Social Implications of Business Ethics Essay Example for Free

Social Implications of Business Ethics Essay In this task I will be looking at various business practices in any area of activity and explain how those actions have an effect on society as a whole, the areas of activity I will be discussing in this report are: Ethics in finance, e.g. bribery Ethics in human resource management e.g. discrimination Ethics in production, e.g. animal testing Ethics in sales and marketing, e.g. spamming Ethics in intellectual property, e.g. software privacy I will also be investigating how my chosen business Timberland considers these issues and addresses them. The Timberland company was set up in 1955 by the Swartz family. Originally a shoe store based in Abington, Massachusetts the small family business has grown into one of the most easily recognisable brands of modern times. Since its inception in 1955, be it either under the Abington shoe company brand name or under the Timberland company brand name, one thing has remained the same, its business Code of Ethics Charter. Timberland Code of Ethics Charter Timberland has a site dedicated to their beliefs of ethics and explains what is expected of their employees and what consumers should expect from Timberland as a business regarding ethics. Their mission statement reads, We believe the honest and ethical conduct of our employees is an essential prerequisite to our success as a company. There is a direct relationship between the code of conduct of the company and the employees, and the attainment of our corporate missions and goals. Maintaining the highest standard of ethical behaviour is consistent with our core values of Humanity, Humility, Integrity and Excellence. Area of Activity: Ethics in Finance In regards to ethics, when most people think of ethics they think of various scandals and illegal trading which appears to be ever present in the news such as insider trading, bribery, lobbying and executive pay. Some of the more recent unethical actions which have happened are the MPs expenses scandal which occurred in mid 2009 and the banking crisis which started in late 2008. This is a concern for ethics as individuals want to know who they are doing business with and if they can trust them, for example If a business is accused of being unethical because they bribed a member of parliament in order to gain an unfair advantage over competitors so they could evade paying a certain amount of tax or VAT then not only are they giving themselves a bad name but they are also ruining the reputation of their business associates and partners who may decide they no longer wish to provide their service to that business in order to save their own credibility. NEED TO WRITE AN INTRODUCTION EXPLAINING WHY THIS AREA IS A CONCERN FOR ETHICS.CHECK YOUR NOTES! There are several key areas where ethics can be questioned in terms of finance and these include: * Insider trading is the illegal trading, buying or selling of corporate stock based on information received which has not been made public and is supposed to remain confidential; insider trading is a common law broken by employees. The Timberland Company set up its Code of Ethics Charter to provide assurance to its customers but also to provide guidelines to employees so that they can clearly understand what is expected of them from the business. The Timberland Code of Ethics Charter clearly states that the securities laws set up within the business strictly prohibits insider trading and tells employees what to do if they are in doubt as to what information can be shared and what to do if they are in any doubt as to what information can be shared and what information must remain private. Employees and directors may not trade in or even recommend company stock whilst in possession of any information. Timberlands insider trading policy applies to all employees and directors. * Bribery is a form of corruption in which an individual or business may offer a payment or gift to a person in a position of trust in order to gain an unfair advantage over other competitors. On the 20th of July 2010 the UK ministry of Justice announced that a new, modern and comprehensive bribery act will be brought into force in April 2011. The new act replaces the existing legislation known as the Prevention of Corruptions Act of 1889 1916. The Timberland Companys general principles, Code of Ethics Charter and compliance guidelines state their policy on bribery is that they are not permitted in any circumstances and that they believe a bribe can be anything from a simple gift or an undercover payment. Their general principles also state that any individuals suspected of accepting or being involved in bribery in anyway will be held accountable in a court of law and will be dealt with by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. BRIBERY NEED TO DISCUSS * Executive pay is the financial compensation paid to an executive official within an organisation, most executives would receive their basic salary along with added incentives such as share options, annual bonuses, salary rises and pension schemes. Many employees in a business may feel disheartened by the gulf in salary between them and their chief executive, especially in the middle of a recession as the public are being made more and more aware of the bonuses many executives are receiving whilst other employees are being made redundant. Many people regard this to be unethical as it is taking money away from a bunch of employees and putting it into the pocket of one executive who may not even work as hard as the individuals who may be regarded as below them in the hierarchal structure of the business. Recent news reports suggest that the new chief executive of the bank Barclays Bob Diamond is in line to receive a bonus of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8million despite only being in the job for just 9 days, the story so far has caused outrage amongst Barclays employees who feel the money should be given to existing employees or pumped back into the economy. The Timberland Company dont currently have any publicly viewable policies or corporate guidelines regarding executive pay. EXECUTIVE PAY NEED TO DISCUSS * Lobbying is a form of corruption when a business will use personal contacts, peer pressure, public pressure or political action in order to persuade a politician to make a decision which will benefit the business. Currently lobbying is not illegal which means it is easy for big multi national organisations to get away with changing legislation to benefit them but affected their competitors if they have the right connections to the right people in power. The Timberland Companys policy on lobbying is that no director, executive, officer or manager has the authority to breach or violate any government law in any country that Timberland operates in, nor may they engage in any activity that involves benefiting one individual party whilst others dont have the opportunity to. LOBBYING NEED TO DISCUSS Area of Activity: Ethics in Human Resource Management Human resource management is the management of the workforce of a business to ensure sufficient staff levels with the right skills that are properly motivated and equally rewarded. The human resource department is one of the key elements in Timberlands organisational structure, without it the business would be an inefficient, unproductive business which manufactured sub standard products. The human resource department in the Timberland Company is responsible for overseeing a variety of issues such as contract of employment violations and employee problems and queries. The human resource department of Timberland recently put into place the Fair and Equal Treatment Policy. The policy was designed to promote fairness in the workplace. The code clearly states that no factory employee be disciplined through corporal punishment, harassed, abused or run the risk of employee retribution on the basis of expressing grievances predicted on the violations of basic human rights. To promote equality, Timberlands code prohibits status discrimination based upon race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion or for any other