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While asset/liability management (A/L M) has been applied widely by insurers for 15 years, it has had mixed results. This article describes how initial efforts were unsuccessful, due to the focus on accounting values rather than economic values. The author asserts that insurers must rectify this misstep before A/L M can become a useful tool for them. Several forces are combining to ensure that this takes place in the near future.

The purpose of this paper is to examine insurers’ and intermediaries’ perceptions of the response to Thailand's non‐life insurance industry to deregulation.

This research paper is based on existing literature and consultation with industry experts, resulting in the development of a 13‐variable questionnaire on perceptions of the local non‐life insurance industry's response to deregulation. A convenience sampling technique was used for the survey respondents, who comprised two groups (insurers and intermediaries), involved in the non‐life insurance industry in Thailand. Factor analysis was applied to the 246 responses to provide some exploratory analysis of underlying factors that account for the patterns among the variables.

The results of the factor analysis derived four factors that explain the perceptions of insurers and intermediaries to the response of local non‐life insurance industry to deregulation. The four factors include survival, alliance, local knowledge, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Furthermore, the findings indicate that whereas insurers perceived that survival would be the highest priority for local insurers, it was considered to be a secondary priority by the intermediaries. The latter group perceived that alliances and local knowledge were the most significant priorities for local insurance companies after deregulation.

The data gathered for the study are limited to the perceptions of two respondent groups from one industry. Moreover, this paper did not consider the views of policy makers or the variables that relate to or are caused by deregulation factors. Therefore, future research may extend these findings to other industries, countries, and respondents to provide a more general application.

The research findings offer managerial implications for both insurers and intermediaries and also implications for researchers on refocusing their efforts in managing non‐life insurance companies. Local insurers should improve and generate factors such as financial strength, accurate pricing, innovative sale methods, an understanding of the local culture, and alliances with other industries.

The paper presents an original insight into an important element of insurers’ and intermediaries’ perspectives on response of local insurance companies after deregulation to the Thai non‐life insurance industry.

SMEs are both users of marketing research and subjects of market research. There is clear evidence that the decision processes in such firms often render the products/services designed for medium and large firms inappropriate. One of the major suppliers of services to the small firms sector is the business support infrastructure. This includes agencies associated with business start‐up/expansion and their management consultancy services concerning marketing, finance, insurance and risk management etc. This paper considers the value of using in‐depth qualitative research to establish the unique features of business support required by small firms. In addition to a review of recent studies that have adopted ethnographic, repertory grid and cognitive mapping qualitative approaches in this context, the paper presents the results from a specific study where the repertory grid procedure was used to establish the risk management practices of high technology small firms. Conclusions are drawn concerning the strengths and limitations of qualitative market research in designing SME training/development support.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influential factors of the antecedents of relationship quality (RQ), RQ, and long-term relationship orientation between the members that constitute the insurance marketing channel.

This study uses in-depth interviews as well as a survey to examine long-term relationship orientation between life insurers and insurance intermediaries in Taiwan.

Results indicate that antecedents of RQ (customer orientation, expertise, similarity, and contact intensity) have a positive effect on RQ. Relationship qualities (trust, satisfaction, and commitment) have a positive effect on the long-term relationship orientation. The antecedents of RQ have a positive effect on the interaction of long-term relationship orientation through mediating effects of RQ.

It fills a gap in the literature by explores the long-term cooperative relationship between life insurers and insurance intermediaries based on the RQ perspective. Further, previous studies have focused on the automobile, food, electronic information, textile, and financial industries. Few studies have looked at insurance marketing outsourcing from a RQ perspective. Thus, this study will be useful to decision makers in the insurance industry seeking to improve their supplier-distributor relationships.

Insurance is a contract whereby one party (the policyholder) promises and makes a payment or series of payments in exchange for the second party’s (the insurance company’s) promise to indemnify the policyholder for losses covered under the terms of the policy. Perhaps it is easier to just think of insurance as a transaction where the policyholder trades small regular losses (the premium paid) for large and irregular gains (claims proceeds).

