Country Director Research Articles

Styling in professional folk choreographic art of the present

Purpose of the article is to analyze the today popular trends - stylization of folk dance, as well as determining its place and role in professional choreographic art. The methodology of the research involves the use of general scientific methods of theoretical and empirical levels: analysis and generalization of scientific and theoretical research foundations, comparative and logical methods. These methods allow us to characterize stylization in folk choreographic art, analyze the creative activity of leading professional choreographic groups from different countries and determine the role of stylized folk dances in their repertoire. The Scientific Novelty of the research represents the analysis of the repertoire of leading professional groups from different countries, stylization of folk dance which is the main direction of their creative activity. Conclusion. The folk dance stylization attracts more and more attention of directors in different countries and even becomes a stage philosophy of many foreign professional groups creativity. In Ukraine, for recent decades, attention has also been grown to the stylization of folk dance, and although national teams do not "specialize" in stylizing folk dance today, stylized numbers are presented in almost every concert program. This trend is popular due to such characteristic features of modern choreographic art as the interpenetration of various styles, the diversity of forms and directions and entertainment. The way stylization will develop in the future depends on the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of the directors, their skill in the creative interpretation of folklore choreographic material.

Foreign Expatriates on Board and Financial Performance: A Study of Listed Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

Due to the recent financial scandals, there has been a growing need and debate amongst researchers on variables to strengthen the corporate governance of a firm. This study examined the relationship between foreign expatriates on board and financial performance of deposit money banks in Nigeria. Applying panel methodology for the period of 2008 to 2016 as well as other econometric analysis such as descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and Hausman test, the findings revealed a positive but insignificant relationship exist between foreign expatriates on board and financial performance of sampled deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study recommends that banks should ensure that they have an appropriate number of foreign directors on their board who have diverse skills and wealth of experience in order to make their performance on the banks significant. Also, developing countries who don’t have access to foreign directors can train their local directors in foreign countries so as to gain access to the benefits of global knowledge and experience.

Give power to the people

London Business School ReviewVolume 30, Issue 1 p. 6-7 Original Article Give power to the people Juliet Ehimuan, Juliet EhimuanSearch for more papers by this author Juliet Ehimuan, Juliet EhimuanSearch for more papers by this author First published: 27 June 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/2057-1615.12268 COUNTRY DIRECTOR OF GOOGLE NIGERIA AT THE FOREFRONT OF INITIATIVES TO EMPOWER BILLIONS IN AFRICA THROUGH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume30, Issue1January 2019Pages 6-7 RelatedInformation

Practices and consequences of using humanitarian technologies in volatile aid settings

This article presents the results of an exploratory study into aid agencies’ use of technologies for security purposes. Since there appears to be a consensus in the aid sector that areas of operations are increasingly dangerous, aid agencies are upgrading their security strategies by adopting technological innovations. I conducted Skype interviews with security managers and country directors responsible for operations in dangerous countries. These interviews show that humanitarian technologies are more and more used in volatile countries for security reasons. In this light, I empirically assess the critique of some academics (1) that risks are not mitigated but transferred to more vulnerable actors, (2) that technology is not a neutral fix but has local political repercussions, and (3) that international and national aid workers grow increasingly distant from their local counterparts and the people they aim to help. This article contributes to the literature by critically re-evaluating and nuancing these critiques.

The effect of national cultural differences of board members on integrated reporting

This research, based on stakeholder theory and the national cultural dimensions, aims to test the influence of foreigners on board and its size on Integrated Reporting (IR) practices. The analysis is based on a sample of 1,058 European companies from 18 different countries, who adopted or not the IR for the year 2015, and it relies on a Logit. The dependent variable is a dummy (presenting or not the IR) and the independent variables are represented by the board characteristics (foreigners and size). The impact of the critical mass on the presence of foreigners and the cultural dimension on the basis of directors’ nationality was tested relying on the masculinity/femininity dimension of Hofstede. Besides, the directors’ country of origin was considered, namely if they belong to the major European countries presenting a wider IR diffusion. The relationship between foreigners on board and IR is found to be negative. This means that companies with at least one foreigner are less inclined to adopt IR. The results show that the boards with more of three foreign administrators have a major propensity to adopt the IR. The membership of the directors in countries with a feminist culture also has a positive effect.

