Advances in implementing Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) techniques in Central America and the Caribbean

[EN] The use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) systems is essential to ensure the sustainability of plans, programs and policies. This works shows, for the first time in the scientific literature, a joint vision of the current situation of SEA systems in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic. The analysis has been performed using data collected from an exhaustive review of the pre-existing literature and specific information obtained from personal interviews carried out during the SEA forum held in Bogota in 2018. Legal mechanisms in the Central American and Caribbean region reveal that specific regulation is not necessary to apply and develop SEA systems. Little experience in SEA development in the region is evidenced in the absence of SEA methodologies adapted to the different contexts of policies, plans, programs and governance circumstances. SEA results' dissemination procedures have been performed only in El Salvador and Costa Rica. Besides, results show that no monitoring mechanisms for the programs implemented under SEA processes have been applied to date. To ensure the future development of SEA processes in the region under sustainable criteria, it is essential to ensure the support of decision makers so that plans and policies can be properly adapted.Rodrigo-Ilarri, J.; González-González, L.; Rodrigo-Clavero, M.; Cassiraga, EF. (2020). Advances in implementing Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) techniques in Central America and the Caribbean. Sustainability. 12(10):1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104039S1171210Victor, D., & Agamuthu, P. (2014). Policy trends of strategic environmental assessment in Asia. Environmental Science & Policy, 41, 63-76. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2014.03.005Brown, A. L., & Thérivel, R. (2000). Principles to guide the development of strategic environmental assessment methodology. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 18(3), 183-189. doi:10.3152/147154600781767385Fundingsland Tetlow, M., & Hanusch, M. (2012). Strategic environmental assessment: the state of the art. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 30(1), 15-24. doi:10.1080/14615517.2012.666400White, L., & Noble, B. F. (2013). Strategic environmental assessment for sustainability: A review of a decade of academic research. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 42, 60-66. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2012.10.003Unalan, D., & Cowell, R. (2009). Adoption of the EU SEA Directive in Turkey. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 29(4), 243-251. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2008.11.003Geneletti, D. (2011). Reasons and options for integrating ecosystem services in strategic environmental assessment of spatial planning. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 7(3), 143-149. doi:10.1080/21513732.2011.617711Ramos, T. B., Montaño, M., Joanaz de Melo, J., Souza, M. P., Lemos, C. C. de, Domingues, A. R., & Polido, A. (2015). Strategic Environmental Assessment in higher education: Portuguese and Brazilian cases. Journal of Cleaner Production, 106, 222-228. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.12.088Alshuwaikhat, H. M. (2005). Strategic environmental assessment can help solve environmental impact assessment failures in developing countries. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 25(4), 307-317. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2004.09.003Noble, B., & Nwanekezie, K. (2017). Conceptualizing strategic environmental assessment: Principles, approaches and research directions. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 62, 165-173. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2016.03.005MARGATO, V., & SÁNCHEZ, L. E. (2014). QUALITY AND OUTCOMES: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT IN BRAZIL. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 16(02), 1450011. doi:10.1142/s1464333214500112Rozas-Vásquez, D., & Gutiérrez, P. (2018). Advances and challenges in the implementation of strategic environmental assessment in Chile. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 36(5), 425-428. doi:10.1080/14615517.2018.1490048Biehl, J., Köppel, J., Rodorff, V., Huesca Pérez, M. E., Zimmermann, A., Geißler, G., & Rehhausen, A. (2019). Implementing strategic environmental assessment in countries of the global South – An analysis within the Peruvian context. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 77, 23-39. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2019.02.009Sánchez, L. E., & Silva-Sánchez, S. S. (2008). Tiering strategic environmental assessment and project environmental impact assessment in highway planning in São Paulo, Brazil. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 28(7), 515-522. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2008.02.001MONTAÑO, M., OPPERMANN, P., MALVESTIO, A. C., & SOUZA, M. P. (2014). CURRENT STATE OF THE SEA SYSTEM IN BRAZIL: A COMPARATIVE STUDY. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 16(02), 1450022. doi:10.1142/s1464333214500227Sistema de la Integración de Centroaméricawww.sica.intVerheem, R. A. A., & Tonk, J. A. M. N. (2000). Strategic environmental assessment: one concept, multiple forms. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 18(3), 177-182. doi:10.3152/147154600781767411Van Doren, D., Driessen, P. P. J., Schijf, B., & Runhaar, H. A. C. (2013). Evaluating the substantive effectiveness of SEA: Towards a better understanding. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 38, 120-130. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2012.07.002Stoeglehner, G., Brown, A. L., & Kørnøv, L. B. (2009). SEA and planning: ‘ownership’ of strategic environmental assessment by the planners is the key to its effectiveness. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 27(2), 111-120. doi:10.3152/146155109x438742Acharibasam, J. B., & Noble, B. F. (2014). Assessing the impact of strategic environmental assessment. 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IL DMS: UN NUOVO APPOCCIO AL TURISMO DI REGGIO CALABRIA

