Local Development Planning in the Philippines

at the Local Level A  report  by: Sheryl  I. Fernando â€Å"Local governments do not have the luxury d of time to delay the development of their de own capabilities whic will allow them to ch achieve their cherishe objectives. ed They should help them mselves and not stagnate while the rest of the world go by. st Local governments he elping themselves is the essence of the home ru It is also the ule. cornerstone of democr ratic and just institutions. â€Å" LOGODEF,  1993 Local governments in the Philippines have th roots in the colonial administration of Spain, heir which lasted in the Philippines for some 32 years. These three centuries under Spanish 27 government were characterized by a highly ce entralized regime. The Spanish Governor General in Manila actually governed the provinces and cities in the whole country. After Spain, the US d came in the early 1900s and Filippinized local government administration. The last 50 years of the present century saw several develo pments towards decentralization. The Local Autonomy Act of 1959, the passage of the Barrio Charter and the Decentralization Act o of 1967 were all incremental national legisla ations in response to the clamour for a self? rule concept. The Philippine Constitutions of 1972 and 1987 also significantly influenced the movement for political devolution.The most significant constitutional provisions (Article 10 on Local Government) are the following: s The Congress shall enact a local government code which shall provide for a more responsive and accountable local government structure instituted through a system of s decentralization with effective mechanisms of recall, initiative n and referendum allocate among the different local government m, units their powers, responsibilities and resources and provide for the qualificati ions, election, appointment, removal, terms, salaries, power functions and duties of local officials and all rs, other matters relating to the organization and opera tion of the r local units†. The legislative initiative promoting local auto onomy was strongly supported by academics and public servants who spearheaded the nec cessary reforms in changing the structure and organization of local governments and includ new functions to enable local governments to ded address a changing environment. The strugg for decentralization that lasted more than 50 gle years culminated in the passage of the Loca Government Code in October 1991.The Local al Government Code is a most comprehensiv document on local government touching on ve structures, functions and powers, including tax xation and intergovernmental relations. † unescap. org According  to  Panadero (2008)  the  dece entralization  of  governance  was  influenced   by  local  Ã‚  and  international  events  (see  Figure e  1). He  also  added  that  at  the  International Internat tional  Events POSITIVE ? Technological Advances ? Globaliz ation crisis ? Trade/Investment liberalization ? Poverty focus flu) Political †¢ 3  changes  in   administration †¢ EDSA  II  &  III †¢ Increase  Insurgency †¢ Terrorism †¢ Charter  Change †¢ Political  Uncertainty NEGATIVE ?Episodes of world economic Slowdown & economic ? Rising oil prices ? Terrorism ? Heath problems (e. g. SARS, Eco onomic †¢ Boom  bu ust  economic   growth/cr rises †¢ Liberaliza ation/   Deregular rization   Policies †¢ Rising  Ur rbanization †¢ OFW  Deployment †¢ Fiscal  &  d debt  problems DECENT TRALIZATION Social †¢ Persistent  poverty †¢ Lower  budget   allocation For  social  services †¢ Rising  inequality †¢ Disasters Figure  1. Economic,  Social  &  Political  Environme ent  in  the  Last  Years  of  Decentralization level, globalization has the most pervasive influence on the decentralization, which was haste ned by trade and investment liberalization and technological advances.On the Social Sector, there was a focus on the reduction of poverty; on the Economic Sector, the new international issues such as terrorism had positive and negative impacts at the local level, while the economic scenario at the national level significantly shaped local development. The national government in the 1990 sought to upgrade local government by 0s delegating some limited powers to local su ubdivisions and by encouraging people to participate in community affairs. Local auto onomy was balanced, however, against the need to ensure effective political and admin nistrative control from Manila, especially in those areas where communist or Muslim ins surgents were active. During Marcos's authoritarian years (1 1972? 86), a Ministry of Local Government was instituted to invigorate provincial, mu unicipal, and barangay governments.But, Marcos's real purpose was to establish lin of authority that bypassed provin cial nes governments and ran straight to Malacanang. All local officials were beholden to Marcos, who could appoint or remove any provincial governor or town mayor. Those administrators who delivered the votes Marcos asked for were rewarded with community development funds to spend any way they liked. y After the People's Power Revolution, the new Aquino government decided to replace all the local officials who had served Marcos. Corazon Aquino delegated this task to her political ally, Aquilino Pimentel. Pimentel named officers in charge of local governments all across the nation. They served until the first local elections were held under the new constitution on January 18, 1988.Local officials elected in 1988 were to serve until June 1992, under the transitory clauses of the new constitution. Thereafter, terms of office were to be three years, with a three? term limit. Local government units (LGUs) are territo orial political subdivisions of the Philippines that include provinces , cities, municipalities and barangays (the smallest political unit in the country). Because local government officials ar voted into power by the people, their primary re role is people's welfare. Their offices are the major institutions responsible for the e coordination, overseeing and monitoring of dev velopment projects at the local level.The devolution of significant powers and functions formerly held by national line agencies mmunity development and poverty alleviation in to LGUs made them powerful conduits for com the countryside. Among the responsibilities tr ransferred to the LGUs were agriculture, health, social services, environment and natural resources, maintenance of local infrastructure facilities (such as farm? to? market roads, bridges and irri igation) and others. Local legislative powers such as decision? making, resource allocation, rule? m making and enforcement of laws related to these powers were also delegated to LGUs. Governor  Lilia  G. Pineda  meets   with  barangay  officials  of  flooded? municipalities  in  the  province  as  she  instructs  them  to  further   intensify  their  efforts  in  ensuring  the  welfare  and  safety  of  their  r respective  constituents. Board  Member  Cris Garbo,  Provincial   Social  Welfare  and  Development  Officer  (PSWDO)  Elizabeth  Bayb bayan and  Agriculture  Consultant  Roy  Imperial  join  the  meeting  of   the  local  officials. (Photo  by  Jun  Jaso,Pampanga PIO) The planning process in starts at the barangay level. Plans are prepared by the Barangay Council, and then adopted by the Barangay Development Council, composed of barangay y officials elected by the people (Figure 2). Gene erally, barangay officials have completed only the elementary levels of schooling, and have little or no training in development? related activities.Hence, barangay development plans usually consist o nly of lists of projects that focus mainly c on the infrastructure facilities that are the most obvious and easiest to identify. Some communities do have better planning processe but these are rare. es, Level National Planning  Institutions National  Economic  Development   Authority  (NEDA),  Central  Office Regional NEDA,  Ã‚  Regional  Office Provincial Provincial  Planning  and   Development  Office  (PPDO) Municipal Municipal  Planning  and   Development  Office  (MPDO) Barangay Figure  2. Planning  process  and  institutions  in  the  Philippines Barangay  Council/ Sangguniag Barangay Barangay development plans are submit tted to the Municipal Planning and Development Office (MPDO), which comes under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Mayor.The MPDO is in charge of planning activities at the municipa level. Generally, the MPDO consolidates the al â€Å"shopping lists† of projects and prioritizes them in accordance with the plans of the municipality. Before this consolidated plan bec comes the official Municipal Development Plan, it must first be adopted by the Municipal Develo opment Council. From the municipal level, plans are forwarded to the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) where they are again D consolidated and prioritized on the basis of the province's own particular plans. e The provincial development plans are also reviewed by the Provincial Development Councils before adoption.They are then sub bmitted to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Office, which cons solidates all the provincial plans and prioritizes them, based on regional importance. The plans should also be reviewed by the Regional p Development Councils before adoption. The plans are then forwarded to the NEDA Central Office Inter? Cabinet Coordinating Committee for consideration, together with the priorities of f the various government line agencies. Based on the national thrust s and priorities, the projects o that are selected are then consolidated and included in the National Medium? Term Development Plan. The Local Government Code (LGC) man ndates the LGUs with significant local planning functions.In particular, Section 106 of the Code provides that â€Å"each LGU shall have e comprehensive multi? sectoral development pla to be initiated by its development council and an approved by its Sanggunian. The institutional responsibilities for plan formulation, e financing and implementation are likewise clearly g, prescribe by the Code: ed ? The Loc Development Plan (LDP) shall be prepared by the cal Local Development Council (LDC); P ? The LDP will be approved by the Sanggunian; ? Funds for the development plan shall be allocated by the Local Fin nance Committee (LCF); and ? The Loc Chief Executive (LCE), together with the executive cal departm ments, will implement the development plan. This case study highlights the experience of undertaking a Priority e Implementation Partnership on incorporating disaster risk impact assessments into the construction of new roads in the Philippines, implemented by the National Disa aster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with support from Asian Disaster Preparedness Cent (ADPC), UN International Strategy ter for Disaster Reduction (UN/I ISDR) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). † Towards Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into the Planning Process of Road Construction Safer Roads A Priority Implementation Partnership between the National Disaster Coordinating Council and the Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippines Under the Regional Consultative Committee on Disaster Management (RCC) Program on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development in Asia Road Sector a priority for mainstreaming disaster risk reductionBACKGROUND The Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) on Disaster Management under its program on Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development (MDRD) have identified Roads and Infrastructure, Agriculture, Education, Health, Housing and Financial Services as priority sectors to initiate mainstreaming disaster risk reduction . With the massive infrastructure development in Asia underpinned by the investment in highways, roads and bridges, prioritizing the Road Sector is certainly a necessity. In the RCC which comprises of heads of the National Disaster Management Offices of 26 Asian Countries, members had submitted expression of interest (EoI) to mainstream of disaster risk reduction into particular sectors depending on the development priorities of their country.The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) of the Philippines which is a member of the RCC expressed interest in taking-up MDRD into road sector in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the agency responsible for national road construction in the country. Accordin gly in the first quarter of 2006, the Priority Implementation Partnership for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into the planning process of road construction in the Philippines was started by NDCC and DPWH. The partnership was technically supported by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) with financial support from UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) through Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). ource: Mapping Philippine Vulnerability to Environmental Disasters – Manila Observatory/Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Floods and earthquakes make the road system in the Philippines prone to landslides, road slips, embankment scouring and other sediment related disasters. Roads are often closed for several days when hit by such disasters causing disruption in transportation services that affects the access of passengers, goods and services. The impact of flooding and typhoons in creating havoc to the c ountry’s economy as well as to damage to property is recognized in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan of 2001-2004 and accordingly the DPWH has also aligned its policies and strategies.Priority Implementation Partnership (PIP) – a Process towards mainstreaming disaster risk reduction Similar to other countries, the Road sector in the Philippines also works in close collaboration with various government departments like Planning, Finance, Environment and Local Government. While the development of national roads (30,000 km of length) is under the jurisdiction of DPWH, the remaining road network (172,000 km of length) falls under the concern of local government units. In addition, road projects are based on area development plans produced by the National Economic Development Agency (NEDA) and the Regional Development Councils (RDC). Similarly the feasibility reports prepared for each road project undergoes an environmental and a social impact assessment led by th e Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).In order to mainstream disaster risk reduction, further collaboration is required with NDCC and technical agencies responsible for producing hazard information related to natural disasters like the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Philippines Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). A MULTI-AGENCY TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP TAKES THE LEAD With this understanding, the PIP formed a technical working group of the NDCC at the beginning with multi-agency membership to steer the process of implementation of mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into the planning process of road construction. procedure of road planning and identifying the windows of opportunity to introduce disaster risk reduction.Accordingly the scope of activities was detailed as follows: †¢ Documentation of existing procedure for development of road projects with respect to hazards; Documentation of contents of pre feasibility/ feasibility report of road projects in the country over the past 20 years; Analysis of past damage to road