Shortages of benzathine penicillin for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis: An evaluation from multi-country surveys and stakeholder interviews.

BackgroundBenzathine penicillin G (BPG) is the only recommended treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission of syphilis. Due to recent reports of country-level shortages of BPG, an evaluation was undertaken to quantify countries that have experienced shortages in the past 2 years and to describe factors contributing to these shortages.Methods and findingsCountry-level data about BPG shortages were collected using 3 survey approaches. First, a survey designed by the WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research was distributed to 41 countries and territories in the Americas and 41 more in Africa. Second, WHO conducted an email survey of 28 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention country directors. An additional 13 countries were in contact with WHO for related congenital syphilis prevention activities and also reported on BPG shortages. Third, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) collected data from 14 countries (where it has active operations) to understand the extent of stock-outs, in-country purchasing, usage behavior, and breadth of available purchasing options to identify stock-outs worldwide. CHAI also conducted in-person interviews in the same 14 countries to understand the extent of stock-outs, in-country purchasing and usage behavior, and available purchasing options. CHAI also completed a desk review of 10 additional high-income countries, which were also included. BPG shortages were attributable to shortfalls in supply, demand, and procurement in the countries assessed. This assessment should not be considered globally representative as countries not surveyed may also have experienced BPG shortages. Country contacts may not have been aware of BPG shortages when surveyed or may have underreported medication substitutions due to desirability bias. Funding for the purchase of BPG by countries was not evaluated. In all, 114 countries and territories were approached to provide information on BPG shortages occurring during 2014–2016. Of unique countries and territories, 95 (83%) responded or had information evaluable from public records. Of these 95 countries and territories, 39 (41%) reported a BPG shortage, and 56 (59%) reported no BPG shortage; 10 (12%) countries with and without BPG shortages reported use of antibiotic alternatives to BPG for treatment of maternal syphilis. Market exits, inflexible production cycles, and minimum order quantities affect BPG supply. On the demand side, inaccurate forecasts and sole sourcing lead to under-procurement. Clinicians may also incorrectly prescribe BPG substitutes due to misperceptions of quality or of the likelihood of adverse outcomes.ConclusionsTargets for improvement include drug forecasting and procurement, and addressing provider reluctance to use BPG. Opportunities to improve global supply, demand, and use of BPG should be prioritized alongside congenital syphilis elimination efforts.

Data-driven quality improvement in low-and middle-income country health systems: lessons from seven years of implementation experience across Mozambique, Rwanda, and Zambia

BackgroundWell-functioning health systems need to utilize data at all levels, from the provider, to local and national-level decision makers, in order to make evidence-based and needed adjustments to improve the quality of care provided. Over the last 7 years, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s African Health Initiative funded health systems strengthening projects at the facility, district, and/or provincial level to improve population health. Increasing data-driven decision making was a common strategy in Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia. This paper describes the similar and divergent approaches to increase data-driven quality of care improvements (QI) and implementation challenge and opportunities encountered in these three countries.MethodsEight semi-structured in-depth interviews (IDIs) were administered to program staff working in each country. IDIs for this paper included principal investigators of each project, key program implementers (medically-trained support staff, data managers and statisticians, and country directors), as well as Ministry of Health counterparts. IDI data were collected through field notes; interviews were not audio recorded. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis but no systematic coding was conducted. IDIs were supplemented through donor report abstractions, a structured questionnaire, one-on-one phone calls, and email exchanges with country program leaders to clarify and expand on key themes emerging from IDIs.ResultsProject successes ranged from over 450 collaborative action-plans developed, implemented, and evaluated in Mozambique, to an increase from <10% to >80% of basic clinical protocols followed in intervention facilities in rural Zambia, and a shift from a lack of awareness of health data among health system staff to collaborative ownership of data and using data to drive change in Rwanda.ConclusionBased on common successes across the country experiences, we recommend future data-driven QI interventions begin with data quality assessments to promote that rapid health system improvement is possible, ensure confidence in available data, serve as the first step in data-driven targeted improvements, and improve staff data analysis and visualization skills. Explicit Ministry of Health collaborative engagement can ensure performance review is collaborative and internally-driven rather than viewed as an external “audit.”

