DAY 2 OF THE RISK & RESILIENCE ONLINE EVENT
AFTER THE CRISIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR RISK & RESILIENCE IN wholesale & retail
While large companies hire risk managers and chief risk officers and draw up risk heat maps, most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) just want to get down to business – they’ve got enough to be getting on with.
Still, the ability to see opportunities – and the capacity to evaluate and take risks in order to seize those opportunities – is what makes someone an entrepreneur. SMEs and the retail and wholesale sectors could possibly get even more out of risk management and risk-based working than big business, as larger companies tend to have more robust buffers and are better able to avert potential risks. How can SMEs prepare for an inherently uncertain future? How can you make sure you’re ready to seize opportunities and take risks while remaining resilient in the face of setbacks?
That dilemma is what this event is all about.
We’ll look at why the topics of risk and resilience receive little formal attention, despite being so important to SMEs. We’ll discuss the consequences of this approach and offer tips on how to change.
Then we will broaden our scope. SMEs are the core of the economic ecosystem: from private and corporate buyers, retail, wholesale businesses and producers to governments and financiers. In a crisis, everyone is just trying to survive. But what is the best foundation for that survival? Is it just about survival of the fittest, or should we be fostering symbiotic relationships and seeking a more cooperative approach? Our inspirational speakers and experts, drawn from a diverse range of industries, will explore these questions in a round table discussion. Everyone who comes to this event will have the opportunity to interact with our panel.
A crisis ensures that there is a great focus on risks.
In my opinion even too much focus, which is of short duration. In short, after the crisis we fall back into the old way.
Compare it metaphorically with a student who has done little or nothing during a lecture block and is terrified by the test that is 'suddenly' on the doorstep.
An attempt is made to stamp everything in a short period of time in order to catch up where a longer period of preparation was possible and desirable.
After the test almost everything is immediately forgotten and in terms of behavior is mainly returned to the old position.
Bio:
Dennis van der Waal (MSc) is a senior lecturer in the programme Finance & Control and the minor Risk Management & Behaviour, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.
He is also a lecturer researcher at the Business Innovation knowledge centre in the field of risk management and behaviour, with a focus on risk & resilience within SMEs.
The Covid-19 outbreak has shown that it is possible for a bed manufacturer with a passion for social engagement to set up a production line for certified medical face masks within weeks, in cooperation with a group of like-minded partners. The masks are then supplied to the Dutch government at cost price, which has reduced the group’s need to draw on the transitional arrangements during the crisis. Resilience flows from a flexible mindset, but it cannot be really effective until it is deployed as part of an approach that is both risk and opportunity-oriented.
Bio:
After graduating from Institute of Technology programmes in Applied Physics and Industrial Engineering and Management, Walter went to work for Dutch manufacturers such as Nefit/Bosch and Royal Gazelle, primarily organising and implementing project management, preventive quality assurance, reliability engineering, testing and product compliance. Walter is now a Risk Manager at Royal Auping and a student on the University of Twente’s Master’s degree programme in Risk Management.
The Covid-19 outbreak has shown that it is possible for a bed manufacturer with a passion for social engagement to set up a production line for certified medical face masks within weeks, in cooperation with a group of like-minded partners. The masks are then supplied to the Dutch government at cost price, which has reduced the group’s need to draw on the transitional arrangements during the crisis. Resilience flows from a flexible mindset, but it cannot be really effective until it is deployed as part of an approach that is both risk and opportunity-oriented.
Bio
After graduating from Institute of Technology programmes in Applied Physics and Industrial Engineering and Management, Walter went to work for Dutch manufacturers such as Nefit/Bosch and Royal Gazelle, primarily organising and implementing project management, preventive quality assurance, reliability engineering, testing and product compliance. Walter is now a Risk Manager at Royal Auping and a student on the University of Twente’s Master’s degree programme in Risk Management.
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