How resilient is the American Dream?

That was one of several big and engaging questions that have come out of discussions with compensation experts I’ve held in recent weeks for a new research project. These discussions honed in on several compensation risks, which I’ll get to in a moment.

The American Dream question arose when a compensation consultant discussed his concerns about the growing gap between executive compensation and general workforce compensation. more

Writing in Foreign Policy, the former inspector general of the National Security Agency identifies four ways the U.S. can bolster its defenses against cyber-security risks. Much of the guidance the author, Joel Brenner, provides also can help organizations shore up their own information security.

In fact, some of the keys steps identified in the article probably can be implemented within companies more easily than they can be put into place by the federal government.

“Companies that wait for the government to ‘solve’ their own security problems do so at their peril,” Brenner warns. Yet, his guidance is light on gloom and doom — and it sounds surprisingly straightforward to adhere to. “This is an old-fashioned management challenge — not a technological one,” Brenner asserts. more

Executive pay risk figures are a slippery, multi-faceted area for CFOs and chief risk officers.

From a compliance perspective, Dodd-Frank looms large. From a reputational risk standpoint, executive pay qualifies as a hot-button issue that generates major controversy – along with a stream of misperceptions – at least every 18 months.

There are also human capital risks involved with executive pay as well as more personal, career issues … at least for CFOs. more

A few years ago, I complimented an IBM pal of mine for his company’s treasure trove of patents. When I mentioned the importance of innovation, he interrupted me, saying, “It’s just as much about risk management as it is about innovation.”

He went on to explain that many of the patents Big Blue earns (and the company produces quite a few: 5,896 U.S. patents in 2010, the 18th consecutive year IBM topped the list of the most “patently productive” companies) help defend lawsuits filed by competitors and also prevent competitors from entering certain businesses. more

More CFOs are taking on increasing human resources (HR) management responsibilities.

For someone who tracks the growing risk of a global skills gap, this is good news. Or is it?

“Financial leaders are becoming more involved in all aspects of company operations, often to ensure greater financial controls across the enterprise and offer input on pricing, cost cutting and business restructuring,” said Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half Management Resources. more