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Tankiso Moloi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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key mechanisms of risk management in south africa s national Government Departments the public sector risk management framework and the king iii benchmark
2016Co-Authors: Tankiso MoloiAbstract:Government provides essential services to the population and therefore, uncertainties that could hinder Government’s objectives should be identified, mitigated/controlled and monitored. Using the content analysis for data extraction in the annual reports of national Government Departments (NGDs), this paper explored risk management practices in South Africa’s public service, with national Government Departments as a case in point. The findings are that in general, there are poor risk management practices in the NGDs as the majority of the observed categories were not disclosed in the NGDs annual reports. Since risk deals with the uncertainties on the objectives, it is concerning that NGDs have poor risk management practices, particularly because they are enablers (implementers) of Government overarching strategy. As enablers of Government strategy, it is recommended that NGDs view risk management as a process that enables them to identify threats which could hinder the attainment of their objectives, whilst also leveraging opportunities that may arise. It is further recommended that the risk process is viewed as a scenario or option analysis exercise that allows NGDs to properly plan, understand the intended outcomes and prepare responses to deal with any uncertainties. A summarised and harmonized risk governance requirement used for the purpose of exploring risk management disclosures has been suggested by this study and it could be used as a reference point of risk disclosure improvement by NGDs.
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decoding risk management practices in the south african public service a focus on national Government Departments
2016Co-Authors: Tankiso MoloiAbstract:Government provides essential services to the population and therefore, uncertainties that could hinder Government's objectives should be identified, mitigated/controlled and monitored. Using the content analysis for data extraction in the annual reports of national Government Departments (NGDs) and the SPSS software for data analysis, this paper explored risk management practices in South Africa's public service, with national Government Departments as a case in point. The findings are that in general, there are poor risk management practices in the NGDs as the majority of the observed category es were not disclosed in the NGDs annual reports. Since risk deals with the uncertainties on the objectives, it is concerning that NGDs have poor risk management practices, particularly because they are enablers (implementers) of Government overarching strategy. As enablers of Government strategy, it is recommended that NGDs view risk management as a process that enables them to identify threats that could hinder the attainment of their objectives whilst also leveraging opportunities that may arise. It is further recommended that the processes is viewed as an scenario or option analysis exercise that allows NGDs to properly plan, understand the intended outcomes and prepare responses to deal with any uncertainties. A summarised and harmonized risk governance requirement used for the purpose of exploring risk management disclosures could be used as a reference point of risk disclosure improvement by NGDs.
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assessing corporate governance disclosures in south africa s national Government Departments the state and corporate governance
2015Co-Authors: Tankiso MoloiAbstract:The main objective of this study is to assess corporate governance disclosures in the annual reports of South Africa's national Government Departments. The main finding is that national Government Departments do not widely adhere to sound corporate governance practices, as recommended by the King III Report on Corporate Governance, and are required by the Public Finance Management Act, and the South African Treasury Regulations. The critical areas that were poorly disclosed by national Government Departments include the information which indicates whether the strategic internal audit plan was based on the key areas of risk facing the department, and whether this plan had taken into account the department's risk management strategy. Further, it was not clear whether Departments had Chief Risk Officers, or a directorate for risk management, to drive the risk management programme. The study does note, however, that there are some national Government Departments that have demonstrated compliance with the spirit of good corporate governance by disclosing the required information in their annual reports. Stemming from this, the study recommends that those Government Departments which are compliant with the required corporate governance disclosures share their corporate governance disclosure practices with their counterparts in interdepartmental meetings. A further recommendation stemming from the findings is that those employees who are responsible for preparing the annual reports in each national Government department should conduct a benchmarking exercise against other Departments' annual reports, to assist them to identify and understand any shortcomings in their annual reports.
