The impact of time discretization on solvency measurement

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hato Schmeiser ◽  
Daliana Luca
Keyword(s):  
Discrete Time ◽  
Risk Measures ◽  
Time Discretization ◽  
Capital Requirements ◽  
Insurance Company ◽  
Probability Of Ruin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The One ◽  
Discretization Interval ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study how the discretization interval affects the solvency measurement of a property-liability insurance company. Design/methodology/approach Starting with a basic solvency model, the authors study the impact of the discretization interval on risk measures. The analysis considers the sensitivity of the discrepancy between the risk measures in continuous and discrete time to various parameters, such as the asset-to-liability ratio, the characteristics of the asset and liability processes, as well as the correlation between assets and liabilities. Capital requirements for the one-year planning horizon in continuous vs discrete time are reported as well. The purpose is to report the degree to which the deviations in risk measures, due to the different discretization intervals, can be reduced by means of increasing the frequency with which the risk measures are assessed. Findings The simulation results suggest that the risk measures of an insurance company are consistently underestimated when assessed on an annual basis (as it is currently done under insurance regulation such as Solvency II). The authors complement the analysis with the capital requirements of an insurance company and conclude that more frequent discretization translates into higher capital requirements for the insurance company. Both the probability of ruin and the expected policyholder deficit (EPD) can be reduced through intermediate financial reports. Originality/value The results from our simulation analysis suggest that that the choice of discretization interval has an impact on the risk assessment of an insurance company which uses the probability of ruin and the EPD as risk measures. By assessing the risk measures once a year, both risk measures and the capital requirements are consistently underestimated. Therefore, the recommendation for risk managers is to complement the capital requirements in solvency regulation with sensitivity analyses of the risk measures presented with respect to time discretization. On the one hand, it seems to us that there is value in knowing about the substantial discrepancy between the focused time discrete ruin probability and EPD compared to the continuous version. On the other hand, and if there are no substantial transaction costs associated with more frequent monitoring of solvency figures, a frequent update would be helpful to increase the accuracy of the calculations and reduce the EPD.

A note on the appropriate choice of risk measures in the solvency assessment of insurance companies

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joël Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Ruin Probability ◽  
Risk Measures ◽  
Capital Requirements ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Capital Requirement ◽  
Insurance Company ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analytical Approximations

Purpose – The concept of value at risk is used in the risk-based calculation of solvency capital requirements in the Basel II/III banking regulations and in the planned Solvency II insurance regulation framework planned in the European Union. While this measure controls the ruin probability of a financial institution, the expected policyholder deficit (EPD) and expected shortfall (ES) measures, which are relevant from the customer's perspective as they value the amount of the shortfall, are not controlled at the same time. Hence, if there are variations in or changes to the asset-liability situation, financial companies may still comply with the capital requirement, while the EPD or ES reach unsatisfactory levels. This is a significant drawback to the solvency frameworks. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The author has developed a model framework wherein the author evaluates the relevant risk measures using the distribution-free approach of the normal power approximation. This allows the author to derive analytical approximations of the risk measures solely through the use of the first three central moments of the underlying distributions. For the case of a reference insurance company, the author calculates the required capital using the ruin probability and EPD approaches. For this, the author performs sensitivity analyses considering different asset allocations and different liability characteristics. Findings – The author concludes that only a simultaneous monitoring of the ruin probability and EPD can lead to satisfactory results guaranteeing a constant level of customer protection. For the reference firm, the author evaluates the relative changes in the capital requirement when applying the EPD approach next to the ruin probability approach. Depending on the development of the assets and liabilities, and in the cases the author illustrates, the reference company would need to provide substantial amounts of additional equity capital. Originality/value – A comparative assessment of alternative risk measures is relevant given the debate among regulators, industry representatives and academics about how adequately they are used. The author borrows the approach in parts from the work of Barth. Barth compares the ruin probability and EPD approach when discussing the RBC formulas of the US National Association of Insurance Commissioners introduced in the 1990s. The author reconsiders several of these findings and discusses them in the light of the new regulatory frameworks. More precisely, the author first performs sensitivity analyses for the risk measures using different parameter configurations. Such analyses are relevant since in practice parameter values may differ from estimates used in the model and have a significant impact on the values of the risk measures. Second, the author goes beyond a simple discussion of the outcomes for each risk measure, by deriving the firm conclusion that both the frequency and magnitude of shortfalls need to be controlled.

