The Vietnam War Essay -- Vietnam War Essays

There were numerous occasions that lead up the Vietnam War, it began in 1945 with the threats between the French and Vietminh. â€Å"Geopolitical Strategy, financial aspects, residential US governmental issues, and social self-importance formed the developing American contribution in Vietnam† (Anderson 1). In actuality, the Vietnam War was a few wars, yet it was not until 1962 that America had their first battle crucial, Americans were slaughtered during ambushes by the Vietnamese before the primary battle strategic. There is a lot of debate over the purposes behind the Vietnam War, bolstered by the few distinct books and articles expounded on the war. â€Å"The most well known abomination happened in a small villa called My Lai in March 1968† (Detzer 127). History shows that the response of numerous Americans to the assault by US officers on the town of My Lai during the Vietnam War was restriction, and the activities of the US troopers during the My Lai Massacre will be always recognized as a critical piece of the Vietnam War and American History. During the Vietnam War, the principal company (roughly forty men) was lead by a youthful official named William Calley. Youthful Calley was drafted into the US Army after secondary school, however it didn't take long for him to conform to being in the military, with a snappy progress to the way of life of the military, he needed to make it his vocation. In secondary school, Calley was a sort, amiable and â€Å"regular† secondary school understudy, he was by all accounts an ordinary young person, having enthusiasm for things that different young men his age regularly had. He was never watched acting in a savage or severe manner. In Vietnam, Calley was under direct request of organization officer, Captain Ernest Medina, whom he saw as a good example, he admired Medina. (Detzer 127). Histor... ...nd blameless locals of My Lai, it was when American’s scrutinized their own as being â€Å"bad guys† or â€Å"good guys†. Were America’s convoluted and pitiless acts to be viewed as energetic or despicable? A few Americans, with severe affections for all the American lives lost in the Vietnam War, offered credit to Lieutenant Calley for driving soldiers in taking an interest in such an abominable occasion. History shows that there is still a lot of discussion on certain realities of the slaughter and numerous accounts and feelings, in spite of the fact that we will never know the realities precisely, what we can be sure of is that America will always remember this heartbreaking occasion, it will be discussed in American History for a long time to come, and the Vietminh hearts will consistently load up with trouble when they think about the numerous lives that were lost on that terrible day ever, their psyches will consistently have unspeakable recollect ions of that day.

The Secret Code About Me Samples

The Secret Code About Me SamplesWhat is about me a sample? It is a secret code used by marketers on their website to build credibility, sell a product or make a message stand out from the crowd. This is one of the most effective ways to draw the attention of web visitors, and it's really easy to use.With today's research into Internet marketing, the importance of credibility cannot be stressed enough. This is why more marketers are using samples of content that they've created themselves, in order to make their content stand out from the crowd. The truth is, even if your content is not original, the simple use of a sample can really make a large difference in how your website ranks in the search engines.One of the best ways to use samples is by providing a 'flavor' of your own content for others to see and use as an 'about me' sample. There are various reasons why this would be useful for your website.First, it can help your marketing strategy in the search engines. If someone is loo king for your product or service, it doesn't make sense to go ahead and use promotional material that's based solely on your sales pitch. A sample can provide you with the content that works, and this will help you avoid keyword stuffing and other SEO problems.It also makes a great second or third example for your website, as another effective way to rank. By providing samples for your readers, they will be able to relate to the content and may be inclined to continue reading to find out more. By providing them with such an opportunity, you will be building the trust of your readers, and this will have far reaching benefits.However, if you are promoting something that you yourself don't have expertise in, then it's a great idea to use a sample to your advantage. Let's say you are promoting a new book, and you know nothing about publishing, but you are intending to promote it, you could provide a best seller as your 'about me' sample.By having a reference book available, you will sho w potential customers that you are an expert in the field, and they will know that they can trust you won't bore them with too much detail about your new book. Remember that you can simply do this with a sample website, but by doing so you'll be able to use the secret code that is about me sample.So if you haven't seen it yet, why not look at some of the sites online where you can get some samples of your own work. It's not difficult to do, and this is an excellent way to promote yourself, and your own websites, without needing to pay a lot.

Scholarly paper Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Academic paper - Scholarship Essay Example Regardless of whether a law denying smoking in vehicles containing minors could be passed in the US would at last rely upon the law’s defendability under the Commerce Clause of the US constitution. The Commerce Clause permits congress â€Å"to direct business with remote countries and among the few states† and has for some time been an issue of political and social discussion. The Supreme Court’s current standard for deciding if Congress has surpassed its trade force can be abstract, making it hard to anticipate legality of proposed general wellbeing laws. Notwithstanding, the court has demonstrated astounding readiness in ongoing cases to widen the intensity of congress to control business so as to ensure general wellbeing. Particularly to honest kids bound to auto mobiles and who can't ensure themselves, as such a government law denying smoking in vehicles containing minors could be discovered sacred. Besides, if congress somehow happened to decline to mull over such a law, it could be feasible for states, themselves, to control smoking in vehicles under the torpid business condition. This issue can't be handily forestalled by taking straightforward activities like opening of the vehicle windows. This is on the grounds that this activity can alter the course of the wind stream and thus the smoke gets blown right go into the essence of the youngster. What requires to be done is a law to be passed that restricts smoking in engine vehicles. This can put hardened punishments to the wrongdoers with the likelihood that the guardians can lose care of their youngsters whenever discovered taking part in the demonstration. The degree of presentation to auxiliary smoke by youngsters is about 11% in the United States. This investigation was done among youngsters matured beneath 6 years. It was additionally uncovered that it was the guardians who were the fundamental wellspring of presentation to their kids, introduction by guardians represented 90%. There was another disclosure in the exploration

Climate Change Mitigation Strategies Research Assignment - 2750 Words

Climate Change Mitigation Strategies Research Assignment (Essay Sample) Content: Climate Change Mitigation StrategiesNameInstitution Climate Change Mitigation StrategiesIntroductionClimate change exposes human and other life forms to a series of changes that threaten the survival of living things. Canada is highly urbanized with approximately 80% of its population living in metropolitan areas and cities. Similar to any other urban areas in the world, Canadian metropolitan residents rely on infrastructures such as roads, sewerage systems, power plants, and bridges, which require regular maintenance. On a global scale, environmental sustainability may not be realized unless urban areas become more stable than the case is today. Currently, the contribution of urban areas towards environmental pollution, climate change, and degradation remains high. Many industries that contribute to environmental pollution are located in urban areas, and since such localities contain a large number of residents, the industries contribute to environmental pollution an d climate change. This paper presents a review of climate mitigation strategies that would be effective in reversing the impacts of global climate change witnessed today. Since the strategies are not applicable in all regions, each strategy is reviewed independently by considering its benefits and applicability, challenges, and possibility that the approach will achieve desired results of ensuring environmental and urban sustainability.The Concept of Climate Change Mitigation StrategiesMit...

