Objectives of Risk Management in the Financial Services Sector - The Perspective of Polish Enterprises Listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange

Risk management is now an important domain of management, often determining the probability of survival and development of enterprises. The main purpose of this article is to identify and categorize the risk management objectives adopted in the Polish enterprises representing the financial services sector, that were studied. Empirical research was carried out on a sample of 33 companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, adopting the mixed methods research approach, using the inductive logic inherent in the empirical approach. The aim of the empirical research was realized through the use of triangulation of research methods and techniques. The main method used in the research procedure was analyzing the content of source documents of the group of enterprises studied, mainly: annual reports (financial statements, chairman’s reports), capital adequacy reports and other information subject to disclosure by entities listed on the WSE. The logic classification method, and the comparative analysis method along with quantitative tools were also used. The main research findings indicate that: 1) the primary objective of shaping risk management processes in the enterprises studied is, in most cases, ensuring compliance with the applicable external and internal requirements, 2) specific objectives (components of the primary objective) are determined mainly by the specificity of the financial services sector. The research results obtained refer to both the theory and the practice of risk management among enterprises in the financial services sector, and may serve as a source of knowledge for stakeholders of stock exchange entities (eg investors, contractors, business partners), which adds value to this work.