Issues in front-end decision-making on projects

The importance of the front-end decision-making phase in projects is being increasingly recognized - the need to do the right project is on a par with doing the project right. This area is underrepresented in the literature, but there are a number of key themes that run throughout, identifying key issues or difficulties during this stage. This article looks at some of these themes and includes: the need for alignment between organizational strategy and the project concept; dealing with complexity, in particular the systemicity and interrelatedness within project decisions; consideration of the ambiguity implicit in all major projects; taking into account psychological and political biases within estimation of benefits and costs; consideration of the social geography and politics within decision-making groups; and preparation for the turbulence within the project environment, including the maintenance of strategic alignment

Women in Medieval Bergen. Gender and Material Culture

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Preface and Acknowledgement

Background. The choice of treatment strategy for coronary artery disease is often based on: 1) anatomical information on stenosis locations, and 2) functional information on their haemodynamic relevance, e.g. myocardial deformation or perfusion. Inspecting a single fused image containing both anatomical and functional information, as opposed to viewing separate images side-by-side, facilitates this treatment choice. The aim of this study is to develop a novel cardiac fusion imaging technique to combine 3D+time echocardiography (3DE) (functional information) with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) (anatomical information). Method. 3DE and CCTA data sets were obtained from 20 patients with suspected coronary artery disease. The coronary artery tree was segmented from the CCTA images. A semi-automatic fusion algorithm was developed to perform the following steps: The left ventricle (LV) 3D surfaces were segmented in the CCTA image and 3DE images and used to align the two data sets. The moving 3DE LV was then visualized along with the CCTA coronary arteries. Myocardial strain was estimated and visualized on the LV surface. Results. Preliminary fusion results from images of one patient have been obtained. The figure shows the CCTA coronary artery tree aligned with a) 3DE LV endocardium in end-systole, b) 3DE LV endocardium in end-diastole, and c) 3DE LV with colour-coded instantaneous longitudinal strain. Discussion. Preliminary results show that fusion of CCTA and 3DE images is feasible. However, the algorithm needs to be further developed to increase automation and include other functional parameters, such as myocardial perfusion. Moreover, a validation study to assess algorithm performance and diagnostic value in multiple patients will be performed. QC 20150122</p

Mid-term Review of the Angola Programme of Norwegian People\u27s Aid

This report reviews how the Programme of Norwegian People\u27s Aid has adapted to reach the objectives it has set for its work for the period from 2004 to 2007. The strategy for 2004-2007 focuses on land and resource rights and democratic rights and participation, and is organised within two programmes, mine action (85% of resources) and development (15%). The evaluation focuses on two different programme areas: The Mine Action Programme: The programme was established in 1995 and specialises in demining and surveying. The period reviewed has been successful on several counts: the number of square metres cleared per year has increased dramatically, cost efficiency has improved, and efforts to achieve socio-economic objectives have been strengthened through the use of aid money. Yet a number of improvements could be made like: making better use of information collected in the Task Impact Assessments (TIA) process, by improving TIA questionnaires and using narrative data for statistical analysis, include women in TIA survey teams, let TIA teams collect data on women\u27s versus men\u27s perceptions and needs. The Development Programme: The programme works in the three provinces and runs activities within land and resources rights, democratic rights and participation, and in relation to building the capacities of partner organisations. With regard to activities on land and resources rights, the programme is well on track towards reaching its aims regarding agricultural development. More effort is needed, however, to reach aims related to land rights and community self-organisation and empowerment

Mowi ASA : Strategic Analysis

This master’s thesis has conducted a strategic review of the salmon farming company Mowi ASA. The main objectives of the thesis are to explore Mowi’s origin and history from a financial and strategic perspective, the challenges and opportunities that the company faces today, and a presentation of how the company can make good strategic decisions going forward to address these. The thesis consists of six chapters, where Chapter 1 describes how Mowi started with three pioneers in their backyard to become the largest Atlantic salmon farming company in the world. Chapter 2 examines Mowi’s fully integrated value chain and introduces industry characteristics. The chapter aims to provide useful insights into the technicalities of how salmon is produced, key factors that salmon farmers must consider, and Mowi’s position. In Chapter 3, we dive into Mowi’s financial situation with a particular focus on the company’s profitability, setting the basis for our subsequent analysis and discussions around Mowi's strategic positioning going forward. In Chapter 4, we compare Mowi’s position and profitability to competitors at Mowi’s various farming locations globally, with a particular focus on regions in Norway. Throughout the competitor analysis, the goal is to discover the causes behind the differences in profitability and how Mowi can improve in each area. The recently announced resource rent tax on Norwegian salmon farming operations has gained serious attention in the media. Norwegian salmon farmers are highly concerned about the impact of the resource rent tax on their operations. In Chapter, 5 we introduce the proposed resource rent tax and analyse its impact on Mowi’s Norwegian farming operations. Finally, Mowi’s alternative strategic measures are discussed in Chapter 6. Our first recommendation for Mowi is to prioritize further investments and growth in Scotland. In addition, Mowi should strive to improve its operations in Norway, as Norway will constitute a significant portion of Mowi’s business in the future despite the resource rent tax. Our last recommendation for Mowi is to improve its presence and performance within the feed segment, which will be less affected by the resource rent tax than the farming segment.nhhma