The Government Of Trinidad And Tobago - 958 Words

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has decided to construct a new school at the beginning of the year 2016. This is due as the island is ranked sixty-fourth (64th) in the Global Education Index (United Nations Development Programme 2013) and there is a drive to increase the island’s global ranked by the Education Ministry of Trinidad and Tobago. As a result, they have authorized a formal report to determine potential sites that the school can be built on in which official bodies will investigate further. To accomplish this goal, applications of Geographic Information Systems were utilized to assess land suitability in Trinidad with several criteria provided by the Government along with relevant data sources. Several areas throughout the western coast of Trinidad with potential/ideal sites were discovered. Introduction According to the World Bank, the twin island’s population is 1.354 million in 2014 and is increasing by 0.3% per year. As a result of slow population increase there are several issues which would arise such as food security and environmental degradation. The Education sector of a country is important and plays a vital role in the development the general population. Investing in the island’s education system is essential for reducing inequality and poverty. Thus, the government of Trinidad and Tobago would like to expand the sector as education is a fundamental part in the development of its people. The government would like to develop aShow MoreRelatedSeparation of Power Plays an Important Role in the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago1189 Words   |  5 PagesFrench jurist Montesquieu (1689- 1755), the legislative, executive and judiciary as separate branches exists in many countries. In Trinidad and Tobago these branches are defined as the Legislative in the form of Parliament, the Executive as the Government and the Judiciary as the courts. Reflected by chapter 4 part I of The Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Act 4 of 1976, composition of parliament states that the parliament must consist of the President, Senate and House of RepresentativesRead MorePolice Corruption Is Very Common All Over The World934 Words   |  4 PagesColombia, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico and Cuba are prime example where social order is not maintained on a professional level. Social order is what the community and the government expect. In order words, what you do has to be considered normal to society and others. In this paper I will discuss the mission statement, goals, administration, problem and solution to corruption as well as the education and leadership types in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad is the twin island of Tobago. They currentlyRead MoreMacro Economic Objective on the Health of the Economy of Trinidad and Tobago954 Words   |  4 Pagestitle: a macro economic analysis on the health of the economy of trinidad amp; tobago methodology employed: Data for the economy of Trinidad and Tobago was collected from the CSO (Central Statistical Office) Information was collected for the period (1995- 2005) in the areas of economic growth as represented by changes in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) as well as GNP (Gross National Product), unemployment, inflation and the balance of payments. This data was then evaluated and analysedRead MorePolitics Of Trinidad And Tobago1511 Words   |  7 Pages Topic: Politics in Trinidad and Tobago The topic of politics in Trinidad and Tobago is one that need major concern at its present standing. Most inhabitants in this country (Trinidad and Tobago) are not familiar with how political debates are supposed to be orchestrated. Politicians are supposed to talk about the issues an ways to overcome them using hard work and determination not just saying â€Å"choose me and I will give you this† and â€Å"choose me and I will give u that†. They are supposed to stateRead MoreDeveloping Policies Of Trinidad And Tobago1674 Words   |  7 Pagesdeveloping policies of Trinidad and Tobago which embraces access to quality education. I found these document which supports our vision, the STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, (MOE), (2002-2006). And MINISTRY OF EDU-CATION, EDUCATION POLICY PAPER (1993 - 2003). In the past Trinidad and Tobago has had equity and equality issues (UNESCO, 2003) these were the developing policy that embraces access to equality education for all. And in these documents the government is focusing on the educationRead MoreCourt Visit Report828 Words   |  4 PagesThe judiciary is an arm of government responsible for administering justice. 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This Oral interview was conducted on Saturday the 27th and 28th of September respectfully, at my church were both interviewees attendedRead MoreWhat Is Meant by Externalities? How Have Oil Companies in Trinidad and Tobago Employed Solutions to Externalities as Part of Their Corporate Social Responsibilities (Csr)?1124 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is meant by externalities? How have oil companies in Trinidad and Tobago employed solutions to externalities as part of their corporate social responsibilities (CSR)? Externalities exist when a third party bears costs or receives benefits arising from an economic transaction in which he or she is not a direct participant. This occurs when producers or consumers provide benefits to third parties or impose costs on third parties for which the market system does not enable them to receiveRead MoreMontesquieu s Doctrine Of The Separation Of Powers Essay2088 Words   |  9 PagesIdentify and discuss the structure and functions of the individual branches of government under the parliamentary system in Trinidad and Tobago that, when combined, is referred to as a fusion of power. c) Explain the structure and functions of the Judicial arm of government under the parliamentary system in Trinidad and Tobago and discuss why it is critical to maintain its independence from the other branches of government. Answers: Montesquieu’s Doctrine of Separation ofRead MoreFamily Life Cycle1558 Words   |  7 Pagesobserved especially within the labor market. In Trinidad and Tobago for instance we have strict labor laws, a child under the age of sixteen is not permitted by the laws of the land to seek employment. the child within this age group falls under Eriksons Adolescence development stage. To continue individuals who fall into Eriksons last stage (Senesce) and are above sixty five years old, are required by the law of the Trinidad and Tobago government to terminate employment. This is known as retirement

The Impact Of Technology On Our Schools - 1376 Words

As we go further into the digital age, the role that technology plays in our lives will be constantly increasing. We can already see the reach that technology has, as it is making its way into our classrooms now more than ever. Is this integration beneficial, constricting or simply nothing at all? There are a lot of different factors such as learning and teaching styles, effects on student learning, and aptitude. It is safe to assume that if technology is involved, it will be a step in the right direction. Many scholars have tried to figure out exactly what the impact technology has on our schools. Many believe, like I do, that technology will be a tool to help increase the abilities of our students and teachers. While researching this topic I came across a study that took a different spin than the others. Most of the research that I found had to do with the analytics of learning. The numbers, and the facts. This study however, focused on something less tangible; self esteem. This pa rticular group of researchers wanted to look at the correlation between technology, higher self esteem, and improved cognitive learning. â€Å"Modern American educators have an increased interest in students perceptions of individual worthiness or self-esteem.Numerous studies have demonstrated that young children s self-esteem or self-concept directly affects their academic performance.† (Page 2002) This is something that has already been proven; high self esteem leads to higher achievement.Show MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Technology On Education802 Words   |  4 Pages The use of technology expanding broadly in different aspects of our lives and technology plays a significant role in modern society. The technology used globally and it impacts our lives daily for instant: government, businesses, schools, workplace, environment, and household. The technological evolution led humanity from the dark ages to enlightenment and agriculture to industrial. According to Merriam-Webste r Dictionary, the definition of technology means â€Å"the practical application of knowledgeRead MoreU.S. Education Today Tomorrow1325 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper reviews four important trends in our educational system today across America and discusses the impact of these trends on our future educational system. We live in an ever evolving world with constant changes that are affecting every aspect of our lives daily. Our educational system has not been immune to these changes and shouldn’t be since these changes and our ability to adapt to these changes will determine our future academic success and our place in a global society. Read MoreThe Importance Of Student Achievement1667 Words   |  7 Pagesin the classroom then leads to disengagement in school (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2017). When students become disinterested in school and continuously show lack of academic growth are considered at risk of dropping out of school by the age of fifteen (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2017). When low performing students drop out of school it tends to weaken our economy. Students who drop out of school are limited in the necessary skills that willRead MoreTechnology And The Educational System977 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world† (Warlick). This quote by David Warlick illustrates the necessity of implementing technology into the educational system through the use of a metaphor that compares it to the pen and paper of our time. As technology continues to advance, it’s expanding influence in classrooms results in an increase in studentRead MoreImpact Of Technology On Our Daily Lives1505 Words   |  7 PagesTechnology in Education No one can deny the effects that technology has on our daily lives. We might disagree weather or not technology impacts education in a positive or a negative way, but we should agree that technology is everywhere, in our homes, hospitals, schools, companies and institutes. According to Ken Funk (1999), â€Å"The word technology comes from two Greek words, transliterated techne and logos. Techne means art, skill, craft, or the way, manner, or means by which a thing is gained. LogosRead MorePositive And Negative Impact Of Technology Essay805 Words   |  4 PagesDoes Technology have a positive or negative effective on America’s future education system? Livening in today’s age we see the use of technology everywhere. People are constantly on their phones, looking for the newest update on life. We have heard about the positive and negative impacts of technology in our society. However, how has this affected our schools teaching environment? Studies have shown that technol ogy advancement is the way of the future. Firstly, technology has had a high influenceRead MoreTechnology And Its Effect On Society Essay1239 Words   |  5 Pagesworld is increasing very rapidly, and new innovations are coming along each and everyday. Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry (Oxford). There is no denying that the impact of technology in the world today is huge, now technology has made it to the palm of our hands with the iPhone and continuing to expand. My generation has grown up on technology so I can’t imagine how my life would be with out it, older people may say it has ruined theRead MoreTechnology And Its Effect On Society Essay1204 Words   |  5 Pagesthe world is increasing very rapidly, and new innovations are coming along each and everyday. Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. There is no denying that the impact of technology in the world today is huge, now technolo gy has made it to the palm of our hands with the iPhone and continuing to expand. My generation has grown up on technology so I can’t imagine how my life would be with out it, older people may say it has ruined the livesRead MoreEssay about Technology Integration in Schools1012 Words   |  5 Pagesopportunity for technology integration into these school settings? What may be some barriers to integration? These questions will be answered after all book reviews have been read and analyzed. The following paragraphs will go into depth over these two questions. The first book review was completed by Theresa Richardson, Department of Educational Studies, at Ball State University. Richardson reviewed the book Revolution of the Margins: The Impact of Competition on Urban School Systems by FrederickRead MoreTechnology Is An Indispensable Part Of Our Life Essay1417 Words   |  6 PagesNo doubt technology become an indispensable part of our life; it is part of our present and future. Advanced technology makes human s life more convenient, each new invention and discovery that achieved in the field of technology are supporting the improvement of humankind. It is mandatory that we deal with technology every day, it is with us everywhere in our house, school, and workplace. Technology helps us in communication, gain knowledge, and share our moments. Communication nowadays becomes

