Abuse of Decision-Making Authority

A subject uses organizational authority to deny another person a service, benefit, request, opportunity, access right, payment, review, or other outcome without a legitimate organizational basis.

Examples include:

• denying a legitimate customer request because of a personal dispute
• refusing an employee entitlement in retaliation
• blocking a supplier or applicant to benefit an associate
• rejecting an access request despite established eligibility
• withholding an approval to exert pressure on another individual

A subject uses decision-making authority to provide an unauthorized advantage to a person, organization, account, supplier, applicant, or other beneficiary.

Examples include:

• prioritizing an associate’s application outside established criteria
• granting favorable commercial terms without authorization
• selecting a supplier because of an undisclosed personal relationship
• allocating a scarce benefit contrary to the approved process
• overlooking a requirement for a favored party while enforcing it against others

A subject uses their authority to prevent, terminate, delay, redirect, or improperly narrow a required organizational review, escalation, complaint, referral, or investigation.

Examples include:

• preventing a security concern from being referred to the appropriate team
• closing a complaint without the required review
• declining to escalate a report involving an associate
• directing that an audit finding not be formally recorded
• narrowing an investigation to exclude relevant conduct or evidence

A subject uses delegated authority to approve a request, transaction, entitlement, exception, appointment, payment, access grant, or other organizational action without a legitimate basis.

Examples include:

• approving access for a favored individual without business justification
• approving a supplier despite an undisclosed conflict
• authorizing expenditure outside the intended purpose
• approving an exception using false or incomplete supporting information

The defining evidence is an affirmative decision made through authority legitimately assigned to the subject.

A subject uses decision-making authority to improperly accelerate, delay, elevate, or deprioritize a request, case, transaction, task, customer, or other item within an organizational process.

Examples include:

• moving an associate’s request ahead of others without justification
• deliberately delaying a complaint until a deadline expires
• deprioritizing a customer because of a personal disagreement
• changing case urgency to avoid scrutiny or service obligations
• accelerating a transaction so that required review cannot occur

A subject improperly waives, bypasses, suspends, or grants an exception to a mandatory organizational control using authority available through their role.

Examples include:

• waiving identity-verification requirements
• exempting a transaction from secondary review
• overriding a mandatory security or compliance check
• allowing work to proceed despite an unmet control condition
• approving an exception without recording the required rationale