Well, this sounds great, don't it?! 'PR email, boss?' Of course.
Anyway ... 'Oh, before we start ... you're looking really cool today.' Oh, thank you, Voice. 'Is that a new polo shirt you're wearing?' This? No. 'Okay. Well, it must be those new jeans you're wearing.' I've had these jeans for ages. I'm not wearing my best stuff for blogging, man. 'Ha! I know!' What? 'You've had your hair cut!' Yes, yes. Yesterday. 'Wow! You really do look like the King of Cool now.' Yeah, of course. / You can't see me, reader(s), but I do!
Anyway ... Deviance - !!! Let's see what this is all about ... 'I'm excited!' Calm down. 'Okay.' Right -
The collapse of corporate giant Carillion in January 2018, highlights a culture of financial deviance embedded at the heart of the UK construction sector, according to research by London South Bank University (LSBU).
Uh. Financial deviance. 'Never mind.' Christ. 'Are you going to continue with this email?' Well, I've started it now ...
The research shows that, following the collapse of a major financial institution like Carillion, individuals and teams in the wider construction sector, often accommodate, explain away or normalize discrepancies and problems. These become part of a culture which unintentionally reduces awareness of the potential consequences of that deviant behaviour. Taken together, these factors can result in a company not following codes of practice while failing to anticipate and manage a wide range of potential reputational issues and structural internal crises.
But it could be worse! 'Perverts, boss.' Exactly!
By performing a qualitative analysis on the collapse of construction giant, Carillion, the researchers have exposed the most common deviant practices and sources of 'normalization of deviance' embedded in the sector. The findings suggest that 'normalization of deviance' lies not only internally, but also externally, in the wider industry environment in which construction organizations operate. The results sound an alarm bell and call for structural reform of the construction industry to prevent the negative effects of corporate deviance.
But ... 'It could be worse!' Yeah.
Okay, okay. There's a lot of this. 'Do this bit.' Okay -
The research detected three distinct types of 'normalization of deviance' that existed within Carillion before the corporation's collapse that could also be prevalent in the wider construction sector:
Late payment to suppliers;
Aggressive accounting;
Auditors failing to identify problems.
Well, er ... do you know what I mean? 'Yeah.'
The research project is led by Dr Sara Hajikazemi, Senior Lecturer in Project Management at LSBU's Business School, in collaboration with co-authors from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Nord University in Norway, and the University of Oulu and Tampere University in Finland.
Okay. What does Sara say then?
Dr Sara Hajikazemi, says, "Our research shows that 'normalized deviance' has always been present in the construction sector. What is concerning is that, as happened with Carillion, construction companies currently lack an early warning system that could alert them to emerging signs of deviant corporate behaviour and malpractice. This means that the construction industry is still likely to be at risk of falling prey to 'normalized deviance' and its damaging consequences in future."
Well, okay. Thank you, Sara. I mean, fair enough and everything. This is a serious problem you've highlighted. I'll just say ... it could be worse, you know?
ENDS
...
Anything else?
Yeah, so ... I walked to Shepherd's Bush and back yesterday. Some nice cardio - as they call it.
I did actually buy some new clothes in the Westfield shopping centre. Not King of Cool clothes though. Just standard stuff. 'For blogging with.' Whatever.
I looked through the window at the Lacoste shop. Unfortunately, all the yellow polo shirts are bright yellow now for some reason. I had a pale yellow one before. I prefer pale, you dig? Never mind.
I went into the Adidas shop. I nearly bought some Gazelles. I might get some next time. I've had a few pairs.
I walked past the Tesla shop.
Last year, I bought my suede Timbs in the Timberland shop.
They've got loads of good shops there, kook(s)!
Laters.
