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.     

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.     

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.     

Need for modernizing financial institutions

As the flow of financial aid from the industrial countries may be expected to shrink rapidly as a consequence of their economic difficulties, the developing countries will have to find out possibilities of using their own financial resources more effectively. In this connection the task of modernizing their financial institutions should not be neglected.     

数字营销为全球经济危机开出一剂良药

1933年,美国陷入经济大萧条,在最黑暗的时代,美国总统罗斯福说：“我们唯一需要恐惧的就是恐惧本身”。     

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.     

加强财务管理提高财务人员素质

随着市场经济的发展,在企业管理中,财务管理的地位日益重要.企业从事生产经营的过程,也就是资金运动的过程,财务管理是对企业资金的管理,是利用价值形式对企业的生产经营活动进行综合性管理,抓好了财务管理,就抓住了企业管理的关键.企业管理应以财务管理为中心,财务管理是否符合企业管理的要求,会计信息的真实性、准确性、和完整性是否能够得到保证,对企业经营管理和决策水平起着重大影响.     

The importance of the development banks for the financial infrastructure

In literature and practice the term “development bank” is commonly applied to investment banks for the financing of private projects which deserve to be promoted on general economic grounds. Their salient task is usually to provide medium- and long-term funds. Complementary consultative functions are occasionally performed as well while other bank transactions, especially of a short-term nature, and debit business were, as a rule, not considered. This concept of the purpose of a development bank has proved too narrow, too normative and too general.     

Fixing the financial system

At the base of the current recession is a global financial system that is arguably the root of the problem. Georgina Peters considers how the system came unglued and what it will take to repair it.     

SMEs,foreign direct investment and financial constraints: The case of Belgium

This paper explores the problems experienced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with international ambitions in gaining access to debt and equity finance for foreign direct investment (FDI) projects. We develop several arguments for why such small businesses are expected to face severe financing constraints for foreign investments and provide an explorative empirical study with both the demand and supply side of FDI finance. We have interviewed thirty-two Belgian SMEs that carry out FDI, five banks and five venture capitalists. Based on the SME discussions, we have composed a questionnaire that was sent to the interviewed SMEs. The information problems and lack of collateral that often characterize international investment, the home bias of financiers and the capital gearing method used by banks to evaluate small firms’ foreign projects give rise to financial constraints for SMEs’ FDI projects. The reported finance gap hinders small firms’ (international) development and leads to suboptimal home and FDI host country development.     

金融危机后的钢铁企业财务战略

鉴于钢铁行业的现存特点,消减过剩产能、进行大规模重组是钢铁行业发展的最佳出路.面对国际金融危机的挑战,企业应当重新审视自己的发展战略,并根据自身特点调整发展战略.     

Corporate social responsibility of financial organizations in the social economy: a case study on savings banks

The implementation of corporate social responsibility policies in firm management processes is becoming increasingly relevant. In the particular case of the financial sector, the incorporation of these policies often has huge repercussions as their role as intermediaries means that firms depend on them for investment which, in turn, affects the way firms perform. Within the financial sector, those organizations form part of the social economy—credit cooperatives and savings banks—are a very particular case as one of the principles on which they are based is their social nature. In this study, we examine the social responsibility situation in these financial organizations, focusing on the case of savings banks. We provide information that will help us better understand the real state of Spanish savings banks with respect to these two areas of social responsibility: The “Obra Social” (or charitable activities) and the incorporation of social and environmental criteria in their business policies.