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Poole College of Management
Enterprise Risk Management Initiative

Risk Assessment

Feb 5, 2019

Recognizing the Risk Impact of an Aging Workforce

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in their most recent ten-year labor force and employment projections, the number of individuals aged 55 and above in the labor force will grow from 35.7 million in 2016 to 42.1 million in 2026. Organizations will experience this impact in different ways based on their size, growth, industry and historical hiring and layoffs.

Jan 29, 2019

Joint Venture Blind Spots and Strategies to Avoid Them

Joint ventures are developed through a five stage process requiring complex decisions to be made by varying teams. Joint venture success depends heavily on cross-process discipline throughout business planning and implementation while simultaneously be aware of and counteracting common blind spots. These blind spots are pressures that can undermine joint venture success. They include rushing to completion, a lack of leadership continuity, declining parent involvement, and insufficient planning to respond to changes in risk. This article discusses the causes of these blind spots and strategies to avoid them.

Jan 29, 2019

The Three Types of War Gaming

War gaming is a tool that is not utilized often enough by organizations. War gaming provides an organization with realistic situations and outcomes based on a certain set of information. There are three types of decisions that war gaming can have strong influences on which are product level decisions, portfolio level decisions, and market entry decisions. Each type of war gaming provides an assessment of how competitors will react to certain offerings and how they will innovate their own products. This will give an organization insight to make the necessary changes to their services or products to be successful in the market.

Jan 29, 2019

Strategic Risk Transformation for Organizations

Strategic risks are important now more than ever in the economic environment we live in. Regulatory risks arise each year, along with new emerging risks from technology and innovation. That is why it is so critical for organizations to consider their strategy and how it effects their risks. This article summarizes a structured process set out by Deloitte on how to identify risks, and then implement a plan to transform your company to be protected from catastrophic events and to minimize the damage caused by these events.
Angela Hoon

Jan 17, 2019

Analyzing Root Causes of Risks

Angela Hoon, Executive Director of Strategic Risk Management at General Motors talks about how her organization analyzes root causes of top risks in order to identify common triggers and points of interconnection.

Jan 4, 2019

Recognizing the Shamrock Organization and Emerging Risks It May Create

When you think about your organization’s workforce and its related talent needs, there are a number of dynamics to consider. We have all heard about the Millennials and we are beginning to learn about the group that follows them - often referred to as the iGeneration or the Homeland Generation - who bring different skills and expectations to the workforce. Organizations are experiencing the graying of their talent as the boomers are aging. Unprecedented advancements in technology, including the impact with artificial intelligence and digital transformation, are changing how organizations develop and deliver products or services. These developments along with record low unemployment are intensifying skill shortages. And a company named Uber has taught us about the new Gig economy. How will these trends impact the workforce structure for organizations, thereby introducing new types of emerging risks for executives and boards to consider?
David Hughes and Bonnie Hancock

Aug 14, 2018

Conducting Annual Risk Interviews

David Hughes, Assistant Vice President, ERM and Business Continuity Planning at HCA Healthcare talks about how HCA conducts annual risk interviews as part of an ERM process that has been in place for over 15 years.
Rob Gould

Jul 11, 2018

Conducting Black Swan Workshops

Rob Gould, Director, Internal Audit at Harley-Davidson talks about conducting Black Swan workshops. 

Jun 26, 2018

The Relationship between Internal Controls, ERM, and the Business Model

COSO's Improving Organizational Performance and Governance discusses how COSO's Internal Control Integrated Framework and COSO's ERM Integrated Framework relate to the standard business model. The frameworks can contribute to an organization's long-term success. The key takeaway is that good risk management and internal control are necessary for the long term success of all organizations. Improving organizational performance and governance will support this goal.

Jun 26, 2018

COSO’s Take on the Three Lines of Defense

As risks begin to threaten the achievement of company objectives, senior management must determine the appropriate way to respond. Responsibilities and duties must be clearly identified so individuals are aware of their roles in addressing these risks and controls. COSO developed the three lines of defense model that addresses how specific duties related to risks and controls could be assigned and coordinated within the organization to alleviate the threat. Ultimately, the model is designed to ensure individuals within each line of defense are aware of their full responsibilities and how these responsibilities fit into the organization's overall risk and control structure.