Prosidian Consulting, Llc Presents Cpe Seminar On Managing Energy Risk In Today's Environment

April 6, 2009 - PRLog -- The Certified Professional Education Seminar held at the World Trade Center in Rogers, Arkansas was co-sponsored by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and The National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education (CPE) for The NABA Knowledge Sharing Seminar Presentation Series on behalf of the Northwest Arkansas NABA Chapter.

Course Description: In today's business environment, the overall importance of risk management and internal controls has increased, resulting in greater responsibilities for those who manage risk and controls.  Risks are events that can have either a positive or negative outcome.  They are inherent in every forward-looking business decision.  As such, executive management and board members have higher expectations for the oversight of key business risks and how management and control efforts should support overall business performance.

The reality remains that in many organizations, risk management and internal control activities are numerous and fragmented.  Organizations struggle with inefficiencies and coverage gaps in their risk management efforts and with how to drive alignment and coordination across various organizational boundaries.  In response, leading organizations are beginning to define a risk management framework appropriate for their industry and individual risk profiles.  This involves making decisions on a cost/benefit basis about where to invest in risk management activities aligned to their business strategies. The objective is to design a risk framework that is “right-sized” and supports improved business performance.

For Commercial and Industrial end users of energy, the market has proven difficult to manage due to the many inherent risks and price volatility of the past several years.  The management of such risk continues to be a predominant business issue, with companies focusing intensively on their exposure, control and governance.  Executive Management and Board Members now have more personal accountability for these risks than ever before: they must be able to demonstrate that their decisions take into account both financial performance and risk performance.

Meanwhile, investors today have increased expectations of additional communication around risk.  Companies are looking for ways to address these issues, not just from a mitigation and compliance perspective but also to use risk management to add value to business performance.  What we are hearing are leading companies saying both ‘help keep us out of trouble’ and ‘help us improve our performance’.  In his discussion titled “Managing Energy Risk In Today's Environment:  A Commercial and Industrial Perspective”, Adrian Woolcock will review the long history of the risk management industry and discuss Energy Risk Management from the perspective of commercial and industrial end users who account for almost 52% of total energy use in the United States.

Objectives:
=> Describe the History of Risk Management and its impact on today’s business environment.
=> Discuss the value proposition of risk management for Commercial & Industrial Energy Consumers
=> Implications For Management and Shareholder Perspectives
=> The ProSidian Consulting Approach

Credits: Eligible for 3 CPE credits
Course Content: Energy Risk Management is a major initiative for companies seeking to mitigate exposure due to volatile energy markets.  This NABA Knowledge Sharing Seminar event will address strategies to manage the exposure and align with shareholder expectations that management should initiate strategies for keeping out of trouble and getting the basics right.  Discussion will include strategies for managing energy risk and the difference between Hedging and Speculation.  This course will be presented by Adrian Woolcock, Managing Principal of ProSidian Consulting, LLC.  

For more information, visit www.prosidianconsulting.com or contact info@prosidianconsulting.com.

ABOUT PROSIDIAN CONSULTING

Risk Management  |  Energy Management  |  Compliance  |  Business Process Improvement  |  Project Management  |  Executive Search
ProSidian Consulting is an integrated consulting services firm focusing on providing value to clients through tailored solutions based on industry leading practices.  ProSidian's services focus on the broad spectrum of Risk & Energy Management, Compliance, Business Process Improvement, Project Management, and Executive Search.  Linking strategy to execution, ProSidian assists client leaders in maximizing company return on investment capital through design and execution of operations core to delivering value to customers.  Prosidian services are deployed across the enterprise, target drivers of economic profit (growth, margin and efficiency), and are aligned at the intersections of assets, processes, policies and people delivering value.  ProSidian currently operates in North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Texas, and Florida with plans to expand in 2009.

ABOUT WAL-MART STORES INC.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates retail stores in various formats worldwide.  The company's Wal-Mart Stores segment offers general merchandise, financial services and products through supercenters, discount stores, and neighborhood markets in the United States, as well as through walmart.com.  It’s Sam’s Club segment provides hard goods, soft goods, and selected private-label items under the Member’s Mark, Bakers & Chefs, and SAM’S Club brands; and gasoline through warehouse membership clubs in the United States, as well as through samsclub.com.  The company’s International segment includes various formats of retail stores and restaurants, including combination discount and grocery stores, supercenters, Sam’s Clubs, hypermarkets, supermarkets, cash-n-carry stores, neighborhood markets, department stores, and general merchandise stores.    As of January 31, 2008, Wal-Mart operated 971 discount stores, 2,447 supercenters, 132 neighborhood markets, and 591 Sam’s Clubs in the United States; and 21 units in Argentina, 313 in Brazil, 305 in Canada, 149 in Costa Rica, 70 in El Salvador, 145 in Guatemala, 47 in Honduras, 394 in Japan, 1,023 in Mexico, 46 in Nicaragua, 54 in Puerto Rico, and 352 in the United Kingdom, as well as 202 stores through joint ventures in China.  The company was founded in 1945 and is based in Bentonville, Arkansas.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK ACCOUNTANTS, INC. (NABA)
Since 1969, the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) has been the leader in expanding the influence of minority professionals in the fields of accounting and finance.  NABA focuses on providing services and support to all Professionals in the Fields of Accounting and Finance; Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers; Executive Management Consultants Investment Advisors; Compliance Officers; Internal Auditors; Entrepreneurs; Consultants in the Financial Services Industry; Students in Accounting, Finance or Business.  NABA also endeavors to create long-lasting mutual beneficial partnerships with Corporate Entities.  The goals of the Association include, but are not limited to, the following:

=> Promote and develop the professional skills of our members;
=> Encourage and assist minority students in entering the accounting profession;
=> Provide opportunities for members to fulfill their civic responsibility;
=> Ensure long-term financial stability w/ adequate resources to implement chapter, regional, and national programs; and
=> Represent the interests of current and prospective minority accounting professionals.

OFFICIAL REGISTRY STATEMENT:  The National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education (CPE) on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.  State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credits.

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ProSidian focusses on Risk & Energy Management, Compliance, Business Process, Project Management, & Executive Search. ProSidian assists clients in maximizing company investment capital through design and execution of operations core to delivering value.