Thursday, October 3, 2013

Planing implementation for change


The second assignment will continue with the case study from Assignment 1 and will look at all of the tools studied and their application to this case study. This will include a description of the financial and economic analysis, social cost benefit analysis and other evaluation methods and other factors that need to be considered in the planning of projects and programs and how they could be applied to the case study. Reflecting on all evaluation methods learnt and applied the students will need to conclude on the evaluation methods that best apply to the case study. (Only) For the Cost Benefit Analysis you will need to base you analysis on a Scenario (this is attached below).
The case study – ?�the KALAHI – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDDS) Project’ – in the Philippines is funded by the World Bank. It is comprehensively outlined in the attached report and includes Water, Roads, Schools, Health and Day Care which are all important elements of planning and implementation for change in the urban environment (as the focus of this course):?� Measuring Costs and Benefits of Community Driven Development, The KALAHI-CIDDS Project, Philippines (2007)’ as attached,
So as a starting point let’s look again what the case study document provides in the way of evaluation methods, as this is the key focus of the assignment question. Reading over the Executive Summary: PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF ANALYSIS it states:
The project development objective of KALAHI-CIDSS is to strengthen the participation of local communities in barangay governance and develop their capacity to design, implement, and manage development activities that reduce poverty. Ideally, therefore, economic analysis should focus on the valuation of benefits of these development investments. While it is too early in the project cycle to make this kind of assessment, it is possible to make preliminary inferences (using 2003 baseline survey data) of how these investments might be associated with expected benefits, such as a closer match between demand and supply and the better operation and maintenance of projects.
The main focus of this analysis is, however, the economic impacts of the Project. It looks at the costs and benefits of seven major subproject (SP) categories that cover 1,175 completed and ongoing subprojects (e.g., domestic water supply [both pump and gravity], roads construction and improvement, elementary school buildings, barangay health centers, and day care centers). These seven major categories accounted for 82 percent of total subproject costs.
For economic analyses of the project as a whole, and for each of the major subproject categories, the general methodology and parameters used in this report follow the World Bank’s Handbook on Economic Analysis of Investment Operations (1998a) and the Philippines National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) ICC Guidelines on Project Evaluation (2001)
So what does this tell us for the assignment? The case study document focuses on an economic impact of the project in an early stage in the project cycle i.e. a full economic analysis has not been completed and key costs and benefits have been identified but not fully quantified (?�valued’) nor applied through a detail cost benefit methodology, so similarly the report is not a cost-benefit analysis either.
As you are being asked in the assignment to ?�conclude on the evaluation methods that best apply to the case study’ the answers are not all in the report and you will need to think through what you think will work best and why. However the report is a starting point which has identified some of the ?�economic impacts’ of the project and you should reference where some of its findings you think it will add clarity to your assignment.
The Executive Summary as above makes reference to the ?�World Bank’s Handbook on Economic Analysis of Investment Operations (1998a)’ a copy attached, for the basis of its ?�economic analyses of the project as a whole, and for each of the major subproject categories, the general methodology and parameters’, so I would suggesting having a look at the Handbook and referencing it in your assignment. I would also suggest a quick review of Chapter 1. An Overview of Economic Analysis, the detail and Bank language is not as important for the purposes of the course and assignment as a fundamental understanding of what an economic analysis is hoping to achieve. In the context of these World Bank Guidelines it is based firstly on a financial analysis (the basis of which is in the case study report) and economic analysis (basis also in the case study). Does the report answer each of the key questions as posed in the World Bank Guidelines and if so adequately in your opinion?
So far in looking here at just the Executive Summary we have identified three terms that we have been looking at this semester – Financial Analysis, Economic Analysis and Cost Benefit Analysis. So the assignment should look at these terms as a starting point, going back to the question as given – ?�This will include a description of the financial and economic analysis, social cost benefit analysis and other evaluation methods and other factors that need to be considered in the planning of projects and programs and how they could be applied to the case study’.
