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You'll find a list of reports relating to social networks and online communities below, while some are specifically concerned with social networks and online communities, others deal with related topics. If you can't find the information you're looking for about social networks and online communities, drop us a line and we'll point you in the right direction.
Internet Statistics Compendium
Econsultancy's Internet Statistics Compendium is a compilation of internet statistics and online market research with data, facts, charts and figures. Updated monthly, the various global and country-specific documents contain thousands of stats and figures. A huge time-saver for presentations and reports.
Using Social Media to Influence Influencers: Digital Workshop
2013 is the year of going "beyond the like" to build deeper engagement, with successful brands leading the way in allowing (satisfied) customers to do the heavy lifting on their behalf. This Digital Workshop presentation includes slides and instructions for the audio replay of this session. Download for an intense hour of learning how to define, identify and build innovative influencer initiatives for your organization. Presented by Ana Garcia Doyle.
JUMP New York 2013 Presentations
Presentations from Econsultancy's JUMP New York, online and offline marketing all joined up, event on January 30, 2013. Over 750 digital marketers attended to hear from those leading the way in multichannel marketing.
Pinterest for Business: A Best Practice Guide
This report is aimed at companies and individuals who are thinking of joining Pinterest and want to find out more about the social platform, as well as people who are currently using Pinterest for business, and want a deeper understanding of best practice.
Online Communities
Download the final report in this series (Leveraging the Community) here.
Online Communities is a multipart series that guides marketers through the construction, upkeep, and leverage of a digital community. The four reports in this series aim to help marketers learn the best ways to conduct conversations across multiple platforms, understand the utility of email marketing, gather feedback, offer support, and, finally, convert community members into buyers.
Online Communities Part Four: Leveraging the Community
This report is the final in a four-part series on developing and growing online communities. Leveraging the Community focuses on the tools and tactics to take advantage of social audiences that have coalesced around a brand or product. Its three primary sections - feedback, support, and selling - cover the fundamental capabilities of community.
Quarterly Digital Intelligence Briefing
Econsultancy's Quarterly Digital Intelligence Briefings, sponsored by Adobe, look at some of the most important trends affecting the marketing landscape. The latest report, published in January 2013, examines some key digital trends for 2013, outlining the challenges and opportunities which organizations are (or should be) paying close attention to.
Facebook for Businesses in the Middle East and North Africa
The Facebook for Businesses in the Middle East and North Africa Best Practice Guide explores in detail country-specific best practices for setting up and running a Facebook Business page in the MENA region.
Digital Cream Singapore 2012 Presentations
Two keynote presentations from Econsultancy's Digital Cream Singapore 2012 event on 29th November 2012, where Asia's most senior client-side digital marketers gathered to discuss and explore the latest best practices on e-marketing procurement, business cases, investment, ROI, and suppliers selection. Delegates also discussed their future online stratgies and compared them with like-minded peers.
What can retailers learn from publishers online?
This 28-slide presentation was delivered by Econsultancy's CEO, Ashley Friedlein, at RichRelevance's customer event in London on 27 September 2012. In this presentation Ashley asks what retailers can learn from publishers and brands online. Specifically he looks at examples across content strategy & planning, content curation, content experiences where brand/publishers are arguably out-competing retailers online at the moment.


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What people are saying - Write a reviewReview: First Steps in Academic Writing (The Longman Academic Writing Series, Level 2) (2nd Edition) (Longman Academic Writing: Level 2)User Review - Sebah Al-Ali - GoodreadsA textbook assigned for teaching writing classes, level 2 (low-intermediate) in my institution. It's not bad. The structure of the book is interesting, and the material provided is suitable for my ... Read full review Review: First Steps in Academic WritingUser Review - GoodreadsUsed as the writing text for a low-intermediate writing class at a community college. On the whole, my students didn't find this text as useful as its predecessor (Weaving It Together, Book 2 by ... Related books
18 other sections not shown Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrasesACTIC Add commas adjective clause Adverbs Arnold Schwarzenegger beach brainstorming capital letters capital punishment Check for capital Check for comma Check the commas Check the paragraph Check the sentences Check the spelling classmate comma splices complete thought complex sentences compound sentence concluding sentence controlling idea coordinating conjunction correct Costa Rica draft to hand Edit your paragraph English express a complete fragment freewriting goldfish GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS independent clause learned least one subject listing-order transition signals main points MECHANICS Check Michael Fay Minnie Mouse model paragraph neat final draft noun opinion ORGANIZATION outline PARAGRAPH CHECKLIST FORM paragraph form paragraph look parents partner prepositional phrases Prewriting punctuation reasons roommate rules run-ons SENTENCE STRUCTURE Check simple sentence space order specific details STEP subordinating conjunction supporting sentences teacher tell tences time-order transition signals topic sentence Underline Unit Write a neat Write a paragraph Write the Final WRITING PRACTICE Bibliographic information |

subset: commoncrawl


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John Wayne doesn't have any movies playing in theaters.
If you feel like heading out, check out other movies in theaters.
Lady from Louisiana
War of the Wildcats
The Lawless Nineties
Wyoming Outlaw
Lady for a Night
Three Texas Steers
Red River Range
The Great K & A Train Robbery
Noah's Ark
College Coach


text:
SOA for Dummies. Service Oriented Architecture for Dummies. Download mini eBook.
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles have been the foundation for the evolution of transactional systems to e-business and end-to-end business process integration. In the next decade, the same SOA principles will be at the core of a new era of business engagements that transact at internet scale across locations, devices, people, processes and information.
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Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
Its impossible not to get pumped watching the Ultimate Fighter 17 unfold. The rigorous coaching by two of UFCs most well known fighters and the excruciating elimination rounds are all you need to get up, warm up, and get in fighting form. Choose sides now and support the chosen team through to the end with the TUF 17 Team Sonnen Hoodie. The black hoodie is bound to make you stand out while you stand up for the dominating team. The soft sweater features the Ultimate Fighter screen-printed across the front and back with Team Sonnen on the back and down the sleeve.


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Did anyone see the juggalo get a web redemption on Tosh.O last night and just laugh their asses off LOL sorry I dont have a video if anyone does and wants to post it be my guest!
I have no idea what this thread is v_v somebody post a video
I have no idea what this thread is v_v somebody post a video
This is the only video I could find on Youtube.
I have no idea what this thread is v_v somebody post a video
Get More: Tosh.0 Videos,Daniel Tosh,Web Redemption
I know LOL hes like one of the best and Tosh just starts laughing in his face hahaha
Ryan said:
Hahaha i laughed so hard at the kid n when shaggy pulled the gun out. Funny thing is kid says hes a juggalo but doesnt een know what it means to be one "u gotta do what we do" i laughed super hard when he said that ICP's music was "some of the best ever"
I was rollin the other night. Classic
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Firm, sweet, and meaty, Bella di Cerignola green olives are mild and buttery, perfect for the first-time olive eater. Learn More
A special twist on our Sicilian Oil Cured Olives, these olives feature a red pepper zing to any side dish or snack. Learn More
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Bitter and vibrant, these colorful olives are just as tasty as they look and are perfect for any cheese or salami pairing. Learn More
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Welcome to the Center for Psychotherapy Research!
The Center for Psychotherapy Research (CPR) is a research unit of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Faculty members conduct a wide range of studies on the process and outcome of different types of psychotherapies. The primary long-term vision of CPR is driven by questions about which treatments work for what kinds of psychiatric disorders. Research in CPR is designed to test hypotheses about the means through which effective treatments work.
The Center is Now Hiring!
There are two open Research Assistant positions at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Psychotherapy Research for 2013 graduates interested in pursuing Clinical Psychology
Responsible for helping implement federally funded grants to evaluate therapeutic interventions for mood disorders by collecting data in the community mental health system. Duties include preparing study materials; assisting with patient recruitment; enrolling and consenting patients for inclusion in the study; monitoring study charts; documenting and reporting adverse events; providing reports of progress; working as a liaison to the community mental health system; putting together mailings, presentations, etc; conducting screens to determine patient eligibility for research study participation; assessment of enrolled patients. Opportunities for presentation and publication are available.
Minimum qualification for this position is BA or BS from approved University or college, Psychology degree preferred. Candidates must be able to work independently, deal effectively with professional staff/associates, respond well to the needs of community mental health patients, and be detail-oriented. Candidates are required to be computer literate and have working knowledge of Microsoft word processing and spreadsheet packages. Valid driver's license and car required to visit community sites in and around Philadelphia.
Interested candidates should submit a resume directly to Rachel Mack at firstname.lastname@example.com.
The vast majority of people seen at CPR are involved in research projects. The specific treatments, assessments, or other interactions with participants vary greatly from one research project to the next. Not all studies involve provision of treatment. Participants come to CPR from a variety of sources--some respond to advertisements about participating in a research project while others are referred by the Triage Unit of the Department of Psychiatry Behavioral Health.
Non-Research Clinical Functions
In addition to those who are involved in research conducted under specific treatment protocols, patients are also seen by individual members of CPR faculty who are licensed clinical psychologists, under the auspices of the Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania (CPUP). These patients deal directly with their individual care providers for all scheduling, treatment, and payment for services rendered.
For More Information
To learn more about our current treatment programs, research protocols, or to ask specific questions about the Center, please call us at 215-349-5222.
More Information
To learn more about our current treatment programs, research protocols, or to ask specific questions about the Center, please call us at 215-349-5222.