reason. When a candidate is applying for a job and is invited for an interview it is important that Timberland act ethically and treat every individual candidate fairly and equally, they must not discriminate against any candidate in any way, shape or form regarding their age, race, colour, ethnicity, sex, religion or political views. In order to remain as ethical as possible Timberland should look to tweak their recruitment process so that they can ensure no individual candidates will feel targeted throughout the recruitment process and that all the personal information gathered from the candidates remains as confidential as possible. Many employers give applicants various tick boxes to fill in on their application forms, the only answer which appears on every question that candidates can tick is the answer would rather not to say. This cuts down on discrimination as employers can not make pre judgements on any candidates based on the information received in their application which may help the candidate to be successful at their attempt to get the job. To date Timberland has yet to be accused of discrimination, this is due to the high levels of transparency within the business an Timberlands attempts to broaden consumers awareness of what Timberland is trying to achieve as a business and what it is planning corporately. One of the most growing concerns amongst employees is workplace surveillance through CCTV footage, internet activity and email monitoring. Many businesses now offer their own dedicated email service which allows employees to communicate with one another through email rather than passing memos to one another. Although this may seem like the business is offering something positive to the employees, many believe there is a hidden agenda behind it. The administrators who monitor the email service can also go through the individual emails of every employee registered to the service and can view every email without the employee even knowing. Many people argue that this is an invasion of privacy and that employers shouldnt be allowed to pay attention to every aspect of the employees working life however employers argue that it is up to the employee if they wish to work in that environment and it is not a requirement for the employee to sign up for the email service and should not use the email service for personal use. Some businesses tend to overstep the boundaries and may do things which may not seem ethically correct such as firing employees for matters that did not happen during working hours or do not affect the business. An example of this is when 16 year old Kimberly Swann was dismissed from her post at Ivell Marketing Logistics after three weeks of employment for describing her office job as boring on the social networking site Facebook. Steve Ivell of Ivell Marketing Logistics said the decision was made to dismiss Kimberly because she had shown disrespect to her employer and her dissatisfaction undermined her relationship with the business which made it untenable. Many people agreed with Kimberly Swanns response to the statement made by her former employer that she shouldnt be persecuted for a throw away comment made after a tiring day at the office for a 16 year old. Ms. Swann believes that what her former employer did was unethical and she shouldnt have been dismissed for something which happened out of work hours and was written on her personal page whilst in her own time on her personal computer. You also need to discuss the ethical concerns that some have in regards to recruitment. What must Timberland ensure they do to ensure fairness in recruitment (use you unit 13 notes, e.g. same interviews questions, balanced interview panel, etc.) Has Timberland been accused of discrimination in recruitment? If not, include a business which has! You also need to discuss the concerns some have about the increasing level of workplace surveillance why are people concerned? Use the Facebook example we discussed in class! Area of Activity: Ethics in Production The production process involves transferring a range of inputs into the outputs desired by the target market. The production process requires two main resources; the transforming resources and the transformed resources. Transforming resources include the building where the product is manufactured, machinery, computers and employees. The transformed resources are the raw materials which compose the end product. To make sure that their production process is ethical a business must look at a range of issues such as: * Genetically modified food Many food producing companies in the US have come under heavy criticism for modifying their products without informing customers. One of the more recent cases was Monsanto An agricultural company which helps farmers develop new technology and produce better quality crop was charged by the California Northern District Court with for producing low quality crop which was to be distributed to countries which forbid the growing of genetically modified crops. Although no charges were ever made against the company, it was a wake up call to other businesses that their practices are being closely monitored and scrutinised. However they argue that in order to protect the food from insects, parasites, weed and unfriendly bacteria it must be genetically modified so that they arent attracted to it in anyway. By keeping the insects away there will be more crop which means more money for the farmers however many people believe this is an unethical tactic used by farmers to get as much money as possible and that the GM food could contain harmful viruses or diseases. you need to tell me what it is and why some believe it is unethical * Product testing on animals Many people believes this to be the biggest argument regarding ethics believing that it is wrong for businesses to use defenceless animals who do not share the same genes and DNA as humans to test their products on. A counter argument to this statement is that in order for scientists to find cures to medical diseases there must be some way for them to be able to test the products without using illegal methods such as trialling them on humans. One of the strongest and most controversial arguments raised from this topic is that why do people believe it to be wrong to test cosmetic products on animals but not medical products which could potentially hurt or even kill them. Timberland have issued numerous press releases stating that they in no way support animal testing nor do they practice it themselves and that 80% of raw materials they use for their products is recycled with plans to use recycled materials 100% on all of their products by 2014. you need to explain what it means, why some are against it and why some people do not mind. * Planned Obsolescence Planned Obsolescence is when a business deliberately design a product which can be sold to the public with a few flaws and can be improved in an upgraded model which will be sold again to the public at a later stage. An example of this is Apples iphone. The first iphone was released on the 29th of June 2007. The original model could ring, send and receive text messages, send and receive email messages, browse the internet with a wifi connection and users could download custom applications. One of the flaws of the original model was the camera didnt have a flash and the internet wasnt fast enough when users didnt have access to a wifi connection. The iphone 3g was then released a year later to succeed the original iphone, the difference between the two models was that now users could access the internet almost anywhere thanks to the 3g connectivity but the camera still lacked flash, optical zoom, auto focus and didnt support video recording. Apple have released a new and improved model of the iphone annually since the launch of their first iphone and released the iphone 4 on the 24th of June 2010. The fourth instalment of the apple iphone was now fully equipped to do everything users could ask for ranging from the internet issues to a new and improved 5 mega pixel camera which supported HD video recording, had digital zoom and had an LED flash. you need to explain what it means with an example, why some