Saudi Electronic University
College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
ECOM421 – E-Business Strategies & Business Models
Assignment 3
2020/2021
Submission: End of week 11
Saturday 14th of November 2020
10 Marks
Saudi Electronic University
College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
E-commerce Department
Student Name:
Student ID:
Course Title:
E-Business Strategies & Business Models
Course Code: ECOM421
Academic Year/ Semester:
1441-42/First
CRN:
Instructor Name:
Student Grade:
Grade Level:
Questions
E-Business Strategy and Models in Banks: Case of Bank AlBilad
Bank is an institution that deals with money as well as credit. It accepts deposits from the public, makes funds
available to those who need then and helps in remittance of money from one place to another (Macesich, George,
2000, p-42). Modern banks today perform a wide range of functions that makes it difficult to give an apt and
precise definition of it. One of the famous economists, Crowther had said, a bank “collects money from those who
have it to spare or who are saving it out of their incomes, and lends this money to those who require it”. In short,
the term bank in modern times refers to an institution that deals with money i.e. accepts deposits and advances
loans; has the ability to create credit which basically implies expanding its liabilities as a multiple of its reserves;
creates demand deposits and it is a commercial institution that aims at securing profits.
Bank Albilad is a Saudi joint stock company, headquartered in Riyadh. It was established with a Royal Decree
48/M on 21/9/1425H (corresponding to 4 November 2004) with a corporate capital of 7.5 billion Saudi Riyals.
The Vision is to be the preferred choice in shariah based Islamic banking solutions and the Mission is Strive for
excellence in the Islamic banking sector through introduction of initiatives, innovation, and genuine shariah
compliant banking products to meet and transcend the aspirations of our customers, employees and shareholders.
The key people involved in the management of the bank are: Dr. Abdulrhman Bin Ibrahim Al-Humaid (Chairman)
and Abdulaziz Bin Mohammed Al Onaizan (CEO). Bank Albilad offer its customers shariah compliant products
and services that are unmatched in the Kingdom. They provide solutions in multiple segments including:
• Retail Banking Products
• Business Products
• Investment Products through our investment arm “Albilad Capital ”
• International Remittance services through our Remittance Arm “Enjaz ”
Strategy literally means the way an action is planned to achieve the desired results. Every company has certain
aims that it hopes to conquer. It has a vivid description of what it desires to achieve. The vision statement that
company has is an idealized picture which inspires it, energizes its efforts towards directing its actions towards
the expected goals (Hambrick and Chen, 2007, p 935-955). Strategic Decision Making, in context of a firm or an
organization, is the framing of long term plan of action that aims at resulting in success and profits for the products
and services marketed by the company, for instance (Triantaphyllou, 2000, p 320). Strategic decision making is
important to outperform the various other competitors in the market. The process of determining appropriate
courses of action for achieving organizational objectives and thereby accomplishing organizational purpose is
known as Strategy formulation. In today’s era of cut-throat competition in the business environment budgetoriented planning or forecast-based planning methods are insufficient for a large corporation to survive and
prosper. The firm must engage in strategic planning that clearly defines objectives and assesses both the internal
and external situation to formulate strategy, implement the strategy, evaluate the progress, and make adjustments
as necessary to stay on track (Kepner and Tregoe, 1965). A strategy thus formulated, should reflect on
environmental analysis, basing on sustainable business. It should lead to the materializing of the vision of the
organization, as to where the organization sees itself in the years to come and result in achievement of
organizational objectives. It basically comprises of the following steps:
Setting up mission and objectives: The mission statement describes the company’s business vision, including
the unchanging values and purpose of the firm and forward-looking visionary goals that would guide the pursuit
of future opportunities and lead to its long term stance in the business world. Measures such as sales targets and
earnings growth are the organizations financial objectives. Strategic objectives are related to the firm’s business
position, and may include measures such as reputation in the market and market share.