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- Text Size:
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Aubry's lawyer attached several photos to the filing to show his blackened, swollen eyes, cut lip and bruised face.
Aubry was treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for a fractured rib and several bruises on his face and forehead, and he required stitches to repair three cuts in his mouth, the filing said.
The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.


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I think you guys really mean "puff piece" ("a newspaper article, book, public-relations film, etc., whose purpose is to praise or flatter"). I could be behind the times, but I don't think "fluff piece" is correct. But "fluff" ("light or superficial entertainment") can be used as a near synonym in certain contexts.
I wouldn't call Leaming's book fluff by any stretch. It's a serious, well-written study of Welles. It just also happens to be an entertaining read. It does take Welles' side on almost all issues of contention and it tends to downplay his flaws, so calling it (in part) a puff piece is a bit more fair. But I don't think it's any more of a puff piece than most "authorized" biographies. I think it's a great place to start for someone interested in Welles, because it is imbued with his personality. And Leaming likes Welles so much that the reader can't help but like him too.


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Skip to main content
To get started, browse the PHA Special Events calendar for registration and contact information. Once you find an event in your area, you can:
Fundraising online is easy when you use PHA's handy tool. You can get personal sponsors to support your participation in a PHA special event! In addition to raising funds and awareness, many online fundraisers report on the enjoyment they get from the comments and support from friends and family.
"This is huge! These personalized pages will make it so much easier to raise more for PH." --Support Group Leader Joanne Schmidt (left) with Debbie Castro and Mary Bartlett '05 Long Island PH Fun Walk
You can also collect pledges and donations for an event from your friends, family and peers in-person. To learn more, contact the organizer of the event you're attending, using information on our special events calendar, or contact Jessica McKearin, PHAs Special Events Manager, at email@example.com.
It takes many hearts and hands to organize a successful event. If there's an event near you and you'd like to help out in small or large ways, contact the organizer who will be delighted to put your time and talents to work.
You can help out before the event with publicity, fundraising, donating or collecting auction or raffle items, providing logistical support and in many other ways. Volunteering on the day of the event is equally important and appreciated! "Day of" volunteer tasks include registering participants, serving food, set-up and clean-up. Plus you'll have a great time and meet lots of wonderful people.
You can still make an impact by making a personal donation, setting up a personal fundraising page or fundraising offline for an event. By doing so, you'll help the event organizers reach — and even exceed — their fundraising goals.
More Events
Gather ideas for making your own fundraising page shine! Check out the "Top Teams" and "Top Fundraisers" sections on PHA's Firstgiving site.
Connect with our nationwide network of volunteer special events organizers. PHA's Special Events Forum is an email group for sharing and receiving planning tips, advice and encouragement!
Join PHA's Special Events Forum (Requires a free Google account. Please allow a short delay while your group membership is processed.)


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1817 Lakeshore Dr
Yukon, OK 73099
Bring the family out to Old Route 66 Vegetable Farm in Yukon, where locally-grown food is ... read more...
2101 S Holly Ave
Yukon, OK 73099
This children's playground was built for all ages and abilities, including the physically and mentally disabled. ... read more...
601 S Mustang Rd
Yukon, OK 73099
Henry Hudson's Pub in Yukon offers a place to relax, hang out with friends, have a drink and grab a bite to eat. ... read more...
3000 E Logan Rd
Weatherford, OK 73096
The Stafford Air & Space Museum is named in honor of Lt. General Thomas P. Stafford, a native of Weatherford. ... read more...
12701 W Wilshire Blvd
Yukon, OK 73099
The Express Clydesdales Ranch, located on the historic Chisholm Trail in Yukon, is home to some of the world's most ... read more...
Laser Expedition & Great Experiences Oklahoma
3201 N Richland Rd
Yukon, OK 73099
Laser Expedition is Oklahoma's only indoor and outdoor laser tag complex. They are the ultimate place to play indoor ... read more...
Western Oklahoma Historical Center
520 W Main St
Weatherford, OK 73096
Located one block north of the Weatherford City Hall, the Western Oklahoma Historical Center has many things to offer ... read more...
409 Hook Dr
Weatherford, OK 73096
Municipal 18 hole course with practice green for putting and pitching, driving range and chipping facilities. Cart ... read more...
601 Oak
Yukon, OK 73099
This three floor museum is housed in the original 1910 school building. It contains early day items, a Czech history ... read more...
505 Poplar Ave
Yukon, OK 73099
Visit Farfalla Wines, an upscale boutique winery in Yukon, to sample a flavorful selection of wines. Make an ... read more...
South of City
Weatherford, OK 73096
Located south of Weatherford, Crowder Lake offers 158 surface acres of water for recreational use. This lake has ... read more...
501 N Mustang Rd
Yukon, OK 73099
Welcome to Big Dick's Roadhouse in Yukon, where American-inspired appetizers are plentiful, and cold beer is ... read more...
Cimarron Fields Country Farm Market
5120 S Cimarron Rd
Yukon, OK 73085
Located on a working farm, Cimarron Fields Farm Market in Yukon offers fresh food and other farm products. A ... read more...
Chisholm Trail Watering Hole & Historic Marker
2101 S Holly Ave
Yukon, OK 73099
Features a historic marker for the famous Chisholm Trail. Open daily until 11 p.m. ... read more...
1600 S Frontage Rd
Weatherford, OK 73096
The Heartland of America Museum chronicles life in western Oklahoma by preserving historical artifacts and providing ... read more...
1511 E Main
Weatherford, OK 73096
Doc's Trading Post keeps the West alive in the heart of Indian Territory. Located in Weatherford, Doc's ... read more...
522 W Rainey
Weatherford, OK 73096
Located across from city hall, the park features an actual blade, 122 feet long, from a wind turbine and a brief ... read more...
11340 Surrey Hills Blvd
Yukon, OK 73099
The Golf Club at Surrey Hills in Yukon is an 18-hole course open to the public with driving range, putting and chipping ... read more...
P Bar Farms Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch
1002 Old 66 Rd
Weatherford, OK 73048
P Bar Farms in Weatherford features one of the oldest corn mazes in Oklahoma. Founded in 1907, P Bar Farms is ... read more...
Yukon Museum & Arts Center - The Stage Door
601 Oak St
Yukon, OK 73099
The Stage Door Theater was founded in Yukon, Oklahoma in 1987 and is located in the historic Yukon Museum and Arts ... read more...


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Hi friends! Today I have my friend Krissy sharing her raspberry hand pies – enjoy!
Hello BigFatBaker Readers! I'm Krissy over from Krissy's Creations food blog where I blog about my passion for baking and cooking and share fun, creative, and homemade recipes. I am so honored to be Guest Posting for Erin!
I first met Erin when we started developing our Milk Bar Mondays. But even before that moment I knew about BigFatBaker. I actually visited it frequently and made many of Erin's recipes. Her recipes are always delicious and a huge hit with my family and friends!
I wanted to bake up something special for you and Erin so I made these Raspberry Hand Pies. They are individual, hand-held, mini pies, filled with fresh raspberries and raspberry preserves.
They are made with my favorite, homemade pie crust recipe. It's flaky, buttery, and holds together perfectly.
These hand pies are a great alternative to making a full pie. You don't have to worry about slicing and serving the pie, and people love being able to have their own little hand-held pie.
Thank you SO much Erin for having me today! I hope you all enjoy my Raspberry Hand Pies!


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18 HTC Sense 5 wallpapers for Android
Looking to change up your Android home screen? It doesn't get much easier than swapping out the wallpaper; it's one of the quickest ways to breath new life into the mobile experience. We recently began curating a collection of wallpapers for you, dear reader, and …
- Home
- News
- Rumors
- Reviews
- Get This Look!
- Wallpapers
- Appteasers
- Common Android Questions
- Where do I find apps and games?
- How do I uninstall apps or games?
- How do I add an email account?
- How do I create a new contact?
- How do I check to see if there is an Android update?
- How do I change the wallpaper?
- How do I toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc?
- How do I add an icon or widget to the home screen?
- How do I lock my Android?
- How do I adjust screen brightness?