are against it and why some people do not mind. * Environmental ethics some questions are raised about how ethical products are produced in terms of the environment. The Timberland Company take this seriously and have introduced the Green index in 2007, a unique calculating tool which can measure the impact manufacturing their boots has on the environment and allows customers to see the carbon footprint Timberland creates. In 2008 Timberland expanded the Green Index programme to include the carbon footprint created from the entire range of Timberland products. Area of Activity: Ethics in Sales and Marketing Businesses such as Timberland manufacture a variety of products and are constantly updating them in order to keep the attention of their audience and maintain its market share. Sometimes a business may decide to use unethical methods to help boost sales and raise the company profile. Some of the unethical techniques a business may use include slandering other businesses or even providing false information when promoting and selling products. In 2001 the supermarket Tesco was charged by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for misleading its customers. Tesco mislead its customers on price comparisons, comparing the prices of rival business Sainsburys with its own prices however the prices shown for Tesco products were all on a discounted promotion at the time but were not at Sainsburys. However, the main types of unethical activities in terms of sales and marketing are: * Product Placement Sometimes a business may decide to place their product in a television programme or in a movie, this is known as subliminal advertising . It is the easiest way for businesses to expose their products to customers without their knowledge. However it can be expensive, some producers may charge the business more than à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1million for their product to be in front of the camera for just a few seconds or even mentioned as part of the dialogue in a script for just one sentence in the entire film. Some consumers believe this to be unethical as people who pay money to go to the cinema do not wish to view a hidden advertisement during their film and have no choice but to sit and watch throughout the entire film. People who watch television at home may not like watching adverts and would rather flick through different channels whilst waiting for their original programme to come back on than sit and watch four minutes of advertising. Whilst agreeing the terms and conditions for TV licensing one of the key points the BBC agreed to was to no advertising and no product placement so rather than advertising products at the end of a programme, the BBC will just advertise its own upcoming programmes and its programmes rather than referring to or showing the brand name of a product such as mobile phone, they will just show the phone itself with the brand name hidden. Timberland have used product placement in various television programmes and films such as in the heist film TAKERS. All of the actors involved in robbing from the bank never mentioned any brands of the clothes they were wearing but were constantly referring to their Timberland boots and how they were the best for the job. The Timberland Company have confirmed that they did agree to the actors mentioning their product but did not ask them to continually mention them to get the viewers attention. People may still view this as unethical as although it was the film producers who approached Timberland, they still had the option of rejecting the offer. GOOD CRITIQUE! * Greenwashing Green washing can be defined as the act of misleading consumers or being untruthful about the environmental practices of a company, or the environmental benefits of a product or service. A business may choose to use this technique in order to attract more customers and appeal to a wider market. The Timberland Company have a full website dedicated to explaining its views on ethics and have set out four pillars which are updated annually and analysed regularly to ensure all targets are met. If any of these were found to be incorrect, this would be an example of green-washing. * Spamming in business this is where a company may often send various newsletters and promotional emails to somebody who has never signed up to the newsletters and often do not wish to receive the newsletters and updates because of the volume of emails being received. Businesses that do use this method often use a false email address which can not be replied to or blocked. Many businesses say they only use this method to gain the attention of potential customers and promote their products and services. Many people believe this is unethical as the recipient of the spam email has not agreed to receive the junk email and have no alternative but to ignore and delete all emails which they suspect to be junk or spam that clog up their email account. Spam emails are regarded as a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 as the only way a business can obtain the email addresses of customers is through purchasing them from other businesses with the consumers consent. Area of Activity: Ethics in intellectual property Intellectual property law gives people the rights to their own creations such as ideas, concepts, videos or music sounds. The most common way people protect their intellectual property is through copyrights, patents and trademarks. Ethical issues which arise from intellectual property are: * Counterfeiting A counterfeit is a forged copy of a product or brand name with the intent to deceiving people. The counterfeiter copies the original idea of a product or service and alters it slightly to either pass it off as their own or to deceive people into believing it is genuine. Tesco have been accused on numerous occasions of selling counterfeit versions of products from top designers such as Tommy Hilfiger and have faced numerous court cases and legal action. * Piracy Piracy is the unauthorised copying and distributing of a product. Reproducing a product without the consent of its original creator is illegal and can lead to a large fine and a jail sentence. An example of piracy sharing is online peer to peer programs such as Limewire. For years Limewire was used by millions of people to share illegal products with one another rather than obtaining them legally which caused many people to lose money such as musicians, film producers, computer programmers. Eventually enough evidence was put together to charge the creators of Limewire who were subsequently fined, jailed and had their peer to peer sharing software shut down permanently. Piracy is a growing concern and is becoming a losing battle for prosecutors as many websites which stream illegally sourced movies and songs are being shut down and are back live again under a similar name on a new server within an hour. Implications If a business chooses to ignore the ethical concerns of its customers then they are giving themselves a negative image and gain negative publicity and bad press which will cause them to lose money and drive away customers. Every business must make sure it listens to and takes into consideration the different corporate and environmental implications in order to ensure their popularity is maintained and attract more customers. Corporate implications are to do with the day to day running of a business looking at the corporate social responsibility policies, employee hiring and firing, consumer protection and managing suppliers. The Timberland Company have a clear Code of Ethics Charter which is available to all employees, investors, potential customers, potential investors and general members of the public. Their charter was set up to show employees and partners and future partners what Timberland is trying to achieve ethically as a business. Environmental implications are ethical issues which affect the environment such as pollution, recycling, using renewable sources and water conservation. Timberland have become very environmentally ethical since 2006 and have created a whole new line of products created solely from recycled products using renewable energy. Timberland also has a