Consumer financial education and financial capability

The purpose of this study was to explore potential effects of financial education on the financial capability of American consumers. Data from the 2012 National Financial Capability Study were used to test the hypothesis that financial education is positively associated with financial capability. Four financial literacy and behaviour variables were used to form a financial capability index. Multivariate linear regression results showed that, after controlling for demographic and financial variables, respondents who ever received financial education had higher scores in all financial capability indicators (objective financial literacy, subjective financial literacy, desirable financial behaviour, perceived financial capability and the financial capability index). In addition, high school, college and workplace financial education variables showed positive associations with these financial capability indicators. Additional state comparison analyses provided evidence suggesting high school financial education may have direct impacts and spillover effects on consumer financial capability.     

Promoting sustainable financial behaviour: implications for education and research

The current financial crisis has clearly shown that national financial health is strongly tied to the household financial well‐being, and that most consumers were not well equipped with knowledge they needed to cope with this crisis. The failure of markets, institutions, businesses and households during the current financial crisis also revealed the serious economic risks posed by widespread unethical and irresponsible behaviour. The focus of this paper is to explore how, through financial education, we can improve the economic performance of individuals in the economy, both for their own well‐being and for the well‐being of society at large. However, for that to happen, the current approach to financial education will have to include the discussion of attitudes, values and beliefs that enable us to make financial decision that promote long‐term security for families and communities. After establishing the importance of financial education, the challenges and opportunities of the current status of financial education, with emphasis on the complexity of human and financial behaviour, are discussed. It, then, argues for the promotion of responsible behaviour by integrating fundamental values in financial education. Discussion of how selected learning theories can be used to develop effective teaching approaches and the implications for future research conclude the paper.     

Getting Cinderella to the ball: putting education at the heart of financial education

The recent banking collapse has called into question all activity related to financial services, from regulation to consumer protection, to financial education. Since the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development's 2005 ‘Recommendations on Principles and Good Practices for Financial Education and Awareness’, there has been an increase in financial education activity, yet the world is a different place. The role of financial education, its scope and its potential, must now be critically analysed to help ensure its efficacy in supporting financial rectitude in challenging times. The authors draw on several years’ experience in the design and delivery of financial education programmes and debt prevention interventions, informed by their perspective as educationalists. In this theoretical commentary, they seek to influence the discourse on financial education, and position education as a foundational discipline in financial education. The authors identify potential risk to the future of financial education, engaging with the literature that questions the validity of financial education as an endeavour in consumer protection, which points to the dearth of empirical evidence to support its effectiveness, and which queries the efficacy of resourcing such initiative development. They argue that financial education focused on consumption cannot serve the citizen; rather, financial education must be rooted in the needs of the individual. Through these analyses, the authors highlight areas of further research, which when undertaken, can lead to more effective outcomes for all. This article introduces the concept of financial edification as an approach to financial education, predicated on the needs of the individual. In repositioning financial education as a pedagogical endeavour, the article asserts that financial education, when not driven by education, cannot achieve its true potential; it is time for Cinderella to go to the ball.     

Building a financial sector in Central and Eastern Europe

The public mission of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is to foster the transition toward an open, market‐oriented financial sector. It combines private‐sector principles in making investments, building institutions, privatizing banks, and raising equity with policy dialogue with all stakeholders, lawmakers, central banks, regulators, shareholders, and clients. Wellstructured creative individual projects, tailor‐made for the specific situation and executed in a pragmatic and successful way, provide a strong demonstration effect to market participants. Today the financial sector in Central and Eastern Europe is sound, competitive, and provides the fuel for sustained economic growth. Challenges remain, however. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The demand for regulation of financial disclosures: The case of the insurance industry

Policyholders and other claimants in insurance companies are interested in “solidity,” i.e., the ability of insurers to meet their claims obligations in both the short run and the long run. Insurance regulators exist in order to represent the interests of consumers. Great emphasis is placed by the regulators of the market on the mandatory and uniform disclosure of relevant financial and operating aspects of insurers. This paper employs simple gametheoretic techniques to address two aspects of the general issue of the desirability of establishing a regulator to assess the solidity of insurers. First, why would uniform information about insurers be desirable? Given that uniformity is desirable, it could be achieved by voluntary agreement of insurers or via regulation. The second issue is how that uniformity is to be achieved; that is, what is the value of a regulator in achieving uniformity? Insurance provides an interesting instance of the general problem. A key determinant is the structure of costs and benefits of securing voluntary agreements across firms.     

