The Organizational Design of Intelligence Failures

While the detection, and prevention, of the September 11, 2001 plot would have been ideal, I argue that the more major intelligence failures occurred after the attacks of September 11. The erroneous intelligence concerning the WMD presence in Iraq permitted the Bush Administration to order the invasion of Iraq. Systematic underestimates of the budgetary costs and personnel requirements of the war meant that Congress did not give the matter the debate that it warranted. Finally, incorrect (or incomplete) intelligence concerning the extent of the informal opposition to the U.S. led forces resulted in inadequate numbers of allied forces being deployed and a protracted period of conflict and disruption in Iraq. These facts are all well known to anyone who reads newspapers. I make three arguments in this paper. First, the collection of the intelligence data and its evaluation does not occur in a vacuum. There must always be an organizing theory that motivates the collection and evaluation of the data and that this theory is formulated at the highest levels of the decision making process. Second, it is not possible to construct a truly neutral or objective (analytical) hierarchy. Third, it is impossible to separate the analytical evaluation of the data from the decision that will be based on such evaluation. As an inevitable consequence of these arguments, intelligence analysis and the resulting conclusions are driven by top-down considerations rather than bottom-up as has been argued by some reviewers of recent intelligence failures. Key Words: stable coalitions, self-enforcing agreements, compliance, enforcement, public goods

A model for digital preservation repository risk relationships

The paper introduces the Preserved Object and Repository Risk Ontology (PORRO), a model that relates preservation functionality with associated risks and opportunities for their mitigation. Building on work undertaken in a range of EU and UK funded research projects (including the Digital Curation Centre , DigitalPreservationEurope and DELOS ), this ontology illustrates relationships between fundamental digital library goals and their parameters; associated rights and responsibilities; practical activities and resources involved in their accomplishment; and risks facing digital libraries and their collections. Its purpose is to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of risk causality and to illustrate opportunities for mitigation and avoidance. The ontology reflects evidence accumulated from a series of institutional audits and evaluations, including a specific subset of digital libraries in the DELOS project which led to the definition of a digital library preservation risk profile. Its applicability is intended to be widespread, and its coverage expected to evolve to reflect developments within the community. Attendees will gain an understanding of the model and learn how they can utilize this online resource to inform their own risk management activities

Do KPIs used by CIOs Decelerate Digital Business Transformation? The Case of ITIL

This study provides a critical assessment of the current KPI-driven steering practices carried out by Chief Information Officers (CIOs). It explores how the use of ITIL KPIs affect the IT Service Management (ITSM) organization’s learning behavior and how this behavior impacts on Digital Business Transformation. The results indicate that, when used to steer the ITSM organization, ITIL KPIs will reduce the organization’s willingness to transform the current ITSM environment (i.e. current processes, work routines, services, policies and technologies) into the digital era. The findings suggest that, in order to successfully manage Digital Business Transformation, CIOs will need new types of management techniques which would endorse the organization’s norm-challenging and innovative learning abilities but also assure the operative effectiveness of the ITSM environment

Civil society legitimacy and nuclear non-proliferation

During recent years, civil society legitimacy has generated a growing interest in scholarly research. The present article therefore proposes four normative criteria, namely, independence, transparency, participation, and inclusion, in order to start assessing civil society legitimacy empirically. It does so by using the non-proliferation regime as a field of inquiry. In this context, four different advocacy NGOs active during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty's review processes - MPI, IPPNW, WILPF, and the Friedenswerkstatt - are analysed. The results give a fairly good score for CSO legitimacy, but show that what seems to matter most in this regard is the organizational culture, rather than the organizational structure of an organization. -- In den letzten Jahren hat die Frage zivilgesellschaftlicher Legitimität ein wachsendes Interesse in der Wissenschaft hervorgerufen. Der vorliegende Artikel schlägt daher vier normative Kriterien vor, nämlich Unabhängigkeit, Transparenz, Beteiligung und Inklusion, um zivilgesellschaftliche Legitimität empirisch zu bewerten. Untersuchungsfeld ist das Nichtverbreitungs-Regime. In diesem Zusammenhang werden vier verschiedene, während des Überprüfungsprozesses des Atomwaffensperrvertrages aktive Advocacy-NGOs - MPI, IPPNW, WILPF, und die Friedenswerkstatt - untersucht. Wie das Ergebnis zeigt, schneiden zivilgesellschaftliche Organisationen in ihrer Legitimität relativ gut ab. Allerdings kommt es hierbei mehr auf die Organisationskultur, und weniger auf die Organisationsstruktur einer Organisation an.