website detailing their four pillars which they have built their organisational structure around, the four pillars are : Energy : Becoming carbon neutral Products : Design products for recyclability Workplaces : Fair, safe and non-discriminatory workplaces Service : Community greening Conclusion In conclusion I believe that in order for a business to be truly ethical it must take into consideration all environmental and corporate implications and analyse their business practices before truly declaring themselves as an ethical business. Bibliography http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=105954p=irol-govConduct http://www.rightrespect.com/2010/07/29/right-respect-best-practices-timberland/ http://finance.mapsofworld.com/business/ethics.html http://www.timberlandonline.co.uk/csr/csr,default,pg.html http://www.timberlandonline.co.uk/green-index/environ_green_index,default,pg.html http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theoryproduction-process254.php http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DQA/is_2001_Dec_20/ai_81515662/ http://newscdn.bbc.net.uk/1/hi/business/102177.stm http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/software_piracy.html http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/bribery-bill.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/7914415.stm

JUVENILE LAW :: essays research papers

ARE YOU A JUVENILE OR AN ADULT?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mo. Laws make this question very complicated. Some times we might think we are juvenile’s, but by law we can be and treated as an adult. At age 13, you can go to some health clinics and get some medical treatments and testing done without your parents permission, such as pregnancy, alcohol/drug, and sexual transmitted diseases. Most of the time, if you are under 18, you need your parents permission, unless you are married, or in the military. At 15 1/2, you can get a special permit to drive with a legal guardian, but if you break a traffic law you are considered an adult. But at 16, you can get your own drivers license. If you are under 18 and even at age 12, you can be considered an adult if you commit a serious crime, such as killing, drug related. rape, repeated offenses, or stealing a car. If you are under 18, and are picked up by a police officer and taken to juvenile court, a juvenile officer will decide how to handle your case. Then a juvenile judge hears the evidence with you and your parents. The judge studies the whole complete picture of you, and your whole life and everything in and around you, and your crime, and then decides as to whether or not your case will be held in Juvenile Court or in a Adult Court. If your case is held in Juvenile Court and you are found guilty, and since he has made a complete study of you and your case, he will be the one to decide how and what will happen to you. If you are tried as an adult and found guilty, naturally the punishment will be more severe such as:

Adoption of Information and Communication Technology Essay

Abstract Nigerian banking industry has become highly ICT-based and is reaping the benefits of technological revolution as evidenced by its application in most of its operations. The objective of this paper was to determine if the Nigerian banks have failed or succeeded in the adoption and use of ICT (see table 2.1). An evaluation of the adoption and use of ICT infrastructures from the periods between years 2000 to 2008 indicated steady growth. It is presumed that as of today, the Nigerian banks may have attained their ICT potentials in their operations, though with some challenges. The paper concludes that the adoption of ICT has influenced the content and quality of banking operations. This paper recommends that investment in information and communication technology should form an important component in the overall strategy of banking operators to ensure effective operations. Keywords: Information, Communication, Technology, Banking & Industry. INTRODUCTION Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the automation of processes, controls, and information production using computers, telecommunications, software and other gadget that ensure smooth and efficient running of activities. It is a term that largely covers the coupling of electronic technology for the information needs of a business at all levels. ICT has surpassed the role of support services or only electronic data processing; its fields of applications are slightly global and unlimited. Its devices especially the Internet and modern computer email facilities have further strengthened early modernizations like the telephone and fax. Other ICT devices include data recognition equipment, factory automation hardware and services, telecomputing and teleconferences using real time and online system (Adeoti, 2005). The application of information and communication technology concepts, techniques, policies and implementation strategies to banking services has become a subject of fundamental importance and concerns to all banks and indeed a prerequisite for local and global competitiveness. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) directly affects how managers decide, how they plan and what products and services are offered in the banking industry. It has continued to change the way banks and their corporate relationships are organized worldwide and the variety of innovative devices available to enhance the speed and quality of service delivery. Harold and Jeff (1995) contend that financial service providers should modify their traditional operating practices to remain viable in the 1990s and the decades that follow. They claim that the most significant shortcoming in the banking industry today is a wide spread failure on the part of senior management in banks to grasp the importance of technology and incorporate it into their strategic plans accordingly. Considering ICT to ensure banks survival, Woherem (2000) claimed that only banks that overhaul the whole of their payment and delivery systems and apply ICT to their operations are likely to survive and prosper in the new millennium. He advices banks to re-examine their service and delivery systems in order to properly position them within the framework of the dictates of the dynamism of information and communication technology. The banking industry has witnessed tremendous changes linked with the developments in ICT over the years. Nigerian banks have undergone changes in their operations since the consolidation process of 2005, when some banks were forced to merge with others to meet Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) recapitalisation fund necessary for operation. Until then, most of the banks operated paper based systems at inception and later adjusted at the dawn of ICT revolution. In recent times, ICT, which basically involves the use of electronic gadgets especially computers for storing, analyzing and distributing data, is having a dramatic influence on almost all aspects of individual lives and that of the national economy – the banking sector inclusive. The increasing use of ICT has allowed for integration of different economic units in a spectacular way. This phenomenon is not only applicable to Nigeria but other economies of the world, though the level of their usage may differ. In Nigeria, ICT usage especially in the banking sector, has considerably improved, even though it may not have been as high as those observed for advanced countries (Adeoti, 2005; Adeyemi, 2006). The use of ICT in the banking sector became of interest to this study due to the significant role it plays in the economy. It helps in stimulating economic growth by directing funds to economic agents that need them for productive activities. This function is very vital for any economy that intends to experience meaningful growth because it makes arrangements that bring borrowers and lenders of financial resource together and more efficiently too than if they had to relate directly with one another (Adam, 2005; Ojo, 2007). In essence, the banking sector acts as a bridge that connects lenders and investors in the economy. The bank reforms (especially the recapitalization