Perceptions of HIV/AIDS policies and treatment programmes by Western Cape construction firms

The HIV/AIDS pandemic poses a substantial long‐term threat to economic development in South Africa. A questionnaire survey explored the perceptions of a sample of construction firms in the Western Cape regarding HIV/AIDS policy and treatment programmes. The findings show that there is no universal view about the long‐term threat of HIV/AIDS. Most organizations have awareness policies in place but prevention and treatment policies are less common. Treatment programmes are the least implemented of all intervention services due to insufficient resource capacity, the potential stigmatization of infected persons, and low take‐up rates. Despite an acknowledgement of the benefits flowing from mounting treatment programmes, doubt exists as to their financial viability.     

The strategic management of architectural practice

The paper develops a model for the strategic management of architectural practice with the aim of better understanding how practices compete with each other for work around a tripartite definition of quality. It assesses the ways in which architectural practices are distinctive as knowledge-based organizations, before assessing some of the characteristics of their industrial context. Drawing on the work of Maister and Porter, it then develops a model of generic strategies for architectural practice which, it is suggested, can form the basis for further research and consultancy. Finally, some comments are made suggesting why architectural practices are relucant to think in strategic terms.     

新乡村建设与规划师的职责——基于广西百色华润希望小镇乡村建设实验的思考

在新的时代背景下,探索适合乡村可持续发展的乡村建设理论具有重要意义,而当前活跃的乡村建设实践则为理论创新提供了基础。广西百色华润希望小镇是国内首例由央企捐建,政府、村民及高校机构等联合运作的乡村建设实验,具有一定的理论和实践探索意义。本文在对百色华润希望小镇乡村建设实验讨论的基础上,针对当前乡村发展面临的挑战,以实现乡村可持续发展为目标,构建起包括改善建成环境、扶持产业经济和重构社会组织"三位一体"的乡村建设理论及运行机制,并阐述其在百色华润希望小镇的具体实施与成效。最后,对该理论及实践进行检讨,探讨了乡村规划与乡村建设的关系以及乡村规划师在乡村建设中的职责等问题。     

Examining Open Data at the Urban Level: An Exploration of “Wellbeing Toronto”

This paper examines how Wellbeing Toronto (WT)—a free, open data, GIS tool that allows users to map information—has evolved into an extensive data repository with robust data analysis capabilities. Explored is the progress of open data scholarship in relation to municipal government and civic participation. Based on this, the authors note the following: (1) as open data becomes increasingly prevalent, a more varied understanding of the organization and structure of municipal government may emerge. (2) There is a need for measures of civic engagement to move beyond data co-production towards an organization-based interactive approach.     

The economical and international dimensions of the environmental problems,environmental problems in the Black Sea region and the role of the voluntary organizations

Differently than in the past, today environmental problems have local, national and international concern. The environmental problems in the Black Sea region are a good example for this phenomenon. These problems have affected all six countries that have shores with the Black Sea. The current study analyses these problems in detail. It intends to detect potential reasons for problems and provide suggestions to solve these problems by considering the economic dimensions. In addition, the impact of problems on the city life is examined. Also, the roles and importance of voluntary organizations on solving environmental problems are emphasized.     

"教育评估中介机构"概念质疑

本文从语词含义和造词宗旨入手,剖析了中介机构与评估机构、中间机构、缓冲组织的区别,以论证“教育评估中介机构”概念不当而应予废弃。     

Bridging the critical interface: Ambidextrous innovation for water provision in Nairobi's informal settlements

This article examines innovation activities in water infrastructure in Nairobi, Kenya. The focus is on efforts by Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Corporation (NCWSC) to provide water services to the inhabitants in the informal areas of the city using an automated vending machine, or Pre-Paid Dispenser (PPD). In this study, we investigate what happens when a regime actor like NCWSC tries to implement an ambidextrous (two-handed) strategy: managing the existing system according to conventional practice and at the same time innovate in new technical solutions and business models to cater for unconnected users.Besides presenting our results, our aim in this article is also to introduce a research strategy for innovation studies in infrastructural systems in low-income urban areas. Three interconnected parts stand out as our contribution:First, we present a novel conceptual framework, by adding ideas from innovation studies to the Large Technical Systems approach. We investigate how regime actors can innovate to provide water to unconnected users, without expanding the system in a traditional way.Second, we propose a novel method for analysing and understanding innovation on the margins of the infrastructural system, or in our terms, innovation in the critical interface. Central to our method is, through empirical observation, to identify misalignment between the innovation (PPD) and contextual factors at the local level, where the innovation is implemented (interface misalignment), and misalignment between the innovation and the existing water regime (internal misalignment). We use a qualitative method and results forms as a basis for further research and starting point for regime actors in search of an improved ambidextrous strategy.Third, we analyse the innovation process per se. In the Nairobi case, we assess the ambidextrous innovation strategy, and claim that the PPD functions as an adapter in the critical interface, enabling the regime actors to operate in an environment of misalignment.     

A framework for decision makers to design a business analytics platform for distributed organizations

The growth of business analytics applications in decision making is becoming a significant component in today's organizations, and the powerful changes brought by such applications to both centralized and distributed organizations have led decision makers to revise the way they capture, process, and analyze both structured and unstructured data and make decisions. This study discusses how business analytics tools can supply distributed organizations with a new operating model, process, and outlet to disseminate knowledge, and provides a framework for building a business analytics platform that may be employed by decision makers and managers to realize the full potential of a comprehensive decision-making platform in a distributed organizational setting.     

International development projects by non-governmental organizations: an evaluation of the need for specific project management and appraisal tools

International development (ID) projects are pivotal in the field of international aid, but their actual impact is difficult to assess and often questioned. Focusing on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in this paper we analyse two aspects related to the impact of ID projects. The first concerns the characteristics of ID projects. We reviewed the literature to define the distinctive features of these projects. Second, we analyse the state of the art of project management processes and tools for ID projects. In particular, we verify the differences between standard project management methodologies (i.e. PMBOK® Guide and IPMA) and the methodologies specifically developed for NGOs (i.e. PM4NGOs and PM4DEV). The results suggest the need for specific managerial approaches and tools for ID projects. In particular, we show that standard project management methodologies could be complemented by specific tools (e.g. the logical framework) in order to increase the likelihood that high social impact is the outcome of the project.     

Getting even or moving on? Power, procedural justice, and types of offense as predictors of revenge, forgiveness, reconciliation, and avoidance in organizations.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 92(1) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2006-23339-006). The first sentence in the first paragraph on page 660 is incorrect. The corrected sentence should read as follows: "The patterns of all three interactions support our theoretical explanation that (a) a victim of lower status than the offender pursues revenge as the only means of achieving justice when procedural justice climate is low and (b) victims with high absolute status refrain from revenge by attempting forgiveness and reconciliation when procedural justice climate is high because the organization can be counted on to mete out justice."] A field study and an experimental study examined relationships among organizational variables and various responses of victims to perceived wrongdoing. Both studies showed that procedural justice climate moderates the effect of organizational variables on the victim's revenge, forgiveness, reconciliation, or avoidance behaviors. In Study 1, a field study, absolute hierarchical status enhanced forgiveness and reconciliation, but only when perceptions of procedural justice climate were high; relative hierarchical status increased revenge, but only when perceptions of procedural justice climate were low. In Study 2, a laboratory experiment, victims were less likely to endorse vengeance or avoidance depending on the type of wrongdoing, but only when perceptions of procedural justice climate were high. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)