THE CUSTOMERS OF AN INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENCY by Gary Holgate As a consultant, the first questions I ask agency owners concern their customers. This provides me with a feel for the agency and...

In the realm of technology, Don Tapscott, keynote speaker for ACORD Technology Conference '97, holds the crystal ball. His book, The Digital Economy, has influenced the direction of automation in the corporate world. Excerpts from an interview with Tapscott, published in In ACORD magazine, follow.

Today we are witnessing the early, turbulent days of a revolution as significant as any other in human history. A new medium of human communications is emerging, one that may prove to surpass all previous revolutions, including the printing press, telephone, television, computer, in its impact on our economic and social life.

THE ESOP AS A VEHICLE FOR SELLING AN INTEREST IN AN INSURANCE AGENCY by Francis Willmarth In the early 1960s, Mortimer Adler and Louis Kelso published the Capitalist Manifesto, a...

THE HARDENING MARKET: PROBLEM OR OPPORTUNITY? by Jack Burke I never sold an insurance policy in my life, unless you include Credit Life insurance and Automotive Extended Care c...

Are independent insurance agents on the verge of extinction? On the MisFortune 500 list of endangered occupations? You might think so after reading some of the press. For a different perspective, Kevin Stipe offers his observations of current and past trends and market conditions to prove that we’re not necessarily going the way of the dinosaur and the door-to-door encyclopedia salesman.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE: CUSTOMIZED DISTRIBUTION MODELS As the demand to identify and meet customer needs intensifies, the insurance industry is being challenged to respond with customized, multiple-...

THE PERFECT EMPLOYEE: PERFECT OR NOT? by Grace Bauer I just finished talking to a customer about one of his staff members. 'He's a perfect employee,' the customer said. 'He's ki...

THE VALUE OF MAKING MISTAKES by Chris Burand In the December 24, 2001 Fortune magazine, Michael Schrage ...

THIS IS A SLOPPY INDUSTRY WHICH CREATES GREAT OPPORTUNITIES! by Chris Burand Property/Casualty, and even Benefits, insurance, as practiced, is often sloppy. In many cases, quality...

'TIS THE SEASON - FOR EPLI CLAIMS by Wayne Bernstein Today's sizable workforce means that people from all walks of life interact with one another in the course of a workday. As a resu...