Imperial Bank Research Articles

Pioneers in a practitioner‐led development

Analyses three appointments in different countries by three organizations — Skandia, Dow Chemical Co., and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce's Leadership Centre. Looks at the way the appointee's (Leif Edvinsson, Gordon Petrash and Hubert Saint‐Onge) have applied their thinking.

Imperial Banks of South Africa

Imperial Banks of South Africa

Six Companies Share Their Insights: The Challenges in Applying Competencies

Competencies are a much-debated recent tool in management's performance improvement toolkit. Companies that want to use competencies to improve performance and productivity must first identify appropriate competencies on which to base their models, for instance. Thus, management might analyze star performers' past behaviors or try to predict the competencies their companies will need in the future. Management also might consider whether or not to tie competencies to compensation. This article is a report on a roundtable discussion about competencies among representatives of AT&T Capital Corporation, Burger King, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Chase Manhattan Bank, Herman Miller, Inc., and Houston Lighting & Power Company. The discussion focused on the participants' experiences with competencies development, the related problems they encountered, competency measurement, and the lessons they learned that other companies may learn from.

The imperial banks in South Africa 1861–1914

The experience of the imperial banks in South Africa presents us with a good example of business imperialism in operation in the half century prior to the First World War. There can be no doubt that South Africa benefited from the presence of the imperial banks. It is necessary to say this, because many myths and prejudices abound about the role of imperial business in the nineteenth century.

Tacit knowledge the key to the strategic alignment of intellectual capital

In an environment of shortened business cycles and rapid technological change, the intellectual capital framework represents the primary value‐creation dynamics of the firm. It is this focus on the intellectual that has dubbed our times “the knowledge era.” At the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), we have been working for a number of years to understand the concept of intellectual capital. Our work has led us to a definition of intellectual capital, the exploration of the roles of both explicit and tacit knowledge in the three constituent elements of intellectual capital, and, finally, to the development of ways of encouraging value creation in these elements in support of our business strategies.

The reform of the monetary system in modern China : The opening of the Chinese Imperial Bank

The reform of the monetary system in modern China : The opening of the Chinese Imperial Bank

JOHN HUNKIN:

When NYNEX‐led group needed financing to build a 17,000‐mile undersea fiber optic phone link between Europe and the Far East, it turned to CIBC Wood Gundy, the capital markets and trading arm of Canada's second biggest bank, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

Origins, Growth and Concentration of Bank Capital in South Africa, 1860–92

This article quantifies the growth of banking capital and reserves in South Africa from the time of the arrival of the first London-based banks in 1860 to their total dominance of banking in the Cape Colony in 1892. Their better management was responsible for this development. Outside the Cape, in Natal and in the Orange Free State, local banks, favoured by their respective governments, continued to exist; but their capital was only a fraction of that employed in the Cape Colony. There was no local bank in the Transvaal before the discovery of gold in 1886. The rapid economic development triggered by the discovered of the Witwatersrand gold then enabled Kruger's government to set up a local bank in the Transvaal, though he was forced to rely on overseas capital to make it viable. At no time, however, did the bulk of the banking capital in South Africa come from overseas. Before 1870 it originated in the Cape Colony: after 1870 it came more and more from reserves of the imperial banks, which had been earne...

Productivity in an imperial bank in the age of high imperialism: The case of the Standard Bank of South Africa 1882–1900

Abstract In the two decades before the Anglo-Boer War, the Standard Bank occupied a commanding position in banking in southern Africa. This had occurred because it commanded greater resources and was better managed than the locally owned Cape banks. Indeed by the early 1890s, with the exception of the tiny Stellenbosch District Bank, which almost went under in 1889 and had to reduce its capital to £ 466, all the banks in the Cape Colony were London-based imperial banks. The Standard Bank was the oldest and largest of these imperial banks.

Motivating employees

Outlines the policies of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in creating an organization in which its 48,000 employees are “customer obsessed”. Discusses participation in service/quality teams, highlighting their structure and practices, leadership and commitment to the scheme, communication and training, measurement and tracking and reward and recognition. Suggests four priority areas which emerge as critical requirements to building a sustained service improvement strategy through teams ‐ ownership, leadership, employee satisfaction and focus.