Nissan case study free essay sample

Supplier development is considered as a key aspect in the design and development stage of production, its basically a Co-development activity between supplier and customer. â€Å"Co-development processes are an instrument used in several industries to gain a competitive advantage and to reduce development costs† ( Fliess, 2008) Supplier development was defined Krause as â€Å"Any set of activities undertaken by a buying firm to identify measure and improve supplier performance and facilitate the continuous improvement of the overall value of goods and services supplied to the buying company’s business unit† (Krause et al 1998). By analyzing this definition, we can evaluate that customer works with supplier in Within this definition are two distinct types of engagement. The first is externalised, supplier development, where the customer measures performance, and provides incentives for the supplier to improve. The second is internalised. In this case the supplier provides resource and investment to enable them to improve. This increasing dependence on suppliers (Krause et al 1998), and the importance they play in both the maintenance of an existing supply chain and the development of future strategic capabilities suggests a growing requirement on organisations to effectively manage and develop their suppliers. Enhancements can be in product, process, and dimensions of performance such as quality, delivery and cost (Quayle 2000). These development opportunities, through working closely with suppliers for mutual benefit, can be split down into two broad areas. The first being supplier co-ordinationi and the second is supplier development (Hines1994 p6). Supplier development refers to activities carried out by an organisation to help its suppliers improve their own people and processes in order to gain competitive advantage by removing intra-company waste. This may include the provision of actual assistance to suppliers to enable them to improve their processes through 15 joint problem solving and continuous improvement, and hence reduce costs or improve the service metrics. The focus may remain on improving the current performance level, or the collaboration deepens to enhance future supplier performance and enable the supplier to implement strategic changes aligned with their customer strategy and future requirements. References Sciencedirect. com. (2013). Supplier integration—Controlling of co-development processes. available at: http://www. sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S0019850105001252 A chronological review of the literature on co-development processes AuthorsFocusNature of studyFindings and conclusions Clark (1989),Clark Fujimoto, 1989 and Clark Fujimoto, 1991, Comparing different practices in Japan, Europe and AmericaEmpiricalAllowing suppliers greater responsibilities represents an important factor in the superior performance of the Japanese car industry in product development. Cusumano and Takeishi (1991) Comparing different practices in Japan and AmericaEmpiricalMost of the suppliers in US auto industry are after the completion of detailed design. Most suppliers have only limited ways to influence the product concept. Those with more mature partnerships and relationships to the customers are given more flexibility. Brockhoff (1992) Transaction costsEmpirical—surveyAnalysis of the impact of technical characteristics of the product under development and impact of contractual arrangements within which the development takes place. Gerlach (1992) Comparing different practices in Japan and AmericaEmpiricalWhen the supplier is strongly embedded to a customer, as well as to other network suppliers, displaying a high degree of interdependence, opportunistic behavior is constrained while conditions for cooperative behavior are improved. Griffin and Hauser (1992) Interfaces within and between the involved companiesEmpiricalUse of OFD leads to more efficient communication within the team and encourages more manufacturer-to-supplier communication. Birou and Fawcett (1994) Comparing different practices in Europe and AmericaEmpirical—surveyAnalysis of different characteristics of co-development with suppliers in both continents in different industrial areas. US companies use supplier involvement more often and earlier in the process than European companies because of market pressure. Dyer and Ouchi (1993) Comparing different practices in Japan, Europe and AmericaEmpiricalPartnerships and alliances with suppliers as they are used by Japanese companies are an increasingly important strategy for firms to develop and maintain competitive advantages. Kamath and Liker (1994) Comparing different practices in Japan, Europe and AmericaEmpiricalJapanese practices are increasingly used in America. It is suggested that few first-tier suppliers, enjoying trust-based long term partnerships with their customers, often participate in early stages of development process. Other suppliers are given specific requirements by the customer. Brown and Eisenhardt (1995) Organization of the development process—building and motivating teamsConceptualIntegrative model of product development consisting of project team, project leader, senior management, suppliers and customer that effect process performance and product effectiveness and financial success. Wilson, Littler, Leverick, and Bruce (1995) Organization of the development processEmpirical—case studiesIdentification of support factors and important risks for the success of co-development relationships to develop practical advice for the implementation of co-development projects. Kirchmann (1996b) Interfaces within and between the involved companiesEmpirical—interviews and surveyIdentification of reasons for customer organizations for co-development, instruments of information exchange and typologies of interfaces between customer and supplier organization. Baldwin and Clark (1997) Supplier involvement as a strategyConceptualPartnerships and alliances with suppliers are an increasingly important strategy to develop and maintain competitive advantages. A prerequisite for this strategy is the modularity of the products. Dyer (1997) Transaction costs and transaction valueEmpiricalDetailed examination of practices of Japanese firms in effective interfirm collaboration. Hartley, Zirger, and Kamath (1997) Identification of factors causing delays in co-development projects. Empirical—surveyWorking with a supplier that has strong technical capabilities reduces supplier-related delays. The benefits of suppliers responsibility for design, and greater buyer–supplier communication was not confirmed. Significant relationships were found between supplier-related delays, the priority of customers top management on the project and the degree of technical change to overall project delays. Kasouf and Celuch (1997) Role of small suppliersEmpirical—surveyFactors are identified that discriminate between firms with high and low relationship orientation. Firms with a high relationship orientation are smaller and more optimistic about the industrys ability to support a greater number of firms in the future, and perceived faster technology change. Ragatz, Handfield, and Scannell (1997) Success factors for integration of suppliersEmpirical—surveyIdentification of success factors for supplier integration based on used management practices and project environment factors. They distinguish relationship structuring differentiators and asset allocation differentiators for the success of a new product. Wasti and Liker (1997) Analysis of supplier involvement in Japanese car industryEmpirical—surveyThrough hypotheses, developed based on the Japanese partnership model (relational contracting), predictions are made on the level of supplier involvement in design based on product characteristics and supplier capabilities. Wingert (1997) Competitive advantage through supplier integrationEmpiricalCompetitive advantages by supplier integration. Strategic and operative configuration of the Value Adding System in the electronic industry. Bozdogan et al. (1998) Timing of supplier involvementEmpirical—case studyBenefits are possible by proactive integration of suppliers from innovations enabled by the suppliers. Each participating member provides those skills and portions of the product for which they are best suited. This requires integrated product teams, long-term commitment to suppliers, co-location, good information flow and flexibility. Holmen and Kristensen (1998) Division of labor between customer and supplierEmpirical—case studyUsing QFD technique the suppliers of a Danish company was divided into those who contribute through task partitioning and those who take part in an interactive product development process. A supplier may benefit from actively entering into the pre-development process. Karlsson et al. (1998) Role of product specificationsEmpirical—survey and case studiesImplications of definition and changes of specifications to cost in a customer–supplier relationship in the auto industry. Several propositions to improve conflicts are made. Wynstra (1998),Wynstra, van Weele, and Axelson (1998),Wynstra, van Weele, and Weggemann (2001) Role of purchasing in supplier involvementEmpirical—case studiesAn integrated framework of specific activities that constitute purchasing involvement in product development, which can help firms to implement, improve and to audit the involvement of purchasing in product development. Handfield, Ragatz, Petersen, and Monczka (1999) Supplier selection and timing of supplier involvementEmpirical—surveyIdentification of supplier selection criteria and timing of supplier integration depending on the kind of product that has to be developed and on technology risks. Hsuan (1999) Division of labor between customer and supplierEmpirical—case studyFour different levels of modularization are distinguished: component, module, sub-system, system. A higher degree of modularization is possible when more collaborative forms of partnership are shared between the partners. McIvor and McHugh (2000) Organization of the development processEmpirical—case studyTo avoid problems during the development process, cultural changes in both companies must accompany successful collaborative relationships. Success requires a change in mind-set understanding, trust, and commitment to the partnership. Ragatz, Handfield, and Petersen (2002) Supplier integration under conditions of technological uncertaintyConceptualConceptual model of the effects of elements of supplier integration process on cost, quality, and time under conditions of technology uncertainty. Mikkola and Skjoett-Larsen (2003) Timing of supplier involvementEmpirical—case studiesThe degree of early supplier involvement and of supplier-interdependence, the extent of asset specific investments, the way of supplier selection and the responsibility given to suppliers vary. Available resources of customer and supplier can be combined in new ways to improve the success of product development. Petersen et al. (2003) Model of supplier integrationEmpirical—case studies/surveyA new product development project requires detailed formal evaluation and selection of potential suppliers prior to consideration for involvement. Only trusted suppliers should be approached to participate. Sharing of information can improve the process. Project outcome objectives should be shared between the partners. Supplier involvement is important when the technology is complex or the buying company does not have enough internal expertise. Koufteros, Vonderembse, and Jayaram (2004) Concurrent engineering and external integrationEmpirical—surveyConcurrent engineering is regarded as the early involvement of an internal cross-functional team in new product development process. This is an important enabler of external integration with a supplier or a customer. McIvor and Humphreys (2004) Timing of supplier involvementEmpirical—survey and case studyIncreased importance of supplier involvement in early stages of product development for OEM products. The analysis is based on information from the electronics industry. Cultural changes in customer and supplier organization are necessary. Perks (2005) Interfaces within and between the involved companiesEmpirical—case studySpecification and synchronization are often critical in co-development projects. Such projects could lead to creative and valuable input if the sharing of information and control of activities is used. Petersen et al. (2005) Organization of the development processEmpirical—surveySupplier selection should not only consider the capabilities of the supplier, but also the culture of the supplier. Involving the supplier in the determination of appropriate technical metrics and targets for the project are key elements in project team effectiveness.

