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Article
Publication date: 5 October 2015

V. Balasubramaniyan

The purpose of this paper is to study the various theories related to low cost terrorist attacks and factors which act as the key determinants to the costing decision. This…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the various theories related to low cost terrorist attacks and factors which act as the key determinants to the costing decision. This research is an endeavour to bring about the factors influencing costing decisions of low cost and high cost terror attacks.

Design/methodology/approach

Methodology adopted is a descriptive one which conducts a content analysis on existing theories, based on materials derived from primary as well secondary source data.

Findings

This paper argues that the terminology of “low cost terrorism” is ambiguous. This paper states that the nature of attack and the type of attack play an important part in determining the funding levels of terror operations. The decision to taper or increase the cost is more of a “choice” in larger groups but a matter of “compulsion” in smaller groups.

Practical implications

In the process, it attempts to enlighten the counter terrorism community on the need to target the criminal fund raising mechanisms of homegrown groups which act as the main funding resource for low cost terror attacks. It also attempts to enlighten the concerned institutions, to increase physical security measures instead of attempting to sever the funding for this low cost terror attacks which is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Originality/value

The key findings of this research lies in its originality of presentation of facts in a systematic fashion.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 18 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2009

Arabinda Acharya

The purpose of this paper is to challenge the “myth” that terrorism is cheap and that terrorists are extremely efficient in how they use their money.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to challenge the “myth” that terrorism is cheap and that terrorists are extremely efficient in how they use their money.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper makes a critical assessment of the “costs” involved in terrorist attacks and addresses the debate about how this affects the overall strategy against terrorist financing.

Findings

This paper argues that costs of terrorism are many and not limited to what is spent on an actual attack. Owing to military and financial counter‐measures, terrorists appear to have lost overall operational efficiency; they are no longer capable of carrying out large‐scale and complex operations like the September 2001 attacks.

Originality/value

Small amounts involved in carrying out a terrorist attack have led to the perception that terrorism is cheap and terrorist attacks can be inexpensively implemented. This has undermined the global and national efforts to counter the financing of terrorism (CFT). This paper is an attempt to persuade the stakeholders in the CFT community that targeting terrorist financing has been and must remain one of the most important fronts in the war against terrorism.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 October 2010

Peter A. Sproat

Few articles have been published on counter‐terrorist finance (CTF) policies in the UK and fewer still have attempted to evaluate their effectiveness. This paper seeks to examine…

1896

Abstract

Purpose

Few articles have been published on counter‐terrorist finance (CTF) policies in the UK and fewer still have attempted to evaluate their effectiveness. This paper seeks to examine both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the UK's CTF policies from open‐source materials and in doing so considers the credibility of many of the claims by those who have attempted to evaluate their effectiveness in light of the data gathered.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents an analysis of the UK's CTF regime.

Findings

There have been just over 100 convictions under terrorism legislation offence in Great Britain alone since 11 September 2001 resulting in at least ten individuals being convicted of a CTF offence. In terms of assets frozen or seized, Robinson appears to have a point when he argued that: “when you look closely at those frozen assets, you discover that most of them have been unfrozen”, given the tens of millions of pounds returned to the Afghan Government.

Originality/value

This paper will be of interest to academics, politicians, practitioners interested in the use of CTF policies.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 April 2017

Ihab Hanna Sawalha

The purpose of this paper is threefold: identifying the root causes and other causal factors of terrorism, exploring the recent shifts in terrorist activity, and proposing a…

1639

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is threefold: identifying the root causes and other causal factors of terrorism, exploring the recent shifts in terrorist activity, and proposing a context-centred framework for deterring terrorism risk.

Design/methodology/approach

The first part of this research is based on extensive up-to-date observations made by the author and extracted from real-life settings and social interactions. The second part is based on a survey questionnaire reflecting public views on terrorism and related issues.

Findings

The risk of terrorism risk is increasingly becoming a major concern of all societies including Jordanian. The results have shown that terrorism is context related and that there are several and different root causes for this phenomenon. Many other causal factors have the potential to increase the impact or probability of terrorism risk in Jordan. The existing framework(s) for deterring terrorism risk in Jordan is not adequate and need to be reformed extensively.

