Simon Grima - Böcker

Greening Our Economy for a Sustainable Future examines the green economy by balancing social needs, the environment, and the economy. It argues that different economic models must be developed to address the environment caused by economic expansion. The book not only looks at the opportunities of having a green economy, but also goes into areas such as greenwashing, social washing, sustainability, economics, and more. In addition, it addresses how one can improve well-being through a symbiotic relationship between economic growth and environmental stewardship.

Reviews literature and case studies that can be applied on a large-scale on measures to change the way of economic development to implement a green economy theoryExamines bottlenecks that occur when resource scarcity or poor quality makes investment more expensiveHighlights opportunities for innovation spurred by policies and framework conditions that allow for new ways of addressing environmental problems

Changing technology and the growing demand for workforce intelligence have ushered in a new era of human resource (HR) transformation and have compelled HR professionals to continually ideate, innovate, and adapt. This book covers the changing role of HR in the transformation of workplaces to be successful globally.With challenges come new opportunities for HR to completely transform. Currently, technology is considered to be an extension of human beings rather than an external component, which makes people less socially connected. Physical, psychological, and financial well-being in this machine-led world is driving the agenda of HR. Individuals with complex business requirements and long-term goals must coexist with the gig economy, flexible workplaces, and changing priorities. This book precisely addresses these issues. More innovations are needed to create solutions for an ever-growing digital world. This book, therefore, explains how the role of HR executives must be to understand how emerging technologies are affecting company culture, strategy, operational plans, and the hiring of future talent. Crafting a career path for knowledge workers with challenging roles with fulfilling job aspects remains a puzzle.Keeping people engaged and happier is one of the major challenges that HR professionals experience. Different generations in the workplace with differing styles of learning, communication, and dynamic expectations add to these challenges. HR functions must keep evolving to overcome these challenges to transform the workplace, and it is essential to recognize how HR can act as a strategic business advisor through the effective use of technology. This book provides practical advice in these areas.In addition, this book helps professionals, researchers, and practitioners understand the way advanced technology and automation are influencing HR practices and processes in the new normal. The topics are designed to capture the most advanced technology-based HR practices for workplace transformations in industry and academia. This book assembles contributions from experts in HR planning, human capital management, business analytics, people analytics, predictive analysis, and automation from across the world, contributing their knowledge to identify the different attributes of the above-mentioned field of study. The book’s chapters are designed and organized pragmatically to enhance the reader’s experience and interest, reflecting upon a few untouched segments in the HR domain such as HR data privacy, data security, diversity, and inclusion using explainable AI (XAI), blockchain, and metaverse.

Changing technology and the growing demand for workforce intelligence have ushered in a new era of human resource (HR) transformation and have compelled HR professionals to continually ideate, innovate, and adapt. This book covers the changing role of HR in the transformation of workplaces to be successful globally.With challenges come new opportunities for HR to completely transform. Currently, technology is considered to be an extension of human beings rather than an external component, which makes people less socially connected. Physical, psychological, and financial well-being in this machine-led world is driving the agenda of HR. Individuals with complex business requirements and long-term goals must coexist with the gig economy, flexible workplaces, and changing priorities. This book precisely addresses these issues. More innovations are needed to create solutions for an ever-growing digital world. This book, therefore, explains how the role of HR executives must be to understand how emerging technologies are affecting company culture, strategy, operational plans, and the hiring of future talent. Crafting a career path for knowledge workers with challenging roles with fulfilling job aspects remains a puzzle.Keeping people engaged and happier is one of the major challenges that HR professionals experience. Different generations in the workplace with differing styles of learning, communication, and dynamic expectations add to these challenges. HR functions must keep evolving to overcome these challenges to transform the workplace, and it is essential to recognize how HR can act as a strategic business advisor through the effective use of technology. This book provides practical advice in these areas.In addition, this book helps professionals, researchers, and practitioners understand the way advanced technology and automation are influencing HR practices and processes in the new normal. The topics are designed to capture the most advanced technology-based HR practices for workplace transformations in industry and academia. This book assembles contributions from experts in HR planning, human capital management, business analytics, people analytics, predictive analysis, and automation from across the world, contributing their knowledge to identify the different attributes of the above-mentioned field of study. The book’s chapters are designed and organized pragmatically to enhance the reader’s experience and interest, reflecting upon a few untouched segments in the HR domain such as HR data privacy, data security, diversity, and inclusion using explainable AI (XAI), blockchain, and metaverse.