infrastructure; Identification of specific steps that can be taken for incorporating hazard considerations in project development and approval process; List of future priority projects for construction of roads in the Philippines. †¢ PIP Technical Working Group comprises: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Chairperson; Planning service, DPWH Co-chairperson; Planning division, NDCC Members Bureau of research and standard, DPWH Bureau of design and bridge division, DPWH Philippines Institute of Civil Engineer Department of Environment and Natural Resources Philippines Institute of Volcanology and SeismologyPhilippines Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration Asian Disaster Preparedness Center †¢ †¢ †¢ The technical working group met frequently over the PIP implementat ion period to look at the mentioned activities above and developed the final report which details recommendations for integrating DRR into the planning process of new road construction in the Philippines. BROADER CONSULTATION PIP LOOKED INTO The technical working group engaged in consultation and decided on the following activities for initiating mainstreaming. Since it was realized that the ultimate aim of mainstreaming could only be achieved by bringing change in the entire system, which road projects are developed, designed, constructed and maintained.Hence this particular partnership would emphasize on understanding the existing The findings of the PIP were shared during a national workshopheld in February 2007, in which a wide range of stakeholders particpated including the Government, technical agencies, UN agencies and the Asian Development Bank. The recommendations were discussed in detail and future steps were identified. The Project Development of a typical infrastructure project in DPWH follows a cyclic process consisting of four phases: Project identification, Project preparation, Project implementation and Project operation and evaluation. consolidated form, with limited access to detailed report on damages and their corresponding costs. Also of equal importance is to benchmark hazard intensities with their Return periods/Damages.This is particularly difficult due to: lack of updated topographic maps at 1:5,000 or higher resolution, a sparse network of hazard monitoring stations (seismic and flood) as well as short monitoring period and limited processed data on hazards. The following key documents were collected during the project to conduct the analysis: †¢ Standard Terms of Reference for Strategic Environment Assessment for Plans and Programmes Standard Report Format for Strategic Environment Assessment for Plans and Programmes Sample of Damage Report DPWH District Office Sample of Consolidated Damage Report by NDCC Sample of Bridge condit ion Inspection Form Sample of Pre- Feasibility and Feasibility Reports of Road projects starting 1984 List of future projects of DPWHAfter the projects are identified, feasibility studies are conducted which includes investigations and analysis to determine the extent and degree of desirability of a project against technical, economic, social, environmental, financial and operational aspects. As part of this project, sample feasibility reports over last 20 years were analysed in terms of content and it was realized that the structure of the report largely depends on the source of funding of the project. Typically due to lack of funding for construction of national road projects, DPWH administers a basic feasibility study, but for foreign-assisted projects the assessment process is more in-depth and extensive.However, it was noted that post 2000, the feasibility reports do tend to include a section on â€Å"Review of hazard specific threats on road sections† though it is prima rily limited to protecting the road segments from geological hazards such as landslides and debris fall. In addition, DPWH feasibility study includes an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The EIA report structure considers the impact of hazards by defining an â€Å"environmentally critical area† of the project site where it is frequently visited by the natural hazards. However, it does not explicitly provide details on how to address natural hazard vulnerability and risks to infrastructure and the consequent impact from its damage or failure.Similarly, Cost-benefit analysis cover only the planned use of the facility and does not factor in other costs (risk based cost) arising from potential damage or possible failure of the structure to function to a certain event. Assessment of damages to roads affected by a natural disaster is carried-out by DPWH at the district level. There is no fixed format followed for collecting information needed for the assessment and the reports are directly sent to NDCC for the preparation of an overall disaster assessment report. Hence, it becomes difficult to trace these records at the regional or central offices of the DPWH. Similarly the damage information of past disasters available from NDCC is in a †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢It is also realized that since mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction involves a broad range of stakeholders, interrelated plans and programs, disaster risk reduction concerns need to be linked with ongoing projects of DPWH such as: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The earthquake rehabilitation program and similar seismic vulnerability assessments DPWH national roads improvement and management program, Phase II DPWH road maintenance investment programs The study on the nationwide flood risk assessment and the flood mitigation plan for the selected areas in the Philippines Technical Assistance for risk assessment and management Benefit monitoring and evaluation of selected r oads, Phase II, ADB Capacity Building Study on risk management for sediment related disaster on selected national highways Similarly close linkage needs to be established with the ongoing project of NDCC in partnership with UNDP on Hazard Mapping and Assessment for effective community-based disaster risk management (READY). †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢KEY FINDINGS †¢ DPWH adopts a basic â€Å"one size fits all† format for feasibility studies of road projects that does not specifically require assessment of disaster risks. During detailed design, disaster risk reduction aspects are incorporated into the project if required. Mostly national budgets do not provide funds for surveys and investigations at the feasibility study stage, and it is therefore unusual for disaster risk reduction measures to be incorporated at early stages of project preparation. Externally funded projects are prepared to higher standards, particularly in relation to environmental assessments (whe re disaster risk aspects are described if required by the particular agency) and resettlement planning.There is uneven application of building codes and design standards between national and local roads. Absence of one fixed format for collecting information on damage to roads and bridges from natural hazards prepared by district-level offices. Hydrological data are available for major river basins in the Philippines but these information have not uniformly been processed to provide flow/stage relationships for different return periods, which could be used for road design. Learning The key to successful integration of disaster risk reduction on road projects lies in the planning phase of the project cycle which includes project identification and preparation of the feasibility study.Assessing the possible impact on the project of natural disasters or other hazards at this stage means that the appropriate risk reduction measures can be included in the scope, layout and arrangement of the project’s major components—and that these measures will be allowed for in the cost estimate. If such measures are not included at the planning phase, their inclusion at the later stages is unlikely, or could be costly and inconvenient (i. e. possibly requiring a supplementary budget). Attempting to include risk reduction measures at the design stage (after major elements of the project have been decided and the budget has been allocated) cannot adequately satisfy the need for disaster risk reduction. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Recommendations DPWH needs to have a standard on project identification and preparation procedures to eliminate quality discrepancies between nationally and externally funded projects and to pave the way for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in road projects. Feasibility reports should include assessments of the impact of potential disasters. An enhanced natural hazard/impact assessment component should be included in the EI A for nationally-funded and foreign-assisted projects The existing system for monitoring road needs to be improved to allow for the recording of damage caused by natural disasters. Standard formats and reporting standards should be introduced for monitoring and for collecting damage data from the impact of natural disasters on roads.Capacity of staff to assess the impact of natural disasters needs to be increased, particularly at the regional and district levels. The key to successful integration of disaster risk reduction on road projects lies in the planning phase†¦ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Next Steps for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into road sector in the Philippines In order to take forward the momentum gained under the PIP, the technical working group has identified the following next steps to realize the recommendations: †¢ Identifying two pipeline road projects in a hazard prone area of the Philippines. The two projects would be at different stages namely a pipeline project without a feasibility study and a pipeline project with a feasibility study completed.Integrating disaster risk reduction (DRR) into the planning process of two identified pipeline project. Capacity building of officials from DPWH responsible for conducting feasibility studies on how to integrate DRR. Experience of PIP incorporated in the RCC Guideline on mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into Infrastructure †¢ To share the experience gained during the process of implementation of the PIP with the remaining RCC member countries, the technical working group represented by DPWH and NDCC participated in a regional technical workshop on developing the RCC Guideline on incorporating disaster risk assessments as part of planning process before construction of new roads.The lessons learned from the PIP acted as the guiding approaches for initiating mainstreaming disaster risk reduction. †¢ †¢ Regional Consultative Committee on Disaster M anagement (RCC) The RCC comprises of members who are working in key Government positions in the National Disaster Management Offices of countries of the Asian region. To date, 26 countries are represented by 30 RCC Members from the Asia and Pacific regions, namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.RCC Program on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development Policy, Planning and Implementation in Asia (RCC MDRD) A key priority identified by the RCC is the integration of disaster risk considerations into development planning. To initiate action on this agreed direction, the RCC Program on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development Policy, Planning and Implementation (MDRD) was launched at the 4th RCC meeting in Bangladesh in March 2004. The RC C 5 adopted the Hanoi RCC 5 statement on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development in Asian Countries which prioritizes mainstreaming of DRR to be initiated in National development planning process as well as Sectoral development.It identified six priority sectors namely Agriculture, Education, Health, Housing, Urban Planning and Infrastructure and Financial services for mainstreaming of DRR. The program has five components for implementation: †¢ †¢ Component 1: Developing Guidelines and Tools for MDRD Component 2: Undertaking Priority Implementation Partnerships (PIP) in MDRD in RCC Member Countries Component 3: Showcasing good practice on MDRD and Monitoring Progress Component 4: Advocacy for Building awareness and Political Support to MDRD Component 5: Mobilizing Partnerships for ongoing and sustainable implementation Lay-out and graphic design by: Philipp Danao †¢ †¢ †¢The Hanoi RCC 5 statement identified the following sub themes within the Urban Planning and Infrastructure to initiate mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction: For more information, please contact: †¢ Aloysius Rego, Director and Team Leader Email: [email  protected] net †¢ Arghya Sinha Roy, Project Manager Email: [email  protected] net Disaster Management Systems Team Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) P. O. Box 4 Klong Luang Pathumthani 12120 Thailand Tel: (66 2) 516 5900-10 Fax: (66 2) 524-5350, 5360 Email: [email  protected] net website: www. adpc. net Introducing Disaster Risk Impact Assessments into the construction of new roads and bridges; Promoting the use of hazard risk information in land-use planning and zoning programsThis case study highlights the experience of undertaking a Priority Implementation Partnership on incorporating disaster risk impact assessments into the construction of new roads in the Philippines, implemented by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and Department of Public Works and Highwa ys (DPWH) with support from Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ ISDR) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). References:  Ã‚   ONLINE  :   Guide  to  Comprehensive  Development  Plan   http://www. mongabay. com/reference/country_studies/philippines/GOVERNMENT. html   Accessed:  June  26,  2012 Local  Government  Code. http://www. chanrobles. com/localgov1. htm   Accessed:  June  26,  2012   Local  Government  in  Asia  and  the  Pacific:  A  Comparative  Study. Country  paper:  Philippines   http://www. unescap. org/huset/lgstudy/country/philippines/philippines. tml  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accessed:  June  26,  2012   Luz  Seno? Ani. Participatory  territorial  planning:  the  farming  systems  development  approach  in   community  planning  in  the  Ph ilippines,  1995–2002. http://www. fao. org/docrep/005/Y8999T/y8999t06. htm      Accessed:  June  26,  2012      Philippines? Government   http://www. mongabay. com/reference/country_studies/philippines/GOVERNMENT. html   Accessed:  June  26,  2012      Rationalizing  the  Local  Planning  System   http://www. dilg. gov. ph/PDF_File/reports/DILG? Reports? 2011712? ea7ba5859e. pdf      e? BOOK/BOOK:      Panadero,  Austere  A. (2008). Strategy  to  Further  Decentralization  in  the  Philippines. LOGODEF   Journal  on  Ã‚  Local  Governance.Towards  Mainstreaming  Disaster  Risk  Reduction  into  the  Planning  Process  of  Road  Construction         PHOTOS:   Gov. meets  with  brgy  officials:   http://pampangacapitol. ph/2011/10/06/gov? meets? with? barangay? officials/      cory  caricature from  the  Filipino  mind:  Bobby  Tuazon   http://thefili pinomind. blogspot. com/2009/08/cora? aquino? how? politics? of? reform? lost. html      Cover  photo  by  Sheryl  Fernando,  documentor,  Executive  management  course  for  Ã‚  PSWDOs  and   MSWDOs  in  Mindanao A  report  submitted  in  partial  fulfillment  of  the  requirements  in   Development  Management  in n  Development  Organizations Submit tted  to: Dr. Jedida  L. Aquino Profe essor Submitted  by: Sheryl  I. F Fernando MD DM

