The FSTC Electronic Check Project
Ulric Gelinas and Janet Gogan of Bentley College with the assistance of John Dogett of Bank of Boston for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (1996). The case describes E-check, "... a flexible, secure type of payment that combines the efficiency of electronic funds transfer and with convenience and spontaneity of check writing and the ubiquity of public telecommunications." Although E-Check is initially targeted for the World Wide Web, ultimately, its design is targeted at a number of wired and wireless platforms. The case discusses a pilot study set in 1996.
Union Bank of Switzerland: Strategic Options When Outsourcing ATM Services
Internet Securities
"Describes a two-year-old company, Internet Securities, Inc. (ISI), which has been created to capitalize on unmet demand for information on emerging markets. The company was able to move quickly to develop an online information service by taking advantage of the global information and communication platform offered by the Internet and the World Wide Web. Because ISI is growing quickly, it must change its strategy from "growing fast" to "growing strong." SETTING: Global, information services, 120 employees, 1994-1996."
Internet Securities, Inc. Building an Organization in Internet Time
Linda Applegate and Kirk Goldman, 9-398-007, based on 9-397-052. Ten pages, plus exhibits, October 1998. "Describes a three-year old company, Internet Securities, Inc. (ISI), which has been created to capitalize on unmet demand for information on emerging markets. The company was asked to develop an online information service by taking advantage of the global information and communication platform offered by the Internet and the WWW. Because ISI is growing quickly, it must change its strategy from "growing fast" to "growing strong." Teaching Purpose: Taking a business from concept through formal organization in "Internet" time".
Interactive Insurance Services: Redefining Insurance Distribution (9-399-017)
"Founded in July 1995, Interactive Insurance Services provided personal lines of insurance over the World Wide Web. In June 1996, the company was acquired by Intuit for $7.5 million. The case details the competitive and organizational issues faced by this rapidly growing Internet business."
[This case was written by Lynda Applegate who says it is "a great story." Unfortunately, there is no teaching note yet. Lynda expects to have one published sometime in February.] [One competitor to consider here is insweb.com]
Trade'Ex: The Stock Exchange of the Computer Industry (9-597-019) Teaching Note, (5-599-043)
"Daniel Aegerter, founder and CEO of TRADE'ex, an on-line exchange system for wholesale computer equipment, must decide how to grow the young business. He must choose the most attractive customer segments (by location and size) in terms of both current profitability and long-term growth potential. Teaching Purpose: To demonstrate the opportunities for international marketing created by the Internet"
MONDEX CANADA (A) (Ivey School)
(A: 998E018; B: 998E022; Teaching Note: 898E18, technical note: 998E020)
Mondex is a "smart card" application which can be used as a payment mechanism - much like cash, or debit/credit cards - to pay for small, everyday items. This case describes the development and implementation of the Mondex stored value payment system. The Mondex Canada consortium includes the major Canadian financial institutions, led by Royal Bank and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Mondex has been undergoing a lengthy trial in the city of Guelph, Ontario. The director of marketing for Mondex Canada is faced with a rather large implementation challenge: planning and managing the roll-out of Mondex to the rest of the country. (A sequel to this case titled Mondex Canada (B), case 9A98E022, is available.)
[an older case that looks at Mondex International is available online, and free of charge at: http://isds.bus.lsu.edu/cases/mondex/mondex.html]
STOCKGROUP INTERACTIVE MEDIA (999E025; Teaching Note: 899E25) (Ivey School)
"Stock Research Group (SRG) is an information broker. SRG's primary business is serving as a collection point for information useful to investors seeking to invest in small-cap mining companies. SRG, in effect, pulls potential investors to its site, then channels them to the specific sites of companies in which the investors may have an investment interest. SRG's revenue comes from the mining companies, who generally pay on an impression basis (i.e. pay for "eyeballs" delivered to their web pages). The resource companies are willing to pay for this, since on their own they are much less likely to attract much investor traffic. SRG is also in the business of developing web pages for these small-cap resource firms, since generally the companies do not have in-house expertise to create and maintain their web presence. SRG thus represents a new kind of business - the specialized infomediary, or information broker. SRG is doing quite well financially, something that cannot be said of many web-based companies. SRG's main challenges involve managing growth, deciding on appropriate future directions, and determining how best to lever the "virtual community" they have created."
FIRST VIRTUAL HOLDINGS INCORPORATED (A: 998E007, B: 998E008, Teaching Note) [Ivey School at Western Ontario: http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/cases/]
"First Virtual Holdings Inc. (FVHI) is an Internet payments company based in San Diego, California. The company developed a technology by which consumers can securely purchase goods and services over the Internet. Each participating consumer is provided with a "VirtualPIN" number, which is used in place of a credit card number to make purchases from participating online vendors. The vendors forward the consumer's VirtualPin number, along with the amount of the transaction to FVHI. FVHI then sends an e-mail to the consumer asking for confirmation of the transaction. When confirmation is received, FVHI processes the transaction and pays the vendor. The technology ensures that a consumer's credit card number is never sent across the Internet. The system is secure but embodies a certain amount of inconvenience as each purchase requires two steps. FVHI is a good example of a company with a good technology, whose main challenge is to gain the critical mass of users necessary to make the system viable. The company faces strong competition from established industry players such as software developers, banks and credit card companies. In addition, continued consumer reluctance to embrace online commerce has hampered their progress."
Bank of Ireland (9-399-012)
Michael Quinn, 1998.
Examines BOI's technical initiatives in Financial Services in Ireland.
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This page is maintained by Daniel E. O'Leary. We encourage your feedback (send me your cases!) -- please send it to oleary@rcf.usc.edu. This page was last updated on December 1, 1999. Although we will attempt to keep this information accurate, we can not guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. Users are advised to look at our disclaimer.