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Friday, June 8, 2012
Farm Cat Friday - InspectorCat Sherpa is on the Job Again!
Many of you guessed that he was checking out the male person's work.
Well, you were right!
Although he did take some time to just check out the view while he was up there.
I am sure he could see far and wide on a 8 foot ladder!
The publicist sees many strange things when she looks out her window but this was one of the strangest. I don't think the male person needs a relaxing cat snoopervisor, do you?
After a bit Sherpa decided he had better inspect the male person's carpentry skills so he decide to get down.
But being an adventurous cat he did not do it the easy way!
No he did not!
And he gave the building four paws up!
13 comments:
- jaz@octoberfarm said...
sherpa sure was named correctly!
- June 8, 2012 at 4:20 AM
- Robin Larkspur said...
I love the term "snoopervisor", lol!
- June 8, 2012 at 5:34 AM
- Marg said...
Sherpa, good job snooopervising. Sure glad you gave all your paws up for the building.That building sure has made for some good entertainment and a house for Abby too. Good stuff. Have a great day.
- June 8, 2012 at 6:11 AM
- Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell said...
There isn't much over there that escapes his attention and inspection!
- June 8, 2012 at 6:21 AM
- Random Felines said...
good job Sherpa - make sure the male person gets it right!!
- June 8, 2012 at 7:19 AM
- Chuck said...
Sherpa is so well named. Who else could build so much high adventure into one's daily routine?
- June 8, 2012 at 7:31 AM
- TexWisGirl said...
such a hard worker...
- June 8, 2012 at 8:32 AM
- Millie said...
It's god to know it has the Sherpa four paws of approval!
- June 8, 2012 at 8:45 AM
- Orion Designs said...
Looks to me like this new Goat Palace might have a sun room in the works!
- June 8, 2012 at 8:45 AM
- Sparkle said...
It's a good thing all that work passed Sherpa's inspection. It would have been a pain to have to start all over again!
- June 8, 2012 at 11:26 AM
- Keisha said...
That looks like fun! :)
- June 8, 2012 at 5:36 PM
- BeadedTail said...
We're glad that Sherpa is on duty to snoopervise the building of that golden goat palace!
- June 8, 2012 at 5:57 PM
- Candy C. said...
Good job Sherpa!
- June 10, 2012 at 5:53 AM


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Blog Categories:
Silly Stuff:
Facebook Humor Pages:
- A Fort 4 SpitFyre
- Captain Jerk
- Dads that drink and swear who like moms that drink and swear
- Don't Pet The Sweaty Stuff
- Don't Poke The Bear
- Dude. Wait, what?
- Humorgasms
- Ibeadick
- My Silly Life
- Randomness of a stay-at-home dad
- Sarcastic Mama
- The Looney Bin
- The Mother Freakin' Princess (The MFP)
- The World According to Atlas
Silly's Favorite Blog Sites:
Silly's Favorite Humor Sites:
Silly's Favorite Movies:
Silly's Playlist:
Hello, my name is Susan (aka Silly) and I'd like to welcome you to My Silly Life.
The purpose of this site is to blog about my life, spread mental health awareness, provide helpful resources for those who need guidance, bring the healing power of laughter into people's lives, and to prove that life does not end with a diagnosis.
About Mental Illnesses:
Mental Illness Resources:
Get Involved:
Online Shopping:
Silly's School:
Blog Directory:


text:
Dear visitor, welcome to Dreamboard. If this is your first visit here, please read the Help. It explains in detail how this page works. To use all features of this page, you should consider registering. Please use the registration form, to register here or read more information about the registration process. If you are already registered, please login here.
By Effendi eLMut (Nov 18th 2010, 2:18am) |
3 | 656 |
(Nov 21st 2010, 12:55pm) |
1 guests
786 threads - 6,859 posts (4.22 posts per day)


text:
In a previous chapter we made sure that Postfix knows which emails it's allowed to receive. Now what to do with the email? It has to be stored to disk. Usually that's done by Postfix itself which comes with a very basic mail delivery agent (MDA) called "virtual" that just saves incoming emails to virtual mailboxes on your hard disk. But as we will use Dovecot (for IMAP and POP3 access) anyway we can use its more featureful "local delivery agent" (also known as "Dovecot LDA"). It even allows you to use rules to run different automatic actions on incoming email. To make Postfix use that agent you will have to add a service to your /etc/postfix/master.cf:
dovecot unix - n n - - pipe
flags=DRhu user=vmail:vmail argv=/usr/lib/dovecot/deliver -f ${sender} -d ${recipient}
(Note: the second line has to be indented by spaces!)
Restart Postfix:
postfix reload
Also make Postfix use that service for virtual delivery by adding these lines to your /etc/postfix/main.cf:
postconf -e virtual_transport=dovecot
postconf -e dovecot_destination_recipient_limit=1
So now Postfix will pass on incoming emails to virtual users to the /usr/lib/dovecot/deliver program.


text:
brewpubs near green valley ranch las vegas
Hey! Looks like you only got a single local result. Toggle the map or related content below
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Try one of these tips to improve your results:
- Ensure your search term was spelled correctly.
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- Make your search less specific (e.g. Chinese instead of Kung Pao chicken).
- Are we missing a venue or event? Add it and let us know what you think.


text:
Design Hotels offers you four specials! 3 For 2, Upgrade, 7 For 5 or Value? It's your choice!
Privacy, luxury and elegance on the Grand Canal. Book now!
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Rich culture, historic cities, pristine beaches and colorful fiestas. Discover Andalusia!


text:
1 Meetup Group matches "Self-Sufficiency" near Columbia, MO
There are no upcoming Meetups.
The Readys is a group of ordinary everyday people whose goal is to become extremely proficient in Self-Sufficiency and Emergency Preparedness (or SSEP). We all know that bad things can happen and will happen. Whether they're catastrophic natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes OR man-made atrocities like acts of terrorism, economic disasters, pandemics and electromagnetic pulses (EMPs); The Readys is a rapidly growing network of frontline intelligent citizens who wan …
Get an alert email when new Meetup Groups like this start near you.
You'll get advice, help finding members, and tools to make running a Meetup Group easier.