State Bank or Agent of Empire? The Imperial Bank of Persia's Loan Policy 1920-23

State Bank or Agent of Empire? The Imperial Bank of Persia's Loan Policy 1920-23

The Apogee of the Imperial Banks in South Africa: Standard and Barclays, 1919–1939

The Apogee of the Imperial Banks in South Africa: Standard and Barclays, 1919–1939

Concentration and Dispersion in the Banking System of the Cape Colony, 1837-1900

Abstract The resurgence of South African historical geography has, thus far, produced few studies of the major economic factors and their influence on the geography of the country. Large enterprises have long dominated the South African economy, among them the major banks. The paper examines the history of concentration of ownership in the hands of the imperial banks operating in the Cape Colony through a process involving the growth of a dispersed system of branches and the elimination of almost all local banks between 1837 and 1900.

Portrait of a Nineteenth-Century Iranian Statesman: The Life and Times of Grand Vizier Amīn Ud-Dawlah, 1844–1904

In 1898, with Great Britain and Russia vying for political and economic dominance of Iran, Grand Vizier Mīrzā Alī Khān Amīn ud-Dawlah set in motion a cycle of events that, during the early part of the twentieth century, led to the downfall of the Qājārs, a dynasty he had spent his entire professional career serving. What initiated this cycle was the negotiation for a loan from Great Britain, sought partially for governmental expenses but mostly to finance a trip by the Shah to Europe. To obtain this loan, Amīn ud-Dawlah mortgaged the revenues of Iran's two most important customs houses in the south (Bushehr and Kermanshah), and also allowed those two departments to come under the control and administration of the British-owned Imperial Bank of Persia. In return for these astonishing concessions, the Bank advanced £50,000 to Grand Vizier Amin ud-Dawlah for emergency expenditures. The remainder, a mere £200,000, was to be paid upon completion of negotiations with the British Government. British bankers and diplomats in Tehran, aware of the sensitivity of the Grand Vizier's extraordinary decision, urged London to complete the negotiations as soon as possible. In the view of British representatives in Tehran this was imperative if temporary control of the customs houses was to become “a permanent institution.” However, negotiations dragged on long enough to give Russia and the Grand Vizier's rivals a chance to successfully frustrate the negotiations. Failure to obtain this British loan forced Grand Vizier Amīn ud-Dawlah to resign.

THE ECONOMICS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

KyklosVolume 35, Issue 2 p. 244-262 THE ECONOMICS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Michele Fratianni, Michele FratianniSearch for more papers by this authorJohn Pattison, John Pattison Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., U. S. A. and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto, Canada. - We thank Professors Paul DE Grauwe, Malte Faber, Pierre Salmon and Matthias Wolf for many valuable suggestions. Stubborness and shortsightedness are responsible for any errors and ambiguities remaining in this draft.Search for more papers by this author Michele Fratianni, Michele FratianniSearch for more papers by this authorJohn Pattison, John Pattison Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., U. S. A. and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto, Canada. - We thank Professors Paul DE Grauwe, Malte Faber, Pierre Salmon and Matthias Wolf for many valuable suggestions. Stubborness and shortsightedness are responsible for any errors and ambiguities remaining in this draft.Search for more papers by this author First published: May 1982 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6435.1982.tb00165.xCitations: 34 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume35, Issue2May 1982Pages 244-262 RelatedInformation

La naissance du rouble-or

Joseph Waller, The birth of the golden rouble. Recognizing the necessity of attracting foreign capital and of liquidating the inflation — after-effect of war with Turkey — Reutern and his successors at the Ministry of Finance undertook the stabilization of the rouble. With this object in view, the Imperial Bank was reorganized in 1894 and order was introduced in matters of public indebtedness, by a series of reconversion loans. On the other hand, the birth of the golden rouble in 1897 implied an increase of the national stock of gold. This last object was attained by the centralization of gold originating from foreign loans, the custom duties payable in gold and the encouragement of national industry. France's influence is more or less connected with the decision to adopt bi-metallism, whereas the interest of cereal exporters contributed to establish the rouble parity at a low level. The First World War shattered this financial structure: on the eve of the revolution, the rouble has lost three quarters of its value.