Environmental Engineer Essay

For an Environmental Engineer, it is very important to know the jurisdiction that one will be working in. Not only is thorough knowledge of the natural characteristics such as geological and meteorological aspects of the jurisdiction to scientifically cater to the unique environmental concerns of a certain area, but it is also essential that one also knowledge of the social and judicial aspects of the jurisdiction for easier cooperation with the citizens and more efficient applications of environmental impact assessments and mitigations or development of environmental policy and regulation, for example. The Northwest Territories and Nunavut are unique in many aspects that concern Environmental Engineering practice. In general, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are already geared towards environmental safety, conservation, and regulation. For example, in the Northwest Territories, programs are already in place to ensure sustainability of forest use, regulation of wildlife protection and use, etc. In Nunavut, their Department of Environment actively apply what they call Avatittinnik Kamatsiarniq, or environmental stewardship, to conserve their vast natural resources and promote sustainability, a principle that is based on the Inuit culture and must be respected by any Environmental Engineer who plans to practice in that territory. In fact, one must have good knowledge of that culture as the Inuit populace of Nunavut make up the majority of the demographic and thus their culture and belief system have a great influence on governmental policies, considering that the self-governing system of the Inuit is unique to Nunavut and issues such as land claims are a constant concern. Similarly, the agencies of the Northwest territories also make use of the traditional knowledge of the Inuit concerning the natural resources and the relationship between man and environment. As North American Indians comprise the majority of the population in the Northwest Territories, they appreciate the value of this knowledge and these are taken into consideration in the making of public policies which include environmental engineering law. To work in the Northwest Territories, one must be aware of programs such as the NWT Protected Areas Strategy, that utilizes a community-based process as it makes sure to respect Aboriginal rights to balance conservation and economic development. The programs already in place and the social set-up of the jurisdiction are only part of the concerns of an Environment Engineer, of course the physical aspects of the territories are also important. The weather is an important part of the culture of the Aboriginal people, not only are the weather extremes (such as the record-breaking Arctic heat in Nunavut) and the natural hazards serious concerns, climate change is also a much monitored phenomenon. The geological makeup and position of Nunavut and the Northwest territories make them very vulnerable to climate change effects, such as the possible melting of permafrost. In the Northwest Territories, their use of their abundant mineral resources have caused a great strain in the environment such as the giant earth scars left by diamond mines or the hazardous tailings pond spills, and the Environmental Engineer should not only be aware of these for future mining operations but could also work together with other agencies to alleviate these prior issues. Furthermore, the geology of Nunavut can span most of Earth’s history with great economic potential yet it is still very underdeveloped, and yet, they are actively advertising extreme sports tourism which could cause environmental as well as safety concerns. In all, there is a balance in the naturalistic Aboriginal-based society and community and the raw environment of this jurisdiction that gives the Environmental Engineer a unique practice.

Research Methods CASE5 Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Methods CASE5 - Research Paper Example The data achieved was used to measure the level of achievement in the two groups. Another measure comprised the final grades of the students in the course depicted by percentage scores. A paired sample t –test was used to examine the achievements in the two groups. In addition, differences in pre post surveys was examined to get the differences based on formats of teaching in single taught and team taught groups, while similarly controlling the demographic variables in both the sections using MANCOVA. The grades of the two groups were also examined based on the format of teaching by use of independent t-test. Differences in pre-post for the examined factors from the survey of the two teams were analyzed. The results showed a significant increase in research and statistics basis. However, there were no any significant differences for the other two variables. The pre-post differences for the survey factors that are based on format of teaching in both the single and team taught groups when demographic variables are controlled showed that there was a significant difference between work, research and statistics. The single taught students showed an increase in pre post relationship between course materials and work. The team taught group showed a pre post decline in the relationship between course materials and work. (Sesser 2012) says that the results indicate no significant interactions statistically exist in opinion factors and demographic variables. When the final grade is used to gauge the differences in effects of this two type of learning, there is a significant variance between single taught and team taught groups. Team taught students are observed to attain higher course grades than those of the students in solo taught groups. The standard deviation in the statistics obtained in the two groups was also examined. (Hill 2005) says that the variance in the team taught is always less than

