Can the business model of Handelsbanken be an archetype for small and medium sized banks? A comparative case study

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

  • Morten Kousgaard Larsen
  • Jacob Lange Nissen
  • Rainer Lueg
  • Christian Schmaltz
  • Joachim Røjkjær Thorhauge

The Danish Banking sector faces increasing requirements regarding regulation and profitability, which especially threatens small and medium sized banks. This study analyzes whether the successful business model of Handelsbanken ('The Handelsbanken Way') can serve as a blueprint for small and medium sized banks. We conduct a comparative case study by interviewing Handelsbanken and the disguised 'Danish Local Bank' (DLB). The DLB is a representative example of small and medium sized Danish banks. This study is structured according to the frameworks from business model implementations and from implied organizational structures. Using the notion of Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010), this study reveals only minor differences in the business models of Handelsbanken and DLB. Despite the supposedly obvious advantages of 'The Handelsbanken Way,' this study suggests that the financially troubled small and medium sized banks in Denmark will not necessarily benefit from the tactical choice of decentralization unless they incorporate specific adjustments. This study contributes to the existing theory if Handelsbanken's approach to banking can improve the situation of financially troubled small and medium sized banks.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
ZeitschriftJournal of Applied Business Research
Jahrgang30
Ausgabenummer3
Seiten (von - bis)869-881
Anzahl der Seiten13
ISSN0892-7626
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 24.04.2014
Extern publiziertJa

DOI