Understanding the impact of employer‐provided financial education on workplace satisfaction

The present study examines the linkage between workplace financial education and workplace satisfaction. Data gathered from a national sample of employees of an insurance company favor the hypothesis that employees who participate in workplace financial education more fully understand personal finances and recognize how financial literacy impacts their future financial expectations. In addition, employees who gain considerable literacy in financial matters and confidence in their future financial situation are also more likely to be satisfied with and supportive of their company. Implications of these results for nonwork settings and for consumers in general have also been developed.     

Learning to fail: resilience and the empty promise of financial literacy education

The requirement to build economic resilience in people has become a concern for the UK Government, regulators, and the financial services industry. Transposed to the realm of financial literacy education (FLE), the resilience doctrine performs particular effects in relation to the naturalisation and individualisation of financial market relations. At the same time, it tends to speak of the inevitability of market failures and crashes. I argue that based on these features, the effect of the resilience doctrine is to mask the “empty promise” of FLE programmes: the irreconcilable gap between the empowerment discourse surrounding what such agendas are meant to achieve for ordinary people and the latter's actual success in securing their security and well-being through financial markets. The paradoxical element of resilience talk is that it at once serves to further legitimise financial education attempts, while providing an opportune reason for failures judged even on its own terms.     

New product development in the financial service industry: A case study

New product development is an important aspect of service marketing. Information, however, is sparse on the actual development processes that are used by service firms to develop these new products. Utilizing a case study approach this article traces the development of a new service for a major UK based financial institution. Through an in‐depth examination of the processes it was found that a complex development system was used. The authors were able to identify a number of factors that were essential to the successful development of this new product.     

Guaranty trust bank of Nigeria: Building a trusted brand in financial services

The case study is about the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) of Nigeria and charts the growth of the bank from startup to its current position as the fifthlargest bank in Nigeria. The case describes how the vision of the bank's two cofounders is turned into reality by adopting an ethical brand positioning for the bank in a competitive environment characterized by corruption and lack of trust. Students are invited to participate in a strategic review of the bank's growth prospects. Using a brand model, students are asked to review appropriate brand development strategies. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Likeability as a measure of advertising effectiveness: the case of financial services

Television advertising for financial services accounts for over one-third of total financial services advertising expenditure, yet there is evidence to suggest it is not very well done. Given the difficulties advertisers have to overcome in terms of promoting an intangible product in accordance with tight restrictions on advertising content and format to a largely uninvolved audience, it becomes all the more imperative to study how viewers judge financial services commercials. This paper presents the findings of a study which seeks to establish which elements, if any, of a financial services commercial first make it likeable to its target audience, second motivate the viewer to seek more information about the service being advertised and, third, have an effect on the image the viewer has of the advertiser. Some interesting findings from the research point to the similarities between the emerging factors for viewers' affective reactions to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and financial services commercials and the extent to which likeability mediates the influence which advertisement execution features have on subsequent behavioural intentions.     

Effects of financial education on sound personal finance in Korea: Conceptualization of mediation effects of financial literacy across income classes

This study analyzed the role of financial literacy as a mediator between financial education and sound personal finance to assess how financial education affects the soundness of personal finance. In particular, this study conducted three sets of mediation analyses using data from the 2014 Consumer Empowerment Index survey of the Korea Consumer Agency to verify whether the mediating relationship is valid across different income classes of the Korean population. The results suggest that financial literacy works as a mediator between financial education and sound personal finance in the high‐income class and the middle‐income classes. Therefore, policymakers should consider the limitations of financial education and financial literacy when addressing low‐income consumers.     

