Research Objects: we choose two banks as research objects. One is a Swedish bank, Swedbank, which was founded in 1820, the other is a Chinese bank, Minsheng Bank (CMBC), which is a new bank when compared with Swedbank. Purpose & Aim: The 2008 financial crisis hurt banks badly, and consequently how they can become stronger to resist future crises and gain competitive advantages is a key topic for them. There is no doubt that there are many factors that makes a bank successful, but employees are one of the most important factors in a service industry. Therefore, this research study is focused on internal marketing in banks. In addition, this study will attempt to assess whether two banks can learn from each other through the comparison of their internal marketing efforts. Research Methodology: this study will rely on the data collected from the interviews with a manager and an employee from two banks. Books and articles are also been used for secondary data collection. Findings & Conclusion: The research revealed that Swedbank tend to do a better job in satisfying employees' needs, sharing value, having an appropriate organisational culture and being more conscious to treat the employees as customers, in comparison with CMBC. While CMBC need to make more effort in this regard, it does not mean that they must copy what Swedbank do, but rather to establish an appropriate organisational culture for their own internal market. Contribution & Suggestion: In the end, the suggestions have been listed for both banks to improve their internal marketing programme.

<p>The customer satisfaction and loyalty for Swedbank have in a recent study shown to be among the lowest for all banks in relation to corporate customers. Since there is not much interaction with small enterprises compared to mediumsized and large enterprises and a vast majority of customers are small corporations, there was a need to focus on this seg-ment and find what they believed was in need of improvement. This study was conducted in cooperation with Swedbank in Gothenburg. The authors worked as consultants with the base of the satisfaction and loyalty study conducted by SKI in October 2006 and performed a case study where 25 randomly chosen small enterprises in the Gothenburg-region were interviewed by telephone.</p><p>The stated purpose of this thesis is to investigate what aspects of relationship quality and service quality Swedbank Gothenburg’s small corporate customers are not fully satisfied with and how to improve them to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.</p><p>The authors developed a model called the customer loyalty model, identifying the drivers of Total Perceived Relationship Quality and Total Perceived Service Quality which in turn determine an organisation’s image. The image has an impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Four key areas where service failures might occur are the basis for the research questions: the performance of the account manager, the performance of other employees, perception of the bank and perception of the services provided. Further, a fifth research question was posed to answer how to improve the possible lack of satisfaction.</p><p>Based on the empirical findings the authors could conclude that the customers should be the primary focus for Swedbank by developing a stronger serviceoriented culture. A way to improve the problem of the frequency of contact between corporate client and account manager is to divide small corporate clients into sub-groups according to their different needs. Furthermore, the account managers having interest in and knowledge about the corporate clients are of importance. This can be done by visiting clients at their place of business and have continuous education to develop the account managers’ competence. There is a need for customised solutions for different corporate clients and this could be achieved by keeping an on-going discussion with each client. Furthermore, the accessibility of the account managers and the length of the decision-making process need to be im-proved. This can be accomplished by for instance longer opening-hours and more frequent group meetings.</p>

<p><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Garamond; panose-1:2 2 4 4 3 3 1 1 8 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:9.0pt; margin-left:0cm; text-align:justify; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --><!--[if gte mso 10]> <mce:style><! /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normal tabell"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} > <! [endif] ></p><p>Throughout time, marketing activities have moved from a transaction perspective to a relationship building perspective on the idea that service quality is an essential part to achieve competitive advantage. In building a strong service culture internal marketing can be used as a tool to increase the employees' commitment to their customers and raise the standards. Also, internal marketing can be used to make employees aware of and be a part of the brand identity of the company. One business where relationship marketing has become increasingly important is the banking sector. Today, a financial crisis is swiping over the world which has lead to questions about the stableness of banks.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and analyse how Swedbank and Forex Bank use internal marketing to effectively transfer their brand identity to the employees. The focus will be on internal marketing and communication in crisis.</p><p>This study has been conducted from a qualitative approach base on case studies of Forex Bank and Swedbank. Data have been collected through semi-structured interviews with people at different levels within the companies.</p><p>In both the cases of Swedbank and Forex Bank the conclusions of this study showed that the employees were well aware of their respective companies' brand identities and was trying to live up to them as they were deeply rooted in the companies culture. Interviews revealed that none of the companies uses a clear internal marketing strategy. However, both Swedbank and Forex Bank use different internal marketing activities though with a slight difference in their focus. It was concluded that they would both benefit from having a structured internal marketing strategy. During the crisis Swedbank successfully use and enhanced their brand identity when communicating with their customers. Forex Bank on the other hand was not as successful, and some employees felt they were given some of the blame for the crisis, where the top management could have used the strong brand identity of the company to calm worried employees about the situation.< ><--></p>