IDE in Nicaragua: quest for sustainability

Synopsis International Development Enterprises (iDE), a non-profit organization, won numerous awards for its poverty alleviation efforts through the sale of low-cost irrigation technologies to the Base of Pyramid (BoP) farmers around the world. This case discusses iDE’s entry into Nicaragua and the challenges this global social enterprise faced in bringing drip irrigation and other water technologies to the rural subsistence coffee farmers in Nicaragua. It presents the tough decisions it faced in 2012 regarding the future of its for-profit social business, iDEal Tecnologias, in Nicaragua. This case captures the tension in hybrid social enterprises. Research methodology This case was developed through the following primary sources as well as some secondary sources. Primary: discussions with iDE’s CEO Doerksen, Urs Heierli (Coordinator of iDE’s operations in Nicaragua), and Skype conversations with iDEal Tec’s Country Director, Nadja Kränzlin. Secondary: documents provided by the company and other publicly available sources. Relevant courses and levels This case is intended for use in undergraduate, graduate, and executive courses in: social entrepreneurship, non-profit management, and managing sustainable businesses. It may also be used in the sustainability module of courses in international business/management/marketing, and business strategy and policy. It would be best to position this case toward the middle or latter half of the course as it is an integrative case that challenges students to evaluate the sustainability of a social enterprise from multiple perspectives. Theoretical bases The theoretical bases for this case are: defining and implementing a sustainable strategy in hybrid social enterprises. Serving BoP customers with a vision of enabling prosperity.

Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention in Burundi’s 2015 Election Crisis

On April 26, 2015, the small central African nation of Burundi was plunged into its most profound political crisis since the end of a civil war. During the crisis, more than 300,000 people died—often in intercommunal violence. The nomination of President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third term in office led to sustained street demonstrations by opposition forces in the capital; an attempted coup d’etat; and a cycle of insecurity, fear, human rights abuses, and targeted killings. This political crisis threatens to undermine one of the most notable successes in resolving seemingly intractable conflicts in Africa in recent years. The crisis also sheds light on the influence and limits of international cooperation. Building peace in Burundi during the conflict, supporting reconciliation and the consolidation of democracy, and addressing the dynamics of the current crises are the processes that the authors have seen firsthand over the past decade. We both work with Search for Common Ground, an international non-governmental organization that has worked to support societal conflict transformation in the country over the past twenty years. Floride acts as Burundi Country Director, and Mike is Director of Global Affairs.

Civil-Military Engagement: An Empirical Account of Humanitarian Perceptions of Civil-Military Coordination During the Response to Typhoon Haiyan.

This study sought to identify how humanitarian actors in natural disasters coordinate (or communicate) with the military to identify the needs of disaster-affected populations, identify how coordination should be undertaken for the delivery of relief goods, perceive the effectiveness of such coordination, perceive the role that training played in preparation for coordinating with the military and the effectiveness of this training, and view the overall civil-military engagement and its implications for the independence of the humanitarian sector. A survey instrument focused on participant perceptions of the civil-military engagement in response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines was sent to country directors and agency leads who played a role in the response. Although the data supported anecdotal accounts that the coordination between civilian and military actors during the disaster relief efforts in Typhoon Haiyan worked well, they also revealed that fewer than half of the respondents were familiar with the Guidelines on the Use of Foreign Military and Civil Defence Assets in Disaster Relief (the "Oslo Guidelines") and only 12% of respondents thought that the Oslo Guidelines were used to develop organizational policy on humanitarian aid agency engagement with military actors. Humanitarians felt that international militaries and the Philippines Armed Forces played an important role in ensuring that aid reached people in need, particularly in the early days of the response. However, less than half of the respondents were familiar with the Oslo Guidelines.

