Recent orders
Geisha, Intercultural Communication Aspects
Geisha, Intercultural Communication Aspects
Introduction
Understanding the communication characteristics of individuals with respect to cultural background assists a multicultural society to accommodate every individual in various social processes. The modern socioeconomic and political developments provide exposure to forces of globalization where every corner of the world is open and accessible to the entire world. In light of the connectivity that technology and innovativeness provide to processes in need of integration of the international community, communication plays a central role in running the affairs of the global village. Diversity witnessed in societies implies that communication at the global level is complicated and various social background attributes require studies including rituals, heritage, and culture. To illustrate the importance of these attributes, the following discourse highlights the Geisha women tradition to understand certain characteristics of Japanese cross-cultural communication.
Geisha Practice
Geishas are female artists and entertainers observing a conservative form of ancient Japanese civilization and culture in various aspects from attire to music. Tracing back to several centuries back in history, Geisha art was designed to entertain powerful political elites of the Japanese civilization such as emperors. According to (Cass 12), influential regional conservative politics such as the one in China’s Ming Dynasty with a traditional and conservative outlook dictated the nature of the practice of the art that was designed for such political class. Propagation of the entertainment tradition for the nobility became a prestigious art form, which in line with the conservative clients took shape of the conservative Japanese traditions that were witnessed elsewhere. Apart from specific regalia designed for the performance, the female artists undergo theatrical makeup on the face and hair that add flair and flavor to the performance. The performance of Japanese music and dance after spells of specialized training present the Geisha as among the few undoubted custodians of Japanese cultural heritage (Brown and Iwasaki 3). The performance of the entertainment does not only present the practice as a highly organized tradition but also as an important entertainment activity with far reaching sociocultural and political implications in Japan and across the globe. In terms of the communication attributes that the cross-cultural draws from the Geishas, modernity and tradition issues emerge as strong forces of the society that need special attention.
Ritual
Geisha is the name that describes an ancient tradition of art in Japan and is used on women that carry on the entertainment practices of the Japanese. The old tradition of women art progresses in distinctive stages where recruits graduate to more advanced level after certain rituals that follow training. Young entrants are admitted as novices referred to as Maiko. As illustrated below, the attire distinguishes the novices from seasoned Geisha artists, a transition that takes place during the passage ritual that focuses on colors of attire and its collar detail. During the graduation ritual, novices acquire a plain white collar, which marks the advancement of their art skills. In terms of communication relevance to the multicultural society, understanding the importance of the graduation and perhaps esteem gained from such progression plays an important role in distinguishing how to address the artists.
Attire
Geisha women present the ancient entertainment culture from the onset in their attire and regalia that communicates about their rich history. Differentiation exists to distinguish apprentices and novices that are mainly young girls from more seasoned geisha women. Novices also referred to as Maiko have the Obi as well as Kimono as their main dress code that distinguishes them as younger Geisha artists (Brown and Iwasaki 8). Bright colors characterize the Obi and Kimono fabrics that take various designs extending to the sleeves, with some as long to touch the floor. Collar designs for the Kimono also demonstrate color distinction where white and red patterns dominate the theme. Dress length details distinguish between the Obi and Kimono, as well as their decoration detail. For purposes of communication, following simple color cues present an opportunity to understand the tradition and the meaning that the various stages have to the artists.
Culture and Heritage
Perhaps one of the most celebrated Japanese art traditions that deserve elevation to the status of the Samurai male counterparts is the Geisha for women. This is due to the antiquity attachment of the tradition that markets Japan as a cultural destination not only in East Asia but also in the whole world. Japanese cities attract international tourist attention and among the most dominant themes of attraction is ancient art that Geisha propagates. The conservative entertainment practices and art professed by the Geisha artists not only act as a historical resource asset for ancient Japanese civilization but also as a unifying force for the Japanese and the world around it (Kawaguchi 86). As a strong contributor to ancient art and painting forms of Japanese heritage, Geisha artists dominate most women paintings for the Japanese woman, which distinguishes her as an icon of marketing Japan as a rich cultural and art destination. Perhaps other Japanese art forms obtained their image and popularity from well-established traditions such as by the Geisha. In light of the importance that the heritage has to cross-cultural communication, the recognition of the Geishas as undisputed Japanese image enables appreciation of Japan as a famous world civilization stretching to centuries aback.
