Purpose – This paper seeks to provide insights into the current global financial crisis from an institutional theory perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the development of key concepts using institutional theory, grounded in a discussion of the context of the...

A learning and development program proved a cost‐effective way to attract, develop and retain graduates within AIB, Ireland’s largest financial‐services organization. Graduate retention increased by 12 percent during the two‐year program, which coincided with the height of the Celtic...

A group of talented young people at the former Halifax plc have been helped to make the challenging transition from trainee to manager thanks to the introduction of mentoring, which is becoming recognized on both sides of the Atlantic as a highly effective human‐resource‐development process.

The wedding speeches that precede the toast to the bride and groom fill many of the people who have to deliver them with fear. And many end up saying something quite trite such as “Don’t they make a great couple? Thanks to everyone for coming” and other ill‐thought‐out or unrehearsed...

Substantial benefits to both the organization and its employees have resulted from job‐flexibility and work‐life balance initiatives at UK building society Nationwide. In the organization’s latest employee‐opinion survey, more than three‐quarters agreed with the statement: “I am...

It is not every company that would think to provide kayak racks for employees wishing to travel to work by boat, but that is precisely what Capital One did when it opened a new canal‐side building at its European headquarters site in Nottingham, UK. The move reflects an important philosophy at...

Times are tough at present for Citigroup, the world’s largest bank. As if low market prices, eroded investor confidence and outstanding loans worth billions to the financially crippled Argentina are not enough, the shadow of federal and industry investigation hangs over this financial giant....

Hedge funds increasingly are becoming a focus of investors and U.S. regulatory agencies including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the U.S. Treasury Department, the National Association of Securities Dealers, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as enhanced...

On December 20, 2002, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the National Association of Securities Dealers (“NASD”), the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the New York Attorney General, and the North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”) announced...

The USA Patriot Act, Sarbanes‐Oxley, proxy voting disclosure, privacy regulations under Gramm‐Leach‐Bliley, fair valuation, hedge fund scrutiny, and the list goes on and on. Over the past two years, we have seen the Securities and Exchange Commission launch the most aggressive and...