Changes in the Life Insurance Industry: Efficiency, Technology and Risk Management (Innovations in Financial Markets and Institutions)

Book Description

Major challenges for life insurance companies have been posed by an unprecedented wave of mergers and acquisitions in the insurance industry and the emergence of non-traditional competitors such as banks, mutual fund companies and investment advisory firms. This is the first book to analyze the determinants of firm performance in the life insurance industry by identifying the `best practices' employed by leading insurers to succeed in this dynamic business environment. The book draws upon data from insurer financial statements as well as upon an extensive survey of life insurer management practices and strategic choices in distribution systems, information technology, mergers and acquisitions, human resources and financial strategies. Generic strategies such as cost leadership, customer focus, and product differentiation are analyzed as well as strategic practices specific to the insurance industry. Best practices are identified by measuring the economic efficiency of insurers and by comparing firms across the industry. Both cost and revenue efficiency are measured relative to best practice efficient frontiers consisting of the industry's dominant life insurance firms. Economies of scale and the effects of mergers and acquisitions on efficiency are also analyzed. Financial strategies are examined with specific reference to pricing policy, valuation of assets and liabilities, and the current state of firm-level risk management systems. The benchmarks established are the result of extensive fieldwork that identifies key financial risks and methodologies to both measure and manage them at the firm level.
The results discussed in the book indicate that firm performance is significantly correlated with management practices and strategic choices. Thus, life insurers can improve profitability by adopting optimal combinations of strategies. The book contains important new material on the effects of strategic choices in product distribution systems, information technology, mergers and acquisitions, human resources, and financial risk management policies. In the area of efficiency, the methodology provides a new approach for identifying peer groups of insurers and measuring the performance of individual insurers relative to their peer group. On the topics of risk and pricing, new insights are offered relative to current methodologies and in regard to areas where improvement is clearly warranted. The book concludes with an analysis of the future opportunities and challenges in the life insurance industry facing managers, and the strategic options available to them to cope with these changes.

Changes in the Life Insurance Industry: Efficiency, Technology, and Risk Management.(Book Review) : An article from: Journal of Risk and Insurance

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Changes in the Life Insurance Industry: Efficiency, Technology, and Risk Management.(Book Review) : An article from: Journal of Risk and Insurance
Gilles Bernier
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Risk and Insurance, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1659 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Changes in the Life Insurance Industry: Efficiency, Technology, and Risk Management.(Book Review)
Author: Gilles Bernier
Publication: Journal of Risk and Insurance (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 72 Issue: 3 Page: 521(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

The Introductory Chemistry: Interactive CD-ROM is designed specifically for the one-term introductory course taken by non-science majors or by science majors in preparation for a full-year general chemistry course. The CD-ROM includes animations, video clips, molecular models that rotate in three dimensions, an interactive periodic table, and algorithm-based problem sets that generate nearly limitless numbers of solutions to give students extra practice in problem-solving. The Classroom Management System CD enables instructors to create class rosters, create practice sessions and tests, and view individual students' performance on a practice session or test.

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Introductory Chemistry, Fifth Edition
Steven S. Zumdahl
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0618305017

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Precambrian Crustal Evolution of China integrates the theory of plate tectonics, structural geology and petrology to identify the tectonic and metamorphic environment in different stages of development of the Archaean and Proterozoic crust. Further, the evolution of the Precambrian atmosphere and hydrosphere is approached by using geochemical data and traces of life. For the first time, the results of the study of the Precambrian geology of China are made available in English to scientists and students not having access to the huge amount of Chinese literature.

Book Description

An international perspective on the latest research, Compound Semiconductors 1999 presents an overview of important developments in all III-V compound semiconductors such as GaAs, InP, and GaN; II-VI compounds such as ZnS, ZnSe, and CdTe; IV-IV compounds such as SiC and SiGe; and IV-VI compounds such as PbTe and SnTe. The book emphasizes piezoelectric (or potentially smart) material heterostructures (Ga, Al, In)N, which will influence future research and development funding. As the preeminent forum for research in compound materials and their applications in devices, this essential library reference is invaluable reading for all researchers in semiconductor physics, and electronic and electrical engineering.

Book Description

Pet Peeves is a brilliantly constructed, goofy mystery story in which readers are invited to figure out exactly what has happened to Dr. Rawff, a pet-problem advice columnist and veterinarian who is found missing from his office. The book consists of a series of letters written to Dr. Rawff in which increasingly bizarre problems are recounted. Among the problematic pets described is a dog who seems intent on being human (acting suspiciously like Marcel Proust), an alligator who seems to be starting her own alligator farm in her owner's basement, and a frog who appears to long to be kissed. As the letters advance, the reader is given clues as to what may have caused Dr. Rawff's mysterious disappearance. The whimsy of George Plimpton, a writer known for his style and rich imagination, is matched up with one of The New Yorker magazine's favorite cartoonists, Edward Koren. Koren's ridiculously funny, hairy animals and people perfectly illustrate the unusual pets of Plimpton's letters. This is a book for fans of Henry Beard's French for Cats and Peter Mayle's A Dog's Life, a book for pet lovers and people who love their pets too much.

