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Finance (Recent Studies)
Improving candidate performance
Category: Education &
Regulation
A major financial institution wanted to
improve the performance of its candidates on
licensing exams. A review of course
material, internal examinations and best
practices in exam development provided
guidance for improving performance.
Strategy for the Commercial Health Market
Category: Lending & Other
Services
Identifying profitable growth opportunities
in the Canadian commercial healthcare market
was the focus of this strategy study for a
major Canadian bank. The work involved
extensive use of secondary databases, as
well as interviews with key informants. A
future-oriented look that included changes
in licensure and scope of practice formed
part of the work.
Online Learning
and Key Events: Age 20-34 Study
Category: Education &
Regulation;
Retail & Investment
These studies assess how 20-34 year olds
learn in an online environment, especially
how they learn what they need to know about
handling key life events like a new job,
getting married or becoming a parent. The
studies assess the most critical questions
people need answered when they are managing
key life events, as well as the strategies
and sources of information they use to get
answers. The role of psychographics in
shaping behaviour helps to understand what
drives the strategies people use.
Link to Summary.
Review of
Certification Exams
Category: Education &
Regulation
A major insurance
education organization offers more than a
dozen courses for training people in various
aspects of insurance. Each course has an
exam, and taken together, far more than
10,000 exam papers are written each year.
Our role was to assess the quality of the
exams in each course, as well as the systems
which support the exam process, starting
with the earliest stages of exam development
and following the entire process right
through to its end. The work provided the
organization with suggestions for future
improvements, as well as providing a base
for building an item bank.
Setting Service
Standards for a Trade Services Organization
Category:
Treasury Services,
Consulting-Organizational
Support
Thousands of pages have been written on what
matters to trade clients but most is just a
re-hash of well-known principles from
industrial psychology. There is little
proof of what aspects of service make the
most difference to client loyalty and
spending. In addition to interviewing
benchmark competitors, our work reviewed
existing research (including our own) to
identify what changes client behaviour for
better or worse. In cooperation with our
client, we then developed a framework for
comprehensive service standards for the very
few things that really matter to clients.
The standards are tested with clients for
appropriateness and impact. A strategy for
implementation is the final element of the
project.
Adding Value to
Advisor Service
Category:
Retail Investment
In the mutual fund industry, recent
efforts to stimulate growth and loyalty have
often focused on providing added value to
advisors. To gauge the impact of these
efforts, we surveyed a targeted group of
advisors and gathered their views on how
effectively top fund companies provide
service to advisors that adds value.
Appetite for Foreign Investment
Category: Pensions
Discussions with half of all mid-sized
Defined Benefit plans in Canada looked at
current investment inside and outside of
Canada, including investment in alternative
asset classes. Looking to the future,
the study assessed the likely changes in US
and international investment over the next
two years. Countries and regions with
specific investment appeal were identified.
Helping Advisors to Help Top Clients
Category: Retail Investment
Using methods akin to a therapeutic
interview, a select group of top mutual fund
clients were interviewed about their advisor
relationships. The aim was learning what
our client could do to help good advisors
improve their sales and service. The
in-depth personal discussions identified
what key investors wanted from their
advisors but didn’t get, as well as
identifying the ‘secrets’ they were
reluctant to share with their advisors. The
selection of clients for the interview was
based on an extensive analysis of
unitholders and their buying patterns based
on data drawn from several unitholder
databases.
Global Assessment of Credit Default
Insurance
Category: Insurance,
Treasury Services
This
study began with a detailed review
of the websites
of major competitors in the business
including both ECA and private trade
insurers. This was combined with
interviews with suppliers and senior bankers
to develop a clear view of future trends in
the market, as well as identifying gaps in
needed products.
Future of the Public Sector in Canada
(5 Studies)
Category: Lending & Other Services;
Education & Regulation; Treasury Services
How will the public sector build the
capacity it needs? How does economic
sustainability relate to the environment?
What new types of integrated services will
we see? How will urbanization, immigration
and an aging population change the future?
These topics and more are addressed in this
opinion leader study based on in-depth
personal interviews with the most
influential people shaping the future of the
public sector, as nominated by their peers.
Participants include deputy ministers,
mayors, executives, association heads, think
tank leaders, academics, and other selected
experts. The study identifies how the public
sector will develop over the next 5-10 years
and why this will happen. Royal Bank of
Canada is the sponsor for the work. The
study includes a special section on funding
& payment transactions that identifies key
services that a bank can provide to help its
public sector clients prepare for the
future. A very brief overview of each sector
is available by clicking the link below.
