Search

Begin New Search Topic Management

21. Holy Scarcity and the Management of Mecca

Author:
Barclay Bram, Charlie Harris, and Christopher McKenna
Publication Date:
11-2022
Content Type:
Case Study
Institution:
Oxford Centre for Global History
Abstract:
There are three stone pillars in the city of Mina, just east of Mecca. During the Hajj, pilgrims must strike one of the three jamraat with seven pebbles. In the subsequent days they must return and stone each of the pillars, with pebbles no greater than the size of a chickpea that they find in the plain nearby or in Mina itself. Pilgrims collect at least 49 such pebbles, keeping them in a small pouch as they perform their other religious duties. “The stoning of the devil” is a ritual that is a key part of the Hajj pilgrimage, which is a religious obligation all able-bodied Muslims who are capable of doing so must complete at least once in a lifetime.1 It is such an important act that some Muslims change their name afterwards, adding the honorific al-H or hajji. In parts of the Arab world families of returned hajjis paint murals on their homes to alert their neighbours to the pilgrim in their midst.2 Throwing the stones symbolises the actions of Ibrahim when he faced the trial of sacrificing his son, Ismail, upon the commandment of Allah. The pillars represent each of the three places in which the devil tried to dissuade Ibrahim from carrying out Allah’s will.
Topic:
Islam, Religion, Capitalism, and Management
Political Geography:
Saudi Arabia and Mecca

22. What Have We Learned About Learning? Unpacking the Relationship Between Knowledge and Organisational Change in Development Agencies

Author:
Pablo Yanguas
Publication Date:
01-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
Abstract:
Development practitioners learn, their organisations not so much. In this paper, Pablo Yanguas finds little evidence for the “learning hypothesis” that knowledge makes development agencies more effective. As we near 2030, the role of M&E, research, and adaptive approaches may need to be reassessed.
Topic:
Development and Management
Political Geography:
Global Focus

23. Korea's Aid Agencies and Result-Based Management System

Author:
Yul Kwon, Ju Young Lee, and Chami Park
Publication Date:
12-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)
Abstract:
This study was conducted to analyze the current situation of results-based management in Korea's ODA agencies and to find ways to reform the results-based management system. To this end, a fact-finding survey and literature review were conducted for the government agencies implementing ODA. This study also analyzed each institution’s aid implementation system, types of aid, and performance management environment. Based on this analysis, organizations that conduct self-evaluation were compared and classified into three results-based management models. The appropriate results-based management methods and evaluation indicators were derived according to the evaluation system and characteristics of each model.
Topic:
Development, Domestic Policy, and Management
Political Geography:
Asia and South Korea

24. Scalable Early Warning Systems for School Dropout prevention: Evidence from a 4.000-School Randomized Controlled Trial

Author:
Francisco Haimovich, Emmanuel Vazquez, and Melissa Adelman
Publication Date:
08-2021
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Distributive, Labor and Social Studies (CEDLAS)
Abstract:
Across many low- and middle-income countries, a sizable share of young people drop out of school before completing a full course of basic education. Early warning systems that accurately identify students at risk of dropout and support them with targeted interventions have shown results and are in widespread use in high-income contexts. This paper presents impact evaluation results from an early warning system pilot program in Guatemala, a middle-income country where nearly 40 percent of sixth graders drop out before completing ninth grade. The pilot program, which was implemented in 17 percent of Guatemala’s primary schools and largely leveraging existing government resources, reduced the dropout rate in the transition from primary to lower secondary school by 4 percent (1.3 percentage points) among schools assigned to the program, and by 9 percent (3 percentage points) among program compliers. Although the effect size is relatively modest, the low cost of the program (estimated at less than US$3 per student) and successful implementation at scale make this a promising and cost-effective approach for reducing dropout in resource-constrained contexts like Guatemala.
Topic:
Education, Management, Schools, Dropout Prevention, Early Warning, and Impact Evaluation
Political Geography:
Central America and Guatemala

25. EU defence projects: Balancing Member States, money and management

Author:
Dylan Macchiarini Crosson
Publication Date:
12-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
Abstract:
European Defence Union (EDU) initiatives are proceeding at full steam ahead with the political backing of both the EU institutions and key Member States. The fourth wave of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects is but a recent example of such, with the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) set to dole out its first tranche of European Defence Fund (EDF) appropriations in the coming months. Alongside this, the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) annual defence data report has highlighted the progress made in EU-wide defence expenditure, despite the economic fallout from Covid-19. The framework guiding the consolidation of a dynamic and integrated European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB), however, requires some fine-tuning. If EDU initiatives are to incentivise more inclusive and better funded projects essential to remedying the shortfalls identified by the EDA’s Capability Development Priorities (CDPs), reducing the number of systems operated at EU level, and enhancing interoperability, then several key proposals outlined in this paper should be considered.
Topic:
Defense Policy, European Union, Money, Management, and Regional Politics
Political Geography:
Europe