Given the complex nature of cities, it is argued that the promotion of tourist destinations requires an integrated management approach based on governance principles and strategic vision of competitiveness. Despite the importance of DMS on the competitiveness of small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs), SMTEs’ representation in DMS is low and problematic. The discussion in the article centers on local challenges, a review of the literature, and an assessment of emerging trends, needs, and opportunities for Reggio Calabria Tourism. The emergence of destination management systems (DMSs) as "info-structures" enables destinations to disseminate comprehensive information about resources and services of destinations and local tourism products as well as to facilitate the planning, management, and marketing of regions as tourism entities or brands. This research provides a suggestion to create a local Destination Management Systems (DMS) to provide benefits to both consumer and the tourism industry in the Reggio Calabria metropolitan city. This article explores success criteria for DMSs. It analyzes the needs and wants of stakeholders and thus provides guidance for the development and assessment of DMSs

Construction IT in 2030: a scenario planning approach

Summary: This paper presents a scenario planning effort carried out in order to identify the possible futures that construction industry and construction IT might face. The paper provides a review of previous research in the area and introduces the scenario planning approach. It then describes the adopted research methodology. The driving forces of change and main trends, issues and factors determined by focusing on factors related to society, technology, environment, economy and politics are discussed. Four future scenarios developed for the year 2030 are described. These scenarios start from the global view and present the images of the future world. They then focus on the construction industry and the ICT implications. Finally, the preferred scenario determined by the participants of a prospective workshop is presented

Environmental modelling of the Chief Information Officer

Since the introduction of the term in the 1980’s, the role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) has been widely researched. Various perceptions and dimensions of the role have been explored and debated. However, the explosion in data proliferation (and the inevitable resulting information fuelled change) further complicates organisational expectations of the CIOs role. If organisations are to competitively exploit the digital trend, then those charged with recruiting and developing CIOs now need to be more effective in determining (and shaping) CIO traits and attributes, within the context of their own organisational circumstances and in line with stakeholder expectations. CIOs also need to determine their own suitability and progression within their chosen organisation if they are to remain motivated and effective. Before modelling the role of the future CIO, it is necessary to synthesise our current knowledge (and the lessons learnt) about the CIO. This paper, therefore, aims to identify and summate the spectrum of key researched ‘themes’ pertaining to the role of the CIO. Summating previous research, themes are modelled around four key CIO ‘dimensions’, namely (1) Impacting factors, (2) Controlling factors (3) Responses and (4) CIO ‘attributes’. Having modelled the CIOs current environment, and recognising the evolving IT enabled information landscape, the authors call for further research to inform the recruitment and development of the future CIO in terms of personal attributes and the measurable impact such attributes will have on their respective organisation

Performance measurement : challenges for tomorrow

This paper demonstrates that the context within which performance measurement is used is changing. The key questions posed are: Is performance measurement ready for the emerging context? What are the gaps in our knowledge? and Which lines of enquiry do we need to pursue? A literature synthesis conducted by a team of multidisciplinary researchers charts the evolution of the performance-measurement literature and identifies that the literature largely follows the emerging business and global trends. The ensuing discussion introduces the currently emerging and predicted future trends and explores how current knowledge on performance measurement may deal with the emerging context. This results in identification of specific challenges for performance measurement within a holistic systems-based framework. The principle limitation of the paper is that it covers a broad literature base without in-depth analysis of a particular aspect of performance measurement. However, this weakness is also the strength of the paper. What is perhaps most significant is that there is a need for rethinking how we research the field of performance measurement by taking a holistic systems-based approach, recognizing the integrated and concurrent nature of challenges that the practitioners, and consequently the field, face

Applied Research Through Partnership: the Experience of the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Research Observatory

Paper presented at a seminar on ‘Los Observatorios Regionales de Políticas Públicas como Herramientas de Gestión de Información: Una Aproximación al Estudio del Rendimiento Autonómico, at the Centro de Estudios de Gestión, Análisis y Información, Campus de Somosaguas, La Universidad Complutense, Madrid, 23-24 November, 2000 Ten years ago, a Regional Research Observatory (ReRO) was established to provide ‘clients’ in Yorkshire and Humberside with a single point access to a region-wide data and analysis service. The Observatory’s portfolio covered activities relating to applied research and consultancy, intelligence, education and training, publications and networking. The first part of the paper explains the concept of the Observatory as it was initially conceived as a form of partnership across all the universities in the region, outlines the structure of the organization that was created, explains the arrangements for operating the Observatory as a partnership initiative, and exemplifies the outputs and achievements during the first half of the decade. In order to facilitate its regional monitoring activities, ReRO constructed a Regional Intelligence Centre (RIC), a customised geographical information system in which to store key data sets and generate a range of statistical indicators for the region as a whole or its constituent parts. The second part of the paper explains the structure of the RIC and its contents. It argues that the main advantage that derives from the construction of such a centre is the value that is added to raw information through data handling and integration, through skilled interpretation and through the provision of new information, maybe in the form of forecasts of what is likely to happen in the future, as well as analyses of what has happened in the past. The third and final part of the paper explores some of the key issues and difficulties relating to the operation of the Observatory and considers some of the reasons that have accounted for its loss of momentum in the last few years. This has occurred over a period of increased political attention to regional administration and planning in the UK, exemplified by the creation of Scottish and Welsh Assemblies and the emergence of Regional Development Agencies and Regional Assemblies across England. A retrospective evaluation demonstrates a number of lessons that have been learnt and provides a number of useful guidelines to those attempting to establish similar structures elsewhere in the developed world

