Private Communities Research Articles

Role of Human Resources Function in Successful Organizational Transformations for Efficiency Improvement

Organizational efficiency is generally defined as a measure of relation between the input resources and output generated within a system. Organizational efficiency in public and private sector enterprises and communities plays a key role in ensuring value creation, and thereby, ensuring economic and social sustainability of societies with effective and minimal use of resources, reduced waste and small ecological footprint. Transforming an organization is all about changing a laggard organization to an agile and responsive entity, which foresees changes, willing and adaptive to changes proactively rather, being reactive to changes, which are forced by the operating environments. A proactive organization with visionary leadership foreseeing the challenges establishes mitigation plans to overcome or reduce the impact triggered by operational challenges, while a reactive organization will be impacted by the operational challenges before it initiates changes based on the impact assessment. Transformation of an organization reduces operational costs by eliminating duplications and non-value adding processes (Robbins, 2012). The paradigm of sustainable transformation of organizations has three main components which are interactively functioning: leadership and management, human resources, and organizational culture. Sustainability is defined as ‘responsibility of an organization in sustained generation of economic, environmental and social benefits’ (Gardelliano, 2005). Organization management often gets caught in the contradiction between sustainability and profitability. The shareholders / stakeholders would want short term profitability of an organization while societies around the world are increasingly demanding corporations to be environmentally and socially responsible in its operations with utmost importance being given to their human and natural resources and communities that they operate in. Sustainability also depends on Innovation and Knowledge Development. In a knowledge economy, key engine of growth is knowledge. An economy in which knowledge is acquired, created, disseminated and applied to enhance economic development is known a knowledge economy (Building Knowledge Economy, WBI, 2011). An effective ecosystem which nurtures innovation is based on outputs generated from knowledge centers like universities, research centers, schools, consultancy agencies and other organizations engaged in similar endeavors. The knowledge generated in such centers is applied though right tools to enhance the wellbeing of humans and sustainability of organizations. This paper focuses on the impact of human resource function on the organizational transformation for efficiency improvement.

Spatiotemporal exposome dynamics of soil lead and children's blood lead pre- and ten years post-Hurricane Katrina: Lead and other metals on public and private properties in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.

BackgroundAnthropogenic re-distribution of lead (Pb) principally through its use in gasoline additives and lead-based paints have transformed the urban exposome. This unique study tracks urban-scale soil Pb (SPb) and blood Pb (BPb) responses of children living in public and private communities in New Orleans before and ten years after Hurricane Katrina (29 August 2005). ObjectivesTo compare and evaluate associations of pre- and ten years post-Katrina SPb and children's BPb on public and private residential census tracts in the core and outer areas of New Orleans, and to examine correlations between SPb and nine other soil metals. MethodsThe Louisiana Healthy Housing and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program BPb (µg/dL) data from pre- (2000–2005) and post-Katrina (2010–2015) for ≤6-year-old children. Data from public and adjacent private residential census tracts within core and outer areas are stratified from a database that includes 916 and 922 SPb and 13,379 and 4830 BPb results, respectively, from pre- and post-Katrina New Orleans. Statistical analyses utilize Multi-Response Permutation Procedure and Spearman's Rho Correlation. ResultsPre- to Post-Katrina median SPb decreases in public and private core census tracts were from 285 to 55mg/kg and 710–291mg/kg, respectively. In public and private outer census tracts the median SPb decreased from 109 to 56mg/kg and 88–55mg/kg. Children's BPb percent ≥5µg/dL on public and private core areas pre-Katrina was 63.2% and 67.5%, and declined post-Katrina to 7.6% and 20.2%, respectively. BPb decreases also occurred in outer areas. Soil Pb is strongly correlated with other metals. ConclusionsPost-Katrina re-building of public housing plus landscaping amends the exposome and reduces children's BPb. Most importantly, Hurricane Katrina revealed that decreasing the toxicants in the soil exposome is an effective intervention for decreasing children's BPb.