Shareholder risk-taking incentives in the presence of contingent capital

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Fatouh ◽  
Ayowande A. McCunn
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Capital Requirements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Basic Model ◽  
Conversion Rates ◽  
A Minor ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to present a model of shareholders’ willingness to exert effort to reduce the likelihood of bank distress and the implications of the presence of contingent convertible (CoCo) bonds in the liabilities structure of a bank. Design/methodology/approach This study presents a basic model about the moral hazard surrounding shareholders willingness to exert effort that increases the likelihood of a bank’s success. This study uses a one-shot game and so do not capture the effects of repeated interactions. Findings Consistent with the existing literature, this study shows that the direction of the wealth transfer at the conversion of CoCo bonds determines their impact on shareholder risk-taking incentives. This study also finds that “anytime” CoCos (CoCo bonds trigger-able anytime at the discretion of managers) have a minor advantage over regular CoCo bonds, and that quality of capital requirements can reduce the risk-taking incentives of shareholders. Practical implications This study argues that shareholders can also use manager-specific CoCo bonds to reduce the riskiness of the bank activities. The issuance of such bonds can increase the resilience of individual banks and the whole banking system. Regulators can use restrictions on conversion rates and/or requirements on the quality of capital to address the impact of CoCo bonds issuance on risk-taking incentives. Originality/value To model the risk-taking incentives, authors generally modify the asset processes to introduce components that reflect asymmetric information between CoCo holders and shareholders and/or managers. This paper follows a simpler method similar to that of Holmström and Tirole (1998).

Strategy war games: how business can outperform the competition

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason West ◽  
Maiko Chu ◽  
Lincoln Crooks ◽  
Matthew Bradley-Ho
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Insurance Company ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Threats ◽  
Internal Capabilities ◽  
Banking Institution ◽  
The Impact

PurposeBusiness wargames represent an alternative approach to challenge organisations to uncover internal capabilities through competitive actions designed to counteract external threats and address strategic mismatches. Internal capabilities uncovered as a result of actions taken during a competitive wargame aims to replicate market conditions found in competitive industries. These outcomes are difficult to achieve using many popular strategy design methods. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of war game-style activities in formulating corporate strategy that incorporate the natural behaviors of the leadership team in creating strategic plans.Design/methodology/approachUsing a case study from the banc assurance industry, the authors review a wargame process composed of two competing teams; the banc assurance organisation and an unincorporated joint venture between a banking institution and an insurance company. The goal of each entity was to develop strategy to improve both customer satisfaction and market share at the expense of each other given a finite set of resources. Success was judged using a simple set of metrics defined by both a consumer team and an independent umpire.FindingsConsumers of financial services are price sensitive and highly brand loyal. Unwillingness to switch brands to a prevailing competitor or other emerging (Fintech) institution persists to a threshold of a price and/or value differential of 15 to 20 per cent. The results highlight potential deficiencies in the proposed banc assurance strategy through the observation of customer behaviours and inefficient resource use.Originality/valueThe wargame approach conducted in a realistic landscape revealed internal capabilities not otherwise evident. The impact of authentic human behaviours in setting business strategy was captured which is very difficult to replicate using more formal scenario analysis and planning.

scholarly journals Board and corporate social responsibility disclosure of multinational corporations

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanh Thi Song Pham ◽  
Hien Thi Tran
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
The One ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effects of board model and board independence on corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure of multinational corporations (MNCs). Design/methodology/approach The authors developed an empirical model in which CSR disclosure is the dependent variable and board model (two-tier vs one-tier), board independence (a proportion of independent directors on a board) and the interaction variable of board model and board independence together with several variables conventionally used as control variables are independent variables. The authors collated the panel dataset of 244 Fortune World’s Most Admired (FWMA) corporations from 2005 to 2011 of which 117 MNCs use the one-tier board model, and 127 MNCs use the two-tier board model from 20 countries. They used the random-effect regression method to estimate the empirical models with the data they collated and also ran regressions on the alternative models for robustness check. Findings The authors found a significantly positive effect of a board model on CSR disclosure by MNCs. Two-tier MNCs tend to reveal more CSR information than one-tier MNCs. The results also confirm the significant moderating impact of board model on the effect of board independence on CSR disclosure. The effect of board independence on CSR disclosure in the two-tier board MNCs tends to be higher than that in the one-tier board MNCs. The results do not support the effect of board independence on CSR disclosure in general for all types of firms (one-tier and two-tier board). The impact of board independence on CSR disclosure is only significant in two-tier board MNCs and insignificant in one-tier board MNCs. Practical implications The authors advise the MNCs who wish to improve CSR reporting and transparency to consider the usage of two-tier board model and use a higher number of outside directors on board. They note that once a firm uses one-tier model, number of IDs on a board does not matter to the level of CSR disclosure. They advise regulators to enforce an application of two-tier board model to improve CSR reporting and transparency in MNCs. The authors also recommend regulators to continue mandating publicly traded companies to include more external members on their boards, especially for the two-tier board MNCs. Originality/value This paper is the first that investigates the role of board model on CSR disclosure of MNCs.

