Knowledge Management (KM)in an organization leads to systematic management of
information and knowledge by promoting an integrated approach to identifying,
capturing, distributing and applying knowledge effectively. According to Davenport and Prusak (2000), KM draws good information systems management, organizational change management and Human Resources Management (HRM) practices from the existing resources already possessed by an organization. Since organizations have ever been accumulating data and information, there will always be avenues for growth of useful knowledge related to products, services, internal processes, projects, customers, suppliers and stakeholders. According to Ghorbani et al. (2012), KM, ideas, missions and work of group affect individual entrepreneurship of personnel. The enterprises should be in a position to gather, use, protect and manage such valuable knowledge. The key drivers of KM include organizational culture, structure, people and Information Technology (IT) for proper management of knowledge within the organization. In the first paper, “A Study of the Driving Factors of Knowledge Management and Corporate Entrepreneurship in Iran”, the authors, Mostafa Bahrami, Mahdi Salehi and Sezer Korkmaz, have collected feedback from both academics and industry people in Iran to derive the significant driving factors of KM and entrepreneurship. They have reported that Iranian firms use IT for knowledge transfer, and attention to the labor law is found to be the most important predictor of entrepreneurship.
The history or documentation of different projects will serve as a good source of knowledge that can be used later by the same organization to add more value to the upcoming projects. In the second paper, “Critical Success Factors in Knowledge Management Among Project-Based Organizations: A Multi-Case Analysis”, the authors, Peyman Akhavan and Mohammad Reza Zahedi, have reviewed a total of six different cases on KM in different countries and in different project-based industries. They have derived different critical success factors in Project KM based on PMBOK’s five project stages—Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Control, and Closing. The factors include knowledge structure, sharing and strategy, senior management support, education schemes, personal outcome, IT, organization-wide culture and storing knowledge.
Almost all the research studies related to identifying drivers for KM agree that IT contributes to effective KM practices. To add further support to it, in the third paper, “Information Technology Support to Knowledge Management Practices: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach”, the authors, S K Chadha and Ritika Saini, have attempted to test the link between KM and IT in the context of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). They have dealt with 17 measurement items and applied both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the data collected from three types of SMEs—Software, Pharmaceuticals and Textile. They have derived three constructs and tested the validity and relationship among them. Their model confirms a positive relationship between IT and KM practices in SMEs.
Knowledge synthesis deeply studies the existing knowledge on a vague and often disputed subject. It combines information from research with information from policymakers and practitioners in a systematic and transparent way. In the last paper, “Synthesis of Knowledge Through Responsiveness, Recognition, Formation, Attraction and Retention: An Empirical Approach”, the author, Anli Suresh, has attempted to synthesize knowledge through responsiveness (KRES), recognition (KREC), formation (KF), attraction (KA) and retention (KRET) with KM techniques of the selected enterprises and develop a model for the role of KRES in the successful implementation of KM. The author has collected relevant data from select Indian IT, Banking, Pharmaceutical, Engineering and Real estate industries. Based on a multivariate analysis of data, it was reported that formation, responsiveness, retention, attraction and recognition of knowledge are strongly correlated with KM.
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs): The Changing Face of Banking in India
Bank Management
Information and communication technology has changed the way in which banks provide services to its customers. These days the customers are able to perform their routine banking transactions without even entering the bank premises. ATM is one such development in recent years, which provides remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the development of this self-service banking in India based on the secondary data.
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is playing a very important role in the progress and advancement in almost all walks of life. The deregulated environment has provided an opportunity to restructure the means and methods of delivery of services in many areas, including the banking sector. The ICT has been a focused issue in the past two decades in Indian banking. In fact, ICTs are enabling the banks to change the way in which they are functioning. Improved customer service has become very important for the very survival and growth of banking sector in the reforms era. The technological advancements, deregulations, and intense competition due to the entry of private sector and foreign banks have altered the face of banking from one of mere intermediation to one of provider of quick, efficient and customer-friendly services. With the introduction and adoption of ICT in the banking sector, the customers are fast moving away from the traditional branch banking system to the convenient and comfort of virtual banking. The most important virtual banking services are phone banking, mobile banking, Internet banking and ATM banking. These electronic channels have enhanced the delivery of banking services accurately and efficiently to the customers. The ATMs are an important part of a bank’s alternative channel to reach the customers, to showcase products and services and to create brand awareness. This is reflected in the increase in the number of ATMs all over the world. ATM is one of the most widely used remote banking services all over the world, including India. This paper analyzes the growth of ATMs of different bank groups in India.
International Scenario
If ATMs are largely available over geographically dispersed areas, the benefit from using an ATM will increase as customers will be able to access their bank accounts from any geographic location. This would imply that the value of an ATM network increases with the number of available ATM locations, and the value of a bank network to a customer will be determined in part by the final network size of the banking system. The statistical information on the growth of branches and ATM network in select countries.
Indian Scenario
The financial services industry in India has witnessed a phenomenal growth, diversification and specialization since the initiation of financial sector reforms in 1991. Greater customer orientation is the only way to retain customer loyalty and withstand competition in the liberalized world. In a market-driven strategy of development, customer preference is of paramount importance in any economy. Gone are the days when customers used to come to the doorsteps of banks. Now the banks are required to chase the customers; only those banks which are customercentric and extremely focused on the needs of their clients can succeed in their business today.