Climate change adaptation to escape the poverty trap: role of the private sector

Climate change adaptation and poverty alleviation call for an integrated strategy, because poverty exacerbates the vulnerability to climate change and vice versa. The private sector, which has traditionally been excluded from adaptation planning, may contribute greatly to the development of an integrated strategy. Here, we identify the differences in adaptation trajectories between the private sector and communities by proposing a conceptual framework and report on a case study in a dryland area of China, where the private sector led a successful adaptation and poverty alleviation project. We found that their win–win strategy achieved both climate change adaptation and development, thereby helping a disadvantaged community to escape the poverty trap and achieve sustainable development. The private sector played a dominant role in the response, as this sector can adapt in ways that are not possible for governments or communities. We suggest that participatory governance that includes private‐sector stakeholders is more likely to achieve sustainable development.

Urban growth trends in midsize Chilean cities: the case of Temuco

Abstract Academic production about the main Chilean cities exceeds the existing documentation on intermediate cities, though they have shown interesting trends patterns in recent years which have changed the urban system in Chile. This paper aimed to analyze the urban growth processes in Chilean intermediate cities using Temuco as a case study. It begins with an historical look at the city and then mentions that in the last decades this kind of cities have undergone new forms of segregation associated to real estate activities such as private communities, rural residential properties and new localization of services which have resulted in a fragmentation of urban space, a phenomenon reinforced by the consolidation of some satellite cities. At the same time, many urban problems associated to poverty, like a standstill of the regional economy and environmental pollution have appeared, jeopardizing the sustainability of these spaces, questioning current development parameters. The article ends considering the future challenges in Temuco’s urban development.

Rethinking the Renter/Owner Divide in Private Governance

The revered status of American homeownership has deep and seemingly impenetrable roots. In our modern mythology/reality, the castles that shelter and nurture our pursuit of the good life are under siege. A narrative common to both popular media accounts and a burgeoning property literature warns that private homeowners’ associations hold dominion over millions of Americans, dictating what they may do with their property and foreclosing when they cannot pay association fees or fines. In response to this threat, legislatures, courts, and academics are fighting to stave off these intrusions by the content and use of constraining servitudes. In focusing on the harms to property owners, these critics have unjustifiably omitted renters—a large and growing segment of the population. Nearly every American rents living space at some stage of life, and rentals are expanding as the real estate market continues on its uncertain trajectory. Tenants have no less lofty life goals than do homeowners, yet they, too, are governed by private rules for property use that severely limit certain property uses and allow termination of their property interest through eviction or sale. The rules in rental communities, moreover, serve fundamentally the same purpose as those set by homeowners associations , which is to control neighbors’ uses to increase property value. The key difference between the two types of communities, beyond simple physical layout, lies in tradition: a woman’s home is her castle, but her apartment is her rickety tenement. Even this distinction is vanishing, however, as private communities with now-familiar “intrusive” rules continue their decades-old proliferation, objections notwithstanding. If, then, private governance of property is fundamentally problematic, it is no less problematic for renters. But if, as seems more likely, we are generally willing to accept certain private rules in communities as a reasonable response to the interests of both owners and tenants, critics of private governance must explain why traditional notions of property should prevail over a modern approach to property consumers’ demands.

Conservation focus: the challenge of conservation in changing tropical southeast asia.

Southeast Asia is a biodiversity hotspot where the risk of extinction for many vertebrates is high (Duckworth etal. 2012) due to the loss and degradation of habitats resulting from burgeoning human populations and economies, expansion of agricultural development, and unsustainable harvest of wildlife and other natural resources (Sodhi etal. 2010). Important conservation challenges in the region, especially in the terrestrial and coastal realms, include reducing the loss and degradation of native vegetation and reducing the risk of species' extinction and extirpation. This will involve mitigating impacts of land-use change, reducing human-wildlife conflicts, improving management of protected areas, resolving land-tenure conflicts, increasing community engagement in in resource conservation, and ultimately developing proconservation behaviors in Asian societies as a whole. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Indonesia\u2019s forest conversion moratorium assessed with an agent-based model of Land-Use Change and Ecosystem Services (LUCES)