Environmental Scanning: The environmental scanning includes the internal analysis of the firm, external
macro-environment and the analysis of the firms’ task environment. Various scientific analysis have been
developed which assist in the process of environmental scanning. A deep rooted internal analysis of the firm’s
strengths and weaknesses and external analysis of the threats and opportunities gives us a clear picture about the
firm’s stance. And a profile of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is given by the SWOT
analysis.
It gives us proper information regarding the concerned firm which helps us in matching the firm’s resources and
capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates (Menon et al, 1999, p 18-40). Strengths are used
in developing the rudiments for a competitive advantage. Strengths include exclusive access to high grade natural
resources, patents, strong brand names, favorable access to distribution networks and good reputation among
customers. The weaknesses are high cost structure, lack of access to the best natural resources, lack of access to
key distribution channels, a weak brand name and bad reputation among customers. Opportunities are chance
occasions for growth and prosperity. They may include: removal of international trade barriers, loosening of rules
and regulations, introduction of new technologies and an unfulfilled customer need (Hill and Westbrook, 1997, p
46-52). The changes in the external environment may pose serious threat to the organization. For instance,
emergence of substitute products, new regulations, increased trade barriers and shifts in consumer tastes away
from the firm’s products. The external macro environment can be tested on the PEST analysis scale. The acronym
PEST (or sometimes rearranged as “STEP”) is used to describe a framework for the analysis of these macro
environmental factors. It is the Political, Economic, Social and Technological analysis. Political issues include
Government’s policies and legal issues like Tax policy, employment laws, trade restrictions and tariffs and
political stability. Economic growth, Interest rates, Exchange rates and Inflation rates determine the Economic
conditions of the market. Social factors include career attitudes, age distribution, population growth rate, health
consciousness and emphasis on safety. The various factors like Automation, research and development activity,
technological incentives and the rate of change of technology, influence the technological aspect of the
functioning of the organization. A framework developed my Michael Porter known as Porter’s five forces can
also be used in drawing industrial analysis.
Strategy formulation: Keeping in mind the strengths and the weaknesses of the organization, it charts out its
strategy that helps it in optimizing its resources and gaining maximum profits out of it. Business trends analysis,
Market analysis, Competitive analysis, Market segmentation, Marketing-mix, SWOT analysis, Positioning –
analyzing perceptions and Sources of information are all studied closely and accurately and then strategies are
formulated on the basis of the three generic strategies.
The Cost Leadership strategy focuses on being the low cost producer in an industry for a given level of quality
(Chaffee, 1985). The firm sells its products either below the average industry prices to gain market share or at the
average industry prices to earn a profit higher than the market rivals. In the situation of a price war, the firm can
maintain some profitability while letting the competition suffer losses. Even without a price war, as the industry
matures and prices decline, the firms that can produce more cheaply will remain profitable for a longer period of
time. The cost leadership strategy usually targets a broad market. The internal strengths that lead to success in
cost leadership strategy are: High level of expertise in manufacturing process engineering, Skill in devising
products for efficient manufacturing, having access to required amount of capital for investing in production
assets and efficient distribution channels.
The second generic strategy, i.e. The Differentiation Strategy triggers the development of a product or service
that offers unique attributes that are valued by the customers and that customers consider it to be better than or
distinct from the products of the competition. That means it gives ultimate utility and satisfaction to the consumer.
Factors like access to leading scientific research, strong sales team that has the inherent ability to put forward the
perceived strengths of the product in the market, highly skilled and creative product development department and
corporate reputation for quality and innovation, result in the success of Differentiation Strategy (Mulcaster, 2009,
p 65-70).
The third generic strategy that is the Focus Strategy, finds its essence in a narrow segment within which it tries
to achieve either a cost advantage or differentiation. The basic idea is that needs of the group are better serviced
by focusing entirely on it.
