Directions

Directions is a global research publication that aims to provide insights and approaches for managing benefits, compensation, human capital, insurance and investment issues.

Each issue of Directions will offer a portfolio of fresh perspectives on a specific topic. The research in Directions draws on Watson Wyatt's extensive global research and development capabilities and large network of experienced consultants.

A new lens on retirement preferences
December 2009
In this issue, we take a closer look at employees' retirement preferences for specific pension plan features to get an understanding of what employees really want. A novel "multideck" survey methodology which actively engages employees to understand their underlying retirement preferences is used. The publication focuses on the application of this approach to assess individual retirement preferences in three countries - the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany. The results are intriguing as they challenge much conventional wisdom about how effective individuals are at making decisions and about how much they value security.

Crisis performers
July 2009
In this issue of Directions, we set out to glean insights from the six months following the Lehman Brothers crash on Sept.15, 2008, and look at which firms have performed the best and why. We look at characteristics of firms in advance of the crisis and how they have affected firm performance during the crisis. We outline the factors that have helped firms emerge as the "crisis performers" in Europe, the United States and Asia. We also analyse in detail if aggressive mergers and acquisitions and investment in intangible assets before the crisis made a measurable impact on performance in the six months following the crash.