Negative Stereotype
From the origin of Geisha art and entertainment practices, political involvement with women entertainment introduced an image of reckless Geishas who extended sexual services to powerful political clients. Oblivious of the powerlessness of the woman in a majority of Asian cultural establishments, a cynical opinion emerged that the Geisha art tradition is wholly and entirely a prostitution business. Despite the fact that the woman as a strong social figure has the ability to shape her image before the society, the limited space of the Japanese woman casts doubt on a prostitution tag attached to the Geisha. Such negative stereotypes only contribute to the destruction of a rich and honorable art movement from a world leader in cultural heritage passed from family members (Brown and Iwasaki 2). In view of the communication projection that a Geisha makes to the multicultural society, art and personal interests can be distinguished just like other art movements and traditions.
Works Cited
Brown, Randle & Iwasaki, Mineko Geisha: A life, New York, NY: Atria Books, 2002. Print
Cass V. Baldwin Dangerous women: Warriors, grannies and Geishas of the Ming, Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc., 1999. Print
Kawaguchi, Yoko Butterfly’s sisters: The Geisha in western culture, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010. Print
GEF SGP PROJECT PROPOSAL
5553075-390525
GEF SGP PROJECT PROPOSAL
TEMPLATE AND GUIDELINES
[Name the country]
[Date proposal]
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The Project Proposal should include the standard cover sheet, a one-page table of contents and not more than fifteen pages of text (including any charts or diagrams). A Project Budget Information Sheet should be fully completed and the Proposal in typed form.
You may also submit additional attachments (not more than ten pages), which mayinclude documents certifying the status of the organization, endorsements of theproposed project, funding commitments or other indicators of participation andsupport from other institutions, and evidence of community support andparticipation.
Please ensure that a project proposal and all attachments are legible. All supporting documents (attachments) should also have the name of the project on them.Submit one original copy of the Proposal (soft and hard copy) to National Coordinator, GEF Small GrantsProgramme, [Full address of the SGP Offices]. Keep a copy of your proposal for your own records as the one you submit will notbe returned.
In preparing a Project Proposal, you should follow the major (numbered) points of theoutline set forth below. These are the major issues which the National Steering Committee (NSC) will consider in reviewing the Proposal. Ensure that the entire bulletpoints included in the outline is addressed. The number of pages allocated to eachsection is a guide. The information required can be less but not more than the pagesstipulated.
TABLE OF CONTENTS TOC o “1-2” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561829″GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS PAGEREF _Toc267561829 h ii
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561830″TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGEREF _Toc267561830 h iii
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561831″PROJECT PROPOSAL COVER SHEET PAGEREF _Toc267561831 h iv
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561832″SAMPLE TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGEREF _Toc267561832 h v
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561833″1.0PROJECT PROPOSAL OUTLINE AND CONTENT PAGEREF _Toc267561833 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561834″1.1Project Summary (2.5 pages) PAGEREF _Toc267561834 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561835″1.2Organizational Background and Capacity (1 page) PAGEREF _Toc267561835 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561836″1.3Project Objectives and Expected Results (1.5 pages) PAGEREF _Toc267561836 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561837″1.4Description of Project Activities (4 pages) PAGEREF _Toc267561837 h 2
1.5 LINK WITH GEF OP5 OUTCOMES AND OBJECTIVES (0.5 PAGES)………
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561838″1.5Implementation Plan and Time Frame (2 pages) PAGEREF _Toc267561838 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561839″1.6Plan to Ensure Community Participation (1 page) PAGEREF _Toc267561839 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561840″1.7Risks to Successful Implementation (1 page) PAGEREF _Toc267561840 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561841″1.8Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and Indicators (1 page) PAGEREF _Toc267561841 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561842″1.9Sustainability (1 page) PAGEREF _Toc267561842 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561843″2.0PROJECT BUDGET INFORMATION SHEET PAGEREF _Toc267561843 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561844″2.1Project Funding Summary PAGEREF _Toc267561844 h 5
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561845″2.2Projected Expenditures PAGEREF _Toc267561845 h 6
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561847″2.4Bank Details PAGEREF _Toc267561847 h 7
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561859″3.0MAKING A GRANT APPLICATION PAGEREF _Toc267561859 h 7
aNNEXES
annex 1: HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561848″PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS PAGEREF _Toc267561848 h 8
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561850″aNNEX 2: gRANT CATEGORIES PAGEREF _Toc267561850 h 8
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561851″4.1Demonstration Projects PAGEREF _Toc267561851 h 8
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561852″4.2Capacity Building PAGEREF _Toc267561852 h 8
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561855″ANNEX3: GEF SGP GUIDE TO GLOBAL INDICATORS PAGEREF _Toc267561855 h 9
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561856″5.1Biophysical Indicators10
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561857″5.2Livelihood Indicators10
HYPERLINK l “_Toc267561858″5.3Empowerment Indicators..10 PAGEREF _Toc267561858 h .
