Managing Business Risk
Contents
Types of Business Risk
Create a Business Risk Register
Maintain your Risk Register
Business risk refers to the possibility of loss or damage to a company's financial position and its ability to generate profits.
There are a number of different risks to consider, including the making of business decisions and the potential negative impact these decisions may have on a company's financial performance and future prospects.
Types of Business Risk
Types of Business Risk
There are various types of business risks, including:
Financial risk: The risk of loss due to financial factors such as changes in market conditions, interest rates, and currency exchange rates.
Market risk: The risk of loss due to changes in the market conditions that affect a company's ability to sell its products or services.
Operational risk: The risk of loss due to operational factors such as inadequate systems and processes, human error, or natural disasters.
Reputational risk: The risk of damage to a company's reputation and brand due to negative publicity or loss of customer trust.
Compliance risk: The risk of penalties or fines due to non-compliance with laws and regulations.
Political risk: The risk of loss due to changes in government policies or political instability.
Technological risk: The risk of loss due to changes in technology or the failure of technology systems.
Competitive risk: The risk of losing market share to competitors.
Create a Business Risk Register
Create a Business Risk Register
Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a business risk register:
Identify potential risks: Start by identifying all the potential risks that your business may face, including financial, operational, legal, and market risks. Consider internal and external factors that could impact your business.
Assess the likelihood and impact of each risk: Evaluate the likelihood and impact of each identified risk. This will help you prioritise the risks and determine which ones require immediate attention.
Categorise risks: Categorise the risks based on their likelihood and impact, such as high likelihood and high impact, low likelihood and low impact, etc.
Develop a response plan: For each risk, develop a response plan to manage or mitigate it. This could include avoiding the risk, transferring the risk to another party, or reducing the likelihood or impact of the risk.
Assign a responsible person: Assign a responsible person for each risk and its response plan.
Update the register regularly: Regularly review and update the risk register to ensure that it remains relevant and accurate. This should be done whenever new risks are identified or when the likelihood or impact of a risk changes.
Use the risk register as a management tool: Use the risk register as a management tool to inform decision making and allocate resources to effectively manage the identified risks.
Maintain your Risk Register
Maintain your Risk Register
Here are some steps to effectively monitor a business risk register:
Review your register regularly: Regularly review the risk register to ensure that it remains relevant and accurate. This should be done whenever new risks are identified or when the likelihood or impact of a risk changes.
Update risk assessments: Regularly update the risk assessments for each risk, including the likelihood and impact, to ensure that they remain accurate.
Track risk response plans: Track the implementation of the response plans for each risk to ensure that they are being executed effectively.
Evaluate the effectiveness of response plans: Evaluate the effectiveness of the response plans in managing or mitigating the risks. If a response plan is not working as expected, revise it as necessary.
Assess new risks: Continuously assess the business environment for new risks and add them to the risk register as necessary.
Involve relevant stakeholders: Involve relevant stakeholders, such as department heads and key employees, in the risk management process to ensure that everyone is aware of the risks and how they are being managed.
Use the risk register as a management tool: Use the risk register as a management tool to inform decision making and allocate resources to effectively manage the identified risks.
By regularly monitoring the risk register, you can stay ahead of potential risks and ensure that your business is prepared to respond if and when they occur.