Practical implications

This study provides insight to the root causes of the potential terrorist activity in Jordan, as well as other causal factors. It is expected to establish a foundation for policy-makers and decision-makers to start considering the causes of social unrest and subsequently develop appropriate frameworks for mitigating terrorism risk.

Originality/value

This study is made in a time of unprecedented political instability and terrorist activity in the Middle East and the Arab World. It reflects genuine observations and public opinions, thus providing authentic findings and better understanding of the concerns of the society. Most importantly, the study proposes context-related framework for counteracting terrorism activity and future evolution of this phenomenon in the Middle East, in general, and Jordan, in particular.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 January 2016

Charles McMillan and Jeffrey Overall

The purpose of this paper is to critique the existing decision-making models of organizational theory and the ability of strategic managers to address unconventional problems…

5558

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critique the existing decision-making models of organizational theory and the ability of strategic managers to address unconventional problems using these models. Strategic management models presume reasonable stability in the task environment and the organizational design features. However, complex problems, or wicked problems, are prolific in a global world. They change profoundly the nature of strategic management, where management faces a deep paradox – an environment of unprecedented interdependence, yet unpredictable forces of chaos and volatility, a landscape of wicked problems. In this paper, the authors address wicked problems within the context of strategic management.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors review and critique the organizational theory literature, namely, microeconomics, bounded rationality, organizational failure and the theory of creative destruction within the context of wicked problems.

Findings

The authors find that the contemporary models of strategic management are incapable of assisting managers in addressing the reality of wicked problems. They argue that organizational pathologies rest in executive action: pursuit of goals and objectives with a false sense of causation, feedback filters that exaggerate good news and restrict bad news and actions that give only token measures to correct faulty design decisions and faulty decision processes, including more emphasis on vertical channels than horizontal task interdependencies.

Originality/value

The authors conclude that wicked problem-solving is by temperament and time horizon, a multilayered, multitasked, organizational challenge, and requires fundamentally different mindsets for design and performance systems for senior executives. The study of wicked problems requires a new corporate mindset, new collaborative models to address them and new corporate processes and executive training tools who increasingly have to address them. This research is a first step toward extending our understanding of how to address the world of wicked problems.

Details

Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0275-6668

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 January 2014

Angela S.M. Irwin, Jill Slay, Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo and Lin Lui

There is a clear consensus of opinion that virtual environments and virtual currencies pose a money laundering and terrorism financing threat. What is less clear, however, is the…

4294

Abstract

Purpose

There is a clear consensus of opinion that virtual environments and virtual currencies pose a money laundering and terrorism financing threat. What is less clear, however, is the level of risk that they pose. This paper aims to clarify the suitability of virtual environments for conducting money laundering and terrorism financing activities.

Design/methodology/approach

A number of experiments were conducted to estimate the quantity of funds that could be moved through these environments. These experiments took into account a number of factors such as the number of accounts that would need to be opened to launder/raise a specific amount of funds, the amount of funds that could be placed within a certain timeframe and the transaction limits imposed by each of the massively multiplayer online games and online financial service providers involved in the money laundering and terrorism financing scenarios.

Findings

The findings of this research show that money laundering and terrorism financing can take place inside virtual environments. Virtual money laundering and terrorism financing offer high levels of anonymity, potentially low levels of detection, and remove many of the risks associated with real-world money laundering and terrorism financing activity. However, this comes at the cost of ease, time and, in some cases, the amount of funds laundered. Large sums (millions of dollars) can be laundered in virtual environments, but this exponentially increases the level of effort involved in setting up accounts and placing, layering and integrating funds.

Originality/value

A number of authors have described potential virtual money laundering scenarios, but some of these are out-of-date due to closed loopholes, all are rudimentary and make no attempt to discuss the practicality or feasibility of using these scenarios. This research addresses those issues.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 17 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 March 2024

Martin David Owens and Elizabeth Johnson

The paper aims to understand how state and non-state domestic terrorism impacts MNEs in foreign markets. Despite the burgeoning literature on terrorism within international…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to understand how state and non-state domestic terrorism impacts MNEs in foreign markets. Despite the burgeoning literature on terrorism within international business (IB), most research has focused on international terrorism, or terrorism generally. Consequently, there has been limited research examining how domestic or local based terrorism impacts foreign firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper.