PROJECT PROPOSAL COVER SHEETProject No.________________ (For Official Use. Do not write anything here)
Project Title:_________________ (Use the GEF format, title must capture the essence of project and aligns to GEF focal areas)
Applicant
Name of Organization: _____________________________________________________
Mailing Address:______________________________________________________
Physical Address:______________________________________________________
Telephone:______________________________________________________
Fax: _____________________ E-Mail:_________________________
Principal Officer:______________________________________________________
(Name and Position)
Project Contact: ______________________________________________________
(Name and Position)
Project
GEF SGP Classification
Thematic/Focal Area (Tick one) Project Category (Tick one)
Conservation of Biodiversity Demonstration Project
Climate Change Capacity Development Project
Land Degradation and Sustainable Forest Management Applied Research/Policy Analysis
International Waters Information/Networking/Policy Dialogue
Persistent Organic Pollutants(POPs) Multi-focal* * Proposal addresses more than one focal area
Proposed Starting Date:_______________________________________________
(Ideally this should be at least six months after submission)
Proposed Project Duration: _______________________________________________
Finances
Total GEF SGP Request:[local currency] _____(US$ _______________)
Total from Other Sources:[Local currency] _____________ (US$ _______________)
Total project cost:Local currency] _________________ (US$ _______________)
Exchange Rate: ___________________________
SAMPLE TABLE OF CONTENTSI.GEF SGP PROPOSAL COVER SHEET……………………..…
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………
SECTION A
II.PROJECT PROPOSAL OUTLINE (12 Pages)………………………..
1. Project Summary(1 Page)
2. Organizational Background and Capacity(1 Page)
3. Project Objectives and Expected Results(1Page)
4. Description of Project Activities(2.5Page)
5. Implementation Plan and Time-frame(2 Page)
6. Plan to Ensure Community Participation(1Page)
SECTION B
7. Risks to Successful Implementation(0.5 Page)
8. Evaluation Plan and Indicators(1 Page)
9. Sustainability
SECTION C(1 Page)
III.PROJECT BUDGET INFORMATION SHEET………………………
V.GRANT CATEGORIES………………………
VI.SGP GUIDE TO PROJECT LEVEL INDICATORS………..……………..
Section A.
1.0PROJECT PROPOSAL OUTLINE AND CONTENT1.1Project Summary(1 page)The Project Summary should be a brief write up of the key points contained in theProposal. This should include a brief descriptionof the proposing organization,project objectives, activities, indicators of achievement and the context (or rationale/justification) upon which the project is based. This shall also include the relationship of the projectto the GEF/SGP Country Programme Strategy and a statement ofthe total cost of the project, the amount of funding requested from the GEF SmallGrants Programme, how those funds will be used, the amount, nature, and status ofcommunity contributions, and the status and sources of additional funding required.
1.2Organizational Background and Capacity to implement the project (1 page)This section should clearly demonstrate that the proposing organization has theexperience, capacity, and commitment to implement successfully the proposedproject.Among the issues to be covered in this section include:
Nature of the proposing organization – Is it a community-based organization, national or sub-national NGO, research or traininginstitution?
