Determinants and sources of reputational risk at the university of Zambia: a functional pragmatic approach.

The study sought to understand reputational risks at the University of Zambia (UNZA) and explore measures to strengthen reputational risk management at the institution. The researcher adopted a pragmatic view in conducting the study, and hence used the embedded mixed methods design. The dominant approach in the study was quantitative, supported by qualitative data as a way of deepening the overall analysis. Structured questionnaires were administered to 42 UNZA senior administrators, and semi-structured personal interviews were conducted with representatives of staff, students, and senior administrators. The study established that student protests, staff strikes, and social media abuse were the dominant reputational threats in the five-year period between 2014 and 2019; staff strikes represent the main threat in the next three years, and that sexual harassment and quality of educational services were perceived to be average and below average threats to reputation at UNZA respectively. Participants were generally of the view that poor communication, under-resourcing, and absence of a risk management framework at UNZA were the main contributors to the persistence of reputational threats at the institution. The research noted that, although UNZA is taking steps to come up with a risk policy, an enterprise risk management (ERM) framework was the long-term solution to reputational and other institutional risks. The research concludes that the leadership of the University should take full responsibility for all risks faced by the University, without shifting any blame to government or stakeholders. The University recommends the adoption of an action-oriented approach to the development and promotion of an appropriate institutional culture, and cultivate a sense of collective ownership in all University stakeholders. Words alone are not enough, but senior management need to demonstrate serious commitment to meeting their promises to stakeholders. Public relations work will have to start with internal stakeholders because it is their actions that shape the reputation of UNZA.
Keywords: Reputational Risk, UNZA, ERM, student protests, go-slow strikes, Higher Learning Institution