BANK 1001 · Bank Strategy, Operations, and Technology

Led by J.P. Morgan Simulacrum

Bank strategy, operations, and technology from purpose and strategic objectives through environmental analysis, resource assessment, strategic options, implementation, and organisational change in the digital age.

1. Module 1

   Defining Strategy and Purpose

   Led by J.P. Morgan Simulacrum

   The question

   Every bank needs a strategy, but what does that mean in practice? Strategy is not a document filed in a drawer — it is the set of choices that define what a bank does, for whom, and how it competes. This unit examines how banks define their purpose, set strategic objectives, and build a strategy statement — the foundation on which every subsequent decision rests.

   Outcome

   The student can explain what strategy means for a bank, distinguish mission from vision from values, identify key stakeholders and their competing cla

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 1.1 Explain what is meant by strategy and how a bank defines it purpose. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 1.2 Differentiate between mission, vision and values. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   3. ○ 1.3 Assess the extent to which a bank’s key stakeholders define its purpose and for what reasons. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   4. ○ 1.4 Identify strategic objectives and key measures of performance that typically apply to banks. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   5. ○ 1.5 Assess key issues for a bank’s strategy according to the Exploring Strategy framework. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   6. ○ 1.6 Explain the purpose and components of a strategy statement. Defining strategy Defining purpose:  mission  vision  values  objectives Scope and advantage Stakeholders, governance and social responsibility Strategic objectives and performance measu Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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2. Module 2

   Strategic Position and the External Environment

   Led by J.P. Morgan Simulacrum

   The question

   A bank does not operate in a vacuum — it operates in an environment shaped by regulation, technology, competition, and macroeconomic forces. Before choosing a strategy, the bank must understand where it stands. This unit covers macro-environment analysis (PESTEL), industry analysis (Porter’s Five Forces), environmental forecasting, and the impact of digital disruption on the banking sector.

   Outcome

   The student can analyse a bank’s external environment using PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces, identify key drivers of change, and assess how digital in

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 2.1 Analyse their bank’s strategic position in the external macro-economic environment by conducting a PESTEL analysis. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 2.2 Identify key drivers for change in banking. Macro-environment analysis:  PESTEL analysis  key drivers for change  forecasting and scenario analysis 5 with a focus on digital innovations that are affecting banks and banking. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   3. ○ 2.3 Evaluate the role of environmental forecasting and scenario analysis in analysing the external environment. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   4. ○ 2.4 Analyse their bank’s position in the banking sector environment using Porter’s Five Forces framework. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   5. ○ 2.5 Identify opportunities for and threats to their bank that arise from the external environment. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   6. ○ 2.6 Assess the extent to which digital innovations are affecting banks and the banking sector. Industry and sector analysis:  Porter’s Five Forces framework  complementors and network effects  industry types and dynamics  competitors and markets Iden Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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3. Module 3

   Resources, Capabilities, and Culture

   Led by J.P. Morgan Simulacrum

   The question

   The external environment tells you what’s possible. The internal environment tells you what’s feasible. This unit examines a bank’s resources and capabilities — the tangible and intangible assets that determine what the bank can actually do — plus the role of culture and history in shaping strategic options.

   Outcome

   The student can conduct a SWOT analysis of a bank, assess resources and capabilities using the VRIO framework, and explain how culture and history con

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 3.1 Explain what is meant by, and the scope of, ‘resources and capabilities’. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 3.2 Examine the ways in which resources and capabilities can be a source of competitive advantage. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   3. ○ 3.3 Assess the ways in which resources and capabilities can be diagnosed and evaluated. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   4. ○ 3.4 Conduct a SWOT analysis of their bank. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   5. ○ 3.5 Assess the extent to which a bank’s history and culture influence its strategy. Foundations of resources and capabilities Resources and capabilities as a source of competitive advantage Analysing resources and capabilities:  VRIO analysis  The valu Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   6. ○ 3.6 Explain the ways in which culture can be analysed.  SWOT The influence of history and culture on strategy. Analysing culture LO4: Evaluate a range of strategic options for a bank in relation to environmental and organisation analyses, and propose a Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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4. Module 4

   Strategic Options and Business Models

   Led by J.P. Morgan Simulacrum

   The question

   Having analysed the external environment and internal capabilities, the bank must choose — grow organically or acquire? Diversify or specialise? Digitise or partner? This unit examines the strategic options available to banks, the impact of digital innovation on business models, and the tools for evaluating and selecting strategic options.

