In risk management, which focus best describes risk mitigation?

• A. Eliminating all possible risks.
• B. Reducing adverse effects of potential risks.
• C. Transferring all risk to third parties.
• D. Maximizing opportunities regardless of risk.

Answer: (B)

Reducing the potential damage and the likelihood of threats to an acceptable level is what risk mitigation is all about. In practice, organizations put safeguards, controls, and processes in place to lower both how often a risk could occur and how severe its impact would be if it does. Since it’s rarely possible to remove every risk, the goal is to minimize adverse effects so operations remain sustainable and secure.

Think of risk treatment as a toolkit: you can avoid a risk entirely, transfer some or all of it to others, accept it, or mitigate it. Mitigation specifically targets lowering the impact and probability, leaving a manageable residual risk that you monitor and adjust over time. That’s why reducing adverse effects of potential risks best describes risk mitigation.

The other ideas—eliminating all risks, transferring all risk to third parties, or chasing opportunities without considering risk—don’t fit because they either ignore feasibility, rely on shifting all exposure away, or overlook the potential downsides.