The influence of external organizations and pressures on business risk management practices has hitherto been examined through the influence of state regulatory regimes on businesses. This literature concentrates on key socio-legal concerns about the influence of the law in social and economic life (Heimer 1996) which is an important source of information about business risk management practices. However most of this work does not clearly differentiate the importance of state regulatory regimes relative to other external pressures on business.
We know that the sources of regulation and risk management are diversifying, as are the tools and techniques employed to manage and regulate risks. What we do not have is much empirically informed research about the range of sources influencing the business world and in particular the weighting of influence exercised by them. In this paper we will explore the different external pressures upon business risk management through an empirical study of the management of food safety and food hygiene risks. A broader objective is to throw some further light onto the debate about regulation within and beyond the state.
Contents
Abstract
External influences on business risk management: beyond the state
External influences on business risk management: economic and civil
Management of food safety and food hygiene risks
- State regulators
- Environmental Health Officers
Food Standards Agency
- Non-state regulators
- Consumers
The media
Insurance companies
Lawyers
Pressure groups/NGOs
Private consultancy firms
Trade associations
Discussion
- Knowledge of state regulation
Knowledge of non-state influences
Variability
Conclusion
References