that specifies a minimum capital base of 25 billion naira for commercial banks), are pursued with a view to making the sector realize its objectives in advancing the economy (CBN, 2006). It is expected that the impact of these reforms will be enhanced with the use of ICT because it will create some form of competitive advantage and improve banking services through accuracy and efficiency in their transactions. In other words, it will change the nature of banks’ services in terms of quality which will culminate in greater service delivery and productivity. This is in tandem with the findings made by Adeoti (2005) that the use of information technology has the ability of improving the competitiveness of Nigerian manufacturing industries. In fact, ICT has had an impact on the Banking Industry as its emergence allows banks to apply credit-scoring techniques to consumer credits, mortgages or credit cards. Hence, products that used to be highly dependent on the banks ´ evaluation of its customers have now become more standardized. Other examples of ICT impact on the Banking Industry include the increased process efficiency, which can reduce costs in banks. This has also produced changes in the structure of bank income. As a result of increased competition that has lowered margins in lending operations (the banks’ traditional business), banks have diversified their sources of income and rely increasingly on income from fees services rather than interest rate spreads. Fees charged for services include typical banking activities like payment transactions, safe custody and account administration. Data storage and retrieval is another wonderful innovation brought into the Banking Industry, where specialized software is engaged to create database to be manipulated by Database Management Software (DBMS). A single database created could be used for several purposes within the system in order to eliminate data redundancy. From the above discourse, this paper seeks to determine whether or not the adoption of ICT enhances the operations of Nigerian banks. To achieve this, the introductory part of this paper after defining what ICT is, clearly established that to remain viable in the current age as financial concerns, banks must adopt ICT. In the succeeding sections, the paper will review relevant literature and identify the types of ICT infrastructures used in Banks; the benefits and effects of ICT on banking industry will be discussed, after which an evaluation of its success or failure will be done; then, the conclusion and recommendations will be made. LITERATURE REVIEW The Concept of ICT and a Perspective in Nigerian Banks Technology can be referred to as the application of knowledge for the execution of a given task. It entails skills and processes necessary for carrying out activities (works) in a given context, while ICT encompasses computer systems, telecommunication, networks, and multimedia applications (Frenzel, 1996). It came into use in the late 1980’s replacing earlier terms like Electronic Data Processing (EDP), Management Information System (MIS), although the latter terms are still in use (Frenzel, 1996). ICT has transcended the role of support services or only electronic data processing; its fields of applications are somewhat global and unlimited. Its devices especially the Internet through the World Wide Web (www) and modern computer email facilities have further strengthened early innovations like the telephone and fax. Other ICT devices include data recognition equipment, factory automation hardware and services, tele-computing and teleconferences using real time and online system (Adeoti, 2005). It is a concept that is having a remarkable effect on almost entire aspects of the human endeavours. This connotes that it involves the application of principles to engage physical component in achieving an intended goal. The convergence of computer and telecommunication after about four decades of applying computers to routine data processing, mainly in information storage and retrieval, has created a new development where information has become the engine of growth around the world. This development has created catch-up opportunities for developing countries such as Nigeria to attain desired levels of development without necessarily ‘reinventing the wheels’ of economic growth. This new technology has brought far-reaching revolution in societies, which has tremendously transformed most business (banking) scenes (Ovia, 2005). With respects to the banks in Nigeria, the first established bank was in 1892 (then African Banking Corporation). However, there was no banking legislation until 1952 when three foreign banks (Bank of British West Africa, Barclays Bank, and British and French Bank) and two indigenous banks (National Bank of Nigeria and African Continental Bank) were established, with a total number of 40 branches (Iganiga, 1998). As at 1988, the Nigerian banking system consisted of the CBN, 42 commercial banks and 24 merchant banks (Iganiga, 1998; Adam, 2005). From 1970, the banking sector grew significantly in terms of number and coverage as a result of increase in economic activities. However, between 1970 and 1985, the growth of the sector was relatively slow due to predominant government regulations but the period 1986-2000 witnessed a phenomenal growth of the sector as a result of the financial deregulation policy, that is the Structural Adjustment Program-SAP of 1986 (Iganiga, 1998). This brought about the liberalization of bank licence leading to a rapid change in the sector. Some of the banks were characterized by paper oriented methods, rather than technological based systems and this resulted to slow pace of their operations vis-à  -vis their employees’ productivity cum general performance. The use of computers and other ICT gadgets in their operations were limited. This was one of the reasons adduced by Ojo (2007) as factors responsible for the Nigerian financial sector malaise. To mitigate the shocks experienced in the system, the Federal Government of Nigeria came up with the financial sector reforms through the CBN. The policy thrust on bank reforms encompasses the sum of the variations that occur in the direction of a comprehensive banking system. The bank reforms agenda, among others, specified a minimum capital base of 25 billion naira for the commercial banks that took effect in December, 2005 (Diamond Bank, 2005; CBN, 2006). This has reduced the number of commercial banks in Nigeria from 89 to 25, which was done via the processes of mergers, acquisition and the stock market (CBN, 2006; Ige, 2007). The major aim was to make Nigerian banks vibrant and resilient, clothed with efficiency and financial strength to absorb possible shocks, thereby instilling public confidence as well as global relevance (Soludo, 2004). ICT and Nigerian Banking Sector The revolution in ICT has made the banking sector changed from the traditional mode of operations to presumably better ways with technological innovation that improves efficiency. ICT can enhance efficiency via its use and in recent times banks have been encouraged by the rapid decline in the price of ICT gadgets. This has perhaps increased the bank level of ICT usage (Ovia, 2005).The increase might have also be attributable to business environment that became relatively flexible to accommodate new forms of technological change as a result of reforms in the country. Banking is becoming highly ICT-based and because of its inter-sectoral link, it appears to be reaping most of the benefits of revolution in technology, as can be seen by its application to almost all areas of its activities (Akinuli, 1999). It has broadened the scope of banking practices and changed the nature of banking as well as the competitive environment in which they operate. A broad opening has been experienced around the world for banks and they are currently taking due advantage of these innovations to provide improved customer services in the face of competition and faster services that enhance productivity (Akinuli, 1999; Ovia,2005). Technological advancement facilitates payments and creates convenient alternatives to cash and cheque for making transactions. Such new