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So I would suggest after a brief introduction to what you intend to cover and how in the assignment (above even that at the very top I recommend copying and pasting the question as given – this all helps if you want to look back at the assignment in the future you are clear on what your asked to answer and it is all in the one document) then to have a heading ?�Financial Analysis’ outline a very brief definition of what it is taken from one of the four documents as attached (preferably more than one source and vary them I suggest) so it is clear you know what the term means and then a few paragraphs on how useful the method/tool is for application for the case study and assessment if it is a method/tool that is one of the an ?�evaluation methods that best apply to the case study’.
For example is we look at Financial and then Economic Analysis it is mentioned in all of the four attached references e.g. Guide to cost-benefit analysis of investment projects, European Union Guidelines (1997) Section 2.4 Financial Analysis on pages 19- 29. Don’t worry too much about the complexity of terms used here and in the other sources as these are documents for practioners just be clear on the fundamentals.
The purpose of the financial analysis is to use the project’s cash flow forecasts in order to calculate suitable return rates, specifically the financial internal rate of return (FRR) on investment (FRR/C) and own capital (FRR/K) and the corresponding financial net present value (FNPV). While the CBA encompasses more than just the consideration of the financial returns of a project, most of project data on costs and benefits is provided by financial analysis.
This analysis provides the examiner with essential information on inputs and outputs, their prices and the overall timing structure of revenues and expenditures. The financial analysis is made up of a series of tables that collect the financial flows of the investment, broken down by total investment (Tab. 2.1), operating costs and revenue (Tab. 2.2), sources of financing (Tab. 2.3) and cash flow analysis for financial sustainability (Tab. 2.4).
Or if we look at the Commonwealth of Australia (2006) Handbook of Cost-Benefit Analysis, Department of Finance and Administration, as attached under section 6.1 What is financial evaluation? On page 28:
A financial evaluation attempts to determine the net financial benefit (or loss) to an agency rather than the net benefit (or loss) to the economy or society. Financial evaluations are only concerned with cash flows in and out of the organisation. With financial evaluation, the comparison is between the cash receipts and the cash expenditures of an activity, which in turn yields a net cash flow. Therefore, a financial evaluation is essentially a straightforward cash flow analysis. In a financial evaluation, no account is taken of external costs or benefits.
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As a few pointers as discussed in class, use the language of the above and the other sources for the definition and objective and pull out the key points to answer the question as given e.g. financial analysis would be useful in the case study by identifying cash flows from the project so that the project sponsors (principally The World Bank and the Government of The Philippines) can assess the financial internal rate of return of the project. So then you should define ?�FIRR’ (it is again in the readings) and you should think why would this be of value to these agencies?
Again in the readings it is explains that FIRR allows comparison of one project against another, allows changes to be made to project design improve FIRRs and vary timing of expenditure and returns and helps ensure financial sustainability of the project. Just note in the assignment that the higher the FIRR of return the higher the flow of financial returns from the investment in the project i.e. FIRR of 20% means the project is paying back 20% on top of the money put into the project, surely it is better getting 20% more on investment than only getting say 10% (this should help you answer the analysis on the Scenario as well and I would recommend mentioning this point here).
Similarly relating this back to the question as given, the direct costs of providing facilities can be readily calculated and compared. In the KALAHI-CIDSS Project, Philippines the ?�Economic cost of construction’ e.g new roads – is calculated at P2,163,617.11.
The project was then able to calculate ?�Average Direct Unit Cost Estimates for SPs (monetary values in PHP)’ comparisons were made with similar infrastructure projects implemented by other government agencies of the Philippines. the KALAHI – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (CIDDS) Project’ Paper No. 102 / January 2007, Page 28 to assess cost effectiveness. By then averaging costs in units such as number of schools, square metres of class rooms, km of road, length of pipe, number of students, litres of water the economic efficiency of project components can be calculated and compared to other similar infrastructure provision by other agencies e.g. note the significant costs savings the project envisages over other Government facilities – over 80% in some cases!