The Indonesian government recently confirmed its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to mitigate global climate change. A forest moratorium policy that protects forest and peatland is a significant part of the INDCs; however, its effectiveness is unclear in the face of complex land-use and land-cover change. This study aims to assess the dynamics of land-use change and ecosystem service supply as a function of local decision-making. We developed an agent-based model, Land-Use Change and Ecosystem Services (LUCES), and used it to explore the possible effects of the forest moratorium policy on the land-use decisions of private companies and communities. Our simulations for two districts in Central Kalimantan show that the current implementation of the forest moratorium policy is not effective in reducing forest conversion and carbon emissions. This is because companies continue to invest in converting secondary forest on mineral soils and the moratorium does not affect community decision-making. A policy that combines a forest moratorium with livelihood support and increases farm-gate prices of forest and agroforestry products could increase the local communities’ benefits from conservation. Forest and agroforestry areas that are profitable and competitive are more likely to be conserved and reduce potential carbon emission by about 36 %. The results for the two districts, with different pressures on local resources, suggest that appropriate additional measures require local fine-tuning. The LUCES model could be an ex ante tool to facilitate such fine-tuning and help the Indonesian government achieve its INDC goals as part of a wider sustainable development policy.

Formulating Rice Fields Conversion Control to Oil Palm Plantations in Tidal Wetlands of South Sumatra, Indonesia

The research aimed to gain reasons of farmers to convert their rice fields, and to formulate rice fields conversion control to oil palm plantations in tidal wetlands of South Sumatra. The research was carried out in a drainage and irrigation area of Pulau Rimau, Banyuasin District South Sumatra. Collected data consists of primary and secondary data. Primary data are taken from farmers who have already converted their rice fields into oil palm plantations. Secondary data were collected from the village, the District Agriculture Office and Statistic Agency. Data was collected through the Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Data analysis was performed using Analysis Hierarchy Process (AHP) to determine the factors that influence the decision of farmers to convert their land to oil palm plantation. The research resulted that if rice yields was estimated an average 3.00 tons Milled Dry Grain (MDG)/ha, then in 2006 with the existing land could produce rice as much as 127,719 tons MDG/year, but in 2013 the productivity of agricultural land decreased to 60,138 tons MDG/year. If the predicted needs of rice in year 2006 were 50,000 tons MDG/year and increased by 75,000 tons MDG/year in 2013, then if the land use is not immediately controlled, that Pulau Rimau will deficit rice. Factors contributing to land conversion are divided into three factors, namely technical aspects, economical aspects and environment aspects. The control concept can be divided in macro concept and micro concept. The macro concept generally be only done by the government or a strong industry who pays a lot of attention to the local community. The micro concept programs can be done either by the government, private or local communities.

Comparison of the Public Aids between 1986 and 2014

All over the world as a result of financial crisis that occurred in the last quarter of the 20th century, passed again liberal economy policies. So, welfare policies were restrained by governments. These type of policies brought discussions on social exclusion of poverty. Especially, politics of Thatcherism and Reaganomics instead of cash transfers and service providing, supported private communities and foundations to help poors. In Turkey, on 24 January 1980 with announcement of neo-liberal politics, in spite of the expectations the governments continued to protect poor people. Particularly, in 1984 with the establishment of the “Social Aid And Solidarity Promotion Fund” with Code numbered 3294, government and local authorities had an important role to protect poor people and struggle with poverty.Nowadays in Turkey, help transfers are made by Directorate General For Social Aids that belongs to Families and Social Policies Minister and they show differences from year by year. Today's help transfer are very different from the old one's that provided in the late 80's. Government make social cash transfers for poor people, to support education of their children, family, disabled people, widow woman and military families, to use health services, to have accomodation, to serve free meal and to help in the case of natural disasters. In addition to these, municipalities make cash transfers, provide home care services, give family aids to woman, and give educations on special areas etc. from their budget. In Turkey, despite of neo-liberal politics, providing these helps are explained by many scholars with the historical perspectives, however others argue that these helps are being made for the clientelism.In this study it is aimed to explain the differences of benefits in terms of quality and quantity that are provided by Social Assistance and Solidarity Encouragement Fund from 1986 to 2014.

