Risk Management
Economic and non-economic risks
Pure and speculative risks
Controllable and uncontrollable risks
Insurable and uninsurable risks
Economic risk
◦ Can result in financial loss
Personal risk
◦ Can result in personal losses such as health and
personal well-being
Property risk
◦ Can lead to loss of personal or business property
including money, vehicles, and buildings
Liability risk
◦ Relates to harm or injury to other people or their
property as a result of your actions
Pure risk is a risk that presents the chance of
loss but no opportunity for gain is a pure
risk.
◦ Weather
Speculative risk offers the chance either to
gain or to lose.
◦ Investing in a new business, stock market
A risk that you can reduce or eliminate by
your actions is controllable
◦ Protecting yourself from theft by adding security
measures
Uncontrollable risks cannot be reduced by
your actions.
◦ Hailstorm
Risk is the possibility of incurring a loss.
Avoid it!
Transfer it.
Insure the risk
Assume the risk
Yikes! Gotta go!
Method
Activity
Avoid
Choose not to participate in the
risky activity.
Transfer
Find another business to complete
the activity.
Insure
Purchases insurance to pay for any
losses.
Assume
Complete the activity with full
responsibility.
How do individuals and businesses pay for
large economic losses?
◦ Insurance – planned protection against economic
losses.
Provided by insurers or insurance companies
Provided on behalf of the insured
Risks covered are outlined in an insurance policy
The insured is also known as the policyholder
The payment for the policy is known as the premium
Asking for money when an insured loss occurs is called
filing a claim.
Operations
Personnel
Property
Health
◦ Protects against high costs of individual health care
Disability
◦ Provides payments to employees who are not able
to work for an extended period of time due to
illness or injury
Life
◦ Beneficiaries
Family
Partners
Key executives
Commercial property
◦ Buildings
◦ Equipment
◦ Building contents, including inventory
Protection covers property losses resulting from fire,
storms, accidents, theft, and vandalism.
Special policies can also provide coverage for flood
damage and earthquakes.
Autos
Trucks
Other business vehicles
Insurance to provide compensation for
ongoing business expenses for temporary
shutdown due to flood, fire, or other major
problem.
Liability insurance provides coverage for
claims by others based on damages suffered
because of business operations, employees,
or products.
The costs of some risks are so high that a
business cannot afford the cost of insurance
protection.
Economic Conditions
◦ Recession, Depression
Consumer Demand
◦ Can’t always count on consumer
loyalty
Competitors’ Actions
◦ Better advertising, better product,
better service
Technology Changes
◦ If you can’t adapt you can be left behind!
Local Factors
◦ Construction in front of the business, new highway
bypasses the town, laws, taxes . . .
Business Operations
◦ Bad business practices can cause higher costs, low
morale, poor customer image.
Awareness
Continuous study of risk areas
◦ Stay aware of changes in the economy, competitors’
actions, and technology
Collect and review customer information
◦ Complaints and requests
Carry out business in many countries (spread
the love)
Offer a range of products (eggs in more than
one basket)
Involve local business partners
Employ local management
Exclusive rights to possess and use property
and its profits
◦ Nobody else can interfere with the use of them.
Intellectual property
◦ Technical knowledge or creative work
Software, clothing designs, music, books, and movies
Patent
◦ Exclusive right of an inventor to make, sell, and use
a product or process. Designed to encourage
innovation and progress.
Trademark
◦ A distinctive name, symbol, word, picture, or
combination of these that a company uses to
identify products or services.
Copyright
◦ Protects the original works of authors, composers,
playwrights, artists, and publishers.
Counterfeiting
◦ Refers to illegal uses of intellectual property,
patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
The End
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