Monitoring and Evaluation Handbook.Doc Uploaded Successfully Essay Example

Monitoring and Evaluation Handbook.Doc Uploaded Successfully Essay This handbook deals with the basics of setting up and using a monitoring and evaluation system for a project or an organization. It clarifies what monitoring and evaluation are, how you plan to do them, how you design a system that helps you monitor and an evaluation process that brings it all together usefully. It looks at how you collect the information you need and then how you save yourself from drowning in data by analyzing the information in a relatively straightforward way. Finally it raises, and attempts to address, some of the issues to do with taking action on the basis of what you have learned. Need of Having Handbook on monitoring and evaluation If you don’t care about how well you are doing or about what impact you are having, why bother to do it at all? Monitoring and evaluation enable you to assess the quality and impact of your work, against your action plans and your strategic plan. In order for monitoring and evaluation to be really valuable, you do need to have planned well. Planning is dealt with in detail in other toolkits on this website. We will write a custom essay sample on Monitoring and Evaluation Handbook.Doc Uploaded Successfully specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Monitoring and Evaluation Handbook.Doc Uploaded Successfully specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Monitoring and Evaluation Handbook.Doc Uploaded Successfully specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Application of the Handbook The Handbook can helpful in following events: †¢ To set up systems for data collection during the planning phases of a project or organization. †¢ To analyze data collected through the monitoring process. †¢ To know how efficiently and how effectively you are working. †¢ To evaluate what impact the project is having at any stage. In fact, monitoring and evaluation are invaluable internal management tools. If you don’t assess how well you are doing against targets and indicators, you may go on using resources to no useful end, without changing he situation you have identified as a problem at all. Monitoring and evaluation enable you to make that assessment. CHAPTER-1 BASIC CONCEPT OF MONITORING EVALUATION Monitoring is the systematic collection and analysis of information as a project progresses. It is aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of a project or organization. It is based on targets set and activities plann ed during the planning phases of work. It helps to keep the work on track, and can let management know when things are going wrong. If done properly, it is an invaluable tool for good management, and it provides a useful base for evaluation. It enables you to determine whether the resources you have available are sufficient and are being well used, whether the capacity you have is sufficient and appropriate, and whether you are doing what you planned to do. Evaluation is the comparison of actual project impacts against the agreed strategic plans. It looks at what you set out to do, at what you have accomplished, and how you accomplished it. It can be formative (taking place during the life of a project or organization, with the intention of improving the strategy or way of functioning of the project or organization). It can also be summative (drawing learnings from a completed project or an organization that is no longer functioning). What monitoring and evaluation have in common is that they are geared towards learning from what you are doing and how you are doing it, by focusing on: †¢ Efficiency †¢ Effectiveness †¢ Impact Efficiency tells you that the input into the work is appropriate in terms of the output. This could be input in terms of money, time, staff, equipment and so on. When you run a project and are concerned about its replicability or about going to scale, then it is very important to get the efficiency element right. Effectiveness is a measure of the extent to which a development project achieves the specific objectives it set. If, for example, we set out to improve the qualifications of all the high school teachers in a particular area, did we succeed? Impact tells you whether or not what you did made a difference to the problem situation you were trying to address. In other words, was your strategy useful? Did ensuring that teachers were better qualified improve the pass rate in the final year of school? Before you decide to get bigger, or to replicate the project elsewhere, you need to be sure that what you are doing makes sense in terms of the impact you want to achieve. Need Of Monitoring Evaluation Monitoring and evaluation enable you to check the â€Å"bottom line† of development work: Not â€Å"are we making a profit? † but â€Å"are we making a difference? † Through monitoring and evaluation, you can: †¢ Review progress; †¢ Identify problems in planning and/or implementation; Make adjustments so that you are more likely to â€Å"make a difference†. In many organizations, â€Å"monitoring and evaluation† is something that that is seen as a donor requirement rather than a management tool. Donors are certainly entitled to know whether their money is being properly spent, and whether it is being well spent. But the primary (most important) use of monitoring and evaluation should be for the organization or project itself to see how it is doing against objectives, whether it is having an impact, whether it is working efficiently, and to learn how to do it better. Plans are essential but they are not set in concrete (totally fixed). If they are not working, or if the circumstances change, then plans need to change too. Monitoring and evaluation are both tools which help a project or organization know when plans are not working, and when circumstances have changed. They give management the information it needs to make decisions about the project or organization, about changes that are necessary in strategy or plans. Through this, the constants remain the pillars of the strategic framework: the problem analysis, the vision, and the values of the project or organization. Everything else is negotiable. Getting something wrong is not a crime but failing to learn from past mistakes because you are not monitoring and evaluating, is. It is important to recognize that monitoring and evaluation are not magic wands that can be waved to make problems disappear, or to cure them, or to miraculously make changes without a lot of hard work being put in by the project or organization. In themselves, they are not a solution, but they are valuable tools. Monitoring and evaluation can: †¢ Help you identify problems and their causes; Suggest possible solutions to problems; †¢ Raise questions about assumptions and strategy; †¢ Push you to reflect on where you are going and how you are getting there; †¢ Provide you with information and insight; †¢ Encourage you to act on the information and insight; †¢ Increase the likelihood that you will make a positive development difference. The effect of monitoring and evaluation can be seen in the fol lowing cycle. Note that you will monitor and adjust several times before you are ready to evaluate and replan. EVALUATION Monitoring involves: Establishing indicators of efficiency, effectiveness and impact; †¢ Setting up systems to collect information relating to these indicators; †¢ Collecting and recording the information; †¢ Analyzing the information; †¢ Using the information to inform day-to-day management. Monitoring is an internal function in any project or organization. Evaluation involves: †¢ Looking at what the project or organization intended to achieve – what difference did it want to make? What impact did it want to make? †¢ Assessing its progress towards what it wanted to achieve, its impact targets. Looking at the strategy of the project or organization. Did it have a strategy? Was it effective in following its strategy? Did the strategy work? If not, why not? †¢ Looking at how it worked. Was there an efficient use of resource s? What were the opportunity costs of the way it chose to work? How sustainable is the way in which the project or organization works? What are the implications for the various stakeholders in the way the organization works? In an evaluation, we look at efficiency, effectiveness and impact. There are many different ways of doing an evaluation. Some of the more common terms you may have come across are: †¢ Self-evaluation: This involves an organization or project holding up a mirror to itself and assessing how it is doing, as a way of learning and improving practice. It takes a very self-reflective and honest organization to do this effectively, but it can be an important learning experience. †¢ Participatory evaluation: This is a form of internal evaluation. The intention is to involve as many people with a direct stake in the work as possible. This may mean project staff and beneficiaries working together on the evaluation. If an outsider is called in, it is to act as a facilitator of the process, not an evaluator. †¢ Rapid Participatory Appraisal: Originally used in rural areas, the same methodology can, in fact, be applied in most communities. This is a qualitative way of doing evaluations. It is semi-structured and carried out by an interdisciplinary team over a short time. It is used as a starting point for understanding a local situation and is a quick, cheap, useful way to gather information. It involves the use of secondary data review, direct observation, semi-structured interviews, key informants, group interviews, games, diagrams, maps and calendars. In an evaluation context, it allows one to get valuable input from those who are supposed to be benefiting from the development work. It is flexible and interactive. †¢ External evaluation: This is an evaluation done by a carefully chosen outsider or outsider team. †¢ Interactive evaluation: This involves a very active interaction between an outside evaluator or evaluation team and the organization or project being evaluated. Sometimes an insider may be included in the evaluation team. INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL EVALUATIONS |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Internal Evaluation | |The evaluators are very familiar with the work, the organizational |The evaluation team may have a vested interest in reaching positive | |culture and the aims and objectives. conclusions about the work or organization. For this reason, other | | |stakeholders, such as donors, may prefer an external evaluation. | |Sometimes people are more willing to speak to insiders than to |The team may not be specifically skilled or trained in evaluation. | |outsiders. | |An internal evaluation is very clearly a management tool, a way of |The evaluation will take up a considerable amount of organizational | |self-correcting, and much less threatening than an external |time. | |evaluation. This may make it easier for those involved to accept | | |findings and criticisms. | | |An internal evaluation will cost less