Customer Reviews:

A Unique Work of Startling Imagination and Humor!.......2000-09-17

Pet Peeves goes beyond the paradigms of standard humor, cartoon, and mystery books to create one with all three elements. I like new experiences, and really enjoyed this one! I think you will, too.

In the foreword, you learn that Dr. Edmund G. Rawff (a veterinarian who wrote a biweekly syndicated advice column on pet problems) disappeared two years ago after writing his last column. He left a note saying, 'I'm moving on.' There was a legal document in the house giving the home and furnishings in Meriden, Connecticut to the ASPCA. There was no evidence of foul play, but the basement office was littered with letters asking for advice, seemingly sent by the same person. Did these letters drive him away (was that the author's purpose?)? Or did he write the letters himself for amusement to confuse investigators? You as the reader are encouraged to decide what really happened to Dr. Rawff.

So, as you can see, we have a mystery.

What are the subjects of those letters?

Well, you'll have to read them for yourself. But you'll be rewarded because they are truly hilarious. They fall into four categories (wonderfully illustrated by Edward Koren):

(1) Mistaken identity (a fish that turns into a shark, a race horse turns out to be two actors in a horse costume, falcons are really Rhode Island Red hens, and there's some confusion over whose chickens crossed the road)

(2) Plays on old animal jokes (an 800 pound gorilla gets depressed because no one tells him he can sit wherever he wants, and 25 chimpanzees are unable to replicate any of Shakespeare's plays -- but do prove effective at completing unfinished works by other authors)

(3) Offbeat situations (a man takes a sheepdog and some sheep to be on the Letterman show and loses them in a taxi cab, and a 45 pound cat sleeps on its owner's chest every night)

(4) Sequenced stories (the chimpanzee story evolves over several episodes from creating nonsense to working on Schubert, a woman has a boa constrictor that keeps swalling a pet pig, and the evolution of the fish into the shark plays out).

In the end, you are given some hypotheses to consider about what could have happened to the good Doctor, just in case you cannot think of any.

Edward Koren deserves special mention because he has drawn over 800 cartoons for The New Yorker, and his visual humor certainly adds a lot to the writing by George Plimpton. The cartoons give the book a familiar feel, as well as evoking The New Yorker's wonderful style. The design of the book is imaginative also with each note being in a different format.

This book is not only fun, but it would make a good gift. You could also use it as a parlor game, asking people to come up with their own questions for the Doctor, and acting them out. Then you could vote on who had the funniest question.

After you have finished with this wonderful book, think about ways that you can combine communication methods in novel directions that would make your message stronger and fresher. Then practice using some of those new methods the next time you have a chance to do so. We can all make the world a lot more interesting place if we untie ourselves from the stalled thinking of complacency about following the standard approaches.

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Pet Peeves : Or Whatever Happened to Doctor Rawff?
George Plimpton
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ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: B000O5U5M4

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Which side?.......2007-06-06

This is an excellent, if a bit dry, source for the Canadian (or British Canada as it was then) view of the War of 1812. You will have trouble finding very much about the conflict from the American viewpoint. In fact, execpt for a few references, all of the battles are seen from the Canadian prospective.

Well done..........2005-01-25

Highly enjoyable, detailed overview of a war which, frankly, I knew very little about. Chapter I describing the "why" of this war is critical.

Great Introduction To an Often Forgotten Conflict.......2003-05-28

This book is a great introduction to people wanting to get a basic understanding of the War Of 1812. It is often labeled as the second American revolution due to the second conflict between the United States and England. Great pictures and tidbits about this war make this book a welcome addition to any library. Buy it if you wanna learn more about the War of 1812.

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Incredible War of 1812
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Manufacturer: UMI Books on Demand
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Canada | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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The Cosmic Joker.......2000-02-22

An amazing amount of information packed into 48 pages. A good "tease" to whet the appetites of upper elementary & mid school students, the age at which they begin to be interested in unexplained phenomena. Similar to Cohen's books, which are always popular. Contents include information about twins, fish and eggs raining from the sky, and other tidbits about topics such as the Loch Ness monster.

Book Description

arsenalpulp.com :

Once Upon an Elephant is a contemporary tale of Hindu deity Ganesh and what happens when worlds, cultures, and stories collide.

A whimsical, contemporary retelling of the creation story of GaneshÂ—the elephant-headed Hindu deityÂ—Once Upon an Elephant is rife with humour and political satire.