Ogaden National Liberation Front Research the above terrorist organization thoroughly in terms of establishments, main figures, goals, means, major operations, accomplishments, end, future..etc


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narrative essay



In a paper of 800-1000 words, write about an experience that was meaningful and shaped your current beliefs.
It can be an experience where it…
- Showed you the importance or value of something
- Changed your perspectives, views, or previous assumptions/beliefs
- Helped you make an important decision in life
- Influenced you to make certain goals in your life
Think back to any memories that stand out or things you feel strongly about (i.e. religion, language, culture, education, studying abroad). Your experience can involve a specific situation/event or an influential person, book, or movie. Though the memory in your mind may be very simple, use descriptive language to help us understand what you were feeling and thinking at that time. The essay should not simply be a historical report of an experience, but a narrative that takes your audience through a moment (or moments) in your life.

narrative essay


In a paper of 800-1000 words, write about an experience that was meaningful and shaped your current beliefs.
It can be an experience where it…
- Showed you the importance or value of something
- Changed your perspectives, views, or previous assumptions/beliefs
- Helped you make an important decision in life
- Influenced you to make certain goals in your life
Think back to any memories that stand out or things you feel strongly about (i.e. religion, language, culture, education, studying abroad). Your experience can involve a specific situation/event or an influential person, book, or movie. Though the memory in your mind may be very simple, use descriptive language to help us understand what you were feeling and thinking at that time. The essay should not simply be a historical report of an experience, but a narrative that takes your audience through a moment (or moments) in your life.

Selecting Media Assignment- ad from TV or magazine


Read Chapter 10 in your text before beginning this assignment.
Then, select an ad (from either a magazine or from TV) for a brand that also has a website. If you select a magazine ad, attach the actual ad or a photocopy of the ad to your written assignment. If you select a TV ad, write a brief description of the ad, and if the ad is available online, also list the URL. (It is OK to analyze an ad that is not available online as long as you are able to provide a description of it.) In addition, note the URL for the brand’s website. Perform a detailed analysis of the ad in terms of the following:
1) Based on the ad and website, evaluate the selection of these media for the brand. Consider characteristics of the brand, including the likely campaign message objectives, as well as the pros and cons associated with each medium.
2) How well are these two media used in combination to achieve message objectives and media planning goals? (How does the online component reinforce the traditional component and/or bring added value?)
3) What additional traditional media do you think should be included in the media mix for the brand? What traditional media should not be used? Why?
4) Finally, recommend an additional form of new media that you think is best suited to the brand and its media mix, and explain why that medium would be effective.

Women Offenders and Types of Crime


Paper instructions:
The Assignment (2–3 pages):
•Briefly describe two types of crimes that are more likely to be committed by women than men. Reference the FBI web resource listed in this week’s Learning Resources.
•Explain possible reasons each type of crime is more likely to be committed by women than men.
•Explain how women offenders may be treated differently than men offenders in the criminal justice system at the law enforcement, court, and/or correctional level(s).
•For your two examples, explain possible reasons for the differential treatment.
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You Are My Sunshine