Purpose and core activities of the organization,
Organizational approach (philosophy) for project implementation, i.e. how does the organization deliver its projects?
Length of existence and project management experience
Organizational structure,governance and administrative framework: number of paid staff members,
Membership and affiliation toassociations or umbrella groupings,
Legal status – registration with government approved authority
Target population group (women, indigenous peoples, youth, etc)
Previous experience relevant to the proposed project including: projectsaddressing problems of Biodiversity loss, Climate Change Mitigation and/or Adaptation, land degradation/Sustainable Forest Management andPollution ofInternational Waters. OR experience with projects that focus onenvironment and natural resources management and sustainable development at communitylevel.
1.3Project Objectives and Expected Results (1page)This section should contain a clear and specific statement of what the proposedproject will accomplish. Among the issues to address include:
The problem statement or challenge the project is intended to address
The primary objective and specific objectivesof the proposed project
Therationale (justification) for the project. The rationale should indicate the importanceof the proposed project to the GEF Small Grants Programme in terms of contributing to its overall and or specific focal area objective (s). It shouldalso reflect the relationship of the project to other relevant programmessuch as local, district or national government programmes, other GEF and UNDP projects, multilateral and bilateral aid agency projects, and other community-based, NGO, and/or private sector activities. This ensures that the intervention is not a standalone activity.
The specific results that the project will produce. The expected results are the measurable changes which will have occurred by the end of the project as a result of the planned intervention e.g. land area under forest cover increasing because of tree planting and promotion of natural regeneration of vegetation; etc.
1.4Description of Project Activities (2.5pages)This section should describe what will actually be done to produce the expectedresults and accomplish the project’s objectives. There should be a clear and directlinkage between the activities and the outcomes. (The proponent must ensure that the activitiesare a means to getting to intended outcomes). Note that weakness in this area may be amajor reason for failure to receive funding as this is the actual component to be implemented as a project.
Activity descriptions should be as specific as possible, identifying what will bedone, whowill do it, whenit will be done (beginning, duration, completion), andwhereit will be done.In describing the activities, an indication should be made regarding theorganizations and individuals involved in or benefiting from the activity. An example is below for reference only.
1.5Implementation Plan andTime Frame (2 pages)This section may be presented in graphical (table) form and can be attached as an annex. It should indicate the sequenceof all major activities and implementation milestones, including targetedbeginning and ending dates for each step. Provide as much detail as possible.The Implementation Plan should show a logical flow of steps, indicating that all thethings that must happen have been carefully thought through from the current to the end of project situation. Include in the Implementation Plan all requiredhighlight reports, project reviews and evaluation activities.
1.6Plan to Ensure Community Participation (1 page)
Describe how the stakeholdercommunities were (and are being) involved in
Project planning and design
Project implementation
Project monitoring and evaluation to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in delivery. This is the basis for generating and understanding project impact.
Section B
Project Work plan and Monitoring Schedule
Project No: Project Name:
Name of Grant Recipient
Brief description of General Objective of Project:
GEF Focal Area: GEF Operational Phase: Project Start and End Dates:
Brief Description of Specific Objective No 1:
List the activities necessary to fulfil this objective. Indicate who is responsible for each activity and an indicator of activity accomplishment. Duration of Activity in Months (or Quarters)
Activity Responsible Party Indicator 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
Brief Description of Specific Objective No 2:
List the activities necessary to fulfil this objective. Indicate who is responsible for each activity and an indicator of activity accomplishment. Duration of Activity in Months (or Quarters)
Activity Responsible Party Indicator 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
Indicate Person responsible for Monitoring and progress reports: Monitoring Frequency / Reporting
Monitoring and Record keeping
Progress Reports
1.7Risks to Successful Implementation (0.5 pages)Identify and list the major risk factors that could result in the project not producingthe expected results. These should include both internal factors (for example, thetechnology involved fails to work as projected) and external factors (for example, significant currency fluctuations resulting into changes in the economics of the project).
Include in this section also the key assumptions on which the project plan is based.In this case, the assumptions are mostly related to external factors (for example,government environmental policy remaining stable) which are anticipated inproject planning, and on which the feasibility of the project depends.