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critical analysis of audit committee reporting in national Government Departments the case of south africa
2015Co-Authors: Tankiso MoloiAbstract:The paper critically assesses audit committee reporting in South Africa’s national Government Departments (NGDs). During the review, it was established that, from the regulatory perspective, there were limited guidelines relating to the extent and nature of information that should be reported on the audit committee reports, whereas the main contribution of the paper are uniform benchmark features of audit committee reporting in the South Africa’s national Government Departments. These benchmark features (categories) were developed using an inductive or bottom up thematic analysis which was applied on the applicable regulations as well as on all NGD’s annual reports to determine the comprehensive themes and patterns of audit committee reporting across the Departments. It is recommended that those audit committees in NGDs that do not currently report on these themes should expand their reporting to be comprehensive by including these themes. Using the established benchmark features in the form of themes, audit committees reports were coded and analysed to determine the disclosure of information relating to these themes. It was found that majority of categories reported on audit committee reports and analysed lacked transparency as to the role of audit committees in providing oversight in the NGDs concerned. In addition to the recommended audit committee themes, the paper further recommends that audit committees in NGDs should also consider voluntary disclosing of some additional information on their oversight activities. Disclosure of additional voluntary information would improve the usefulness of audit committee reports as users of this information would gain and understanding of yearly audit committee activities as of the nature of oversight and strategic engagements audit committees would have had with the management as well. The potential benefit for users of audit committee reports in NGDs is envisaged as flexibility, exposure and access to different dimensions of information reported by different NGDs. The potential benefit for audit committee members is grounded on the users’ perception of audit committee reports, in this instance, the improvement in perception on their independence.
Blessing Mbatha - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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mapping and auditing digital literacy of civil servants in selected south african Government Departments
2015Co-Authors: Blessing MbathaAbstract:As digital technology becomes ubiquitous, workers will increasingly need an appropriate set of digital skills to access and process information, using digital systems and tools. Hence, the aim of the study was to map and audit the digital literacy of civil servants in selected South African Government Departments in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Through a survey, four Government Departments, considered to be central to service delivery, were targeted. To obtain a representative sample, a systematic sampling method was applied. Data were analysed using the SPSS statistical analysis programme. The results suggested that not enough is being done to equip civil servants with the digital literacy skills they require to improve service delivery. As technology changes, so does the need for training in new technologies. Developing digital literacy in the workplace is a definite way for businesses and organisations to increase their work productivity and creativity. It is important to note that digital literacy is an essential requirement for effective and optimal participation in the world's economy. The digital era is not going to disappear, and the need for education to respond to the growing digital tide is rapidly increasing. A digitally literate workforce is crucial if Government is serious about improving work productivity and creativity in the public sector.
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mapping and auditing of internet addiction disorder in selected Government Departments in south africa
2014Co-Authors: Blessing MbathaAbstract:The aim of this paper was to determine the prevalence of Internet addiction disorder (IAD) amongst the civil servants in the UMgungundlovu District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Through a survey, key Government Departments in the province were selected through systematic and purposive sampling techniques. Questionnaires, that were largely structured, were distributed to 52 managers from 4 Government ministries, namely, Department of Arts and Culture, Home Affairs, Education and Health. The results indicate that there is high possibility that majority of the respondents may be suffering from IAD given the significant number of respondents spending a lot of time on the Internet each week. In addition, the findings reveal that the respondents do neglect household chores, social and work responsibilities in order to spend more time on the Internet. In conclusion, the Internet is not the enemy just because people become dependent on it. It has many important and necessary benefits. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n1p257
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diffusion and adoption of information and communication technologies in the public sector the case of selected Government Departments in kwazulu natal
2013Co-Authors: Blessing Mbatha, Z LesameAbstract:This study seeks to shed some light on the types, usage and availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in four selected Government Departments in the KwaZulu-Natal Government in South Africa. To achieve the stated aim, the study posed and then answered the following research questions: What types of ICTs are available in Government Departments? What is the purpose of using ICTs in Government Departments? What are the benefits of using ICTs in Government Departments? What are the ICTs that civil servants consider to be effective in improving work productivity in Government Departments? What are the civil servants' recommendations for improving ICT usage in Government Departments? The study was informed by the diffusion-of-innovations theory. Government Departments considered to be central to service delivery were targeted by means of a survey. To obtain a representative sample, a systematic sampling method was applied. The collected data were analysed using thematic categorisation and tabulation, and the findings were presented descriptively. The results indicate that a variety of ICT tools and services have been adopted in the Government Departments included in the survey so as to facilitate information sharing and improve communication. All the civil servants surveyed indicated that they used ICTs to communicate with fellow colleagues and to disseminate departmental information. The most popular recommendations included the need for sufficient and coherent Government policies to regulate the training of staff in the utilisation of ICTs in the sector. Detailed recommendations for further study are provided.
