This study examines the whistle-blowing decisions of government internal auditors in response to individual and collective corruption occurring within government internal audit units. An auditor is simultaneously a role-prescribed and non-role-prescribed whistle-blower that may behave hypocritically. On the one hand, auditors may be intolerant of and report any corruption taking place within their audit clients. On the other hand, they may display an unwillingness to blow the whistle on corruption committed by their fellow auditors in which they and the recipients of whistle-blowing information may be a part of or beneficiaries of the wrongdoing. To examine how, why and what factors influence their whistle-blowing decisions, we utilised two approaches: the whistle-blowing intentions through the use of case scenarios and actual wwhistleblowing relying on the self-reported cases. Mixed methods of surveys, interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in seven government internal audit units. Seeing whistle-blowing as a constructive behaviour for the benefit of the organisation involving an ethical dilemma, we integrated the prosocial organisational behaviour and ethical decision-making perspectives of whistle-blowing to develop a three-phases of whistle-blowing decision. In phase 1, the potential whistle-blowers evaluated the wrongfulness and the seriousness of the wrongdoing in accordance with their ethical sensitivity and evaluated the existence of responsibility to act to stop the wrongdoing. In phase 2, they evaluated the organisation responsiveness and the existence of the demoralising situation. In phase 3, they assessed their personal responsibility, identified alternative decisions according to his/her ethical competence, calculated the cost and the benefit of each alternative and decide to blow or not to blow the whistle depended on their ethical perseverance. The study demonstrates that ethical judgement, moderated by the perceived seriousness and organisational commitment, significantly influenced the whistle-blowing intentions. while taking the ethical climate, wrongdoer’s power status and whistle-blower’s job level into consideration. The study found the domination of informal hidden values instead of formal written values and the occurrence of the process of normalisation of corruption that led to the destructive act of silence. They reduced the ethical sensitivity towards the wrongfulness and the seriousness of the corruption, diffused the responsibility to blow the whistle and created the demoralising situation. The organisations were not responsive. The whistle-blowing information was ignored and leaders often promoted an attitude of silent acquiescence by rewarding silent observers. The risk of whistle-blowing appeared greater than the expected benefit of being a submissive silent observer. When whistle-blowing information was eventually received, leaders rectified the problem informally outside of official procedures. The rules were upheld only when there was external pressure on the leaders. Through this, the wrongdoer will feel secure and the whistle-blower will perceive that the act of whistleblowing is not acceptable. The combination of the unwillingness to blow the whistle and the process of the normalisation of organisational corruption may create a vicious cycle of corruption in and by organisations. On the contrary, whistle-blowing occurred when the potential whistle-blowers perceived that the act of whistle-blowing is a constructive behaviour supported by the organisation’s culture and leadership. Whistle-blowing legislation alone may not be sufficient to motivate employees to blow the whistle particularly in Indonesia where in-group collectivism and power distance are relatively high.

Purpose: Unlike the commercial industries, the risks arising from the healthcare industry’s internal system and the surrounding environment may cause serious consequences, even the patients’ health. Concerning the increasing emphasis on risk management in the healthcare supply chain environment, there is an urgent demand for a novel decision support method that supports supply chain risk management in the hospital setting. As the topic is still in the early stage and only a few systematic academic studies on this topic can be found over the last decades. This research aims to propose a novel comprehensive framework and integrated risk management model that takes explicit account of multiple types of risk factors in aiding decision-making as well as compares and ranks the current implemented alternative risk mitigation strategies using fuzzy set theory and multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods. Methodology: In pursuit of meeting the requirements of the research objectives, this research conducts empirical studies from both China and UK healthcare industries and follows three steps of risk management procedure based on the proposed framework to conduct risk factors identification, assessment and risk mitigation strategies identification. In order to ensure that the analysis is systematic and inclusive, various types of risk factors are identified through a related systematic literature review and are validated through a set of empirical studies. Risk assessment is conducted through two stages of questionnaire surveys and evaluated through Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM). Thereafter, risk mitigation strategies are identified through conducted empirical studies and evaluated through Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Research Implications: This is the first study which has developed a comprehensive risk management framework in the healthcare supply chain that effectively integrates supply chain risk factors identification, risk assessment as well as mitigation strategy identification and evaluation. The novelty of the developed framework lies in the fact that a systematic and practical decision making tools are proposed supporting hospital managers making strategic decisions on healthcare supply chain risk management. Furthermore, compared with several studies using secondary data, this thesis uses empirical data to conduct the identification and evaluation of risk mitigation strategies, enabling the results closes to the reality of the situation in the healthcare setting. Practical Implications: The profile of risk sources, the priority weighting and inter-relationship among these risks and, the ranking of mitigation strategies provide a guideline for hospital managers to anticipate and proactively deal with potential risks. The proposed framework applies to both the UK and China healthcare industries, the finding can also be applied in other countries and regions.

