Emerging Risks Quandary

The interplay between global economic integration, technological advances, and geopolitical friction is making it ever more important for companies to anticipate shocks and adverse trends that might shatter corporate reputation and growth expectations.

This is highlighted in publications such as the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, whose 2016 edition highlighted a range of near-term instabilities and longer-term structural challenges.

Yet many companies struggle to articulate the precise relevance of global and emerging risks to their business, and are poorly organized to make timely decisions.

To aid businesses with this effort, this report from Marsh & McLennan Insights explores how companies can blend creativity and pragmatism to overcome barriers to look beyond predictable and controllable risks to complex uncertainties that have the potential to generate more than mere volatility in corporate earnings. Stronger risk characterization, a more enlightened use of scenarios, and better early warning data can provide a platform for senior-level discussions at an appropriate level of detail.