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As Western companies are being put under increasing pressure to cut expenses and improve return on assets, the dilemma of whether to keep key functions in-house or outsource them has taken center stage.

Manufacturing units are being identified with Make-or-Buy Decisions as third-party suppliers in Eastern Europe, China, and other low-cost regions hold out a promise of significant advantage that companies in developed countries can’t offer.

The Make-or-Buy Decision extends beyond manufacturing. It

Transforming a product-driven firm to a customer-driven enterprise is inevitable in order to stay ahead in today’s extremely competitive markets. The days of mass marketing, mass media communications, and little-to-none direct interface with customers are long gone. The emphasis, now, should be on maximizing customer relationships and becoming customer-driven organizations rather than merely selling products. The technological advancements of this age offer potent tools for organizations to util

Baby-boomers will soon be transferring their assets to generations X and Y, primarily defined by their exposure to technology and the web from an early age. As banks’ relationship management styles gravitate towards digital mediums, their next priority should be the associated customer data. How can banks adapt their IT infrastructures to manage the amounts of data new generations are generating?

In today’s digitalised world customer data is increasing daily. Social media alone (Twitter, Facebook

Recently I read a comment in a LinkedIn Group that stated Chief Risk Officers should be given more authority in order to enforce sound risk management practices.  This made me raise my pen.

The notion of authority for a CRO worries me a bit along the lines that the risk management function and internal audit should be separated. 

I am more of the school that CROs sell benefits, facilitate better practices and influence good decision-making as broadly as they are able while the assurance function (

The past 24 months have seen a number of man-made and natural disasters bring risk management demands to the forefront of executives and board directors. Whether these have been natural disasters, such as the Japanese Tsunami or man-made disasters, such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, fat-tail disasters have created a renewed interest in enterprise risk management (ERM) practices.

Although demand for these practices and the discussion level for their use is high inside the C-suite of many corpor