Insurance companies are increasingly being regulated under the assumption that, like banks, they pose systemic risk to the overall economy and especially the financial system. This analysis investigates this premise by comparing the systemic importance of insurance companies and the insurance...

The first Budget after an election often contains controversial revenue-raising measures and many commentators expect tax relief on pension contributions to be considered as a revenue source after the 2015 election. Meanwhile, the idea of a flat-rate of tax relief on pension contributions...

The BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), along with the Eastern European region, constitute a major source of skilled labor for multinational companies (MNCs). The BRICs created 22 million jobs each year in the first five years of this millennium, compared with 3.7 million in the...

Insurance companies looking to expand have been drawn to the low penetration rates and rising disposable incomes in emerging markets. So far, however, these companies have typically targeted the formal employment sector, as most of its members are concentrated in urban areas and are accessible...

As countries around the world regain their economic footing, reigniting confidence and optimism, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity is expected to rebound as well. Both practical experience and research have established that people and culture are key considerations in successful M&A...

We study market reactions to the announcement of a company closing their defined benefit pension plan in the UK to future accrual. For a sample of 48 plan closures, observed between 2006 and 2013, the empirical tests show a relatively muted market reaction on average. Although estimated returns...

In this model we analyse the use of quotas to increase the employment of nationals in the GCC workforce. The model assumes an open and competitive labour market where firms are free to hire workers at their given wage rates. We categorize all workers as either low-skill or high-skill and trace...

The aim of this article is to analyze the key aspects of BRIC and MENA countries that have made them so appealing for M&A activity and also transformed these economies into major global players. We will first show that each region has some unique attraction factors that, fueled by fairly recent...

In summer of 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a record of more than one million people aged 65 or more being in employment in the UK. This represents a doubling relative to 1992 (when ONS began recording this statistic) and means almost one in ten people aged over 65 are...

This analysis compares the cost efficiency of Islamic and conventional insurers operating in eight countries. We analyze data collected from 32 insurers using stochastic frontier analysis, data envelope analysis and a partial frontier approach with order-alpha free disposal hull. We compare the...