When performing a compliance risk assessment, how should a compliance team distinguish between the concepts of "likelihood" and "impact"?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation and Infographic
Let's talk about risk. If you live in Southern California, the likelihood of a major earthquake is real, and the impact could be devastating. But what about the likelihood of a meteor hitting your office? Incredibly low, right? But if it did, the impact would be massive. In compliance risk assessments, you have to measure these two variables separately. Likelihood is all about probability—how often or how easily could this compliance slip-up happen? Impact is the aftermath—how badly will it hurt your company in fines, lawsuits, and public embarrassment if it does occur? When you map these two on a grid, you get your overall risk profile. Don't mix them up, because you need both to figure out where to spend your compliance budget first!
Full explanation below image
Full Explanation
The correct answer is B. Risk is typically defined as a function of two dimensions: likelihood (probability) and impact (consequence). Likelihood assessments look at internal and external factors—such as historical incidents, the complexity of operations, employee training levels, and the strength of existing controls—to estimate how probable it is that a specific compliance violation will occur. Impact assessments evaluate the potential fallout if the risk event manifests, including financial losses (fines, remediation costs), legal consequences (prosecution, consent decrees), operational disruptions, and reputational damage.
Option A is incorrect because duration and employee count are specific data points that might inform the scale of an event, but they do not define the general concepts of likelihood (probability) and impact (severity of consequences). Option C is incorrect because likelihood is not about the cost of controls, and impact encompasses more than just regulatory penalties (such as brand damage or loss of business). Option D is incorrect because likelihood and impact are distinct variables. Multiplying them (Likelihood × Impact) is a standard methodology to calculate the "Inherent Risk" score; treating them as synonymous would result in inaccurate risk profiling.