Findings

Domestic terrorism is the most common form of terrorism in the world today and involves the state and non-state actors. Non-state domestic terrorism can be low intensity or high intensity. High intensity non-state-domestic terrorism typically involves regular and protracted political violence, along with inter-communal violence. This can expose MNEs to considerable operational, governance and legitimacy pressures.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the gap in IB terrorism research with regards domestic or local based terrorism. Drawing on IB theory and critical terrorism research, the paper addresses the nature and impact of domestic terrorism within IB. The authors’ paper shows the operational, governance and legitimacy pressures of both state and non-state domestic terrorism for MNEs in host markets. While most IB scholars consider the threat of non-state terrorism for international firms, this study shows how domestic state terrorism benefits and constrains foreign firms.

Details

Critical Perspectives on International Business, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1742-2043

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 21 June 2014

Tilman Brück, Olaf J. de Groot and Neil T. N. Ferguson

The purpose of this study is to define the interactions that determine how secure a society is from terrorism and to propose a method for measuring the threat of terrorism in an…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to define the interactions that determine how secure a society is from terrorism and to propose a method for measuring the threat of terrorism in an objective and spatio-temporally comparable manner.

Methodology/approach

Game-theoretic analysis of the determinants of security and discussion of how to implement these interactions into a measure of security.

Findings

We show that governments concerned with popularity have an incentive to over-invest in security and that, in certain situations, this leads to a deterioration in net security position. Our discussion provides an implementable means for measuring the levels of threat and protection, as well as individuals’ perceptions of both, which we propose can be combined into an objective and scientific measure of security.

Research limitations/implications

The implication for researchers is the suggestion that efficiency, as well as scale of counter-terrorism, is important in determining a country’s overall security position. Furthermore, we suggest that individuals’ perceptions are at least as important in determining suitable counter-terrorism policy as objective measures of protection and threat. The limitations of this research are found in the vast data requirements that any attempt to measure security will need.

Originality/value of the chapter

We propose the first method for objectively measuring the net security position of a country, using economic and econometric means.

Book part
Publication date: 21 June 2014

Daniel Meierrieks

The purpose of this contribution is to review the theoretical and empirical literature on the economic determinants of terrorism.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this contribution is to review the theoretical and empirical literature on the economic determinants of terrorism.

Methodology/approach

Review of the relevant academic literature.

Findings

This contribution shows that there is a theoretical foundation to the popular hypothesis that poor economic conditions are conducive to terrorism. A review of the empirical evidence on the economic determinants of terrorism, however, yields an inconclusive result. Some studies find that economic conditions (directly and indirectly) matter to terrorism, whereas a plurality of studies suggest that noneconomic factors are more important.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the survey indicate that it is unlikely that economic conditions are universal determinants of terrorism. By pointing at several avenues of future research (e.g., a focus on the role of ideology in terrorism), this contribution, however, argues that the opposite also does not need to be true. The influence of economic factors on terrorism should neither be overemphasized nor completely ruled out.

Originality/value of chapter

The contribution offers a comprehensive overview of the economy–terrorism nexus and hints at promising areas of future research.

Details

Understanding Terrorism
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-828-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2004

SYLVIE BOURIAUX and WILLIAM L. SCOTT

The US insurance industry has long faced the spectrum of large unexpected losses from natural catastrophes such as hurricanes and earthquakes. However, the September 11, 2001…

Abstract

The US insurance industry has long faced the spectrum of large unexpected losses from natural catastrophes such as hurricanes and earthquakes. However, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack clearly demonstrated a new form of catastrophic risk of man‐made origin. The damages in property and life are now well known as estimates of insured losses deriving from this event range from $40 to $54 billion. The 9/11 terrorist attacks renewed the capacity problem faced the insurance industry in the underwriting of large catastrophic risk. In that regard, this paper explores the feasibility of capital market alternatives to the conventional insurance mechanism, and analyses whether the capital market could provide extra capacity to absorb terrorism risk.

Details

The Journal of Risk Finance, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1526-5943

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