Author Archives: Emily Holbrook

About Emily Holbrook

Emily Holbrook is a former editor of the Risk Management Monitor and Risk Management magazine. You can read more of her writing at EmilyHolbrook.com.
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WEF Spotlights Insurers, Risk Response Network

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The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) kicked off yesterday in Davos, Switzerland, welcoming more than 2,500 business leaders, politicians and social activists.

A laundry list of issues awaited those in attendance, from the global economy to Eurozone debt to responsible capitalism to preventing the next financial crisis.

These issues, along with several others, are what prompted the WEF to form the Risk Response Network (RRN), “to better understand, manage and respond to complex, interdependent risk.”  In response to the new RRN, Kevin Steinberg, chief operating officer for the WEF in the United States commented:

“Over the past several years, the world has been very reactive. If you look at the number of crises that have hit from financial to social to economic ones, almost everybody has felt they’ve been trying to avoid falling off the cliff.

One of the moods we’re starting to see here in Davos is the sense we need to be more proactive. We need to think about risk not only in terms of responding to events after the fact but structuring our thinking before, being prepared.”

The RNN will be comprised of risk officers from top corporations, governments and global risk regulating bodies who will draw from the WEF’s own knowledge and insight with the aim of helping decision-makers better understand risks and respond to them proactively. The project also involves WEF-led partnerships that mobilize rapid response teams after disasters.

In other news from Davos, insurers became the topic of conversation when the question was raised as to whether large insurers should be included in a shortlist by regulators “for big players in need of more safeguards to avoid posing a threat to the whole financial system” These “big players” are known as Systemically Important Financial Institutions (SIFIs), and even though it has been said time and time again that insurance companies are not inherently systemic, the questions arises yet again. Needless to say, insurance execs at the WEF resisted being grouped as a SIFI.

“I don’t see any reason to elevate the status of insurers in a way that they are systemic,” said Dieter Wemmer, Chief Financial Officer at Swiss insurer Zurich Financial Services. Sometimes the word systemic is being used very loosely and we should understand what it means.”

‘Round and ’round we go…

Toyota’s Troubles Part Two (Or Three or Four or . . .)

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Here I am again, writing about Toyota’s troubles.

Today, the car company announced another massive global recall of close to 1.7 million cars due to fuel leak problems. The car models in question affecting the U.S. are the Lexus IS and GS sedans. And though Toyota says it has received no reports of accidents or deaths due to the malfunction, it has had numerous complaints from North American, European and Japanese customers.

It’s been a horrible two years for the world’s largest car manufacturer. Last February I wrote about the Prius recall and the numerous questions that followed regarding buy tamiflu online www.scottsdaleweightloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/jpg/tamiflu.html no prescription pharmacy

Think that’s bad? Toyota also demands that their employees never walk around the office with their hands in their pockets.” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>the company’s totalitarian business environment.

The “Toyota Way” is the company’s long-standing philosophy that, among other things, places an extreme emphasis on maximizing efficiency by minimizing waste. Some have even said it acts almost like a religion amongst Toyota’s 316,000 employees. There is even a Toyota-approved way of turning corners when walking around the company’s numerous hallways (you must do say at a 90 degree angle). Think that’s bad? Toyota also demands that their employees never walk around the office with their hands in their pockets.

Now if only they could be that vigilant and careful with their car manufacturing process. Does Toyota value waste-cutting and efficiency more than product quality and customer safety?

It’s a question that has been asked more than once.