139 research outputs found
Debating the implications of the urban councils act Chapter 29.15 (1996) on the practice of good corporate governance in Zimbabwe’s urban local authorities
No full textA publication by Edson Paul Mutema, a Lecturer in the Department of Local Governance, Midlands State University,This paper debates the implications of the Urban Councils Act (UCA) on the practice of good corporate governance in Zimbabwean urban local authorities. The study revealed that the act upholds corporate governance in urban councils through providing for: council meetings that are open to the public and the press, council minutes which are available for public inspection and a municipal procurement board that manages the tender system of urban councils just to mention a few. However the study also revealed that despite these positive implications the act is counterproductive to the practice of good corporate governance. The UCA is silent on the minimum academic qualifications for one to be a councilor. The act bestows excessive powers to the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development which creates an environment where central government dominates in the affairs of urban local authorities. The findings of this study have implications that assist in crafting an effective legal instrument critical in developing a sound corporate governance system for urban local authorities
Governance and ethics architecture: a study of five urban local authorities in Zimbabwe
No full textCorruption is acknowledged as one of the greatest challenges affecting urban councils in Zimbabwe. It is common to open a newspaper and discover a story highlighting the ethical violations and corrupt activities of urban council officials. The prevalence of corruption in Zimbabwe’s urban local authorities is considered in this study as the litmus test on the capacity of the existing ethics architecture to fight corruption. Ethics architecture refers to systems and structures in the form of a set of rules, institutions and practices designed by urban local authorities to promote ethical conduct against corruption. This study sought to evaluate the performance of the ethics architecture of urban councils in Zimbabwe and to propose relevant policy and institutional improvements. The study is situated within teleological, deontological and virtue ethics theories and argues that one cannot exist in isolation and should be unified to underpin the study. Analysed through the lens of a three pronged theory of ethics, the conceptual and theoretical framework provides a benchmark to conduct a comparative analysis of Norway, Singapore, Botswana and South Africa ethics architecture, including that of Zimbabwe in order to come up with ethics architectural remedies that are internationally aligned but locally relevant to stamp out corruption in Zimbabwe. Fighting corruption and its manifestation in these four countries, two international and two continental have common grounds of political will, institutional and legal enforcement practices. The qualitative methodology was employed to collect data from five sites through documentary analysis, interviews and observations, this allowed for replication of logic to occur and the production of compelling and reliable results. The five sites included Gweru City Council, Mutare City Council, Bindura Municipality, Redcliff Municipality, and Zvishavane Town Council. Data analysis in this study involved detailed case by case analysis followed by a comparative thematic and cross analysis of the five urban local authorities’ cases. The study was able to draw conclusions and to make recommendations. The study concludes that the ethics architecture for urban councils is not effective to counter the problem of corruption. The practice of good ethics and effective ethics architecture therefore, forms a sound backbone to fight corruption and all its manifestations. The study reveals that Zimbabwean urban councils should adopt effective ethics architectural remedies which are capable of fighting corruption head-on from detection, investigation and prevention to resolution point of view. The study therefore recommends that urban councils should conduct v ethics training programs for their employees and elected officials to raise ethics consciousness and to build skills capable of identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas from primary school level to adulthood as a long- term measure, and parents should participate in the integrity crusade by inculcating ethical values and moral uprightness during the formative years of their children. The study further recommends that socialisation as a preventive measure is very critical because the acts of corruption are committed under the cover of secrecy, which implies that corruption can evade detection, prosecution and sanction. Against such a background, the need for proper socialisation of the inner person cannot therefore be overemphasised for urban councils in Zimbabwe. The growth of the moral fabric of the inner person takes superiority over the legal remedy which is reactive and costly. But, on its own, socialisation is inadequate to eradicate the vice of corruption, so sanctioning and enforcement through the legal remedy plays a complementary role. The sanctioning process follows the stages of detection, investigation and resolving corruption by enforcing asset and financial declarations for both elected and senior appointed officials and enacting legislation which protects whistle-blowers against occupational detriments. Overall, effective ethics architectural remedies managed by an Integrity Management Office (IMO) is crucial in the battle against corruption and this should be supported by exemplary leadership, well-paid workforce, robust and balanced media platforms and active citizenry. The ethics architectural remedies in this study are recommended to be adopted and experimented as a liberating praxis and solution to ethical problems and challenges confronting the urban councils in particular, and Zimbabwe in general. The study identified areas that need further research. First, a similar study which infuses both quantitative and qualitative methods is needed to complement the limitations of this study. Second, research that substantiates the involvement of civil society groups and the media in raising alarm bells when ethics is violated is recommended. Third, in this study the examination of the ethics architecture is delimited to urban local authorities, so the other area of research that needs urgent attention is a comparative study between rural and urban councils’ ethics architectural remedies. This comparative study will unearth reasons why corruption is more prevalent in urban councils than in rural councils as revealed in this study