Leading or managing? Assistant Regional Directors, School Performance, in Queensland

Purpose– Education reform aimed at achieving improved student learning is a demanding challenge for leaders and managers at all levels of education across the globe. In 2010, the position of Assistant Regional Directors, School Performance (ARD-SP), was established to positively impact upon student learning across public schools in Queensland, Australia. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of the role and leadership understandings of ARDs in Queensland in order to understand more fully the tensions and opportunities they face within this reasonably newly created position.Design/methodology/approach– This qualitative study is based on interviews with 18 ARDs and two of their supervisors to gauge a better understanding of the nature of the role as it relates to leadership and management in the Queensland context.Findings– Interview data revealed three key themes pertaining to the nature of the role and these were performance, supervision, and professional challenges. A key finding was that the notion of supervision was experienced as problematic for ARDs-SP.Research limitations/implications– This study has limitations and these include a sample that focused on ARDs within one State of Australia and one schooling system (i.e. public education); and interviews were the primary data collection source.Originality/value– Although there have been studies of supervisors of principals (referred to as superintendents, directors) in other countries and other systems, this study is a first to explore the tensions and opportunities faced by executive leaders in Queensland.

Ebola Perspectives From Opposite Sides of the Globe

Earlier this year, after the Ebola virus gripped West Africa and moved into the United States, Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, and Aiah Gbakima, MD, shared a common goal: educating health professionals and the general public about Ebola. But Frieden and Gbakima approached their objective from vastly different perspectives and opposite sides of the world. As head of the US Cente r s fo r Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), known worldwide for its around-theclock global disease tracking efforts, Frieden occupied a worldw i de s t age . Gbakima, on the other hand, was at the outbreak’s epicenter. Based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, he is editor of the recently launched Sierra Leone Journal of Biomedical Research and country director with Metabiota, a company that tracks infections and provides clinical diagnostics. Recently, during some of the most difficult weeks of the Ebola outbreak, Frieden and Gbakima took time during separate interviews to talk with JAMA. The following is an edited transcript of those interviews.

Independent Directors and Controlling Shareholders Around the World

In this paper, we examine independent directors as a legal transplant from dispersed ownership systems to concentrated ownership ones. We focus on Continental Europe, Japan, Brazil, Russia, India and China. Our main thesis is that independent directors have a different and relatively narrower role to perform in controlled corporations. We also argue that in the law and practice of controlled corporations independent directors often play an even weaker role than economic theory would predict. In order to prove our thesis, we compare the legal regimes applicable to independent directors across countries. We find that the notion and functions of independent directors vary remarkably across our sample jurisdictions. Firstly, the role of independent directors is not always specified. Secondly, independent directors often play a role in audit committees and, less frequently, in nomination and remuneration committees. However, they are rarely tasked with the vetting of related-party transactions and other conflicts of interest situations. Moreover, controlling shareholders often perform some of the functions that are typical of independent directors in diffuse ownership, such as the hiring and firing of managers and the setting of their remuneration. We conclude that the weak role of independent directors in several countries shows that they are often appointed mainly to accommodate investors’ preference for western-style corporate governance.

The HIV Modes of Transmission model: a systematic review of its findings and adherence to guidelines.

IntroductionThe HIV Modes of Transmission (MOT) model estimates the annual fraction of new HIV infections (FNI) acquired by different risk groups. It was designed to guide country-specific HIV prevention policies. To determine if the MOT produced context-specific recommendations, we analyzed MOT results by region and epidemic type, and explored the factors (e.g. data used to estimate parameter inputs, adherence to guidelines) influencing the differences.MethodsWe systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and UNAIDS reports, and contacted UNAIDS country directors for published MOT results from MOT inception (2003) to 25 September 2012.ResultsWe retrieved four journal articles and 20 UNAIDS reports covering 29 countries. In 13 countries, the largest FNI (range 26 to 63%) was acquired by the low-risk group and increased with low-risk population size. The FNI among female sex workers (FSWs) remained low (median 1.3%, range 0.04 to 14.4%), with little variability by region and epidemic type despite variability in sexual behaviour. In India and Thailand, where FSWs play an important role in transmission, the FNI among FSWs was 2 and 4%, respectively. In contrast, the FNI among men who have sex with men (MSM) varied across regions (range 0.1 to 89%) and increased with MSM population size. The FNI among people who inject drugs (PWID, range 0 to 82%) was largest in early-phase epidemics with low overall HIV prevalence. Most MOT studies were conducted and reported as per guidelines but data quality remains an issue.ConclusionsAlthough countries are generally performing the MOT as per guidelines, there is little variation in the FNI (except among MSM and PWID) by region and epidemic type. Homogeneity in MOT FNI for FSWs, clients and low-risk groups may limit the utility of MOT for guiding country-specific interventions in heterosexual HIV epidemics.

