ABSTRACT
It is common to encounter diffi culties associated with the overall use of the term fi nancial services. A large proportion of the general public – including many consumers – have a limited appreciation of the geography of the fi nancial services landscape. This is partly because of the complexity of the industry and partly because, for many people, fi nancial services are intrinsically uninteresting. Poor knowledge and understanding of the sector as a whole and of the product sectors it comprises also applies to those employed in the area. Research conducted by Alferoff, Knights and Starkey ( 2005 ) revealed that the knowledge base of the typical fi nancial services employee was limited to their narrow fi eld of task expertise:
Many front-line and back offi ce staff did not understand some or all of the range of investment products. They were in fact little more knowledgeable than non-fi nancial services respondents and even less knowledgeable than those from the Chamber of Commerce or MBA students (other groups comprising the sample frame of the study).
