ELE 3712 Risk Management and Governance

APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2012/2013

ELE 3712 Risk Management and Governance

Responsible for the course
Johannes Brinkmann

Department
Department of Strategy and Logistics

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
7,5

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
Risk management is a logical process or approach that seeks to eliminate or at least minimize the level of risk associated with a business operation. Essentially, the process identifies any type of situation that could result in damage to any resource within the possession of the company, including personnel, then take steps to correct factors that are highly likely to result in that damage.

Neglecting risk management thinking and risk management activities is risky indeed, both in business contexts, and in other societal or interpersonal ones. Or, as some people have put it, risk management can prevent crises from happening or prepare for the best possible handling of crises, i.e. critical, often survival or life-threatening situations.
This course offers research-based instruction, as one among several activities carried out by the BI Centre of Risk and Insurance Research, cf. http://www.bi.no/roff

The focus is on more or less fresh real-life and business-life case illustrations, and on offering a common denominator across the whole range of business school subjects.

Learning outcome
Acquired knowledge
After completing the course, students should:

  • know the most important terminology, theories, approaches and authors' names within risk research and risk management
  • understand the strengths and weaknesses of chosen theories and approaches

Acquired skills
After completing the course, students should:
  • be able to apply concepts and theories fruitfully and critically to business practices and business research problems
  • be able to draft and organize work with an "intelligent" or holistic risk management approach to situations and business contexts

Reflection
After completing the course, students should:
  • be able to identify risk and risk management issues in other business school subjects
  • be able to ask critical questions about such theories and about business practices, not least when it comes to ethical and responsibility aspects
  • have acquired a reflected attitude regarding risk and risk management with respect to their own roles in business and work life, professional life and private life
  • be aware of the risks of uncritical belief in superficial risk management

Prerequisites
No special prerequisites are required.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Power, Michael. 2004. The risk management of everything : rethinking the politics of uncertainty. Demos. (the text is now available online, see http://www.demos.co.uk/files/riskmanagementofeverything.pdf

Collection of articles:
Brinkmann, J. and M. Aarset. 2011. Risk management texts I (paper). Handelshøyskolen BI
Brinkmann, J. and M. Aarset. 2011. Risk management texts II. These texts will be made available electronically, most likely via It's learning

Recommended reading
Books:
Fraser, John, Betty J. Simkins. 2010. Enterprise risk management. Wiley
Mitroff, Ian I. and Gus Anagnos. 2001. Managing crisis before they happen : what every executive and manager needs to know about crisis management. Amacom
Power, Michael. 2007. Organized uncertainty : designing a world of risk management. Oxford University Press
Renn, Ortwin. 2008. Risk governance : coping with uncertainty in a complex world. Earthscan. (Aarset, M.. 2010. Kriseledelse. Fagbokforlaget. Parts of this book can be used as an alternative to Renn 2008 by students reading Norwegian)

Course outline
  • Interdisciplinary risk research
  • Definitions
  • Risk identification
  • Risk assessment
  • Risk control
  • Risk financing
  • Management
  • Risk perception and communication
  • Risk participation and governance
  • Issue and crisis management

Computer-based tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.

Learning process and workload
The students are expected to keep track of their learning process across various assignments. Therefore presence at lectures is essential. Students must write a short diary of one's learning process, covering each class meeting typically with 3-5 lines. This diary must be available as a basis for a short conversation with the instructor in the periphery of a class meeting. Furthermore there will be given a variety of assignments in class and at It's learning i.e. multiple choice test and peer review.

Please note:
  1. The work on the term paper begins typically two weeks after the start of the course, at the latest.
  2. The students need to be present at least 75% of the plenary sessions.
  3. Normally, the term paper in progress has to be presented in the plenary for gathering feedback

Recommended workload in hours:
Student activity
Hours
Lecture participation
32
Prepare for lectures, follow up lectures
28
Read mandatory/recommended course readings independently of class
20
Write term paper, individual and group work together
70
Assignments and indiv feedback
20
Other group work during and in addition to class , e.g. related to presentations
30
Total recommended use of time
200


    Examination
    A project paper concludes the course, and is handed out when course starts and is to be handed in at the end of semester. The project paper may be solved individually or in groups of up to 3 students.

    Examination code(s)
    ELE 37121 - Project paper, which accounts for 100% of the grade in the course ELE 3712 Risk Management and Governance, 7,5 credits.

    Examination support materials
    All written support materials allowed.

    Re-sit examination
    A re-sit is held in connection with the next scheduled exam in the course.
    Students who have not taken the previous written exam or students who want to improve their grade, must take the project paper instead.

    Additional information
    The term paper topic is either chosen by the group members and approved by the lecturer, or chosen from a lecturer's list which will be made available in the third session the latest. The max term paper length is 15x350 words; contents, abstract and necessary appendices are permitted in addition.
    Thel text collections are updated once a year and preferably available online instead of in paper.

    Semester

    Oversettelser