Comparison of AOD, AAOD and column single scattering albedo from AERONET retrievals and in situ profiling measurements

Here we present new results comparing aerosol optical depth (AOD), aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) and column single scattering albedo (SSA) obtained from in situ vertical profile measurements with AERONET ground-based remote sensing from two rural, continental sites in the US. The profiles are closely matched in time (within ±3 h) and space (within 15 km) with the AERONET retrievals. We have used Level 1.5 inversion retrievals when there was a valid Level 2 almucantar retrieval in order to be able to compare AAOD and column SSA below AERONET's recommended loading constraint (AOD > 0.4 at 440 nm). While there is reasonable agreement for the AOD comparisons, the direct comparisons of in situ-derived to AERONET-retrieved AAOD (or SSA) reveal that AERONET retrievals yield higher aerosol absorption than obtained from the in situ profiles for the low aerosol optical depth conditions prevalent at the two study sites. However, it should be noted that the majority of SSA comparisons for AOD440 > 0.2 are, nonetheless, within the reported SSA uncertainty bounds. The observation that, relative to in situ measurements, AERONET inversions exhibit increased absorption potential at low AOD values is generally consistent with other published AERONET–in situ comparisons across a range of locations, atmospheric conditions and AOD values. This systematic difference in the comparisons suggests a bias in one or both of the methods, but we cannot assess whether the AERONET retrievals are biased towards high absorption or the in situ measurements are biased low. Based on the discrepancy between the AERONET and in situ values, we conclude that scaling modeled black carbon concentrations upwards to match AERONET retrievals of AAOD should be approached with caution as it may lead to aerosol absorption overestimates in regions of low AOD. Both AERONET retrievals and in situ measurements suggest there is a systematic relationship between SSA and aerosol amount (AOD or aerosol light scattering) – specifically that SSA decreases at lower aerosol loading. This implies that the fairly common assumption that AERONET SSA values retrieved at high-AOD conditions can be used to obtain AAOD at low-AOD conditions may not be valid

Local biomass burning is a dominant cause of the observed precipitation reduction in southern Africa

Observations indicate a precipitation decline over large parts of southern Africa since the 1950s. Concurrently, atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols have increased due to anthropogenic activities. Here we show that local black carbon and organic carbon aerosol emissions from biomass burning activities are a main cause of the observed decline in southern African dry season precipitation over the last century. Near the main biomass burning regions, global and regional modelling indicates precipitation decreases of 20–30%, with large spatial variability. Increasing global CO2 concentrations further contribute to precipitation reductions, somewhat less in magnitude but covering a larger area. Whereas precipitation changes from increased CO2 are driven by large-scale circulation changes, the increase in biomass burning aerosols causes local drying of the atmosphere. This study illustrates that reducing local biomass burning aerosol emissions may be a useful way to mitigate reduced rainfall in the region

Community Driven Development in Contexts of Conflict. Concept Paper Commissioned by ESSD, World Bank

Violent conflict represents not only a significant barrie r to development; it also wipes out efforts to improve the situation. Experience from many developing countries has shown that Community Driven Development (CDD) programmes have been particularly effective in establishing or expanding essential social services and physical infrastructure at the local level. However, using CDD approaches in a conflict context as a means in post-war rehabilitation represents new challenges. When carried out in contexts of past or persistent conflict, CDD projects are confronted with some major challenges: •communities where projects are set may be deeply divided; •power is unequally distributed; •lines between combatants and civilians may be blurred; •a need to address past traumas may give rise to calls for inquiries or trials; and •economic recovery and basic services may be urgently needed. Nonetheless, the point of departure in this paper commissioned by the CDD unit of the Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD) Network of the World Bank, is that participatory and demand-led development approaches might potentially address three critical concerns in conflict contexts: •The need for speedy and cost-effective delivery of reconstruction assistance. •The need to improve the state-citizen relationship. •The need to create alternative forms of community organisation that foster reconciliation between factions of the society

Emerging Asian aerosol patterns

Anthropogenic aerosol emissions over Asia are changing rapidly, both in composition and spatial distribution1. The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), potential narratives of development used by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change in future projections, span a range of influences of aerosols on climate over the next decades. Several of these narratives project the continuation of a trend manifested in observations since 2010, with a clear dipole between South and East Asia. The patterns of radiative forcing that result from these distributions of aerosols will differ from those of the late 20th century. They may instigate large-scale atmospheric responses that could have wide ranging impacts on climate and society well beyond the aerosol source regions. South and East Asia are particularly vulnerable to climate change because of strong seasonal variations in precipitation, high average temperature, and very high population density. Therefore, any aerosol impacts on the strength or seasonal variations in monsoon rainfall, freshwater availability, or climate extremes, will incur large societal costs. We urge the scientific community to make definite progress towards understanding and quantifying the impacts of Asian aerosols and to tackle the potentially large regional and hemispheric implications of these emerging trends