About the Book
Praise and Reviews
`Sounds an alarm against complacency, cultural arrogance and ignorance.`
LLOYDS LIST
`Risky Business is a fascinating and disturbing book.`
The Property ExecutiveThe terrorist outrages of 11 September 2001 and the rapid collapse of Enron both highlight the uncomfortable fact that business and business people are subject to risks much broader and often more personally hazardous than the commercial and financial risks studied at business school.
These risks to organizations and their employees in international markets are not confined to the actions of a few fanatical terrorists or fraudsters. They encompass a range of activity arising from different cultures and attitudes. They stem from the willingness or otherwise of governments to strengthen weaknesses in policing, judicial systems and anti-terrorism and to stamp out organized crime, corruption, unfair trading, cronyism, bureaucracy and civil unrest. All of these things exist to some degree in every country of the world.
Through its international network - both official and clandestine - Stuart Poole- Robb's company, the Merchant International Group (MIG), has developed an unparalleled knowledge of the risks facing international businesses and those employed by them. MIG acts for many major international corporations in evaluating risks before investment and determining likely threats to success and safety well beyond the norms of due diligence.
This book is the result of 20 years' experience in this field. It explains in detail the nature of risk and provides country analysis showing the extent and severity of local risk. It also proposes a series of defences against these risks - through careful assessment, staff awareness, good business practice and practical measures such as building design and use of security equipment.
Topics covered include:
Defining 'grey area' risks
Risk reduction strategies for international investment
Different cultures: misconceptions and business integration
Bureaucracy and corruption
Risky legal regimes
Organized crime and its effects on trade
Ethical/unethical business practice
Asset and personnel security issues
Defence against terrorism, kidnapping etc
Defence against hacking/IT security
Global/regional disaster scenarios
Hot spots: a country-by-country analysis of risk by type
Table of Contents:
Part One Invisible Risk and its Impact on Investment: Operating in overseas markets; Invisible risks, Grey Area Dynamics, MIG's ten GADs and their subsections, The iceberg; The problem with strategy - Direction, Information collection, Analysis and planning, Bargaining, Decision-making; Understanding culture - Business integration, Case study - South Korea; Bureaucracy, corruption and FDI - Bureaucracy and liberality of investment regimes, Corruption, Case study - Indonesia (1), Case study - Indonesia (2); Legal safeguards, Case study - Poland, Case study - CIS/Ukraine/Russia; Criminal activities - Counterfeiting and Fraud, Case study - Russia, Case study - European Union; The good, the bad and the unethical, Case study - Burma, Case study - Royal Dutch/Shell; Other headaches - Extremism, Unfair competition, Case study - Russia, Case study, industrial espionage; A little light relief. Part Two The World's Troublespots: Introduction; Religious fanaticism and creeping Islam, International organized crime syndicates; Origins of the threat to business; Political terrorist groups; Global scenario update; Risk ratings; Middle East - the Saudi domino effect, Instability in Saudi Arabia, Expanded US operations against Iraq, Re-radicalization in Iran, Higher intensity Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Instability in Turkey; Latin America - Regional recession; Asia Pacific - Indo-Pakistani conflict over Kashmir, US operations extended into Pakistan, A widened Sino-Indian war, A new Taiwan crisis, A Korean crisis, Islamic revolution in Indonesia; The lesser risks - country by country, Asia and the Far East, Europe and the Former Soviet Union, The Middle East, Latin America, Africa. Part Three Threat and Defence: Introduction - Extortion/blackmail, Kidnapping or hostage-taking, Political terrorism; The defence of buildings, personnel and stock, The threat from direct action groups, Protection after the blast, Chemical and biological threats, Evacuation of buildings on receipt of a warning or after terrorist attack, Defence of stock, Cybercrime; Proactive & precautionary measures - Personal security, International travel, Documents and currency, Medical, Airport safety, Hotel safety, Street awareness, Security when mobile, Portable computer and mobile telephone security, Security at home, Child safety, Leisure, Women travellers, Attack and kidnap for ransom, Personal reactions, Coping with captivity, Safeguarding your family, Response to a kidnap call, Dealing with bombs. Part Four Conclusions.
About the Author :
Stuart Poole-Robb
Stuart Poole-Robb is the Chief Executive of MIG. He joined the military at 15. Many transfers and postings later, he was selected for training in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism. Later he saw service in Egypt, behind the `iron curtain` in Germany, Libya, Nigeria, Oman, and the Yemen, among other hotspots. As a civilian, he has worked for the Rank Organisation, Sperry Rand Inc, Alders International and Corals plc. His work with MIG began in 1982.
Review :
""This volume focuses on the risks associated with doing business in nondomestic markets, with particular, although not exclusive, application for US and UK companies. The authors are well qualified to write on this topic since they are executives in Merchant International Group (MIG), a firm that specializes in providing information and intelligence regarding risk to companies considering investments and operations in nondomestic markets. They take a broad, comprehensive view of risk and provide a framework for identifying, assessing, and dealing with a wide assortment of threats to business as well as to individuals. This framework, termed Grey Area Dynamics (GAD), lists more than 100 factors are organized under ten major subgroups: corruption, bureaucracy, counterfeiting and theft, cultural issues, legal safeguards, organized crime, unfair trade, unfair competition, assest security and extremism. A system of rating or scaling each factor yields an overall assessment of risk for a giiven area. The world's most risk prome regions are discussed individually . The authors draw on their considerable experience in suggesting proactive approaches to avoid or minimize potential risk. Many practical examples and cases; numerous charts and figures; limited bibliography. A wide audience can appreciate this nontechnical book. Summing Up: Recommended. Public, academic, and professional libray collections."" -- W. C. Strunning, Seton Hall University in Choice.