practices have led to the development of a truly global, seamless and Internet enabled 24-hour business of banking. ICT revolution both in terms of innovation rate, speedy operation, and cost per unit (portraying reduction in average total and marginal costs) has made a good number of banks embrace the use of ICT infrastructure in their operations (Akinuli, 1999). The technological innovation that is being witnessed currently in the Nigerian banking sector is possible of impacting on the banks’ mode of transactions especially in their payment systems. The payment systems are made feasible by ICT gadgets such as Automated Teller Machine (ATM), Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), Clearing House Automated Payments (CHAPs), Electronic Purse (E-PURSE), Automated Cheque Sorter (ACS) and Electronic and Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS), which have made transactions easy and convenient. This phenomenon is capable of bringing about speedy operations and enhanced productivity (Adeoti, 2005; Ovia, 2005). Though there may be little interruptions at times due to network failures, which may make customers unable to carry out transactions at that point in time. This little shortcoming is not in any way comparable to the days when banking halls were characterized by long queues mainly as a result of delays in the traditional banking operations. Now banks can provide comprehensive services to their customers by making them access their accounts via online services. These instruments have an edge over the traditional payment instruments because it is safer, more efficient, convenient and cost effective. Before the introduction of these ICT services in the banking industry, manual processing of documents were in use. The bankers were made to cope with this onerous task, and the process made business transactions minimal. Besides several hectic procedures, people had to contend with, banks’ customers were inevitably made to spend several hours in the congested banking halls in carrying out their transactions (Ovia, 2005). The present situation The ICT culture in Nigerian economy can be said to be on the increase. Nigeria is the largest Internet subscriber in Africa with about 100,000 Internet users as at 2000, which was estimated to have grossly increased (Balancing Act, 2007). It has also been observed that Nigeria’s telecommunication density had remarkably increased by more than 2,550% from 0.35% in 1992 to 9.3% in 2004, thereby greatly exceeding the International Telephone Union’s (ITU) benchmark of 1% (Ndukwe, 2005). This phenomenon has helped banks keep substantial information on-line which reduces the cost of marketing their products. Being a competitive tool, it enhances the creation of customized services, reduces the cost of operation, and improves productivity as well as profitability. More interestingly, almost all the banks in Nigeria have internet and on-line real time banking facilities which has improved the scope of Nigerian banking. It has aided transfer of funds from one location to another without any involvement of facial transactions thereby reducing the incidence of loss of funds to stealing and the likes. Another recent one is the telephone banking technology that allows customers to have transactions on their accounts by calling a particular telephone number, through voice activation, and using a tone pad. All of these improve the comfort of banking transactions. THE TYPES OF ICT SUBSTRUCTURES USED IN BANKS Ovia (2005) opined that ICT adoption will improves three critical domains which are efficiency, quality, and transparency in any organisation. Agboola (2001) discussed the dimensions in which automation in the banking industry manifest in Nigeria. They include: Bankers Automated Clearing Services: Automated Payment Systems, Automated Delivery Channels. In the analysis done by Alawode and Kaka (2008) on ICT infrastructures used in Nigerian banks between the periods of 2000 to 2008, found a proportionate increase in adoption and use. The specific ICT infrastructural use within year 2000 to year 2008 include Internet Access; Internal Network; SMS Alert; Substitution of Postal Mail; ICT Security Measures; Authentication and Automated Payment System. The tabular presentation of the ICT structures and the analysis are presented below. This analysis and other recent literature will form the basis for evaluation of ICT adoption success or otherwise, and informs its inclusion in this seminar paper. TABLE 2.1:SURVEY DATA OF SOME SELECTED BANKS IN NIGERIA AND THEIR UPTAKE IN SOME ICT INFRASTRUCTURES Serialnumbers| ICT infrastructures| Percentage of Nigeria Banks that use a particular ICT infrastructure within year2000 to year 2008.| | | 2000 – 2002| 2003 – 2005| 2006 – 2008| 1| Internet Access | 27%| 88%| 91%| 2| Internal Network| Wire based| 68%| 82%| 92%| | | Wireless| 08%| 19%| 28%| 3| SMS Alert| NIL| 22%| 98%| 4| Substitution of Postal mail | 18%| 38%| 88%| 5| ICT Security measures| 62%| 81%| 94%| 6| Authentication| 33%| 76%| 85%| 7| Automated PaymentSystem| 1%| 28%| 87%| Source: Alawode and Kaka (2008) Internet Access: An important indicator of the general uptake of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Banking Industry relates to the use and availability of Internet. Internet access is a precondition for e-Business, as this is the main channel for e-banking. The general availability of Internet allows for the analysis of overall ICT-readiness in the Banking Industry. The Table shows that 91% of Banks studied in Nigeria have access to the internet within year 2006 and 2008, While 27% and 88% from year 2000 to 2002 and from year 2003 to 2005 respectively. The drastic change that occurred from 27% to 88% from year 2000 to 2002 and from year 2003 to 2005 respectively was as the result of ICT awareness competitive products introduced by some the so called â€Å"new generation banks†. Virtually all other banks also braced up to satisfy their customers and there was general improvement in the services and products of Banking Industry. Use of Internal Network: The application of networks is a vital part of an effective ICT-enabled system, which is especially true in the case of banks with a branch network. Local Area Network (LAN) may also be seen as a basic indicator of the minimum infrastructure required to enable companies to conduct e-banking at a substantial level. Wire-based LAN is currently the dominating technology. The survey shows that 92% banks surveyed use wire-based LAN from year 2006 to 2008. The fact that LAN is a relatively low-tech and easily attainable ICT solution, would to some extent explain the wide coverage of this technology from year 2000 to 2008. Wireless LAN is a relatively new technology in the Banking Industry, and is used to permit bank employees to access network resources from nearly any convenient location. The fact that, wireless LAN is relatively new technology accounts for its low percentage uptake in Banking Industry. Use of SMS alert: Instant notification of transactions made was another innovation brought by ICT through the use of smart phone in conjunction with the internet facility in the Banking Industry. Virtually all banks studied in Nigeria use SMS-Alert, except some of the Micro-finance Banks. It was an ICT infrastructure that recorded no patronage between year 2000 and 2002. Substitution of postal mail: The Banking Industry is currently being renewed in many areas. One of these areas relate to the digitalization of formerly paper-based processes. Electronic mail is increasingly being applied for especially non-legal correspondence like account statements, marketing and sales. More than 80% banks surveyed have substituted electronic mail with old postal mail within year 2006 to 2008. This outcome shows that, efficiency gains from electronic mail are yet to be reaped and indicates that the Industry is a bit fragmented in its uptake of electronic mail as means of communication. ICT security measures: The security issue is of special concern in the Banking Industry, as banking is highly based on trust from its customers. Hence, the risk of hackers, denial of service attacks, technological failures, breach of