Operational guidelines for assessing the impact of agricultural research on livelihoods. Good practices from CIMMYT

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Disease Surveillance Networks Initiative Global: Final Evaluation

In August 2009, the Rockefeller Foundation commissioned an independent external evaluation of the Disease Surveillance Networks (DSN) Initiative in Asia, Africa, and globally. This report covers the results of the global component of the summative and prospective1 evaluation, which had the following objectives:[1] Assessment of performance of the DSN Initiative, focused on its relevance, effectiveness/impact, and efficiency within the context of the Foundation's initiative support.[2] Assessment of the DSN Initiative's underlying hypothesis: robust trans-boundary, multi-sectoral/cross-disciplinary collaborative networks lead to improved disease surveillance and response.[3] Assessment of the quality of Foundation management (value for money) for the DSN Initiative.[4] Contribute to the field of philanthropy by:a. Demonstrating the use of evaluations in grantmaking, learning and knowledge management; andb. Informing the field of development evaluation about methods and models to measure complex networks

Diversity Management Program Strategies to Support Competitive Advantage and Sustainable Growth

The study focuses on key characteristics that affect diversity management (DM) in the United States. Developing effective strategies to support and enhance workforce diversity is a competitive business advantage as diverse workforce economic and social contributions outpace homogeneous workgroups. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that service organization leaders (diversity practitioner-leaders) use to develop DM programs to support competitive business advantage and sustainable growth. The general systems theory and DM framework were the lens that guided the study. Five diversity practitioner-leaders from service organizations with business operations in the northwestern region of United States were interviewed. Participants responded to open-ended interview questions. Data collection processes included validating and triangulating the information gathered from participants via transcript review and use of archival business documents and peer-reviewed sources. Following the thematic data analysis, major themes emerged that include linking diversity programs to business goals, educating and creating diversity awareness, and implementing diversity reporting and accountability. Findings revealed strategies that diversity practitioner-leaders could use to enhance workplace DM practices and support sustainable business growth. The study findings could help organizational leaders to affect positive social change by building diverse, welcoming, and all-inclusive workplace cultures, whereby all employees can strive to achieve their full potential, thus improving employee engagement and productivity. As workplace diversity improves, employees\u27 engagement and productivity increases as well as their socioeconomic contributions

Science Through the “Golden Security Triangle”: Information Security and Data Journeys in Data-intensive Biomedicine.

37th International Conference on Information Systems, Dublin, Ireland, 11-14 December 2016This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the Association for Information Systems via the URL in this record.This paper talks about ways in which infrastructure for biomedical data-intensive discovery is operationalized. Specifically, it is interested in information security solutions and how the processes of scientific research through data-intensive infrastructures are shaped by them. The implications of information security for big data biomedical research have not been discussed in depth by the extant IS literature. Yet, information security might exert a strong influence on the processes and outcomes of data sharing efforts. In this research-in-progress paper I present a developing, in-depth study of a leading information linkage infrastructure that is representative of the kind of opportunities that big data technologies are occasioning in the medical field. This research calls for IS to extend the discussion to consider, building on the empirical detail of intensive case studies, a whole range of relations between provisions for information security and the processes of scientific research and data work.This research is funded by the European Research Council under the European Union's 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) / ERC grant agreement n° 335925

Internal IT Control Systems and Global Regulation of Organizations: The Rise of Control Assemblages

The encounter between global regulation and IT offers a challenging environment in organizations to investigate how internal control systems (ICS) emerge and social orders are changed. In this research paper, I used the opportunity to investigate assemblages that have coded and territorialized IT in a large organization. Based on a case study, the paper emphasizes that ICS are composed of loosely structured, ever evolving heterogeneous components and systems, which are involved in constant re-conceptualization. In particular, processes leading to the creation of control assemblages, resulting tensions and conflicts, and the roles of the installed base and exteriorized relations are shortly discussed

Situating Food Insecurity in a Historic Albuquerque Community: The Whorled Relationship between Food Insecurity and Place

This article examines conceptualizations of the relationship between food insecurity and place. We use an ethnographically inspired and community-engaged approach to situate our analysis of fluid dynamics at work in a community with high levels of food insecurity. We propose that the relationship between place and people’s experience of food insecurity is recursive, dialectical, and “whorled.” This relationship reflects complex, interconnected, and multidimensional processes with consequences for the health of residents. Our research demonstrates the key nature of the health-place nexus by exploring how food insecurity articulates with place in unexpected ways that go beyond discussions of food, food environments, food access, food practices or food systems that have become common in the literature

Science Through the “Golden Security Triangle”: Information Security and Data Journeys in Data-intensive Biomedicine

This paper talks about ways in which infrastructure for biomedical data-intensive discovery is operationalized. Specifically, it is interested in information security solutions and how the processes of scientific research through data-intensive infrastructures are shaped by them. The implications of information security for big data biomedical research have not been discussed in depth by the extant IS literature. Yet, information security might exert a strong influence on the processes and outcomes of data sharing efforts. In this research-in-progress paper I present a developing, in-depth study of a leading information linkage infrastructure that is representative of the kind of opportunities that big data technologies are occasioning in the medical field. This research calls for IS to extend the discussion to consider, building on the empirical detail of intensive case studies, a whole range of relations between provisions for information security and the processes of scientific research and data work

Post-disaster housing reconstruction in a conflict affected district, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka: Reflecting on the Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management Approach

Sri Lanka has been the scene of waves of resettlement due to the conflict and the 2004 South Asian Tsunami. Practical Action Sri Lanka, in partnership with DESMIO, a local NGO, sought to facilitate a housing project with people with disabilities and those most vulnerable in Manmunipattu Division of Batticaloa – a conflict affected and hazard prone division. This case study highlights the extent to which Practical Action Sri Lanka's housing intervention reflects a climate smart disaster risk management (CSDRM) approach and whether this has led to an opening of inclusive spaces and citizen engagement on disaster risk management (DRM) in a post-conflict setting

Natural disasters : what is the role for social safety nets?

This paper makes the case for why safety nets are an important tool for managing the risk of natural hazards. The use of safety nets is advocated both ex ante, to prevent and mitigate the impact of natural disaster and ex post, to cope with the impacts of natural shocks. Firstly, the paper explores the implications of contextual factors to be taken into account in the design of an effective safety net system to respond to the needs generated by natural disasters. Learning from the responses to a number of recent natural disasters, a typology of the different types of natural hazards which require different approaches to reduce their risk is introduced. Secondly, the paper considers some'guidelines'for improving the design and implementation of safety nets either to prevent and/or to recover from natural disasters. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations for more effective safety net and suggestions for addressing key issues are outlined.Safety Nets and Transfers,Hazard Risk Management,Food&Beverage Industry,Labor Policies,Natural Disasters