europe. As far as existing debit methods in Europe are concerned, the German banking industry views a network of competitive European systems working in collaboration with global methods as a viable solution for meeting the requirements of the SEPA Cards Framework (SCF).
Increased focus on operational resilience
Authors: Bosschaerts Annik , Lio Gloria
Published: July 2024

A wide range of recent well-publicised risks to operational continuity, including but not limited to cyber threats, combined with seemingly more frequent natural disasters and extreme weather-related events have contributed to a broad, heightened interest in operational resilience, which features as an area of considerable focus for corporates and financial institutions, as well as the global regulatory community. This paper discusses the key principles of a strong operational risk framework that remain relevant even as technology and tools advance. These principles include a deep understanding of the businesses and activities that are of greatest operational importance and the specific resources required to execute them, the development and maintenance of business continuity and crisis management plans and the performance of robust testing that is designed to illuminate opportunities for improvement. Recent developments in the global regulatory focus and approach to operational resilience are discussed, including the important differences between regulators and the lack of a single set of universal rules. While this creates challenges for global firms, the authors discuss how the global Custody business and its related ecosystem has been demonstrating its resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the interdependency of the participants on each others' resiliency.
Seeking common legal entity standards to facilitate cross-border payments
Authors: Metzger Jochen , Paulowitz Tim
Published: July 2024

Correspondent banking is vital to today’s globally networked world, yet in some locations there has been a significant decrease in the number of correspondent banking relationships. The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) tackles the root causes of this development by helping with issues relating to due diligence and know your customer (KYC) obligations. Some actions to support the further use of the LEI are already in place, such as BIC- to-LEI mapping, the introduction of the LEI on an optional basis in SWIFT MT payment messages and the mandatory use of the LEI for reportable transactions within the European Union pursuant to the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation and the European Market Infrastructure Regulation. Nevertheless, in terms of the global distribution and promotion of the LEI, there remains much to be done. This paper argues that banks, in particular, should seize this opportunity to embrace the LEI as they have so much to gain from it, most notably with regard to customer due diligence and facilitating their internal processes. The paper also discusses what the future may hold for correspondent banking and the LEI.
Card and mobile payment opportunities: A framework to consider potential winners and losers and a snapshot of the future payments landscape in Africa
Authors: Holmes Graeme
Published: July 2024

This paper introduces a framework for evaluating consumer payments opportunities. It looks at the drivers of change in the way consumers pay and the enablers of change in the way consumers pay. The cornerstones of the payments industry and fundamental change in consumer behaviour are also described. The paper discusses the ‘Big 5’ game changing payments innovations of the past 50 years in South Africa, and goes on to suggest how the framework could be used to make a prediction about the future of consumer payments in Africa.
How coworking is fuelling the evolution of innovation centres and districts
Authors: Gaidis Tim , Liebman Brad
Published: July 2024

In recent years, coworking has helped organisations worldwide accommodate the changing nature of work while disrupting more traditional corporate real estate (CRE) and facilities strategies. This on-demand, technology-enabled access to workspace solves a variety of business needs for companies, which can remain agile without overcommitting on leased or owned space, while also benefitting employees who crave flexibility in how and where they work. Looking ahead, CRE groups will increasingly deploy coworking as a tool in their arsenal for providing flexible space for an agile workforce. The coworking trend has collided head-on with the dire need for companies to innovate in order to survive. This paper describes how some mature companies are attempting to spark this vital innovation by importing elements of coworking space that people value — convenience, curated experiences and concierge — into their own flexible, customised office spaces and dedicated innovation labs. It also explains how others are sending their people to coworking and business accelerator outposts in ‘innovation districts’, where, immersed in a community of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs, they can catalyse the collaboration and innovative thinking that are the lifeblood of every company. These districts can become even more effective innovation incubators by incorporating seamless connections to neighbourhood amenities and resources, and the authors postulate that the strategies that lead to the creation of successful coworking centres and innovation districts are scalable. This means designers can use lessons learned about providing optimal mixtures of physical space and community programming that encourage people to meet, connect and feed off each others’ energy to create more effective workplaces of all sizes.
A multidisciplinary approach to decarbonisation pathways for commercial stranded assets in the UK
Authors: Beaney Abigail , Przydrozna Aleksandra , O’Donnell Rachel , Addis-Elyassir Omar
Published: July 2024