1.8Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and Indicators (1 page)This section should contain an explanation of the plan for monitoring and evaluatingthe project, both during its implementation (formative) and at completion (Summative).Among the key issuesto be addressed are:
How the performance of the project will be tracked in terms ofachievement of the steps and milestones set forth in the ImplementationPlan;
How the impact of the project will be assessed in terms of achieving the project’s objective(s);
How the mid-course correction and adjustment of the project design and plans will be facilitated on the basis of feedback received;
How the participation of community members in the project monitoring and evaluation processes will be achieved.
Propose specific and measurableindicators relating to project performance and impactwhich can form the basis for monitoring and evaluation. These indicators must also speak to the CPS indicators in your country. These indicators will berefined in consultation with the NC, and will form an important part of the contractbetween the proposing organization and the GEF SGP. In addition, identify at least 1 GEB and 1 indicator from each of the 3 categories of biophysical, livelihood and empowerment indicators provided (see pages 9 – 10).
1.9Sustainability (1 page)Sustainability is a critical aspect in all the GEF SGP funded projects. The proposalshould outline the steps to be taken before, during and at the completion of projectimplementation to ensure that once all the SGP funds have been disbursed, theactivities of the project and the organization will continue for many years thereafter.
The funds provided by SGP are primarily seed funds, designed to give the project asignificant boost. However, project proponents should envision the project three oreven five years after SGP has given out the agreed upon funds, and consider thefactors that could contribute to the success and failure of sustainability of theirproject, and address them accordingly.
2.0PROJECT BUDGET INFORMATION SHEETThe Project Budget Information Sheet is an important part of every GEF SGPproject proposal and must be completed prior to consideration of a proposed project forfunding. Once a project has been approved for funding, the budget informationbecomes part of the binding contract between the GEF SGP and the proposingorganization.
The development and management of a realistic budget is an important part ofdeveloping and implementing a successful GEF project. Careful attention to issuesof financial management and integrity will enhance the effectiveness and impact ofthe project. In keeping with the role of the GEF SGP as a support mechanism forcommunity-level initiatives, every effort has been made to keep financialmanagement requirements as straightforward and non-burdensome as possible.The following important principles should be kept in mind in preparing a projectbudget:
Include only costs which directly relate toefficiently carrying out the activities and producing the objectives whichare set forth in the proposal. Other associated costs should be funded fromother sources.
The budget should be realistic. Find out what planned activities willactually cost, and do not assume that you will be able to make do for less.
The budget should include all costs associated with managing andadministering the project. In particular, include the cost of monitoring andevaluation.
“Indirect costs” or administrative overhead costs such as staff salaries and office rent are not funded by the GEF SGP. These therefore should not be part of the funding request.
GEF SGP funds should be spent according to the agreed budget.
Allrelevant, financial records should be made available. These may beindependently audited, and may become public information.
The budget line items are general categories intended to assist in thinkingthrough where money will be spent. If a planned expenditure does notappear to fit in any of the standard line item categories, list the item under other costs, and state what the money is to be used for.
The figures contained in the Budget Information Sheet should agree withthose on the Proposal Cover Sheet and in the text of the proposal.
GEF SGP grant requestsshould not exceed fifty thousand United States Dollars (US$50,000) per project.
Section C
2.1Project Funding SummaryFunding Source Funding Plan, [local currency] Total (local currency) Total US$
Year 1 Year 2 a. GEF SGP b. Community c. Proposing Organization d. Other co-financiers Total Project Cost a. Community Contribution
All cost -sharing contributions (cash and in-kind) should be itemized as below. This should include sources and nature of the contribution (e.g. Youth Organization contributing labour, land, cash, etc). Please indicate whether the contribution is already committed or just a projection.