While it may seem somewhat disproportionate to devote an entire chapter to more detailed treatment of a single risk financing tool, insurance has a very large impact, not only in terms of its intrinsic value, but also in terms of the many ways in which insurance influences risk management thinking and practice. As will be shown, some of this influence is waning and in other cases it could be argued that insurance ‘thinking’ has hindered efforts to respond to facts on the ground and the ability to adapt the role of risk management in organisations.

To provide a useful discussion, this chapter will cover both the products that the insurance industry offers and the structure of the industry itself, along with addressing legal and regulatory matters that were touched upon in Chapter Nine. The chapter concludes with an overview of public sector insurance issues that provides a basis for understanding alternatives to insurance that have emerged in dramatic fashion in recent decades – which in turn provides a basis for considering some of the constraints that insurance imposes on risk management practice.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the adoption of a mobile insurance claim system (M-insurance) and develops a framework for the adoption of M-insurance by consumers.

This study assesses mobile technology for claim management through the lens of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and diffusion of innovation (DOI) models as a major guideline, using exploratory research through in-depth interviews with four executive experts who are first movers in mobile claim motor insurance in Thailand. Semi-structured interviews and open-ended questions were used to conduct group interviews of insurance consumers who mostly use smartphones. The data were collected in a qualitative research approach from Thai insurance consumers (n=177), and contents were classified and analysed to gain strong insights into respondent opinions, comments, attitudes, behaviour, and experiences.

The results indicate that the external (social) factors influence attitude and behaviour of consumers which link to their intention to adopt M-insurance. These external factors include: preference for face-to-face service; confidence of insurers in accepting claim; and risk of claim knowledge that might cause legal issues among others. In application, the findings shall meaningfully enhance insurer firms’ improvement of adoption rate and development of future features and functions of M-insurance.

This study is based on insurance consumers in each region of Thailand but focuses only on mobile claim management for motor insurance. Although the findings bring new insight and understanding of consumer preferences and behaviours, they were not tested statistically.

The study has practical implications for motor insurance claimants who are concerned over the complicated policy conditions, the perspective risk of claim knowledge and fault admission, and the on-site investigation by surveyor for another party. These are the guidance impediments to overcome M-insurance adoption improvement.

Previously, TAM and DOI approaches have been employed to study general adoption of M-banking by quantitative research which confirmed descriptive data and tested the hypothesis, but neglected crucial data. However, M-insurance is different from M-banking in term of features and functions, purpose and process of usage, and legal liability. Therefore, this study is one of a few empirical studies that attempt to identify insightful factors to consumer uptake of M-insurance which is in its early stage and lacks an underpinning TAM model. This study contributes by identifying insights of “pull” factors to successfully develop M-insurance in Thailand.

Agency problems are more severe for multinational corporations (MNCs) and multinational enterprises compared to their domestic counterparts. As companies develop diversified operations, their managers face more challenges. An incentive compensation structure has been designed to align the benefits of managers with those of shareholders. Additionally, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become increasingly crucial for companies. MNCs must gain the trust of more investors to improve their corporate reputation and financial performance. CSR enables MNCs with a high sense of social responsibility to expand their investor base, reduce perceived risks, and decrease information asymmetry. Our empirical findings reveal that Taiwanese MNCs can enhance their performance by implementing cash-based compensation and pursuing CSR activities.

More and more, libraries are discovering the benefits of preparing and disseminating annual financial reports that meet the high standards set forth by the accounting profession. The uses are many—for internal management, for patrons and employees, for governing boards, for investors and creditors, bond raters, insurers, and others. This article shares the experiences of one library that made the journey from novice to financial award‐winner.

Explains the importance of the risk management function as part of the disaster recovery‐planning process. Explains what you can and cannot insure and the importance of not underestimating the “indemnity period”. Explains methods of establishing the “sum insured”, along with the establishment of premiums, the payment of claims, and the importance of post‐disaster insurance reviews.