Bloomin’ Marvellous

Michael Mainelli and Ian Harris spent a week in New York advising global financial information provider Bloomberg L.P. on financial systems strategy. The stochastic graph shown below is the management summary of Ian and Michael’s report. Importantly, while in New York the Z/Yen team ate plenty of good, wholesome sushi and got the opportunity to meet up with the US contingent of the Z/Yen network on their own soil for once. The team were also able to see some high definition 3D computer animation which might benefit the Financial Laboratory (see below). [What have Daffy Duck and Malvin the Martian got to do with the Financial Lab? - Ed.]

Assets in Wonderland

The Financial Laboratory Club has now formally launched. Z/Yen is a founding member of the club, together with BZW, Royal Sun Alliance, The London Stock Exchange, Silicon Graphics, DERA, City University and others. The Club which is part funded by a £750,000 DTI Foresight Challenge award, will undertake a two year research programme developing virtual worlds for effective risk management in the financial services sector. The work programme should begin in earnest early in the new year. Now and Z/Yen will keep readers posted with developments.

Win-Win

Other recent Z/Yen wins include:

• A feasibility study into potential new markets for Marlin Lighting (mostly James Cooke)
• Building on our recent IT strategy work with Shelter by looking at electronic mail, group working and the like (mostly James Ward)
• Investigation for possible benchmarking of financial institutions for a major Australian Bank (mostly Michael Mainelli)

Welcome to Rachele Christgau who joined the head office team. Also welcome to several new associates (Z/Yen Partners) since the last issue of Now and Z/Yen. [What are Daffy Duck and Marvin the Martian doing on the Z/Yen Partners list? - Ed.]

Comments on Now and Z/Yen, as always, are welcomed. Please fax articles and ideas through for the next issue (copy date 14 January 1997). See you all, Z/Yen and merry Christmas to all our readers!