Enhancing project-related behavioral competence in education

The workforce has increasingly been demanding an educational model that produces students experienced in real project management (PM) practices. This includes producing technically competent students--one who can manage real-world project constraints of cost and schedule but also possess critical project related behavioral competence. Such soft skills are essential if a project is to run smoothly and eventually succeed. In this paper, we describe an educational framework grounded in outcomes based education to enhance project-related behavioral competence. Instructors can leverage this framework to augment their existing courses and develop the critical career skill sets of graduating students

The Corporate Social Responsibility Debate

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the arguments concerning corporate social responsibility (CSR). The two sides of the debate are stakeholder theory and shareholder theory. Proponents of stakeholder theory support providing for the discretionary expectations of society. On the other hand, advocates of shareholder theory maintain that businesses should simply obey the law and maximize shareholder wealth. Although CSR is enthusiastically espoused by many social progressives, it is not a panacea for society’s ills. The conclusion of this study is that corporations should focus on legally maximizing shareholder wealth based on ethical principles. CSR should only be pursued if doing so accomplishes this function

Towards developing an industry led educational framework using LEAN approach

The poor performance and inefficient manner in which the construction industry operates has been recognised through a variety of combined government and industry initiatives over the years. A major challenge towards improvement is recognised as lying with education and industry stakeholders actively creating closer and more effective relationships to facilitate a greater mutual understanding. The application of Information Technology (IT) systems can well enhance ‘Lean’ initiatives through improving process flow, reduction of the non-added value activities, better meet customers’ requirements and adding value which will increase the performance of the industry. This paper presents a project that is focused on developing an industry led framework for educational training programmes. The outcomes of two workshops organised with the industry that have resulted in a Continued Professional Development (CPD) training framework comprising of three distinct levels in terms of strategic, operational and technology aspects of that particular key area are discussed. The essence of this work is based on adopting the ‘Lean’ approach and adding value by identifying the IT skills gaps recognised ‘by the industry’ ‘for the industry’ and addressing them in developing training programmes

Corporate social responsibility in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany: theory and forerunners

The results in this paper should help connect theoretical concepts with CSR practices in the current business world. This paper will present the findings of a survey sent to businesses in the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. The empirical data indicate some interesting tendencies. CSR as perceived within the business community is strongly related to environmental management and has a longer history than might have been expected. External factors, such as legal requirements, general external pressure (NGOs, globalization), and media coverage and campaigning have triggered changes in the business world in favor of CSR, but when CSR policies and schemes are initially under discussion, internal forces, such as the board of directors and the middle management, take over and lead the process. Furthermore, the results of the questionnaire show that external forces, such as government, NGOs, and communities, are not relevant with respect to driving CSR development forward

Building Citywide Systems for Quality: A Guide and Case Studies for Afterschool Leaders

This guide is intended to help cities strengthen and sustain quality afterschool programs by using an emerging practice known as a quality improvement system (QIS). The guide explains how to start building a QIS or how to further develop existing efforts and features case studies of six communities' QIS

An evaluation of sustainability in large British companies

This article undertakes an assessment of the sustainability efforts of some of the largest companies that are listed on the FTSE 100 (a share index composed of the 100 largest companies that are listed on the London Stock Exchange according to market capitalisation). It provides empirical insights into how large listed British companies are addressing sustainability and their efforts in terms of incorporating sustainability factors into their business operations. The study was based on an extended content analysis of each company’s annual and sustainability reports. Our findings demonstrate that companies are trying to integrate sustainability in their business strategies even though there are variations in their efforts. There are indications that the majority of the companies have been able to embed sustainability in their strategy and operations and are now attempting to establish goals for further improvement. We found strong evidence of willingness to engage with relevant stakeholders to evaluate which sustainability issues are of importance to the particular companies and then to communicate to those relevant stakeholders the measures that have been taken to integrate sustainability in their business strategies. However, our findings also revealed areas where there is a need for further improvement such as compliance with international standards for sustainability reporting and establishment of better frameworks to enhance their sustainability efforts