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Essentials of Risk Management, Third Edition, by George L. Head and Stephen Horn II (Insurance Institute of America, 1997)
Students should have great success with this two-volume set due to the many excellent design features that enhance the learning process. Each chapter begins with a set of clear educational objectives stated as specific; action oriented tasks students should be able to complete after studying the chapter. Next to the objectives are concise outlines of each chapter. The outlines provide a framework on which to build an understanding of the material, and provide a reference point for determining the breadth of coverage for each topic. The outlines are useful for seeing what is, and what isn't, covered. Significant sections within chapters begin with a small number of questions, prominently displayed in shaded boxes, specifying the issues to be addressed in that section. Exhibits are used liberally and with great effect. Many of the exhibits are taken from actual risk management situations, such as the risk management policy statements of General Mills and the State of Minnesota. Some of the exhibits would benefit from a sentence or two of explanation within the exhibits themselves, but overall, the exhibits help to illustrate important concepts and assist students' efforts to organize, integrate, and understand the material presented.
Cross-referencing and repetition are used extensively to tie together material from one chapter to the next, reinforcing the "essentials" of risk...