When does uncertainty avoidance promote customer-to-customer intercultural service encounters?

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nabil Ghantous ◽  
Amro A. Maher
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Perceived Discrimination ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Content Type ◽  
National Identification ◽  
Service Environments ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Previous literature has reported inconsistent findings regarding the impact of uncertainty avoidance (UA) on intercultural experiences. This includes positive, negative and insignificant associations between UA on the one hand and cosmopolitanism or comfort with intercultural service encounters (ICSE) on the other hand. The purpose of this paper is to participate in addressing these contradictions. More specifically, this study examines how UA affects expatriate cosmopolitanism as well as approach of service environments patronized by local customers by introducing two moderators: national identification and perceived discrimination. Design/methodology/approach The authors propose a conceptual model based on the results of a literature review. The authors test it with survey data collected from Indian expatriates (n=341) living in Qatar, using structural equation modeling. Findings The results corroborate the moderating role of national identification. Under low identification, expatriate consumers engage in a prospective form of uncertainty management, leading them to adopt a more cosmopolitan stance. Under high identification, their uncertainty plays an inhibitory role, reducing their cosmopolitanism and negatively affecting their approach of service places patronized by local consumers. Perceived discrimination did not moderate the impact of UA as expected on either cosmopolitanism or approach. Originality/value This paper extends the prior research on UA by testing how two moderators could activate either a prospective or an inhibitory form of uncertainty. It also contributes to research on ICSE, by focusing on customer-to-customer interactions in a multicultural marketplace.

Quantitative impacts of mandatory integrated reporting

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 604-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Conway
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Financial Risk ◽  
Risk Measures ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Mandatory Reporting ◽  
Stock Exchanges ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Goals ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of the 2011 mandatory introduction of integrated reporting (<IR>) on the financial performance, risk and institutional shareholding of listed companies in South Africa to assess whether there is a benefit to <IR> and which may encourage greater adoption of it globally. It contrasts the results with two other African stock exchanges (Nigeria and Egypt with no mandatory <IR>) and examines whether <IR> quality also has an impact on these and on environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure scores. Design/methodology/approach A series of multivariate ordinary least squares regressions was estimated on a range of financial, risk, institutional and ESG data from firms on the three African stock exchanges, between 2006 and 2015. Findings Financial performance and risk in South African firms appear to have decreased since the start of mandatory reporting, but institutional shareholding has increased. The production of higher quality reports is associated with decreased financial performance and risk, higher institutional shareholding and increased ESG scores. Originality/value This study is first to test the quantitative effects of <IR> and <IR> quality on a broad range of financial performance and risk measures and the level of institutional shareholding. It also adds to the literature by assessing how the quality of <IR> can impact the ESG scoring of the business. Hence, this study is of interest to firms looking to adopt <IR> for its benefits and to regulatory bodies considering the mandatory adoption of <IR> in support of achievement of national social and environmental goals.

How does mobile social media affect knowledge sharing under the “Guanxi” system?

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1343-1367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Zhang ◽  
Jiaxin Tang ◽  
Xin Wei ◽  
Minghui Yi ◽  
Patricia Ordóñez
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Close Cooperation ◽  
The One ◽  
Explicit And Implicit Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of mobile social media functions on explicit and implicit knowledge sharing under the “Guanxi” system based on the framework of stimulus–organism–response (SOR). Design/methodology/approach Combined with Guanxi theory, this paper designs an experiment to collect data from the new product development (NPD) teams. Findings Interestingly, the results show that the effect of social media communication function on employees is greater than the impact of collaboration on employees. Specifically, on the one hand, the more employees communicate in social media, the better their feelings will be, the less they will share knowledge. On the other hand, the collaboration function has a significantly negative impact on the psychological factors of employees. Excessively close cooperation and contact may instead create a contradiction between the employees, which is not conducive to the occurrence of knowledge sharing. Originality/value This paper extends SOR framework by combining Guanxi theory to examine the relationship between social media functions and knowledge sharing behavior (KSB). In practical, companies should pay attention to the frequency of employee using social media when it is introduced for NPD teams to control the negative influence of social media functions on employee KSB.

