Digital Strategy, Operating Models & Technology Implementation Insight

Often overlooked as financial filings to meet regulatory requirements, company annual reports provide an endless well of insight about how and how well companies articulate and integrate business strategy with risk management and performance measurement.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a bold global agenda helping the world move beyond traditional indicators such as GDP growth and per capita income to a broader set of objectives that include well-being, environmental sustainability, and social fairness. In this Executive Update, we describe the individual and organizational benefits of contributing to the SDGs as well as how organizations can leverage business architecture to achieve these goals.

Luke Merriman discusses the accelerated growth of e-commerce, which has been brought about due to COVID-19. Specifically, Merriman focuses on online classified marketplaces and looks to identify the changes required by these marketplaces to capitalize on the growth in e-commerce. He presents detailed results of a survey carried out by Trustap, an Irish startup specializing in escrow-style payments for online marketplaces.

The authors focus specifically on the potential of cryptocurrencies by asking the timely question, “Are Americans nowadays more willing to use Bitcoin-like cryptocurrencies?” Specifically, they want to know whether Americans would be more willing to use cryptocurrencies over credit cards to complete different e-commerce trans­actions. To answer the question, they surveyed 195 US participants about their willingness to use a hypothetical cryptocurrency called “DIGIcoin,” to pay for 11 different products and services.

Blockchain is often criticized as being a solution looking for a problem. The authors seek to address this issue by providing readers with an understanding of blockchain-enabled technologies and the gig economy, and how blockchain can be harnessed to develop innovative business models to facilitate growth post-COVID-19. They touch on several exciting opportunities blockchain affords, including crypto­currencies, tokenization, decentralized applications, and smart contracts.

Denis Dennehy examines how AI can power a sustainable recovery for the Irish economy following COVID-19. He addresses common concerns associated with AI and shows that it will not just eliminate jobs through automation, but rather will create many new roles in specialized areas to support AI. Additionally, Dennehy discusses how AI can be used for social good to address several societal issues. In this thought-provoking discussion, he focuses on four strategic areas that he believes AI can support, namely: (1) agriculture, (2) smart manufacturing and supply chains, (3) education, and (4) smarter products and services.

Denis Dennehy examines how AI can power a sustainable recovery for the Irish economy following COVID-19. He addresses common concerns associated with AI and shows that it will not just eliminate jobs through automation, but rather will create many new roles in specialized areas to support AI. Additionally, Dennehy discusses how AI can be used for social good to address several societal issues.

The key research question the authors seek to answer is whether technological advancement facilitates or complicates the banking industry. Their insightful discussion examines a range of changes in banking. However, the benefits of these technological developments also bring challenges, including cultural and infrastructural barriers, as well as information security concerns. While COVID-19 has accentuated the importance of digitalizing our banking systems, the associated challenges must also be given due diligence.