Enterprise Risk Management: From Incentives to Controls (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "One evening in the autumn of 1995, I flew into Boston to have dinner with Denis McCarthy, then the chief financial officer of Fidelity Investments..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Praise for Enterprise Risk Management

"In the aftermath of Enron, WorldCom, and Sarbanes-Oxley, every publicly traded company should be concerned about risk management. This book takes a pragmatic approach to risk management that can benefit any CEO or senior executive. Lam lays out clear strategies to address what is often a highly complex issue."
–William L. Walton, Chairman and CEO, Allied Capital Corporation

"James Lam provides one of the most practical, insightful books on risk management that I have read in the last thirty years. It clearly reflects experience and deep understanding of the art as well as the science in risk management practices. A must-read for all who wish to advance risk management practices in their businesses."
–Sandra Jansky, Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer, SunTrust Banks, Inc.
Chairperson, Risk Management Association

"In this book, James Lam has provided an effective overview of business risk. Enterprise Risk Management will be useful to professional risk managers and business executives seeking to understand the latest tools and organizational approaches."
–Robert Simons, Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration,
Unit Head–Accounting & Control, Harvard Business School

"The most comprehensive and engaging handbook on enterprise risk management, written by the pioneer of the Chief Risk Officer function. Filled with practical examples and lessons learned, this book is destined to become one of the most widely read primers on today’s top business initiative. James Lam is the authority on enterprise risk management, and I highly recommend this book to all board directors, senior executives, and risk managers."
–Cassandra R. Schultz, Vice President and Chief Risk Officer, KeySpan Corporation

"James Lam’s book Enterprise Risk Management: From Incentives to Controls provides an insightful road map to best practices in risk management. Based on a solid and successful career in risk management, James’s advice is both timely and relevant and should be required reading for all risk management professionals."
–Michael J. Litwin, Chief Credit and Risk Officer, Merrill Lynch Capital

From the Inside Flap

Enterprise risk management is a complex yet critical issue that all companies must deal with as they head into the twenty-first century. It empowers you to balance risks with rewards as well as people with processes. But to master the numerous aspects of enterprise risk management, you must intergrate risk management into the culture and operations of the business. No one knows this better than risk management expert James Lam. In Enterprise Risk Management: From Incentives to Controls, Lam distills twenty years worth of experience in this field to give you a clear understanding of both the art and science of enterprise risk management.

Organized into four comprehensive sections, Enterprise Risk Management offers in-depth insights, practical advice, and real-world case studies that explore every aspect of this important field. Section I: "Risk Management in Context" provides an introduction and foundation for the rest of the book. You’ll learn why a company should strive for balance between risk and return, and discover some of the basic reasons why risk management is such an important issue in business today. You’ll also learn seven essential risk management lessons through discussions of some of the major financial disasters of years past. With this knowledge in hand, you’ll be introduced to some of the key concepts, processes, and tools underlying risk management.

In Section II: "The Enterprise Risk Management Framework," you’ll receive an executive education on the business rationale for integrating risk management processes, and discover the seven building blocks for developing an enterprise risk management program. You’ll also discover how the role of Chief Risk Officer has changed in today’s firm.

Section III: "Risk Management Applications" discusses the applications of risk management in two dimensions–functions and industries. You’ll become familiar with the functional requirements for credit, market, and operational risks, as well as learn how risk management has evolved from a control function to a function that enables performance optimization. Industry segments including financial institutions, energy firms, asset management firms, and nonfinancial corporations are also explored with an eye toward key business trends and risk management requirements in these sectors.

Section IV: "A Look to the Future" rounds out this comprehensive discussion of enterprise risk management by examining emerging topics in risk management with respect to people and technology. A forward-looking story reveals how best-practice risk management might look in the year 2010.

Failure to properly manage risk continues to plague corporate America–from Enron to Long-Term Capital Management. Don’t let it hurt your organization. Pick up Enterprise Risk Management and learn how to meet the enterprise-wide risk management challenge head on–and succeed.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (May 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471430005
• ISBN-13: 978-0471430001
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,272 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a must read for all mid-level and executive level managers, September 20, 2005

By	Edmund L. Green (Boothwyn, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

James Lam has written a remarkably clear and relevant portrayal of how [enterprise] risk management can be used to deliver real value in any business.

During the past year, I developed a course for the Executive MBA program at Villanova University. After reviewing several books on the subject, I chose this one because of its clear and comprehensive coverage of the subject matter.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest in understanding risk management from a holistic perspective. This includes risk professionals as well as those involved in line and staff functions.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkably Succinct Coverage of a Hot New Topic, February 4, 2005

By	Ralph White (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

You bought Jorion, Pearson, and Hull; you slammed headfirst into the quantitative quagmire of risk management, and you may even have passed the Financial Risk Manager exam, sponsored by the Global Association of Risk Professionals, but are you prepared to become your company's "Risk Champion?" Can you explain to laymen why loss distributions are not normal? Can you illustrate the "sweet spot" in the profit/risk tradeoff? If you aren't quite there yet, pick up James Lam's new book, Enterprise Risk Management, From Incentives to Controls. It's a book you can read on the five hour flight from New York to Los Angeles, and its melodies will linger in your memory. This book has changed the way I communicate with people both in and outside the risk management profession. Read it with a highlighter in your hand, and keep the book within easy reach.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enterprise Risk Management: From Incentives to Controls, August 5, 2004

By	Gerald G Wisz "Professor" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book by James Lam provides an excellent insight into this current business strategic problem. In view of all the corporate governance coming from Sarbannes-Oxley legislation and Basel II capital pronouncements, this book provides the user with the building blocks in terms of explaining how credit, market, and operational risk all tie into the big picture of enterprise risk. The author enables one to understand these risks without getting bogged down in mathematical details. He effectively brings these risks together in terms of portfolio management and then presents the reader with some risk mitigation techniques. He goes beyond other books which just concentrate on financial institutions by bringing in energy firms and nonfinancial corporations in his concluding chapters. Lam's book is a must read for anyone considering a career in risk management.
Gerald G. Wisz, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor of Finance
Polytechnic University, Brooklyn NY
Independent Risk Management Consultant