Methods Of Employee Evaluation And Their Effectiveness Case Study

Methods Of Employee Evaluation And Their Effectiveness - Case Study Example In the first interview, the first step the supervisor needs to familiarize the new employee with the kind of duties they will be required to perform. The next step will be introducing him or her to the other workmates. Lastly, he tells them of the expectations required of them and the company’s policies and code of conduct (Watkins & Leigh 2009). His plan for the day involves ensuring that there are sufficient cleaning materials, that each employee is transported to the place of work and lastly ensuring that all cleaning duties are completed to the client’s satisfaction and in time. The method of evaluation he uses mainly involves punctuality, the completion of duties on time and the feedback he gets from the clients. He describes that work in the 21st century is full of challenges due to the many personality types he has to deal with daily. The work is also complicated by the social-economic demands of the workers in hard economic times. On the other hand, the second supervisor who deals with a non-recruitment work takes the first day to understand the employees’ strengths and weaknesses so that he can assign him the most suitable workstation basing on those attributes. Familiarizing them with the workplace and their responsibilities is also critical. The work plan in a security company is clearly laid down so there is no need for daily preparation. Since there are clearly defined roles, my work is to ensure that they are strictly followed. In this kind of work, the most efficient way to carry out evaluation is by the punctuality of the employee. Another way is how they relate to the staff and clients of the bank. In the business of a security company, how you handle the employees is important as they can be easily poached by other companies. He overcomes this challenge by providing strong leadership and caring for the needs of his employees.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Entrepreneurship and Innovation - Essay Example Dragons Inc. in the Chinese market. Dragons Inc. operates as a group of entrepreneurs which significantly focuses on delivering advanced products to the market. With the concept of innovation, The Presto! Soup E-duper is one of the recently developed kitchen appliances of the organization which involves multi tasking facilities including mixing, blending as well as crocking capacity. The organization manufactures its innovative products which facilitate the customers to obtain new experiences of technological advancements and preparing tasty as well as health food items in a lesser time and in a cost-convenient way. The Soup E-Duper will be produced by Kitch-in-Zinc Plc, especially to target the new customer segments in the Chinese market. Therefore, the paper intends to prepare a viability report of Soup E-Duper in the Chinese market by considering the major factors of the marketplace, product and manufacturing issues that might to be faced by the organization. Moreover, the discuss ion of the report will further focus on developing an effective business plan for the organization to successfully operate Soup E-duper in the Chinese market. Part One: Analysis of the Chinese Marketplace External Business Environment The business environment in China can be identified as sustainable for foreign companies which are mostly related with manufacturing industries, or tourism or education sectors. For instance, the current political and economic environment of the nation depicts the elements to be in favour of companies which attempt to set-up its manufacturing operations within the country with the belief that it would increase job opportunities for the Chinese community and simultaneously facilitate the growth of the overall economy. Furthermore, China also encourages foreign investment from companies which belong to the nations aligned through World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other treaties with the economy (Yueh, 2012). Notably, as it can be identified that the pro duct intended to be manufactured in China, i.e. Soup E-Duper, is patented by a UK based entrepreneurial group, Dragon Inc. and also manufactured by another European firm Kitch-in-Zinc Plc, the business plan can attain greater benefits even in relation to legal obligations. Furthermore, as the economic conditions prevailing within the Chinese market can be observed as growing with stability, it can be affirmed that the marketing prospects of the business plan can also be expected to yield better returns as per the expectations of the investors, including Dragon Inc. and Kitch-in-Zinc Plc. It is worth mentioning in this regard that with the growing GDP of the economy, which is currently recorded as 7.8%, the lifestyle preferences are also enhancing within the Chinese community (Yao, 2012). This can further be attributed as a positive aspect for the successful accomplishment of the objectives considered in this business plan. The offered product, i.e. the Soup E-Duper allows enhanced l ifestyle to its customers rendering the facilities of easy blending, mixing, and processing through crock pot. It is also intended to

Proof reading for (blogs) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proof reading for (blogs) - Essay Example Watching this video excitement runs through the veins at first, though the same does not persist till the end. Though it is true that if people are celebrating a victory in war, perhaps they are somewhere forgetting some grave mistakes committed towards humanity. However, I think if people would watch this kind of videos, they would not support any kind of war and soldiers might even refuse to participate in a war. That might not be the best of solutions considering the fact that war is an evil necessity at times. The Shield of Achilles The Shield of Achilles written by W.H. Auden was a hard poem for me to understand. I went online to read and understand the story of Achilles before I started the poem. Achilles was a Greek hero who participated in the Trojan War. Achilles’ mother Thetis prayed to the Greek god Hephaestus to create an invincible armor for her son. Hephaestus made a shield for Achilles. In the first part of the poem Thetis was describing what she see for example War, peace, sun, moon, ocean, and dance. The shilled was referring to the new life. In the second part of the poem, Auden said â€Å"A plain without a features.† It refers to emptiness. ... Force According to Weil, there are three definitions of Force with diverse meaning. The first meaning of force is to kill. It comes from the part where it is said that â€Å"it is that x that turn anybody who is subjected to in into a thing† and â€Å" it makes a corpse† .The second definition of force is â€Å"that not kill just yet†. This kind of force has the ability to kill because of the word â€Å"yet†. Another interesting thing is â€Å"it turn a man to stone† which mean no feeling. Also, the word â€Å"stone† mean no thinking and refers to the fact that he or she would act without thinking. In page 167 it gave example where force can remove human feeling, where it refers to the story of Achilles when he killed Hector. The Third definition is who use Force is foul. There is no one who is as strong that he can control everything in the world. Even though Achilles was the greatest of worriers; he was scare of the forces because it was bi gger than him. The Homer’s Iliad is considered as a war poem because it talked about the Troy and Trojan War. Guernica The first time I looked to the painting, it was like a drawing made by a kid. After having the class dictation, I got the idea that Picasso did mean several things in this painting. There is a woman on the left side of the photo holding a baby, which refers on how war can kill kids and innocent people. There is a flower almost in the middle of the painting, which refer to the future or it may mean that life may come again. Picasso draws a light beam as a path to future. There is a man who has a large foot and trying to reach the light but he can’t, because it looks like his foot is pulling him away from the light. In the

Parenting Capacity and Substance Misuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Parenting Capacity and Substance Misuse - Essay Example Because these effects within the children have a strong potential to be carried into the next generation as well as to impact the public health, it is necessary for the social worker to learn how to recognize these signs and develop means of providing the children with the needed elements they are missing within the home. While this seems a nearly impossible task without the investment of vast resources and time into each family unit, there are some tools and practices that may help. It is the purpose of this study to examine the prevalence of these issues within society and to illustrate the importance of understanding on the part of the social worker in bringing about positive effective change within the home. It seems to be almost common knowledge that substance abuse/misuse can have serious detrimental effects on the care and raising of children within the home where one or both parents are involved in substance abuse activity. The tendency of this thinking holds that all children living within homes in which substances are used or abused are the victims of domestic violence. However, children living in these types of situations may not have any experience at all with the concept of violence within the home, yet may have numerous other issues to deal with as a result of neglect or other forms of abuse. Parents engaging in substance abuse may not have enough time or attention to provide their children with the necessary skills and attention they require to thrive while the parents may also be spending much-needed time and money away from the home as a means of supporting their habit. Children living in this sort of environment may find themselves needing to survive without adequate cloth ing, food or housing while also being required to essentially raise themselves without the benefit of parental guidance or support. This situation can have serious public implications as teenagers, having grown up in this sort of environment, tend to have

From Colonialism to the New Humanity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

From Colonialism to the New Humanity - Essay Example As the study declares that the colonization precipitated the awakening of national consciousness of the colonized. One could state equally that it moderated the tempo of this awareness by keeping the colonized apart from the true conditions of contemporary citizenship. It is this quotation from the Albert Memmi’s work that he explains the formation of nationalism within the hearts of the colonized. Hence, the author implies that there is, indeed, a distinction in the existence between the colonizer and the colonized in a colonial context. He specifically reiterates that the colonized lives in a condition which is absolute – a condition dictated by the colonized. With such, the colonized will inevitably seek for a compromise in order to break the absolute condition imposed by their colonial masters. A rough sketch is then created out of the author’s narrative of how the colonial mentality dwells within the minds of those subjugated. It can be said that colonialism can bring about the deed for revolt, hence toppling the colonized society and its masters. He makes clear that it is through violence, pushed by the abstract force of nationalism, that change can be attained. It is clear that Memmi explains how the road to a post-colonial society functions – that the prerequisite of nationalism and revolution will overthrow the existing system to create a new society. The pretext of a colonial society is further expounded by Aime Cesaire. He explains that the initial purpose of colonization – which is to have contact with other civilizations – is not what it seemed to be. The author suggests that colonization bears no human contact; it only creates a relationship of domination and subjugation. In this case, the dominating force will be the colonizer and the subjugated force will be the colonized. To add to this, the author creates a sense of anachronism within the European’s notion of colonialism. He says that Europe is a hypocrite with its idea of bringing change to a savage society. He explains that the colonial masters were incapable of creating distinctions between the notion of reason and conscience. This study outlines that Europe utilizes its power to deceive and to create an inevitable hatred amongst other peoples and races. Both Memmi and Cesaire clearly create a definitive stand about colonization and the repercussions they bring unto a particular society. Both authors present that the stratifications of the colonizer and the colonized create conflict with one another. They narrate that subjugation is the primary notion that pushes the oppressed into a collective action which can change the existing system. Also, the concept of nationalism is presented as a tool of creating the sense of heroism within every subjugated individual. Nationalism and collective action will inevitably lead to violence which is directed to a purpose of social change.

