Achieving Transparent Integration of Information, Documents and Processes

Abstract Business interoperation is important especially in elec

Putting the Pieces Together for Good Governance of REDD+: An Analysis of 32 REDD+ Country Readiness Proposals

Developing countries are receiving new financial and technical support to design and implement programs that reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (referred to as REDD+). Reducing emissions from forest cover change requires transparent, accountable, inclusive, and coordinated systems and institutions to govern REDD+ programs. Two multilateral initiatives -- the World Bank-administered Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in developing countries (UN-REDD Programme) -- are supporting REDD+ countries to become "ready" for REDD+ by preparing initial strategy proposals, developing institutions to manage REDD+ programs, and building capacity to implement REDD+ activities. This paper reviews 32 REDD+ readiness proposals submitted to these initiatives to understand overall trends in how eight elements of readiness (referred to in this paper as readiness needs) are being understood and prioritized globally. Specifically, we assess whether the readiness proposals (i) identify the eight readiness needs as relevant for REDD+, (ii) discuss challenges and options for addressing each need, and (iii) identify next steps to be implemented in relation to each need. Our analysis found that the readiness proposals make important commitments to developing effective, equitable, and well-governed REDD+ programs. However, in many of the proposals these general statements have not yet been translated into clear next steps

A Methodology for Assessing National Sustainable Development Strategies

At the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, governments undertook to develop and adopt national sustainable development strategies as a key component of implementing the goals of Agenda 21. Only partial progress was reported at the 2002 World Summit in Johannesburg, with uncertainty as to the effectiveness of those strategies that had been introduced. This paper describes a methodology for assessing a country's progress in implementing a national sustainable development strategy for (NSDS) and for identifying potential areas for improvement. Five key principles of sustainable development and strategic planning are identified, and a set of assessment criteria are proposed for each principle. The results of applying the methodology in two Eastern European countries, Belarus and Slovakia, are reported. These case studies suggest that the proposed NSDS assessment methodology has considerable potential for strengthening sustainability planning at the national level. The effectiveness of the NSDS assessment methodology in strengthening national processes for sustainable development and strategic planning will also require greater transparency and accountability in governance practices. This suggests that progress in improving the quality of NSDS processes is likely to be conditional on broader considerations of institutional building and governance reform.sustainable development, strategic planning, national sustainable development strategies, transition countries, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Development,

Aligning enterprise risk management with business strategy and information systems

Business leaders recognise effective risk management as one of the main success drivers for enterprises. Even though the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) concept has evolved significantly in the past years, in the aftermath of recent economic crises it became evident some of its critical challenges still need to be addressed. The review of subject literature led to a conclusion that current ERM approaches failed to protect enterprise value in turbulent and risky market conditions. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a conceptual analysis of the most common ERM practices and frameworks, in order to identify their shortcomings and areas requiring development. It is further aimed to provide guidance to business practitioners in implementing more integrated and effective Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) solutions. This research recognises the importance of aligning ERM programmes with business strategies, and with consolidated Information Systems. A “New Approach ERM Model” is developed as guidance for a successful alignment of ERM with enterprise business strategy, and for an effective adaption of Information Systems to requirements of ERM programmes. The “New Approach ERM Model” steers risk management initiatives and strategies in the same direction, and consequently allows enterprises to improve organisational effectiveness, increase shareholders value, and gain competitive advantage in the market

Achieving Skill Mobility in the ASEAN Economic Community: Challenges, Opportunity, and Policy Implications

Despite clear aspirations by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to create an effective and transparent framework to facilitate movements among skilled professionals within the ASEAN by December 2015, progress has been slow and uneven. This report examines the challenges ASEAN member states face in achieving the goal of greater mobility for the highly skilled, including hurdles in recognizing professional qualifications, opening up access to certain jobs, and a limited willingness by professionals to move due to perceived cultural, language, and socioeconomic differences. The cost of these barriers is staggering and could reduce the region’s competitiveness in the global market. This report launches a multiyear effort by the Asian Development Bank and the Migration Policy Institute to better understand the issues and develop strategies to gradually overcome the problems. It offers a range of policy recommendations that have been discussed among experts in a high-level expert meeting, taking into account best practices locally and across the region