text:
You Can Draw Catsby Dover
Gladys Emerson Cook, one of America's most beloved animal illustrators, provides 194 gracefully regal drawings – plus expert tips – that will have any feline-loving artist purring with delight.
From Angoras to Persians, Cook clearly demonstrates the differences in breeds and takes a walk on the wild side with big cats like pumas and lions.
Artists at every level, from absolute beginners to the highly experienced, will appreciate this concise guide's many insights.
Book specifications: paperback, 64 pgs., 11 in. x 8 1/4 in. Ask a question about You Can Draw Cats Ask a question about this product Be the first to write a review on this product! Please wait...
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text:
Chief executive of Aviva Investors London talks about his analyst presentation on fixed income management.
Well, Pat has shown you the scope and scale of our credit exposure across the group, and also the strong track record we have in managing that credit risk. I'm going to explain the role that Aviva Investors plays in the management of that credit risk, and it's a very close working relationship with the rest of the Aviva Group. Aviva Investors itself has a very strong track record in managing credit, and we have independently-audited track records that we can use to demonstrate that. So, where does that strength come from?
Well, there are a number of factors I draw attention to – the first is the scale of our operations, we manage over £150 billion sterling in fixed income, and over 80 billion of that is in the area of credit. Why does that scale matter?
It gives us a seat at the table. We know what's going on in credit markets, and when we want to say something, our voice is listened to.
In addition, that scale also means that we're looking at the markets from many different dimensions, it's not just a case of running, long-only portfolios – we're managing annuity-type books, LDI, DC pension and so forth – and because we're looking through many different lenses, we see all the perspectives that are driving credit market trends, and that gives us a much better understanding of the dynamics of credit markets, and hence our ability to excel in managing that type of credit risk.
The second factor is the critical mass that we have in terms of resources. We're showing that we have 66 investment professionals focused exclusively on credit risk.
Now not only does that human capital base give us the critical mass we need to do proprietary research, rather than having to rely on third-party suppliers of research, it also enables us to diversify the type of human capital we have; so not only do we have the traditional long-only credit managers, we have people that have worked on the sell side; we also have people that have worked in proprietary trading and, indeed, have run hedge funds.
So again we're bringing many different perspectives, a much broader view of credit markets than one would achieve if one had a much more narrow remit. The third important factor in our success, particularly in recent years, is the fact that we've adapted our investment processes to take advantage of the changes in market dynamics post the credit crunch.
Two examples might suffice here – first, liquidity: prior to 2007, liquidity was a free good, you could pretty much do what you wanted in credit, with almost no transaction cost. That's dramatically different now. We've adapted our investment processes to make sure that when we have good insight, we're also able to move positions around at will.
Second example of where the processes need to be adapted is taking into account the impact of other asset classes. It's clear now that global markets are much more interactive and move much more closely than they would have done in the past. We have a major advantage at Aviva Investors in that regard, in the sense that we're active in many other asset classes, all of the major equity markets, plus tactical asset allocation and so forth.
Now what that means is, again from the outside in, we're looking at credit from many different dimensions, we understand the dynamics and the impact on credit markets from what is going on in the world elsewhere in capital markets, and that's a major advantage relative to us being, say, a very narrow credit-only shop, or indeed a pure fixed-income house. Rather than going into more detail, though, with regard to that investment process, I will be summarising a case study which demonstrates how all this comes together, and how we work with Aviva as a group.
Just over a year ago we were contemplating how to deploy the proceeds from the Delta Lloyd transaction; taking into account our risk appetite and economic capital considerations, we decided to deploy £850 million into a corporate bond portfolio, requiring considerable liquidity, we needed to be able to move out of those positions if circumstances changed. We were able to put together that portfolio, and in 2010 it was a great success.
We suffered no defaults, no ratings downgrades; whereas the sum would have thrown off a risk-free rate of about £4 million over that period, it actually returned over £34 million. And that case study shows that we are very much able to deploy the skills and resources we have in Aviva Investors across credit management group-wide, and a critical enabler here is the one Aviva approach, because it provides us with a platform where all the components of the group can work very closely. And that partnership has been demonstrably successful in the area of credit management.
Cautionary statements:
This should be read in conjunction with the documents filed by Aviva plc (the "Company" or "Aviva") with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").
This announcement contains, and we may make verbal statements containing, "forward-looking statements" with respect to certain of Aviva's plans and current goals and expectations relating to future financial condition, performance, results, strategic initiatives and objectives. Statements containing the words "believes"," intends", "expects", "plans", "will," "seeks", "aims", "may", "could", "outlook", "estimates" and "anticipates", and words of similar meaning, are forward-looking.
By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty.
Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements.
Aviva believes factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in forward-looking statements in the presentation include, but are not limited to: the impact of difficult conditions in the global capital markets and the economy generally; the impact of new government initiatives related to the financial crisis; defaults and impairments in our bond, mortgage and structured credit portfolios; changes in general economic conditions, including foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and other factors that could affect our profitability; the impact of volatility in the equity, capital and credit markets on our profitability and ability to access capital and credit; risks associated with arrangements with third parties, including joint ventures; inability of reinsurers to meet obligations or unavailability of reinsurance coverage; a decline in our ratings with Standard & Poor's, Moody's, Fitch and AM Best; increased competition in the UK and in other countries where we have significant operations; changes to our brands and reputation; changes in assumptions in pricing and reserving for insurance business (particularly with regard to mortality and morbidity trends, lapse rates and policy renewal rates), longevity and endowments; a cyclical downturn of the insurance industry; changes in local political, regulatory and economic conditions, business risks and challenges which may impact demand for our products, our investment portfolio and credit quality of counterparties; the impact of actual experience differing from estimates on amortisation of deferred acquisition costs and acquired value of in-force business; the impact of recognising an impairment of our goodwill or intangibles with indefinite lives; changes in valuation methodologies, estimates and
assumptions used in the valuation of investment securities; the effect of various legal proceedings and regulatory investigations; the impact of operational risks; the loss of key personnel; the impact of catastrophic events on our results; changes in government regulations or tax laws in jurisdictions where we conduct business; funding risks associated with our pension schemes; the effect of undisclosed liabilities, integration issues and other risks associated with our acquisitions; and the timing impact and other uncertainties relating to acquisitions and disposals and relating to other future acquisitions, combinations or disposals within relevant industries.
For a more detailed description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors, please see Item 3, "Risk Factors", and Item 5, "Operating and Financial Review and Prospects" in Aviva's Annual Report Form 20-F as filed with the SEC on 30 March 2010.
Aviva undertakes no obligation to update the forward looking statements in this announcement or any other forward-looking statements we may make. Forward-looking statements in this presentation are current only as of the date on which such statements are made.
"This is Aviva" tells the story of Aviva in the words of our customers and employees. Filmed in three of Aviva's key markets - UK, Canada and Turkey - it gives an insight into how Aviva makes difference to the lives of our 43 million customers around the world.
Caption: This is Aviva
Caption: 43 million people rely on Aviva...
Caption: ...for prosperity and peace of mind
Caption: We help our customers to protect what's important to them & save for their futures
Caption: We've been doing this for over 300 years
Rachel Cater: This is Evie, she's now 6 weeks old and we've just taken out the free life insurance for new parents. I definitely think that this new life cover that we've taken out has given me peace of mind that we've got something there for Evie if anything, touch wood nothing would happen, but if anything did happen to myself or Evie's dad.
Simi Shasanya: Aviva's approach to sustainability means a lot to me as an employee, because it means we're focused on not only being profitable, but making sure we take the right decisions now to ensure that we're here for the long term.
Thomas Aldridge: About a year ago I got that bad phone call from the fire department saying that my restaurant had been destroyed, there was just a big black cave here. And within four hours I was talking to a senior representative from Aviva Canada.
As I tell my story to my clientele they're waiting for that "Oh my god, how bad was it?". And when they hear from me how good it was, they're actually like doing the "Hmmm, Aviva" or "What's your insurance company's name" or "I've never heard a sort of true happy story about insurance"
Dominic Clayden: We've got a lot of experience of claims, our customers will probably have one claim and we need to help them through that process.
Levent Altinisik: The fire started as we were finishing the construction of the hospital. As we refer to it, when the insurance was most vulnerable. If I had to describe Aviva in one word I would say responsive. They were by our side faster than we could ever have expected.
Gunnur Celik: When our customers need our help we do everything we can to provide them with the best service. We try to make a difference.
Tracey Harrison-Green: My husband got diagnosed with lung cancer. Then I told him about the life insurance policy that I have with Aviva, which then gave him the peace of mind of knowing that he wasn't going to leave us with the money problems.
It was December, it was nearly Christmas, I had the funeral to organise, and the fact of just going to the York branch of Aviva, and somebody helping me fill out that form, taking that extra pressure off me. And so it paid off the mortgage so I didn't have the money worries of having to take out a second job etc to look after myself and my son.
Claire Chambers: I think we're a modern company but we've got traditional values. We haven't forgotten about our core purpose and why we are here and that's to protect the important things for people, whether it's their life, their health, their possessions, their home.
Jocelyn Dobinson: We heard the dog barking, and there was a massive fire in the roof and I guess it was coming all through the house. It's devastating, and there was a lot of crying.
