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Essay Instructions: I need help with my literature review.

The focus of the dissertation is on the cultural dimensions of Bahamian business and especially how culture affects the Bahamian insurance industry. The analysis is based on change and shifts in management strategies and culture plays a vital role in redefining management practice. The dissertation will suggest that cultural considerations are central to developing and implementing strategic management practices and this has been studied with the aid of research findings comprising of interviews and surveys. An introduction on the Bahamian insurance industry will be followed by a detailed study of strategic management practice, culture and Hofstede’s framework of cultural dimensions.

The primary research question for this dissertation is as follows:
How does Bahamian national culture affect the planning, implementation, and evaluation of strategic management practices within the insurance industry?

The following sub-questions will additionally guide the study:
1) What areas of strategic management are most affected by Bahamian national culture with respect to power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and collectivism? What areas are least affected?
2) How can the planning, implementation, and evaluation of strategic management practices in Bahamian insurance firms mediate the potentially negative impact of the cultural dimensions?
3) How can strategic management practices be used to further strengthen the positive dimensions?

I believe the literature review should begin with a study of strategic management practices (with implications and limitations). There needs to be a discussion on culture and the varying definitions and interpretations of it. The study needs to consider how culture has, is and can be measured. Hofestede's five dimensions of culture should be discussed in detail, outlining the framework and identifying, defining and explaining each of the dimensions. It is important that this review present criticisms of Hofestede's cultural dimension framework. Finally, it is expected that literature drawing links between strategic management practices and national culture would be and explained. This will set the stage for data, methods, analysis, etc.

Essay Instructions: I need a literature review which is explained in http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html. basically it must be quantative and qualitive and the sources should be from articles and or books. "It should deal with customer satifaction in the settling of claims in the auto insurance industry and why it is important." It should explain why my research should be done and why is it relevant and nessary. the above website which is only 2 pages is the best way to understand what i need and explains in full detail what a lit review is and what it usually contains.

Essay Instructions: Please choose option 1 if possible

Utilizing the concepts learned throughout the course, you will write a Final Paper on one of the following scenarios:

1. Option One: You are in the role of a consultant with ten years experience in the health care insurance industry. A group of 20 doctors are considering forming a new medical group and have asked you to prepare a report on whether they should build a facility in an area within 30 miles of the downtown center of your 500,000 population city for $100 million dollars. Prepare a report for the management team of the doctor’s group on your proposed $100 million expenditure plan reflecting on the key course objectives including the financial, legal, alternative health care models, reinforced by your knowledge of strategic planning and capital budgeting.

2. Option Two: You are in the role of a chief operating officer. A board of directors has requested that you prepare a summary of the issues involved in a $50 million expansion. Because of local political and uncertain national medical care policy, to be elected national officials they may have to scale the expansion back to $25 million. Prepare a report for the management team of the doctor’s group on your proposed $25 to $50 million dollar expenditure plan reflecting on the key course objectives including the financial, legal, alternative health care models, reinforced by your knowledge of strategic planning and capital budgeting.

3. Option Three: You are in the role of a chief operating officer for a for-profit insurance company. A board of directors has requested that you prepare a summary of the issues involved in a potential reduction in U. S. medical insurance reimbursement of 40%. Prepare a report for the board of directors on how to best meet the impacts of the proposed funding cuts while still being sensitive to the needs and health of the community and your patients. Reflect on the key course objectives including the financial, legal, alternative health care models, reinforced by your knowledge of strategic planning and capital budgeting in preparing your response.

4. Option Four: You are in the role of a chief administrative officer for a large nonprofit health relief organization. A board of directors has requested that you prepare a summary of the issues about how to solve the health needs of an African country. Your organization has limited funding and will need to obtain subsidized medicine from major pharmaceutical companies. They also have the opportunity to get non generic, non USDA approved, alternative stem cell derived medication from foreign sources. Prepare a report for the board of directors on how to best meet the impacts of the proposed funding limitations while still being sensitive to the needs and health of the African nation. Consider the various economic, political, moral and health impacts for both the United States citizens who may have some of the health medication diverted to the African nation. Reflect on the key course objectives including the financial, legal, alternative health care models, reinforced by your knowledge of strategic planning and capital budgeting in preparing your response.

