Financial analysis has never been an exact science. Occasionally, the theoretical models upon which it is based are even “bad” science. The root cause is that economic decisions undertaken in a real world of uncertainty are invariably characterised by hypothetical human behaviour, for which there is little empirical evidence. Thus, a financial model may satisfy a fundamental requirement of …
In a world of geo-political, social and economic uncertainty, strategic financial management is in a process of change, which requires a reassessment of the fundamental assumptions that cut across the traditional boundaries of the subject. Read on and you will not only appreciate the major components of contemporary finance but also find the subject much more accessible for future reference. …
Many of the most important decisions made within an organisation relate to risk, because anything that is innovative or competitive or worth doing is likely to be risky. However, risk exists at various levels within an organisation, from top to bottom. As a result the effective organisation needs to be able to communicate about risk between levels in a way that enables it to manage uncerta…
In this book, we argue that the strategies a company’s managers pursue have a major impact on its performance relative to rivals. A strategy is a set of actions that managers take to increase their company’s performance relative to rivals. If a company’s strategy does result in superior performance, it is said to have a competitive advantage. Much of this book is about identifying an…
The roots of OR can be traced back many decades, when early attempts were made to use a scientific approach in the management of organizations. However, the beginning of the activity called operations research has generally been attributed to the military services early in World War II. Because of the war effort, there was an urgent need to allocate scarce resources to the various military oper…
Using a survey of risk management practices in the insurance industry we examine the impact of enterprise risk management on firm performance. We find enterprise risk management improves firm operating performance. Firms with Chief Risk Officers, dedicated risk committees, and risk management entities that report to Chief Financial Officers experience higher cost efficiency and return on a…