Rick Dobinson: You don't realise how much emotion you get until you see your house burnt, ok and you deal with that part of it. And then as you start trying to think about things that are, you know "what did you lose?" "Well I have nothing".
Aviva supported us with the funds which was a big thing. We had money coming in when we needed it. You know we made the claim and the money was there for us.
John Russel: One of the customers that really impacted me came in to our mobile office in Athabasca. Her apartment building had burned down and I was able to write her a cheque for $25,000 and she broke down in tears, but was also full of happy emotions as well too that we were there to respond and assist her, and it just, you know, it impacted me quite a bit.
Caption: A big issue facing society and governments today is funding for retirement...
Caption: ... we help millions of customers save for their retirement and support them in old age
Caption: While you have been
Caption: watching this film
Caption: we have paid
Caption: around £250,000
Caption: in claims and benefits
Caption: That's £33 billion paid out to customers last year
Andrew Moss, group chief executive, discusses Aviva's full year 2011 results, how we have been transforming Aviva and the outlook for 2012.
Interviewer: Andrew, you've announced your 2011 results, so, from your point of view, what are the key headlines on those numbers?
Andrew: Well, I'm pleased with the numbers. I think it was a good year, the operating results were strong, something like 6% on an underlying basis, that's without Delta Lloyd, which we've now sold the majority of. I think, that was done in the face of a, you know, obviously difficult external environment, particularly in the second half of the year, when European markets were extremely volatile.
We've been able to put the dividend up by 2% on the back of that strong operating performance. We've beaten all of our financial targets that we set for ourselves, on operating capital generation, on the combined operating ratio, internal rate of return on new business in the life business, it's as high as it's ever been, and we're on track to meet the cost savings targets that we talked about, so, overall, I'm very pleased.
Interviewer: From your perspective, what in particular would you say is behind that operating profit of £2.5 billion?
Andrew: Well, I think, as always, with our business, the first place you go is the UK, and we've seen our UK life business, which is still our biggest business, reporting record profitability in 2011, the profits were up something like 8%, and, perhaps more importantly, when you look at it over the long term, they've doubled in something like the last five years. And that's really about the products that we sell to our customers, we're making progress with our customers all the time in terms of our reputation, really pushing forward in market share, in terms of annuities and the protection book.
So, we're really achieving many of the things that we want to in that business, and then that's backed up by the UK general insurance business, where profitability's been going up with the combined operating ratio coming down.
And, again, that's because of strong underwriting performance in the current year, but also, as always, taking more costs out of the business and making ourselves the most efficient player in the market. That's our objective, we've achieved a lot in that regard, we've still got a bit more to do, but the results are beginning to really come through. Europe, too, I think has been a strong performance in the face of what's been a difficult market.
Interviewer: Regarding the UK business, you are quite clearly very encouraged.
Andrew: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think, you know, if you'd told me five years ago this was where we were going to be, particularly in the UK life business, I'd have been absolutely delighted. We're writing new business at a rate of return of something like 15%.
So, that is a very attractive return in what is a very stable and regulated market. And we've been able to do that and put capital to work in particular areas, such as annuities, where we have, I think, competitive advantage in terms of pricing. We've been able to grow distribution, particularly for the protection book.
So, you know, in the last year alone, we've put in place new agreements or enlarged agreements with HSBC, with Barclays, with Santander, and there's more coming down the track there.
So, our reputation and our cost efficiently allows us to win that business. So, we've seen our protection market share going up from about 11% up to about 15% in the course of the last three years, and on track to grow further.
Interviewer: Now, in Europe, there has been significant uncertainty, so how have you achieve growth there?
Andrew: Well, look, our businesses in Europe are strong, strong businesses, and we have, you know, strong customer franchises and strong distribution in our businesses. And that starts with France. You know, France is our third most profitable business in the group, and it reported increased profits again in 2011.
So, that was encouraging to see, and, on the back of that, we have Spain recording record profits as well, Poland doing very well, more on the protection side, actually, than the pensions side. And, you know, I think the overall outlook for those businesses continues to be very strong, despite the market volatility that we saw in the second part of the year.
Italy was more challenging, as was Ireland, and we're doing things about those two businesses, making some quite radical changes to the Irish business, bringing it under the umbrella of the UK, which definitely served customers well in Ireland, and we remain very committed to the Irish market, but providing product out of the UK which will be cheaper for customers and more profitable for us. So, a real double benefit in that regard.
Interviewer: What about the strength of Aviva's balance sheet, how much of that has been a priority?
Andrew: Well, we've, over a period of time, built capital strength in the Aviva balance sheet. And certainly since 2008 and the financial crisis, you know, that's been an absolute priority for us, to maintain strength in the balance sheet. We built our capital strength up through to the end of the first half of 2011, and that served us well when things got really choppy in the second half of 2011, particularly in Europe.
So, you know, both on the IGD measure and on the economic capital measures, we were able to withstand some very big market moves, particularly in sovereign debt valuations in the second half of 2011. So, whilst we saw the capital ratios coming down a little bit towards the end of the year, what we've reported today is, actually, they've come up again substantially in the first part of 2012.
So, I think the message is a clear one. The balance sheet is strong, the capital position was built up to withstand shocks, there was a shock in 2011 in the second half, but we came through it well and the capital ratios are back up now.
Interviewer: Can you give us an update on your strategic developments, what progress are you seeing there?
Andrew: Well, good progress, I think. 2011 was really encouraging in that respect. And let's just remember what the strategy is about. First and foremost, it's growing, in our key markets, and so the UK is a fantastic example of that. We're growing market share in the Life business, we've been growing market share again in the general insurance business, premiums are up something like 8% in 2011. We had something like 400,000 new motor policies in the UK in 2011.
So, that's the first really important part, I think, of the strategic debate. Now, the other side of that is that, whilst we're allocating capital to our big key markets, we have made decisions to exit some of the markets, and we've made good progress on that in 2011.
So, we sold down another slug of Delta Lloyd, so we've deconsolidated Delta Lloyd in the Netherlands. We sold the RAC, which is a non-core business here in the UK, at, I think, a good price, representing something like 17 times earnings, we did that in June of last year.
And, just recently, early this year, we've announced the sale of our activities in the Czech Republic, in Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. So, all of that, I think, augers well for the future in terms of making sure that we're allocating capital to the businesses that we want to, and making progress on getting out of the businesses that we don't want to be in for the long term.
Interviewer: You've spoken very passionately in the past about putting customers at the heart of everything Aviva does, so how is that working, how is that progressing?
Andrew: Well, the Customer Agenda, I think, has made fantastic progress in the course of the last two or three years. We've measured ever more rigorously, I think, what customers are saying about us, thinking about us. And the results of that have been, I think, there for all to see.
Our Net Promoter Scores have been going up, so that's pleasing to see. We've still got work to do on that front. And this is about providing good service to customers and good value to customers, in terms of the products that we provide. So, certainly in the UK, I think we've made good progress on that, and that's true on a number of other markets, in Canada, in the US, and in some of the European markets, as well.
But it's something – you mentioned I'm passionate about it – I think that my real priority there is to keep pushing that agenda. Because I think, whilst we've made good progress, I think it can be a source of real competitive advantage to us as we push forward. So, pleased with where we've got to but demanding more from our people in terms of getting further.
Interviewer: So, Andrew, looking ahead, and in your view, what is the outlook for Aviva in 2012?
Andrew: Well, look, the world's still a reasonably uncertain place, I mean, you know, the second half of 2011 proved that, I think. But I think, at the end of the day, the strength of the businesses we have, and you see, you know, our operating performance, stronger again in 2011, over a strong 2010, proves that, essentially our strategy is working. And the choices we're making about where to allocate capital are coming through now in terms of our key markets.
So, the 12 key markets that we're focusing on, profits were up something like 9% in 2011. We've got to push on, on an operational front, from there. And to help us do that, we've set some new targets for 2012, which actually push up the internal ratio return requirements in the business above 13%. We're keeping the combined operating ratio requirements. And the operating capital generation targets, we're upping guidance on that, as well.
So, I think that signals confidence in the things that we can control to make sure that we continue to make progress that comes through to the bottom line. Over and above that, of course, there are a lot of things going on in the outside world, and managing the risk associated with that is an equally important task, and I think we've got a good track record of doing that over the course of the last few years, but we will continue to devote energy and resource to that side of things, as well.
Interviewer: It's always good to hear your views, thanks for your time.
Andrew: Thank you, Simon.
Pat Regan, chief financial officer, talks about Aviva's 2011 full year results, including what's driving the group's performance, increased operating targets and the priorities for 2012.
Interviewer: So, Pat, let's begin by looking at what you've announced today. Talk us through the headline numbers.
Pat: Sure, thank you. So, the headline numbers, operating profit at over £2.5 billion, again, up some 6% on an underlying basis. Operating capital generation, which I think is a stand-out feature in our results today, at £2.1 billion, up some 25%. Life new business profitability at over 14%, which is a record high for us, I think. And our combined ratio at 96.8% and another improvement in the general insurance profitability.
Interviewer: Now, clearly significant is the increased net operating capital generation, what's behind that?
Pat: Yeah, thanks for that. A few things, I think. One is the profitability and cash flow we make off our in-force customers on the life business. We have almost 30 million customers, we do a good job in serving our customers well and keeping our customers, they give us a very predictable and growing stream of profits from our in-force life business.
