Nature, extent and antecedents of risk management in accounting, law and biotechnology firms in Australia
This paper provides empirical evidence on the nature and the extent of risks faced by small and medium-sized biotechnology and professional service firms (accounting and law) in Australia, as well as on the style of their adopted risk management methods and approaches. The findings of the study indicate that the top three risks faced by these firms are related to reputation, recruiting and retaining skilled staff, and cost management. The study also finds that more than half of the respondent firms manage risk in an integrated manner. The results of this study provide useful insights into the nature, extent and driving forces of risk management practices in these firms.
And what are the implications for the banks’ “ethical makeover”? Can conduct cost levels be reconciled with this? Some commentators have, for example, observed that it seems inappropriate to worry about the Co-operative Group potentially losing control over the Co-operative Bank, for fear it will not be able to hold on to its “ethical policies”, when that bank’s ethics are already under suspicion due to the scale (a £269M provision)of its product mis-selling. Do provisions like this reflect on ethics? It’s hard to argue that there is no relationship at all. But perhaps the conduct costs reflect the “bad old days” and, under new management, we can expect banks to improve?