Amazon.com - Not Your Average Bookstore Case Study

Amazon.com - Not Your Average Bookstore - Case Study Example Other than customer comments, Amazon websites records numbers of customers, the products they review and pages they visit. After analyzing those records, Amazon recognizes sale/purchase patterns and makes business strategies accordingly. Is Amazon using disruptive or sustaining technology to run its business? A disruptive technology is the one that creates new market and value network. Amazon.com mostly incorporates disruptive technology. For instance; when Amazon website was formed, books purchase constituted a very small fraction of the items for sale but with the launch of Amazon online bookstore, it has redefined book’s market. People visit Amazon websites to read reviews on a book and make decision about purchasing the book. Things didn’t stop there; Amazon launched its book reading application, Kindle. It is an eBook reader and uses e-Ink technology which consumes very small battery power, this way people can take their collection of favorite books anywhere they w ant. Other applications like Amazon S3, Vine and Amazon MP3 all offer new technologies. Interactive interface technology used by Amazon really makes the shopping experience worthwhile. Online Music downloading and online storage application such as S3, all count as disruptive technologies. How is Amazon using personalization to keep its customers loyal? Amazon incorporates personalized recommendations to keep its customers loyal. ... ications like Amazon.com Auctions, zShops (independent third party sellers) and Amazon.com Marketplace (here customers can buy and sell used items), Amazon is offering almost everything to its customers on their fingertips. All of this contributes to increasing customer loyalty. How has Amazon used technology to revamp the bookselling industry? Amazon has completely refurbished the bookselling industry. Amazon bookstore has become a trademark name for book publishers and customers. For instance, Jeffery Bezos, the CEO of Amazon implemented a smart business strategy by making virtual book store accessible from all across the globe. When Bezos first initiated the list of 20 items online, books were a small ticket item on it, but later when Amazon created thousands of virtual book stores, Amazon Bookstore became a house hold name for book purchases. No book store could store 5 million books published each year but Amazon. Technology enabled Amazon to handle such a large amount of data a nd make it available to customers. It won’t be exaggeration saying that eBook concept was popularized by Amazon. Later with the introduction of eBook reader, Kindle; Amazon totally revamped the bookselling industry. Kindle incorporates another technology to download books for its eBook readers through ‘Whispernet’ on a wireless network, ‘Sprint Nextel Network’. Initial offering from Kindle included over 90,000 books, magazines and journals. How can Amazon use mbusiness to increase sales? There is tremendous potential in mbusiness or mcommerce. According to the research firm Strategy Analysts, mcommerce industry was supposed to be exceeding $200bn by 2005 with 350 million customers generating $14bn annually, and this is 2012, it is easy to figure out what potential mbusiness

French Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

French - Essay Example ce moment-l, on permet aux les gens qui travaillent pour Le British Red Cross d'aider sans souci de leurs propres vies au besoin. Ceci devient particulirement ncessaire quand les sauveteurs travaillent pour sauver les vies pendant des catastrophes naturelles, journal. Il est important que les sauveteurs comprennent journalier qu'ils sont interdits de quitter la zone de secours sans permission s'ils travaillent, qui n'est pas tonnante. Ce qui est fascinant est comment les sauveteurs agissent quand il y a galement les types d'urgences personnels se produisant annuellement. Quand les gens avaient des difficults, Le British Red Cross pouvait les aider. L'horaire pour les personnes qui aident ces dsastres peut tre une heure, un jour, une semaine, un mois, une anne, ou plus longtemps. Le British Red Crossatteint beaucoup d'objectifs. Si elle soit pour un dsastre important qui se produit, une catastrophe naturelle qui se produit dans un secteur particulier, ou une urgence personnelle qui se produit, Le British Red Cross peut tre l.

United States and Israel Essay Example for Free

United States and Israel Essay The relationship between the United States and Israel should be realized as different and unique in its own rights since both parties are distinct in their own way, gaining political, economic, and cultural independences that influenced and continuous to influence so many others. It can be said that for such a small country, Israel has acquired importance far beyond its size, not only politically but socially and culturally. It is apt to say that, today the United States is the lone superpower, carrying vast military might, capable leaders wielding economic and cultural strengths enabling vast influences of unparalleled scope. Owing to the distinctness of both parties, it will be astonishing to note if a relationship forged between this two did not possess certain distinctness as well. A variety of events both done and only as a result of circumstances, envelope this US-Israel relationship. Both carrying slack/criticism and praise for forging such a strong tie that transcends all political, moral/ethical, social and cultural bonds. This paper attempts to investigate the relationship between the two countries and how it was developed and sustained all throughout the years. And the answer the pressing question of its survival in the recent changing strata of economy, cultural and political powers and perspectives. Roots: The US-Israel relationship began in 1948 when President Truman of the United States readily acknowledges the sovereignty of the Jewish state, but despite this it is evident that the US did not truly acknowledge Israel by adapting a neutrality act that prevented sale or transfer of military weapons to Israel (Cristol, 2002). It can also be realized that Israel formed a closer relationship with France rather than America (Leiber, 1998). But despite these primary dimensions the progression of the American-Israeli connection was far from steady progressions. It can be said that the relationship at first was neutral at most and aid to Israel was slow, whether it be economic or military assistance. This relationship was slow in coming, it took many steps before an actual relationship was formed. A budding military relationship started when President Johnston started selling military weapons to Israel around 1965-66. Reinforced by Israel success with its military efforts against other nations, particularly that of the Soviets, American analysts started to realize that Israel has become a major regional power capable of aiding them in their Mediterranean and Middle East efforts. Israel’s defeat of the Soviets and its subsequent aid to the US in the form of information regarding Soviet weaponry and tactics were significant in the US military efforts in Southeast Asia and during the Cold War. The intensifying war, the Cold War to be precise, also intensified US-Israel relationship, as the US looked to Israel to be its stable, reliable ally in the region and as Israel responded as such, the relationship strengthened. Israel in turn was recognized as a â€Å"strategic asset† rather than simply being an ally (Steinberg, 1998). Israel was very much in the thick of the Iran arms sales as well as becoming the channel to funnel US arms to Central America. The US and Israel share common goals, passions and advocacies, the special relationship between Israel and the United States has come to rely on deep-seated factors, Sharing a commonality that enabled them to work together includes. Democracy. Both Israel and the United States hold democracy and liberty with the highest consideration. Note the fact that Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East. Immigration. Not unlike the United States, Israel’s population is that of immigrants. Welcoming the embracers of Zionism, the Jewish national liberation movement. While, the United States, the land of greener pastures, immigrants consists mostly of those wanting to work in the US, seeking higher pay and better work environment. Economy. Both Israel and US economies value free market. Each committing to competitiveness, international trade liberalization support and multilateral trading. Education. It can be noted that both countries exhibit high regard for good education for its citizens. Both nations firm believers of education as an integral part in shaping a nations future thru proper education of its young. A mutual support system. Israel was also one of the first to support the US in its efforts to enhance security by cooperating with the US Department of Homeland Security for development of initiatives to enhance such, also supporting the US in many of its endeavors with the United Nations as the US continues to bring aid and assistance to its Israeli counterpart. This framework shows many areas of partnership that enabled US-Israel relations to grow in proportion and depth. But like any other relationship, this forged relationship did not come without problems and strains. Relationship strains came in the form of American pressure on Israel to withdraw its forces in the Sinai Peninsula. Israel’s role in the Suez operations in 1956. The AWACS being sold to Saudi Arabia, the Lebanese Massacre of Palestinians in 1982 and the intifada. All bearing strain on the relations between US and Israel. It can be surmised that sometimes differences in opinions and goals can sometimes bring in strain to a steady friendship but it is duly noted too that the bond of this relationship is very deep and rooted, it will not be easily deferred and it remains to be so. FOREIGN POLICY It can be surmised that these two nation forge a cooperation that is surprisingly balanced, if you weigh it against a range of international issues. The Unites States continues to be Israel’s power patron, with the US backing Israel financially and politically even to the point of strain with other allies. It can be seen that Israel shows its allegiance to the US by voting with the Americans in United Nations General Assembly votes 95% of the time, even in consideration of other countries recognized as close to very close American allies. It will be noted that through the years, Israel has supported the US, even to the extent that they are the only ones behind the US. This support can be deemed blind and maybe one of the reasons for the US continued alliance with this country. Continuing U. S. Support – strategy wise There may be a strategic and logical reason for US continuing support of Israel, it is noted as follows: ? Israel has effectively stopped victories by radical nationalist movements in not only Lebanon and Jordan, but in Palestine as well. ? Syria, a known ally of the Soviet Union for many years, has been kept in check by Israel. ? Predominant air force in their region is Israel’s Air Force ? It can be realized that the many and frequent wars engaged by Israel provided an actual testing ground for US weapons, and usually against its major counterpart the Soviet Union. ? That in order to support unpopular movements and regimes, Israel has become an American channel in providing military assistance, weapon sales to Islamic Republic of Iran, military junta of Guatemala, the Nicaraguan Contras, and the likes. ? Not only once did the Israeli intelligence assist US military operations in covert and intelligence gathering operations. ? Israel’s intelligent military has developed missles and weapons capable of annihilating the Soviet Union and not only once did it assist the US military in the research and development of new weapons, jet fighters and defense systems more capable of protecting the state. Conclusion It may not be a match made in heaven, but mutually working for each other and benefitting from it, it may well be as close as it can get. Many believes that the US support for Israel range from insane to absurd to illogical and even outright dumb. The special relationship forged by US and Israel is a mixture of causative factors that enabled this relationship to flourish including historical memory, regional security and stability considerations, the US national interest, religion and communal ties. It can also be partly due to personal rapport and friendships built by heads of the states. Although it is understandable that not many understand this ties, especially when they see the very people, Americans are supporting, killing and salvaging a great many people they believe to be enemies. They tend to think of it as utter hypocrisy. But it has to be believed that many great American presidents supported and aided Israel and one cannot surmise their actual reasons behind it, but it can be surmised that ultimately US Officials think of the nations interests and being privy to private/confidential information may have led them to continue their support for Israel despite how it is seen by the public for in the end, it’s still the nations general welfare that they are after. Works Cited Cristol, J (2002) When did the US and Israel become allies. History News Network. Online retrieved 21 Feb 2008 from http://hnn. us/articles/751. html Leiber, R. (1998) U. S. -Israel relations since 1948. Meria Journal 2(3): 11-20 Steinberg, G. (1998) Israel and the United States: can the special relationship survive the new strategic environment? Meria journal 2(4): 61-81