Strategy Implementation: The strategy thus finalized is then implemented using budgets, programs and
procedures. The firm’s resources are organized and allocated and proper motivation is given to the work force to
achieve its objectives and thus the strategy is implemented. The way in which the work force perceives the strategy
is different. It is logical, that the people who formulated the strategy and the people who will implement it are
very different from each other and thus there might be a conflict of opinions, if proper care is not taken to
communicate efficiently. Misunderstanding may lead to chaos.
Evaluation and Control: The implemented strategy has to be followed up and monitored in every step, and
adjustments, if any required, will be made to adapt to the changed scenario of the market. Evaluation would
primarily revolve around defining parameters to be measured, defining target values for those parameters,
performing measurements, comparing measured results to the pre-defined standard and making necessary
changes.
E-BUSINESS:
The application of information and communication technologies (ICT) in support of all the activities of business
is known as Electronic business or “e-business”(Louis Gerstner,1996, p 172). Commerce deals with the exchange
of products and services between businesses, groups and individuals and can be seen as one of the most essential
activities of any business. The application of Information and Communications Technology to enable the external
activities and relationships of the business with individuals, groups and other businesses is what Electronic
commerce is all about. Electronic business methods empower companies to link their internal and external data
processing systems more efficiently and adaptably, to work more closely with suppliers and partners, and to better
satisfy the needs and expectations of their customers (Timmers, 2000, p-31). In practice, e-business is far more
than just e-commerce. While e-business refers to more strategic focus with an emphasis on the functions that
occur using electronic capabilities, is a subset of an overall e-business strategy. E-commerce aims to gather
revenue streams using the World Wide Web or the Internet to build and nurture relationships with clients and
partners and to improve efficiency (Miller, Roger, 2002, p741). Often, e-commerce involves the application of
knowledge systems.
E-business involves business processes spreading the entire value chain: electronic purchasing and supply
chain management, handling customer service, processing orders electronically, and cooperating with business
partners and catering to their needs online, via internet. Special technical standards for e-business enable the
exchange of data between various companies. Basically, e-commerce is the process of buying, transferring, or
exchanging products, services, and/or information via computer networks, including the internet. EC can also be
benefited from many perspective including business process, service, learning, community. E-commerce is often
confused with e-business. E-business software solutions allow the integration of intra and inter firm business
processes. E-business can be conducted using the web, the Internet, intranet and extranet or a combination of
these.
E-BUSINESS STRATEGIES: With the arrival of the Internet facilities and plenty of web development
technologies all over the world, e-business is the new talk of businesses in today’s world. E-business, like any
other emerging field, is changing fast and in the process is changing the way businesses formulate their strategies
and conduct their business through realization of those strategies. : E-business scores over the traditional sphere
of business by adding speed to the business activities and giving a totally new dimension and definition to
businesses worldwide be it whether partnerships, joint ventures or large corporations. It makes transactions
quicker in this world of fast pace (Andam, 2003). The intranet, internet, cellular networks and various other forms
of digital technology have resulted in formation of a niche value chain among clients, employees, suppliers,
stakeholders and traders coordinated and interlinked in the world of web marketing. The equipment and pillars of
e-business strategies include acceptance of payments over the Internet, online advertising, on-line trading and
auction deals over the Internet. E-business strategies differ for small and medium-sized businesses. Apart from
regular sources, e-business strategies can generate revenue made from paid marketing alliances, revenues derived
from franchisees and subscriptions and revenue from maintenance of current channel integrity. E-Business
technology provides organizations with a great opportunity to nurture relationships with external and internal
parties across its value and supply chains, to realize its competitive advantages. In doing so, however, the
solution is not in the application of technology alone, to develop an effective e-Business strategy and for a
successful implementation to be realized, existing business interactions must be modeled and scrutinized to trace
the interactions that will benefit from this paradigm. The business processes supporting these interactions must
be reformulated and designed to effectively perform the procedures behind the interactions. These changes to the
business will drive changes to the supporting technology and to the stakeholders that perform the business
processes using the technology. The use of Internet has helped and garnered the worldwide development of
business that reaches out to a wider consumer base and advertises their products more effectively and efficiently.