The Compliance Model as a Catalyst for Post-Financial Crisis Efficiency in Corporations

This paper examines how the compliance model improves corporate governance and efficiency post-financial crisis. The research examines the compliance model's goals, strategies for integrating it into corporate governance structures, results, and conclusions. The compliance model prioritizes legal and regulatory compliance, ethical standards, and best practices in corporate governance. This methodology helps organizations prevent wrongdoing, enhance transparency, and build stakeholder confidence. Mixed-methods study evaluates the compliance model. First, it reviews the compliance model's theoretical and practical consequences. Next, a quantitative analysis compares pre- and post-compliance model performance metrics in a sample of firms. Finally, qualitative interviews with key stakeholders assess the model's impact. This study shows that the compliance approach boosts post-financial crisis corporate efficiency. The approach improves corporate governance, malfeasance, and efficiency. Organizations with a culture of compliance, honesty, and responsibility gain stakeholder trust. The results show that the compliance model can help companies revive their corporate governance practices following financial crises. This methodology reduces risks, ensures legal and ethical compliance, and boosts efficiency and effectiveness. This study emphasizes the compliance model's role in post-financial crisis corporate efficiency. It highlights the model's favorable effects on corporate governance and organizational success. The report adds to the corporate governance literature and offers practical advice for companies trying to improve their governance in a complicated business environment

The Compliance Model as a Catalyst for Post-Financial Crisis Efficiency in Corporations

This paper examines how the compliance model improves corporate governance and efficiency post-financial crisis. The research examines the compliance model's goals, strategies for integrating it into corporate governance structures, results, and conclusions. The compliance model prioritizes legal and regulatory compliance, ethical standards, and best practices in corporate governance. This methodology helps organizations prevent wrongdoing, enhance transparency, and build stakeholder confidence. Mixed-methods study evaluates the compliance model. First, it reviews the compliance model's theoretical and practical consequences. Next, a quantitative analysis compares pre- and post-compliance model performance metrics in a sample of firms. Finally, qualitative interviews with key stakeholders assess the model's impact. This study shows that the compliance approach boosts post-financial crisis corporate efficiency. The approach improves corporate governance, malfeasance, and efficiency. Organizations with a culture of compliance, honesty, and responsibility gain stakeholder trust. The results show that the compliance model can help companies revive their corporate governance practices following financial crises. This methodology reduces risks, ensures legal and ethical compliance, and boosts efficiency and effectiveness. This study emphasizes the compliance model's role in post-financial crisis corporate efficiency. It highlights the model's favorable effects on corporate governance and organizational success. The report adds to the corporate governance literature and offers practical advice for companies trying to improve their governance in a complicated business environment

The Compliance Model as an Instigation for Post-Financial Crisis Efficiency in Corporations

This paper examines how the compliance model improves corporate governance and efficiency post-financial crisis. This paper focuses on the goals of the compliance model, the strategies for its integration into corporate governance structures, as well as the results and conclusions. The compliance model prioritizes legal and regulatory compliance, ethical standards, and best practices in corporate governance. This methodology helps organizations prevent wrongdoing, enhance transparency, and build stakeholder confidence. Mixed methods study evaluates the compliance model. First, it reviews the theoretical and practical consequences of the compliance model. Next, a quantitative analysis compares pre- and post-compliance model performance metrics in a sample of firms. Finally, qualitative interviews with key stakeholders assess the impact of the model. This study shows that the compliance approach boosts post-financial crisis corporate efficiency. The approach improves corporate governance, malfeasance, and efficiency. Organizations with a culture of compliance, honesty, and responsibility gain stakeholder trust. The results show that the compliance model can help companies revive their corporate governance practices following financial crises. This methodology reduces risks, ensures legal and ethical compliance, and boosts efficiency and effectiveness. This study emphasizes the role of the compliance model in post-financial crisis corporate efficiency. It highlights the favorable effects of the model on corporate governance and organizational success. The report adds to the corporate governance literature and offers practical advice for companies trying to improve their governance in a complicated business environment

Identifying robust response options to manage environmental change using an ecosystem approach:a stress-testing case study for the UK