To meet 2050 net zero targets, 65 per cent of existing commercial buildings will need to be electrified by 2030. Legislation and performance targets at present remain conflicting with no one clear path being promoted. The paper uses an ‘in-flight’ example project to considers how retrofit projects could be approached from the outset, reflecting on contractual models, performance targets, societal and sustainability challenges around adapting our existing building stock. The purpose of the paper is to assist investors, insurers, owners, occupiers and advisers in understanding the potential decarbonisation pathways for their assets and to clarify how a project should be approached to benefit the asset and environment in the short and long term. Interdependencies are discussed to highlight the multidisciplinary nature of retrofit and how a holistic and direct approach from the outset is likely to achieve best outcomes where the building’s envelope, heating and ventilation are designed to work in tandem with each other.
Funding and implementing a lease compliance programme
Authors: Scott-Napier Wendy
Published: July 2024

This paper seeks to offer a case study of overseeing lease compliance functions for governmental tenants housed in commercial lease office space. Lease compliance is defined as appropriate landlord and public tenant performance in leased facilities, which includes ensuring tenant satisfaction and tenant adherence to facility guidelines, as well as landlord responsiveness to facility issues that occur. The Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) developed an initiative several years ago to fund, implement and design a lease compliance programme to ensure that landlords are properly maintaining commercial office space for state functions and that state agencies and their clients are adhering to DGS tenant policies in commercial facilities. This paper shares the fee structure, billing process, design of the programme and functions of the compliance team which have helped provide financial oversight and ensure the health and safety of state employees and visitors. The lease compliance programme includes training of on-site tenant agency staff to help monitor building conditions and resolve minor facility issues that occur. Additionally, the programme also established a rating system for facility issues depending upon the severity of the event that has occurred in relation to life, health and safety of the employees and visitors at the site. The assigned ratings of ‘emergency’, ‘priority’ and ‘routine’ determine what action must be taken by a tenant agency and how quickly a response will be provided by DGS. This information was shared at a National Association of State Facility Administrators’ Conference in May 2023.
Time-varying autoregressive distributed lag model with changing volatility for stress test
Authors: Zhou Leilei , Zhu Wei
Published: July 2024

We present a novel time-varying autoregressive distributed lag (TV-ADL) model that allows for changes in both transmission mechanisms and innovation volatilities. The forecasting performance of the TV-ADL model has been substantially improved by removing the unrealistic traditional assumptions of constant volatility and constant inter-variable relationship. Our model is further adapted to stress tests mandated by the US Federal Reserve to generate conditional forecasts of the pre-provision net revenue of financial holding companies with large assets. The improvement of forecasting performance is demonstrated by the significant reduction of out-of-sample forecast errors at different horizons.
Automated terminations in a cleared world (coming soon)
Authors: Hirani Sunil
Published: July 2024

There is an unmet need to streamline the process of terminating trades in over-the-counter (OTC) derivative financial products, such as interest rate swaps (IRSs), through standardisation and automation. Investors who now wish to wrap up a particular investment and its attendant risk must use methods that are non-uniform, cumbersome, expensive, based on spreadsheets and dependent on manual processing and execution. To implement a more reliable, cost-effective and faster process, a standardised automated system should be put in place to terminate existing swap positions and completely eliminate the manual processing now used to handle these critical transactions. trueEX has created a platform that will facilitate the termination of pre-existing cleared swaps. On the trueEX platform, traders and firms can upload packages of executed existing swap trades from their internal databases and trade books. Eventually, the trade will be direct via links with the major clearinghouses. From the executed trades entered, traders can select those that they wish to terminate and put those trades together into a termination package, which can contain one or more pre-existing swaps.
Evolution through technology
Authors: Buck Karen
Published: July 2024