privacy of customer information, and opportunities for fraud created by the anonymity of the parties to electronic transactions all have to be managed. Depending upon its nature and scope, a breach in security can seriously damage public confidence in the stability of a financial institution or of a nation’s entire banking system. Hence, by introducing the appropriate security measures and putting security concerns at ease, the BI might be able to attract the segments among consumers who previously were not inclined to use e-banking. Furthermore, it is also in the banks’ own interest to improve security, as digital fraud can be costly both in financial losses, and in terms of the damage it does to the brand of the bank in question. Authentication: The common concern among users of e-banking is related to the authentication of users and data connections. The use of digital signatures is not as common as PIN codes or encryption, and reason is the fact that digital signature is relatively new technology. The research even shows that none of the studied banks uses digital signature as the form of authentication, but the up-take in other types of authentication is generally high, up to 85% within the year 2006 and year 2008. Automated Payment System: Devices used in Automated Payment Systems include Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) and Electronic Funds Transfer. ATM still ranked higher in its spread than Electronic Funds Transfer, Low rate of spread of this technology might be due to cost, fear of fraudulent practices and lack of facilities necessary for their operation. But generally speaking, the adoption of Automated Payment System increased dramatically. The table shows the increase from 28% to 87% within the range of 3-years. BENEFITS OF ICT ADOPTION ON BANKING INDUSTRY Many researchers have agreed on some benefits that accrue to ICT adoption and use in the banking industry. These include among others: Enhanced operational efficiency. The use of ICT in the banking industry enhances the operational efficiency of the banks (Madueme, 2009). For example, the use of SMS alert, an ICT infrastructure that recorded no patronage among Nigerian banks between year 2000 and 2002, has presently aided instant notification of transactions. Improved quality of service delivery. Many researchers (Ikechukwu, 2000; Madueme, 2009; Fenuga & Oladejo, 2010) confirm that the application of ICT to banking operations has undoubtedly enhances the quality of customer service delivery in the banks. The uses of ICT-based payment systems such as Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) and Electronic Funds Transfer have actually improved the service delivery of Nigerian banks to its customers. For example, a money transfer transaction that used to take me days to transact has been reduced to a matter of few minutes. For a case in point, last week, I sent money to my brother through UBA bank and before I got to the gate after the transaction, I got a call from him confirming that his account was credited through a message alert. Increase in customer satisfaction. This benefit derives from the one above. According to Fenuga and Oladejo (2010), the adoption and use of ICT in the banking industry has increased customers’ satisfaction due to improved quality of banking services. Referring to the above case of personal experience, it is unequivocal that customer satisfaction has markedly increased as a result of adoption and application of ICT in Nigerian banks. Improved profit performance. Another important benefit of the adoption and use of ICT in the banking industry has to do with improved profit margin. Many studies (Baba & Harker, 1997; Ikechukwu. 2000; Madueme, 2009; and Oladejo & Adereti, 2010) have shown significant and positive correlation between ICT adoption and profitability of organisations. Increase in market shares. When ICT is successfully adopted and applied to banking operations, the overall performance of the banks is improved and this manifest in the corresponding increase in market shares, profitability and other indicators of performance (Oladejo & Adereti, 2010). Enhanced competitive advantage. Researches by Ikechukwu (2000) and Oladejo and Adereti, 2010 have lent credence to the fact that application of ICT to the operations of the banks has boosted their operational efficiency and brought about greater competitive advantage in the industry. EFFECTS OF ICT ON BANKING INDUSTRY Agboola (2001) studied the impact of computer automation on the banking services in Lagos and discovered that Electronic Banking has tremendously improved the services of some banks to their customers in Lagos. The study was however restricted to the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria and concentrated on only six banks. He made a comparative analysis between the old and new generation banks and discovered variation in the rate of adoption of the automated devices. Aragba-Akpore (1998) wrote on the application of information technology in Nigerian banks and pointed out that ICT is becoming the backbone of banks’ services regeneration in Nigeria. He cited the Diamond Integrated Banking Services (DIBS) of Diamond Bank Limited and Electronic Smart Card Account (ESCA) of All States Bank Limited as efforts geared towards creating sophistication in the banking sector. Ovia (2000) discovered that banking in Nigeria has increasingly depended on the deployment of Information Communication Technology and that the ICT budget for banking is by far larger than that of any other industry in Nigeria. He contended that On-line system has facilitated Internet banking in Nigeria as evidenced in some of them launching websites. He found also that banks now offer customers the flexibility of operating an account in any branch irrespective of which branch the account is domiciled. Cashless transactions were made possible in our society of today. The mover of the economy (Banking Industry) is now well positioned to meet-up with the new challenges from the costumers, competitors and even from the nation’s economy with right tool in their hand to reach limitless point of success. The Industry is now growing on daily basis with respect to new innovations that are coming out in the world of technology. Evaluation The banking business in Nigeria today can be assessed as being highly ICT based. The analysis of Alawode and Kaka (2008) ICT infrastructures used in some selected banks between year 2000 to year 2008 as earlier presented in table 2.1 clearly indicate the steady growth of ICT application in Nigerian Banks. Internet access usage, for example, rose from 27% between years 2000-2002 to 91% between years 2006-2008. SMS Alert that was nonexistent between the periods of 2000-2002 rose from nowhere to 98% between years 2006-2008. Similarly, Automated Payment System that was barely 1% between years 2000-2002 rose dramatically to 28% in years 2003-2005 and sky rocketed to 87% between years 2006-2008. The research, which provided the above analysis, is over 5 years old now. Considering the rate of growth reported in the analysis, it is obvious that most of the infrastructures may have reached their full potential. Drawing from above background, one could reasonably accept Akinuli’s (1999) viewpoint when he observed then that it appears Nigerian banks were reaping most of the benefits of revolution in technology, as can be seen by its application to almost all areas of its activities. Adeoti (2005), Ovia (2005) and Osabuohein (2008) in separate remarks affirmed the fact that the technological innovation witnessed in Nigerian banking sector is possible of impacting on the bank’s mode of operations especially in their payment systems. It is indeed unequivocal to state that ICT adoption in Nigerian banks has broadened the scope of banking practices and changed the nature of banking as well as the competitive environment in which they operate. Such new practices have led to the development of a truly global, seamless and Internet enabled 24-hour business of banking. In summary, the adoption of ICT in Nigerian banks can be said to be a success though not without some challenges. Challenges The automation of banking operations