Designing effective contracts within the buyer-seller context: a DEMATEL and ANP study

This study examines the factors that contribute to effective contract design within the context of buyer-seller relationship. Research streams on contract factors, supply chain factors, environmental factors, and competitive factors were reviewed to arrive at 18 contract factors. A hybrid model of Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (ANP) analysed empirical data collected from 17 experts to weight the importance of contract factors. It was found that most important factors are, in order of significance: policies, supplier technology, force majeure, formality, relationship learning, buyer power, legal actions, liquidated damages, supplier power and partnership

A Guide to Actionable Measurement

Outlines the foundation's common principles, approaches, and taxonomies for measuring outcomes in its Global Health, Global Development, and United States program areas at the strategy, initiative, and grant levels. Includes best practices to aspire to

The Political Economy Of Sanitation: How Can We Increase Investment and Improve Service For The Poor?

This report presents the results of a Global Economic and Sector Work (ESW) Study on the Political Economy of Sanitation in Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Senegal that was conducted by the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) and the World Bank. Its purpose is to help WSP and the World Bank -- through a better understanding of the political economy of sanitation -- in their efforts to support partner countries and development practitioners in the design, implementation, and effectiveness of operations that aim to provide pro-poor sanitation investments and services to improve health and hygiene outcomes

Understanding construction delay analysis and the role of pre-construction programming

Copyright © 2013, American Society of Civil Engineers. This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below.Modern construction projects commonly suffer from delay in their completions. The resolution of time and cost claims consequently flowing from such delays continues to remain a difficult undertaking for all project parties. A common approach often relied on by contractors and their employers (or their representatives) to resolve this matter involves applying various delay analysis techniques, which are all based on construction programs originally developed for managing the project. However, evidence from literature suggests that the reliability of these techniques in ensuring successful claims resolution are often undermined by the nature and quality of the underlying program used. As part of a wider research carried out on delay and disruption analysis in practice, this paper reports on an aspect of the study aimed at exploring preconstruction stage programming issues that affect delay claims resolutions. This aspect is based on an in-depth interview with experienced construction planning engineers in the United Kingdom, conducted after an initial large-scale survey on delay and disruption techniques usage. Summary of key findings and conclusions include: (1) most contractors prefer to use linked bar chart format for their baseline programs over conventional critical path method (CPM) networks; (2) baseline programs are developed using planning software packages. Some of these pose difficulties when employed for most delay analysis techniques, except for simpler ones; (3) manpower loading graphs are not commonly developed as part of the main deliverables during preconstruction stage planning. As a result, most programs are not subjected to resource loading and leveling for them to accurately reflect planned resource usage on site. This practice has detrimental effects on the reliability of baseline programs in their use for resolving delay claims; and (4) baseline program development involves many different experts within construction organizations as expected, but with very little involvement of the employer or its representative. Active client involvement is however quite important as it would facilitate quick program approval/acceptance before construction, a necessary requirement for early delay claims settlement, which otherwise are often left unresolved long after the delaying events with the potential of generating into expensive disputes. The study results provide a better understanding of the key issues that need attention if improvements are to be made in delay claim resolutions. Additional research focusing on the testing of these results using a much larger sample and rigorous statistical analysis for generalization purposes would be helpful in advancing the limited knowledge of this subject matter

Unlocking the potential of community composting: Full project report

Community based composting schemes can make valuable contributions to the development of local infrastructure and amenities by improving soils and green spaces in addition to diverting waste from landfill. Furthermore, well managed community activities have potential for providing work and volunteering opportunities, as well as bringing people together and improving skills, knowledge and self-confidence. Considered collectively these factors may contribute to local sustainability more effectively than focusing on meeting particular waste related targets. Although there is some anecdotal and financial evidence for the growth in, and diversity of, community composting, there is very little comprehensive data that draws together the activity of the sector as a whole. This research set out to understand and assess the current and potential role of the community composting sector in achieving Defra’s waste related targets and Government’s other wider environmental and social objectives. Thus this research is timely both in terms of establishing what has been achieved in the community composting sector to-date and in terms of possibilities for future achievements

A conceptual framework to assess the impact of training on equipment cost and availability in the military context

Designing military support is challenging and current practices need to be reviewed and improved. This paper gives an overview of the Industry current practices in designing military support under Ministry of Defence/Industry agreements (in particular for Contracting for Availability (CfA)), and identifies challenges and opportunities for improvement. E.g. training delivery was identified as an important opportunity for improving the CfA in-service phase. Thus, an innovative conceptual framework is presented to assess the impact of training on the equipment availability and cost. Additionally, guidelines for improving the current training delivery strategies are presented, which can also be applied to other Industry contexts

Learning from 20 Years of Payments for Ecosystem Services in Costa Rica

Costa Rica's Payments for Ecosystems Services (PES) programme has become something of an icon in the world of conservation. Its innovative blend of economic and regulatory instruments - and its hitches and successes - provide a valuable source of inspiration for other countries that are looking for effective ways to conserve and regenerate ecosystems. Since 1997, nearly one million hectares of forest in Costa Rica have been part of the PES programme at one time or another, and forest cover has now returned to over 50 per cent of the country's land area, from a low of just 20 per cent in the 1980s. What lessons can be learnt from the 20 years since it was founded? Also published in Spanish, this paper is for local practitioners, international researchers and donors who are interested in the Costa Rican experience

A New Tool for Scaling Impact: How Social Impact Bonds Can Mobilize Private Capital to Advance Social Good

Provides an overview of how social impact bonds work; the key players, including nonprofits, investors, and government; potential risks with intervention models, execution, and government repayment; and how intermediaries can help mitigate those risks

What’s behind the ag-data logo? An examination of voluntary agricultural-data codes of practice

In this article, we analyse agricultural data (ag-data) codes of practice. After the introduction, Part II examines the emergence of ag-data codes of practice and provides two case studies—the American Farm Bureau’s Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data and New Zealand’s Farm Data Code of Practice—that illustrate that the ultimate aims of ag-data codes of practice are inextricably linked to consent, disclosure, transparency and, ultimately, the building of trust. Part III highlights the commonalities and challenges of ag-data codes of practice. In Part IV several concluding observations are made. Most notably, while ag-data codes of practice may help change practices and convert complex details about ag-data contracts into something tangible, understandable and useable, it is important for agricultural industries to not hastily or uncritically accept or adopt ag-data codes of practice. There needs to be clear objectives, and a clear direction in which stakeholders want to take ag-data practices. In other words, stakeholders need to be sure about what they are trying, and able, to achieve with ag-data codes of practice. Ag-data codes of practice need credible administration, accreditation and monitoring. There also needs to be a way of reviewing and evaluating the codes in a more meaningful way than simple metrics such as the number of members: for example, we need to know something about whether the codes raise awareness and education around data practices, and, perhaps most importantly, whether they encourage changes in attitudes and behaviours around the access to and use of ag-data