The characteristics of success : biographical and behavioural determinants in the selection of Life Insurance Agents.

Making choices remains at the core of Personnel Selection. It is not possible for any organization to hire every applicant and later evaluate whether to retain or dismiss them. Hence, selection decisions are needed up-front and these are basically predictions (Milkovich & Boudrea, 1991). As Smit...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Goh, Andrew.
Other Authors: Nanyang Business School
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10356/7189
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author Goh, Andrew.
author2 Nanyang Business School
author_facet Nanyang Business School
Goh, Andrew.
author_sort Goh, Andrew.
collection NTU
description Making choices remains at the core of Personnel Selection. It is not possible for any organization to hire every applicant and later evaluate whether to retain or dismiss them. Hence, selection decisions are needed up-front and these are basically predictions (Milkovich & Boudrea, 1991). As Smith (1994) indicated, the essence of selection is to identify those measures that predict job success or work performance. An important and established tenet in this field is that past behaviour is the most effective predictor of future behaviour. Recruiting and selecting the right candidates is as important for the life insurance industry as for many others. With a disappointing 15% retention rate record over a five-year time frame, this industry has allocated much time, money and effort to ascertain the characteristics (predictors) of success so as to reduce turnover and high costs in the hiring process. There is also concern about the gap existing between academia and practice. Research findings are not being put into use and practitioners may be utilising methods that are known not to be reliable or valid. One proven tool or technique in current use involves biodata (bibliographical or background personal history data). The Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) has served the industry for over 70 years. They developed a selection tool (the AIB - Aptitude Index Battery) which originally consisted of two parts (a) biodata and (b) psychological factors. The latter was later discarded because of low reliability. In its present form, the AIB comprises only the former.
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spelling ntu-10356/71892024-01-12T10:22:29Z The characteristics of success : biographical and behavioural determinants in the selection of Life Insurance Agents. Goh, Andrew. Nanyang Business School DRNTU::Business::Management::Personnel management DRNTU::Business::Finance::Insurance Making choices remains at the core of Personnel Selection. It is not possible for any organization to hire every applicant and later evaluate whether to retain or dismiss them. Hence, selection decisions are needed up-front and these are basically predictions (Milkovich & Boudrea, 1991). As Smith (1994) indicated, the essence of selection is to identify those measures that predict job success or work performance. An important and established tenet in this field is that past behaviour is the most effective predictor of future behaviour. Recruiting and selecting the right candidates is as important for the life insurance industry as for many others. With a disappointing 15% retention rate record over a five-year time frame, this industry has allocated much time, money and effort to ascertain the characteristics (predictors) of success so as to reduce turnover and high costs in the hiring process. There is also concern about the gap existing between academia and practice. Research findings are not being put into use and practitioners may be utilising methods that are known not to be reliable or valid. One proven tool or technique in current use involves biodata (bibliographical or background personal history data). The Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) has served the industry for over 70 years. They developed a selection tool (the AIB - Aptitude Index Battery) which originally consisted of two parts (a) biodata and (b) psychological factors. The latter was later discarded because of low reliability. In its present form, the AIB comprises only the former. Doctor of Philosophy (NBS) 2008-09-18T07:41:16Z 2008-09-18T07:41:16Z 2000 2000 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10356/7189 en Nanyang Technological University 233 p. application/pdf
spellingShingle DRNTU::Business::Management::Personnel management
DRNTU::Business::Finance::Insurance
Goh, Andrew.
The characteristics of success : biographical and behavioural determinants in the selection of Life Insurance Agents.
title The characteristics of success : biographical and behavioural determinants in the selection of Life Insurance Agents.
title_full The characteristics of success : biographical and behavioural determinants in the selection of Life Insurance Agents.
title_fullStr The characteristics of success : biographical and behavioural determinants in the selection of Life Insurance Agents.
title_full_unstemmed The characteristics of success : biographical and behavioural determinants in the selection of Life Insurance Agents.
title_short The characteristics of success : biographical and behavioural determinants in the selection of Life Insurance Agents.
title_sort characteristics of success biographical and behavioural determinants in the selection of life insurance agents
topic DRNTU::Business::Management::Personnel management
DRNTU::Business::Finance::Insurance
url http://hdl.handle.net/10356/7189
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