A81 Emergency Transport experiences from Sub-Saharan Africa: public involvement in transport innovations to improve access to healthcare

Abstract Background The lack of low-cost, efficient transport services for health has been considered an important barrier to improve access to healthcare services in developing countries. In rural areas, where formal ambulance services are generally absent, transport is scarce and patients have to travel long distances to access healthcare. In the context of recent efforts towards maternal and new-born mortality reduction in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), enhancing access of pregnant women, mothers and children under-5 to health facilities is a key element of success. Over the past decade, Transaid and other development partners have developed innovative approaches to Emergency Transport Systems (ETS) in collaboration with private sector actors and communities across SSA, particularly to serve women and children. This presentation provides a comparative analysis of Transaid’s experiences implementing ETS in four countries: Madagascar, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia, focusing on lessons learned engaging communities and sustaining public involvement. Different approaches to ETS Rural regions of SSA have increasingly seen governments and development partners investing in public involvement for health, by supporting health-related volunteering schemes, aiming to increase availability of basic health service provision, including transport. In Transaid’s experience, public involvement in ETS can take different forms. In Nigeria for example, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), a private sector organisation, is officially committed to an ETS at national level as part of its corporate social responsibility; NURTW taxi drivers transport women and new-borns in their taxis at fuel cost, acting as volunteers. In Madagascar and Zambia, Community Health Volunteers utilise bicycle-ambulances to deliver patients to the closest health facility; these bicycle-ambulances are managed by the communities themselves, who establish rules for maintenance/repairs and utilisation procedures. Motorcycle (boda-boda) riders in Uganda are attached to a health clinic and have agreed to transport women to health facilities for a reduced fare, in return for becoming the primary means of emergency transport for women in the community. Lessons learned and Conclusion Innovative approaches to ETS have been tested and expanded by Transaid, using different motivational, funding and organisational models. Two common key elements of success are the ownership of the ETS by its promotors or community volunteers and the community recognizing its value. Transaid’s experience from different contexts has shown that private sector actors and communities can effectively be engaged to help establish, maintain and manage Emergency Transport Systems. These solutions can therefore become alternatives or supplements to classic ambulance service approaches.

Beyond Data Points and Research Contributions: The Personal Meaning and Value Associated with Public Participation in Scientific Research

As public participation in scientific research (PPSR) initiatives have expanded rapidly among private, public, and non-profit science research communities over the past decade, program managers and scholars regularly promote, evaluate, and manage such programs with a focus on the value and impact of PPSR efforts on the practice and relevancy of science. While many of these assessments rely on evaluation of individual participant knowledge and skill, they are driven by a broader interest in how such individual outcomes influence the form and function of science in society. Such a science-centered emphasis is neither surprising nor inappropriate. Nonetheless, such appraisals generally do not interrogate the full range of program goals and outcomes. This article advocates for greater comprehensive examination of the effects of PPSR participation on program volunteers. A more integrated perspective is therefore assumed to report on research conducted with volunteers in the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team citizen science program to interrogate the inter- and intrapersonal outcomes of program engagement through narrative interviews and focus groups. Findings highlight that while program participants value the data and research contributions they make, a suite of additional personal outcomes exist beyond these research inputs. Based on these findings, the article provides implications for advancing more intentional and meaningful PPSR efforts by focusing on the scale of engagement and interaction, cultivating community and connection, and developing tiered learning practices.