This paper outlines the adoption of technology and its ability to transform the financial services industry. Adoption in the USA has been slow relative to that in other international countries until recent years. Mobile adoption has been strong, and the rate of change continues to grow. Highlighted is the industry’s history and emerging competition with non-bank competitors focusing on customer pain points. FinTechs have been able to drive change through speed, agility and insight without the burden of legacy systems. Competition no longer resides solely within the financial services industry. This paper also explores TD Bank’s journey from the development of an operations strategy that will drive innovation through technology to the execution of pilot robotics process automation and ongoing robotics implementations. Thanks to the pace of change and increasing technology, customer expectations for information and products to be available instantaneously have placed digitisation, automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning at the top of today’s value creators across the industry and the top of TD Bank’s strategic initiatives.
Cyber security for microreactors in advanced energy systems
Authors: Sabharwall Piyush , Gibb James , Ritter Christopher , Araújo Kathleen , Gupta Abhinav , Ferguson Ian , Rolston Bri , Fisher Ron , Gehin Jess , Ballout Youssef
Published: July 2024

Demand for clean and resilient energy has led to new and advancing frontiers of energy development in nuclear technology, specifically in the development of microreactors. These miniaturised modular reactors are generally <20 megawatts thermal (MWt) or 10 megawatts electric (MWe) and offer new opportunities to meet energy needs in remote locations and mobile operations. As with the slightly larger small modular reactors (<300 MWe), microreactor development must demonstrate security and safety, as well as economic competitiveness, to be seen as potential opportunities for new applications. Current research focuses on passive safety features, capital costs, reliability, semi-autonomous or autonomous control, cyber informed design, digital twins and non-proliferation. This paper focuses specifically on microreactor cyber informed design and cyber risk. An overview of microreactor technology provides a basis for examining the cyber nuclear playing field, with an emphasis on the USA. Frameworks for evaluating cyber security threats, and thereby designing for them, are reviewed. Recommendations follow with ideas for future research.
The role of models in economics and risk management
Authors: Rowe David M.
Published: July 2024

This paper presents and updates a paper which was delivered at the 1982 annual convention of the (US) National Association of Business Economists, and which transpired to be particularly prescient. An epilogue has been added to the original paper, in which the author gives a contemporary perspective, and concludes that risk models can be extremely useful in the practice of risk management.
The business and technical challenges of forensic watermarking for ultra-high definition
Authors: Diehl Eric
Published: July 2024

The advent of ultra-high definition content requires a new generation of content protection that mandates the use of forensic watermarking. For two decades, watermarking has evolved and matured. This paper explores how to implement forensic watermarking successfully. It presents the different possible architectures, one-step versus two-step, client side versus server side, and analyses their respective advantages and drawbacks. This paper studies whether forensic watermarking can be compliant with privacy. Furthermore, this paper addresses the issue of non-repudiability that is often forgotten during design.
Exploring the meaning of ‘workplace’ in a post-pandemic world : The future of corporate real estate in delivering ‘place’
Authors: Lees Chris
Published: July 2024

At the heart of corporate real estate (CRE) is workplace: a hybrid word bringing together the ideas of ‘work’ and ‘place’. This connection between work and place has been necessary since the beginning of time: to hunt, we had to go to the prey; to farm, we had to locate and tend to the land; to trade in goods, we needed markets and shops and storage. It was not until ‘administration’ became a job, and ‘offices’ were conceived, that the need for physical proximity really began to change in nature from the need for access to tools and resources into a need to communicate and collaborate in ever more complex processes. At a stroke, the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in countries around the world encouraging or compelling people to work from home. This sudden, external force acting on how we can work has resulted in rapid, and for many uncomfortable, change. Working from home will, and possibly for many already has, become the new normal. Is it even possible to go back to how things were before? In this paper, we look at this unintended ‘grand experiment’ in occupant experience — considering the interplay of corporate objectives, workplace strategy, and organisational psychology — to explore some of the likely challenges and opportunities of some of the possible new definitions of ‘workplace’.
The true cost of doing nothing in asset management
Authors: Chevalier Thomas
Published: July 2024

