Assessment of the Friend of the Sea Fisheries and Aquaculture Certification Program

A variety of seafood certification schemes have developed over the past decade, all claiming that the fish that they certify have been sustainably caught or farmed and that they are the best option for consumers to purchase. Greenpeace is of the opinion that no fully credible certification system for sustainable wild-caught seafood currently exists. So far, the challenges facing our oceans are far from being tackled and the fundamental principles of precaution and ecosystem approach are not yet incorporated into fisheries management

Implementing an environmental audit program in a university setting: A Recommendation for Rochester Institute of Technology

In an effort to assure and move beyond regulatory compliance, Rochester Institute of Technology has begun implementing an environmental management system (EMS) through the RIT Strategic Environmental Management Initiative. As part of this initiative, RIT is considering implementing a comprehensive auditing program to evaluate environmental compliance and management system performance. This thesis evaluates current environmental internal audit program design and implementation practices at other colleges and universities, and compares those to standard environmental audit program implementation and design in the industrial regulated community. The thesis evaluates compliance auditing programs at seven colleges and universities of varying sizes, and environmental management system auditing programs at one ISO 14001-registered university. From this evaluation and comparison, an audit program design strategy recommendation is offered for RIT. It was found that the elements being implemented in the university setting closely mirror those recommended by industrially focused literature sources for industrial entities. At this point, these elements are effectively helping colleges and universities manage their environmental issues and ensure compliance, however, it is still too early in the process to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the industrially focused design and implementation elements being applied in the university setting. As these programs mature, colleges and universities may uncover better ways to organize and manage their audit programs than what is typically recommended for industry. RIT, as it undertakes the task of designing and implementing its internal auditing program, should find mechanisms to keep up with what practices other colleges and universities are implementing to make their internal auditing programs effective. As new design and implementation information becomes available, RIT may decide not to use the recommendations made in this thesis. In the meantime, however, RIT may use these recommendations as a starting point for its internal auditing program, and can later build upon them to reach its environmental performance goals

Learning outcomes and their assessment: putting Open University pedagogical practice under the microscope

The Open University (OU) is the United Kingdom's only university devoted to distance learning. It is also the UK's largest university with over 200,000 students overall. Around 150,000 students are studying undergraduate level courses. Over the last decade major policy changes have impacted on UK higher education. Following the recommendations of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (Dearing Report, 1997) and the establishment of the Quality Assurance Agency, all UK universities have been required to define learning outcomes for their programmes and link learning outcomes to teaching and assessment. This major pedagogic shift led the OU to establish the Learning Outcomes and their Assessment (LOTA) project to re-examine the ways its courses are planned, designed, delivered and assessed, and to initiate necessary institution-wide changes. Explicitly linking outcomes, assessment and teaching, actively using assessment for learning, and supporting academic staff development are key elements in enhancing student learning

A Survey on Usage and Diffusion of Project Risk Management Techniques and Software Tools in the Construction Industry

The area of Project Risk Management (PRM) has been extensively researched, and the utilization of various tools and techniques for managing risk in several industries has been sufficiently reported. Formal and systematic PRM practices have been made available for the construction industry. Based on such body of knowledge, this paper tries to find out the global picture of PRM practices and approaches with the help of a survey to look into the usage of PRM techniques and diffusion of software tools, their level of maturity, and their usefulness in the construction sector. Results show that, despite existing techniques and tools, their usage is limited: software tools are used only by a minority of respondents and their cost is one of the largest hurdles in adoption. Finally, the paper provides some important guidelines for future research regarding quantitative risk analysis techniques and suggestions for PRM software tools development and improvemen

Client attitude to health and safety – A report on contractor’s perceptions

The purpose of this article is to present findings of a preliminary survey on contractors’ perceptions of clients’ attitude relative to health and safety (H&S) implementation in the construction industry of Botswana and Southern Africa. A questionnaire survey was conducted on construction projects to establish clients’ attitude towards H&S. Interviews were also held with contractors’ representatives on selected construction sites in and around Gaborone, Botswana. Findings from the survey include: clients do not perceive H&S to be very important on construction projects; the majority of clients do not address H&S adequately in contract documentation, and H&S is rarely a major item on the agenda of progress meetings. Findings also included that clients are not fully committed to H&S implementation. The client sets the tone for H&S culture. Client attitude is therefore very important for H&S performance improvement as all stakeholders are compelled to act in line with the client’s values. Various researchers have recognised the importance of the client to H&S performance improvement. The extent to which clients are involved in H&S implementation has, however, not been researched extensively, especially in Southern Africa. This article therefore provides an insight into the clients’ attitude towards H&S and explains the reason for the current state of H&S in Botswana’s construction industry

Government auditing standards and Circular A-133 developments - 2010/11; Audit risk alerts

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_indev/2149/thumbnail.jp

Designated auditing agency handbook: Ministry of Health auditor handbook (revised 2015)

Introduction: This handbook outlines the Ministry of Health\u27s requirements of designated auditing agencies for auditing and audit reporting for the certification of health care services under the Health and Disability Services (Safety) Act 2001. The handbook also gives providers of health care services a guide to specific requirements for various types of audits.     &nbsp

Prevention of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) in Adult Oncology Patients

Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) is a preventable issue in healthcare. CLABSI contributes to negative patient outcomes and increased healthcare cost. Research demonstrates that many interventions are effective in reducing the rate of CLABSI. The implementation of CLABSI bundles can significantly reduce the occurrence of CLABSI. This quality improvement project implemented a CLABSI bundle that specifically targeted identified areas of weakness in CLABSI prevention at an organization with a focus on adult oncology care. The three part CLABSI prevention bundle focused on: (a) registered nurses (RN) changing and documenting endcaps in the electronic health record after blood administration, (b) RNs asking about the necessity of central lines during daily rounds and encouraging the removal of unnecessary central lines with the interdisciplinary team, including the physician, and (c) RNs and nurse technicians (NTs) prioritizing and providing chlorhexidine (CHG) baths to patients with central venous catheters daily. Two conceptual models were used to provide a framework for implementation. A pre-post quiz was provided to staff members before and after CLABSI education. Implementation took place over one month. Results yielded a 19.2% (76.6% [n=32] to 95.8% [n=30], p-Value=0.0015) increase in CLABSI prevention knowledge after education, 89.0% (0% [n=7] to 88.9% [n=18], p-Value \u3c0.0001) endcap change rate, 91.2% (0% [n=8] to 91.2% [n=102], p-Value \u3c0.0001) rate for assessing central line necessity during rounds, and CHG bathing at 83.8% (81.2% [n=445] to 83.8% [n=115], p-Value\u3e0.05). No CLABSI were noted during the implementation phase

A Decade of Helping Civil Society Fight Corruption in the Philippines: Results and Lessons

This Report details the results and lessons of a decade long (2003-2013) Partnership for Transparency Fund (www.ptfund.org) support to Filipino civil society organizations to fight corruption. It celebrates the successes and reflects on challenges faced as PTF enters a new phase in its partnership. In 2014 PTF established a regional affiliate called PTF Asia as a foundation headquartered in Manila. As efforts worldwide and in the Philippines have evolved during these ten years, the discussion in this Report offers lessons in going forward towards this new phase as well as initiatives beyond the Philippine