2013 Harold Mitchell Development Policy Annual Lecture: The Challenges of Aid Dependency and Economic Reform - Africa and the Pacific

Jim Adams delivered the 2013 Harold Mitchell Development Policy Lecture on November 14, 2013. The Harold Mitchell Development Policy Lecture Series, of which this is the second, has been created to provide a new forum at which the most pressing development issues can be addressed by the best minds and most influential practitioners of our time. The 2012 Harold Mitchell Development Policy Lecture was delivered by Emilia Pires and is available as Dev Policy Discussion Paper 26.Jim Adams retired in 2012 after 37 years at the World Bank. His last assignment was as the Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific from 2007-2012, where he worked on and traveled extensively in the Pacific island region. He spent almost half of his career working on Africa, leading the Bank’s program as the Regional Director in Kenya in the late 1980s and as Country Director in Tanzania and Uganda from 1995-2002. From 2002 to 2007 he served as the head of operational policy in the Bank, overseeing a program directed at making the Bank more responsive to its clients’ needs. In his lecture Jim focuses on how effective economic reform emerged in Africa and related institutional and capacity issues. Drawing on this and his Pacific experience, he puts forward a number of proposals that could be taken up by governments and aid donors in the Pacific to accelerate economic reform and support the emergence of improved government institutions and policy making capacity.

International Variation in Perceiving Goals of a Youth Development Programme (Lions Quest)

We investigated the perceptions of the implementers’ goals of an international social and emotional learning (SEL) programme, Lions Quest (LQ). Data were collected from 22 trainers and country directors representing 15 countries who had implemented LQ in their country. The answers were content analysed and categorized and then compared qualitatively with the original goals of the LQ programme. The perceived goals of the LQ implementers were quite similar to the original goals. However, drug and alcohol prevention or service to others was mentioned by only a few participants although they were the original goals of LQ.

O13.5 The HIV Modes of Transmission Model: A Systematic Review of Its Findings and Adherence to Guidelines

BackgroundThe HIV Modes of Transmission model (MOT) estimates the annual percentage distribution of new HIV infections (PNI) by key risk groups. It was designed to guide country-specific HIV prevention policies....

Rebecca Salti: The Bani Hamida Weaving Project and Women’s Empowerment

Rebecca Salti is a pioneer of women’s empowerment in Jordan. In 1985, she established the Bani Hamida Weaving Project as country director of Save the Children in Jordan. The project became a model income-generation project throughout the developing world and is internationally known. It continues today with the participation of three generations of rural Bedouin women of the Bani Hamida Tribe. Rebecca’s skills, energy, and vision led her to establish other income-generation programs in Jordan. This article includes excerpts of an interview with Rebecca, a U.S. native, which presents her insights about the project and women’s empowerment.

Diversity management

PurposeThe objective of this study was to analyze the major challenges and benefits of diversity management in Brazilian companies by assessing the role of human resources.Design/methodology/approachA total of 15 case studies were carried out on companies that operate in Brazil. Brazil is a country with considerable diversity and multiracial backgrounds.FindingsIt was found that diversity management in Brazilian companies is still an emerging issue, and the major challenges are related to discriminatory actions taken by coworkers. Among the 15 companies studied, only four had adopted a consistent set of diversity management and human resources practices. These four companies were the only companies to affirm that diversity management requires the strong support of top management and continuous organization to sustain efforts toward incorporating diversity.Originality/valueResearch studies on diversity management in Brazil are scarce. The findings of this study, however, can be useful to academic professionals and company directors in countries that exhibit similar characteristics to those of Brazil, or to those who are interested in learning more about Brazil.

Haitians Get Creative in Effort to Rebuild Shattered System

Haitians Get Creative in Effort to Rebuild Shattered System