Risk Management

What is risk? Why do firms manage risk? In this course, you will be introduced to the different types of business and financial risks, their sources, and best practice methods for measuring risk. This course will help you gauge different risk types and set risk limits, describe the key factors that drive each type of risk, and identify the steps needed to choose probability distributions to estimate risk. You will explore the history and development of risk management as a science, and financial and business trends that have shaped the practice of risk management. By the end of the course, you will have the essential knowledge to measure, assess, and manage risk in your organization. To be successful in this course, you should have a basic knowledge of statistics and probability and familiarity with financial instruments (stocks, bonds, foreign exchange, etc). Experience with MS Excel recommended.

In this course, you will use business and industry analysis to understand companies, projects, business models, and financing proposals. You will then prepare qualitative risk analysis for specific companies to use as the basis for financial analysis, project analysis, and risk decisions. Lastly, you will understand how to use financial ratios and financial metrics to evaluate a company or project’s profitability, balance sheet, capital structure, and cash flow to assess overall financial performance and risk profile.

This course provides the foundation for understanding the frameworks used to develop market risk management strategies. You will identify the market risks associated with each type of financial instrument. You will be introduced to techniques for estimating the risk associated with each class of investments. By the end of the course, you will be able to select the most effective derivatives for managing risk of a single asset and a portfolio of assets, develop asset selection strategies for managing risk in a portfolio, and model risk associated with a single asset and a portfolio of assets. Learners will complete a project covering the estimation and analysis of risk in a globally diversified equity portfolio. The portfolio will include allocations of equity indexes from the U.S., Japan, Hong Kong, and Germany. Data for the two years prior to March 2020 will be used to convert daily returns in each indexes' currency into dollar returns. Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall for the portfolio will be calculated using an equal-weighted sample and an exponentially weighted sample. Learners will then be given a new 2-year data set that includes the market data through August of 2020. They will be asked to re-evaluate risk for the portfolio using Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall.

In the final course from the Risk Management specialization, you will be introduced to the different roles in risk governance and the benefits of establishing an operational risk management program at your own workplace. This course will highlight key elements of an Operational Risk Management framework and help you identify the appropriate elements to incorporate in your own program. By the end of the course, you will be able to capture, report, and investigate operational risk events, produce meaningful key risk indicator (KRI) data and trend analysis, assess organizational risk appetite, and design an Operational Risk Control and Self-Assessment program. To be successful in this course, you should have a basic knowledge of statistics and probability and familiarity with business operations. Experience with MS Excel and Python recommended.