Description: This paper evaluates the current practice of operational risk management in the insurance sector. Operational risk is nothing new in insurance, but, because of regulatory requirements, companies have initiated computation of risk capital for their operational losses. The current effort to manage operational risk is not a naturally evolving phenomenon, and operational risk, in the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s Basel II definition, is unlikely to be a significant cause of insurers’ failure. In addition, the current Basel II definition of operational risk is not suitable for the insurance sector. Consequently, the invention of models and tools based on the definition is incomplete and illusionary. My findings are based on the analysis of dozens of interviews with insurance industry professionals. I demonstrate the way operational risk is quantified in practice, show that the result obtained from this computation is of littl e use in managerial decision making and propose a set of policy recommendations illustrating the characteristics of operational risk in insurance. This study can be used as a platform for launching dialogues to initiate fresh thinking about operational risk in insurance beyond the current artificial and narrow boundaries.

Description: 2011 Enterprise Risk Management Symposium, Chicago. This paper explores cognitive and behavioral theories that can be applied to explain why emerging risk is often overlooked, downplayed or ignored. It also proposes an innovative framework for managing emerging risk within an overall enterprise risk management program.

Description: The purpose of this paper is not to present a revolutionary new concept, instead, it is to reexamine a familiar concept in the light of new market circumstances and, to consider the consequences to the life insurance industry if the concept were adopted.

Description: This paper presents an advanced approach to enterprise risk management that, according to the author, significantly improves upon current approaches. The two fundamental elements are a focus on the management of strategic plans and a heavy reliance upon probability theory.

Description: This paper examines the potential impact of increasing negative commentary by social media users in multiple forums, which can erode the “reputation capital” of a utility. It also offers an approach for successfully addressing that risk and integrating social media risk management practices into existing utility enterprise risk management (ERM) programs.