Managing Risk Management

Abstract

We survey and analyze risk management goals, policies, and perceptions of risk managers in businesses and organizations around the world. With more than 1,100 responses and a global scope, we ask specific questions about risk management behavior in six risk areas: interest rate, foreign exchange, commodity, energy, credit, and geopolitical risk. We question risk managers about their firm's exposures to these risks areas as well as their financial and operational methods used to in risk management. In addition, we pose specific questions about the interaction between risk management and the firm's investing and financing policies as well as the impact of recent and possible changes to derivatives market regulation on the firm's derivative usage. As some questions in the survey are drawn directly from earlier surveys we are also able to assess changes in policy and practice over time. Finally, we link the personal characteristics of risk managers to their practices. For example, we are able to determine whether a manager's personal risk aversion is linked to the risk management policy that manager oversees. Overall the results suggest that in the post global financial crisis world, risk management is an important part of corporate activities and that best practice in risk management policy and behavior has become global.