“Covering†a song or record is not something that began with white artists making cover records of black recordings in the 1950s. There have always been different versions of popular songs made and released by different artists to appeal to different audiences. It was not unusual for a song like “You Are My Sunshine†(originally a country tune adapted from a Ukrainian folk tune) to generate not only dozens of competing country versions, but additional mainstream and even R&B versions designed to reach those audiences. Bing Crosby, Gene Autry, The Mills Brothers, and Les Brown and his Orchestra made recordings of “You Are My Sunshine†in 1940 after Governor Jimmie Davis’ version became popular and all scored hits by appealing to different audiences. Since 1940, artists as diverse as Ray Charles, Bill Haley and His Comets, Ricky Nelson, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Oscar Peterson, and Ike and Tina Turner have recorded “You Are My Sunshine.â€
Songwriters – or whoever held the publishing rights to a song – benefited mightily from different versions of a song selling to different audiences…the more versions, the more record sales, and the greater the royalty payments. The idea that a song or even an arrangement could be seen as belonging to an individual artist is relatively new. Songwriters, who were seldom performers themselves, wrote most of the songs recorded before the 1940s and it was an expectation that many different artists would make recordings of the songs that they wrote.
However, things changed in the 1940s and early 1950s, especially in regards to white artists covering records made by black artists. It started with boogie-woogie and gained momentum when R&B and doo-wop caught the attention of the mainstream audience. Put simply, major record companies created white “cover†versions of almost any recording by black artists that either became successful or showed the potential to attract the attention of the mainstream popular audience.
On one level, it was about what it had always been about: profit and gaining a larger share of the market than the competition. There is a clear truth in the observation that major labels covered records made by black artists to simply exploit “good songs that would sell.†There were also cost savings in the process because it wasn’t necessary to spend the time and money to develop those songs; it was more cost effective to copy the song – and often the arrangement – and simply replace the black voice with a white voice. The “white-voiced†copy was easier to market on radio and the major labels had the resources and connections to move their versions more effectively in the broader mainstream marketplace.CLICK HERE TO GET MORE ON THIS PAPER.....
But, of course, there was more at work in white artists covering recordings made by black artists and something more insidious. The simple fact that black artists were black and not white played an enormous role in the degree to which black records were covered in the 1950s. And the process of “covering†was far more aggressive than merely making a “white-voiced†version.
One of the typical ploys in covering was to flood the market with the “white-voiced†copy. Often twenty-five percent of the copies of the “cover†song were simply given away as “promotional copies.†This meant that with more cover versions in circulation, especially if a large number were given away at no cost, fewer copies of the originals would be purchased. Since copyright royalties were based on records sold and not on the total number of records manufactured or in distribution, the practice of “flooding the market†with cover versions could be devastating to the copyright owner as well as the black artists who recorded the original. As a consequence, Syd Nathan of King Records refused to license songs to other companies unless they filed a “Notice of User†application with the copyright office. This legally obligated them to pay royalties on the number of records manufactured rather than the number sold and also forced them to pay royalties every 30 days rather than quarterly, which was the normal industry practice. Of course, Syd Nathan took this step not to protect the black artists at King Records, but to guard the publishing royalties that he owned.
Randy Wood’s Dot Records is a prime example of the dynamics of covering in the 1950s. Randy Wood owned Randy’s Record Shop in Gallatin, Tennessee and was the sponsor of Gene Nobles’ R&B show on WLAC radio in Nashville. As a result of the popularity of Nobles’ show, Randy’s Record Shop became “the world’s largest mail order record shop†selling thousands of R&B hits through the mail. This made Randy Wood wealthy and he started his own record company. In 1955, when R&B was starting to break into the mainstream, Wood was shrewd and smart enough to see the market value in producing cover records. His first major cover artist was Pat Boone, who came to symbolize the white “cover artist†of the 1950s. Wood had Boone cover The Charms, Fats Domino, Little Richard, The Five Keys, Ivory Joe Hunter, and the El Dorados. All of Boone’s cover records charted and most outperformed the originals by a substantial margin. (In deference to Pat Boone, he only covered other artists for a year. Of his more than 60 hits at Dot only eight were actually covers.)
Pat Boone was not the only cover artist at Dot. The Fontane Sisters covered The Charms’ “Hearts of Stone,†which was itself a cover of The Jewels’ “Hearts of Stone†(covers were not only white artists covering black). The Fontane Sisters also covered The Drifters, The Marigolds, and Fats Domino at Dot. Gale Storm, a television star, recorded cover versions of Smiley Lewis’ “I Hear You Knockin’†and Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers’ “Why Do Fools Fall In Love†for Randy Wood.
However after 1957, the practice of covering black records with white artists lost its market advantage as black artists became firmly established in the popular mainstream. More often than not, white covers failed to best the original black versions of songs and the industry-wide practice of covering black artists died out.
But covering never really disappeared, although it is now seldom about white artists covering black…at least not in the same way that covers worked in the 1950s.
In 1981, Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby†used the repetitive bass line from Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure†for the musical backing to his rap. Initially, Mr. Ice (Robert Van Winkle) claimed that he owed no royalties to Queen and David Bowie citing a minor alteration between the original and that employed on his record (give a listen to both and see if you can hear any difference). However, Van Winkle eventually admitted to having sampled the original recording and had not made an alteration as he initially claimed. Although no lawsuit was filed, a settlement was reached out of court and songwriting credit was later given to both Bowie and members of Queen on later releases of “Ice Ice Baby†and royalties were paid to the original artists. In a sense, sampling, a central aspect of hip-hop, is covering elevated to the level of actually reproducing part of an original work and using it to create a new recording.
