The Royal Credit Bank Strategy and Transformation Program

Author(s):  
Khaled Hjouj

This case discusses a strategic planning issue related to unplanned radical change. The Royal Credit Bank is the leading and largest lending bank in the Middle East. The bank suffered for a long time from bureaucracy, inefficiency, lack of productivity and misalignment with customers' needs for added value services. The Royal Credit Bank was approaching a change program of a scale and depth that occurs once in most employees’ lifetime. It would transform the bank’s business and operating models, culture, and leadership, impacting virtually every part of the organization. This had profound implications across strategy, leadership, people, and systems. This case highlights the impact of implementing large programs in an outdated banking environment where the challenge is beyond finding the solution. The real challenge was to make the solution work given the environmental issues and challenges faced by the leadership team to make things happen.

2014 ◽  
pp. 1031-1045
Author(s):  
Khaled Hjouj

This case discusses a strategic planning issue related to unplanned radical change. The Royal Credit Bank is the leading and largest lending bank in the Middle East. The bank suffered for a long time from bureaucracy, inefficiency, lack of productivity and misalignment with customers' needs for added value services. The Royal Credit Bank was approaching a change program of a scale and depth that occurs once in most employees' lifetime. It would transform the bank's business and operating models, culture, and leadership, impacting virtually every part of the organization. This had profound implications across strategy, leadership, people, and systems. This case highlights the impact of implementing large programs in an outdated banking environment where the challenge is beyond finding the solution. The real challenge was to make the solution work given the environmental issues and challenges faced by the leadership team to make things happen.


Author(s):  
Clément Albergel ◽  
Emanuel Dutra ◽  
Bertrand Bonan ◽  
Yongjun Zheng ◽  
Simon Munier ◽  
...  

This study aims to assess the potential of the LDAS-Monde a land data assimilation system developed by Météo-France to monitor the impact of the 2018 summer heatwave over western Europe vegetation state. The LDAS-Monde is forced by the ECMWF’s (i) ERA5 reanalysis, and (ii) the Integrated Forecasting System High Resolution operational analysis (IFS-HRES), used in conjunction with the assimilation of Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) satellite derived products, namely the Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) and the Leaf Area Index (LAI). Analysis of long time series of satellite derived CGLS LAI (2000-2018) and SSM (2008-2018) highlights marked negative anomalies for July 2018 affecting large areas of North Western Europe and reflects the impact of the heatwave. Such large anomalies spreading over a large part of the considered domain have never been observed in the LAI product over this 18-yr period. The LDAS-Monde land surface reanalyses were produced at spatial resolutions of 0.25°x0.25° (January 2008 to October 2018) and 0.10°x0.10° (April 2016 to December 2018). Both configuration of the LDAS-Monde forced by either ERA5 or HRES capture well the vegetation state in general and for this specific event, with HRES configuration exhibiting better monitoring skills than ERA5 configuration. The consistency of ERA5 and IFS HRES driven simulations over the common period (April 2016 to October 2018) allowed to disentangle and appreciate the origin of improvements observed between the ERA5 and HRES. Another experiment, down-scaling ERA5 to HRES spatial resolutions, was performed. Results suggest that land surface spatial resolution is key (e.g. associated to a better representation of the land cover, topography) and using HRES forcing still enhance the skill. While there are advantages in using HRES, there is added value in down-scaling ERA5, which can provide consistent, long term, high resolution land reanalysis. If the improvement from LDAS-Monde analysis on control variables (soil moisture from layers 2 to 8 of the model representing the first meter of soil and LAI) from the assimilation of SSM and LAI was expected, other model variables benefit from the assimilation through biophysical processes and feedbacks in the model. Finally, we also found added value of initializing 8-day land surface HRES driven forecasts from LDAS-Monde analysis when compared with model only initial conditions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-29
Author(s):  
Sara Bourhime ◽  
Mohamed Tkiouat

Abstract Critics concerning the real impact of traditional microfinance as a tool for poverty alleviation are becoming frequent. In contrast, the financial crisis brought out interest for Islamic finance, whose models have been increasingly studied. Today, the real challenge lies in evaluating the impact of microfinance in a complex environment, where both Islamic and conventional microfinance institutions exist and address evolving clients in constant interaction. New methods and models are therefore needed in order to test the efficacy and assess the impact of introducing Islamic microfinance products, compared to the conventional system. In this context, this paper proposes an approach to build an Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) framework, which is aiming to test the effects of such products implementation using Islamic interest-free group loans. It also helps assess the impact of the behavioral biases as well as agents’ interactions within the repayment process.


