Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Challenges for a Bancassurance Company

This contribution originates from the ideas and discussions during the third edition of the Montepaschi Vita Forum on “The Paradigms of Value. Towards a Good Governance in Financial and Insurance Services: the challenge of ethics, transparency and trust”, which took place in Rome, 15 October 2004 and was organized by the MPS insurance pole in partnership with The Geneva Association and Ania. The Forum series are prompted by the awareness of the critical role and nature of the “paradigms of value” topic in the present competitive context of financial services. Value-creation mechanisms are key elements of financial and insurance services, both in the interests of shareholders and, in broader terms, of all stakeholders. The theme of the third Montepaschi Vita Forum was encouraged by the current uncertainty of the financial scenario, in which the rule-based system and the reliability and accountability of several interlocutors is being questioned. The basic assumption is that good corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are gradually advancing from a “philanthropic” variant of corporate capitalism to strategic approaches for regaining the trust of clients and society in general. Their role as risk (and also social) managers means that insurers have to work out different models and mechanisms for good corporate governance and CSR in view of a new state of play among the various stakeholders involved. The narrow borderline between legally binding requirements and self-regulatory initiatives has to be borne in mind when addressing topics such as good governance and CSR. A cultural change is involved, transforming a “regulatory compliance” approach into a “regulatory plus” approach. This article focuses on the challenges that MPV, as an insurance company belonging to a banking group with a well-defined CSR strategy, faces in identifying and implementing coherent CSR initiatives and measures. The Geneva Papers (2005) 30, 485–497. doi:10.1057/palgrave.gpp.2510040

The cognitive reserve theory in the setting of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis

Background: The study of cognitive reserve (CR) in relationship with cognitive impairment (CI) in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) may provide cues to identifying subjects at higher risk of impairment and scope for therapeutic strategies. Objectives: To assess the potential impact of CR on cognition in a cohort of POMS patients. Methods: In all, 48 POMS patients were followed up for 4.7 ± 0.4 years. CI was defined as the failure of ≥3 tests on an extensive neuropsychological battery. Change of neuropsychological performance was assessed through the Reliable Change Index (RCI) method. At baseline, CR was estimated by measuring the intelligence quotient (IQ). The relationships were assessed through multivariable regression analyses. Results: At baseline, CI was detected in 14/48 (29.2%) patients. Two out of 57 healthy control (HC; 3.5%) met the same criteria of CI (p < 0.001). A deteriorating cognitive performance using the RCI method was observed in 18/48 patients (37.6%). Among the 34 cases who were cognitively preserved at baseline, a higher reserve predicted stable/improving performance (odds ratio (OR) = 1.11; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.20; p = 0.006). Conclusion: Our results suggest that higher CR in POMS patients may protect from CI, particularly in subjects with initial cognitive preservation, providing relevant implications for counseling and rehabilitation strategies