5. Option Five: Your role is as a public official elected at the local city level; 50,000 to 250,000 population. You have a $10 million dollar budget allocated to you by the city manager and can get up to 100% matching federal funds if you meet the federal standards. You have been asked by the mayor to determine how to allocate the budget to best support the needs of the city. These could include but not be limited to supporting capital requirements, operational requirements, and subsidizing nonprofit organizations or used as economic incentives to bring new private concerns into the city. Prepare a report for the mayor and city council on your proposed expenditure plan reflecting on the key course objectives including the financial, legal, alternative health care models, reinforced by your knowledge of strategic planning and capital budgeting.

Your Final Paper must be 15 to 20 double-spaced pages (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Utilize a minimum of 10 to 12 scholarly and/or peer-reviewed sources that were published within the past five years, including a minimum of five from the Ashford University Library databases.

Paper

Must be 15 to 20 double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must have a cover page that includes:


Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement.
Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
Must conclude with a restatement of the thesis and a concluding paragraph.
Must use at least of 10- to- 12 scholarly and /or peer-reviewed sources, including a minimum of five from the Ashford Online Library.
Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Essay Instructions: Dissertation Proposal
Reputation in the UK and China insurance industries.

Statement of problem
In the UK, insurance lies at the bottom of the league table of public trust. Also, insurance companies frequently complain about receiving negative media coverage, Therefore, reputation is becoming a major issue in the UK insurance industry today; it is a key concern of insurance company managers and the industry??s reputation has sunk to an all time low over the last decade.
Loss of reputation arises from a failure to meet stakeholder expectations in respect of performance or behaviors and it is highly infectious. Moreover, it is spreading in two ways, one is that a company upsetting one of its stakeholder groups, i.e. customer, can see the problem affect to other groups very quickly; another way is problem in one company can soon loss the reputation of the whole market, and can even jump by association between Life and General insurance.
This dissertation examines the how the problem has arisen in the UK industry, what are the damages, the lessons to be learnt, and the extent to which the emerging Chinese insurance market might be exposed to a similar problem in the future.
Information sources: business libraries, CII library, Internet, interviews (or questionnaires) with companies operation in both UK and China, questionnaires from consumers in UK and China
The results would be of interest to the Chinese Regulator and companies operating in the Chinese insurance market
Dissertation Structure:
Abridgement
Acknowledgements
Contents
Introduction (chapter 1)
------What is the reputational risk?
------Why are insurers vulnerable?
------How has reputation been destroyed or damaged?
UK insurers (chapter 2)
------State the present condition of the reputation problem in the UK
------The reasons why the industry has a damaged reputation
1) There are many typical cases in the UK market, with an unprecedented combination of company collapses, poor financial performance, broken promises and mis-selling scandals.
2) Lack of reputation leads to lack of customer, which is caused by the natural of the insurance business. Insurance is intangible, complex and poor understood by most customers, particularly retail consumers. The value propositions offered by the insurer are clearly not full appreciated.
------What kind of effort should the industry make?
The industry can be its own worst enemy with too much emphasis focused on price, with little attempt to explain variation in cover, conditions, service or security.
Insurers in China (chapter 3)
------Characteristic of Chinese insurance market.
1) Chinese insurance market is an emerge market with lower GDP. Analysis it in the S curve, which is in the middle of the curve with large potentials.
2) The relationship between company and their stakeholders or owners. (Public, regulators, shareholders, customers, employees??)
------Compare with UK insurance market
1) Insurance has being developed in the UK for more than 100 years. UK insurance market is a mature market with higher GDP, which is shown at the top of the S curve with less potentials.
2) The difference between government regulation in China and UK.
------- The potential for reputational damage
-------What lessons should China learn from UK?
General conclusion (chapter 4)
Potential conclusions might include:
------Insurance companies should return to the basic values of insurance. This includes: conservation of capital, understanding the risk accepted, underwriting for profit, delivering on promise made, and protecting the interests of the customer. They could make improvements in:
1) Business services (make insurance service more understandable)
2) Build up long-term customer relationship
3) Build up long-term business partners?? relationship
------China does not yet have a significant reputation problem in its insurance market. However, some of the conditions that created the problem in the UK are beginning to arise already. Unless the industry learns some of the lessons from the UK market it could easily experience reputational damage in the years to come.

Bibliography

Problem: Get accurate and adequate database of Chinese insurance market.