Second is the increased profitability we make in general insurance, which adds, as well. And the third is, investing less capital, investing capital more efficiently in life new business profitability, which we've done, I think, really well over the last couple of years, almost halving the amount of capital we invest in life new business, whilst maintaining almost the same level of sales.
So, the combination of those three things, in-force life profits, growing general insurance profits, and more capital efficiency on the life investments.
Interviewer: Given that the dividend is clearly an important topic for your shareholders, what is driving Aviva's dividend payment for 2011?
Pat: Yes, we've increased the overall full year dividend by some 2%, to 26p. We have a strong dividend yield, that's one of the strong features of the Aviva story. And our profit cover, those £2.5 billion of operating profits, turn into a profit cover of over two times, and on our operating capital generation, that also translates to a very strong free cash flow yield supporting that dividend, as well.
Interviewer: The life insurance appears to be performing well, so give us some insight into the life result?
Pat: Yes, our life profits are up by some 7% in the year. And a couple of things that are going on there. One is the in-force amount of business that we're managing has gone up, our in-force reserves have gone up, so we're keeping more customers, and we're adding to that stock of customers.
The second thing, as we write new business, we're writing it at increasingly profitable levels, so that adds to the profitability, as well. And then we continue to get a strong flow of underwriting margin, so when we price business, on expenses, etcetera, we do even better, and we're getting an increasing profitability stream from that.
Interviewer: Let's talk about the general insurance business, how is that performing?
Pat: The general insurance business is both increasing profitability and growing at the same time. That's clearly true in the UK, but true in our other big businesses around the world. Very strong results in Canada, some 95% combined ratio, very strong results in France, a 90% combined ratio, and a 96% combined ratio in the UK business. What's a strong feature for all of them, we're growing personal lines well, particularly personal motor.
Our brand's working really well, we're getting new customers in the door. We're also really efficient in terms of how we're managing that. Our expense ratios are down across the piece, so as we're adding new customers, we're doing that as essentially a flat expense base, and all the while sticking to our guns of having really good disciplines around things like underwriting and claims management.
Interviewer: To what extent would you say the 2011 performance was affected by market and economic conditions?
Pat: I think in terms of operating metrics, as you've seen, our operating metrics are very resilient. As you would expect, we saw some unrealised movements, our mark to market movements on our investments. And that impacted our bottom line profit before tax, at £87 million for the year, that was both in Delta Lloyd and in the rest of the Aviva business. Now, because they were unrealised, they've actually largely reversed, post-year end to the period now.
Interviewer: How have you been managing Aviva's capital position?
Pat: We've done a lot of work over an extended period of time to build Aviva's capital surpluses. Really, over the last two or three years, that strong net operating capital generation is a big feature of that, plus other kind of bigger things, like the sale of the RAC, the sell-down of Delta Lloyd, now down to a 40% holding from 100% a couple of years ago. Continued to work on our pension scheme and move that into a much better financial position.
So, some big picture stuff. We also worked on smaller things, like product pricing, product guarantee levels. All of that stood, as well, to build up our capital buffers to withstand what's clearly been a very volatile period, particularly in Europe and the latter half of last year.
Interviewer: And you have a significant presence in Europe, to what extent has Aviva been affected by eurozone issues?
Pat: Well, as I say, clearly, the European financial markets were in a much more uncertain and volatile period, particularly in the second half of 2011. What you saw was corporate spreads move out and government spreads, indeed, move out, as well. In terms of our core operations, though, we increased operating profits in Europe, up some 4% or so, very strong results in places like France, Poland, Spain. And in a number of those areas, our new business sales, as well, were remarkably resilient.
So, I think what we tried to do was focus, again, on keeping our customers, managing them well, doing some good product pricing and managing our capital particularly efficiently in what was a volatile market.
Interviewer: Why have you confirmed your plans to increase Aviva's targets for 2012?
Pat: Well, I think we feel good about the progress we're making kind of more broadly. We set the financial targets originally just over a year ago, we beat each in our performance in 2011, so I talked about the operating performance, it's been really resilient. Life new business profits, general insurance profits, and that operating capital number. So, I think, on the back of what we done in 2011, we felt confident enough to slightly increase those targets for 2012.
Interviewer: Finally, looking at year ahead, what are your thoughts about 2012?
Pat: Well, I think, operationally, again, we're going to try and carry on doing the things we did in 2011, so, keep our customers happy, manage our expenses well, allocate our capital in a really kind of efficient and disciplined manner, and do all those things so we continue to generate strong profits and continue to generate strong operating capital generation.
Interviewer: Very interesting indeed, Pat, thanks for your insight.
Pat: A pleasure, thank you.
Over the last three years, we've been changing the way we look after our customers in the UK. We've been creating a culture that puts the customer at the heart of everything we do, simplifying processes to ensure we're providing the best possible service. It's made a difference to our employees and our customers; employee engagement and customer satisfaction have both increased.
Much of the cultural change has been led by the people who know our customers best - those at the front-line of the organisation. We call this new approach "systems thinking." Hear more about it from the people who are making it happen.
Caption: At Aviva, we've been changing the way we look after our customers
Caption: We've been putting them at the heart of everything we do, to ensure we provide what they really want from us
Caption: Here's how we are doing it…
Aviva employees speaking
Employee 1: Welcome to Aviva you're through to Kylie Read how can I help?
Employee 2: Hello my name is Samantha I'm calling from Aviva.
Employee 3: Good morning speaking.
Speaker 1: Hi Kylie it's Amanda from Age Partnership.
Employee 4: Oh hello Amanda.
Employee 5: It gives me great job satisfaction.
Employee 6: In my mind it's like a commonsense approach.
Employee 7: A fantastic piece of brilliance.
Employee 8: To me it's just great leadership.
Employee 9: It's Aviva trust in us to do the right thing by the customer.
Employee 10: It's actually giving the customers what they want not what we think they want.
Employee 11: I couldn't believe that we hadn't done it sooner really.
Employee 12: I think Systems Thinking has been a phenomenal transformation for Aviva 'cause it's about putting the power into the front end of the business so the people that deal with customers, the people that sell customers day to day those are the people that can really, really work out the best way of running our processes, the best way of structuring our business.
Employee 13: A customer can't understand you've got to take so many calls in an hour, they want to be treated correctly.
Employee 14: Well Systems Thinking is an everyday thing, it's all a matter of finding out exactly why the customer's calling us and making sure that we do everything to meet their requirements.
Employee 15: What steps we're doing that we don't actually need to be doing and what is value within that work by removing the waste you're then improving the capability to do even more work.
Employee 16: We put all post-it notes over the walls of the system and we looked at how much non value and waste there was and started picking bits out and eventually we came up with a much more user friendly process which suited our customers.
Employee 17: I've gone from taking 100 calls a day to maybe 10, 15 calls a day. I know the customers are going away with what they want and I know they won't have to call back.
Employee 18: We've trained all of our staff so they're multi skilled so what that's meant is actually we've seen huge efficiency savings.
Employee 19: We've improved the time it takes to pay customers their money on equity release and now we can release that when they are on the phone and it's in their account in a matter of days. We can also now pay them their money they're borrowing against their property in half the time we use to when there was repairs that needed to be fixed.
Employee 20: When you focus on targets you lose focus on the customer themselves.
Employee 21: The fact that Mr and Mrs Smith have phoned up and you can hear in their voice how pleased they are in what we can do for them, what me as a person, what Aviva as a company can do for them.
Employee 22: We learnt this version of Systems Thinking from Vanguard who have worked with us over the last three years. The most mature areas that are using Systems Thinking now have customer satisfaction somewhere between 80 and 90%.
Employee 23: People can recognise they're calling Aviva now where before it was just another company. People kind of feel the difference in the experience they have.
Employee 24: You hear it all the time that the customer now will say you did such a good job on my motor insurance can I have a quote for my home insurance?
Employee 25: We've been hundreds of years putting a business together that's a significant business and we've got lots of customers. This is about continually changing the way that we think about those customers to give them something better.
Employee 26: The things that make me love working for Aviva now is the fact that we really are starting to demonstrate that we do care, and not just for our customers, but for our people as well.
Caption: In the words of our customers
Customer 1: The service and amount we've had has been very, very good, we couldn't fault anything. Very, very pleased.
Customer 2: The really encouraging thing for us is that, you know, you're willing for change.
Caption: Systems Thinking initiatives have supported an increase in customer satisfaction and employee engagement
Caption: We have seen, in our existing annuity business, a 26 point improvement in our Transactional Net Promoter ScoreTM
Caption: And a reduction in our call volumes by around 20%
Caption: We have a culture that we are proud of
Employee 29: I would never go back to the old way of working. It's a world away from where we are going.
Caption: www.aviva.com and #aviva
On Wednesday 1 March, Andrew Moss, group chief executive, Aviva Group, opened The Economist's Insurance Summit in London. The prestigious event, which was attended by over 100 senior insurance executives, regulators and policy makers, looked at what role the insurance industry should play in society today.
In his key note address Andrew Moss talked about the sustainability of the insurance industry and the need to continue innovating in an ever changing society, ensuring we are in the best position to provide our customers with the products and services they need.
Andrew Moss: Good morning, everybody, and a big thank you to The Economist for inviting me, last August, I think it was, to come and talk to this group, it looks like a fantastic turnout. I'm not actually going to spend a lot of time talking about things like Solvency II in my speech, because, actually, I'm going to try and focus on some of the other challenges that the industry has, and exactly how we can cope with those.
So, things like, for example, the development of the digital world, and what that means for the industry. So, I'm pretty confident that when we get to the Q&A, things like the Eurozone and Solvency II might be questions that you want to ask me about. So, very happy to talk about those things then.