Do not swipe the small stuff: A randomized evaluation of rules of thumb-based financial education

We perform the first rigorous test of a rules of thumb-based approach to financial education on consumer behavior and outcomes. We test two rules of thumb that are targeted at reducing credit card revolving and deliver them in a randomized fashion via e-mail, online banner, and physical mailer. Using monthly administrative data and pre and postintervention credit data on almost 14,000 consumers, we find that the “Do not swipe the small stuff” rule of thumb reduces participants' targeted credit card balance by an average of 2% at a cost of around $0.50 per person. The “Credit keeps charging” rule shows a decline as well but the impact is not significant.     

Credit accessibility and corporate social responsibility in financial institutions: the case of microfinance

What are financial institutions' social responsibilities in developing countries? On the one hand, these institutions share the generic responsibilities of all human organizations and business enterprises. However, their specific social responsibility is the performance of the social function of financial intermediaries, which, in the case of emerging countries, consists mainly of contributing to economic growth and solving the problem of poverty. This paper describes a number of technical‐economic and moral problems that take us to a consideration of the performance of banking operations in microfinancing, with special reference to Latin America. The paper also provides a series of recommendations that, in addition to contributing to solving the development and poverty problems in emerging countries, help define financial institutions' social responsibility in such countries.     

Total quality management,institutional isomorphism and performance: the case of financial services

This article concentrates on the relationship between the number of years that the firms have been implementing total quality management and the impact its practice can have on performance. The literature provides studies revealing that the last firms to introduce total quality management fail partly due to the fact that they imitate the implementation strategy used. Based on a sample of 77 Spanish financial companies, this paper provides evidence of the concept of institutionalisation as a process by which different management practices are generalised. The conclusion reached is that the process differs depending on the moment in which the total quality management system is introduced.     

财务分析在财务管理中的作用

作为预测的前提,财务分析同样也是过去经营活动的总结.把财务分析作为财务管理的重要手段,用其能了解企业的财务状况及经营成果,可为领导提供决策依据.对企业财务分析的研究有着重要的现实意义,拟就目前我国企业财务分析中存在问题进行探讨,并提出相应对策.     

财务分析在财务管理中的作用

作为预测的前提,财务分析同样也是过去经营活动的总结.把财务分析作为财务管理的重要手段,用其能了解企业的财务状况及经营成果,可为领导提供决策依据.对企业财务分析的研究有着重要的现实意义,拟就目前我国企业财务分析中存在问题进行探讨,并提出相应对策.     

The case for educated UK consumers: the National Consumer Council's consultation on consumer education

Consumer education is an integral part of the consumer empowerment mix. Over recent years the importance of consumer education as a vital tool for protecting consumers and making them better informed has been increasingly recognized in the UK. As part of the developing policy debate in the UK, the National Consumer Council (NCC), one of the key consumer champion bodies, has been arguing the case for a national strategy for consumer education. In order to establish whether a national strategy was needed and, if so, how a strategy could be structured and introduced, the NCC carried out a national consultation. In excess of 100 responses were obtained from a very broad range of organizations. This paper provides a review of the secondary data gathered for the NCC research. It was found that although there are many organizations and networks involved in consumer education in the UK, it lacks focus, is fragmented and is not efficient or coordinated. The research highlighted a need for a strategic approach to place educated and empowered consumers at the heart of the marketplace.     

对财务会计报表审核方法的探讨

现代市场经济的快速发展,提高了对我国企业各项管理工作的要求.税务工作、企业经营导向的制定等工作也对企业财务信息管理与审核提出了更高的要求.本文归纳、总结了财务会计报表的审核方法和内容,旨在帮助财务会计报表的填制者有效的开展报表的自我审核工作,及时发现问题并予以改正,从而提高财务会计报表效率.