The asset management industry as previously known has changed forever. For the last two years, the industry has faced a time of unprecedented demands that will ultimately produce new winners and losers. While it can already be seen that a number of asset managers have taken the leap towards innovation, is what can be seen on the surface really preparing them for the future? Do digital investor portals, environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments and a growing interest in crypto-currencies mean they are digital to the core? And if not, why not? This paper looks at the key strategies asset managers need to adopt to make sure their investment operations can support the needs of investors, now and in the future. It covers adopting a long-term IT strategy versus worrying about short-term profit and embracing new technologies like cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance operational efficiency and transparency across the organisation.
Being ‘Brave’: How Shire Pharmaceuticals nurtured its unique culture from a simple brand idea
Authors: Mann Jessica
Published: July 2024

‘Uniting employees and building a culture to create a distinctive brand positioning and focusing company talent on an agenda for growth’. These were the goals of a wide-reaching communications and brand strategy driven by global biopharmaceutical company, Shire. The initiative is one element that has contributed to the company's rapid growth over the past several years. It enabled the organisation to integrate acquisitions effectively, galvanise employees around a patient-centred philosophy and ensure it focused clearly on developing the right treatments for patients’ unmet needs. It has also created a solid foundation for the business to adapt and build on in the future as it emerges as one of the standout companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Beginning as an exercise to describe the core ethos and differentiating DNA of Shire, the programme was rapidly adopted by employees throughout the company. This paper describes the journey that was taken, the elements that were considered, and some of the hurdles that were overcome. It is an account of how a brand becomes a culture and how the external promise within a brand proposition can truly live up to the internal reality.
Real estate: Cost centre or profit enhancer?
Authors: Wright Steve
Published: July 2024

In a world of volatile economics, the demand for improved profitability is on the rise. It is this trend that has led to the development of new thinking that challenges the traditional approach to the provision of workplace optimisation. This trend has been identified from the perspectives of management consultancy and workplace design and gives rise to an alternative paradigm to the current cost-driven model. The alternative model is reliant upon greater engagement from all areas of an organisation and a refocusing of the role of real estate and facilities management departments to deliver a more holistic view of the options open to a business facing change. This refocus provides options that not only deal with potential cost-savings but also increase bottom-line performance through greater efficiency and productivity. Armed with these options, senior management can make informed decisions regarding which changes will offer the most benefit to their particular organisation and operations. This paper hopefully will encourage wider consideration of how real estate is both used and valued and what it can contribute rather than being consistently perceived as a cost centre.
The impact of the GDPR on background screening in the UK
Authors: Butler Emma , Bagus Kerstin , Hellman Andy
Published: July 2024

This paper seeks to focus on the practical implications of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance for employers who conduct pre-employment vetting. While it is primarily focused on the employer, it does also give mention to the vetting companies themselves. The focus is on the main areas of impact of the GDPR and is not an exhaustive analysis of the topic. These include: (1) lawful basis for processing; (2) the use of criminal record checks; (3) contracts and legal obligations of employers; (4) data subject (candidate) rights; and (5) data retention. Particular focus is given to material changes from the existing Data Protection Directive to GDPR and how employers and vetting companies may need to adapt their existing processes and procedures to maintain compliance.
The need for customer due diligence to adapt to the digital era
Authors: Matthews Ben
Published: July 2024