The Impact of CLIMATE CHANGE and SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS on the INSURANCE MARKET The book explores the role of the insurance industry in contributing and responding to the harms that climate change has brought. This book delves into the physical and logical impacts, both direct and indirect, on the insurance industry. Subjects discussed include new technology such as big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, the growth of sustainable economics with foreign direct investments (FDIs), trustworthiness, and ethics. Related use cases of data science for claim processing, fraud detection and prevention, policy administration, pricing, and underwriting are discussed along with cyber security issues, data protection, and big data regulatory reforms. To promote ESG sustainability, the insurance industry plays a critical and significant role. Climate-related risks are being factored into underwriting and investing strategies. Through their own operations and business activities, insurers may promote the ESG agenda and move towards sustainability. Also discussed are promoting diversity and inclusion, lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, resolving gender inequality, and helping communities through charitable work, which all improve a company’s brand, reputation, and ESG credentials. Audience The book is specially designed for administrators, lecturers, researchers, students of insurance and sustainability, students in financial services, insurance practitioners, actuaries, loss adjusters, underwriters, regulators, facilities management, utility companies, voluntary organizations, government departments, business leaders, policymakers, decision-makers, investors, risk managers, compliance managers, and audit managers amongst many others.

From understanding various technologies as an enabler to marketing efforts and its impact on decision making and mapping of various facets of customer experience, this book is recommended for marketers and learners to understand the advantages of using technology.

Digital analytics is an emerging new trend used in education to measure, collect, analyze, and report on data about learners and their contexts and to understand and optimize learning and learning environments. Taking into consideration the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all," this new book looks at digital technologies as a means to foster sustainable educational innovations for improving the teaching, learning, and assessment from K-12 to higher education. It demonstrates how artificial intelligence, deep learning, cloud computing, big data, and machine learning can be used to assess, evaluate, record, and predict student progress, participation, performance, personalization, and empowerment in academic and curricular activities.

Contemporary Issues in Financial Services special edition includes studies by the University of Malta, MSc Banking and Finance graduates and the respective lecturers, on financial services within particular countries or regions and studies of particular themes such as credit risk management, fund management and evaluation, forex hedging using derivatives and sovereign fixed income portfolios.

Including studies on different topical issues in finance by the participants of the 8th international scientific conference “New Challenges of Economic and Business Development – 2016” this new work contains research from various European countries, specifically Germany, Italy, Latvia, Malta, and Poland. Chapters explore the impact of financial literacy on domestic economic activity in the Baltic States, the rapid rise of FinTech, which has changed the banking landscape, requiring more innovative solutions; Crowdfunding in the European Union, specifically examining the performance, development and perspectives; the case of Latvia to highlight the Profiles of SMEs as Borrowers, the factors that interfere with the availability of funding to the small and medium-sized companies, an analysis of Risk Parity Approach for Sovereign Fixed-Income Portfolios in Eurozone countries by looking at studies of preventive arrangements with creditors in Italy; and Mergers and Acquisitions by studying examples of best practices in Cross-Border acquisitions.