   Outcome

   The student can identify and evaluate strategic options for a bank using the SAF framework (suitability, acceptability, feasibility), assess the impac

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 4.1 Distinguish between types of strategic options available to banks. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 4.2 Assess the implications for a bank’s business model that arise from the concept of banks becoming an ecosystem of services. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   3. ○ 4.3 Examine the impact of digital innovations on a bank’s strategic choices. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   4. ○ 4.4 Identify alternative strategy options for an established bank whose goal is to transition to an ecosystem model of banking. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   5. ○ 4.5 Use a range of tools and techniques to evaluate a bank’s strategic options in terms of their suitability, acceptability, and feasibility. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   6. ○ 4.6 .Explain what elements are typically included in a strategic plan. Business strategy and models:  generic competitive strategies  interactive strategies  business models Corporate strategy and diversification:  strategy directions/Ansoff’s matrix Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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5. Module 5

   Strategy Implementation and Resource Development

   Led by J.P. Morgan Simulacrum

   The question

   A strategy that cannot be implemented is not a strategy — it is a wish. This unit examines how banks close the gap between current capabilities and strategic ambitions: gap analysis, the McKinsey 7-S framework, dynamic capabilities, options for building or acquiring resources, and financing the strategy.

   Outcome

   The student can conduct a gap analysis between current state and strategic ambition, apply the McKinsey 7-S framework, and evaluate options for develo

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 5.1 Assess the ways in which gaps between current resources and capabilities and those required to deliver a bank’s strategy can be identified and analysed. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 5.2 Explain the significance of the McKinsey 7-S framework in relation to assessment of resources and strategy implementation. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   3. ○ 5.3 Assess how resources and capabilities can be developed based on ‘dynamic’ capabilities. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   4. ○ 5.4 Assess the options for developing internal capability. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   5. ○ 5.5 Assess the options for acquiring the physical resources and technology required to deliver a bank’s strategy. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   6. ○ 5.6 Assess the options for financing strategy. Gap analysis and the McKinsey 7-S framework Dynamic capabilities Internal capability development:  encouraging innovation, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship  learning and development  redeployment  t Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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6. Module 6

   Organisational Change and Digital Operations

   Led by J.P. Morgan Simulacrum

   The question

   Strategy requires change, and change meets resistance. This unit examines how banks manage organisational transformation — the levers for change, the psychological impact on people, the pitfalls of leading change — plus the operational reality of running a bank in the digital age: efficiency, technology, and the evolving role of the operations manager.

   Outcome

   The student can assess the levers for organisational change in a bank, identify the psychological challenges of transformation, and evaluate how digit

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 6.1 Assess the ways in which the organisational context of a bank can affect strategic change. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 6.2 Identify and assess the value of different levers for change. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   3. ○ 6.3 Examine the approaches to, and pitfalls of, leading different types of strategic change. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   4. ○ 6.4 Assess the significance of the psychological impact of change on people and what needs to happen to get them on board. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   5. ○ 6.5 Examine what is involved in managing bank operations in a digital age and the ways in which managers can create value for the bank. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   6. ○ 6.6 Explain the ways in which operational efficiencies and effectiveness could be achieved. Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   7. ○ 6.7 Examine the impact of technology on banking operations and working practices. Leadership and strategic change Diagnosing the change context Types of strategic change Levers for strategic change The psychology of change Bank operating models Operation Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   8. ○ 6.8 Formulate a view on the role of a bank’s operations manager in a digital age. Impact of technology on banking operations and working practices The role of the operations manager in a digital age Open this unit → ✓ ↻
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