Effective ‘know your customer’ (KYC) processes are the foundation of any successful compliance and risk management programme, and the demand of meeting KYC requirements is increasing. Most firms’ KYC and customer due diligence (CDD) processes, however, are inefficient and ineffective. Most financial institutions require customers to provide personal information as part of the KYC process for onboarding. Customers, however, are being made to jump through hoops, damaging their experiences and perception of the bank’s brand. On the other hand, banks are being criticised for collecting too much information about their customers, while, at the same time, being cautioned for poor data maintenance and utilisation. So, what can banks do to tackle these challenges and implement robust, future-proof CDD processes across the full client life cycle that meet customer expectations, satisfy the regulators and empower internal teams? The answer is not more control, more steps, more people. It is about ensuring that your approach is much more tailored, data driven and risk based. Let us see what that looks like in practice. Effective KYC and due diligence processes are essential in understanding customers’ operations and establishing whether business relationships are in the best interest of the bank. As discussed, they are also important in understanding the financial crime risk each customer presents. Regulators expect ‘enhanced scrutiny’ of higher-risk customers. They do not specify what this should look like, but it is generally accepted that this means heightened monitoring of customer activity in the form of financial transactions. This paper explores how today’s CDD processes work, why the current approaches are not working well, how to make CDD more targeted and more effective, optimising transaction monitoring using KYC information, the challenges of using digital technologies for CDD and recommendations for banks.
The role of sponsorship in developing diverse leadership talent
Authors: Dixon Diane L. , Lee Brett D.
Published: July 2024

The business case for greater leadership diversity in healthcare executive positions is well documented. Many healthcare organisations recognise its importance and are working towards achieving specific diversity, equity and inclusion goals as part of their overall strategic plans. However, there continues to be a significant gap between the executive leadership diversity and the diversity of the populations that many healthcare organisations serve. Sponsorship can play a valuable role in developing diverse leadership talent. Sponsorship is often confused with mentorship, and while these leadership development practices are related, they are distinct. Sponsorship is an investment in actively advocating for the career advancement of high-potential talent. It goes beyond providing guidance and support and sharing knowledge, which are common features in mentorship. Sponsors provide or recommend sponsored talent for challenging assignments, high-visibility projects, connections to networks and other powerful executives who can facilitate their career advancement. Racial/ethnic and indigenous professionals and other traditionally underrepresented and marginalised groups may be overlooked in the talent development pipeline for executive-level positions, as they may not be included in traditional talent development pools. A formal sponsorship programme with a specific focus on identifying and advancing diverse leadership talent can assist organisations in identifying high-potential individuals in these historically marginalised groups. As healthcare organisations work to become more inclusive and meet the needs of diverse populations, sponsorship of diverse high-potential talent can play an important role in increasing executive diversity.
Preparing for campus demonstrations and protests: Four key focus areas
Authors: Darnell Darrell L.
Published: July 2024

Over the past few years, the number of demonstrations and protests in Western countries has been increasing. These protests have tested the limits of free speech and expression, leading to individuals and groups attempting to, and in some cases succeeding in, shutting down speech with which they do not agree or find offensive. This has been particularly acute on college campuses, most notably at the University of California, Berkeley and Auburn University in Alabama, where speakers with far-right conservative views were forced to cancel their planned speeches because of safety and security concerns. As a result, colleges and universities throughout the USA are re-examining their policies and procedures for speaking engagements and demonstrations and protests, and how to manage them effectively while keeping their campus communities safe. This paper suggests methods by which universities can put into place policies, procedures and guidelines to minimise the possibility of an event becoming violent and overwhelming university resources while at the same time balancing the need for security and an environment that promotes the free exchange of ideas and expression.
What are the key considerations for an airport in implementing a direct channel for car park and ancillary pre-booking, and what are the potential resulting incremental revenue benefi ts?
Authors: Keefe Jon
Published: July 2024