الموازنة التعاقدیة ودورها فی تحسین المساءلة المحاسبیة والاداریة وکفاءة الرقابة على المال العام اللازم لإعادة اعمار قطاع غزة

يهدف البحث لمعرفة اثر استراتيجية الموازنة التعاقدية على التطبيقات المحاسبية وملائمتها للمعايير المحاسبية عند عرض القوائم المالية واهميتها لتحقيق المساءلة المحاسبية والإدارية والجودة العالية في التنفيذ وتحسين الأداء الجهاز الحکومي الفلسطيني وقد استخدمت الباحثة المنهج الوصفي التحليلي لهذا الغرض واستخدمت قائمة الاستقصاء کاداة رئيسية لجمع البيانات، وبلغت عينة الدراسة بالمسح الشامل (۱۲۰)، کما تم استخدام برنامج التحليل الإحصائي (spss) کرزمة احصائية لإدخال ومعالجة البيانات واختبار الفرضيات. وتوصلت نتائج البحت الى ان الموازنة التعاقدية تحسن المساءلة المحاسبية والادارية وهذا يدل على أن هذا الأسلوب يمکن ذوي العلاقة من مراقبة ومحاسبية المسئولين والمتعاقدين بشان نتائج او مخرجات العقد حسب شروط التعاقد، وکذلک تحسين کفاءة الرقابة على المال العام وتقويم الأداء الحکومي وذلک من خلال معالجة الانحرافات والاسراف وتوجيه الاداء نحو تحقيق الفاعلية والکفاءة وتسهيل اتخاذ القرارات الحکومية بشان الإنفاق والاستثمار، وقد أوصت الباحة ينشر الثقافة والتوعية اللازمة لتطبيق الموازنة التعاقدية في الأوساط الإدارية عامة والأوساط المالية خاصة، کما أوصت بضرورة تطوير عمليات الدفع الکترونيا وقيد الإلتزامات ومعالجتها في مواعيدها المستحقة وذلک من خلال نظام المعلومات المحاسبية والادارة المالية The research aims to identify the impact of contract budget strategy on accounting applications. In addition, the research identifies its alignment with accounting standards when presenting financial statements and its importance for achieving accounting and managerial accountability and high quality in implementing and improving the performance of Palestinian governmental system. The researcher used the analytical descriptive methodology for this purpose and used questionnaire as the main instrument of data collection. Through comprehensive survey, study sample consisted of 120 individuals. Furthermore, the SPSS was used for entering and processing data and testing hypotheses. The results of study indicate that contract budget improves accounting and managerial accountability. In turn, this result shows that this method enables those in charge to control and hold officials responsible for public finance. In addition, it helps to improve governmental performance through tackling deviations and waste, directing performance towards achieving efficiency and effectiveness and facilitating governmental decisions regarding spending and investment. The researcher recommends to spread culture and awareness which is required to apply contract budget in public managerial communities and financial private communities. In addition, she recommends to develop electronic payment processes, entering and processing liabilities at their due times using accounting information and financial management

Kinerja Pelayanan Air Bersih Berbasis Masyarakat di Tugurejo Kota Semarang

Pelayanan air bersih oleh PDAM baru mencapai 50 % untuk perkotaan dan 10% untuk pedesaan, makauntuk mempercepat memenuhi kebutuhan akan air bersih, perlu melibatkan sektor swasta danmasyarakat. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengkaji kinerja pelayanan air bersih berbasis masyarakat diTugurejo. Analisa kinerja ditinjau dari aspek operasional, keuangan, administrasi dan kepuasanpelanggan. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian campuran (mixed methods), yangmengkombinasikan metode, teknik pengumpulan data, dan analisis data kuantitatif serta kualitatif.Hasil penelitian penilaian kinerja dari sisi penyelenggara meliputi aspek operasioanal, keuangan danadministrasi dinilai berpredikat ‘baik’, dan “Mampu Berkembang”, artinya mampu menjagakonsistensi dan kualitas air bersih, mampu menghasilkan keuntungan untuk menjalankan kegiatanoperasional, mempertahankan asset, membayar kewajiban pinjaman; serta pengelola mampumempertahankan keberlanjutan pelayanan air bersih kepada pelanggan. Penilaian kinerja dari sisipelanggan, dinilai dengan kepuasan pelanggan dari kualitas pelayanan air. Nilai indeks kepuasanpelanggan (Customer Statisfaction Index) adalah 78,34 % berada pada kategori “puas”, artinyapelanggan puas terhadap hampir semua atribut-atribut kualitas layanan air bersih dari penyelenggaralayanan, walaupun belum semua sesuai harapan pelanggan.Kata kunci: air bersih, berbasis masyarakat, kinerja pelayanan