When the police find unusual boy partsÂ—a young man's head and an elephant's bodyÂ—they assume a murder has been committed, and the case goes to trial. But the appearance of Vighnesvara, a manifestation of Ganesh with the body of a young man and the head of an elephant, in the courtroom of ultra-conservative Judge McEchern throws things into chaos.

Around the world statues of Ganesh are drinking offered milk, and poor Judge McEchern has troubles enough with his carnival court: witnesses who testify in languages other than English, testimony from an accused who grows extra arms at will, and a murder victim, with the head of an elephant, who refuses to stay dead.

Ganesh is known as the lord of obstacles, and Once Upon an Elephant is strewn with them, twisting, turning, and thwarting expectations about race, class, and sexuality, all within a page-turning murder mystery.

This was Ashok Mathur's first novel; his second novel, The Short, Happy Life of Harry Kumar, is also available from Arsenal Pulp Press.

Customer Reviews:

When stories collide.......2003-04-03

When the remains of a man's head and an elephant's body are found, police detectives Simpson and Delilah are called to investigate. It seems like a strange, yet straight-forward, homicide. Until Vighnesvara appears, and he's a version of the Hindu god Ganesh who appears with the body of a man and the head of an elephant. He, along with the suspected murderer who has a tendency to grow extra arms and some witnesses who testify in random languages, create havoc in the courtroom of Judge McEchern, who just wants to go back home. With the help of Simpson's boyfriend Sandip, maybe they all can figure out what's going on. "Once upon an Elephant" is a brilliant and whimsical retelling of Ganesh's creation from Hindu mythology. Flittering among the viewpoints of the characters, the story charms the reader, enlightening and delighting as it progresses.

Classic indian mythology hilariously revisited........1999-01-15

Author Ashok Mathur revisits the mythology surrounding the birth of Ganesh, the Hindu God portrayed as a human with an elephant head. The story is told in the guise of a contemporary mystery with Ganesh himself as both murderer and victim. As the tale unravels, the reader is continuously transported between the mythology and the current events that have lead to the investigation. Mathur's induction of the tale into contemporary time is what makes the story both fascinating and hilarious. His clever use of recent past events, namely the miracle of the milk-drinking Ganesh statues amongst indian communities all over the world, brings the reader even closer to the story than if we had not already been given a taste of such phenomena. The investigation of the alleged crime is a self-reflexive comical romp in which neither traditional social mores or cultural differences are spared. I enjoyed the author's manipulation of the tale immensely, laughed uproariously, and would recommend it to all readers.

Once Upon A Planet - An Anthology Of Stories and Extracts In Aid Of Friends of The Earth

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Once Upon A Planet - An Anthology Of Stories and Extracts In Aid Of Friends of The Earth
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Manufacturer: Puffin / Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PJWT8C

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Once Upon an Earth
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Once Upon An Elephant - Down To Earth Tale Of Ganesh And What Happens When Worlds Collide

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Once Upon An Elephant - Down To Earth Tale Of Ganesh And What Happens When Worlds Collide
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Once Upon Eternity . . . (What on Earth is God Up To?)

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Once Upon Eternity . . . (What on Earth is God Up To?)
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Once Upon The Earth: An African Folktale

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Once Upon The Earth: An African Folktale
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This is the second edition of the story for all ages, "Once Upon The Earth:An African Folktale". This short mythology of living and dying is now embellished with more pictures and drawings depicting Africa's progress in time and in space. It is a mythological attempt to explain the mysteries of our existence and of death,tuus confirming the inevitability of being born some day and of dying some day, some time.The fictitious events happened when the entire universe was devoid of any type of racism or discrimination. All beings lived in perfect harmony.The setting is decidedly theocentric and children are given the vital lessons of life and of the divie presence in our midst.The sory is didactic, entertaining and spells out vividly the enduring qualities of democracy, of truth and honesty and of respect for the law. Both adults and children learn from the storyline and from the characters of the story. It is once upon a time which has become once upon the earth.

6 Book Set By Nora Roberts; Montana Sky, Brazen Virtue, Once Upon a Star, Heart of the Sea, Heaven and Earth, Face the Fire

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6 Book Set By Nora Roberts; Montana Sky, Brazen Virtue, Once Upon a Star, Heart of the Sea, Heaven and Earth, Face the Fire
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Product Description

Book club editions/ hard covers with dust jackets. A 6 book set.

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Once Upon A Planet: An Anthology of Stories and Extracts in Aid of friends of the Earth
Jonathon Porritt (Foreward)
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Terra: On a hitherto unsuspected second axial rotation of our earth. 1. The poles gradually shifting: so that regions once tropical, have become polar; ... of the world, and of man's existence upon it

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Terra: On a hitherto unsuspected second axial rotation of our earth. 1. The poles gradually shifting: so that regions once tropical, have become polar; ... of the world, and of man's existence upon it
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