Strategic management : Credit Agricole - publié le 20/11/2009

Résumé du document

You are a consultant who has been approached to review and offer a strategic plan to allow Credit Agricole to merge its computer systems in each brand, so that they are all integrated. Explain how you would develop such a plan for all the Crédit Agricole branches. What are the strategic implications of this change in strategy? What impact will it have on the company and on the customers? Use appropriate theory to support your analysis, arguments and recommendations. There are several steps to follow to prepare a strategic analysis: Make an analysis of the industry, Analyse the external stakeholders and the broad environment, Structure an organizational analysis, Evaluate the internal environment, Identify the resources and capabilities of the company, Evaluate its performance and Identify the source of the competitive advantage of the company. Then you can implement a strategic plan with different points to take into account: Strategic Direction and major strategies, Evaluation of opportunities and recommendations and Implementation and control of the strategy.

Extraits

[...] The customers were around 20 million and shareholders around 5,7 million. All those local and regional banks are regrouped under the Fédération Nationale du Crédit Agricole (FNCA). This is a consultative and representative body of the bank which makes strategic proposals, which are then followed or not. It follows all then banks discussions and proposals, at a regional and local level. For example the FNCA represents the Crédit Agricole group in discussions and negotiations with different entities like the French authorities etc. [...]

[...] - The logo : Crédit Agricole has changed its logo a lot of times. The last one is the one just above: It represents progress and tries to maximize the contact with the world. The Green color represents the origin of the Crédit Agricole Group, the blue color represents universality and the red one represents the passion of the group. One of the key words of the Crédit Agricole Group is “proximity”, as well as decentralization. What characterizes the group is the fact of having local entities (regional entities) and by the way being closer to the customers. [...]

[...] Swot analysis Strengths - The Crédit Agricole Group is present locally on all the French territory. - First banking group in France and in the top 10 in Europe thanks to different partnerships (in Italy for example, with Agos Itafinco - Complementarities between the Crédit Agricole regional banks and the LCL banks (durability in the relation with the customer for Crédit Agricole, and consumerism approach for LCL) acquired in 2003 when Crédit Agricole bought Crédit Lyonnais”. Weaknesses - No computer centralized system: Clients cannot access their bank account if they are in another region than the one where their bank account is - The fact of having no centralized computer system can make the Crédit Agricole bank less attractive than its competitors, as the clients want quick answers and no paperwork (less administrative tasks). [...]

[...] What will be the financial output of this centralized integration?? - Human resources aspect: Are the present employees in Crédit Agricole able to manage to use the new computer centralized system?? Will we have to provide them training?? How many employees (technicians) will we have to hire to implement this system? What will be the impact on the efficiency of the employees? - Timing aspect: How long will it take to implement this new computer centralized system?? In 2 regions?? [...]

[...] Indeed, initially, Crédit Agricole was aimed at only agricultural customers. But after the Second World War, Crédit Agricole extended its services to non agricultural clients, (as more money was needed to finance the French rebuilding of the agriculture). Today, Crédit Agricole is the first banking group in Europe in term of retail banking revenues, and in France, with 39 regional banks in several geographical areas. In 2003, Crédit Agricole bought another banking group, the Crédit Lyonnais, now renamed LCL, to improve its national position. [...]