Marketing information systems for strategic planning in the digital age

El marketing efectivo requiere de procesos de información continuos. Las acciones estratégicas y las investigaciones aisladas no son suficientes, lo que necesitan las empresas son sistemas integrales de información cuyos procesos abarquen desde la recopilación de datos hasta la planificación y control empresarial. Este estudio utiliza una metodología de revisión literaria para describir cómo los métodos de marketing y la planificación estratégica se han visto afectados por los sistemas de información de marketing (SIM), los avances tecnológicos y los cambios en los medios de comunicación. Los resultados explican la evolución y las aplicaciones de SIM en relación con las estrategias y desarrollos de marketing en la era digital. El estudio concluye que las empresas deben adaptarse a las tendencias y demandas dentro de su sector, y a las necesidades y expectativas de sus clientes. El potencial de los medios digitales debe de explotarse de manera más efectiva y debe desarrollarse un sistema flexible de información continua para facilitar la toma de decisiones que permitan el desarrollo empresarial.  Effective marketing requires continuous information. Isolated strategic actions and research are not enough: what companies need are comprehensive information process systems that cover everything from data collection to business planning and monitoring. This study uses a literary review methodology to describe how marketing methods and strategic planning have been affected by marketing information systems (MKIS), technological advances and changes in media. The results assess the evolution and applications of MKIS in relation to marketing strategies and developments in the digital age. The study concludes that companies need to adapt to trends and demands within their sector, and to their customers’ needs and expectations. The potential of digital media should be exploited more effectively and a flexible system of continuous information should be developed to facilitate decision-making for business development

Forms and processes of information systems evolution

The way in which software evolves over time has been much studied and is now fairly well-understood. What has been less thoroughly studied are the processes by which information systems – containing software as one component, but also with significant human and organisational aspects – evolve. In many organisations, few information systems are built at all from scratch, but rather are modified from or built on top of existing ones or bolted together from third-party components. In practice, the old division between design, implementation and maintenance has largely disappeared. In this paper, I discuss the nature of IS evolution. I make a distinction between planned (intentional and strategic) evolution, for which we can formulate a clear process; and unplanned (emergent and externally-driven) evolution, where we can simply study the dynamics of the process and be ready for events

Planning strategically, designing architecturally : a framework for digital library services

In an era of unprecedented technological innovation and evolving user expectations and information seeking behaviour, we are arguably now an online society, with digital services increasingly common and increasingly preferred. As a trusted information provider, libraries are in an advantageous position to respond, but this requires integrated strategic and enterprise architecture planning, for information technology (IT) has evolved from a support role to a strategic role, providing the core management systems, communication networks, and delivery channels of the modern library. Further, IT components do not function in isolation from one another, but are interdependent elements of distributed and multidimensional systems encompassing people, processes, and technologies, which must consider social, economic, legal, organisational, and ergonomic requirements and relationships, as well as being logically sound from a technical perspective. Strategic planning provides direction, while enterprise architecture strategically aligns and holistically integrates business and information system architectures. While challenging, such integrated planning should be regarded as an opportunity for the library to evolve as an enterprise in the digital age, or at minimum, to simply keep pace with societal change and alternative service providers. Without strategy, a library risks being directed by outside forces with independent motivations and inadequate understanding of its broader societal role. Without enterprise architecture, it risks technological disparity, redundancy, and obsolescence. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this conceptual paper provides an integrated framework for strategic and architectural planning of digital library services. The concept of the library as an enterprise is also introduced

Human Resource Management in New Jersey State Government

In 2005, the State of New Jersey Department of Personnel commissioned the Heldrich Center to study the critical human resource management issues confronting New Jersey state government. This report highlights the study's findings including: the human resource management function must be elevated to a position of primacy in state government, the state must reengineer the Department of Personnel into an effective human resource management agency with a broader mission than overseeing transactions and compliance with statutes and regulations, and the state must support its human resource function with adequate staff resources