risk management

Ewen Ferguson, associate director at consultancy and audit firm, Protiviti, offers advice on understanding the significance of spreadsheet risk and how to implement a risk management policy.

Richard Kirk of Fortify Software argues that many companies are leaving their businesses vulnerable through the use of open source software. Its very nature makes its security weak and both the development community and companies should become more aware of risk.

Here we outline why it is so stunning that due diligence, risk analysis and corporate governance rules would fail to spot Madoff's danger. Is the world only paying lip service? Gerry O'Kane comments.

Here we go again, ‘there shall be a weeping and gnashing of teeth' heard globally as pension funds, charities and banks lament the loss of billions ...

From fuel costs to health and safety, companies with vehicle fleets have seen costs spiraling in recent years. One way to manage costs is to examine current insurance policies, with a view to obtaining lower insurance quotes and thus reducing the costs of premiums. Peter Blanc from Oval Insurance Broking outlines a number of ways that insurance costs could be curtailed and details how a structure of payments, using premium financing options might benefit a company in these days of restricted cashflow.

Management can examine risk and draft all-encompassing and detailed health and safety policies, but what happens when employees' behaviour doesn't reflect the procedures? Jon Crook examines the legal and management problems companies face when attempting to change employee behaviour to reduce the risk. He also offers some solutions.

The world now encourages an environment where computer crime is over-whelmed with opportunities. Martin Baldock argues that companies should be aware of how to defend themselves and produce a series of practical steps in preparation for a cyber attack.

Proponents of risk management argue it benefits the corporate culture but the current credit crunch shows the elite of risk analysis, the banks, managed to get it wrong. Carolyn Williams offers some reasons as to why risk analysis failed.

The procedure of 'whitewashing' has come under question as financial assistance rules have been changed in the Companies Act, which came into force this month. Robert Davidson and David Bevan (both corporate finance directors) from BDO Stoy Hayward LLP outline what the changes mean for corporate finance departments.

Martin Johnson of P-Solve, looks at how investment strategies in pensions have changed with the demise of Lehman's. Company finance directors and treasurers have new operational issues to consider in pensions' investment. Lehman's default on counterparty risk in derivatives means trustees and companies face even more problems.