THE GENEVA ASSOCIATION / INTERNATIONAL INSURANCE SOCIETY, INC.
Insurance Research Awards Partnership
An insurance research program for business - sponsored by business.
CALL FOR PAPERS
To be presented at the IIS Seminar in Amman, Jordan: June 7-10, 2009
The Geneva Association and the International Insurance Society research program is designed to foster original, practically oriented applied research in the insurance area addressing issues of concern to global insurance leaders by examining subjects which directly influence business operations and operational business issues on a practical level. The winning research will be presented at the annual IIS meeting where a delegation of some 500 insurance professionals representing 50 nations is expected. The research is published in a special edition of The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance – Issues and Practice and distributed by the IIS and The Geneva Association, and awards in an amount up to $10,000 are presented to qualifying research. We invite submissions of original (developed for this particular program) applied research on the following issue:
TOPIC: NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR NEW MARKETS
Entering new markets and growing in existing ones is an area of major focus within the insurance industry across the globe. Insurers are increasingly looking further afield for growth from ‘established emerging markets’ such as BRIC, Eastern Europe, Asia and MENA to ‘emerging emerging markets’ such as Sub-Saharan Africa. These ventures, as well as new initiatives within developed markets, require strategic assessment of many factors to succeed. Examination of the divergent strategies against performance expectations, considering regulatory constraints and cultural nuances which play a critical role in success, assessment of operational risks, review of possible models of success, formation of efficient operations and talent sourcing tactics are just some of the major elements to be considered in building a successful entry strategy. Specific areas of focus include:
What market conditions make for a successful entry or expansion? What conditions favor insurance market growth? How can insurance market growth inspire economic growth for the benefit of both?
What skills can a new entrant bring to the market? What skills are transferable? What attributes are needed in those transferring knowledge? How must home country skills be adapted to new markets?
What kind of performance can be expected in a new or expanded operation? What does it take to move from startup to takeoff to maturation? How much time does this require?
How does anyone know if a new operation is on a success track? What are the early signs of success or failure? What measurement tools apply?
Do partnerships work? What is the track record? What are the requirements for success?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a narrow focus (e.g., one or few lines of business) or a broad entry, even including non-insurance, e.g. bancassurance?
What can be learned in new foreign markets that can be used to improve operations at home?
How can innovation be inspired to overcome inertia for organic growth?
What does expansion require for determining who we are as an organization? Does movement from local company to multiline, national, multinational, or global require redefinition of organizational culture and governance?
How do new ventures reshape risk assessment and enterprise risk management? How will shareholders, regulators and rating agencies respond?
The deadline for submissions is February 27, 2009 and submissions must be in the English language, consisting of approximately 6,000 words and include: a cover page containing the paper title; author(s) affiliation and contact information; a two-page text explaining the purpose and importance of the research, research methodology, results and a summary of the implications on the industry. The paper may not have been presented in any other forum prior to its submission to the program. Direct submissions to: Secretariat@genevaassociation.org with the subject line: “Geneva Association/IIS Research Awards Submission.” A Judging Committee will review all submissions and authors will be notified of the selections in March 2009.