No description available.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2005 / Project risk management is concemed with identifying, assessing and responding to uncertainties which could impact project outcomes. These impacts might be positive or negative, although the tendency in business has been to focus on the negative - or downside - risks, Le., those risks which could be potentially detrimental to project outcomes. Risk management requires an investment in time, effort and cost. For this reason, it has to be efficient if it is going to make business-sense. If it can be shown that risk management plays a positive role in supporting successful project delivery, then the case for investing in risk management will be validated. This study focuses on two projects within Old Mutual, to investigate the link between risk management and project success. Both projects had been approved by the company's Strategic Investment Committee (SICOM), which required that they conform to various governance criteria, including that their risks be managed according to a specified process. One of the projects - CRAFT - was deemed by its stakehoiders to have delivered successfully, while the other - SSA - was perceived to have had mixed results. As a precursor to the study, an extensive review of the current literature on project risk management was undertaken. The literature was found to be largely consistent in its definition of project risk management, and to be concerned mainly with developing the processes and techniques for improving risk management in the live project environment. Based on the literature, it was possible to develop an analytical framework for use as a generic tool in evaluating the role which effective risk management practice could have on project success.

Thesis (DTech(Internal Auditing))-- Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / Risk, prevalent in all organisational activities influences the achievement or non-achievement of organisational goals. This necessitates the need for a structured process for effective risk management. Traditionally, risk management strategies were centred on insurance solutions, however due to changes in the business landscape, organisations moved towards an integrated, holistic strategy-focused risk discipline. Small and Micro Enterprise (SME) owner-managers are however largely ignorant about the risks faced by their enterprises. They still respond reactively to risk by utilising risk avoidance and risk transfer techniques. These non-structured approaches to risk impede on SME growth and success, limiting their role to providing employment, contributing to investment, and contributing to the economy as a whole. In this research study a SME risk architecture framework that can be used concurrently with corporate governance frameworks as well as the organisation’s performance measurement system is proposed resulting in a structured approach to managing SME risks. The proposed SME architecture framework consists of three interrelated components, namely:  SME risk consciousness, focusing on risk sources most commonly identified as obstacles to SME success and survival.  The SME risk management process that constitutes the steps SME owner-managers should follow in addressing risk sources.  The SME risk management framework providing owner-managers with a mechanism to deal with risks at all organisational levels through effective risk planning, risk implementation and risk evaluation processes.

M.Comm. / The aim of this study was to take a closer look at the modem financial institutions of the world and to determine what adverse conditions these companies face. Banks are some of the strongest organisations in a country, and the banking sector is a major employer. Yet, the risks faced by banks are enormous, and without the prudent and responsible management of these risks banks can find themselves in severe trouble. Recent situations in the South African banking sector underpin this, as several of the small banks in the country went into judicial management or were put out of business because they failed to meet their liquidity requirements. Risk management in banking is one of the most important tasks in the institution. Regardless of the division or type of operation, banks face certain risks. In this study, the researcher looked at the risks described in the literature as the main risks found in the banking environment. Solvency, liquidity, credit, price and operating risks are the risks most commonly discussed in the literature on banking risks. Although the five main risks constitute a serious threat to a bank each in its own right, each risk can be subdivided based on the likelihood of the risk materialising. The researcher therefore subdivided each major risk into subrisks. The question was then posed: Are there any similarities between these risks? The researcher developed a model whereby risks are categorised according to the attributes they have in common. The study classified the risks into the categories of market, credit and other risks. The objective in classifYing known banking risks is to assist the risk management team in a bank to manage similar risks in a similar way. Instead of focussing on each major risk and its multitude of subcategories individually, it is easier to manag~ a set of risks according to their similarities. Furthermore, the researcher wanted to determine which all the banking risks discussed would be universal in the danger they hold to any banking operation or any division operating within a bank. The question was posed: What are the classical risks in banking that would without a doubt lead to bank failure ifleft unmanaged? Liquidity, solvency and credit risks were the risks identified as critical in any banking operation and the risks that history has shown to be most detrimental to the future viability of any bank. Finally, the study looked at the management of these three classical risks from the perspective of determining policy and strategy. The study drew form literature, personal observation and the input of risk and bank management professionals to highlight some ofthe most important elements in credit, solvency and liquidity management.

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / Risk and uncertainty are very closely linked; they are recognized as threats arising from unclear causes and effects of the project. Risk and uncertainty management has always been acknowledged as a very important aspect of project management and is mostly used to accomplish project objectives. These objectives are; quality, cost, time, safety and environmental sustainability. A majority of researchers have focused on other characteristics of risks and uncertainty management rather than a comprehensive method which encompasses developing risk management plan, identify, and analyze the likelihood of its occurrence and consequence should it happen. The common challenges still experienced in project environment are; use of improper project management methodology, stake holder interference in the decision making process, complexity of the project, and changing requirements and management. This study seeks to look at how risk and uncertainty can be successfully managed within project environment. Through case studies this research will also look at how does improper risk management plan affect the project, and the consequences of stakeholder interference in the decision making process. The report presents project risk management approach of two projects carried out in the same organisation. The project A was executed by a project manager from the Project Management Office (PMO) in accordance with the project management methodology, while the execution of project B was highly influenced by a client/sponsor with no regard of the approved project management methodology. The selected projects both involved equipment replacement in which the main deliverables are supply and delivery of the final product. A description of the project risk management approach and analysis of data collected for each case study are followed by a comparison of two project risk management processes applied in case studies. This study will finally draw the conclusion and make recommendations based on its findings.