But, actually, what I'm going to do in my speech is be, actually, resolutely upbeat about the industry. And I hope that will set a tone for the day, because, in my view, I honestly don't think there's been a better time to be in insurance, and the reason for that is very simple. Because, I think what we provide for consumers has never been so sought after or so necessary in the society that we now live in.
Some of the macro issues which are facing that society, whether it be energy consumption, climate change, obesity, consumer debt, all of those things have some impact on our industry but, actually, we're working in an industry that provides peace of mind for human beings, by being experts in managing risk. And that's really what our industry is all about, and we've been doing it for a very long time.
So, Redefining Insurance, which is the title of today's sort of theme, is actually something that the industry has been doing for something like 400 years, and the industry, of course, has been evolving as society has changed. And, as society redefines itself, so insurance has to follow and become an even greater part of it.
So, a hundred years ago, we didn't have mobile phone insurance. We could have had pet insurance, but we didn't, at that time, it's now quite a popular product here in the UK. But, on the contrary, the first defined benefit pensions were created more than 150 years ago.
So, what I want to do is try and celebrate a little bit of what we are, think a little bit about what we can do better, because, of course, there are things that we don't always get right; and then celebrate what could be the potential for the long-term of the industry. Because we have, by definition, to be a built-to-last industry. We're making promises to our customers, sometimes, for 40 or 50 years. So, sustainability is a vital component of everything that we do.
So, let's start with what we are, and let's just be a little UK-centric in that discussion to start with, so, let's take pride that we here, in the UK, work in Europe's largest insurance industry and, in fact, the third largest in the world, and we are a major contributor to economic growth and to the economy.
There are some big numbers here, 2½% of GDP, about £10 billion in taxes contributed to the Treasury. Five million small businesses who we take risk away from, so that they can get on running their business. Aviva alone, last year, paid out £33 billion in claims. And by the time I've finished speaking here, in about 15 minutes, that'll be about another million pounds paid out. So, our role in society, intrinsically, is one of responsibility. We invest in infrastructure projects, for health, for education, and for housing, and we employ a lot of people here in this country, about 350,000.
And what do those people do, well, if you go to my call centres and listen to them, actually, what they're doing is taking calls from people who are in trouble. Recently bereaved relatives, people who have just had a traumatic accident at the roadside, or just been burgled, or just been told that they're terminally ill.
And, at very raw moments in people's lives, we have to help them and provide a service and provide them with security that they need at that time. And behind every claim, of course, there's a more technical side to the industry. There's a highly trained actuary whose calculations have carefully assessed the risk and determined premiums paid. So, we're not right at the front line, we're not nurses, we're not doctors, but what we do does affect people for the rest of their lives. And I say that leading people in this industry, therefore, is an immense privilege.
And over and above that, of course, we're a major investor. The UK industry invests around £1.7 trillion across the UK economy. And, of course, we have to work with governments of the day on issues, like now, from flooding to pension reform, and on many other things as things progress.
So, as I said before, society changes, insurance has to change with it. Let's think about society. I don't know if any of you in this room have become parents in the last year. Well, if you had a son, he has a one-in-four chance of living to be a hundred. If you've a daughter, it's a one-in-three chance.
At the same time – and it's not the same one third, it's not just the female side of the gender, but one third will be obese in their life. And it's estimated that, on average, they will have 20 different employers by the time they reach retirement.
So, one of the big first order effects of that is that final salary schemes are a thing of the past. And the retirement landscape has undergone a seismic change at a time when state finances are hugely constrained.
There's no question, therefore, that the partnership between business and government has to be there to deal with one of the most significant challenges facing government and society at large. And on issues like open market options for annuities, we've been arguing for some time that there's a real opportunity to champion the needs of the consumer and bring greater simplicity and transparency and competition to the annuity market here in the UK. And I'm delighted that the ABI are moving in that direction, and we'll very soon be issuing guidance around those issues.
We were very pleased to see support in the recent European White Paper on Pensions for the concept of annual pension statements for all EU citizens, allowing people to compare projected retirement income against their own expectations and take action in a timely manner as a result. And, of course, it's not just about pensions, it's much bigger than that.
Long-term care is one of the things that people worry about more than anything else. And over and above that, the renewal of the country's infrastructure is another massive financial task that the industry and government need to work together on.
So, all of that, I think is positive, and demonstrates the potential of the industry and what it can do for society. But, also, I have to say, we have to acknowledge that sometimes, in the past, and probably still today, it hasn't got everything right. So, a little bit of audience participation here, how many of you in this audience have a pension?
Okay. How many of you know, today, what it's worth? That's impressive, actually, that's very impressive. Sometimes when colleagues do that, nobody puts their hand on the second part of the question. But I think there is a real question, do we do enough to help on that? So, you know, pension statements are, I think, generally thought of as virtually incomprehensible.
I was up in York in my Life operation, two or three weeks ago, listening to people who are ringing in three months before their pension matures. And the general status of those people is that they simply do not know what is going to happen, how much their pension is worth, and what their choices are.
And we, for example, in the course of the last year, have changed our policy on that, rather than sending out a letter and a thick pack, which, again, people regard largely as incomprehensible, we ring them up and we talk to them about it. And it's amazing what that small and simple change can do in terms of helping people to make the right choices.
What about motor insurance? It's a topical issue at the moment. There was an insurance summit at 10 Downing Street just a few weeks ago, talking about those issues. And there are real issues in that area.
Last summer, my car was sitting quietly in an underground car park, and my neighbour, who regularly parks their car next to me, scratched the side of my car and was kind enough to drop me a note into my flat saying that they'd done that. The process worked very well, their insurance company paid the claim, it was fine. But within just a few days, I was getting texts asking me to claim for my whiplash injury.
It's a fact, we see it all the time. In Aviva, we often use videotapes of accidents. A recent one that I saw, a car just scraped the side of a bus, absolutely no physical injury to anybody, either in the car or the bus. Four people on the bus made whiplash claims, including the driver.
When you look at the tape, the driver is driving, the impact occurs, there is no perception of movement whatsoever. This is the nature of what is happening in the UK in terms of compensation culture at the moment. So, I think we've got to make sure that we don't lose sight of our business model. We should not be making money from whiplash claims and referral fees, of fraud, or legal expenses. We should be making money from managing risk. And we probably haven't yet served young people well, managing to find a way to deliver affordable motor insurance for them.
And technology might be on the verge of making this a possibility. And, again, we at Aviva have had a go at this already, we had, back in 2004, 2005, a product which meant we put a black box in the boot of your car, and we were able to monitor speed and time of driving on all of those things and charge on a pay-as-you-go basis.
It did not take off. And it didn't take off for two reasons. First of all, it was actually uneconomic to put the boxes in the back of the car, and people didn't like the inconvenience that was necessary in terms of that installation. And, secondly, people didn't like the sort of Big Brother watching you element of that. But the reality is, this device, even in just five years, has changed the nature of that.
I've got an app on here which is something called a cycle meter, and so when you go cycling, it tells you how fast you've gone, what altitude you're at – it's not very fast in my case, I'll just hasten to add, except downhill, where the weight starts to tell, I have to say – but the reality is that that sort of technology is going to make that much, much easier, and I think it will become the reality of the way people pay for insurance in the future.
Now, while the industry gets things wrong from time to time, I think the other thing we've got to make sure is that regulation does not compound this. Nobody argues that insurance needs to be regulated. If you're making 30 or 40 year promises to customers and taking their money, actually, it's hard to think of a definition of an industry that should not be regulated more.
So, it plays a key role in protecting customers, in promoting financial stability, and ensuring that responsible companies operate on a level-playing field. So, it should encourage the sustainability of the industry and fairness for consumers. I think we have to ask ourselves some questions today, particularly in terms of the reaction to the financial crisis, as to whether that was happening. Solvency II is at an enormously delicate stage in its negotiations. So, regulation should be ensuring that we do everything we can to provide peace of mind and not get in the way of it.
And I just want to say that Aviva, because more than half of our business is here in the UK still – we are very, very committed to the UK and to Europe, which remains the heartland of our business. And we believe that it's actually vital that a British point of view is heard. And, in that, protecting the consumer here in the UK is of paramount importance.
Now, let's just talk about sustainability for a moment because, as I said, I think our businesses have to be built-to-last, and our customers have to believe that that's the case, given the length of time that they're investing with us. We've got an interesting example at Aviva. One of my colleagues, a man called John Lister, who's been the chief actuary in our Life business here in the UK. His father before him was Norwich Union's Chief Actuary. So, today, John literally lives with the impact and the decisions that his father made.
And it's not actually a bad way to think about our business in the responsible way in which you should be taking decisions that will withstand all of the tribulations of what might happen in the world in the intervening time. So, sustainability is important but it's not a new concept to us, it's actually in the DNA of insurers.
If you ask who has Aviva insured over the years? Isaac Newton, the Titanic, Winston Churchill, John Kennedy, all of those people, or objects, have been insured by Aviva. And running a sustainable business is about how we treat our people, our customers, and our contribution to the communities in which we work. And, of course, the economic growth of the company itself is vitally important. And there's a tremendous amount of power inherent in the investment choices that we make, because we can influence and create sustainability in other companies if we use that influence correctly.
