Contents: Risk management: a powerful tool; Defining and assessing risk; Managing corporate risk; Product and service problems: operations and production risk; Purchasing problems; Managing health and safety; Preventing environmental damage; Protecting against fire; Maintaining security; Pre-empting fraud; Staying financially healthy; Avoiding IT disaster; Liability, legal risks and intellectual property; Market leadership through risk management; People risks and corporate ethics; Contingency planning, crisis management and business continuity; Introducing a risk management system; Minimizing risk in major projects; What risks will the future bring? Appendix; Resources; Further reading; Glossary; Index.

Risk management and contingency planning has really come to the fore since the first edition of this book was originally published. Computer failure, fire, fraud, robbery, accident, environmental damage, new regulations - business is constantly under threat. But how do you determine which are the most important dangers for your business? What can you do to lessen the chances of their happening - and minimize the impact if they do happen?

In this comprehensive volume Kit Sadgrove shows how you can identify - and control - the relevant threats and ensure that your company will survive. He begins by asking 'What is risk?', 'How do we assess it?' and 'How can it be managed?' He goes on to examine in detail the key danger areas including finance, product quality, health and safety, security and the environment. With case studies, self-assessment exercises and checklists, each chapter looks systematically at what is involved and enables you to draw up action plans that could, for example, provide a defence in law or reduce your insurance premium.

The new edition reflects the changes in the global environment, the new risks that have emerged and the effect of macroeconomic factors on business profitability and success. The author has also included a set of case studies to illustrate his ideas in practice.