Federal & Provincial
Government
Municipalities
Healthcare
Public Education
(K-12)
Post-Secondary
Education (PSE)
Emergency Preparedness in Financial
Matters
Category: Education &
Regulation
This qualitative study looks at
potential consumer reactions to the
failure of three different kinds of
financial institutions. It identifies a
range of public expectations in the
aftermath of a financial failure, as
well as assessing public perceptions of
potential failure for different kinds of
financial institutions.
Bank Cash Management Advisory
Category: Treasury Services
Our role was providing value-added
analysis and interpretation for a
syndicated survey of Cash Management in
Canada (Maritz)In particular, we took
survey data and provided customized
analysis to help pinpoint participant
weaknesses and opportunities. This was
used to help us provide recommendations
for action geared to the unique
positioning of each bank participating
in the study.
Strategy for a Financial Industry
Association
Category:
Consulting-Organizational Support
Interviews with active members, lapsed
members and non-members of a financial
industry association helped to highlight
its strengths and weaknesses, as well as
gauging its expectations for the
future. We translated this into
opportunities for growth and strategic
changes to help the organization
build loyalty and numbers in its
membership.
Assessing
Eligibility for Licensure
Category: Education &
Regulation
An Act
creating the possibility of broader
public accounting licensure rights also
stipulated that the standards for
granting licensure rights should be no
less rigorous than those already used.
After consultation plus literature and
document review, we created a process
that made it possible for accounting
bodies to demonstrate the rigour of
their standards compared to a benchmark. The test of
substantial equivalence in our process
focuses primarily on education,
experience and examinations, as well as
competencies developed. Preparation
programs are judged on coverage of
competencies, internal consistency,
external rigor and compliance with
professional standards.
Trade Satisfaction, Loyalty & New Product Development
Category: Treasury Services
On behalf of a major bank, we evaluated
client satisfaction and use of trade products, as well as client loyalty. We
also identified how well current trade products meet underlying needs and
what new products should be developed to meet future needs.
Global Trade Outsourcing
Category: Treasury Services
The study deals with the current state of outsourcing, changes over the
past two years and likely changes over the next two years. Topics
covered include: services outsourced, market size and volume, impact of
outsourcing, service delivery and the image of major insourcing banks.
Link to previous
Overview of Findings.
Future of Healthcare in Canada – Funding, Finance, Insurance & Benefits
Category: Lending & Other Services
Why is integration of healthcare the biggest issue for the next decade? How
will demand and capacity management improve the patient experience? How
will emerging labour shortages force our healthcare system to change? How
will technology change healthcare in the years to come? These topics and
more are addressed in this opinion leader study based on in-depth personal
interviews with the most influential people shaping the future of the public
sector, as nominated by their peers. The study identifies how healthcare
will develop over the next 5-10 years and why this will happen. Royal
Bank of Canada and Manulife Financial sponsored the work. The
study includes a special report on funding & financing issues, as well as a
special report on insurance & benefits.
For a brief Overview of Findings, click
here. For a copy of the full report, please contact
lori.bottrell@brondesbury.com
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Financing Transportation-for-Hire in the US
Category: Lending & Other Services
This study evaluates current methods of financing transportation-for-hire in
the US, as seen from the viewpoint of service providers, equipment owners,
and equipment vendors. We assess buyer motivation and decision-making, as
well as the competitive position of major providers. Recommendations for
desirable new services are provided.
Impact of Financial Institution Mergers
Category: Insurance & Pensions
As governments scrutinize financial institution mergers, they wonder what is
best for their country. The two key questions seem to be “What types of
mergers most benefit domestic consumers?” and “What types of mergers help
build the country’s ability to compete internationally?” Since politicians
are often guided by a mix of national opinion leaders and informed local
public opinion, we set out to understand what these groups think about FI
mergers.
Link to
Overview of Findings.
Version
Français
Strategy for a Financial Protection Company
Category: Education & Regulation
Problem:
Develop a long-term strategy and tracking plan within 3 months
We developed a strategy for increasing general awareness of a financial
industry protection company and specific awareness of its coverage. This
included identification of target groups based on several criteria that
indicate a "need to know" about its coverage, as well as a long-term
strategy for better communicating with these target groups. The strategy
development began with the identification of target groups based on group
size, awareness patterns, product understanding, financial need and risk of
financial losses. Specific communication strategies were identified for
each target group based on their preferred means of communication and the
key messages that would be effective for reaching them.
Method: Identification and synthesis of existing information including
client surveys, government statistical sources, published research studies &
articles and a few additional purchased studies. In several cases, the
databases for studies and statistics were re-analyzed to extract more
information.
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