When organisations chase new opportunities to grow and expand, some degree of risk is inevitable. As Yvan Byeajee, famous trader and investor, put it: “Risk and opportunity are two sides of the same coin”. 

While it’s not possible to anticipate and overcome every possible risk, there are measures that can be taken to lower the degree of risk involved with a new strategy. By considering risks and how to mitigate them during the strategy formulation process, the chances that the strategy will prove successful in the long term can be increased.

If you’re a finance professional involved in formulating strategy or providing financial insights and advice to those who do, then this course is for you! We’ll cover how to identify and manage the risks likely to impact an organisation’s business strategy.

• The key risks to manage when defining the direction of the business to ensure clear, consistent and realistic mission and objectives are set 

• The risks to mitigate when conducting internal and external analysis to ensure that the resulting information used in strategy formulation is high quality and reliable 

• An overview of scenario analysis and its associated risks to ensure you are able to take into account its limitations when using this model

• Porter’s generic strategies that organisations can follow to develop and retain their competitive advantage and overcome the risk of lacking a strategic focus

• Ansoff’s matrix, providing you with a framework to assess the relative level of risk associated with the four major ways an organisation can pursue growth

• The risks associated with disrupting an industry and being disrupted – an important, yet tricky, balance to get right to avoid a failing strategy!

• The major advantages and risks of different methods for achieving business growth so that an informed decision can be made as to which one to pursue

• Simon’s seven questions to provide you with an effective approach for stress testing an organisation’s strategy to identify problem areas