Credit Risk Assessment. Trade credit is a driving force in the marketing of products, good credit management provides profits to firms who are wise enough to use it as a powerful marketing strategy. However, most firms view credit management as a debt collection and accounting function, the cultural effect of which often reduces sales potential. It has been said to me 'salespeople are the biggest enemy of credit'', how can you maximize sales with that approach? Most firms do not recognize the cultural and psychological effects that develop from making credit management an accounting function. This book explains how credit managers will use the power of credit and take responsible risks when they are freed from the shackles of an accounting culture. It explains the effect of psychological and cultural factors on the way credit risk assessment decisions are actually made under different organizational cultures. This includes the linkage between functional departments and effects on organizational learning. The study is based on a series of interviews with credit managers in the manufacturing industry.