Sources of Community Contribution Type Committed or Projected?* Value, in local currency
1. 2. Total * Write ‘C’ for committed and ‘P’ for projected funds
b. Proposing Organization Contribution
The GEF SGP believes in cost sharing. It is therefore important that proposing organizations make some contribution towards the cost of the project. Contributions can be outlined as follows:
Sources of Contribution Type Committed or Projected?* Value, local currency
1. 2. Total * Write ‘C’ for committed and ‘P’ for projected funds
c. Other Contributions
Sources of Contribution Type Committed or Projected?* Value, local currency
1. 2. Total * Write ‘C’ for committed and ‘P’ for projected funds2.2Projected ExpendituresExpenditure Category Year 1, [local currency] Year 2, [local currency Total, [local currency US$ % Total
1. Personnel / Labour 2. Equipment / Materials 3. Training / Seminars / Travel
Workshops 4. Contracts 5. Other costs** 6. Incidentals 7. Other support requested 7. Contingency (5%) Total Project Cost
**Specify here (category and cost):____________________________________
____________________________________
Exchange Rate ([local currency/US $): ___________________________________
Notes and Remarks:
________________________________________________________________________
2.4Bank DetailsProvide information on any of the Organization’s bank account. Upon being successful, a separate bank account would have to be opened for handling of grant funds – No combining of funds is allowed in the GEF SGP.
Account Name:_______________________________________________
Title (current, savings, etc):_______________________________________________
Account Number:_______________________________________________
Branch/Service Centre:_______________________________________________
Bank Name & Address:_______________________________________________
6.0MAKING A GRANT APPLICATIONNational and local NGOs and CBOs may propose projects for grant support underthe GEF Small Grants Programme. Procedures for project proposal screening andapproval are generally as follows:
1.The project proponent contacts the SGP National Coordinator to receive projectapplication guidelines.
The project proponent prepares a project concept paper and submits it to GEF SGP National Coordinator (NC). NC reviews concept paper and recommends it to National Steering Committee (NSC) for further review and approval.
Approved concept paper is developed into a full proposal by project proponent, who later submits it to theGEF SGP National Coordinator
Completed and appraised project proposalis submitted by the NCto theNSC for further review and approval.
The NSC reviews the proposal and agrees to accept,rejector return it to the proponent with a request that further work be done to refine the project proposal.
An approved proposal enters the national GEF SGP work programme for that particular year.
Grants areusually paid in three or four installments.
Forproposal submission and more information, contact:
National Coordinator,GEF Small Grants Programme,
[Full Address and Email of the GEF SGP country requesting to programme for a particular year]
Completed proposals (in both soft and hard copies) should be received by the SGP National Coordinator no later than [indicate deadline date]
Annex 1:PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESSThe review of project proposals is the responsibility of the National Steering Committee (NSC) with assistance from the GEF SGP National Coordinator (NC). Upon receiving project proposals, the NC acknowledges receipt of the same to the proposing organization(s) and prepares a list of project proposals for consideration of the NSC. This preparation may include discussions with the proposing Organization in refining the proposal if necessary. NC then presents the project proposal to the NSC. The NC may also present, for consideration by the NSC additional information about the proposed project, including the results of consultations or site visits. The NSC is structured to provide a full and substantive (independent) discussion, including the sharing of all relevant concerns and points of view.
The NSC shall make its decisions based on a consensus-building process, rather than by formal voting. Final deliberations regarding a project shall take place in the absence of the project proposing organization. In a related development, NSC members with special interest in a particular proposal will be asked to declare their interest and excuse (disqualify) themselves from the decision making process about the said proposal.
The decision of the NSC may be to recommend that the project:
Be awarded a grant for immediate funding and implementation;
Be rejected and cannot receive GEF SGP support;
Be further developed for reconsideration at a later date.
In all cases, the rationale for the decision shall be documented and communicated to the project proposing organization by the NC on behalf of the NSC. Please see a copy of a typical review sheet annexed to this proposal (annex 1).
Annex 2:GRANT CATEGORIESThe GEF SGP provides support for community based projects in line with its Global Strategic Framework and Country Programme Strategy in four broad categories:
4.1Demonstration ProjectsDemonstration projects test and demonstrate community -level approaches and technologies in one of the five GEF SGP focal areas (Biodiversity, Land Degradation and Sustainable Forest Management, Climate Change, International waters and POPS). These projects should serve as laboratories and catalysts for the development and dissemination of new approaches and innovative solutions.