International Tourism. Commercial Letter, November/December 1973, p. 1-8. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

International Tourism. Commercial Letter, November/December 1973, p. 1-8. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Customer Loyalty to Banks: A Longitudinal Study

Assumptions about customer loyalty underlie promotion, service, and location decisions of commercial banks. Young customers are sought through locations and special promotional programs on the premise that substantial continued patronage will result. Major advertising campaigns are launched, touting one bank as friendly, another as sincere, assuming such intangible appeals pull customers in, or, at a minimum, substantially reinforce current customers. Little is known about the bond between customer and bank, however, with the result that the payoffs of such marketing activities are uncertain. The purpose of this study is to provide basic information on that bond by addressing two main questions: (1) Do customers exhibit loyalty to their banks? and, if so, (2) What factors explain variations in the degree of loyalty observed? The results are based on a patronage tracking study conducted with graduates of a Canadian university. While the choice of sample somewhat restricts generalization, it made possible investigation of a third question: What is the influence of a campus branch location on subsequent bank patronage? The availability of banking facilities can clearly have an influence on customer loyalty. In this sense, the multibranch aspect of the Canadian banking system is important to appreciate. Canada's banking system is characterized by large national banks which operate branches across the country. Five major banks dominate. The three largest, the Royal Bank of Canada, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and the Bank of Montreal, have over 1,000 branches each, while the two other majors, the Toronto-Dominion and Bank of Nova Scotia, each have about 750 branches. Although all banks are represented in every province, the regional coverage differs somewhat, particularly for the two smaller banks. These extensive branch systems can have opposing effects on customer loyalty. On the one hand, switching is facilitated since a customer who wants to change banks can easily locate a nearby alterna-

Archæological Exploration in the Panjab

ALTHOUGH a considerable period of time has elapsed since the Government of India, soon after the discovery of Mohenjodaro and Harappa, decided to allow duly accredited archæological expeditions from outside Indiato explore Indian archaeological sites, little advantage, unfortunately, has been taken of the opportunity. Two American expeditions and one Belgian have visited India, of which the American expedition to the Salt Hills under Dr. H. de Terra, in a series of investigations extending over several years, has produced much valuable palæontological and archæological material. The excavations at Mohenjodaro for the Archæological Survey were conducted by Dr. E. Mackay, who has since been in charge of further investigations in the Indus valley ; but although Dr. Mackay may beregarded as a British excavator, no British expedition has been sent out. This neglect of opportunity is the more to be deplored in view of the evident importance of India for understanding of early cultural development in the Near and Middle East. India itself is now to make an effort to repair this neglect by the inauguration of a “Panjab Exploration Fund”, on behalf of which an appeal is issued by Diwan Chaman Lall, president ; Prof. E. Dickinson, acting president ; and Dr. C. L. Fabri, field director. Funds have been collected in India to begin excavation in the coming autumn on the ancient city site of Surkanwali Ali, near Bhera on the Jhelum, where trial excavations have been made recently by the field director of the Fund. These have revealed the existence of at least five superimposed cities, dating from the Moghul period to pre-Buddhist times. The Fund has the support of the principal scholars and notabilities of the Panjab. A considerable sum is required to place the Fund on a permanent basis ; and if a sufficient amount can be raised, it is proposed alsoto found an ethnographical and archæological museum, for which nucleus collections are already in hand. Contributions should be addressed to the “Panjab Exploration Fund”, Imperial Bank, Lahore, or to the London Branch of the Bank, 25 Old Broad Street, London, E.C.2.

XVI. The Persian Manuscripts of the late Sir Albert Houtum-Schindler, K.C.I.E.

It is doubtful whether there has existed in our time any European who possessed so extensive and so profound a knowledge of Persia as the late Sir Albert Houtum-Schindler, who died at his house at Fenstanton, Hunts, in his 70th year, on June 16, 1916. And he was one of those generous scholars who, while seemingly taking more pleasure in the acquisition than in the publication of knowledge, waa ever ready to place at the disposal of all students the rich stores of his learning. To this generosity Lord Curzon, in the Preface to his valuable work on Persia (London, 1892, vol. i, pp. xii–xiii), bears eloquent testimony in the following words:—“Of these coadjutors the first, alikein authority and in the extent of his assistance, has been General A. Houtum-Schindler, a gentleman who, after filling many important posts in the Persian Service, is now acting as adviser to the Imperial Bank of Persia in Teheran. To the advantage of long residence in the country he adds the erudition of a scholar and the zeal of a pioneer. He has personally revised nearly every page of these volumes, besides supplying me with much of my original information; and I tremble to think how many errors they might have contained but for his generous and never-failing cooperation. Few men so excellently qualified to write a first-rate book themselves would have lent such unselfish exertion to improve the quality of another man's work.”