Contemporary Issues in Economic and Financial Analysis 99 includes fourteen studies on contemporary issues within governance and regulations by authors invited from various universities and institutions. The chapters are a mix of discussion-based studies and empirical research studies aimed at understanding particular aspects of governance and regulations. Some refer to a particular country—specifically Malta, Indonesia, and India—and others are more generic and/or European-focused. These chapters include studies of the following: the challenges of corporate governance in small family-owned firms; a credit institution's perspective for managing conduct risk in the boardroom; the implications of the regulation and governance of financial advice in Europe for the retail financial advice sector and its consumers; the barriers to the development of Maltese cooperatives; corporate governance and cash holdings in Indian firms; whether good governance fosters trust in the government; the impact of takeover bids on European law and corporate governance; the developments and outcomes of the reform of the doctrine of “utmost good faith” in the UK; whether corporate decisions in Indonesia are a result of corporate governance requirements; earning management and audit reports; the European deposit insurance scheme; product intervention of supervisory authorities in financial services; the teaching of financial services regulation; how to link the human element to the risk management process, which is one of the internal control processes in governance of an organisation; and whether the transparency regime on the financial institutions market really works.

This special 100th edition of the Emerald book series Contemporary Issues in Economic and Financial Analysis dedicates 14 chapters to contemporary issues in business and financial management in Eastern Europe by authors invited mainly from the Rostov State University of Economics. As the title suggests, the chapters are a mix of studies on economic and financial aspects in Eastern Europe. Two chapters are dedicated to the green economy and finance and others to information technology in banks and the treasury, problems of fund raising for accumulated damage repair, company business and individual entrepreneurship activity strategy, competency-based management, the economic coenosis theory, the fiscal mechanism, global interaction in the world economy, bank economic capital model, corporate reporting and the concept of alienation.

Malta is the only country in the European Union, and one of only six countries in the world, that has not had a banking crisis since the 1970s. Despite its lack of raw materials, Malta currently has one of the lowest rates of unemployment and inflation in the EU, as well as a positive GDP. Yet there are only a few studies on the development of the industry that contributes most to its economy, the financial services industry.  Drawing upon empirical findings, archival research, and interviews, Zammit, Spiteri, and Grima fill a major gap in the literature by delivering a study of the development of the Maltese insurance industry. The authors collect literature and insights from prominent figureheads in order to outline the history of this major sector of the Maltese economy, tracing its roots back to the earliest inhabitants of the island, through to the expansion of its maritime trade, and working right up to the present with the emergence of more complex and sophisticated insurance services and products. The success of Malta's specific risk-management practices, generally characterized by risk-avoidance and prudence, is shown to have implications beyond Maltese financial policy and regulatory development: it offers concrete guidance from a small-scale "laboratory" for the complex policy and development decisions of larger nations. This study is of interest to students and academics of insurance, risk management, and financial services, and it offers food for thought and guidance to practitioners and policy makers.

This special edition of Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis offers seventeen chapters from invited participants in the International Applied Social Science Congress, held in Turkey between the 19th and 21st April 2018.  The chapters included tackle a range of issues, including risk and control in consumer behavior; augmented reality applications in brand trust; foreign exchange rates; and brand reputation influence, among many more. Covering concepts such as retirement planning, the stock market, and herd behavior, Contemporary Issues in Behavioral Finance is a fundamental text for any researcher or student of behavioral finance, with a cast of expert contributors and editors.

The customer problem in the public sector appears when too many processes are in place and staff volumes are too large to adapt to sudden change. As situations evolve and solutions are required, public managers are faced with an overload of information for decision-making, as normal day-to-day policy is overlooked to accommodate management by crisis. Generally, emergency situations call for effective steps to be taken, constrained by short time frames and a dispersed public workforce. Managing teams require structure in their response to an evolving crises, which is generally a difficult position to attain when information and resources are limited. Protocol and response plans are only activated in extreme crises, leaving a gap in response when overload has been reached but is not within the stipulated margins. Recognition at this stage is important if successful outcomes are to be achieved. This book proposes an 8-point model, which it labels the DALI Model, for responding to these situations, to simplify and synthesize decision-making processes.

