Zugl.: Augsburg, Univ., Diss., 2002. - Diss. u.d.T.: Financial services firms as life-cycle solution providers. / Includes bibliographical references.

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This thesis takes as its starting point a set of questions raised by the regulatory politics school of thought. These questions are addressed from the specific perspective of the insurance sector during the European single market programme of the late 1980s to early 1990s. The focus is on German and British sectoral and governmental actors and their interaction with EC-level institutions (in particular the European Commission), rules and policies. The thesis addressesis sueso f regulatory autonomy, regime change, interest representation and the evolution of norms and ideas in the context of the European single market. The issues are examined from three interdependent levels of governance: (a. ) multilateral (the negotiations during the Uruguay Round, leading to the GATS); (Chapter 2); (b. ) the European Community level (the Single Market); (Chapter 3 and Chapter 4); and (c. ) domestic policy reform (German reform of insurance regulation in the context of the Single Market Programme) (Chapter 5). These sector-specific developments are set into the broader context of the debate on the nature of European integration. An institutionalist account is contrasted with a critical evaluation of the realist school of European studies and its origins in public choice theory. A central, guiding question is: what different "landscapes" do we perceive if we observe (de- and re-) regulation through the analytical "lenses" of economic accounts of regulation and institutionalist approaches? Public choice theories, it is argued, focus almost exclusively on efficiency concerns and utility (whether at the level of the individual or at the level of the company), neglecting broader social ideas that motivate decision-makers, as well as the impact of institutions on choice and collective strategies. It is concluded that, despite trade liberalisation and deregulation, regulatory practices in the insurance sector continue to be driven by normative "road maps", anchored in and mediated by national institutions and historical experiences

This study assesses challenges of financial service providers, specifically banks, microfinance institutions, long term insurers and short term insurers, at the base of the pyramid with respect to affordability, acceptability, availability and awareness in Nigeria. This was done through a questionnaire posed to base of the pyramid consumers in Nigeria. Loyalty to financial service providers was examined to determine what the drivers of loyalty are in the base of the pyramid market. These drivers differ per financial service and need to be viewed separately by each of the industries within the financial services sector. It was found that most base of the pyramid consumers do not participate in financial services due to acceptability, showing that the products and services provided by these institutions are not meeting the needs of the base of the pyramid consumers. Affordability also plays a role in base of the pyramid consumers not taking out financial services products. This indicates that financial services providers need to come up with new products and services with appropriate pricing models in order to service this market. Other factors, such as trust, also play a role in the financial services sector in base of the pyramid consumers in Nigeria. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Capella University, 2006. / Adviser: Apiwan Born. Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-167)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 314-328).

In today's knowledge intensive society humans and human capital are at the centre of economic progress. While companies focused on achieving succes in the past by concentrating on technological advances and ensuring that their tangible assets are used to the most productive means, in the last few years there has been an understanding that the human capital of an organisation contributes significantly to the economic success of a firm.