The case of Sara Essay Example for Free

The case of Sara Essay Since Sara is mere two and a half years old, Piaget will immediately respond to the case by stating that the child is still under the so-called sensorimotor stage. At this part of the various cognitive stages in the life of an individual, especially to that of a child, Sara is most expected to acquire the basic learning in life by the utilization of both reflex and motor actions from the body. This general observation can be broken down further into the idea that the child, at such an age, is expected to comprehend that he or she is entirely detached or is set apart and is unique from his or her surrounding environment. That is, the various elements that are located within the child’s environment are learned by the child as objects that remain existent even if these very objects are beyond or are hidden from the primary senses of the child. Hence, Sara is already able to recognize the fact that all of her friend’s toys are separate from her self and that, eventually, she is able to understand that her friend’s toys will always be there albeit they are not in her midst. Since the foundation of learning at this age rests strongly on the sensorimotor stages, it is not surprising to know that the efforts of Sara’s father are ineffective. The primary reason behind this is that mere â€Å"telling† or the act of talking to the child is insufficient. Rather, what must be done is that, in order to modify Sara’s inclination towards taking her friend’s toys, her father should use a frown complemented by either a soothing or a calmed voice as Piaget will suggest. Starting at age four, Sara may be able to better infer the mental states of her friends. The explanation rests on Piaget’s preoperational stage wherein the child is compelled by his assumption that the people around her visualize every situation similar or parallel to his point of view. Hence, Sara, by four, will acquire an increase in the ability to comprehend that how her friends see the world is analogous to how she sees that same world.

