News in brief

Risk managers must be able to demonstrate the value that they bring to companies, in order to prove their worth, according to Clive Thursby, a risk management consultant with Tillinghast-Towers Perrin. He argues that chief financial officers are increasingly questioning whether they need risk managers.

Companies should not rely solely on psychometric testing when recruiting staff, says Berg & Co. The firm believes that the traditional person-to-person interview is still the best way to judge someone’s character and suitability for a job.

PwC has linked up with BT in order to ensure that its consultants are able to stay in touch with clients wherever they are. The BT Intelligent Office System ensures that the consultants have just one number for all calls be it phone, fax or data.

Research by EC Harris, facilities consultants, predicts that the UK economy is slowing down. This, it says, will affect confidence in the construction market, causing tender prices to rise. It is thought, however, that the industry will avoid the type of recession that occurred in the early ’90s.

Sema Group has completed a state of readiness review for the EMU programme for the Department of Social Security. The review examined the impact of the euro on existing DSS work as well as the planning implications for the DSS should the UK enter into EMU.