4.2Capacity Development
Capacity development projects seek to increase the ability of NGOs and CBOs to address GEF related global environmental concerns. Such projects may or may not be associated with specific demonstration project, approach, or activity. They will often involve training, networking, and organizational strengthening, with the global goal of increasing the commitment and abilities of communities to address global environmental and sustainable livelihood issues in an effective and integrated manner. This will also include some projects relevant to information dissemination, monitoring and policy impact analysis and policy implementation dialogues.
The above categories cut across the GEF focal areas:
FOCAL AREA →
PROJECT TYPE
↓ Biodiversity Climate Change Land Degradation and Sustainable Forest Management International Waters POPs
Demonstration ♣
♣ ♣ ♣ ♣
Capacity Development ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣
Annex 3:GEF SGP OP 5 GUIDE TO PROJECT LEVEL INDICATORSBiodiversity (BD)
Hectares of indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCAs) influenced
Hectares of protected areas influenced
Hectares of significant ecosystems with improved conservation status
Hectares of production landscapes/seascapes applying sustainable use practices
Total value of biodiversity products/ecosystem services produced (US dollar equivalent)
Climate Change (CC)
Tonnes of CO2 avoided by implementing low carbon technologies
Renewable energy measures (please specify)
Low carbon transport practices (please specify)
Energy efficiency measures (please specify)
Other (please specify)
Number of community members demonstrating or deploying low-GHG technologies
Total value of energy, technology and transport services provided (US dollar equivalent)
Hectares of land under improved land use and climate proofing practices
Tonnes of CO2 avoided through improved land use and climate proofing practices
Land degradation (LD) & Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)
Hectares of land applying sustainable forest, agricultural and water management practices
Hectares of degraded land restored and rehabilitated
Number of communities demonstrating sustainable land and forest management practices
International Waters (IW)
Hectares of river/lake basins applying sustainable management practices and contributing to implementation of SAPs
Hectares of marine/coastal areas or fishing grounds managed sustainably
Tonnes of land-based pollution avoided
Persistent OrganicPollutants (POPs)
Tonnes of solid waste prevented from burning by alternative disposal
Kilograms of obsolete pesticides disposed of appropriately
Kilograms of harmful chemicals avoided from utilization or release
Policy Influence, Capacity Development & Innovations (all focal areas)
Number of community-based environmental monitoring systems demonstrated
please specify (1 example per entry)
Number of consultative mechanisms established for Rio convention frameworks
please specify (1 example per entry)
Number of innovations or new technologies developed/applied
please specify (1 example per entry)
Number of local or regional policies influenced (level of influence 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 )
please specify (1 example per entry)
Number of national policies influenced (level of influence 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 )
please specify (1 example per entry)
Livelihoods & Sustainable Development (all projects)
Number of participating community members (gender disaggregated) * mandatory for all projects
Number of days of food shortage period reduced
Number of increased student days participating in schools
Number of households who get access to clean drinking water
Increase in purchasing power by reduced spending, increased income, and/or other means (US dollar equivalent)
Empowerment (all projects)
Number of NGOs/CBOs formed or registered
Number of indigenous peoples directly supported
Number of women-led projects directly supported
Number of quality standards/labels achieved or innovative financial mechanisms put in place
Annex 4 : Project Proposal Review Sheet
The following issues represent major points of inquiry for the NSC in considering each project proposal (provided as a guide to the ta1king points for the discussion, NSC may include other points not presented here).
Evaluation Area Score:
3=Highly, 2=Moderately, 1=Partially and 0=Not At All General Remarks
a. Applicant
(………………..Points)
1. Does the organization meet the basic eligibility
requirement for GEF SGP OP5 support? 2. Has the organization demonstrated adequate capacity and experience to successfully implement the project?
b. Project Objectives
(………………..Points) 3. Does the proposed project meet the basic eligibility criteria as set forth in the GEF SGP OP 5 Country Program
GE Labor Relations History
Labor Relations
(Name)
(University)
(Instructor)
(Course)
(Date)
Introduction:
Labor relations depict the process in which firms and organization manage their unionized employees. The process involves consideration of the bargaining strategy adopted for each organization or company with respect to employees’ well-being. Employee unions formed serve as vessels of facilitating collective bargaining on behalf of employees- irrespective of the outcomes of such bargaining processes. The bargaining process involves union representatives and company or organization management representatives.
