Strategy And Risk Management
The Purpose of Strategy and Risk management activities is to inform and influence from a financial perspective the development and implementation of strategy and to manage risk. It includes following key areas:
STRATEGY
Finance is firmly integrated in the strategy process for three main reasons:
- Financial Resources: The effective implementation of strategies requires sufficient financial resources.
- Success measure : For commercial entities in particular a key measure of Organisational Success is Financial Performance.
- Cross Organisational Visibility : Financial Information provides a uniform measure of performance across the Organisation and is a key means of making Organisational Activities visible and thus understanding the business.
STRATEGIC AND ANNUAL PLANS
Organisations tend to be more successful if they are led against the backdrop of a strategic direction, rather than via reactionary response to short-term and immediate changes in circumstances.
Setting a strategic direction allows longer-term planning to be effective and enables senior leaders to determine and plan to achieve future business opportunities.
We can support senior leaders through the process of setting the organisation's strategy, bringing an external independent perspective to the discussions.
Having set the strategy and agreed the organisation's goals or objectives, we are also experienced in supporting the translation of the appropriate elements of the strategy into the annual business plans, ensuring "line of sight" between the strategy and operational activities.
- Corporate governance framework.
Directors of an organisation have personal responsibilities for their actions in respect of the organisation's business. Our framework outlines the key responsibilities of accountable executives and Boards, their powers of delegation, the conduct expected of the Board and its proceedings. It reflects principles that have been adopted by the Organisation demonstrates its commitment to openness and public accountability.
- Business performance measurement.
Having determined an organisation's strategy and its key objectives, reviewing progress towards achievement of the intended goals is central to the activities of the Board and senior leaders. We offer assistance to clients in identifying the critical success factors that underpin achievement of strategic objectives, and the range of performance indicators and associated measures against which to review progress and to support strategic decision-making. We are also able to advise on formats for the reporting of performance measures, review and escalation responsibilities and processes.
- Process review and alignment to strategy.
When an organisation agrees a new strategic direction, it is important that all processes support the efficient and effective realisation of the Corporate goals. Often, processes will have been designed to deliver against an earlier and different strategic agenda. Optimizing business process through alignment to the new strategy is a crucial activity if the business is to operate efficiently and we offer support and advice on process review and alignment to strategy.
RISK MANAGEMENT
Risk management is an integral part of business management today. For effectively managing the risk it is equally important to first assess the risk. Risk management is an on going process and the range of activities can get very broad as per the needs and requirements of the business. Setting of risk policies, identification of risk across the organisation and monitoring of action plans designed to manage such risks.
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
A specific element of the strategy process is mergers , acquisitions and divestments. Financial considerations are central here including Financial Due Diligence , Valuations and Price Negotiations. The decision of merger and acquisition is crucial as it is a long term decision so has to be taken after due care .