Components Of Accountability

754 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Accountability in Public Administration

Accountability is the obligation to demonstrate effectiveness in carrying out goals and producing the types of services that the organization wants and needs (Segal and summers 2002). Lack of accountability creates opportunities for corruption. Brinkerhoff (2004) identifies three key components of accountability, including the measurement of goals and results, the justification or explanation of those results to internal or external monitors, and punishment or sanctions for non-performance or corrupt behavior.

Strategies to help increase accountability include information systems which measure how inputs are used to produce outputs; watchdog organizations, health boards or other civic organizations to demand explanation of results; performance …show more content…

Officials may have access to very confidential and/or market sensitive information. It is unethical to use inside information provided to the agency as part of a tender process, either for the material benefit of the official or for another person. Criminal sanctions apply to such behavior (Ngugi & Mugo 2011)

According to Wee (2002) ethics refers to the moral principles or values that guide officials in all aspects of their work. Ethical behavior encompasses the concepts of honesty, integrity, probity, diligence, fairness, trust, respect and consistency. Ethical behavior includes avoiding conflicts of interest, and not making improper use of an individual's position. Ethical behavior is important in public procurement as it involves the expenditure of public money, and is subject to public scrutiny. Public officials should always behave ethically and fairly, including in their business undertakings.

Wee (2002) on the other hand indicated that Ethical behavior supports openness and accountability in a procurement process and gives suppliers confidence to participate in the Government marketplace. Ethical behavior can also reduce the cost of managing risks associated with fraud, theft, corruption, and other improper behavior; and enhance confidence in public …show more content…

Among the issues of concern to the procurement officer which are being addressed in this study are; the level of accountability, the adherence to professionalism and ethics and the adoption and use of ICT technologies in the organization. There is a direct influence on the profits because procurement stands for such a large part of the company’s costs. There is also an indirect influence on the performance due to the large part of the internal costs affecting what happens in the interface between the company and its suppliers (Gadde and Hakansson,

Show More
Related

  • The Concept of Accountability

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    Accountability is a subject that ranges through every spectrum of life. From simply knowing your food supply by opening the refrigerator, to knowing the exact amount of ammunition a military convoy has at its disposal, down to each individual round. When we know what the situation is, and hold each person responsible for they're actions in the situation, that is the concept of accountability at its root. If we are not to hold each other responsible for each of our own actions and choices then we will never be able to correct problems and concerns, which will make us fail as a whole because the smallest individual action can account for the gravest of concequences. In this essay I'm going to show how important accountability is in the everyday life of a United States Marine. I will do this by presenting the textbook definition of accountability then dissecting it and defining it in my own words. I will then show you how the military practices accountability with everything it does; by applying a system that is similiar to that of checks and balances. I will tie into this the Incident that occurd in 29 Palms, CA on August 31, 1988, where the failure to have accountability of all the marines on Base ultimately resulted in the negligent death of one Marine, and the ruined careers of those who were in charge of him. Lastly I will go down to the basic level of the Marine Corps: the life of the individual Marine and how he can, and naturally does to a point, apply accountability to his every action, be it on or off duty.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Accountability

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    Accountability….What does it mean? Well this past month e lost two soldiers who are a part of our unit and voice of our unit pass away. Accountability is important and should not be taken lightly… A soldier lost his life a couple weeks ago, due to lack of accountability, and it hurt a lot of people. For so many reasons accountability is important, for example. Knowing where your soldiers are at all times helps to know what they’re doing, and what their interest are doing so. In case something happens and someone needs t know where a soldier is accountability comes into play. Army Regulation 600-20 IAW Discipline. Why is discipline so important? Because to be accounted for is a part of disciplinary actions.

    Read More

  • The Reorganization of the National Health Service in the UK

    2667 Words  | 6 Pages

    Humphrey, C. (1991) Accountable management in the public sector in chap 9 in issues in management accounting ed. Dashton, T Hopper & RW Scapens, Prentice Hall 1991.

    Read More

  • Ethical Code Essay

    1478 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethics or rather morals entail mechanisms that defend, systematize as well as recommend conceptions of right or wrong. Many organizations develop ethical codes to ensure employees and employers understand the difference in doing good or bad. In that respect, ethics are an essential aspect of successfully running of any organization or government. Ethics ensure employee’s productivity levels are up to the required standards. It also assists them to know their rights and responsibilities. Additionally, employers, as well as any persons in management, are guided by them to ensure they provide transparent leadership. Ethics also defines how customers should be handled. Ethical codes govern the relationship between customers and an