is really posing challenges to the Consumers, the banks themselves and Regulatory/Supervisory authorities in Nigeria. Among the issues concerned are: Infrastructural deficiencies: It is obvious that the use of ICT in the banking industry require minimum level or basic infrastructure such as electricity, telecommunication and motorable roads. Yet all these remain great challenges even as they feature as manifestos in all political campaigns. Ineffectiveness of telecommunication service providers and epileptic supply of electricity have often times cost people to spend days suffering to recover trapped cards in ATMs. For example, there was a day my friend’s card got trapped for only God knows the reason, but on a Saturday when the banks staff could not be accessed to recover neither the card nor alternatively withdraws money at UBA Aliade road branch. He had to wait until Monday morning to recover his card. Whatever his purpose for wanting to access money must have been defeated. Consumer Awareness and capacity: A major challenge of ICT banking to many illiterate and semi-literate population of the country who reside in rural areas is lack of awareness of how the systems work and their inability to access the services which mostly exist in cities and high populated work areas or institutions. Access to ATM and GSM Telephones: There are inadequate banking facilities to cover for the growing population of Nigerians who can access the services. Many households are unable to afford terminals and all accessories required for operating in today’s banking system. The recent Federal government’s 60 billion naira telephone project for 10 million farmers (Olatunji, 2013) is one exemplification that majority of Nigerians are too poor to afford a telephone, a necessary accessory for accessing ICT banking services. Consumer Protection: Another major challenge of adoption of ICT is the absence of statutory or regulatory provisions to protect the consumer of the products/services. Fraud: So much fraud has been reported within and outside banks due to ICT adoption. The high exposure of the system to fraudsters, hackers and other criminally minded persons who could access, retrieve and utilize confidential information from the system if security measures are weak; to checkmate unauthorized intrusion is another challenge to the authorities. Systems Operational Risks: Bank IT rests on computers and telecommunications which could be susceptible to system failure, internal manipulations and inconsistent regulatory policies (Etim, 2000). Conclusion Concerns about ICT role in attaining effectiveness, efficiency and productivity were raised in the late 1980s. Since then a large number of studies have emerged both at the industry and firm level that have substantially improved our understanding of the relationship between ICT and firm performance. This paper has clearly defined what ICT is and presented a review of relevant literature to aid understanding of the historical antecedents or reforms that necessitated its adoption in Nigerian banks by assessing the benefits and effects, and the journey so far. The paper further evaluated the success of ICT adoption as well as addresses the challenges it has posed to banks, consumers of services and supervising authorities. The paper concludes that the adoption of ICT has influenced the content and quality of banking operations positively. From all indications, ICT presents great potential for business process reengineering of Nigerian Banks. It is imperative for bank management to intensify investment in ICT products to facilitate speed, convenience, and accurate services, or otherwise lose out to their competitors. Recommendation This paper recommends that investment in information and communication technology should form an important component in the overall strategy of banking operators to ensure effective performance. References Adam, J.A. (2005). Banking Sector Reforms: The Policy Challenges of Banks Consolidation in Nigeria. Selected Papers for 46th Annual Conference, Nigerian Economic Society, August 23-25. Adeoti, J.O (2005). Information Technology Investment in Nigerian Manufacturing Industry: The Progress So Far. Selected Papers for the 2004 Annual Conference, Ibadan: Nigerian Economic Society, 213-244. Adeyemi, K.S (2006). Banking Sector Consolidation in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges. Union Digest, 9(3&4) June (http://www.unionbankng.com/adeyemi.pdf). Agboola, A. A. (2006). Electronic payment systems and Tele-banking services in Nigeria. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 11(3), 112-124. Agboola, A. A. (2001). Impact of Electronic Banking on Customer Services in Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Economics and Financ, 5(1&2), 45-73. Akinuli, O.M. (1999). Information Technology in Nigeria’s Banking Industry: Operational Applications, Problems and Future Challenges. CBN Bullion, 23(3), 71-75. Alawode, A. J. and Kaka, E. U. (2008). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Banking Industry. Proceedings of the 1st International Technology, Education and Environment Conference, African Society for Scientific Research (ASSR) 673-677. Aragba-Akpore, S. (1998). The Backbone of Banks’ Service Regeneration. Moneywatch, July 22, p23. Baba, P. and Harker, P. (1997). Examining the Contributions of Information Technology towards Productivity in United States Retail Banks. Pennsylvania: Wharton School. Balancing Act, (2007). Balancing Act News Update (http://www.balancingact- africa.com/country_profile.php?id=24). CBN, (2006). Press Release. The Guardian, Vol.22 (9902), January 3, p.11. Diamond Bank, (2005). Banking Industry Report, Strategic Planning Unit, December (http://www.diamondbank.com/public/Banking%20Industry%20Report%20December%202005.pdf). Etim, S. O. (2000). Electronic Banking: The Risks in the Insurance. A Paper Presented at Centre for Insurance Research Luncheon, Lagos, May 23. Fenuga, O. J. and Oladejo, R. K. (2010). The Effect of Electronic Payment on Customer Service Delivery in Nigerian Banks. International Journal of Economic Development Research and Investment, 1(1), 5-16. Frenzel, C.W. (1996). Information Technology Management, Cambridge: Thomson Publishing Company. Harold, B. and Jeff, L. (1995). Don’t Let Technology Pass You By. ABA Banking Journal, 73-81. Iganiga, B.O (1998). Contemporary Issues in Money and the Nigerian Financial System, Lagos: Amfitop Books. Ige, C.S (2007). Reforms in Development. The Reformers, 2(1), 4-16. Ikechukwu, G. (2000). Enhancing the Performance of Banking Operations through Appropriate Information Technology in Nigerian Banking Industry. Ibadan: Spectrum Books. Madueme, I. S. (2009). Impact of information technology on the ptofitability of commercial banks in Nigeria. International Journal of Business and Common Market Studies, 6(1&2), 112-121. Ojo, J.A.T. (2007). Financial Sector Maladaptation, Resource Curse and Nigeria’s Development Dilemma. Public Lecture, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, January 25. Oladejo, M. O. and Adereti, A. S. (2010). Impact of information technology on the performance of microfinance institutions in Ogun state, Nigeria. International Journal of Economic Development Research and Investment, 1(1), 44-55. Olatunji, S. (2013). FG to give rural farmers N60bn cell phones. Punch, January 3, www.punching.com/business/business economy/fg-to-give rural-farmers-n60bn-cell-phones/ Osabuoheien, E. S. C. (2008). ICT and Nigerian Banks Reforms: Analysis of Anticipated Impacts in Selected Banks. Global Journal of Business Research, 2(2), 67-76. Ovia, J. (2000). From Banking Hall to E-Platform. Financial Standard, January 15. P. 6. Ovia, J. (2005), Enhancing the Efficiency of the Payment System in Nigeria. CBN Bullion, 29(1), 8-18. Soludo, C.C. (2004). Consolidating the Nigerian Banking Industry to Meet the Development Challenges of the 21st Century. An Address Delivered to the Special Meeting of the Bankers’ Committee, Abuja, July 6. Woherem, E. W. (2000). Information Technology in the Nigerian Banking Industry. Ibadan: Spectrum.

The Past Is Not Dead Essay - 1407 Words

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