Scenario 7:Maxime, a chocolate manufacturer headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, produces toffees, eclairs, enrobed chocolates, and...

Scenario 7:

Maxime, a chocolate manufacturer headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, produces toffees, eclairs, enrobed chocolates, and caramels. In 2023, a contamination incident in its caramel line triggered a large-scale product recall across Europe, exposing weaknesses in supplier evaluation, reporting channels, and crisis communication. Recognizing the financial, operational, and reputational impact of this event, top management decided to apply a risk management process in line with ISO 31000. The aim was to strengthen resilience, embed risk awareness across departments, and ensure risks are systematically managed in both daily operations and long-term strategies.

To ensure that the risk management process is effective, Maxime set up a structured monitoring and review process with clear procedures for collecting and analyzing data on key risks like supplier reliability, food safety, and communication. For validation of measurement methods, Sophie, the head of Quality Assurance, was tasked with assessing whether the tools used were suitable for evaluating the effectiveness of the process.

Additionally, Maxime introduced a set of measures designed to provide early warning indicators across critical areas. In operations, they tracked the number of production line stoppages and the percentage of defective batches. On the financial side, they monitored fluctuations in raw material prices, especially cocoa, and their impact on margins. For regulatory matters, they followed the frequency of nonconformities identified during inspections. In terms of technology, system downtime in automated packaging lines was measured.

To ensure these indicators were communicated effectively, Sophie worked with top management to present the results in a format that made changes easy to spot and understand. Rather than relying only on static reports, they chose a more dynamic approach that displayed key values visually, highlighted deviations, and issued alerts when thresholds were crossed.

In addition, Maxime established clear communication and consultation processes to ensure that relevant stakeholders were properly engaged. The top management used an approach that clarified who was responsible for carrying out tasks, who held final accountability, who should be consulted for expertise, and who needed to stay informed. To strengthen engagement, Maxime organized how risk information would be delivered to different audiences. Employees received updates during team briefings and through the company’s internal platform, while external parties, such as suppliers and regulators, were informed through formal reports and direct correspondence. This approach ensured that each group had access to the information most relevant to them in a timely way.

Based on the scenario above, answer the following question:

According to Scenario 7, what reporting method did the top management and Sophie decide to use to communicate warning signals effectively?