    Read More

  • OPD

    2270 Words  | 5 Pages

    Overall, the prospects of accountability-based reforms taking hold and becoming institutionalized are fairly good. Based on the Fernandez and Rainey framework for organizational change we see that the two steps chosen to assess accountability-based reforms in the OPD show that reforms have internal support because it improves collaboration between top managers and lower level officers by creating more manageable districts that have one go-to person that has all the responsibility. The two accountability-related tasks I chose to examine also show signs that the requirements by the court-ordered monitor show either partial or full compliancy, pointing to an upward trajectory of the institutionalization of accountability-based reforms.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Ethics: Ethical And Criminal Responsibility

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Importance of ethics in the business world is superlative and global. New trends and issues arise on a daily basis which may create an important burden to organizations and end consumers. Nowadays, the need for proper ethical behavior within

    Read More

  • Police Accountability: Police Accountability Of Police Behavior

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    Police accountability is an effective way to regulate police officer’s behavior. Police accountability is applied in different ways and with different approaches. Some of these approaches include routine supervision, regular performance evaluations and early intervention systems. Police accountability is implemented by using external and internal controls. External controls include citizen complains reports and internal controls consist of early intervention systems. On the other hand, early intervention systems enhance a police officer’s accountability and overall performance. Police accountability refers to holding each police officer individually, as well as the agency as a whole, accountable for effectively enforcing

    Read More

  • Government And Contracts: Corruption And Government Contract

    2097 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...ligence to ensure they are well versed and ready for all aspects of the government contracting process. Money will continue to be a driving force in government contracting fraud. This was the case in the highly publicized Cunningham scandal where bribery and payoffs were initiated and foolishly accepted in an effort to secure government contracts. Cunningham having to endure several years of investigation, highlighted by the deceitful and unscrupulous behavior of contractors and government officials. Cunningham was one of the biggest contracting scandals, but it by no means stands alone. This is why acts such as the Protected Disclosure Act (whistle blowers) and the MACC were put in place. These measures give some hope in what can be a tumultuous environment because contractors are vying for the same thing, often willing to go to extreme lengths to win a contract.

    Read More

  • Possible Solutions for Standardized Testing

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    Maki, P.L. (2009). Moving beyond a national habit in the call for accountability. Peer Review,

    Read More

  • Max Weber on Bureaucracy

    3091 Words  | 7 Pages

    One of the aspects of bureaucracy is that it creates fixed division of labor. The benefit of fixed division of labor is that it allows humans to become specialized at what they do as they can learn from their experiences and gain more in depth knowledge on the topic. When individuals work with similar environmental uncertainties on a constant basis they obtain a better understanding of how to deal with those uncertainties. They often use their experiences to deal with the situation in ways that worked for them previously. In addition when there are assigned jobs, it is easier to hold specific individuals accountable for their tasks. This allows the organization to quickly find who caused a certain problem and fix it. Accountability leads to people being more likely to work in the best interest of the organization, as they know that there could be repercussions for not doing so. People will use the techniques that they have previous experience with and that they know work in order to not make a mistake and be held accountable. And so they will work in a stable and predictable manner. When the people in the organization work in a stable and predictable manner the organization is likely to work in the same way. Accountability also helps in solving problems and quickly getting the ...

    Read More

  • Primary Responsibilities of a Private Security Manager

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethics deals with actions with adequate standard of attitudes, behavior that is pleasing to the people or organizations. Every job has a code of ethical conduct that is supposed to be is followed. It is very necessary to understand that ethical rules must apply and obey with basis of what is right and wrong which is written in the law. That is why there are professions that have organizations or associations which have the method of ethical conducts or standard.

    Read More

  • Can Ethics Be Taught?

    1611 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethics are the set beliefs and values of an individual which they apply to circumstances relating to morality. To act in an ‘ethical’ manner, an individual must display integrity by doing what they believe to be right.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Procurement Performance

    1546 Words  | 4 Pages

    (2014) deduced that procurement performance can be assessed by focusing ondelivery,flexibility, quality, cost and technology. Optimal performance attainment is dependent onhow current suppliers`relationships aremanaged so asto ensure constant availability of needed quality supplies at the organization. This will ensure that sourced materials are indeed procured at the right costand atthe right time. Procurement performancestrives toenable improvements in the procurement process at the organizationso as to improve on qualitydelivery of firm products and servicesatleast possible time and

    Read More

  • Challenges of Management in the 21st Century

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ethics is simply doing the right thing. In the business situation ethics are the moral concept of a firm getting through it organizational duties ethically.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Ethics in Society

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ethics are moral principles or values that govern the conduct of an individual or a group.It is not a burden to bear, but a prudent and effective guide which furthers life and success. Ethics are important not only in business but in academics and society as well because it is an essential part of the foundation on which a civilized society is built.

    Read More

More about Components Of Accountability

Open Document