than an external evaluation. It may cost less than an external evaluation; the opportunity costs | | |may be high. | |External evaluation (done by a team or person with no vested interest in the project) | |The evaluation is likely to be more objective as the evaluators will |Someone from outside the organization or project may not understand | |have some distance from the work. |the culture or even what the work is trying to chieve | | | | | | | | | | |The evaluators should have a range of evaluation skills and |Those directly involved may feel threatened by outsiders and be less| |experience. likely to talk openly and co-operate in the process. | |Sometimes people are more willing to speak to outsiders than to |External evaluation can be very costly. | |insiders. | | |Using an outside evaluator gives greater credibility to findings, |An external evaluator may misunderstand what you want from the | |particularly positive findings. |evaluation and not give you what you need | Selecting An External Evaluator or Evaluation Team Qualities to look for in an external evaluator or evaluation team: †¢ An understanding of development issues. †¢ An understanding of organizational issues. †¢ Experience in evaluating development projects, programs or organizations. †¢ A good track record with previous clients. †¢ Research skills. †¢ A commitment to quality. †¢ A commitment to deadlines. †¢ Objectivity, honesty and fairness. †¢ Logic and the ability to operate systematically. †¢ Ability to communicate verbally and in writing. A style and approach that fits with your organization. †¢ Values that are compatible with those of the organization. †¢ Reasonable rates (fees), measured against the going rates. When you decide to use an external Evaluator: †¢ Check his/her/their references. †¢ Meet with the evaluators before making a final decision. †¢ Communicate what you want clearly – good Ter ms of Reference †¢ Terms) are the foundation of a good contractual relationship. †¢ Negotiate a contract which makes provision for what will happen if output expectations are not met. Ask for a work plan with outputs and timelines. †¢ Maintain contact – ask for interim reports as part of the contract †¢ Build in formal feedback times. Do not expect any evaluator to be completely objective. S/he will have opinions and ideas – you are not looking for someone who is a blank page! However, his/her opinions must be clearly stated as such, and must not be disguised as â€Å"facts†. It is also useful to have some idea of his/ her (or their) approach to evaluation. DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO EVALUATION Approach |Major purpose |Typical focus |Likely methodology | | | |questions | | |Goal-based |Assessing |Were the goals |Comparing baseline | | |achievement of goals |achieved? Efficiently? |(see Glossary of | | |and objectives. Were they the right |Terms) and progress | | | |goals? |data (see Glossary of | | | | |Terms); finding ways to | | | | |measure indicators. | |Decision Making |Providing information. |Is the project effective? |Assessing range of | | | |Should it continue? How might |options related to the | | | |it be modified? |project context inputs, | | | | |process, and product. | | | | |Establishing some kind of | | | | |decision-making consensus. |Goal-free |Assessing the full |What are all the |Independent | | |range of project effects, |outcomes? What value do they |determination of needs and | | |intended and |have? |standards to judge project | | |unintended. | |worth. Qualitative and | | | | |quantitative techniques to | | | | |uncover any possible results. | |Expert judgement |Use of expertise. |How does an outside |Critical review based | | | |professional rate this |on experience, informal | | | |project? surveying, and subjective | | | | |insights. | A combination of all these approaches is recommended as the best option. However an organization can ask for a particular emphasis but should not exclude findings that make use of a different approach CHAPTER-II PLANNING FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATION Monitoring and evaluation should be part of your planning process. It is very difficult to go back and set up monitoring and evaluation systems once things have begun to happen. You need to begin gathering information about performance and in relation to targets from the word go. The first information gathering should, in fact, take place when you do your needs assessment (see the toolkit on overview of planning, the section on doing the ground work). This will give you the information you need against which to assess improvements over time. When you do your planning process, you will set indicators (see Glossary of Terms). These indicators provide the framework for your monitoring and evaluation system. They tell you what you want to know and the kinds of information it will be useful to collect. In this section we look at: †¢ What do we want to know? This includes looking at indicators for both internal issues and external issues. †¢ Different kinds of information. †¢ How will we get information? †¢ Who should be involved? There is not one set way of planning for monitoring and evaluation. The ideas included in the toolkits on overview of planning, strategic planning and action planning will help you to develop a useful framework for your monitoring and evaluation system. If you are familiar with logical framework analysis and already use it in your planning, this approach lends itself well to planning a monitoring and evaluation system. WHAT DO WE WANT TO KNOW? What we want to know is linked to what we think is important. In development work, what we think is important is linked to our values. Most work in civil society organizations is underpinned by a value framework. It is this framework that determines the standards of acceptability in the work we do. The central values on which most development work is built are: †¢ Serving the disadvantaged; †¢ Empowering the disadvantaged; Changing society, not just helping individuals; †¢ Sustainability; †¢ Efficient use of resources. So, the first thing we need to know is: Is what we are doing and how we are doing it meeting the requirements of these values? In order to answer this question, our monitoring and evaluation system must give us information about: †¢ Who is benefiting fro m what we do? How much are they benefiting? †¢ Are beneficiaries passive recipients or does the process enable them to have some control over their lives? †¢ Are there lessons in what we are doing that have a broader impact than just what is happening on our project? Can what we are doing be sustained in some way for the long-term, or will the impact of our work cease when we leave? †¢ Are we getting optimum outputs for the least possible amount of inputs? Do we want to know about the process or the product? Should development work be evaluated in terms of the process (the way in which the work is done) or the product (what the work produces)? Often, this debate is more about excusing inadequate performance than it is about a real issue. Process and product are not separate in development work. What we achieve and how we achieve it are often the very same thing. If the goal is development, based on development values, then sinking a well without the transfer of skills for maintaining and managing the well is not enough. Saying: â€Å"It was taking too long that way. We couldn’t wait for them to sort themselves out. We said we’d sink a well and we did† is not enough. But neither is: â€Å"It doesn’t matter that the well hasn’t happened yet. What’s important is that the people have been empowered. † Both process and product should be part of your monitoring and evaluation system. But how do we make process and product and values measurable? The answer lies in the setting of indicators and this is dealt with in the sub-section that follows. What Do You Want To Know? Indicators Indicators are also dealt with in overview of planning, in the section on monitoring and evaluation. Indicators are measurable or tangible signs that something has been done or that something has been achieved. In some studies, for example, an increased number of television aerials in a community has been used as an indicator that the standard of living in that community has improved. An indicator of community empowerment might be an increased frequency of community members speaking at community meetings. If one were interested in the gender impact of, for example, drilling a well in a village, then you could use â€Å"increased time for involvement in development projects available to women† as an indicator. Common indicators for something like overall health in a community are the infant/child/maternal mortality rate, the birth rate, and nutritional status and birth weights. You could also look at less direct indicators such as the extent of immunization, the extent of potable (drinkable) water available and so on. Indicators are an essential part of a monitoring and evaluation system because they are what you measure and/or monitor. Through the indicators you can ask and answer questions such as: †¢ Who? †¢ How many? †¢ How often? †¢ How much? But you need to decide early on what your indicators are going to be so that you can begin collecting the information immediately. You cannot use the number of television aerials in a community as a sign of improved standard of living if you don’t know how many there were at the beginning of the process. Some people argue that the problem with measuring indicators is that other variables (or factors) may have impacted on them as well. Community members may be participating more in meetings because a number of new people with activist backgrounds have come to live in the area. Women may have more time for development projects because the men of the village have been attending a gender workshop and have made a decision to share the traditionally female tasks. And so on. While this may be true, within a project it is possible to identify other variables and take them into account. It is also important to note that, if nothing is changing, if there is no improvement in the measurement of the key indicators identified, then your strategy is not working and needs to be rethought. DEVELOPING INDICATORS Step 1: Identify the problem situation you are trying to address. The following might be problems: †¢ Economic situation (unemployment, low incomes etc) †¢ Social situation (housing, health, education etc) †¢ Cultural or religious situation (not using traditional languages, low attendance at religious services etc) †¢ Political or organizational situation (ineffective local government, faction fighting etc) Step 2: Develop a vision for how you would like the problem areas to be/ look. This will give you impact indicators. What will tell you that the vision has been achieved? What signs will you see that you can measure that will â€Å"prove† that the vision has been achieved? For example, if your vision was that the people in your community would be healthy, then you can use health indicators to measure how well you are doing. Has the infant mortality rate gone down? Do fewer women die during child-birth? Has the HIV/AIDS infection rate been reduced? If you can answer â€Å"yes† to these questions then progress is being made. Step 3: Develop a process vision for how you want things to be achieved. This will give you process indicators. If, for example, you want success to be achieved through community efforts and participation, then your process vision might include things like community health workers from the community trained and offering a competent service used by all; community organizes clean-up events on a regular basis, and so on. Step 4: Develop indicators for effectiveness. For example, if you believe that you can increase the secondary school pass rate by upgrading teachers, then you need indicators that show you have been effective in upgrading the teachers e. g. evidence from a survey in the schools, compared with a baseline survey. Step 5: Develop indicators for your efficiency targets. Here you can set indicators such as: planned workshops are run within the stated timeframe, costs for workshops are kept to a maximum of US$ 2. 