Impact of Teleworking on Innovation

Impact of Teleworking on Innovation This study seeks to explore the relationship between high-tech firms, innovation, and the teleworking trend. Specifically, an examination of the high-technology sector in the UK is provided, followed by explanations of teleworking, innovation, and high-tech firms as they relate to the scope and focus of this study.   The above is based on published findings of empirical research and published reports.   This study then considers how teleworking has impacted innovation at the Intel Corporation, a leading manufacturer of semiconductors who allows employees in certain positions to telework part or all of their workweek.   Innovation and impact are considered at an overall corporate level, rather than at an individual level. Findings of this research indicate that teleworking one to two dayseach week has no discernibly negative impact on innovation, and mayactually enhance innovation, provided systems to encourage andfacilitate innovation are in place.   Implications for organisationsentering the teleworking arena and the sector as a whole are followed by recommendations for high-tech companies and for future research. Teleworking is a cultural trend in much of Europe and the Americas.   While it provides many plusses and a few minuses to theindividual teleworkers, its impact on organisations and particularlyinnovation at those organisations has not been sufficiently explored.  This study seeks to consider the impact teleworking has onorganisations, specifically high-technology organisations, and theirability to generate, initiate, and implement innovative products,processes and administrative ideas. A review of previously published findings related to teleworking,innovation, and high-technology is provided, covering these topics ingeneral.   The focus of the study then narrows, addressing organisationsthat both use and produce high-tech products or services, and finallyconcentrating on innovation in the computer hardware and softwaresector.   Ideas and conclusions from these studies are then combinedwith information from Intel Corporation, a leading manufacturer ofsemi-conductors and similar computer products, to analyse the specificimpact of teleworking at Intel.   It is hoped the conclusions drawn from Intel’s experiences will beuseful to other high-tech firms practicing or considering teleworking,as well as encourage others to pursue related research. High-technology has evolved in the past thirty years from something outof a science fiction novel to part of the average Britain’s everydaylife.   The UK contributes over 5% of the world’s research anddevelopment, although it has less than one percent of the world’spopulation.  Ã‚   The UK additionally has the larges software and computerservices sector in the EU, and a significant semiconductor industry(Anon 2005).   From Bristol, at the end of the M4 hi-tech corridor, toSheffield, where software has replaced steel, to the hi-tech centres inCambridge and Hertfordshire, high-tech is replacing and revitalisingthe declining UK industrial sector. It is important to note that the high-tech sector differs in severaldistinct ways from other sectors of the economy.   First, the speed atwhich technology changes is simply unmatched in other productionsectors.   This requires not only constant innovation in product, butconstant innovation in the process and administrative arenas as well(Edquist 2003).   Property rights considerations have starkly differentapplications in high-tech organisations.   If companies wait until theirnew ideas were licensed or patented before progressing into production,the market will likely pass by them and their product before it evenmoves into sale (Cohan 1997).   High-tech organisations are also morelikely to share information and partner on products, particularly intheir non-core technologies, and share the profits with another firmrather than miss a market entirely (Edquist 2003). The local high-technology sector differs in some ways from that inother countries.   The UK has historically lagged behind the UnitedStates and Japan in its ability to move a product from idea toproduction in the high-tech arena.   UK firms, unless part of aninternational company who mandates certain practices, have not made asmuch effort to design intra-organisational systems to encourageinnovation (Surrey 2004).   In a study by the University of Surrey,Ellie Runcie stated that after studying UK and U.S. high-tech firms,she found UK organisations have â€Å"often no discussion at all is made ofthe role of user research in innovation† (Surrey 2004).   This is aconcern regarding the UK high-tech sector that needs to be considered. The UK also has a lower per-capital computer literacy and computer use,particularly in the home sector, than most other high-tech nations.   Ona more positive note, the UK government has launched a campaign toincrease computer literacy and home computer use.   Intel, BT, andMicrosoft are the three major organisations working with the OeE, DTIand DfES on this campaign (Intel 2004). One of these leaders from the high-technology sector, the IntelCorporation, will be considered in greater detail.   Although aU.S.-headquartered firm, Intel has facilities in several places in theUK, as well as worldwide.   Intel is a major manufacturer ofsemi-conductors and computer processors, and will be used as an examplein this research of how teleworking can contribute to innovation in thehigh-tech environment. As this study considers the topics of teleworking, innovation, andhigh-technology, it was felt necessary to define and set parameters foreach.   The following literature is considered in the scope of thisresearch, with specific delineations of the three main study componentsoutlined in detail.   We have recently entered an important new phase in the ongoinginformation technology revolution. It is difficult to pick up abusiness magazine or newspaper today without reading about anorganisation offering teleworking and virtual offices for remoteworkers. There has been fair media coverage in how companies haveembraced the idea of teleworking, including the likes of ATT,Ernst and Young and IBM.   A monthly magazine is even devoted toâ€Å"today’s flexible workplace,† Telecommute, published by the nationaltrade organisation, the International Telecommuting Advisory Council(ITAC). Part of a general trend towards remote work, teleworking is a naturalresult of the information revolution, fuelled by the growth ofknowledge work and the rapid advance in technology.   The trend isconsistent with predictions made by futurist Alvin Toffler in his 1980book The Third Wave, that the location of work would outgrow typicalsites such as offices or factories, and begin to take place in alllocations. Teleworking is especially becoming popular in high-technologyorganisations.   During my work placement at Intel Corporation, I wasalso exposed to various team members teleworking from home one to twodays per week. While this trend is popular with employees, it behovestoday’s high-technology company to consider the impact of teleworkingon innovation.   This sector of the business environment is particularlydependent on innovation to remain viable, and it is important,therefore, that the initiation and implementation of innovation not besacrificed to worker preference. Examination of various sources reveals a lack of consensus as to thedefinition of teleworking, or as it is sometimes called,telecommuting.   ‘Teleworking’ is more common in European literature,while ‘telecommuting’ is more common in but not limited to Americanliterature.   Unfortunately, this lack of a universally accepteddefinition of teleworking causes problems academically; as either termcan be used to mean ‘home-working’, ‘working-at-a-distance’, ‘off-siteworkers’, or ‘remote-workers,’ it hinders the ability to comparefindings from different sources. Therefore, it is necessary to chooseand define a single term before proceeding. The term ‘telework’ is generally preferred on this side of theAtlantic, and will be used here.   Huws, Korte, and Robinson (1990)define telework as work â€Å"which is independent of the location of theemployer or contractor and can be changed according to the wishes ofthe individual teleworkers and/or the organisation for which he or sheis working† (10).   Olson (1988) argues, â€Å"the term telework is used torefer to organisational work performed outside of the normalorganisational confines of space and time, augmented by computer andcommunications technology. The work is not necessarily performed in thehome (77).   The EU holds that ‘telework’ â€Å"covers a range of new ways ofworking, using the telecommunications as a tool and, for at least partof the time, outside a traditional office environment (EuropeanCommission, 1996, 11).   Jack Nilles defined telecommuting as â€Å"an arrangement that entailsworking outside the conventional w orkplace and communication by way oftelecommunications or computer-based technology (Bailey and Kurkland,2000).   According to The American Telecommuting Association, 2002,telecommuting is â€Å" replacing or supplementing physical travel to theoffice by using modern telecommunications equipment to bring officeresources to the employee. While computers serve to augmenttelecommuting, it is possible to telecommute with only paper, penciland telephone.† Distilling the above into a workable definition, important elements of telework for the purpose of this study include: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ «Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the person doing the telework is an employee of the organisation for which she or he works à ¢Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ «Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   computers and communication technology are used à ¢Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ «Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   it is not necessarily performed in the home, but does occur outside a traditional office environment Telework is therefore defined as any substantial part of an employee’swork performed by employees that is physically separated from thelocation of their employer using information technology (IT) foroperation and communication.  Ã‚   Three groups are affected by teleworking:   the employers ororganisations, the individual teleworkers, and society as a whole.  Benefits and drawbacks to individual teleworkers vary greatly fromperson to person, and are difficult to evaluate.   Benefits to societyare primarily environmental, as reduced commuting decreases pollutionand reduces transportation-related injury.   This study will thereforefocus on the affect of teleworking on the employer or organisation.  Areas of benefit include increased productivity and financialadvantages.   Drawbacks security concerns, management issues, andreduction in interaction and exchanged of ideas.   Each of thesebenefits and drawbacks will have impact on innovation inhigh-technology environments. INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY According to The American Telecommuting Association, various surveyshave documented teleworking employees’ productivity gains of up to 60%(1992).   They claim that extra productivity is consistently clocked at10-15% in nearly every study in the past two decades.   The SocialMarket Foundation (2004) argues that teleworking can increaseproductivity by up to 30%. They further claim that the more than twomillion UK workers now regularly telecommute with employees use thetime saved from commuting and meetings for extra work.   Huws (1992),Salmon and Shamir (1985), Caudron (1992), and Metzger and Von Glinow(1998) all report indications of improved productivity, reliability andwork quality among teleworkers. The increase in employee productivity resulted from teleworking isalso supported by G. E. Gordon, who claims there are a variety ofreasons for increased productivity in employees who telework.   Theseinclude decreased time spent commuting to work, fewer distractions inthe workplace, and giving telecommuters the opportunity to better matchtheir work times with their peak productive periods.   He notes thatproductivity gains ranging from 15-30% are common with such programs(Gordon 1986). Employee motivation is another cited reason for improved productivity.  Employees perceive being the ability to telework as an indication thattheir employers have sufficient trust and faith in them to workindependently.   It could also be argued that teleworkers in fact workharder than non-teleworking employees as they feel the need to prove totheir office peers that they are not indolent as a result of working athome without supervision. Teleworkers may also feel the need to workharder to achieve promotions (). However, various theorists argue that some employees find that becausethey have their work resources at home, they tend to work more. Thiscould interfere with family life.   In addition, telework can be viewedas an intrusion of the workplace in the home. The office at home is aconstant reminder of work.   There is the real problem of definingconcrete working hours when the distraction of home life is a constantpresence.   Working hours and social versus home time can becomeblurred.   Another form of intrusion is when family members or socialinterruptions constantly disrupt teleworkers from completing work.  This may add extra pressures and stress.   Teleworking employees whoexperience such disruption and time management issues may actually havedecreased motivation and productivity due to these outside factors.  Therefore, it is important that employees exercising their option totelework draw strong boundaries that will enable them to workeffectively.   Guidance from t he organisation and possiblity sometraining in effective teleworking should be included by an organisationemploying teleworkers. Smith (1997) suggests telecommuting reduces absenteeism amongstemployees.   For example, employees who may feel too ill to complete afull day and commute, may be well enough to work a partial day.  Individuals are more likely to continue working even when feelingunwell due to being in a more comfortable and relaxed work environment,i.e. their home.   Smith counters that teleworkers often havedifficulty, especially at first, with separating home and work time.  This increases if children are in the teleworking location, most likelythe home.   However, adjustments are usually successful in the long term. Further, the Bureau of Labour Statistics reports that businessproductivity, the measure or output per work hour, has risen 2.8% since1998.   This correlates positively and directly with an increase inteleworking. Teleworking has been perhaps, therefore, most effective inincreasing productivity. Clearly, these human resource managers are very satisfied with theirprograms a nd believe their telecommuters are satisfied as well.   Ifhalf of the firms included in the above research are reporting morework done at a better quality in comparison to the traditional workforce, there must be considerable merit to teleworking increasingproductivity. FINANCIAL SAVINGS Teleworking can also save firms money in a number of ways.   It providesthe employer with an expanded pool of potential employees. The skillsof employees with commuting difficulties, childcare conflict,disabilities and geographical barriers employees are all made availableto the employer who adopts the telecommuting practice.   Smith (1997)supports this, claiming teleworking offers attractive workingconditions, which aid in the recruitment and retention of skilledemployees and help to reduce voluntary separation of key employees.  This represents considerable savings to the employer in terms ofreduced hiring and training costs. Reduced overhead is another financial benefit.   Teleworking reducestime and travel costs for meetings, conferences and training thusminimising organisational overheads.   Individual teleworkers alsobenefit from reduced costs in transportation, clothing, childcare, andreduced absenteeism.   Teleworking can also help firms remain in the same location and avoidfuture relocation to larger premises.   