E business has been added as the latest domain in business and has become a must-have in the highly competitive
technology driven open market. E Business Strategy can be summed up as the overall strategies that govern E
Businesses through calculated information dissemination or scattering. Information dissemination has been
widely regarded as the strongest attribute of e-business, which uses information technology in a most effective
and exhaustive manner. Not only has e-business has come to play a significant role in the scenario of world trade;
there is no business without an accompanying e-business in today’s world. E business gives a business the
opportunity, the chance to open its base to the global market and become a part of the global business community.
The most important feature of e-business is that the helps businesses move on to the international scene at
maximum efficiency using minimum cost. E-business has achieved unparalleled levels of success as business
models (Business Software Alliance. 2001). For instance: Materials Requirement Planning (MRP), EDI
(Electronic Data Interchange) or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). The essential features of e-business
strategies are Supply Chain management and email marketing.
A state-of-the-art E Business Strategy would generally include:
Supply chain management: According to Harland, “the management of a network of interconnected businesses
involved in the ultimate provision product and service packages as required by the consumer is known as Supply
chain management”. The supply chain spreads all over from governing the storage and movement of raw materials
to the inventory of the production process and the finished goods, from the origin point till the point where it is
finally consumed (Mentzer et al., 2007, p 1-25). The effective management of supply chain can be taken care of
with the help of e-business strategies, which will ensure better coordination and understanding between the
wholesalers and the retailers of various products that are launched into the market. Better integration of the supply
chain right from the source till the final delivery of the product can be effectively put to work using e-business
strategy (Hines, 2004). This also leads us to the point of e- commerce where a parallel network of selling and
buying can be seen using dissemination or scattering of information over the Internet. Everything ranging from
automobiles to electronic gadgets can be bought over the Internet in a hassle free manner under the aegis of sound
supply chain management.
Customer service and customer relationship management: Effective e-business strategies would involve
better customer service and customer relationship management ensuring the highest level of consumer
satisfaction. E business is targeted at providing the services that are customer friendly, which would include the
delivery of goods right at the doorstep of the consumer, right on time.
Inventory and service management integration: E business strategies can also help in improved inventory and
service management integration through formulating certain specific plans for accumulation of inventory and
purchasing of machinery and equipment which will avoid unnecessary purchases that would ultimately lead to
higher expenditures and entail different tax implications.
Tactical operations alignment: Tactical operations implying towards short-term goals as opposed to strategic
planning aimed at long term goals can be better coordinated by implementing the e-business strategies.
Implementing Business Strategy: Implementing e-business strategy is a major task and to ensure its success,
from the beginning itself, objectives need to be identified and measurable goals need to be chalked down. This
will include finding out steps in a business process, minimizing errors by eliminating paper-based transactions,
introducing new market opportunities or improving information access among managers, departments or strategic
business units. The costs and impacts of the establishment are measured in terms of resources, time and money.
The impact of business should be anticipated, well ahead of time.
The introduction of e-business technology across multiple strategic
Business units will require a major commitment of IT department. Since e-Business applications are transparent
to all major hardware platforms, operating systems and databases, thus, using an open architecture configuration
eliminates this concern (Charlesworth, 2009, p 49). If an effort to make clarifications regarding the value of the
strategy to the stakeholders is made, then the process of implementation becomes smoother. For instance, eProcurement applications add value at the purchasing department level by reducing errors and streamlining the
processes involved. At the organizational level value is added by facilitated purchasing in groups which cuts costs
and vendors receive added value because they have quick and prompt access to information so they can track
invoices and payments. The execution of the business interaction model is expected to place us in a position to
clearly identify and apply values that can be quantified to the four issues discussed above, the net result of which
is the formulated e-Business strategy itself.
