Internationalization Of Barclays Essay

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The banking industry has been undergoing major consolidation in recent years, with a number of global players emerging through successive mergers and acquisitions. Competition is generally considered a positive force in most industries; it is supposed to have a positive impact on an industry’s efficiency, quality of provision, innovation and international competitiveness. However, this issue has always been controversial in banking, as the perceived benefits derived from increased competition have to be weighed against the risks of potential instability (Casu and Girardone, 2009).
Internationalization refers to the integration of economies throughout the world by means of trade, financial and technological flows, exchange of technology and …show more content…

In 1736, following John Freame's retirement, his son-in-law, James Barclay became a partner in the bank making it Freame and Barclay. In 1896 Barclay, Bevan, Tritton & Co. joined 19 other banking businesses to form Barclay & Company Limited. The new bank had 182 branches, 806 employees, and deposits worth £26m.The majority of the branches were located in the south-east of England, and 192 employees were based at 54 Lombard Street. (www.timeline.barclays.com)
Over the intervening three centuries the partner families (mostly Quakers) expanded the business through organic growth, mergers and acquisitions, taking advantage of the financial and business opportunities granted first by the British imperial expansion and also by English industrialisation. (Mapping European …show more content…

Rarity of firm-specific assets encourages firms that possess them to leverage such assets in the foreign markets (Friedman, 1999). A location specific advantage refers to the comparative advantages that exist in individual foreign countries. Each country possesses unique advantages from which companies can derive specific benefits (Hollensen, 2004). Examples of location specific advantages include natural resources, skilled labour, low cost labour and inexpensive

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