Mastering the art and science of getting right people

Stories told within institutions play a powerful role, helping to define not only the institution itself, but also its individual members. How do institutions use stories? How do those stories both preserve the past and shape the future? To what extent does narrative construct both collective and individual identity? Charlotte Linde's unique and far-reaching study addresses these questions by looking at the interplay of narratives, memory, and identity in a large insurance company. Her detailed ethnography looks at the role of stories within the institution and how they are employed by its members in both private and group settings. Analyzing the re-telling of certain key stories, she shows how the formation of "core" stories and their multiple re-tellings and modifications provide a means of formulating and promoting a cohesive group identity - which in turn shapes the stories and identities of the individuals within the collective. Linde also looks at silences, and how stories not told also convey their version of the past. Working the Past shows how stories that might otherwise be seen as part of mundane daily life are in fact utterly essential to the formation and maintenance of individual and group identity. Her original research will appeal to those interested in narrative studies, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, and institutional memory.

With the liberalization of the Indian economy, the insurance sector has opened up, and a lot of new players, both multinationals and Indian companies with foreign collaboration, have entered this arena realizing the vast potential in life insurance. A basic knowledge of life insurance has therefore become essential for the students opting for this course as well as for the practitioners. With this view in mind, Dr. Kutty gives in this text a masterly analysis and a holistic view of every dimension of life insurance management in the sequence of 6Ps—purpose, principles, purchase, products, process and people, in an easy to understand language. He strives to demystify the complex world of life insurance and present its fundamentals to all the readers. Based on the author’s rich experience in insurance sector over the two decades, the text provides new research insights in the areas such as product comparisons, e.g. portfolio approach to purchase of life insurance. It covers the actuarial dimensions of life insurance, with the minimum use of mathematics. Besides, the text discusses in detail the two core operations of an insurance company—underwriting and claims. The hallmark of this book is its attempt to transform the way marketing and operations in life insurance are approached and its sure guidance on how a professional should approach and manage sales, service, process and people. Key Features  Separate chapters are devoted to topics such as general insurance, risk management, underwriting, claims and financial management.  The nature of contracts in general and life insurance contracts in particular is explained.  Different traditional insurance products such as term insurance and non-conventional products like unit-linked policies are dealt with in detail. This book is primarily designed for students of management, commerce and those pursuing specific insurance courses. It can also be profitably used by industry practitioners. Finally, the book will be invaluable to managers of Life Insurance companies, Banks (engaged in Bancassurance), and Security firms.