Author(s):  
Brigitte Granville

This chapter analyzes the impact of low inflation. It argues that despite repeated efforts by governing authorities to initiate anti-inflationary policies, long-lasting stabilization can prove elusive. Reducing inflation is one thing, but keeping it down is the real challenge. The chapter highlights the experiences of some Latin American countries in the 1970s and 1980s, Russia in the 1990s, and Argentina in the 2000s. One typical mistake was to choose the exchange rate as the nominal anchor, which allows the inflation rate to be reduced quickly, but its effect is temporary, as governments often use lower inflation as a reason to delay the necessary fiscal tightening, eventually leading to the collapse of the exchange rate peg and inflation striking back with a vengeance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Affes Yossor ◽  
Kalai Maha

The purpose of this article is to identify the main sources of cyclical fluctuations affecting the five Maghreb countries in a general analysis framework through the impact of the exchange rates and foreign direct investment. Besides, will consider in this study a set of variables taking into account the real monetary and fi ancial dimensions of the economies. Therefore, authors have adopted an approach in terms of the VECM Structural model and analyzed the robustness of the response functions. Indeed, the estimation results showed the existence of a regional dynamics where the respective sensitivity to change of the real exchange rate is the same. In addition, FDI and REER stimulate economic growth of the Maghreb economies in exchange for regime transmutations. In addition, the participation of FDI in the socio-economic development seems to be weak without the implementation of a policy of support and guidance aimed at reducing the catastrophic effects on the economy and reorienting its investments towards sectors with a high added value.


Author(s):  
Peter Huang

Key words: sustainable development, globalization, environmental justice, environmental disasters This brief article provides an overview of the recently established chapter of ASLE-Taiwan, the result of efforts and contributions made by scholars from leading universities interested in environmental issues and specializing in ecocriticism and environmental literature for more than a decade. Worthy of my special mentioning is the contributions made by the English Department of Tamkang University, one of the leading institutions focusing on ecocriticism in its PhD program. Tamkang University has held four international conferences on ecocriticism since 2000. The fifth international conference is scheduled to be held in December 2010. Many world-renowned ecocritics have been invited to attend the conferences and their papers are published in the Tamkang Review. Moreover, I’ll introduce some of the prominent ecocritics in Taiwan and their achievements in ecocriticism. Finally, I’ll deal with the impact of globalization on Taiwan and the conflict between a sustainable economy and a market-oriented economy currently confronting Taiwan. Many eco-scholars call attention to the devastating effects of the long-time pursuit of a market economy on the environment and try to push for the adoption of sustainable development as an alternative. In the wake of the tragic disaster caused by Typhoon Morakot in 2009, environmental issues are being taken more seriously in the press and are more widely debated in Taiwanese society in general. Environmental justice thus is beginning to play a more important role in ecocriticism in Taiwan right now.   Palabras clave: desarrollo sostenible, globalización, justicia medioambiental, desastres medioambientales Este breve artículo proporciona una visión general del grupo de ASLE Taiwán creado recientemente, resultado de esfuerzos y contribuciones de investigadores de universidades punteras, interesados en cuestiones medioambientales y especializados en ecocrítica y literatura medioambiental desde hace mas de una década. Merecen mención especial las contribuciones del departamento de inglés de la Universidad de Tamkang, una de las instituciones punteras que centran sus programas de doctorado en la ecocrítica. La Universidad de Tamkang ha organizado cuatro congresos internacionales de ecocrítica desde el año 2000. El quinto congreso internacional tendrá lugar en diciembre del 2010. Se ha invitado a muchos ecocríticos reconocidos mundialmente a participar y sus ponencias se publicarán en el Tamkang Review. Además, presentaré a algunos de los ecocríticos más importantes en Taiwan y sus logros en ecocrítica. Finalmente, trataré del impacto de la globalización en Taiwán y del conflicto entre una economía sostenible y una economía de mercado que Taiwán está afrontando actualmente. Muchos eco investigadores están llamando la atención sobre los efectos devastadores de la extensa búsqueda de una economía de mercado como alternativa. Tras el trágico desastre causado por el tifón Morakot en 2009, las cuestiones medioambientales están siendo tomadas más en serio en la prensa y se están debatiendo más ampliamente en la sociedad taiwanesa en general. Así, la justicia medioambiental está comenzando a representar un papel más importante en la ecocrítica de Taiwán en estos momentos. 


