Description: The financial services industries that most actuaries serve are fundamentally changing. So it’s critical that the profession change, also, to meet the new needs of those and other industries using actuarial services. This editorial is about the questions that must be addressed by actuaries who want to succeed in the new environment.

Description: With the convergence and consolidation of the financial services industry, the advent of new technologies and the Internet, and increased focus on the customer, actuaries are facing a brand new set of challenges. This editorial prefaces the articles in this issue that point out some key challenges and opportunities facing today’s actuaries.

Description: Model governance must deal with the effects organizational culture, including normalization of behaviors that are inconsistent with appropriate governance.

Description: Article from The Actuary, March 1983, volume no. 17, issue no. 3. As was clear from William W. Truckle's paper reviewed in our April 1982 issue, North American actuaries aren't the only ones puzzling over the curriculum questions aired elsewhere in this issue. We are grateful for Mr. Carroll's permission to print excerpts from his discussion of Mr. Truckle's paper, and parts of his reply to an enquiry that we sent him. In particular, the author is in favor of adding more about advanced statistical methods to the curriculum and explaining how this fits in with the actuarial subjects that have been traditionally taught.

Description: Article from The Actuary magazine, March 1983, volume no. 17, issue no. 3, that discusses the response of the Education and Examination Committee to Professor Batten's challenge in the wisdom of current trends in the Society's educational program, stating that these syllabus changes should be considered evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

Description: Four ways in which actuaries can effectively work to help successfully implement system development projects.

Description: To persuade successfully and non-manipulatively, it's important to understand five key principles of influence. Principle #5: A person will more likely be influenced if you help them get to the heart of the matter.

Description: No matter what you do, you are in sales in some way. The word, "sales" or "selling" brings up negative connotations for many people. It may be helpful to think of it as "influence". Whether you're a sales professional, coach, consultant or executive - there are key stakeholders in your world you need to influence. To persuade successfully and non-manipulatively, it's important to understand five key principles of influence. Principle #3 is covered here.

Description: In this article, the author talks about working for a U.S. consulting firm in Europe.