Tourist's Perceptions towards the Role of Stakeholders in Sustainable Tourism

The purpose of this study has to discover if differences in tourists’ perceptions of sustainable tourism development in Melaka existed between three stakeholder groups: government, local residents and private entrepreneurs. The paper analyzes based on the primary data which is collected through interviews among 735 respondents. The findings indicate that the government, private and local community has played a major role for satisfying the tourists’ in shaping the development of sustainable tourism in Melaka. The study emphasizes on scale methods in analyzing and reviewing the role of government, private and local communities. To the distinct stakeholders’ facilities, the majority of tourists’ generally were welcoming of sustainable tourism.

Private governance under public constraints

Private communities in Chinese cities are under various constraints from the government. The ex ante constraints set limits on how the homeowners association (HOA) can be designed and set up. The ex post constraints affect the operation of the HOA. It is argued that these constraints reduce the competition among private communities. However, there are also unintended benefits such as mitigating the impact of housing segregation. Our empirical study on two communities in Chongqing shows the importance of public constraints and finds that they can become an important channel for government subsidy to low-income communities.

'Big push' to reduce maternal mortality in Uganda and Zambia enhanced health systems but lacked a sustainability plan.

In the past decade, "big push" global health initiatives financed by international donors have aimed to rapidly reach ambitious health targets in low-income countries. The health system impacts of these efforts are infrequently assessed. Saving Mothers, Giving Life is a global public-private partnership that aims to reduce maternal mortality dramatically in one year in eight districts in Uganda and Zambia. We evaluated the first six to twelve months of the program's implementation, its ownership by national ministries of health, and its effects on health systems. The project's impact on maternal mortality is not reported here. We found that the Saving Mothers, Giving Life initiative delivered a large "dose" of intervention quickly by capitalizing on existing US international health assistance platforms, such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Early benefits to the broader health system included greater policy attention to maternal and child health, new health care infrastructure, and new models for collaborating with the private sector and communities. However, the rapid pace, external design, and lack of a long-term financing plan hindered integration into the health system and local ownership. Sustaining and scaling up early gains of similar big push initiatives requires longer-term commitments and a clear plan for transition to national control.

GHDonline.org: an innovative technology to leverage the wisdom of the crowds and improve global health delivery

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Background</h3> In 2008, the Global Health Delivery Project at Harvard University launched an online platform to generate and disseminate knowledge in health-care delivery. We borrowed a common instrument from business—professional virtual communities—used for knowledge management and exchange across multiple organisations, industries, and geographies. We adapted the concept for health care to leverage the wisdom of the crowds and create a rapid, practical means for diverse professionals to share insights and tactics. <h3>Methods</h3> A team of engineers, implementers, and providers built a lightweight platform, accounting for the reality of sporadic electricity service or restricted internet bandwidth in resource-limited settings and launched GHDonline in June, 2008. To foster reliability and engagement, the communities were led by expert moderators, discussions were open to all, and there was no anonymous posting. <h3>Findings</h3> Even with early successes—membership growth and daily postings to communities—user feedback and analytics encouraged the team to iterate on GHDonline. Nuanced and in-depth conversations in the communities were turned into discussion briefs—summaries of the conversations reviewed by experts. GHDonline launched new public communities based on the most pressing concerns in the specialty, and organised more than 40 virtual expert panels. As of February, 2014, GHDonline hosted more than 11 000 members across 180 countries, in 12 public and 86 private communities. GHDonline is now expanding its offering to launch GHDonline communities for US-based practitioners. <h3>Interpretation</h3> The increased use of GHDonline by health-care implementers suggests that professional virtual communities can be a valuable instrument to disseminate best practices, support collaboration between colleagues, and improve care delivery. <h3>Funding</h3> Abundance Foundation.

