Navigating through information governance turbulences at an air traffic management company in South Africa

Regulatory Fragmentation and Managerial Flexibility in Civil Service Governance: Evidence from Surabaya

The splintering of regulation has become a major problem for local government administration, especially where multiple government agencies issue overlapping regulations, reporting formats and administrative standards for the management of civil servants. This paper presents a qualitative case study of Surabaya, Indonesia, that investigates how regulatory fragmentation impacts managerial flexibility in civil service governance. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 21 informants, observations and document analysis. The data were analysed using thematic analysis, with NVivo 14 software. These findings suggest that the high compliance costs generated by fragmentation in ministerial regulations necessitate managerial discretion and adaptive responses from public managers. These responses are expressed in compliance, adaptation and innovation. Compliance is understood as adherence to several regulatory requirements, adaptation as harmonization of procedures, intensive coordination mechanisms and recurrent monitoring activities, and innovation as implementation of the E-ABK system to support the processes of job analysis and workload analysis. The study also points out challenges such as competency gaps, reliance on taskforce personnel and institutional sustainability that can affect the long-term effectiveness of adaptive governance practices. Our study contributes to the literature on public administration by showing that regulatory fragmentation not only generates administrative burdens but also transforms managerial discretion and promotes adaptive coordination as a key mechanism of civil service governance. These findings reveal how local governments preserve governance capacity, administrative standardization, and organizational efficiency under complex regulatory circumstances.

Vision Compliance, Strategic Planning, and Risk Management for Governance Performance: Evidence from Muscat Municipality

Objective: Governmental and public sector entities face ever-increasing pressures for enhanced governance, more accountability, better services to the public, etc. It is usually argued that both planning and risk management are important tools for good management. However, limited empirical research is available about how the combined effect of planning and risk management contributes to improving governance in local governments and especially in the Gulf region. In Muscat Municipality, we examined the linkages between strategic planning, risk management and the performance of governance.   Theoretical Framework: The governance performance was captured into three aspects of governance: managerial, resourceful and project governance.   Methodology: We followed a cross-sectional quantitative research design methodology, where data were gathered using a structured questionnaire from 303 respondents from various departments and managerial levels within Muscat Municipality. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis.   Results: Results show that both strategic planning and risk management had positive effects on the improvement of governance performance in all three dimensions; while strategic planning had higher significance as a predictor of the success of governance performance and more relevance to project governance, focusing on prioritization, coordination, and performance measurement. Likewise, risk management contributed positively towards governance performance through improving the effectiveness of the controls, making good decisions by managers, and dealing efficiently with internal uncertainties. The current research contributes to the strategic management and enterprise risk management research streams by examining the role of Omani municipalities (an under-studied area) in strategic risk management.

Governing CO2 Information: An Organisational and Data-Governance Model for Sustainable Procurement

Companies now collect more information about the greenhouse gas emissions of what they buy than ever before, yet much of it never shapes a purchasing decision. This review examined why carbon information so often remains unused in procurement and proposed an organisational and data-governance model to close the gap. A doctoral analysis of information processes in sustainable procurement was synthesised with open-access research published between 2021 and 2026, covering data governance, data ecosystems, sustainable procurement and supply-chain carbon accounting. Carbon information emerged as a layered system in which data, digital systems, decision models and organisational structures depend on one another, so that a weakness in any layer disables the rest. Two layers that practice neglects most received closest attention. At the data-governance layer, reliability rested on clear ownership of each figure, harmonised calculation and verification standards, and reporting arranged to protect data quality. The organisational layer demanded more: a deliberate balance between central and local control, standing coordination among procurement, sustainability and technical functions, carbon indicators built into sourcing targets, and staff able to interpret emissions figures. Evidence from public purchasing and from firm-level studies indicated that disciplined procurement governance measurably lowered emissions. The review concluded that the obstacle to acting on carbon information is organisational before it is technical, and that assigning responsibility and governance should precede further investment in measurement tools. Keywords: carbon information governance, data governance, sustainable procurement, organisational design, data ownership, scope 3 emissions, supplier carbon data

Strategic Evolution of IT Leadership in Indonesian National Police Using the IT Strategic Grid

Background:  Digital transformation has increasingly positioned Information Technology (IT) as a strategic enabler of public service quality, transparency, and data-driven decision-making. Within the Indonesian National Police (Polri), however, fragmented applications, limited data integration, and the absence of comprehensive IT governance have constrained the strategic value of digital initiatives. Objective:  This study examines the evolution of IT's role in Polri from administrative support to a strategic enabler and analyzes how IT leadership and governance mechanisms have facilitated this transition. Methods:  A qualitative approach was employed using the IT Strategic Grid framework. Data were collected through document analysis of 12 strategic and administrative documents, field observations at three Polri public service units, and international benchmarking with police organizations in the United Kingdom, India, and Singapore. Results:  The findings indicate that Polri's IT role has evolved from the Support quadrant, characterized by isolated administrative automation, to the Turnaround quadrant through the implementation of digital public services such as SIM Online, SKCK Online, E-Tilang, and SP2HP. The establishment of the ICT Committee and the development of the Presisi SuperApp have further accelerated the transition toward the Strategic quadrant by strengthening governance, service integration, and data-driven decision-making. Nevertheless, application fragmentation, interoperability limitations, cybersecurity challenges, and organizational readiness remain significant barriers to achieving fully integrated digital governance. Conclusion:  The study demonstrates that governance mechanisms and IT leadership, rather than technology alone, are the primary drivers of IT role evolution in Polri. The findings extend the application of the IT Strategic Grid to policing institutions.

Escalate: Economics and Business

Corporate governance and organisational performance in state-owned transport enterprises: An integrated model development perspective

This study explores the relationship between corporate governance and organisational performance within state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the Zimbabwean transport sector, with the objective of developing an integrated and contextually relevant governance-performance model. Despite their critical role in facilitating mobility and supporting trade, SOEs such as Air Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) continue to experience persistent challenges, including financial deficits, operational inefficiencies, and declining service delivery standards. Existing scholarship tends to examine corporate governance in isolation, often overlooking the broader organisational and institutional contexts within which these enterprises operate. Adopting a mixed-methods research design, this study integrates quantitative analyses, comprising descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and moderation techniques, with qualitative insights derived from interviews. The research is underpinned by a multi-theoretical framework that incorporates the resource-based view (RBV), institutional theory, systems theory, and contingency theory. The findings reveal that corporate governance plays a pivotal role in influencing organisational performance, alongside key internal factors such as human capital, technological capability, organisational culture, leadership, and the external operating environment. These elements collectively affirm the multidimensional nature of organisational performance. However, the study also finds that political interference significantly undermines the positive impact of governance structures and organisational capabilities. The study makes a theoretical contribution by advancing an integrated governance-performance model, while empirically highlighting the moderating effect of political interference. From a practical standpoint, the findings underscore the importance of comprehensive reforms in SOEs that prioritise strengthened governance frameworks, reduced political intrusion, and enhanced organisational capacity.