Questionaries
No full text<p>Under request of PlosONE and in order to contribute to transparency and replicability of research, the authors of the study entitled “A cross-sectional study of prisoners in Mexico City comparing prevalence of transmissible infections and chronic diseases with that in the general population”, made the data available. Any other use than exploring or replicating the results of the above-mentioned paper is not authorized and shall not be used without previous authorization of the investigators. If you are interested in analyzing this database for original research purposes please contact Sergio Bautista-Arredondo (PI of the study, [email protected]) or Edson Serván Mori (corresponding author [email protected]).</p
Databases
No full text<p>Under request of PlosONE and in order to contribute to transparency and replicability of research, the authors of the study entitled “A cross-sectional study of prisoners in Mexico City comparing prevalence of transmissible infections and chronic diseases with that in the general population”, made the data available. Any other use than exploring or replicating the results of the above-mentioned paper is not authorized and shall not be used without previous authorization of the investigators. If you are interested in analyzing this database for original research purposes please contact Sergio Bautista-Arredondo (PI of the study, [email protected]) or Edson Serván Mori (corresponding author [email protected]).</p
Important Notice
No full text<p>Under request of PlosONE and in order to contribute to transparency and replicability of research, the authors of the study entitled “A cross-sectional study of prisoners in Mexico City comparing prevalence of transmissible infections and chronic diseases with that in the general population”, made the data available. Any other use than exploring or replicating the results of the above-mentioned paper is not authorized and shall not be used without previous authorization of the investigators. If you are interested in analyzing this database for original research purposes please contact Sergio Bautista-Arredondo (PI of the study, [email protected]) or Edson Serván Mori (corresponding author [email protected]).</p
Old principles, persisting challenges: Maternal health care market alignment in Mexico in the search for UHC
No full textImportant
Notice
Under
request of PlosONE and in order to contribute to transparency and replicability
of research, the authors of the study entitled “Old principles, persisting
challenges: Maternal health care market alignment in Mexico in the search for
UHC”, made the data available. Any other use than exploring or replicating the
results of the above-mentioned paper is not authorized and shall not be used
without previous authorization of the investigators. If you are interested in
analyzing this database for original research purposes please contact Edson
Serván Mori (corresponding author [email protected]).</p
Machado de Assis, workman author: about classical themes in Ressurreição
No full textThis paper intends to analyze the presence of themes from Classical Culture, specifically, Greek and Roman Cultures, in Machado de Assis’ Ressurreição. With that aim in mind, we tried to identify dialogic elements in this novel, intending to showcase how those elements give new meanings articulated as an important repertoire for the development of the national literary project devised by the author.</p
Social accountability in local government: Lessons from Vuwani (South Africa) and Gweru (Zimbabwe)
No full textElements of botany, including organography, vegetable histology, vegetable physiology, vegetable taxonomy, and a glossary of botanical terms. Illustrated by nearly five hundred engravings from drawings by the author.
No full textMode of access: Internet
Applying the Business Model Canvas: An Aspiring Entrepreneur's Journey to Learn from Failure
No full textabstract: When a friend approached me and asked me to join his team and apply to the Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative, a student business plan competition at Arizona State University, I accepted. Not only did I find his idea interesting, but I also believed that applying to the Edson program would give me a first glimpse into being an entrepreneur. The business, called Social Artworking, proposed to create an online platform to connect businesses, who need art, with artists through a unique bidding process. Through Social Artworking, businesses indicate the maximum amount they are able to pay while artists bid what they are willing to do the job for. Then a business or individual is able to pick the best artist that can meet his quality and price needs. In addition to the exchange platform, Social Artworking would jointly launch a social networking site and an online portfolio service for artists. Social Artworking was trying to address the problem of small businesses having a hard time finding affordable and high quality artist and designers while at the same time helping students gain paid experience to increase their portfolio before graduation. In the months leading up to the Edson application, I had a hard time catching up to my partner's knowledge of the business idea and the art, web and crowdsourcing industries. On many occasions, I felt like I was depending on him as an expert to write the application. After two months of working on the application, we submitted the proposal to Edson. The idea did not advance to the final round
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