Publications

November 1999 (Revised July 2003)
Case

Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.

By: Paul M. Healy and Jacob Cohen

Pre-Paid Legal Services' business model reveals two key issues--managing the sales force and sales growth and managing claims. Students analyze the economics of the business and consider how to measure firm performance, how to evaluate and reward the sales force, and... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Financial Strategy; Salesforce Management; Marketing Strategy; Accrual Accounting; Business Cycles; Forecasting and Prediction; Insurance; Business Growth and Maturation; Insurance Industry

September 2011
Teaching Note

The Allstate Corporation (TN)

By: John R. Wells

Teaching Note for 708485. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Profit; Insurance; Performance Improvement; Adaptation; Problems and Challenges; Insurance Industry; Insurance Industry; United States

Having worked in a large, successful white insurance firm, Gillespie saw the need to bring better insurance services to Chicago’s black community and founded Liberty Life in 1919. Unlike other View Details

Keywords: Finance

November 2023 (Revised July 2024)
Case

Aviva plc: Examining Net Zero

By: Peter Tufano, Brian Trelstad and Matteo Gasparini

The board of Aviva Plc, one of the world’s largest insurers, must review its climate risk exposures and evaluate next steps. Risk experts at the firm have conducted a robust set of analyses prepared for its regulator, the Bank of England, simulating how various climate... View Details

Keywords: Analysis; Climate Change; Insurance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Risk Management; Adaptation; Financial Services Industry; Insurance Industry; Europe; United Kingdom

In 1943, Gibson became head of Supreme Life Insurance, which had $53.8 million in industrial insurance policies in force. Gibson ushered in a solid seven years of growth and financial stability. Gibson’s... View Details

Keywords: Finance

01 Dec 2014
News

Ask the Expert: A Fair Share

have the experience, or maybe one of their friends does, of “Hey, I rented my car to a stranger, and it worked out well.” As more people have those experiences and they talk about it with their friends, it’s going to help them trust in these systems. What can we do to... View Details

Fast Answer

Banking industry: overviews & statistics

Where do I find information on banks and banking? Banking Information and Regulation (Federal Reserve) provides information on U.S. proposed and actual banking regulations. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation features statistics and... View Details

27 Feb 2020
Sharpening Your Skills

How Following Best Business Practices Can Improve Health Care

care, but there is another cost to be accounted for. Germany May Have the Answer for Reducing Drug PricesIn Germany, drugmakers must prove that a new medication’s benefits merit a higher price than existing drugs. Making Health Insurance... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Health; Medical Devices & Supplies

Web

Managing and Innovating in Financial Services - Course Catalog

and help firms and households save and manage risk. These financial services are provided in an array of organizations and structures – from fintech startups to private credit funds to multi-trillion-dollar global banks and large View Details

October 2018
Case

African Bank Investments Limited (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

Less than a year after joining the board of African Bank Investments Limited (ABIL), the newest director finds himself in difficult discussions with other directors about removing the struggling company’s CEO. The case is set in South Africa in mid-2014 as shares in... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Personal Finance; Corporate Accountability; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Governance; Crisis Management; Insurance; Leadership; Management; Risk Management; Banking Industry; Banking Industry; Banking Industry; Africa; South Africa

May 2021 (Revised June 2021)
Supplement

'GEnron'? Markopolos versus General Electric (B)

By: Jonas Heese and David Lane

Supplement to the (A) case that offers an assessment of the August 2019 Markopolos report on General Electric. View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Communication; Energy; Financial Condition; Insurance; Performance; Planning; Business and Shareholder Relations; Risk and Uncertainty; Value; Insurance Industry; Insurance Industry; Insurance Industry

01 Feb 1997
News

Herzlinger on Health Care: Revolution in Evolution

conversation. What are the major market forces that are transforming the health-care system? First and foremost, it's consumers. They have already revolutionized the retailing and information industries because they are so busy working... View Details

John F. Dryden

1875, less than 2% of Americans had life insurance, which was considered a luxury item. By 1899, that number had grown to 17%. Dryden also pioneered “industrial” life insurance by making small industrial... View Details

Keywords: Finance

Maurice R. Greenberg

Greenberg helped grow American International Group into one of the world-wide leaders in insurance and financial services. Greenberg grew American International Group almost entirely internally, using his own, in-house trained managers to... View Details

Keywords: Finance

01 Jun 1998
News

Long-Term Interest: Bill Crozier, a Banker Pegged to the Customer

BankBoston in January, is impressed not only by the size of the deal but perhaps even more by what it represents: the crossing of industry lines. "With this merger, universal banking - long the style of major banks in many other countries... View Details

Keywords: Eileen K. McCluskey

01 Feb 2002
News

Terrorism, Insurance, and Uncle Sam

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, business in general and the insurance industry in particular are examining ways to manage the high cost of insurance against acts of... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

Henry S. Dennison

In 1916, Dennison Manufacturing established the first employer-initiated unemployment insurance system in the United States. Dennison also initiated a program to end absentee stockholder control over company policy, called the “Management... View Details

Keywords: Wood, Paper & Forestry

January 2023
Case

Thomas Buberl: Refounding AXA

By: Hubert Joly, Mihir Desai and Amram Migdal

In 2022, AXA and its CEO Thomas Buberl faced new types of challenges, including systemic risks such as climate change, geopolitical instability, public health crises, and social tensions caused by economic risks. AXA was one of the world’s largest insurers. Since... View Details