Financial Derivatives have long been the subject of conflicting views. For some, they are a useful instrument, too often maligned by those who do not understand them; for others, they are a complete waste of time and money. But which is it? Should we embrace financial derivatives, or fear them? In Financial Derivatives: A Blessing or a Curse? Simon Grima and Eleftherios I. Thalassinos rigorously explore the theory and debates surrounding this controversial topic. First exploring the perceived problems and the uses of derivatives, they study and evaluate the people who use financial derivatives; the impacts of derivatives use; and examples of safe use of derivatives. Looking at real-world examples, Grima and Thalassinos include public case studies on financial firms such as Barings Bank PLC, Allied Irish Bank, and Société Générale, as well as non-financial firms including Metallgesellschaft AG and Enron. Through these case studies, the roots of firm failure and large losses become clear, asking whether it is the misuse of this financial instrument, rather than the derivatives instrument itself, that is the cause. For students and researchers in finance, or practitioners involved in trading, regulating, or auditing, this is a fundamental text exploring a controversial and relevant concept.

In finance, understanding investors and their motivations is key for any business and policy-maker. Analyzing financial decisions and investor behavior can shed light on the major characteristics and variables behind trading decisions, giving researchers and investors a better understanding of the influences that affect the stock market. Understanding the Investor: A Maltese Study of Risk and Behavior in Financial Investment Decisions offers a nuanced view of the Maltese investor and the Malta Stock Exchange. In this in-depth study, author Antonietta Bonello explores the major risk appetite and tolerance characteristics of decision-taking for local financial investors. With foreign direct investment (FDI) growing by around 21% between 2014-2017, Malta's investment activities can be seen and used as an example of actual investment decisions taken by active investors. Looking across investor expectations, return of income, risk and loss aversions, disposition effect, financial literacy and overconfidence, Bonello offers an exciting perspective on investors in Malta, and the implications of this on the wider financial world. For individual investors and researchers in the area of personal finance, this new case study offers an in-depth look at investor behavior, allowing readers to understand the motivations behind emerging investment trends and to draw far-reaching conclusions on how best to prepare for upcoming challenges in financial investment.

Every day presents new challenges as the face of global economics changes. But in a world of uncertainty, how is the world of finance and economics adjusting to address these new issues? In this first book in the Emerald Studies in Finance, Insurance, and Risk Management, expert contributors from around the world come together to discuss and address the emerging issues in global economics. Including chapters on international migration in Europe, theories on finance and accounting, labour studies, international economic policy and its effect, affecting factors on financial and capital markets, and the relationship between internal stock markets, Uncertainty and Challenges in Contemporary Economic Behaviour tackles the questions, concerns, and fears of the modern face of global economics. A fundamental text for any researcher or student of business and economics, this exciting new series investigates and examines some of the most prevalent questions in contemporary economics.

This special edition of Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis offers twenty-three chapters by invited participants in the International Applied Social Science Congress. In these chapters chronical a wide variety of important issues such as: Volatility spillover between conventional stock index and participation index; The Interplay Between Experience, Satisfaction and Positive Word of Mouth: A Study on City Marketing in Afyonkarahisar and more.This international and wide-ranging exploration on different economic systems provides a comprehensive account which brings a wide range of countries to the forefront in terms of both comparability and accountability, this study shines a light on the differences in systems between states, and provides timely and accurate information to equip readers to minimize those differences.

Our current economic systems have become addicted to growth at all costs, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). They assume that GDP growth is synonymous with increased wellbeing and prosperity. However, this approach has led to growing inequality, an escalating climate crisis, and the depletion of natural and social capital. Our approach to economics and development needs to be fundamentally transformed.New Challenges for Future Sustainability and Wellbeing is a collection of 25 studies about sustainability and the related challenges, such as income, wealth, social aspects, the environment, education and regional equality that influence the pace of economic development and deteriorates well-being of people and organisations all over the world.This book provides a platform for scholars, researchers and professionals from different disciplinary backgrounds to discuss, highlight and exchange ideas on these challenges and prospects for both economic and business development.