50 per participant, no more than 160 hours in total of staff time to be spent on organizing a conference; no complaints about conference organization etc. With this framework in place, you are in a position to monitor and evaluate efficiency, effectiveness and impact. DIFFERENT KINDS OF INFORMATION (QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE) Information used in monitoring and evaluation can be classified as: †¢ Quantitative †¢ Qualitative Quantitative measurement tells you â€Å"how much or how many†. How many people attended a workshop, how many people passed their final examinations, how much a publication cost, how many people were infected with HIV, how far people have to walk to get water or firewood, and so on. Quantitative measurement can be expressed in absolute numbers (3 241 women in the sample are infected) or as a percentage (50% of households in the area have television aerials). It can also be expressed as a ratio (one doctor for every 30 000 people). One way or another, you get quantitative (number) information by counting or measuring. Qualitative measurement tells you how people feel about a situation or about how things are done or how people behave. So, for example, although you might discover that 50% of the teachers in a school are unhappy about the assessment criteria used, this is still qualitative information, not quantitative information. You get qualitative information by asking, observing, interpreting. Some people find quantitative information comforting – it seems solid and reliable and â€Å"objective†. They find qualitative information unconvincing and â€Å"subjective†. It is a mistake to say that â€Å"quantitative information speaks for itself†. It requires just as much interpretation in order to make it meaningful as does qualitative information. It may be a â€Å"fact† that enrolment of girls at schools in some developing countries is dropping – counting can tell us that, but it tells us nothing about why this drop is taking place. In order to know that, you would need to go out and ask questions – to get qualitative information. Choice of indicators is also subjective, whether you use quantitative or qualitative methods to do the actual measuring. Researchers choose to measure school enrolment figures for girls because they believe that this tells them something about how women in a society are treated or viewed. The monitoring and evaluation process requires a combination of quantitative and qualitative information in order to be comprehensive. For example, we need to know what the school enrolment figures for girls are, as well as why parents do or do not send their children to school. Perhaps enrolment figures are higher for boys than for girls because a particular community sees schooling as a luxury and prefers to train boys to do traditional and practical tasks such taking care of animals. In this case, the higher enrolment of girls does not necessarily indicate higher regard for girls. HOW WILL WE GET INFORMATION? This is dealt with in some detail in the toolkit on action planning, in the section on monitoring, collecting information as you go along. Your methods for information collecting need to be built into your action planning. You should be aiming to have a steady stream of information flowing into the project or organisation about the work and how it is done, without overloading anyone. The information you collect must mean something: don’t collect information to keep busy, only do it to find out what you want to know, and then make sure that you store the information in such a way that it is easy to access. Usually you can use the reports, minutes, attendance registers, financial statements that are part of your work anyway as a source of monitoring and evaluation information. However, sometimes you need to use special tools that are simple but useful to add to the basic information collected in the natural course of your work. Some of the more common ones are: †¢ Case studies †¢ Recorded observation †¢ Diaries †¢ Recording and analysis of important incidents (called â€Å"critical incident analysis†) †¢ Structured questionnaires †¢ One-on-one interviews †¢ Focus groups †¢ Sample surveys †¢ Systematic review of relevant official statistics. WHO SHOULD BE INVOLVED? Almost everyone in the organization or project will be involved in some way in collecting information that can be used in monitoring and evaluation. This includes: †¢ The administrator who takes minutes at a meeting or prepares and circulates the attendance register; †¢ The fieldworkers who writes reports on visits to the field; †¢ The bookkeeper who records income and expenditure. In order to maximize their efforts, the project or organization needs to: †¢ Prepare reporting formats that include measurement, either quantitative or qualitative, of important indicators. For example, if you want to know about community participation in activities, or women’s participation specifically, structure the fieldworkers reporting format so that s/he has to comment on this, backing up observations with facts. (Look at the fieldworker report format given later in this toolkit. ) †¢ Prepare recording formats that include measurement, either quantitative or qualitative, of important indicators. For example, if you want to know how many men and how many women attended a meeting, include a gender column on your attendance list. Record information in such a way that it is possible to work out what you need to know. For example, if you need to know whether a project is sustainable financially, and which elements of it cost the most, then make sure that your bookkeeping records reflect the relevant information. It is a useful principle to look at every activity and say: What do we need to know about this activity, both process (how it is being done) and p roduct (what it is meant to achieve), and what is the easiest way to find it out and record it as we go along? CHAPTER-III DESIGNING A MONITORING AND/OR EVALUATION PROCESS As there are differences between the design of a monitoring system and that of an evaluation process, we deal with them separately here. Under monitoring we look at the process an organization could go through to design a monitoring system. Under evaluation we look at: †¢ Purpose †¢ Key evaluation questions †¢ Methodology. MONITORING When you design a monitoring system, you are taking a formative view point and establishing a system that will provide useful information on an ongoing basis so that you can improve what you do and how you do it. On the next page, you will find a suggested process for designing a monitoring system. For a case study of how an organization went about designing a monitoring system, go to the section with examples, and the example given of designing a monitoring system. DESIGNING A MONITORING SYSTEM Below is a step-by-step process you could use in order to design a monitoring system for your organization or project. For a case study of how an organization went about designing a monitoring system, go to examples. Step 1:At a workshop with appropriate staff and/or volunteers, and run by you or a consultant:Introduce the concepts of efficiency, effectiveness and impact. Explain that a monitoring system needs to cover all three. †¢ Generate a list of indicators for each of the three aspects. †¢ Clarify what variables need to be linked. So, for example, do you want to be able to link the age of a teacher with his/her qualifications in order to answer the question: Are older teachers more or less likely to have higher qualifications? †¢ Clarify what information the project or organization is already collecting. Step 2:Turn the input from the workshop into a brief for the questions your monitoring system must be able to answer. Depending on how complex your requirements are, and what your capacity is, you may decide to go for a computerized data base or a manual one. If you want to be able to link many variables across many cases (e. g. participants, schools, parent involvement, resources, urban/rural etc), you may need to go the computer route. If you have a few variables, you can probably do it manually. The important thing is to begin by knowing what variables you are interested in and to keep data on these variables. Linking and analysis can take place later. From the workshop you will know what you want to monitor. You will have the indicators of efficiency, effectiveness and impact that have been prioritized. You will then choose the variables that will help you answer the questions you think are important. So, for example, you might have an indicator of impact which is that â€Å"safer sex options are chosen† as an indicator that â€Å"young people are now making informed and mature lifestyle choices†. The variables that might affect the indicator include: †¢ Age †¢ Gender †¢ Religion †¢ Urban/rural †¢ Economic category †¢ Family environment †¢ Length of exposure to your project’s initiative †¢ Number of workshops attended. By keeping the right information you will be able to answer questions such as: †¢ Does age make a difference to the way our message is received? †¢ Does economic category i. e. do young people in richer areas respond better or worse to the message or does it make no difference? †¢ Does the number of workshops attended make a difference to the impact? Answers to these kinds of questions enable a project or organization to make decisions about what they do and how they do it, to make informed changes to programs, and to measure their impact and effectiveness. Answers to questions such as: Do more people attend sessions that are organized well in advance? †¢ Do more schools participate when there is no charge? †¢ Do more young people attend when sessions are over weekends or in the evenings? †¢ Does it cost less to run a workshop in the community, or to bring people to our training centre to run the workshop? Step 3:Decide how you will collect the informati on you need (see collecting information) and wh

