ABSTRACT
The trend towards the wider use of risk management in response to an increasingly hostile business environment is discussed. This is centred upon the notion that there is a need for a paradigm shift towards a more proactive model of risk management. Two key barriers to this move, culture and communication, are identified.
Several behavioural theories of risk management are developed based upon theories of risk regulation. The focus falls on a "conspiracy" theory that is explained in terms of cultural differences between groups interested in the management of risk.
Attention then moves to communication and its contribution to risk amplification and crisis development. The role that culture plays here is discussed.