A New Social Street Economy: An Effect of The COVID-19 Pandemic explores the impact of the Corona crisis on the capitalist world and the developments that have taken place throughout the world. Uniquely, this book considers the street economy in terms of how it relates to the social economy and how it contributes to the four main dimensions of social economy; which are supply of needs, social benefit production, fair distribution and sustainability.Reciprocity is the mechanism that makes relational and organizational life possible. When reciprocity finds an economic expression for providing goods and services to people and communities, the conclusion is a working social economy.In these difficult times, we witness both the best and worst aspects of human nature. The street economy is the most basic component, indicator and guarantee of an egalitarian, solidarist, sharing and truly participative social economy and democracy in an epidemic environment that supports all groups in need without questioning the identity or origins of the groups in need.

Challenges destabilize the norm and create distresses and disruptions in, for example, the culture, the technology, regulations, the environmental, etc. that influence the pace of finance and economic activities. This book is a collection of 13 chapters and studies about Insurance and Risk management in response to disruptions caused by social, economic, and environmental challenges to try and stabilize the economy in an effort to ensure sustainability.Insurance and Risk Management for Disruptions in Social, Economic and Environmental Systems brings together studies from scholars, researchers and professionals with different disciplinary backgrounds to highlight discuss and exchange ideas on these challenges, which may seem a danger, but offer prospects for economic and business development.Books in the Emerald Studies In Finance, Insurance, And Risk Management series collect quantitative and qualitative studies in areas relating to finance, insurance, and risk management. Subjects of interest may include banking, accounting, auditing, compliance, sustainability, behaviour, management, and business economics.

We live in a globalized world in which children live in extreme poverty, experience stunted growth, are denied access to education, live as refugees, are subjected to violence, are employed as unskilled workers and even face threats from terror organizations. Drawing attention to these critical challenges, this edited collection develops holistic solutions towards achieving improved conditions and rights of children globally.Taking an interdisciplinary perspective spanning disciplines such as psychology, geography, history, philosophy, theology, education, social law and literature, Being a Child in a Global World includes over twenty chapters which delve into the concept and place of the child in the social order, as well as economic, humanitarian, and political dimensions.Featuring authorship from around the world, and combining the perspectives and knowledge of different disciplines, this edited collection is a truly ground-breaking and comprehensive multidisciplinary study. Providing answers to an urgent challenge of our time, the collection is a must-read for scholars who are interested in the global condition of childhood.

Managing Risk and Decision Making in Times of Economic Distress adds much needed scholarly analysis of the fledgling decision/control approach, arguing the merits of its empirical content to shed light on the structure of capital contracts and rationale for diversity of objectives.Underpinning the book's central arguments are questions surrounding the identification and realisation of opportunities during periods of distress or disruption. Although such questions have been the focus of corporate finance, risk management, and financial management studies and literature, within the context of COVID-19 gaps remain unresolved.Continuity should be a proactive living plan to return to the norm we know, and continuity planning forms an integral part of a risk management strategy. With the future set to be shaped by these many disruptions and humanity's responses to it, critical insights are more important than ever, to ensure and determine progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and recovering from these economic and social challenges.Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis publishes a series of current and relevant themed volumes within the fields of economics and finance. Both disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies are welcome.

Public Sector Leadership in Assessing and Addressing Risk explores risk management in practice, taking a specific focus on the identification of risks in the European public sector while contextualising its Eurocentric analysis within a global setting.The volume lays important groundwork for understanding the main philosophical premises of risk management. Navigating the text's philosophical underpinnings such as 'Risk Management is a misnomer', the editors provide deep insight into global, strategic, and operational risk management that will prove invaluable for any practitioner.Providing high quality academic research, ESFIRM provides a platform for authors to explore, analyse and discuss current and new financial models and theories, and engage with innovative research on an international scale.