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Free Essays on Security Free Essays on Security Mike’s backpackers web site for is committed to maintaining a sociable online community where all the customer despite the gender, race, age and technical background feel at they are in a hassle-free and comfortable environment. To maintain this comfortable environment we have implemented polices and procedures that our users must agree and abide by. To continue apart of the friendly community members must be considerate to others. Repeated violations of these polices will result in the member being banned from reentering the community forum. These forums persuade an extensive variety of opinions. We want to maintain that the posts focused on the topic of the forum in which you are submitting your message. These topics range from equipment, trip locations, safety and travel advice. Each forum has a different topic, so what is appropriate in one forum or thread may not be appropriate in another. 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A good security policy that is enforced can provide better insurance against the naà ¯ve user giving access to someone outside that may do harm to the network. Other tas...

Analyse the compromises made in the Vienna Convention between common Essay

Analyse the compromises made in the Vienna Convention between common law and civil law approaches to contract formation - Essay Example Many of the principles of international mercantile law were derived from the early rules and traditions formulated in the Middle Ages.2 However, with regard to the unification of laws and the harmonization of principles that govern transnational commerce and in particular, the international sale of goods, serious efforts were undertaken only in the 1930s. The first draft of a uniform law on international sale of goods was developed in 1935, World political events intervened - in particular, the Second World War - and it was only in 1964 when two conventions were approved in a conference at The Hague. These conventions were the Uniform Law on the International Sale of Goods ("ULIS") and the Uniform Law on the Formation of Contracts for the International Sale of Goods ("ULF"). Unfortuna... Many states were not comfortable with the influence of the civil law traditions of Western Europe3 . The failure of these two conventions made one conclusion inescapable: to achieve uniformity and harmonization of the principles governing the international sale of goods, there must be widespread concurrence from a vast majority of state-actors.4 The road towards a unified law was long and arduous. Two years after the conferences at the Hague, the United Nations established the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). However, it took ten years before the UNCITRAL released the 1978 Draft Convention. Perhaps the circumstances were a little different than they were in 1968, and there was a growing realization of the imperative to come up with rules that harmonize international trade law. In 1980, 62 countries came together in a conference in Vienna and, after some debate, approved unanimously the Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG). In 1988, the CISG finally came into force. The prefatory statement of the CISG illuminates us as to the overarching goals of the Convention: ''THE STATES PARTIES TO THIS CONVENTION, BEARING IN MIND the broad objectives in the resolution adopted by the sixth special session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on the establishment of a New International Economic Order, CONSIDERING that the development of international trade on the basis of equality and mutual benefit is an important element in promoting friendly relations among States, BEING OF THE OPINION that the adoption of uniform rules which govern contracts for the international sale of goods and take

James Rachels The Challenge of Cultural Relativism Article

James Rachels The Challenge of Cultural Relativism - Article Example The cultural outcomes can be argued using facts about a particular culture, creating an argument that has an end result. But the argument itself is relative because it focuses on each culture has its own moral code which is not objective because opinions are formed based on experience and opinions are in themselves subjective and subject to different cultures. Rachels argues that cultural relativism has three unacceptable consequences. What are they? Rachels argues that cultural relativism has three unacceptable consequences and they are that we can’t feel superior to a different culture, we can question the moral conduct of our culture upfront by asking whether one thing is right, or wrong and then stick to that response and risked being looked down upon and finally, we begin to doubt whether progress is possible, necessary, and even important through venues such as social reform.1. What does Kant mean by saying that a good will is the only thing that is good without qualification? He means that a good will is the only thing that can’t be measured by how much one does or does not do. Intelligence, talent, courage, and diligence are all good things but are useless unless you have good character or will. If you have a positive desire to do and use your talents, they what you produce will be out of good, and not used incorrectl y. We are all given power, and this power can be put to good use or bad use but it is still power. A goodwill allows the power to be put essentially to good use. When does an action have moral worth? An action has moral worth when it is done for the sake of duty and not for the sake of conforming to duty. This means that if we do something, we should do it for the sake of duty or right.not for the sake of sympathy.

Globalization and Industrialized Countries Essay Example for Free

Globalization and Industrialized Countries Essay As globalization ‘can be seen as being a condition resulting from a long history of international exploration, invasion and colonization, fuelled by economic, military, religious and political interests, and enabled through enormous developments in transport and communications technologies’ (Evans 1997:12). The industrialized environment has transformed drastically since the advent of globalization. Industrialized countries have undertaken extreme restructuring by modifying their means of communication and synchronization of work activities. Globalization has made it promise for companies to work on a real-time basis, whereby products and services are conveyed to the right place at the right time. Since then, globalization and information technology has propagated and has undergone significant improvements. Costs have sustained to decline as these new technologies have emerged. A business not supported by a network of computer systems (primary information technology) is more or less destined to fail, since it will be incapable to compete efficiently in todays complex and dynamic environment (Aiki S. 1991). Companies are not the only ones who have gained from advances in modern information technology. Consumers and interest groups have created strategic alliances and now capable to coordinate their activities as well as exchange ideas and thoughts through a number of database and network systems (Collins J. C. , and J. I. Porras. 1991). For instance, owners of personal computers can subscribe to a computer network and without difficulty retrieve information on the products and corporations on line. Such information can also without problems be transmitted to other users. This huge use of technology by both consumers and companies affects, but the way business is run today. These consumer strategic alliances know no geographical limitations; oftentimes, they are global in nature, particularly among the industrialized nations. As companies can get in enormous profits from the better coordination, greater product elasticity, improved quality, leaner production, and more time-based competitiveness that information technology offers, they also facades the threat that can come from these consumers strategic alliances. For instance, corporations can no longer ignore consumer demands for constant product quality, reliability and respect for the environment, or timely delivery of services. As we move toward more and more advanced technologies, the labor force must be retrained. This training must not only expose workers to the technical matters adjoining the new process but also to the new focus of the organization. They have to be made responsive of the importance of advanced technology in improving work methods and in remaining competitive. Employee compulsion to the new process is imperative. Globalization by itself adds little or no value to an organization. There should be organizational as well as employee dedication to exploit the technology to the maximum (Scott, A. 1996). For instance, with ever-increasing use of computer-integrated manufacturing systems, and the stream of technical documentation that accompanies it, employees have to be skilled of recognizing the critical information at the right time. Once that information is recognized and properly interpreted, there must be an organizational dedication to use the information to make better decisions. Without this potential, the organization cannot take advantage from new technologies. Human resources’ management, therefore, will persist to be a critical factor in the survival of any organization (Schlossberg H. 1992). We sum up the influence of globalization on human resources as follows: †¢ Information technology transforms the mode of communication and work processes. †¢ Custom or standardized operations are replaced with skilled and multi-skilled workers. An extremely trained labor force is desired to manage information technology. †¢ Worker motivation and satisfaction might improve since workers are no longer restricted to routine operations, enjoy management powers, and can contribute to developments in their work processes. (Waters, M. 1995) Globalization also has an impact on the organization itself, as follows: †¢ Organizational reformation is required. This reformation makes the organization flat. Decision-making powers are decentralized. †¢ Communications are better and the organization is capable to make timely responses to its environment. †¢ Introduction of new products and services is improved and varieties of products can be efficiently introduced and marketed by the organization. †¢ The organization is competent to improve its efficiency, quality, and competitiveness. (Scott, A. 1997) Todays advanced technology can, conversely, easily become a basic technology. A rapid increase of new technologies also brings rapid obsolescence of earlier technologies. Policies concerning technology must not be static; they must keep evolving. Stalk (1988) points out that competitive advantage is a persistently moving target . . . The best competitors, the most thriving ones, know how to keep moving and always stay on the cutting edge. Competitiveness A company should be able to evaluate potential new technologies quickly. The goal must be to remain competitive, and effective management of technology is a vital step in achieving this. With an increased focus on customer satisfaction, technology is a decisive means for achieving customer satisfaction. Browning (1990) notes that a learning organization uses technology incessantly to refresh its knowledge of its customers’ wants and to work out new ways of satisfying them. This commitment to be a learning organization needs vast resources, however. For example, Browning also points out that building a learning organization necessitates new skills, clever people and capable machines. Noticeably, technology and human resources should be used together for the organization to stay competitive (Cunningham, S. and Jacka, E. 1996). Barabba and Zaltman (1991) note that hearing the accent of the market and making constructive use of it with respect to the voice of the firm is a learning progression. Essentially, the voice of the market has to be interpreted into facts and tasks that will lead to suitable products or services to satisfy customer needs. This is related to the application of quality function deployment, whereby the organization expands its strategic plans to assure customer needs. Thus, a learning organization should also be a caring organization. As a caring organization, its major objective is to please its stock or stakeholders, its customers, and employees, and also to be collectively responsible. The traditional organization, with the focus on satisfying stockholders alone, is varying to this new form, with a sophisticated stakeholder group (Petrella, R. 1999). Thus, globalization and human resources’ management are recognized as key variables that facilitate an organization to improve its productivity, quality, and competitiveness. A critical constituent is the information technology, which offers both opportunities and challenges. The organization should show understanding to its environment via its policies, and be learning and caring organization, as time and reliability influence competitiveness. Finally, organizations should innovate and constantly move to achieve new targets, particularly in view of todays rapidly developing new technologies (Shields, R. 1997).