Needless to say, lawsuits over samples taken from recordings were filed and there are now rather clear legal precedents that make it nearly impossible to sample a work without giving credit and negotiating a financial agreement to cover royalties prior to making and releasing a record.
Similarly, tribute and cover bands have become a significant force in popular music, often producing exact replicas of songs made by earlier artists. There are literally thousands of “tribute bands†(and Elvis Presley impersonators for that matter) whose livelihood is based on playing the music of a well-known musical act or artist. Unlike a “cover band†that merely plays the songs by another artist, tribute bands attempt to imitate every aspect of an artist’s sound, look, and performance. The question, of course, is whether there is an ethical line that separates homage from exploitation.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
The primary questions raised by the practice of covering are more often ethical than legal. Most of the time the making of a cover version of a record doesn’t rise to the level of a legal challenge. Legally, one is free to make a new version of a song provided one pays royalties to the rights holders. Sampling is, of course, a different situation that requires prior agreements between the artist who wishes to use a sample and the artist and label that own the copyrights to the original. Unauthorized “bootleg†copies of an original recording are, of course, illegal and are covered by long-standing copyright statutes. However, ethical issues do exist and are often more complex than they may first appear.
There are numerous examples of “covers†that are exact copies of an original arrangement with different instrumentalists and singers that produce barely recognizable differences from the original recording. While the songwriters may benefit in the royalties that come from a cover version of a song, the artists who created the original recording and arrangement receive nothing, which is obviously troubling if the cover is essentially a reproduction of their original recording. In the 1950s, LaVern Baker attempted, unsuccessfully, to have Congress pass legislation that would prevent the use of an arrangement employed in a recording without permission after Georgia Gibbs covered her recording of “Tweedle Dee†using not only the same arrangement, but the same backing vocalists and many of same musicians. Since it is legally possible to make an exact copy of an original recording – and there are many exact covers made of original recordings – the ethical questions become of obvious importance. Is it important for an artist making a “new†version of a recording to actually make it “new†and clearly different from the original? Is there an ethical, if not legal, obligation to avoid covering an earlier work too closely, especially if the original artist is not the holder of the song’s copyright and will not participate in any royalties produced by the cover?CLICK HERE TO GET MORE ON THIS PAPER.....
In a somewhat different context, doing covers of songs by established and important artists is not only nothing new, but has become an important trend in the past decade. Cat Power (Chan Marshall) has released two albums of covers, The Cover Record (2000) and Jukebox (2008). She covers Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and others. The Grammy for Album of the Year in 2008 went to Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters, a collection of Joni Mitchell covers by artists like Norah Jones, Corrine Bailey Rae, Leonard Cohen, and even Tina Turner. Rod Stewart has released five “Great American Songbook†albums covering standards originally released by artists like Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald. Even Paul McCartney has announced his intention to release an album of “Great American Songbook†covers sometime in 2012. Most of us would not think these records are in anyway unethical, but the question is “Why are these covers ethical?†and those by the Crew Cuts and Pat Boone in the 1950s somehow different and “unethical.â€
Although there are legal restrictions in regards to sampling, there are a number of cases that go beyond simply not ascribing proper credit or paying royalties. In 2004, Danger Mouse mixed The Beatles’ The Beatles (commonly known as The White Album) and Jay-Z’s The Black Album to create a mash-up he called The Grey Album. Although the surviving members of The Beatles and Jay-Z had no objections to the mash-up, EMI Records took legal action to halt the distribution of The Grey Album as the samples from The Beatles were unauthorized. In response to EMI’s attempt to halt distribution of The Grey Album, dozens of Internet sites released copies of Danger Mouse’s mash-up in what was called the “Grey Tuesday†protest.
Remixes and mash-ups raise particular questions in regards to both ethical practice and legal infringement. Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford law professor and the author of Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy, sees the remix and the mash-up as examples of a “democracy†in popular expression where young people “take sounds and images from the culture around us and use them to say things differently.†Lessig’s belief is that the remix and the mash-up constitute “a new language,†which has become the common speech of the young and is fundamentally social, participatory, and about engagement. Lessig also believes that legal restrictions limiting the use of materials for remixes and mash-ups are stifling creativity and are terribly injurious to the growth of what he sees as an important and vibrant aspect of contemporary culture (Take a look at Lessig’s presentation at TED: http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strangling_creativity.html)
The topic for this assignment is to examine some aspect of covering recordings made by others. It could deal with any of the above examples or any others that you think are worthy of thought and examination. In the paper, you should discuss the ethical, legal, financial, and creative implications of the examples you choose and explain why you reach your conclusions. You should, obviously, include several different examples of cover songs in support of your argument.
It is, of course, advisable to cite outside sources for support and frame your argument in the form of a formal essay (Look over “Presenting Arguments,†“Tips On Writing Papers,†and “Critical Thinking†in the Syllabus).