Kesan pembelajaran koperatif terhadap pencapaian pendidikan alam sekitar dalam kalangan pelajar sekolah menengah rendah

Pembelajaran koperatif merupakan satu teknik pembelajaran yang melibatkan pelajar bekerjasama dalam satu kumpulan untuk mencapai matlamat tertentu. Dalam topik Pendidikan Alam Sekitar, pelajar didapati agak lemah dalam memahami sesuatu istilah dan tidak dapat mengaitkan topik dengan pengalaman serta persekitaran mereka. Sebelum ini, pengajaran dan pembelajaran lebih berpusatkan guru. Pembelajaran koperatif pula hanya melibatkan mata pelajaran yang menggunakan makmal atau bengkel. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meninjau kesan pembelajaran berkumpulan terhadap pencapaian pelajar dalam Pendidikan Alam Sekitar melalui mata pelajaran Geografi. Bentuk kajian yang digunakan ialah kuasi-eksperimen yang dijalankan dengan menggunakan ujian pra dan ujian pasca ke atas kumpulan eksperimen dan kumpulan kawalan. Sampel kajian adalah dua kumpulan pelajar tingkatan 1 dari Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Luar Bandar di negeri Johor. Sampel kajian terdiri daripada 37 orang pelajar kumpulan eksperimen dan 35 orang pelajar kumpulan kawalan. Kumpulan eksperimen merupakan kumpulan yang menggunakan kaedah pembelajaran koperatif manakala kumpulan kawalan diajar tanpa pembelajaran koperatif. Instrumen kajian ialah ujian pencapaian, borang soal selidik, jadual pemerhatian dan temubual. Hasil kajian mendapati min pencapaian kumpulan eksperimen adalah tinggi iaitu 18.16 berbanding dengan min kumpulan kawalan, iaitu 13.91. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan terdapat peningkatan pencapaian bagi pelajar yang menjalani pembelajaran koperatif berbanding dengan pelajar yang tidak mengamalkan kaedah pembelajaran tersebut. Pelajar juga dapat menerima penggunaan pembelajaran koperatif dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Kesimpulannya, pembelajaran koperatif bukan sahaja dapat meningkatkan hasil malah dapat meningkatkan kualiti proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran

A Conceptual Model for Group Support Systems in Local Councils

This paper proposes a conceptual model of a context-aware group support system (GSS) to assist local council employees to perform collaborative tasks in conjunction with inter- and intra-organisational stakeholders. Most discussions about e-government focus on the use of ICT to improve the relationship between government and citizen, not on the relationship between government and employees. This paper seeks to expose the unique culture of UK local councils and to show how a GSS could support local government employer and employee needs

Knowledge based economy –technological perspective: implications and solutions for agility improvement and innovation achievement in higher education

Nowadays, the universities, as driving forces of innovative economy and as components of modern society, based on knowledge and collaboration, face a number of challenges and difficulties. In order to overcome them and to create/ensure the bases of eScience education and research activities, universities have to change culturally, strategically, and operationally. The paper highlights the need for ICT (Information and Communications Technology) use and its implications for higher education. In addition, the study places the theoretical aspects into a specific context, combining technologies through interfunctionality in order to ensure academic education agility and innovation. This involves the use of knowledge, process management, service oriented architectures, and Cloud solutions, exemplifying on the Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest case. The integrated approach is extended using the SharePoint 2010 platform to improve academic management and achieve harmonization of teaching and research and development content and methods with European Union standards. The platform has been implemented and tested within two AES departments and the Master’s Degree Studies in Computer Economics. The results have encouraged the integration of the proposed solution within the institution. The study was based on the authors' competences in the areas addressed and was joined with a rigorous analysis of technology trends and various EU countries (Italy, Germany France, Belgium, Netherlands etc.) universities outputs regarding knowledge economy implications for economic higher education studies.knowledge-based economy, information and communications technology, university studies in economics, university management, agility, innovation, SharePoint 2010