2013 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1891-1908 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Garand ◽  
J. Feng ◽  
S. Heilliette ◽  
Y. Rochon ◽  
A. P. Trishchenko

AbstractThere is a well-recognized spatiotemporal meteorological observation gap at latitudes higher than 55°, especially in the region 55°–70°. A possible solution to address this issue is a constellation of four satellites in a highly elliptical orbit (HEO), that is, two satellites for each polar region. An important satellite product to support weather prediction is atmospheric motion wind vectors (AMVs). This study uses observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) to evaluate the benefit to forecasts resulting from the assimilation of HEO AMVs covering one or both polar regions. The OSSE employs the operational global data assimilation system of the Canadian Meteorological Center. HEO AMVs are assimilated north of 50°N and south of 50°S. From 2-month assimilation cycles, the study examines the following three issues: 1) the impact of AMV assimilation in the real system, and how this compares to the impact seen in the simulated system, 2) the added value of HEO AMVs in the Arctic on top of what is currently available, and 3) the relative impact of HEO AMVs in the Arctic and Antarctic in comparison with no AMVs. Although the simulated impact of currently available AMVs is somewhat higher than the real impact, a firm conclusion is that the added value of Arctic HEO AMVs is substantial, improving predictability at days 3–5 by a few hours in terms of 500-hPa geopotential height. The impact of HEO AMVs is relatively stronger in the Southern Hemisphere. Forecast validation of atmospheric profiles against the simulated “true” state and against analyses generated within the assimilation cycles yields very similar results beyond 48 h.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clément Albergel ◽  
Emanuel Dutra ◽  
Bertrand Bonan ◽  
Yongjun Zheng ◽  
Simon Munier ◽  
...  

This study aims to assess the potential of the LDAS-Monde platform, a land data assimilation system developed by Météo-France, to monitor the impact on vegetation state of the 2018 summer heatwave over Western Europe. The LDAS-Monde is driven by ECMWF’s (i) ERA5 reanalysis, and (ii) the Integrated Forecasting System High Resolution operational analysis (IFS-HRES), used in conjunction with the assimilation of Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) satellite-derived products, namely the Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) and the Leaf Area Index (LAI). The study of long time series of satellite derived CGLS LAI (2000–2018) and SSM (2008–2018) highlights marked negative anomalies for July 2018 affecting large areas of northwestern Europe and reflects the impact of the heatwave. Such large anomalies spreading over a large part of the domain of interest have never been observed in the LAI product over this 19-year period. LDAS-Monde land surface reanalyses were produced at spatial resolutions of 0.25° × 0.25° (January 2008 to October 2018) and 0.10° × 0.10° (April 2016 to December 2018). Both configurations of LDAS-Monde forced by either ERA5 or HRES capture well the vegetation state in general and for this specific event, with HRES configuration exhibiting better monitoring skills than ERA5 configuration. The consistency of ERA5- and IFS HRES-driven simulations over the common period (April 2016 to October 2018) allowed to disentangle and appreciate the origin of improvements observed between the ERA5 and HRES. Another experiment, down-scaling ERA5 to HRES spatial resolutions, was performed. Results suggest that land surface spatial resolution is key (e.g., associated to a better representation of the land cover, topography) and using HRES forcing still enhances the skill. While there are advantages in using HRES, there is added value in down-scaling ERA5, which can provide consistent, long term, high resolution land reanalysis. If the improvement from LDAS-Monde analysis on control variables (soil moisture from layers 2 to 8 of the model representing the first meter of soil and LAI) from the assimilation of SSM and LAI was expected, other model variables benefit from the assimilation through biophysical processes and feedback in the model. Finally, we also found added value of initializing 8-day land surface HRES driven forecasts from LDAS-Monde analysis when compared with model-only initial conditions.


Federalism ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 117-144
Author(s):  
V. I. Glotov ◽  
N. A. Buimov ◽  
M. I. Volkova ◽  
A. N. Bereznyatskiy

The spread of a new type of coronavirus on the territory of most countries has tested public health systems, but also exposed the problem points, the impact of which will be felt for an exceptionally long time. The trigger mechanism that formed them consists of many elements. Among them: the temporary stagnation of world economy; the actual death of many enterprises within national economies; the unpreparedness of medical institutions for a huge influx of infected people. Separately, socio-psychological factors worked: the loss of many citizens ‘ jobs; a radical change in lifestyle – life will never be the same; the collapse of hopes and the loss of meaning of life for many, especially low-income groups. The consequence of this is the growing geography of social pathologies (drug addiction, alcoholism, crime, suicide). There was also an increase in panic among the population caused by fear of an unknown infection or a painful reaction to the introduction of restrictive measures designed to contain the spread and development of the COVID-19 virus epidemic. The article provides analytical material that reflects the degree of influence of processes and mechanisms of regional economy response to the consequences of a large-scale epidemic of new coronavirus. The focus is on determining the degree of impact of COVID-19 on the AML/CFT sphere, analyzing the number of recorded predicate crimes. The Siberian Federal district of the Russian Federation and its constituent regions are considered as an example.


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