Bank AlBilad Strategy:
Banks today are up-to-date with both the pros and cons of the internet. They are aware of the opportunities and
threats that are associated with the Web. Not a single traditional bank is brave enough to face investment analysts
without an Internet strategy. But even a very thoughtful approach to the Web may do no good to the company/
organization. The main purpose behind launching online banking services is to provide the customer an alternative
way which is more responsive and less expensive i.e. is cost friendly. Bank Albilad invites all valued customers
to benefit from all available digital channels around the clock, as follows:
• Albilad App for smart phones
• Enjaz App for international remittances
• Albilad Net www.bankalbilad.com
• Enjaz Self-Service Machines for international remittances
• Point of sale (POS) devices for international remittances through any mada cards available at the
headquarters of companies, establishments and stores.
• Purchases through POS devices using remote payment technology (mada Pay/ Apple Pay/ mada Atheer
• Online shopping through Mada ATMs
• Online shopping via Medad card that could be attained digitally free of charge through Albilad Net.
• Albilad phone No. 920001002
• AlBilad ATMs throughout the Kingdom
• Immediately reach us through Albilad WhatsApp and get things done faster with no hassle
• Not in the mood of visiting the branch but need to manage your account? Simply call us now!
• Find the nearest Albilad branch or ATM to you. Get step-by-step directions and estimated time of arrival
Bank Albilad remains committed to its vision as a Bank providing the best and widest selection of Islamic banking
solutions, acquiring customers and deepening relationships through cross-selling initiatives, strengthening the
balance sheet and improving profitability. The Bank will continue to transform and innovate, with a focus on
responding to the needs of its stakeholders. Key Business Sectors and Activities of the Bank Albilad and its
Subsidiaries are: The Bank and its subsidiaries practice the following activities: Customers Retail banking
Activity Includes services and products provided to individuals, such as deposits, finance for individuals,
remittances and foreign exchange. Corporate Banking Activity Includes services and products provided to
companies and legal person customers, such as deposits, finance and business services to customers. Treasury
Activity Includes Capital Market and the provision of treasury services. Investment and Brokerage Services
Activity Includes investment management services and assets management activities associated with the services
of handling, management, arrangement, counseling and maintenance of securities provided by AlBilad
Investment Company, which is owned by the Bank. Bank Albilad is always open to adjustments to adapt to the
ever-changing business environment and thus it obtained the place of one of the most successful banking chains
in the kingdom. Bank Albilad has been doing many remarkable initiatives. Bank AlBilad has launched, for the
first time in KSA and the Middle East, the service of opening the current account digitally via the website of Bank
AlBilad www.bankalbilad.com from anywhere and within a short time without the need to visit the branch or
submitting any documents and without the need to sign any documents for opening the account, in order to provide
the best banking services to its clients easily, which reflects the Bank's keenness to provide advanced digital
solutions throughout the Kingdom. Mr. Abdulaziz Al Onaizan, the Chief Executive Officer of Bank AlBilad, said,
"The bank is always keen on being the first to provide technology-based banking services for clients in KSA as
per the major transformation towards digital banking and benefiting from all areas by changing and improving
many processes, systems, and technologies internally and externally, when it comes to interacting with our
customers by providing them with the latest digital solutions in the market. This new initiative will serve as the
nucleus of the digital transformation program, which is part of the bank's strategy to help customers easily manage
all banking services without leaving their homes, offices, or wherever they are. Bank AlBilad will offer many
initiatives and digital solutions to the Saudi market soon, which will help change the market landscape and
improve customer experience." Mr. Bassam Al-Eidi, the Director of Alternative Channels at Bank AlBilad, added,
"This transformation is part of Saudi Arabia's digital transformation program and the Saudi Vision 2020, which
embraces the latest technologies in the market locally and globally. This is a source of pride and enthusiasm for
us to continue this trend after SAMA introduced this service as part of the SAMA platform. SAMA SANDBOX
helps Saudi banks innovate and deliver new services and innovate ideas that compete with the global
transformation that includes the new FINTECH adoption as well. Therefore, the service of opening the current
account digitally was launched through AlBilad's website, filling out the current account opening form and
documenting the customer's information in the manner that suits him via Abshar system or using the customer's
fingerprint, which will be developed gradually by visiting one of the Bank's ATMs scattered throughout KSA.
