Recen scandals are sharp reminders to boards and CEOs that handling risk - to a company's operations, market, credit standing, and reputation - is a top priority that cannot be left to low-level employees. Some key factors that should be weighed in deciding how risky any business are: 1. Loads of off-balance-sheet liabilities are buried in footnote...

11: A Yardstick for Corporate Risk Current measures of a company's health--and its ability to handle adversity--are inadequate. Here's what we need to know