Location of a multinational corporation in a cluster

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Leszczyńska ◽  
Erick Pruchnicki
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Mathematical Expression ◽  
Decision Criterion ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The One ◽  
Effective Transfer ◽  
The Impact

Purpose A multinational company (MNC) looking to locate within a cluster is mainly interested in gaining access to scarce and highly valuable tacit knowledge. The transfer of such resources first requires sharing a certain degree of architectural and specific knowledge. This paper aims to examine the transfer of systemic technological expertise (specific tacit knowledge) that is incorporated into organisational practices (architectural knowledge). To quantify the level of knowledge transfer involved, the present study defines the architectural distance between the MNC and the cluster. Design/methodology/approach The mathematical expression of acquisition performance is inferred from a conceptual study that formulates hypotheses regarding the impact of these variables on knowledge transfer. The MNC chooses its location in such a way as to maximise this performance. Findings Applying a mathematical model to knowledge transfer between two of the MNC units helps to determine if the locally acquired knowledge could benefit other units of the MNC. Research limitations/implications The present study defines the architectural distance between the MNC and the cluster. This architectural distance is defined by a vector composed of social, organisational, cultural, institutional, technological and geographic distances between the new acquisition and its network of local partners, on the one hand, and the MNC, on the other. Knowledge transfer also depends on the business players’ trust and motivation. Further research through a quantitative study would be useful to improve the links between the proposed mathematical model and the efficiency of an MNC’s location within a cluster. Practical implications The solution to the optimisation problem allows to put forward a simple decision criterion to assist a manager who has to face the problem of an optimal location choice. Originality/value First, this study contributes to a better understanding of how knowledge transfer effects may interact with cluster effects, while explaining a subsidiary’s performance with regard to location. Second, it provides an interpretation of the concept of knowledge embeddedness by showing that the effective transfer of architectural and specific knowledge involves the prior sharing of a certain amount of this knowledge.

scholarly journals The Basel accords, capital reserves, and agricultural lending

2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary W. Brester ◽  
Myles J. Watts
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Capital Requirements ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Portfolio Diversification ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Return On Equity ◽  
Reserve Requirements ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Capital Reserves

Purpose The safety and soundness of financial institutions has become a leading worldwide issue because of the recent global financial crisis. Historically, financial crises have occurred approximately every 20 years. The worst financial crisis in the last 75 years occurred in 2008–2009. US regulatory efforts with respect to capital reserve requirements are likely to have several unintended consequences for the agricultural lending sector—especially for smaller, less-diversified (and often, rural agricultural) lenders. The paper discusses these issues. Design/methodology/approach Simulation models and value-at-risk (VaR) criteria are used to evaluate the impact of capital reserve requirements on lending return on equity. In addition, simulations are used to calculate the effects of loan numbers and portfolio diversification on capital reserve requirements. Findings This paper illustrates that increasing capital reserve requirements reduces lending return on equity. Furthermore, increases in the number of loans and portfolio diversification reduce capital reserve requirements. Research limitations/implications The simulation methods are a simplification of complex lending practices and VaR calculations. Lenders use these and other procedures for managing capital reserves than those modeled in this paper. Practical implications Smaller lending institutions will be pressured to increase loan sector diversification. In addition, traditional agricultural lenders will likely be under increased pressure to diversify portfolios. Because agricultural loan losses have relatively low correlations with other sectors, traditional agricultural lenders can expect increased competition for agricultural loans from non-traditional agricultural lenders. Originality/value This paper is novel in that the authors illustrate how lender capital requirements change in response to loan payment correlations both within and across lending sectors.

Bank capital and liquidity creation: evidence of relation from India

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Umar ◽  
Gang Sun ◽  
Muhammad Ansar Majeed
Keyword(s):  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Capital Requirements ◽  
Financial Fragility ◽  
Crowding Out ◽  
Bank Capital ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Crisis Period ◽  
Balance Sheet Liquidity ◽  
Indian Banks ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study analyzes the impact of changes in bank capital on liquidity creation. More specifically, it tests “financial fragility – crowding out” and “risk absorption” hypotheses for Indian banks. Design/methodology/approach It uses the data of 136 listed and unlisted banks, ranging from the year 2000 to 2014. The analysis is based on panel data techniques. Findings There is negative relationship between narrow measure of bank liquidity creation and capital. Therefore, in the case of India, “financial fragility – crowding out” hypothesis holds for “cat nonfat” measure of liquidity creation. However, there is no relationship between “cat fat” measure of liquidity creation and capital, except for listed banks, and the banks in the pre-crisis period. In these two cases, “risk absorption” hypothesis holds. Furthermore, none of the hypotheses holds in the post-crisis period. Practical implications The higher capital requirements posed by the Basel III will result in lower on-balance-sheet liquidity creation, which may result in lower profitability for the banks. However, increase in capital does not affect off-balance-sheet liquidity creation, rather enhances it in case of listed banks. So, the managers may use risky off-balance-sheet liquidity creation to improve profitability. Therefore, the regulators must be vigilant to the off-balance-sheet activities of banks to avoid banking turmoil. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore which hypothesis regarding the relationship between bank capital and liquidity creation holds for Indian banks. It contributes to the existing literature by providing the empirical evidence that “financial fragility – crowding out” hypothesis holds for on-balance-sheet liquidity creation and “risk absorption” hypothesis holds for listed banks. It also points to the new direction that neither of the hypotheses holds in the post-crisis period in India.

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