A diverse range of response options was evaluated in terms of their utility for sustaining ecosystem services in the UK. Robustness of response options was investigated by applying a ‘stress-testing’ method which evaluated expected performance against combined scenarios of socioeconomic and climate change. Based upon stakeholder feedback, a reference scenario representing current trends in climate and socioeconomic drivers (‘business-as-usual’) was used as a dynamic baseline against which to compare results of other scenarios. The robustness of response options was evaluated by their utility in different environmental and social contexts as represented by the scenarios, and linked to their adaptability to adjust to changing conditions. Key findings demonstrate that adaptability becomes increasingly valuable as the magnitude and rate of future change diverges from current trends. Stress-testing also revealed that individual responses in isolation are unlikely to be robust meaning there are advantages from integrating cohesive combinations (bundles) of response options to maximise their individual strengths and compensate for weaknesses. This identifies a role for both top-down and bottom-up responses, including regulation, spatial targeting, incentives and partnership initiatives, and their use in combination through integrated assessment and planning consistent with the adoption of an Ecosystem Approach. Stress-testing approaches can have an important role in future-proofing policy appraisals but important knowledge gaps remain, especially for cultural and supporting ecosystem services. Finally, barriers and enablers to the implementation of more integrated long-term adaptive responses were identified drawing on the ‘4 Is’ (Institutions, Information, Incentives, Identity) conceptual framework. This highlighted the crucial but usually understated role of identity in promoting ownership and uptake of responses

Towards the development of a COBIT 5-driven IT audit framework

In recent years, given the increased investments in Information Technology (IT), and its pervasive usage in business environment, the need to ensure that IT decisions are in the interest of shareholders led practitioners and researchers to focus on Enterprise Governance of IT (EGIT). EGIT involves implementing mechanisms that ensure that IT risks are duly mitigated, and that the IT investments are yielding the expected returns for enterprise owners. For the mechanisms to work as intended, there is the need for regular auditing; however, past literature and practitioner reports have confirmed that auditors do not audit governance mechanisms to the expectation of shareholders. Within the Ghanaian Financial services sector, failures in EGIT resulted in the collapse of several organisations which made stakeholders question the role played by auditors. The purpose of this study was to examine EGIT from the perspective of the auditor, develop an audit framework based on COBIT 5 and understand how auditors can be 'critical partners’ to ensure EGIT effectiveness. To provide a better understanding of the EGIT phenomenon, a theoretical framework based on the integration of six theoretical perspectives was presented to provide a holistic view of EGIT and how auditors can add value. The theoretical framework argued in line with organisational theorists that to achieve positive outcomes, governance mechanisms must be implemented in a coherent whole and analysed as a configuration. As such the study adopted the configurational theory to analyse the coherence of the governance mechanisms. Based on the theoretical framework and the configurational theory, a conceptual framework was developed to guide the research. The thesis proposed that the greater the level of coherence among the governance mechanisms, the higher the level of EGIT effectiveness, and that the audit of EGIT will improve the maturity of the governance mechanisms and its coherence. The pragmatic philosophic stance was adopted, utilising qualitative and quantitative methods to answer the research question. The Peffers, Tuunanen, Rothenberger, & Chatterjee, (2008) design science research methodology guided the identification of the problem and the development of an artefact that can aid IT auditors by providing them with an adequate scope for EGIT audits and reduce the audit detection risks. An Exploratory Focus Group (EFG) and a Confirmatory Focus Group (CFG) were employed in the development of the artefact. In addition, a survey instrument was utilised to gather data about the governance maturity of the case organisations prior to and after the usage of the artefact. Cluster analysis based on the concept of 'coherence as a gestalt’ produced cluster solutions revealing the nature of the configuration that resulted in positive outcomes. Post-Hoc analysis was used in the summative evaluation of the artefact to measure the statistically significant changes that occurred in the governance maturity after the use of the artefact. The findings revealed that regular auditing of EGIT mechanisms can lead to significant improvement in several governance mechanisms as postulated. It also revealed that to attain positive outcomes, there is the need for a coherent implementation of governance mechanisms with emphasis on technology which can be the driving force in a fast-changing environment. This result was contrary to existing literature about EGIT that suggested the overarching importance of leadership to drive change in the attainment of EGIT objectives. The findings show that with the right systems and technologies, IT can provide decision makers with timely information that would increase the utility of the decisions. The study makes significant contributions to knowledge by providing insights into EGIT and IT auditing which is an under-researched area. One key theoretical contribution was the integrative theoretical framework that provides theoretical underpinnings to EGIT, which has previously been studied descriptively and provides a holistic view of the complex phenomenon. The study also confirms the configurational theory and advances knowledge by proving that in the context of EGIT, the combination of the various mechanisms does influence the whole and the outcomes. Concerning the contribution to practice, the study resulted in the development of an IT auditing artefact that is based on COBIT 5, a widely accepted industry framework for EGIT, and contextualised with the regulatory needs of the Ghanaian Financial Services sector. With this tool, IT auditors can develop an audit plan that provides assurance of key governance areas and so reduce the audit risk of not detecting a non-existence or weak control in an organisation’s EGIT practices. The tool can be used by regulatory auditors who were complicit in the EGIT failures that occurred in the sector to provide adequate supervision. Further discussion on the theoretical, practical and methodological contributions are set out in this thesis along with the limitations of the study and recommendations for future research