Since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, New York in September 2001, the focus on terrorism and the ability of society and organisations to withstand such incidents has sharpened considerably. At the same time, business continuity and dealing with crises have moved to the forefront of organisations' awareness, not least due to improved regulatory requirements and guidelines. However, this thesis contends that the current methodological framework for responding to terrorist incidents is flawed, resulting in the same issues becoming evident, over and over again. It is argued that an awareness and adoption of three key risk and crisis management methodologies: Fink's Crisis Management Methodology, Risk Communication and Isomorphic Learning, could improve the analysis of such incidents and hence better the response in future. Three significant terrorist attacks were analysed within the context of contemporary literature and two factors were found to be the main cause of difficulties in managing the response to each of the incidents: communication and an inability to achieve organisational learning. It was argued that part of the reason for this was that organisations did not consider a link between crisis and terrorist incident response management and that learning from past experiences did not go beyond the most superficial level in most instances. This thesis demonstrated how risk and crisis management methodologies could have addressed each of the issues that were identified in the case studies and clarified the contribution that they could make. Of primary importance was the recognition that events that may appear dissimilar are, on examination, frequently intrinsically similar and hence can provide valuable learning opportunities.

Global sourcing has become strategically important for all large capital projects in today’s world. This study identified that 11% to over 51% of the budget spent on large capital projects is absorbed by global sourcing. The complexity of global sourcing requires that a multifaceted due diligence scan of the market dynamics and stakeholder interfaces be conducted to ensure that key strategic elements of projects are well understood. There is evidence that when global sourcing risks and challenges are dealt with through a structured and integrated risk management plan, project cost, time and the right level of project quality can be successfully delivered. Furthermore, experience shows that project decisions that are made purely based on capital cost whilst failing to consider the life cycle cost of equipment in terms of capital expenditure to operational expenditure ratio for the life of the project, may prove counterproductive in the long run. This research study set out to investigate the integrated risk management framework necessary to ensure success in global sourcing for large capital projects. It looked at the impact of global sourcing for large capital projects and how pre-emptive risk management practices help to improve project performance. Global experiences and cumulative knowledge was captured from technical experts and project management teams who have handled large projects in various sectors. As a core focus, the research interrogated the most important criteria necessary to measure and ascertain the impact of non-risk adjusted global sourcing on large capital projects in terms of project time, cost and quality. A quantitative study design was adopted to identify the risk management rules for successful global sourcing and measure their impact. Data was collated from large capital projects in 40 countries, six continents through 89 respondents via an online survey tool authenticating the global perspective of this study. A resulting risk management model derived from the consolidated input seeks to introduce a new dimension to the body of project management knowledge related to the executing of large capital projects. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / mngibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

The thesis is composed of three essays on mergers and acquisitions: deal initiation and insider trading. Specifically, it tries to figure out the reasons and managers’ motivation concerning M&A deal initiation as well as analyze insiders’ trades in target and acquiring firms both before and after the takeover public announcement date. Chapter 2 shows that target versus bidder initiated deals differ in two main respects. First, target initiated deals have higher insider and CEO ownership that motivates the management to engage in the sale. Second, target initiated firms are more levered and seem to have higher growth options. This suggests that an important motivation behind the board’s decision to initiate a sale of their firm is to preserve growth options in a situation with potential financial distress. A complementary analysis shows larger differences between deal versus non-deal firms that remain publicly listed. In Chapter 3, we find that target insiders stop selling during 6 months immediately before the public announcement but do not stop selling in the early pre-announcement period. Moreover, we show that target insiders are stronger net buyers before the public announcement in informal sales, cash and financial deals. Furthermore, target insiders in stock deals do not stop selling even immediately before the public announcement, which supports the bidder overvaluation hypothesis. In addition, we find that target insiders change their trading patterns after the deal public announcement. Insiders are stronger net buyers in target initiated deals, formal auctions and cash deals. Chapter 4 shows that, overall, acquirer insiders decrease their purchases and sales to same extent during the 2 months immediately before the public announcement. Concerning deal characteristics, we show that acquirer insiders are stronger net buyers both before and after the announcement date in stock deals relatively to cash deals and in informal sales relatively to formal auctions. The two factors reinforcing each other. For informal sales, acquirer insiders are stronger net buyers in stock deals before the public announcement but change to cash deals after the public announcement.