Risk Management in Connection with Acquisitions Using the Example of the TüV NORD Group

The legislator has left open the operationalization of the risk management system in enterprises; they are not compelled to implement a certain standard approach. Therefore enterprises are using different types of risk management systems. Aim of the paper is to describe the development of risk management system and main principles of TüV NORD and also TüV SüD – who has been using its risk management system for more than 10 years and which was implemented by the authors. It has been constantly developed by authors collaboration further and complemented by new insights, gained from world-wide implemented acquisitions. The concept of the risk management system must assure that all relevant risks that might affect an enterprise especially in connection with acquisitions and not only with operational business are identified. Therefore a systematic process, which will be explained in the paper, has been chosen by the authors to provide the risk identification with a definition of the risk levels and the risk fields. It can be expected that in the future the economic significance of a meaningful risk management – especially in light of the technology development in connection with increasing of complexity, the globalisation of the industry and therefore the legal requirements – as a value-oriented instrument in the management of an enterprise will further increase.