Educational Institutions and Reputational Risk

The Australian newspaper recently reported that the Indian student market is showing early signs of collapse, with the recruitment body IDP Education Australia reporting an 80 per cent fall in appointments by students at its 14 Indian offices. A severe fall in applications from Indian students for training diplomas and certificates would lead to widespread closures in the vocational sector of the type seen in Sydney and Melbourne over the past fortnight. IDP chief executive Tony Pollock yesterday conceded that a “head-count” survey conducted late last month had revealed an 80 per cent decline in visits from prospective students to the organisation’s Indian offices. The Indian market is the sector’s biggest growth area but is under threat amid the fall-out from a spate of assaults on Indian students and revelations that students are being exploited by unscrupulous private colleges and fraudulent agents.

These recent revelations demonstrate the implications of reputational risks that can affect educational institutions. Although some areas cannot be mitigated; an appropriate Risk Management approach to their reputational risk can assist a University or College in continuing to attract and retain overseas students.

Council Specific Risk Assessment Approach

As reported by the Age newspaper; a father who drowned trying to save his two young sons from drowning after they fell from a NSW south coast wharf has been recommended for a posthumous bravery award. In addition, the coroner investigating the deaths recommended the local council improve safety at Tathra Wharf, near Bega, in light of community fears another tragedy could occur.

A nearby fisherman, Robert George Brown, risked his life by also jumping into the water after the trio. In a statement tendered to the inquest, Mr Brown said he jumped in because there were no life-saving devices on the wharf. The magistrate’s at the inquest recommendation was that Bega Valley Shire Council be given copies of Mr Brown’s statement, police statements and Surf Life Saving NSW statements and a letters from Mr O’Neill’s family, which all addressed the safety issues on the wharf.

Bega MP Andrew Constance noted that he backed the bravery award recommendation and requested the NSW government to work with Bega Council to ensure a safety upgrade at the wharf. “Given the fact it’s now promoted as a regional tourist icon, all recommendations must be considered … be that railings, be that additional ladders … so that we can avoid any similar tragedy in the future,” he told reporters in Sydney.

As identified by Mr Constance the council owned area is a tourist attraction and should be risk assessed accordingly. Public areas require a risk assessment approach which specifically considers the unique challenges faced by councils.

To Mosh or Not to Mosh? : That is the Question

The risk of injury from moshing and crowd surfing at music festivals and concerts is well documented. Moshing involves close physical contact in the front of house area in front of a band: “the mosh pit.” Participants in the mosh pit push, pull, shove, slam and bounce off one another to the music. Crowd surfing involves passing audience members above the heads of other moshers toward the stage. Since 2000 moshing has been becoming increasingly less popular amongst public venues and music festivals because of its high risk of injury, and not without due cause. A study in 2000 conducted at a 4 day music festival, attended by over 60,000 people found that over 1,500 medical incidents were reported during the festival. The festival encountered numerous incidents resulting from moshing, crowd surfing and stage diving. 37 % of all incidents related directly to moshing. 2.5% of all treatments required hospital transporting, and of those, 74% were mosh pit related. (American Journal of Emergency Medicine 2000;18:62-63).

These statistics demonstrate the importance of strictly enforced risk management plans relating to the event and stage floor layout, and close consideration of the type of acts who are performing. It also highlights the importance of carefully planned medical care that is commensurate on the expected injury types and numbers.