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Dissertation (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Business process reengineering (hereafter referred to as BPR) was revolutionary during the early and mid 1990’s. Numerous authors wrote articles and books to appraise the concept and discuss the possible benefits of it. However, the question could be asked whether BPR is still of any relevance in 2001 in South Africa? This question was answered by James Champy in an article published in the Sales & Marketing Management magazine (1998:26) where he stated that: “It has hardly begun. Why? Principally, because we have yet to experience the full effect that the ubiquity of information technology (hereafter referred to as IT) will have on the way we operate. By (that) I mean the omnipresence of highly portable computing and telecommunications devices in the workplace and in the home, combined with the increase in computer literacy and comfort on the part of most adults…and then there is the exploding Internet phenomenon that has provided a platform for universal communications, along with a whole new infrastructure for doing business.” The opportunities for BPR that go hand in hand with the implementation of e-business are numerous and makes BPR as relevant as e-business itself. This is supported by an article in Computerwold published in December 2000: “Today, e-business initiatives have made the need to streamline, integrate and automate processes even more pressing” (Ulrich, 2000) With electronic business still a mere infant in South Africa, and specifically in the short-term insurance industry, its full development can have significant implications on the way businesses operate. A second motivational factor for undertaking this research was personal awareness of the following misconceptions by certain businessmen: - That BPR refers to restructuring, retrenchments and the implementation of IT systems; and - That BPR should be implemented in industries where inventory plays a significant role, e.g. the manufacturing or distribution industries. The following chapters of this dissertation will strive to prove that these are misconceptions and that BPR is based on sound business principles, which include much more than downsizing or the implementation of new IT systems. Very often, a negative connection is drawn with BPR where companies claimed that they have implemented BPR, but in fact, only retrenched staff or implemented new information systems. The dissertation will further strive to prove that the implementation of BPR can also be introduced in industries with no inventory, such as the financial services industry, and with spec ific reference to the short-term insurance industry. / Prof. T.L. Voogt

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Yes / Financial performance of insurance companies is captured by changes in rating grades. An insurer is susceptible to a rating transition which is a signal depicting current financial conditions. We employ Rating Transition Matrices (RTM) to analyse these transitions. Within this context, credit quality can either improve, remain stable or deteriorate as reflected by a rating upgrade or downgrade. We investigate rating trends and forecast rating transitions for UK insurers. We also provide insights into the effects of the global financial crisis on financial performance of UK insurance companies, as reflected by rating changes. Our analysis shows a significant degree of rating changes, as reflected by rating fluctuations in rating matrices. We conclude that insurers with higher (better) rating grades depict rating stability over the long-run. An unexpected but interested finding shows that insurers with good rating grades are nevertheless susceptible to rating fluctuations. General insurers are more likely to be rated and they demonstrate higher levels of rating grade variations over the period studied. Using comparative rating transition matrices, we find more variations in rating movements in the post-financial crisis period. We also conclude that general insurers reflect less stable rating outlooks compared to life and general insurers.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2999-01-01

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration