Most entities in Jamaica that believe in and practice the Principles of Organization and Methods, Management Information System (MIS), and Management By Objectives (MBO), are fully aware of the importance of internal controls and internal audit that are intended to ensure that effectiveness and efficiency is maintained at all levels of operations in these entities.
The massive fraud – currently approximately JMD 52 million – that has been uncovered at Jamaica teachers Association (JTA), undoubtedly points to weaknesses in internal control and internal audit in the organization.
Irrespective of the many definitions that are given in textbooks for Management, a simple definition that anyone can easily understand, is that a Manager is someone who gets work done through other people. So as to better enable us to understand this concept, I have coined the acronym POSDC that list below five (5) activities that a Manager does in getting work done through other people:
P – Planning
O – Organizing
S – Staffing
D – Directing
C – Controlling
I make the assumption, that if the foregoing five (5) activities were effectively and efficiently carried out along with a SWOT ANALYSIS in which the Manager looks at the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats affecting the organization, the massive fraud that has been uncovered at Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) would not have ocurried.
Law Enforcement is responsible to ensure that the culprits who have committed this crime receive penal sanction for their unscrupulous act. However in doing so, the Management at Jamaica Teachers Association (JTA) cannot be exonerated and must be held culpable for its failure to detect and remedy weaknesses in the organization’s internal control and internal audit.
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