Stuti Saxena and Tariq Ali Said Mansour Al-Tamimi
The purpose of this paper is to underline the significance of invoking Big Data and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in Omani Banks. Opportunities and challenges are also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to underline the significance of invoking Big Data and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in Omani Banks. Opportunities and challenges are also being discussed in the case study.
Design/methodology/approach
Four Omani banks representative of local, international, Islamic and specialized banks are being studied in terms of their social networking presence on Facebook and their e-banking facilities. Also, impetus is laid upon the aggregation of internal data and vast amounts of semi-structured external data from public sources, including social media.
Findings
The case study shows that Big Data analytics and IoT technologies may be utilized by the Omani banks for facilitating them in “forecasting” and “nowcasting”. Besides, customers may be better managed with better and efficient services. However, there are challenges in tapping these technologies such as security, infrastructure, regulatory norms, etc.
Practical implications
Banks in Oman need to appreciate the utility of Big Data and IoT technologies, and for this, a robust IT infrastructure should be institutionalized.
Originality/value
The case study is a major step in integrating Big Data and IoT technologies in Omani banks across four variants of national, international, Islamic and specialized banks. This is the first study where such integration has been emphasized in the Omani banking sector.
Details
Keywords
Stuti Saxena and Tariq Ali Said Mansour Al-Tamimi
The study aims to underscore the initiatives taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in spearheading their drive towards creating “smart” cities.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to underscore the initiatives taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in spearheading their drive towards creating “smart” cities.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a qualitative approach by invoking documentary analysis supplemented by responses provided by 13 interviewees from public and private sector.
Findings
All the six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) are keen on building upon their infrastructure to push their “smart city” agenda which would go a long way in furthering the economic diversification objective of their region besides improving the quality of public services.
Originality/value
Hitherto, research has been focused on appreciating the “smart city” initiatives of developed countries; this study seeks to build upon the literature on “smart cities” by contextualizing the research setting in the developing countries. Second, the study shows that with the ongoing oil prices crisis in the GCC, the “smart city” initiatives of the countries are conceived as possible avenues of economic diversification and competitiveness.