This particular cost saving ishighly remunerative due to the increasing real estate prices in urbanareas today and the substantial cost savings in office space.   Peoplewho telework do not use office space and do not create overheads.   Evenin case of part-time teleworking space savings are generated.   This isevident at IBM, who is expected to save between 15 to 20 percent inspace requirements by taking away the desks of more than five thousandof its employees and telling them to work at home, in their car, or attheir clients’ offices (Swinton 2002). The claim that teleworking reduces organisational overheads is alsosupported by BT who introduced its â€Å"Workstyle 2000 flexible working†programme ten years ago.   The claim that the programme has saved them134m as a result of teleworking practices.   This includes reducing thenumber of employee desks in London from 10,000 to 3,000, saving  £6,000per desk per year.   There has also been a five% reduction in companycar mileage, resulting in fuel savings of  £9.7m this year alone.   BTalso reports a 20% increase in productivity and that 75% of alltelephone conferences are replacements of face-to-face meetings. Opponents of teleworking argue there are often some initial increasedcosts due to outfitting the teleworkers and making adjustments tocompany computers to accommodate them.   Ford (1995) claims thattelecommuting programs lead to extra costs. He claims that extra coststypically involve additional equipment requirements and funding theprovision of human reso urce services, training, fringe benefits, andrelocating. He continued to argue that the question of cost alsoincludes the equipment and space costs associated with telecommutingprogram and that telephones and electronic equipment cost more fortelecommuters than for traditional workers. It is important that hardware and software provided to teleworkersstarts out and remains uniform because this simplifies supportimmensely.   The required initial investment and length of time forpayback will vary sharply from company to company, however, with themost technologically advanced incurring the least upfront costs.   Giventhat high-tech firms are those under consideration in this study andthey have the most access to the latest and most efficient technology,it then follows that these expenditures do not detract from the savingsfor high-tech firms adopting or practicing teleworking. Additionally, many companies report current pressures on their supportdesk and according to Classe (2000) this will intensify by theintroduction of a remote workforce.   As teleworkers usually worknon-standards hours, longer hours of support cover may be required,which will confer additional associated costs to the employer.   Thecost factor for such support spread across a larger high-t ech companywill have little impact; the same costs spread across a smaller companymay be significant and should be considered a potential drain onresources that could support innovation implementation. SECURITY Security is a major concern for high-tech companies with teleworkingemployees.   Confidential information must be accessible to theteleworkers remotely, information that may range from a product indevelopment to a change in production methods to sensitive profiles offuture customer bases.   This makes the same information more accessibleto hackers and competitors; it is highly unlikely a company couldafford or an employee would want equal security measures on theirprofessional facilities and residences.   In addition, information used and generated by teleworkers willtypically be uploaded to a server for accessibility.   Others within thecompany then have increased chance of access, compromisingintra-company security. Eric von Hippel, however, in his study of knowledge location andinnovation solving, noted â€Å"conducting innovation-related problemsolving at remote sites need not compromise an innovator’s ability toprotect commercially important secrets† (1994).   While greaterpotential for security breaches exist, this in no way indicatessecurity need be compromised by teleworkers. MANAGEMENT One of the biggest problems for managers and staff involved withtelework is measuring and monitoring the work done by employees.Management recognise that it is easier to monitor the level of workdone by employees when they are in the office and managers often worrythat their staff will not work as hard from home.   Teleworking presentspotential issues with the ability to discipline telecommutingemployees, provide a career path, and provide promotionalopportunities.   Those in supervisory positions often see difficultiesin relation to mangers’ human resource management responsibilities(Werdigier and Neibuhr 2002). Ford (1995) also raisies the issue of the telecommutting impact on thesupervisors span of control.   Due to the workers being so spread out,Ford claims that many companies will be forced to reduce the averagespan of supervisory and will not have sufficent control to accommodatethe unique problems of telecommuters.   Ford suggests that another majoraspect of th e supervisory issue is the ability of the manager tocontrol distractions in the work setting and to ensure that theemployee does not become displaced from the informal help and adviceavailable through interaction with a work group. Clearly, managers of such programs need to be trained in remotesupervision.   In addition, they should recognise the possibility thattheir teleworking employees may not have adequate access to training,career and promotional opportunities.   More importantly, theseemployees may miss the informal information sharing that occurs in atraditional work environment.   This will be shown to have a significantimpact on innovation.    REDUCED SOCIAL INTERACTION AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE Social isolation seems to be mostly acknowledged by scholars as themost significant potential or actual drawback of teleworking.  Ã‚   Whilesome employees welcome the new freedom that comes with lesssupervision, others say they miss the camaraderie and socialinteraction that comes with face-to-face office operations.   However,this usually depends on the professional level of the employee.   Smith(1997) argues that the higher the level, then the more electroniccontacts and networks; hence, less social isolation is experienced. Video conferencing could help ease the psychological trauma that comeswith social isolation, allowing multiple numbers of people to converseand perform work together in an electronic version of face-to-facecommunication.   This may allow teleworkers to increase the humanemotion and communicational flexibility often lacking in electroniccommunication.   Social isolation also implies that for teleworkersthere is minimal peer availability for informal work relateddiscussions as one might get, for example, in a staff cafeteria atlunch times. In addition, teleworkers may lack the political connections and cloutto get innovations approved or funded.   With reduced opportunities tobuild relationships on the job, they are forced to propose or supportinnovation solely on the merits of the proposal (Werdigier and Neibuhr2002).   While this theoretically could be a positive result ofteleworking, in practice it reduces the chance of innovative input fromteleworkers being initiated or implemented. DECREASED KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE It could similarly be argued that the largest detraction of teleworkingon innovation in high-technology organisations is the reduction ofknowledge exchange from employee interaction.   Informal and proximitylearning is an ongoing opportunity for training in the traditionaloffice environment not available to teleworkers.   If both are in thesame location, an inexperienced worker can observe another moreexperienced worker and learn from this observation.   This is asignificant training tool for office-based or facility-based workersand one of the main ways knowledge is acquired and exchanged in anorganisation (Classe 2000). CASE STUDY BT The various benefits of telecommuting to the employer can be supportedby the findings of a study conducted amongst 2000 BT employees (2002).  The study revealed that enabling staff to work from home resulted inincreased company productivity and better employee health and qualityof life.   BT claimed that telecommuting saved them  £35m a year inaccommodation, recruitment costs and absenteeism and that teleworkerswere four times less likely to take sick days, averaging three days offa year compared with twelve for office-based staff. The study also revealed that almost 80% of teleworkers claimed to bemore productive thanks to reduced disruption, commuting time andstress, and greater flexibility about when and where to work.  According to Alison Garner, marketing manager for social responsibilityat BT making staff feel part of the BT community was key to theschemes success. Although a small number of teleworkers complain about increased workinghours, four out of five survey respondents claimed that teleworking isimportant or very important for their quality of life.   Almostthree-quarters described their work/life balance as good or verygood.   BT also maintained that its teleworking policies paid off interms of staff recruitment and retention. CASE STUDY – THE SUSTEL PROJECT The Sustel Project, created in 2002 by the EUs Information SocietyTechnologies programme, found that telework increases businessresilience since it allows work to be done when building operations aredisrupted by factors such as the weather. The Project also showed that the influence of telework on human capitaldevelopment, the personal competencies and skills needed to createwealth, was mostly positive.   Seven of the studies found that teleworkhad a significantly positive effect on internal communication andknowledge sharing, often due to the conscious implementation oftechnological tools during telework program deployment.   At theindividual level, the main financial benefit of telework was reducedcommuting costs, which almost all respondents saw as being greater thanthe increased cost of energy in their home. BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS – CONCLUSION At the present time there is a lot of controversy in both academic andpractitioner literatures with respect to how telecommuting affectsorganisation employees.   At one extreme, telecommuting is considered aflexible work arrangement that will solve a multitude of problems.   Atthe other extreme, authors have implicated telecommuting causing anumber of negative consequences including loneliness, isolation,exploitation and increased stress.   While there are a legitimate numberof potentially negative effects of telework, these effects can beminimized by proper program management. A balanced view is presented from Baruch and Nicholson (1997) andGoodrich (1990) who claim that the best output from telecommuting isachieved if it is conducted on a part-time basis. They argue,teleworking on a part-time basis can prevent or significantly reducethe social isolation of teleworkers. There are a number of benefits and drawbacks that should be consideredspecifically by high-tech organisations implementing teleworkprogrammes.   From a broad organisational perspective, the positives ofsuch a programme seem to outweigh the negatives.   However, the twodrawbacks of teleworking with legitimate effect on innovation in thehigh-technology sector are reduced political influence, and knowledgeavailability and exchange.   As these have been identified as ofgreatest impact, these areas will be focused on in this study.   As with teleworking, there are a number of different proposeddefinitions of innovation.   One of the most complete is offered byDamanpour (1996), who defines innovation as â€Å"the adoption of an idea orbehaviour new to the adopting organisation,† which usually occurs as â€Å"aresponse to changes in the external environment or as a pre-emptiveaction to influence the environment† (694).   Innovation is â€Å"departingfrom existing norms and practices,† and â€Å"requires risk taking†(Damanpour 1996, 698).   Edquist (2003) defines innovation as â€Å"newcreations of economic significance, primarily carried out by firms†(2).   Depending on the researcher, innovation is held to require either twoor four steps to implementation.   In the four-step model, theinnovative idea is first discovered or created.   This usually happenswith one individual or a small number of individuals working as ateam.   The idea is then presented to and accept ed by a decision-makingleader or body.   Initial adoption of the innovative idea by theorganisation is the next step, with the company allocating someresources to the development of the idea, such as pilots or testcases.   Implementation occurs when the innovative idea reaches broadacceptance within the organisation and becomes part of its regularproduct, process, or routine (Styles and Goddard 2004).   The two-stepcombines the first three steps of the four-step model under oneheading, initiation (Damanpour 1996). There are three types of innovation:   product innovation, processinnovation and administrative innovation (Edquist 2003).   Allcompanies, and small firms in particular, are more likely to innovatein the product arena, where results are tangible and measurable.  Larger firms will also innovate in process areas.   However, processinnovation is more difficult to implement than product, as it requireschange across multiple systems.   Administration innovation occurs mostfrequently in large, structurally complex companies, as it requires themost widespread changes to the organisation (Damanpour 1996).  Ã‚   Innovation within these three areas can be radical or incremental.  Radical innovation â€Å"produces fundamental changes in the activities ofthe organisation and represent a large departure from existingpractices† (Damanpour 1996, 699).   Radial innovation requires a largerknowledge base and free resources.   Incremental innovation is adoptedmore slowly, and produces less pronounced changes to organisationalsystems and activities. Innovation, therefore, is defined in this study as a change in theproduct, process or administration of an organisation; a new idea thatdeparts from existing norms and practices to respond to the firm’scurrent or future environment.   Innovation implementation requires knowledge, creativity, politicalsupport (within the organisation), and adequate resources.   Increasingany of the above or making the systems that control them moreeffective, therefore, has a positive effect on innovation.   Asinnovation requires both change and risk, companies will only undertakeinnovation if it is perceived as necessary to their survival or can beshown to have financial incentives.   Recognizing the forces driving the organisation to innovate isimportant.   For example, environmental uncertainty and environmentalcomplexity both contribute to increased innovation.   Uncertainty aboutthe future leads directly to a concerted effort to increase knowledgebase and exchange.   This influx of information then leads to increasedinnovation (Damanpour 1996).   This is especially evident inhigh-technology firms, where a market leader product today may becompletely obsolete by next year.   Definite, articulated identificationof the need for and support of innovation within the organisationgreatly enhances the chance of implementation of an innovative idea. Similarly, development or adjusting organisational systems to encourageand support innovation increases the chance of innovative success.  Damanpour found that â€Å"large organisations can facilitate theimplementation of innovations by adopting more flexible structures andorganising themselves into smaller units† (1996, 700).   Creation ofinnovative ideas is more likely in complex organizations, where thereis a larger knowledge base and an increase in knowledge exchange(Damanpour 1996).  Ã‚   However, larger organisations are less likely tomove innovative ideas to implementation as they are typically moreformalized, with lower managerial incentive to innovation (Hitt,Hoskisson and Ireland 1990).   An example of this is IBM, which made a sy