Samhället har under den senaste tiden förändrats och dagens kund kräver en tillgänglighet som inte tidigare har funnits. Bankerna har under de senaste två åren börjat anpassa sig efter kundernas behov och ökat tillgängligheten genom att utöka öppettiderna. Swedbank och Handelsbanken är två stora organisationer med omfattande bankverksamhet. Vi är intresserade av hur besluten har tagits och hur förändringen har implementerats på lokala bankkontor inom Swedbank och Handelsbanken. Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att få en förståelse för hur beslutet kring de utökade öppettiderna har implementerats på kontorsnivå i Swedbank och i Handelsbanken. Vår ambition är att intervjua personer med högre positioner på kontoren samt andra kontorsanställda. Det här för att skapa en bred bild av införandet av de utökade öppettiderna. Vi kan, efter att ha genomfört vår uppsats, konstatera att det är svårt att se beslutet om bankkontorens öppettider som ett kortsiktigt beslut, då beslutet kring öppettiderna är kostsamt. Vi anser att bankerna bör se öppettiderna som en långsiktig investering. Vi ser även att förändringsarbetet har varit mer omfattande på Handelsbanken än på Swedbank.

<p>Samhället har under den senaste tiden förändrats och dagens kund kräver en tillgänglighet som inte tidigare har funnits. Bankerna har under de senaste två åren börjat anpassa sig efter kundernas behov och ökat tillgängligheten genom att utöka öppettiderna.</p><p>Swedbank och Handelsbanken är två stora organisationer med omfattande bankverksamhet. Vi är intresserade av hur besluten har tagits och hur förändringen har implementerats på lokala bankkontor inom Swedbank och Handelsbanken.</p><p>Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att få en förståelse för hur beslutet kring de utökade öppettiderna har implementerats på kontorsnivå i Swedbank och i Handelsbanken. Vår ambition är att intervjua personer med högre positioner på kontoren samt andra kontorsanställda. Det här för att skapa en bred bild av införandet av de utökade öppettiderna.</p><p>Vi kan, efter att ha genomfört vår uppsats, konstatera att det är svårt att se beslutet om bankkontorens öppettider som ett kortsiktigt beslut, då beslutet kring öppettiderna är kostsamt. Vi anser att bankerna bör se öppettiderna som en långsiktig investering. Vi ser även att förändringsarbetet har varit mer omfattande på Handelsbanken än på Swedbank.</p>

This essay will look into the relationship between an organization’s external crisis communication, in this case Swedbank’s communication, and the media’s use of for example agenda setting. The chosen organization is Swedbank because they have long been a target of the Swedish media. This relates to allegations that Swedbank was involved in money laundering. Two press releases on two different topics were used in the study. The topics will be discussed further down in the abstract.  Some of the media channels used in this essay were Aftonbladet and Expressen, which have a wide spread in the Swedish society and are known for publishing scandalous content. Other media channels that were examined are Dagens industri, Affärsvärlden and Realtid, which are more of business papers than newspapers. Despite the fact that Dagens industri occasionally publishes articles that are similar to those published by Aftonbladet and Expressen. SVT nyheter and Dagens nyheter were selected to represent a more typical newsreader.  The following questions are investigated in the essay: What are the differences between the information that the organization, in this case Swedbank, sends out versus what the different media channels report in their articles? What aspects of the organization’s crisis communication will the media focus on? The analysis investigated two different topics that had been covered in various ways by the media. The first topic was about how Swedbank admits that they had a flaw in their approach to dealing with risks of money laundering. The second topic was about Swedbank’s decision not to press charges against their former CEO. Overall the analysis found that the more business oriented media channels, Affärsvärlden, Realtid and Dagens industri, published nearly indentical information about the first topic as Swedbank. Although Realtid and Dagens industri were more critical of the second topic in their articles. Because Aftonbladet and Expressen wrote a large part about Swedbank’s former CEO, it can be seen as they wrote scandalously about the first topic. Expressen did not publish an article on the second topic, but Aftonbladet did and they focused on a more scandalous angle on the topic. Both Dagens nyheter and SVT nyheter reported information that was nearly identical to Swedbank’s press release. The conclusion of this essay is that the media will use an organization’s crisis communication if it’s interesting for their readers. Otherwise, the media channel will write what they believe will be most interesting to their readers.

This essay is about brands linked to the Swedish banking sector. The reason why this topic waschosen is based on the increased importance of the brand in global markets, where there isunfortunately a lack of studies that examine brands in the banking sector. A central point ofdeparture in the study is Swedbank's money laundering crisis that was discovered in 2019,where both the consequences of this crisis were linked to Swedbank's own brand as well asfour other brands in the banking sector. The purpose of the study is to contribute increased knowledge about how Swedbank's moneylaundering crisis affected its own brand and four other brands in the banking sector.To achieve the designed purpose of the study, two research questions have been formulated:(1) How was Swedbank's brand affected and restored as a result of the 2019 crisis? And (2)How did Swedbank’s 2019 crisis affect other major banks and non-major banks from a brandperspective? The study has applied a qualitative method approach where primary data has been collectedthrough eight semi-structured interviews, where the respondents have been selected with helpof a goal-directed sample. The theoretical framework, from which this paper is based on, isBenoit’s theory “Image Restoration Theory (IRT)”, while “Spillover” is applied to examinehow competing brands to Swedbank are affected by Swedbank’s crisis in 2019. The results of the study indicate that Swedbank’s brand has been affected to a large extent,where special activities have been conducted with the aim of restoring the brand’s reputationand trust. The biggest consequence because of the crisis can be described as reduced trust,combined with the fact that the brand has become less selectable. For example, Swedbank haschanged its strategic direction, as well as reworked the brand’s vision and purpose. As for thetendency of the crisis to affect other brands in the banking sector, the effects can be seen asrelatively vague. Two of the banks considered themselves not to have been affected at all, onebank considered themselves to have been negatively affected and one bank consideredthemselves to have been positively affected. On the other hand, there was a large consensusthat Swedbank’s crisis reduced the confidence of the banking sector overall.

