The Revision of the Insurance Mediation Rules at EU Level and its Impact on Consumer Protection

The European Commission has put forward a new proposal for a directive on insurance mediation which should provide for significant changes in practices of selling insurance products and guarantee enhanced level of consumer protection. This proposal accompanies other regulatory initiatives in the insurance sector, all of them pursuing three main objectives: firstly, a strengthened insurance supervision with convergent supervisory standards at EU level; secondly, a better risk management of insurance companies; and thirdly a greater protection of policyholders. All these initiatives contribute to the EU programme on consumer protection and herald a new approach to EU insurance regulation and supervision. However, while the new supervisory rules are a direct response to the financial crisis and shortcomings of crossborder cooperation between national supervisors, the plans for the revision of insurance mediation rules were conceived much earlier due to scandals with mis-selling of insurance products in the United States and some EU Member States. This article will focus entirely on the Commission’s initiative in the consumer mediation area and the aspects of insurance supervision and risk management will be dealt with in separate articles.

Urwesen - Studentisches Medienprojekt zur Internationalen REKLIM Konferenz in Kooperation mit der DEKRA-Hochschule Berlin, Links zum Dokumentarfilm in unterschiedlichen Auflösungen

Ein Stück Schlamm. Grau, leblos, kalt. Feine Linien ziehen sich hindurch und ein Faden verläuft in einer Zickzack-Linie über die Oberfläche. Es ist eine Sedimentprobe aus dem Pazifischen Ozean, die Stück für Stück ihre Geheimnisse preisgibt. Dr. Lars Max analysiert Sedimentkerne am Alfred-Wegener-Institut und erzählt von der Geschichte unserer Erde und unseres Klimas. Was können wir aus der "grauen" Vergangenheit lernen?

Rates of organic matter transformation within the production-destruction cycle of the White Sea

Rates of organic matter (OM) transformation within the production-destruction cycle of the White Sea were estimated on the basis of measured activity values of redox enzymes of the electron transport system and of hydrolytic enzymes (phosphatase and protease). It was found that OM oxidation processes were the most intensive in the Kandalaksha Bay, while minimum oxidation rates were characteristic of central parts of the Dvina and Onega bays. It was revealed that the highest rates of phosphate mineralization were characteristic of the central part of the sea and near-mouth areas of the Onega and Kandalaksha bays, with the lowest rates in the Dvina Bay. During the period of intense primary production when resources of inorganic phosphorus were practically depleted, high rates of phosphate regeneration were observed. It was shown that populations of micro- and zooplankton in the White Sea were characterized by low activation energies of the principal metabolism reactions (3-6 kcal/mol), which allowed these populations to provide exchange intensity comparable to that of inhabitants of warm waters during all the seasons.

Notes et extraits pour servir à l'histoire des croisades au XVe siècle /

Photocopy. Washington, D.C. : Photoduplication Service, The Library of Congress, 1976.

Méditations philologiques et morales.

Mode of access: Internet.

Consumption of luxury goods in Brazil: purchasing motives and values of Brazilian consumers and implications for marketing

Aiming at success in the currently challenging Brazilian market, luxury firms must consider a number of factors. Not only the adaptation to certain economic and political conditions but also the understanding of Brazilian luxury consumers’ characteristics as well as their value perceptions towards luxury are crucial in order to create an effective marketing strategy. This study investigated the value perceptions and purchasing motives of 428 Brazilian consumers. Brazilians purchase luxury goods in order to conspicuously put them on show to certain social reference group or to the general public. Thus, they display their wealth, income and social status. Social groups therefore play a distinct role in the purchasing decision process. Moreover, Brazilians are found to be hedonic consumers, seeking pleasurable moments and the reduction of stress when consuming luxury products. In addition to that, they use luxurious products to express their own personality. Brazilians hence place a much higher importance on self-expressive, emotional product benefits rather than on rational, functional product benefits. Marketers of luxury goods are advised to make use of this knowledge in order to adequately address consumers’ needs, wants and beliefs. The study focuses on consumers living in Rio de Janeiro and does not take into account different value perceptions on different luxury product categories. Therefore, suggestions for further research include replicating the study in different Brazilian regions and probing for differences among product categories.

Is Crimea Kosovo? Fundamental Misunderstandings and Failed Diplomacy Between Russia and the West in the Post-Cold War International System

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Are parent-reported outcomes for self-directed or telephone-assisted behavioral family intervention enhanced if parents are observed?

The study examined the effects of conducting observations as part of a broader assessment of families participating in behavior family intervention (BFI). It was designed to investigate whether the observations improve intervention outcomes. Families were randomly assigned to different levels of BFI or a waitlist control condition and subsequently randomly assigned to either observation or no-observation conditions. This study demonstrated significant intervention and observation effects. Mothers in more intensive BFI reported more improvement in their child’s behavior and their own parenting. Observed mothers reported lower intensity of child behavior problems and more effective parenting styles. There was also a trend for less anger among mothers who were observed and evidence of an observation-intervention interaction for parental anger, with observed mothers in more intensive intervention reporting less anger compared to those not observed. Implications for clinical and research intervention contexts are discussed.