Big data – unstructured and/or structured data being used to influence underwriting, rating, pricing, forms, marketing and claims handling and incentivize risk reduction – is a relatively recent development in the insurance industry, the data sets previously being too impossibly great to analyse through traditional methods. However, with the global capacity to collect and store data growing alongside advancements in AI and machine learning technology, insurers need to seriously evaluate their technology stacks to ensure they can remain competitive and respond to growing customer demand.Striking a balance between the technical characteristics of the subject and the practical aspects of decision making, spanning from fraud analytics in claims management, to customer analytics, to risk analytics in solvency, the comprehensive coverage presented makes Big Data an invaluable resource for any insurance professional.Providing high quality academic research, Emerald Studies in Finance, Insurance, and Risk Management provides a platform for authors to explore, analyse and discuss current and new financial models and theories, and engage with innovative research on an international scale. Subjects of interest may include banking, accounting, auditing, compliance, sustainability, behaviour, management, and business economics.

Big Data Analytics in the Insurance Market is an industry-specific guide to creating operational effectiveness, managing risk, improving financials, and retaining customers. This book will be a 'must' for people seeking to broaden their knowledge of big data concepts and their real-world applications, particularly in the field of insurance.The insurance industry is largely dependent on data, and the advent of Big Data and analytics represents a major advance with tremendous potential. Yet clear, practical advice on the business side of analytics is lacking. This book fills the void with concrete information on using Big Data in the context of day-to-day insurance operations and strategy.This book an invaluable resource for any insurance professional from practitioners and policymakers working at insurance companies, to undergraduate and graduate students of economics management, and finance.Providing high quality academic research, ESFIRM provides a platform for authors to explore, analyse and discuss current and new financial models and theories, and engage with innovative research on an international scale.

Managing Risk and Decision Making in Times of Economic Distress: Part B adds much needed scholarly analysis of the fledgling decision/control approach, arguing the merits of its empirical content to shed light on the structure of capital contracts and rationale for diversity of objectives.Underpinning the book’s central arguments are questions surrounding the identification and realisation of opportunities during periods of distress or disruption. Although such questions have been the focus of corporate finance, risk management, and financial management studies and literature, within the context of COVID-19 gaps remain unresolved.Continuity should be a proactive living plan to return to the norm we know, and continuity planning forms an integral part of a risk management strategy. With the future set to be shaped by these many disruptions and humanity’s responses to it, critical insights are more important than ever, to ensure and determine progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and recovering from these economic and social challenges.Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis publishes a series of current and relevant themed volumes within the fields of economics and finance. Both disciplinary and interdisciplinary studies are welcome.

Emerald Studies In Finance, Insurance, And Risk Management 7 explores how AI and Automation enhance the basic functions of human resource management. The traditional framework of Human Resource Management (HRM) primarily consists of four functions: Human Resource Planning, Recruitment and Selection, Training and Development and Performance Management Systems which help businesses in hiring, motivating and retaining employees. The introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed all of these aspects. The Adoption and Effect of Artificial Intelligence on Human Resources Management Series sets out a blended approach towards different functions of HRM and AI, reflecting upon: HR data privacy; data security; diversity and inclusion using AI; and sustainable AI-HR practices. This book is ideal for HR managers, senior managers, researchers, and students planning a career in this field.

The Covid 19 pandemic has created chaos in the business world and forced leaders to rethink their operational status quo. Balancing the physical and virtual spaces of the global digital economy wherein economic, commercial, and professional transactions are enabled by information and communication technologies has called for additional support from data-driven technologies like smart analytics and artificial intelligence. Opportunities created within digital economies to leverage technologies to execute tasks better, faster, and often differently have found the desired prominence in the recent past. Though the benefits outweigh the risks, the challenges in digitalised economies are as sophisticated as the solutions they offer.Smart Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Performance Management in a Global Digitalized Economy presents various viewpoints on topics like artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, digitalisation in various sectors, technology issues like cybersecurity and financial inclusion, and technology-enabled banking issues like money laundering. The theme of sustainability forms the core of the book.