Santander acquires Abbey: The Jack project

The case, 'Santander Acquires Abbey: The Jack Project,' applies a general management focus to an analysis of the 'Jack Project', the Spanish banking group's IT centric perspective to acquire Abbey. The case focuses on José María Fuster, chief information officer (CIO). It describes the challenges in leveraging the Jack Project using ICT to integrate Abbey. The following issues are explored: (1) the value of IT in retail banking; (2) the generation of synergies in M&A and the strategic role of IT; (3) the prioritisation of IT-related options; (4) the sourcing of information systems; and (4) the management of the integration project. At the end of the case, students will examine how Partenón, Grupo Santander's core IT system, leveraged this acquisition and made an impact on the bank's long-term market position.