The bank also provides several services to the customer after opening his digital account, including:
• Opening a current account immediately.
• Registering in banking services online and via AlBilad App for smart phones.
• Issuing Mada cards and delivering them to your address (could be ordered from banking services
online).
• Repayments/Ministry of the Interior.
• Transfer of funds to local and international banks.
• International Funds Transfer Service via Enjaz Easy and Western Union services.
• Other services.
Porter had accorded two main ways for a company to compete on the global front. One was cost advantage and
the other was differentiation (Porter, 1980) and Bank Albilad’s strategy was not to compete only on price but to
also differentiate on the basis of innovative quality services with better performance through delivering customer
satisfaction. Since there are many other companies which market similar products and services, Bank Albilad's
strategy was centered on leveraging their channels, networks and expertise to deliver sustainable growth. This
would be supported by their ongoing efforts to achieve operational excellence and a performance-driven culture.
Innovation is key to the success of their products and services which would be further diversified and enhanced
to build a highly dynamic business structure. The Bank would also continue its efforts with the aim of developing
resources and making good use of its facilities to provide customers with convenient streamlined services,
competitive value-added offers, thoughtful experiences and expert advice. It was worth mentioning that Bank
AlBilad provides services all clients through a wide network of branches spreading throughout KSA, which
exceed 150 branches and 5 sales centers in (Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Tabuk, and Al Kharj) that work until 9
PM, and the branch of Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah, which works on 24-hour basis, as
well as more than 179 centers for the services of financial remittances "Enjaz", supported by an ATM network of
more than 850 ATMs, and the latest integrated electronic services on 24-hour basis, including "AlBilad
Net" www.bankalbilad.com and "AlBilad Smartphones" for smart devices. Bank AlBilad provides 24-hour
access to its clients via AlBilad phone 920001002 or via all social media channels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
LinkedIn and Snapchat for AlBilad clients to meet all their banking needs.
During the holy month of Ramadan, the bank announced the working hours of the branches and Enjaz centers
throughout the Kingdom during the holy month of Ramadan, where the branches' working hours was from
Saturday to Thursday from 10 am to 2 pm and Enjaz centers from Saturday to Thursday from 9:30 am until 3:30
pm. Even during COVID19, it was worth noting that Bank AlBilad, represented in Enjaz money remittances, has
recently launched a free of charge international money transfer service through its electronic channels to all their
valued customers, in tandem with the efforts made to respond to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia. Hence, Bank Albilad projected itself as the most trusted bank in the kingdom due to its world
class service through implementing the well-designed strategies.
References
•
•
•
Bank Albilad Annual Report (2018).
Retrieved from https://www.bankalbilad.com
Essays, UK. (November 2018). E Business Strategy: An Analysis. Retrieved
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/e-business-strategy-business-essay.php?vref=1
from
Case Questions:
1. What are the key elements of the e-Business Strategy framework of Bank Albilad?
2. Propose a SWOT analyses for Bank Albilad.
3. Illustrate the five forces industry framework through the Bank Albilad Case.
4. Design a Business Canvas Model of Bank Albilad.
Students are encouraged to review required books:
•
•
Jelassi, T., Enders, A., & Martinez-Lopez, F.J. (2014). Strategies for E-Business: Concepts and Cases.
(3rd Ed.). Harlow: Pearson. ISBN: #9780273757870, #9780273757870.
Osterwalder, A. & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game
Changers, and Challengers. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN# 9780470876411 (print),
9780470901038 (e-text).
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