In the last 10 years adverse market conditions, increased competition amongst airports, and pressure from low cost carriers to reduce their costs has meant for airports aeronautical revenues do not cover their associated costs. It is therefore clear non-aeronautical revenues, such as parking, critically determine the financial viability of an airport. However, non-aeronautical revenues are also under threat because off-site car parks are sprouting up adjacent to airports, undercutting airport prices. Moreover airlines and other resellers cross sell airport parking, grabbing a portion of airport revenue. Airports must therefore implement strategies to defend, increase and create new streams of non-aeronautical revenue. One area where airports can succeed in creating new and incremental nonaeronautical income is through directly selling car parking and ancillaries to passengers before they arrive at the airport. This paper reviews strategies that airports can implement in pre-book parking. It exemplifies how, with best of breed car parking and ancillary pre-booking software that allows yield management of pricing based on (i) demand for spaces (ii) time of arrival at the car park and (iii) how far in advance a booking is made, then significant incremental and new revenues can be achieved.
International employees’ concerns during serious disease outbreaks and the potential impact on business continuity: Lessons identified from the 2014–15 West African Ebola outbreak
Authors: Cole Jennifer , Watkins Chris
Published: July 2024

This paper presents the findings of research carried out into the information-seeking behaviour, and information requirements of a small sample of international workers stationed in West Africa during the Zaire Ebola virus outbreak of 2014–15. The research study under which these results were obtained was part of exploratory research for a PhD focused on the use, and potential uses, of social media platforms during serious disease outbreaks that might be used to inform policy planning for public health and emergency response interventions. Thus, the findings from this study may provide valuable insights to business continuity managers and emergency planners in making future decisions about information exchange and crisis decision-making during future serious disease outbreaks.
Lehigh Libraries digital repositories migration: A case study
Authors: Japha Alex
Published: July 2024

In 2020, the Lehigh University Libraries migrated their CONTENTdm and Digital Commons repositories to the Islandora 7 platform. This migration was the culmination of a three-year process that included an assessment of the digital repository landscape, the selection of a software platform, the choice of a vendor for support, the migration of content and metadata and a public launch. Due to concerns about platform stability, the Libraries embarked on another migration to the Islandora 2 platform in 2023, involving a similar process to the earlier migration. This case study addresses the challenges faced and the lessons learned from conducting multiple migrations over a short period of time.
Business analytics: From problem solving to problem discovery
Authors: Zhao Yao , Johnson Andrew
Published: July 2024

This paper provides a playbook for practitioners to discover problems and diagnose causes systematically using business analytics. Built on competitive intelligence and benchmarking, the practitioners’ playbook presents a step-by-step procedure that tells managers which directions to look, what questions to ask, and what analysis (or actions) to take in each step, in order to identify the key challenges and opportunities for a company. We also challenge the conventional belief that problem discovery is less valuable and easier than problem solving by showing that it can be the other way around, using examples from the information technology, transportation and healthcare industries.
Real-time payments in the USA: What is holding us back?
Authors: Prabhakar Vinay
Published: July 2024

In November 2017, the USA finally entered the real-time account-to-account payment arena with the go-live of real-time payment (RTP) from The Clearing House. This paper explores the business opportunities RTP offers banks and financial institutions across a variety of consumer and business use cases, especially business-to-business (B2B) transactions. It also examines the unique challenges the US market poses for the adoption of RTP, relative to similar initiatives in other geographies. Finally, the paper concludes with a set of practical recommendations for financial institutions contemplating an RTP journey.
Collaborating with research: Leveraging government grants to increase industry support
Authors: Bowman Josh , Treloar Stephanie
Published: July 2024

This paper elucidates the complicated world of government research grants in Canada and illustrates the opportunities for internal and external collaboration with faculty and research in order to secure transformative funding. Using two case studies, this paper showcases two potential step-by-step approaches to secure philanthropic and research funding from industry partners — matched by government grants two or three times over.