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diffusion and adoption of icts in selected Government Departments in kwazulu natal south africa
2011Co-Authors: Blessing Mbatha, Dennis N Ocholla, Jerry Le RouxAbstract:This study reports on the use, types, and availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in four Government Departments in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in the context of work productivity and creativity. Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations Theory was used to inform the study in an attempt to understand the diffusion and use of modern ICTs in the Government Departments under investigation. Through a survey, Government Departments that are considered to be central to service delivery were targeted. Due to the dispersed nature of the public sector in South Africa, the study was confined to Government Departments in KwaZulu-Natal. The study used multistage probability sampling to select the elements for the survey method. The sample size for the study was 260 managers. One hundred and fifty-two questionnaires were completed and returned. The data collected was analyzed using thematic categorization and tabulation and the findings presented descriptively. The results indicate that a variety of ...
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contextualising the use of icts in the public sector the case of selected Government Departments in kwazulu natal
2011Co-Authors: Blessing Mbatha, Dennis N OchollaAbstract:The study reports on the types, usage and availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in four selected Government Departments in KwaZulu-Natal. In order to achieve the stated aim, the study answered the following research questions: What is the purpose of using ICTs in Government Departments? How frequently do the civil servants surveyed use ICTs for work purposes? Which ICTs do the civil servants consider effective in improving work productivity in Government Departments? What are the civil servants' recommendations for improving ICT usage in Government Departments? The study was informed by the diffusion of innovations theory. Mixed methods were adopted, employing aspects of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Multistage probability samples were used to select the elements for the survey method. A questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. The data were analysed using thematic categorisation and tabulation, and the findings were presented descriptively. The findings show that a variety of ICTs have been adopted in the sector. All civil servants surveyed indicated that they used ICTs to communicate with their colleagues and to disseminate departmental information. The most popular recommendations included the need for sufficient and coherent Government policies regulating the training of staff in the utilisation of ICTs in the sector. Detailed recommendations for further study are provided.
Barbara Lynch - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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an examination of environmental reporting by australian state Government Departments
2010Co-Authors: Barbara LynchAbstract:Abstract This study provides an examination of environmental disclosure practices within the annual reports produced by a sample of Australian state Government Departments. This entailed the examination of environmental disclosures using an environmental disclosure index developed for the purposes of the study. The study's sample was 18 Australian state Government Departments, 12 of which were responsible for environmentally sensitive areas. The period of analysis was from 2000-1 to 2007-8. The results of the analysis presented in the study found that, over the research period, environmental disclosures, using the developed disclosure index, increased from 336 in 2000-1 to 449 in 2007-8. Disclosure practices varied between the Departments in terms of the coverage of disclosures. Reporting is not consistent over time making comparison between Departments difficult.
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environmental reporting in annual reports an examination of australian state Government Departments
2007Co-Authors: Barbara LynchAbstract:The nature and extent of environmental reporting within the annual reports of four Australian state Government Departments over a six year period from 2000-2006 is examined in this study. The Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), the New South Wales Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability (DEUS), the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) and the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIWE) have been selected. These Departments are responsible for environmentally sensitive areas such as conservation, water management and public land management. The nature of these areas is a factor which might potentially affect disclosure practices so it might be expected that these Departments disclose more environmental information than Departments in less environmentally and politically sensitive areas. These Departments also have a number of politically active stakeholder groups, including Aboriginal communities and organisations, environmental groups and forest and timber industries. This study found a reduction in environmental reporting after a five year period of increases.
Nava Subramaniam - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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governance disclosure on the internet the case of australian state Government Departments
2012Co-Authors: Jenny Stewart, Frances Asha, Arthur David Shulman, Nava SubramaniamAbstract:This paper examines corporate governance disclosures on the websites of Australian state Government Departments. The study focuses on the nature and extent of governance information and the ease of finding this information directly on department websites and also in annual reports which are downloadable from websites. Our sample comprises six Departments from each of the six states in Australia, giving a sample size of 36 Departments. Our findings indicate considerable variability in both the level of disclosure and the accessibility of the information disclosed. The study also highlights a lack of consensus regarding the meaning of governance and what governance comprises, together with the need for a more structured approach to communicating governance information to stakeholders.
Ye Jun - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the empirical research on influencing factors of information sharing among the Departments of local Government in china
2007Co-Authors: Ye JunAbstract:The information sharing among Government Departments is an important barrier that blocks the development and application of E-Government in China,but there is a few of researches on the influencing factors of information sharing among local Government Departments in China.Based on interviewing with the leaders of local Government,literature review in related field and the innovation diffusion theory,this paper puts forward three mainly factors that influence the information sharing among the Departments of local Government,including the resources,the drives and the cognitions of information sharing.Then the three influencing factors are analyzed in detail.