Gregors Obsession with Money Exposed in Franz Kafkas Metamorphosis Es

Gregor's Obsession with Money Exposed in Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis In his story The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka gives us the story of Gregor Samsa, a young man who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into an insect-like creature. Gregor, however, remains strangely indifferent to his plight, in a manner that seems inhuman to most readers. This is not due to a lack of omniscience on the narrator's part that causes the indifference to go unmentioned, and neither is it due to inobservance on the part of Gregor to the point of not noticing that he has been changed into an insect. Rather, Gregor does not pay much attention to his new form as an insect because his life as a human lacked many ordinary human characteristics. In other words, Gregor was mentally not human even before his change in physical form. Just after his metamorphosis, Gregor makes an important observation on his job as a traveling salesman: "Oh God," he thought, "what a grueling job I've picked! Day in, day out - on the road. The upset of doing business is much worse than the actual business in the home office, and, besides, I've got the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate. To the devil with it all!" (4) Most "normal" people would claim that meaningful relationships constitute the core of the human experience. But Gregor's concerns seem much more mundane. He begins with complaining about the quotidian problems of his job and only in the end reaches that which is really important - and then he immediately goes on to continue thinking about his job. He is obsessed with work, "a tool of the boss, without brains... ...c. But we could also interpret this sentence in the opposite light, to assert that Gregor is an animal by dint of his ability to feel. This is supported by Gregor's ruminations on his plan to send Grete to the Conservatory: "...and it was his secret plan that she who, unlike him, loved music and could play the violin movingly..." (27, italics added). Thus, Gregor as a human being could not derive pleasure from music, indicating that he lived in a deprived, insect-like emotional state. As we have seen, Gregor's mental life was extremely limited even before his physical metamorphosis. Perhaps Kafka intended this story as a means of pointing out that many people in an increasingly capitalist society, like Gregor, become more and more obsessed with money and thus live a mechanical life, like an insect. Thus, they sequester themselves from the pleasures of the soul. Gregor's Obsession with Money Exposed in Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis Es Gregor's Obsession with Money Exposed in Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis In his story The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka gives us the story of Gregor Samsa, a young man who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into an insect-like creature. Gregor, however, remains strangely indifferent to his plight, in a manner that seems inhuman to most readers. This is not due to a lack of omniscience on the narrator's part that causes the indifference to go unmentioned, and neither is it due to inobservance on the part of Gregor to the point of not noticing that he has been changed into an insect. Rather, Gregor does not pay much attention to his new form as an insect because his life as a human lacked many ordinary human characteristics. In other words, Gregor was mentally not human even before his change in physical form. Just after his metamorphosis, Gregor makes an important observation on his job as a traveling salesman: "Oh God," he thought, "what a grueling job I've picked! Day in, day out - on the road. The upset of doing business is much worse than the actual business in the home office, and, besides, I've got the torture of traveling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours, constantly seeing new faces, no relationships that last or get more intimate. To the devil with it all!" (4) Most "normal" people would claim that meaningful relationships constitute the core of the human experience. But Gregor's concerns seem much more mundane. He begins with complaining about the quotidian problems of his job and only in the end reaches that which is really important - and then he immediately goes on to continue thinking about his job. He is obsessed with work, "a tool of the boss, without brains... ...c. But we could also interpret this sentence in the opposite light, to assert that Gregor is an animal by dint of his ability to feel. This is supported by Gregor's ruminations on his plan to send Grete to the Conservatory: "...and it was his secret plan that she who, unlike him, loved music and could play the violin movingly..." (27, italics added). Thus, Gregor as a human being could not derive pleasure from music, indicating that he lived in a deprived, insect-like emotional state. As we have seen, Gregor's mental life was extremely limited even before his physical metamorphosis. Perhaps Kafka intended this story as a means of pointing out that many people in an increasingly capitalist society, like Gregor, become more and more obsessed with money and thus live a mechanical life, like an insect. Thus, they sequester themselves from the pleasures of the soul.

Prefect or Young Student Leader Letter Essay

Dear sir / madam , I am writing this letter as I am keen to become a first ambassador and I wish to help the school as a community and support the school in becoming a better place for all of us. I believe that becoming a young student leader will help me give back something to the school after what the school and its staff has done for me over the past 1 years. I believe that I have the qualities required to be a young student leader because I take things seriously and I am responsible and sensible when it comes to dealing with problems. I have had experience talking to people as I have worked with children in the past in my Primary School and have had experience talking to adults in a mature way . I am a reliable student and try to act as a good role model to the younger years by being well behaved and learning to the best of my ability. I interact with lots of people in different years each day, so I feel that if I became a first ambassador I would look approachable to pupils from younger years, and I always try to have a friendly smile on my face. Alongside being a young student leader comes great responsibility which I am fully prepared to take on if you give me the chance. I care about this school and the people in it and I wish to support it by making it beneficial and influential for all of us. As a young student leader I would like to help pupils feel safe in school and to enjoy their time without any worries so that they can focus on the more important things such as learning to help secure their future. I would like them to feel as if Kingsford is a friendly place with lots of opportunities and this will help me be a part of the prefect team in year 11. I feel that I have experienced many things at Kingsford so I will be good at giving advice to younger students. Thank you

Marginalized Masculinity in the Snatch Movie Free Essay Example, 1250 words

The characters overly are of a virility and masculinity presentation. These people apparently are at ease in London due to their protagonist, physical violence and rough manners. Any character in the film who do not display any kind of these normless traits is perceived as feminine or homosexuals. London area is, therefore, under cordon by the marginalized community in order to survive the wrath of the Whites and Anglo Saxon Protestants. The marginalized characters also survive through a submissive view of the London society (Ritchie 145). They cordially reject femininity and responsibility and to some extent, desperately challenge the London authorities. The London society as a whole, throughout the movie, has not been seen as a relenting role player on the marginalized groups of individuals. It engages on a perfect scrutiny of challenging underclass representation as an appealing subculture. Lastly, retrieving diamond and boxing matches bring various cultural experiences between t hese characters together, which improves their survival mechanisms in London. The survival implications of illegal boxing, snuggery and diamond smuggling though may seem confusing in searching for a way of living in London sounds perfectly sensible after watching this movie. We will write a custom essay sample on Marginalized Masculinity in the Snatch Movie or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Therefore, this film primarily describes the survival of various communities as immigrants to various cities, towns and nations with London being an example.