Browsing by Author "Le Roux, Magdalena Elizabeth"

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    Captive insurance companies : a theoretical and empirical study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003-12) Le Roux, Magdalena Elizabeth; Mostert, F. J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Much research has been done on risk coverage within the field of the traditional insurance market, but the concept of alternative risk transfer is fairly new to the world of risk management. The need for more innovative, multi-faceted approaches to meet possible losses, together with the growing resistance to the cross-subsidisation inherent in traditional insurance, has initiated the development of the captive insurance industry as an alternative risk transfer mechanism. The objective of this research was to study the application of captive insurance as a risk management mechanism for managers. The objective comprised a modelling approach for managers to handle the strategic implications of establishing and operating a captive insurer. The tasks that were required for this assignment were as follows: • The completion of a literature study of the basic theory available on captive insurance as an internal risk financing mechanism for management; • The collection of relevant empirical information on the subject by means of questionnaires, which had to be based on the literature study; • The critical analysis of the collected data; and • The development of a decision-making model based on the outcome of the available information, that could provide a practical guideline for management to decide on the establishment and operation of a captive insurer. Twenty-five questionnaires were sent out during February 2003 to cover all the registered onshore and cell captive insurance companies in South Africa. Offshore insurance companies could not be included in this study due to article 33 of the Reserve Bank's Act no. 90 of 1989 regarding confidential information. Of the 25 captive insurance companies, 21 companies completed the questionnaires, and three respondents declared that they did not perform captive insurance activities anymore. A response rate of over 95 per cent is therefore achieved. The information obtained from the questionnaires was summarised on a SPSS spreadsheet and subjected to a statistical analysis to form the bases for the empirical investigation. The results of the empirical study for onshore and cell captive insurers leads to conclusions regarding the importance of the objectives needed for establishing and operating the captive Insurer. The three most importantfactors which should determine the decision of a holding company to establish an onshore captive insurer were identified as the financial commitment of the holding company, the spreading of the risks of the holding company, and the retention capacity of the holding company. The three most importantfactors which should determine the decision of a holding company to operate an onshore captive insurer are the retention capacity of the holding company, the financial commitment of the holding company, and the management commitment of the holding company. The three most importantfactors which should determine the decision of a holding company to establish a cell captive insurer were identified as the spreading of the risks of the holding company, the retention capacity of the holding company, and the financial commitment of the holding company. The three most importantfactors which should determine the decision of a holding company to operate a cell captive insurer are the financial commitment of the holding company, the spreading of the risks of the holding company, and the management commitment of the holding company. A decision-making model for both onshore and cell captive insurers was developed as a tool for risk managers when deciding on the establishment and operation of a captive insurer as part of their risk management programme. The resulting conclusions and recommendations of this assignment are largely based on the personal viewpoints of the captive insurers active in the South African captive insurance industry. It is therefore recommended that future research also includes the role and views of the holding companies.