And that alone, I think, makes an extremely powerful contribution going forward. So, there is a huge amount of potential inherent in the industry. Two years ago, I co-chaired with Alastair Darling, then then Chancellor, an insurance industry working group here in the UK, that was looking at a vision for the insurance industry in 2020.
And one of the key outputs of that, in terms of statistics, was the fact is that, in terms of pension payments, motor insurance payments, accident and health, things like that, about two-thirds of the burden of that falls on government, and about one third falls on the private insurance industry. If you move the dial by just 5%, that is £17 billion which is taken out from the burden of the public purse. That is a vast sum of money, and certainly any government, of course, is interested in that, when the budget deficit and changes in society are so pressing.
And what else is happening in terms of the development of the industry? Well, let's just think back to insurance products that didn't exist even 20 years ago, and let's imagine what might emerge in the next couple of decades. Long-term care. I mentioned it earlier, inextricably linked with pensions, will be radically overhauled, it has to be. People will be saving all of their working lives to fund all of their retired ones.
Oyster Card insurance, it's definitely on the way. Swipe in, swipe out, you're charged by the hour or the trip or the event. And given the volume and sophistication of data about people available on their phones, your phone becomes a risk map, which means instant cover can't be far away.
And insurance for the mobile wallet, again, the phone is fast becoming the hub of all your financial information and a means of payment. And as more and more is done on a digitally smart phone, the notion of how you protect and insure yourself inevitably extends. For business products, for cyber security, to deal with fraud and hacker threats. And community-based insurance, certainly being talked about now, groups of friends buying insurance policies together and pooling risk. Driverless cars.
The technology already exists, it will come, it's a risk we will have to take on board. And intelligent houses. So, what does all of that mean? Because all of that change is coming and it's coming fast.
So, it means that while we should be proud of the industry, its ability to endure, and all it means for the UK, it means that we do permanently have to be evolving in a changing society for the customer of the day, never losing sight of the core purpose, to manage risk excellently, to create peace of mind for our customers. And that is a vital pillar of our economic system and of our society itself.
It means also that we have to look honestly at ourselves and improve. And it also means that we need regulation that enables us to do our job for individuals. We should use our investment strength to help government, society, and promote sustainability. And we should innovate probably as never before.
Technology doesn't change the fundamentals of our industry but fundamentally is changing consumer behaviour around us. I have to say that, as far as I'm concerned, all of that presents an extremely exciting set of challenges. And, in that sense, therefore, I think there has never been a better time to be in insurance.
This feels like a very, very good turnout. I think it's going to be a good day. And I really do want everybody in the room to feel proud to be part of what is, I think, a very unique and very special industry, thank you.
Andrew Moss was a guest host on CNBC's Squawk Box programme on the morning. Watch extracts from Andrew's interview.
Rebecca Meehan: Today's Stock in 60 is Aviva. Pay very close attention to this because we will have the CEO of the business on a little bit later. You'll be tested on all of these numbers. Looking at the stock analysis to start with and the shares of Aviva yesterday getting a big bump up when we saw stocks around Europe getting a boost.
But some of the more specific figures relating to this company, the market cap almost at £8.5 billion, the dividend deals of nearly 8.5 %, price earnings ratio 6.349 to be specific.
Now let's take a check on what the analysts believe is the case for this stock. The vast majority of analysts that have recommendations out on the shares are in favour of it. Of the 31 analysts who rate the company, 20 of them have a buy or a strong buy, 11 have a hold, no sell ratings on this stock. The shares though have been suffering recently underperforming the FTSE 100 and the stocks and insurance sector.
Andrew Moss: I think it's been a fantastic you know three years when really you've been getting the company through the financial crisis. You're a bit volatile again at the moment, but during that point, you know, during that process company's much leaner, much more efficient, the profits are rising, costs are down from £6 billion to £4 billion.
You know we get through this next leg of crisis, which I'm very confident about, and I think you're going to see the brand working brilliantly in the UK and Trevor is going to make a fantastic difference to that as well. I'm really looking forward to him coming on board.
Geoff Cutmore: Let's go back to Andrew Moss then. Andrew's with us from Aviva. Andrew I was just having a look back at some of the newspaper headlines, you know, knowing that you were coming up and what this one in the Telegraph sort of stuck out for me, 2011 the year Aviva must deliver. Of course you announced a whole slew of targets at the close of last year, not least this reduction of hybrid debt. How's that all going? How are you doing on these targets?
Andrew Moss: Well we're hitting them all frankly, Geoff. I think you know even in what are clearly very difficult markets in the last three months, we're able to announce profits up at 5% in the first half. 21% up in Europe, which is quite interesting given what's going on in the eurozone.
So it just shows I think the strength of the business, the underlying business and you know the eurozone I think is obviously right in the spotlight at the moment but you can't get away from the fact that, ok it's 7% of the world's population but still 35% of world GDP.
So it's incredibly important to the world economy. People have money, they save money and they certainly need to save more because I don't think any of us thinks that governments are going to be able to fund people in retirement the way they have over the last few decades. That's pretty evident in today's world.
And so, you know, we have eight markets in Europe where we have large businesses, that's working very well for us at the moment. That isn't to say that, you know, clearly as we earlier talked about, the asset side of the balance sheet's under a bit of focus at the moment.
But you know we think we've managed down our exposures there and we're in good shape. So we're hitting our targets, we are I think realistic about the external environment at the moment but quietly confident frankly.
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As a result of our You Are the Big Picture campaign, Aviva raised enough money to fund two new Mobile Learning Centres, run by Save the Children in Delhi India. The buses, which hit the road in April 2012, provide a bright, engaging learning environment for children. They will head out across Delhi to markets, railway stations and other places where street children often spend their time.
The two existing centres funded by last year's campaign have already reached hundreds of children in Kolkata. These centres help Save the Children bring street children closer to education by providing a place where they can work directly with them, their employers, families and communities.
Manabendra Nath Ray, State Manager, Save the Children ,WBO
It's a very proud moment for Save the Children to launch the mobile learning centre supported by Aviva and Street to School. We have worked with Aviva since 2009 and we are reaching out to underprivileged children who are on the street or on the pavement and try to ensure their right to education.
Despite that effort there is still a group of children who are being deprived of their basic right to education and this initiative is actually trying to make education available on their doorstep. There are children that are still not working; there are children that are not allowed to have access to any education services or facilities.
Two such vehicles will be moving through the city in different areas where there are a high number of children on the street and out of school.
This van will have the facilities, like you can see, of interesting materials that we will be using in this vehicle and it will be catering to the need of children 6-14 years of age. So, we have started with these and then we will assess the learning needs of the children and increase the stock of books which will be used by the children.
It will also have audio visual facilities which we can use for interesting games and different types of learning materials.
This van will also have two trained educators and a councillor and a community mobiliser who will actually be travelling in the bus to different locations. They will actually interact with the children, interact with the communities, with the employers and other stakeholders and to mobilise the process of the children who are out of school and cannot access school, they are participating and engaging with this type of process. Prepare them through these types of services and then integrate them with the mainstream schools.
We have a plan to reach out to 10,000 children over two years out of which we will be providing direct services to 3000 children, prepare them to school standard and then integrate them with government sponsored schemes and schools. That is the idea of the mobile learning centre.
This year Aviva has a plan to continue with the Big Picture campaign and part of the donations that will be received from the Big Picture campaign will ultimately be impacting this particular initiative and another programme called Street to School which we are implementing through Aviva support in India.
Clive Bolton, at retirement director, Aviva Life UK, discusses Aviva's the research findings from the Future Prosperity Panel.
To find out more about Aviva's Future Prosperity Panel visit http://www.aviva.com/fpp
Hello, I'm Clive Bolton and I'm the at retirement director at Aviva Life UK.
Well, as Andrew Moss said, we bought together the Future Prosperity Panel to tackle one of the really big global financial issues of today and therefore the panel consists of nine experts accomplished in their fields to kick-start the debate.
Well there are a couple of examples that really stood out for me; firstly was Carl Honore. He talked about how we could use gaming, particularly with younger generations of people in their 20's, who use online games to learn and to stimulate engagement. He asked whether we could use that in the context of planning your future finances.
And another one is Alain de Botton, who talked about the slightly negative attitude that we have towards saving. It can sound very bloodless or misally and in actual fact saving is a precursor to giving and really we should attach it to the human spirit of generosity.
Have a plan. There are some people who do save well for their retirement and actually know what they want to do, but a lot of people put it to the back of their mind. For instance, they say they're going to sell up and move to a cottage in Dorset without actually working out if cottages in Dorset are any cheaper than the house they are currently living in. Therefore even at the most basic level we urge people to look at what they've got, what pension arrangements they have and match them against their plans.
Health is a really important issue and in fact in some ways health is your biggest financial asset as you reach that later life stage. It's all very well saying you're going to work into your 60's but the thing that will actually keep you doing the job that you may actually even enjoy will be the fact that your heath is sufficiently good to allow you to do that.
Well I think it's important to separate what individual companies like Aviva are doing with the bigger debate that we need to have in society - this is not only in the insurance industry but with regulators, government and also with society as a whole. Therefore what we're doing at Aviva through things like the Future Prosperity initiative is adding to that debate so we can move to some sort of consensus.
Well we'd really welcome people to join and share their views and so therefore if they want to do that and want to share or talk about what they think, they can go to our website on the subject at aviva.com/fpp and let us know.