Establishing a healthy financial climate for people in debt with a different cultural background in the Randstad

Establishing a healthy financial climate for people in debt with a different cultural background in the Randstad: Strategy and intervention for Coeo that helps employees to attune their interactions with clients to cross cultural chasms

Lin, Emily (TU Delft Industrial Design Engineering)

van Boeijen, A.G.C. (graduation committee)
van den Brink, N. (mentor)
Spierenburg, Mark (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

Strategic Product Design

2023-12-14

This master's thesis investigates the demand for human empathy and understanding across cultures in Coeo, a technology-driven collection company. Debtors express a desire for a more personalized and respectful debt collection process in the Netherlands. Focusing on the challenges faced by disconnected short-term planners, particularly from the African-Islamic group, the research emphasizes the importance of recognizing national, cultural and sub-cultural barriers and implementing human-focused strategies over money-focused. The proposed solution includes a strategy roadmap for 2040 explaining the three concepts: Culture guidebook for Coeo employees, culture education grounds for informal debt relief volunteers, and community culture days to foster neighbor connections. The goal is to transform Coeo into a socially responsible neighbor by encouraging mutual understanding, respecting cultural differences, and continuously improving practices in the dynamic landscape of debt collection.

Private Debt Collection
Cultural Understanding
Empathy
Social Responsibility
Financial Climate
Cultural Barriers

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:bc3fdf09-8d95-4ad6-a017-ec2e483dc270

Student theses

master thesis

© 2023 Emily Lin