<p>Är de svenska storbankernas presentation av finansiella nyckeltal jämförbara? Det är frågan jag ställt mig i syfte att skapa förståelse för omfattningen av skillnaden mellan bankernas jämförande information via finansiella nyckeltal.</p><p>Analysen har utförts genom en fallstudie, där ett systemsynsätt tillämpats, och har visat att vare sig bankernas presentation av finansiella nyckeltal, eller teorier kring nyckeltal, kan anses vara jämförbara. Stora skillnader existerar, både kring vilka nyckeltal som presenteras, vad de kallas och hur de beräknas. Finansiella nyckeltal kan således inte anses vara användbara som analysverktyg, eller bidra till den inre marknadens funktion.</p><p>Resultatet av studien baserar sig på analyser av bankernas presenterade finansiella nyckeltal, resultat- och balansräkningar, ägarstrukturer och börskurser. Grunddata har hämtats från bankernas årsredovisningar under perioden 2004 – 2008, från Finansinspektionen och Stockholmsbörsen. Jag har även intervjuat representanter från bankerna och Finansinspektionen, en analytiker och en ekonomijournalist. Den övergripande bilden och djupa förståelsen har jag fått av Jacob Palmstierna, som haft godheten att dela med sig av sin fyrtioåriga erfarenhet och ovärderliga kunskap om den svenska bankbranschen.</p><p>Uppsatsen innefattar även metodutveckling i form av en konceptuell omvärldsmodell.</p>

Är de svenska storbankernas presentation av finansiella nyckeltal jämförbara? Det är frågan jag ställt mig i syfte att skapa förståelse för omfattningen av skillnaden mellan bankernas jämförande information via finansiella nyckeltal. Analysen har utförts genom en fallstudie, där ett systemsynsätt tillämpats, och har visat att vare sig bankernas presentation av finansiella nyckeltal, eller teorier kring nyckeltal, kan anses vara jämförbara. Stora skillnader existerar, både kring vilka nyckeltal som presenteras, vad de kallas och hur de beräknas. Finansiella nyckeltal kan således inte anses vara användbara som analysverktyg, eller bidra till den inre marknadens funktion. Resultatet av studien baserar sig på analyser av bankernas presenterade finansiella nyckeltal, resultat- och balansräkningar, ägarstrukturer och börskurser. Grunddata har hämtats från bankernas årsredovisningar under perioden 2004 – 2008, från Finansinspektionen och Stockholmsbörsen. Jag har även intervjuat representanter från bankerna och Finansinspektionen, en analytiker och en ekonomijournalist. Den övergripande bilden och djupa förståelsen har jag fått av Jacob Palmstierna, som haft godheten att dela med sig av sin fyrtioåriga erfarenhet och ovärderliga kunskap om den svenska bankbranschen. Uppsatsen innefattar även metodutveckling i form av en konceptuell omvärldsmodell.

Background: The demand for ESG reporting has increased significantly in recent years. Simultaneously, in 2016, ESG reporting was implemented in the annual accounts act as a mandatory part. Consequently, ESG reporting has increased and gained focus from larger organizations. Stakeholder and shareholder theory are two main theoretical concepts that can explain and help portray the reporting of ESG. Recent developments have raised questions regarding how the information should be reported and targeted to whom. Purpose: This thesis aims to investigate how the top four banks in Sweden are portraying their ESG reporting. The study will analyze if the portrayal of ESG is biased toward any specific stakeholders. Method: The method used in this thesis combines quantitative and qualitative methods, as the authors found it most suitable to achieve the most thorough results. Interviews represents the qualitative method, and the coding of annual reports represents the quantitative method. Additionally, the thesis is built upon an abductive approach that enables the authors to alter between theory and empery, allowing the understanding to emerge along with the thesis. Ultimately, the mixed method and abductive approach produced the best conditions to fulfill the purpose. Findings: Even though theory suggests that the leading banks in Sweden should be able to achieve maximal satisfaction among all stakeholders simultaneously, it seems unrealistic to do so in reality. However, reaching maximal satisfaction is still the main goal for the banks, as stakeholder theory also suggests. The second finding is the presence of stakeholder pressure when portraying ESG reporting among the leading banks in Sweden. The report shows that the banks will act in stakeholders' interests when exposed to pressure from internal and external stakeholders. A more general finding is the dominance of stakeholder theory in ESG reporting amongst the leading banks in Sweden. Over the last years, the reporting towards stakeholders has increased significantly, while shareholder-targeted reporting has remained stable. However, it is still worth mentioning that the assumption of shareholder theory still somewhat holds.