26. Data Science Teams: Evolution of the Full-Contact Sport

Author:
Colleen McCue and Brandon Daigle
Publication Date:
12-2021
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Fletcher Security Review
Institution:
The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Abstract:
No one today questions whether data science can confer competitive advantage to organizations effectively adopting these capabilities. Considerable attention has been paid to technology, talent, and training as organizations attempt to build data science programs in an effort to convert aspiration to practice; moving from simply counting and reporting what happened to datainformed prediction and prescription. As understanding of the various and specific data science roles has evolved, talent development, management, and leadership are emerging as new frontiers. Organizations now work to create data science capacity where effective and responsible use of advanced analytics makes the whole truly more than a sum of the parts. Organizations increasingly recognize data science as a “must have” capability and are scrambling to recruit and hire data science talent. Data literacy programs are also proliferating given growing empirical research demonstrating the importance of upskilling across the organization in order to optimize data science talent and efforts. At the same time, the community is moving away from the data science “unicorn” concept in favor of a data science ecosystem. This is built through aggregation and assembly of complementary data science skill sets in support of meaningful, scalable, and sustainable breadth and depth of capacity. The challenge many organizations now face is how to organize and manage this disparate yet complementary talent? While the data science Venn Diagram has become ubiquitous, recent analysis suggests we are actually looking at something with far greater complexity and depth– more akin to a data science “tapestry” where unique data science capabilities and roles are intricately interwoven across the enterprise.297 Although aesthetically appealing, the tapestry construct is inherently static. Experience increasingly suggests that fixed data science resource allocation constructs are inflexible and even brittle; breaking in response to rapid evolution or change. Moreover, fixed or otherwise inflexible organizational constructs may have limited capacity to adjust on the fly to address unanticipated challenges and opportunity alike. What is needed, therefore, is data science capacity that is relatively fluid, agile and dynamic. It should be able to rapidly pivot in response to changing conditions, including unforeseen shortcomings or failures, while also setting the conditions to fully capitalize on unexpected windfalls in support of true competitive advantage. With this evolving understanding of high-performing data teams, we propose that analytically competitive organizations actually operationalize data science as something closer to a full-contact team sport where no one rides the bench.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Leadership, Data, and Management
Political Geography:
Global Focus

27. Fly Ash Management in India: A Critique of existing and proposed frameworks

Author:
Vidya Viswanathan, Kanchi Kohli, and Manju Menon
Publication Date:
08-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Centre for Policy Research, India
Abstract:
On 22.04.2021, India’s Environment Ministry published a Draft Fly Ash Notification, which was open for public comments for 60 days and sought to replace the earlier notifications with respect to fly ash management since 1999. As a response to the draft, we made a submission to the Ministry on the need to reassess the approach, design and content of the fly ash related regulations. This submission highlighted five main issues that lead to enforcement challenges in regulating fly ash. The Environmental Justice Program at Centre for Policy Research has been studying the issue of fly ash mismanagement and its failures in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Odisha. Based on our research on the regulatory gaps in fly ash management and the social and ecological impacts from it, we have put together a report which elaborates on the five main issues identified in the submission made to the Ministry. This report: Discusses the lacunae in the implementation of the existing fly ash management regulations using primary and secondary data. And compares the proposed draft against the backdrop of current status of fly ash management efforts.
Topic:
Environment, Pollution, and Management
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

28. Enhancing Inter-Firm Linkages through Clusters and Digitalisation for Productivity Growth

Author:
Vo Tri Tranh
Publication Date:
01-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
Abstract:
This paper examines the policies for industrial cluster development in Viet Nam. The first export processing zone was established in 1991. Since 1994, Viet Nam has focused more on developing domestic productive capacity and thus various types of industrial estates were established. The key actors in industrial cluster policy are the government, Prime Minister, ministries, provincial people’s committees, and management boards of industrial and economic zones. The choice of industrial estate is often determined by factors such as geographic location, land, labour, infrastructure, industry, business environment, and incentives. Viet Nam has provided various incentives to industrial estates of various types, but the scope and extent of preferential policy support for firms in general and those operating in industrial and economic zones are rather modest. The industrial estates have contributed significantly to attracting foreign direct investment, to exports, to productivity improvement, etc. Looking forward, Viet Nam needs further efforts on industrial cluster development, including development of statistics, analysis of cluster policy impacts, and provision of FTA-consistent incentives.
Topic:
Development, Industrial Policy, Governance, Leadership, and Management
Political Geography:
Asia and Vietnam

29. New Contours of Management: Artificial Intelligence, Interconnected World and Industry 4.0

Author:
Jagdish N. Sheth
Publication Date:
11-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
India International Centre (IIC)
Abstract:
One of the key drivers of change is technology, which is the focus of today’s talk. If the companies are not able to transition from analogue to digital technology, you see disruptions, such as Amazon in retailing. Or, you see disruptions from rising companies like Uber that are transforming the ride-sharing industry completely from outside in. So, in my presentation, I will articulate how technology has consequences on society, and definitely consequences on management.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Industry, Management, and Fourth Industrial Revolution
Political Geography:
India and Global Focus

30. Learning from What We Know: How to improve evaluation synthesis for humanitarian organisations

Author:
Neil Dillon
Publication Date:
01-2020
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
ALNAP: Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance
Abstract:
Although the volume of evaluations published by humanitarian actors has increased tenfold between 2007 and 2017 in this resource library, the evaluation system still struggles to provide evidence about collective performance of the humanitarian sector. Evaluation synthesis provides one option for building information about response-wide performance. They aggregate findings from a defined range of evaluations using a specific analytical framework and typically seek to provide digestible lessons for senior management by drawing on findings from multiple projects and interventions. In short, they help us to learn from what we know. This paper provides guidance on when to do an evaluation synthesis and how to do it well.
Topic:
International Organization, Management, Performance Evaluation, and Humanitarian Response
Political Geography:
Global Focus