OFFSHORE PROGRAM RISK ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE
Risk
FINANCIAL
Enterprise Bargaining
Description/Comments
Award arrangements include mandatory pay increases for
staff, which impact on salary costs
Foreign Exchange Risk
The exposure to potential exchange fluctuations between
currencies. If contract revenue is denoted in foreign
currency, the potential impact on profitability of movements
in exchange rates
Funds Repatriation
Repatriating funds from offshore to Australia, including
overseas regulations, payment arrangements with partners,
timing of payments and consequences of overdue payments
Taxation
Potential offshore taxation arrangements, GST
considerations, Fringe Benefits Tax, withholding taxes from
funds repatriated offshore
Legal Structure
Appropriate consideration of available legal structures for
the conduct of the activity, company, partnership etc and the
relative advantages/disadvantages in terms of administering
the activity and minimising risk to Flinders University
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Exit Arrangements
Variation of
Agreement/Dispute
The existence of contract exceptions and subject clauses in
order to exit from poorly performing programs. Avoiding
exposure to excess liability and arrangements for student
participants in event of program cessation.
Processes to ensure variation to the original agreement and
handling of disputes regarding agreement clearly
documented and understood by all parties.
1 of 5
Treatment/Action
OFFSHORE PROGRAM RISK ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE
Risk
Description/Comments
Liability Coverage
Insurance coverage including professional indemnity,
occupational health & safety, travel insurance, other
potential liability issues.
Timeframes/Deadlines
Inherent deadlines in the project or activity and action to
ensure minimal disruption or opportunity to detract from
these being achieved. Review processes in place and
monitoring of performance against designated time frames
ACTIVITY
Attrition
Decline in student numbers over the life of the program and
resultant impact on profitability. Existence of contract clause
limiting the University’s risk eg if student numbers fall below
specific level, Flinders receives a greater share of overall
revenue
Student Visas
Likelihood of students being unable to obtain student visas
to continue education in Australia
Student Risks
Specific student administrative procedures including
enrolment, access to personal data, examination processes,
general systems and processes in place to cater for student
administration and assessment, graduation ceremony etc
Expectations
Management of expectations among stakeholders, client
satisfaction, quality of activity and delivery
Activity Risk
Is the activity inherently high risk, broader considerations on
its reflection on the University, partners, general profile
2 of 5
Treatment/Action
OFFSHORE PROGRAM RISK ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE
Risk
STAFFING
Staff Resourcing
Description/Comments
Impacts on staff numbers and continuity in program activity
resulting from unavailability of key personnel. Resultant
impacts on local teaching and quality, including research
and admin loading
Technical Competence
Evaluation of knowledge and experience requisite for staff
involved in the conduct of the activity, including the unique
or infrequent items
Enterprise Bargaining
The potential impacts of future enterprise bargaining
arrangements on staffing conditions and workload, including
volume of offshore teaching activity
ENVIRONMENT
Foreign Government
Regulations
Impact of foreign restrictions on trade, specific restrictions
on delivery of programs in host country, legal and regulatory
advice received and quality of source
Host Country Accreditation
Approvals and specific accreditations required by host
country government, implications of non-compliance and
continued recognition of program in the host country
Disasters: SARS, Terrorism
etc
Consideration and documentation of contingency
arrangements in event of disaster and methods of assessing
suitability of arrangements for such events
Political
Political implications with operating in the host country and
broader considerations in the conduct of the specific activity
3 of 5
Treatment/Action
OFFSHORE PROGRAM RISK ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE
Risk
Description/Comments
Environmental Considerations
Perceptions within the community (local & offshore) of
Flinders Uni and any affiliates/alliances/partners as socially
responsible organisations. Consequences of negative
perceptions in this area
Cultural Considerations
Development of appreciation for cultural behaviours and
training/awareness of expectations amongst the offshore
community in teaching methods and general business
dealings
MARKET
Marketing Risks
Potential problems with future marketing exercises or other
University projects in the event of negative perceptions of
performance of the project/activity
Market Factors
Imposing market factors on the viability of the project, such
as high levels of competition, established expertise existing
among other institutions, perceived value of the Flinders
University brand in the market place
Marketing Responsibility
Clear understanding of marketing responsibilities under
contract arrangements and appropriate safeguards in place
to adhere to acceptable market approach, protecting the
Flinders University brand
PARTNERSHIP
Partner strength
Capacity of partner to sufficiently support the program or
activity from both an educational and financial perspective
4 of 5
Treatment/Action
OFFSHORE PROGRAM RISK ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE
Risk
Description/Comments
Partner reputation
Reputation of partner of sufficient standing to warrant a
partnership with Flinders and the potential for any negative
perception from the broader community through the
proposed partnership
Branding
Potential effects on the Flinders University brand resulting
from the utilisation of a partner or alliance framework
5 of 5
Treatment/Action