Managing ‘civil contingencies’ in Australia

This paper identifies how ‘civil contingencies’ are addressed in Australia. It describes how responsibilities for emergency management are allocated across Australia's federated system of government and provides a critical review of the institutional and structural arrangements. It is argued that, even though Australia's emergency management arrangements have generally served the community well, there are undoubted limitations. One limitation is the lack of established Commonwealth response powers and weak arrangements to coordinate the Commonwealth response to emergency. It is further argued that Australia's arrangements focus on governments and their response to emergencies. They have, to date, largely omitted other players, in particular non-government actors, whether that is private industry, communities or individuals. There is evidence that this is changing with the recent overarching policy statement – the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience.

Issues in the development of open access to research data

This paper explores key issues in the development of open access to research data. The use of digital means for developing, storing and manipulating data is creating a focus on ‘data-driven science’. One aspect of this focus is the development of ‘open access’ to research data. Open access to research data refers to the way in which various types of data are openly available to public and private stakeholders, user communities and citizens. Open access to research data, however, involves more than simply providing easier and wider access to data for potential user groups. The development of open access requires attention to the ways data are considered in different areas of research. We identify how open access is being unevenly developed across the research environment and the consequences this has in terms of generating data gaps. Data gaps refer to the way data becomes detached from published conclusions. To address these issues, we examine four main areas in developing open access to research data: stakeholder roles and values; technological requirements for managing and sharing data; legal and ethical regulations and procedures; institutional roles and policy frameworks. We conclude that problems of variability and consistency across the open access ecosystem need to be addressed within and between these areas to ensure that risks surrounding a data gap are managed in open access.

Effect of an Improvised Furnance on Students Performance in Foundry Technology in Technical Colleges in Rivers State, Nigeria

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of an improvised furnace on students’ performance in foundry technology in technical colleges in Rivers State. The study adopted research and development incorporating quasi-experimental design. It involved the use of control group, pre-test – post test design. The population of 194 students from four technical colleges in Rivers State were used for the study. The instrument for data collection was made up of Foundry Technology Achievement Test (FTAT) developed by the researcher. The achievement test consists of 50-multiple choice items with four options of A-D. The test items were identified and selected from the content of (NABTEB) syllabus on metal work technology. Test re-test method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument; the tests yielded 0.70,073 and 0.72, 0.74 for the first and second tests respectively. Four experts in metal work technology were involved in both face and content validity of the improvised furnace and 200 multiple-choice test items. The results obtained from the test scores were compiled and analyzed using statistical tools such as; percentage, mean, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in answering the research question and testing the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. improvised furnace had positive effects on students’ performance in foundry (15.32). The difference in performance between those taught using improvised furnace and those taught using conventional teaching aids was found to be significant at 0.05 levels of significance. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended that government, technical college principals and the different agencies should provide fund to procure the materials and component for designing and constructing furnace by the teacher for teaching foundry in technical colleges in Rivers State. Also, constant power supply, generators, accumulators, anvil, steel vessel, pipes and electric blower should be provided and distributed by the ministry of education to the technical colleges for construction of furnace for effective teaching of foundry in Rivers State. The industries, government, non-governmental agencies and private enterprises and communities should provide components, consumable materials necessary for teaching foundry and supply the materials directly to the individual technical colleges in Rivers State. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n1p649