THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON INSURANCE INDUSTRY: COMPETITION AMONG ONLINE INTERMEDIARIES
Abstract This dissertation investigates the nature of the online competition between two types of online intermediaries, namely, online brokers and online agents. By exploring the price levels and price dispersion of premiums paid for term life insurance product, price data of online brokers and on...
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| Format: | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2006
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/20265/ |
| _version_ | 1848792046329921536 |
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| author | Zhang, Jiayin |
| author_facet | Zhang, Jiayin |
| author_sort | Zhang, Jiayin |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Abstract
This dissertation investigates the nature of the online competition between two types of online intermediaries, namely, online brokers and online agents. By exploring the price levels and price dispersion of premiums paid for term life insurance product, price data of online brokers and online agents are carefully compared. The investigation was conducted by a context and literature review, research objectives and methodology, data and result analysis, research limitations and significance. The data was collected from a price comparison website named moneysupermarket.com.
In this dissertation, the author presented a detailed literature review about the popularity and significance of the Internet and e-commerce, theories about search costs and lowered prices which are related directly to the e-commerce, development and changes of the insurance distribution channel, functions of the intermediaries in the insurance market and the relationship between the Internet and online insurance transactions.
By using the prices displayed on moneysupermarket.com, the author collected comparable price data from both online brokers and online agents. Through three regression analyses by SPSS, mean values and standard deviation values of the two groups were compared.
The results showed the nature of the online competitions in different insurance intermediary markets. The competition among online brokers who sell insurance products at an average lower price seems to be more intensive than the competition among online agents who sell homogeneous insurance products at an average higher price. Possible explanations for the differences were then brought forward. At last, this dissertation concludes with the limitations and achievements throughout the dissertation time and pointed out some reasonable directions for future studies. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:38:10Z |
| format | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-20265 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:38:10Z |
| publishDate | 2006 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-202652018-04-10T16:50:06Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/20265/ THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON INSURANCE INDUSTRY: COMPETITION AMONG ONLINE INTERMEDIARIES Zhang, Jiayin Abstract This dissertation investigates the nature of the online competition between two types of online intermediaries, namely, online brokers and online agents. By exploring the price levels and price dispersion of premiums paid for term life insurance product, price data of online brokers and online agents are carefully compared. The investigation was conducted by a context and literature review, research objectives and methodology, data and result analysis, research limitations and significance. The data was collected from a price comparison website named moneysupermarket.com. In this dissertation, the author presented a detailed literature review about the popularity and significance of the Internet and e-commerce, theories about search costs and lowered prices which are related directly to the e-commerce, development and changes of the insurance distribution channel, functions of the intermediaries in the insurance market and the relationship between the Internet and online insurance transactions. By using the prices displayed on moneysupermarket.com, the author collected comparable price data from both online brokers and online agents. Through three regression analyses by SPSS, mean values and standard deviation values of the two groups were compared. The results showed the nature of the online competitions in different insurance intermediary markets. The competition among online brokers who sell insurance products at an average lower price seems to be more intensive than the competition among online agents who sell homogeneous insurance products at an average higher price. Possible explanations for the differences were then brought forward. At last, this dissertation concludes with the limitations and achievements throughout the dissertation time and pointed out some reasonable directions for future studies. 2006 Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/20265/1/06MAlixzj1.pdf Zhang, Jiayin (2006) THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON INSURANCE INDUSTRY: COMPETITION AMONG ONLINE INTERMEDIARIES. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] (Unpublished) online insurance insurance intermediary |
| spellingShingle | online insurance insurance intermediary Zhang, Jiayin THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON INSURANCE INDUSTRY: COMPETITION AMONG ONLINE INTERMEDIARIES |
| title | THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON INSURANCE INDUSTRY:
COMPETITION AMONG ONLINE INTERMEDIARIES |
| title_full | THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON INSURANCE INDUSTRY:
COMPETITION AMONG ONLINE INTERMEDIARIES |
| title_fullStr | THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON INSURANCE INDUSTRY:
COMPETITION AMONG ONLINE INTERMEDIARIES |
| title_full_unstemmed | THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON INSURANCE INDUSTRY:
COMPETITION AMONG ONLINE INTERMEDIARIES |
| title_short | THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON INSURANCE INDUSTRY:
COMPETITION AMONG ONLINE INTERMEDIARIES |
| title_sort | impact of the internet on insurance industry:
competition among online intermediaries |
| topic | online insurance insurance intermediary |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/20265/ |