According to Cray (n.d), General Electric (GE) Company is one of the companies that specialize in the manufacture of electrical equipment, household appliances, and lighting products. In addition, the company owns NBC broadcasting network. GE ranks the second in the world with reference brand and market capitalization and is a successful conglomerate organization. The company is publicly traded and employs approximately 315,000 employees.
GE Labor Relations History:
In 1918, World Industrial Workers staged a significant strike at GE during the 1st World War. However, militancy upsurge was short-lived. GE, like other companies, established welfare capitalism in 1920s, as a strategy of discouraging independent unionization. The former president of GE, Gerard Swope, confined to the American Federation of Labor (AFL) that GE would accept the organization on the conditions that the company shifts from craft basis to industry (Cray, n.d). On contrary, AFL had no room for permitting GE to operate on an industry basis. As a result of this, GE formulated work-sharing plans and granted the employees loans. However, the measure adopted by GE was not sufficient to address the issue effectively.
1930s had the characterization of widespread unionism in the industrial sector. This escalated in 1936 when United Electrical and Radio Workers Union were created. During this year, GE accepted UE request for a representation at the company’s major facilities and consequently UE managed to ensure that GE was well organized. After the war, UE advocated for wage improvements, but the Cold War climate rendered UE to attacks as a result of Communist Party influence within the union. UE eventually was expelled from the organization after it failed to pay CIO dues and receiving tremendous raids from other unions. This led to the formation of Union of Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (IUE).
Despite the overthrow of UE by IUE, both unions formed cooperation to gather the power to confront GE effectively. This was a necessity in 1950s when GE adopted Boulwarism labor relations policy. However, the two unions began implementing the cooperation in 1960s, and after an overwhelming strike series, the unions managed to convince GE soften the limitations towards labor relations. Nevertheless, the unions’ achievement went to a loss in 1980s when Jack Welch (the chief executive then) adopted a strategy of employee layoff as a means of the company restructuring. This resulted in shutting off majority of unionized plants and work transfer to plants that had not yet adopted unionization measures. Despite the fact that GE status was beyond unprofitability, the company demanded benefits and wage concessions for workers under unions whose jobs were not terminated. In 1991, there was national contract negotiations that beard no fruits since GE workers lost confidence on the negotiated contract. The negations had considerations of increasing wages and granting workers medical benefits. These negations saw to it that medical benefits improved while wages became modest.
Welch put into practice a similar labor-squeeze policy, in 1985 at NBC when GE acquired the network. In 1987, GE management demanded the key concessions of the contract talks from National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET), which stimulated a walkout of 2,800 union members. After 17 weeks, NABET called off the strike after missing to win a single concession from the company since a replacement of the striking members took place from NBC. As such, NBC attained the power of hiring for jobs previously performed by regular staff members. In addition, employee layoff continued due to introduction of robot cameras in the network. A delegate’s convention, in 1988, found that GE had an inherent characteristic of weakening unions and depressing workers wages. The management system adopted by GE depicts that the company uses fear of job and stress of employees as a strategy of efficiency and productivity improvement. Moreover, retirees from GE claim that the company has reduced their pensions significantly through the use of accounting gimmicks. GE has also developed the reputation of employee discrimination. This discrimination has a basis on the race of employees. For example, in 1991 GE declined acceptance of a black machinist.
In spite of the inherent constant strikes, GE maintains a constructive contractual and statutory relationship with employees in all its global operations (GE Citizenship, n.d). The employees have representation structures in the form of trade unions, representative bodies, labor unions, and work councils. The employee representative structures take into consideration of the applicable laws within the countries in which they operate. GE grants employees freedom of collective bargaining and association with adherence to the existing local laws.
In United States, GE had negotiations, in 2007 for a four-year National Agreement. The negations involved two of the largest GE’S members union. IUE-CWA being the largest union represents 8,200 GE workers at forty-nine primary locations of the company. On the other hand, UE represents approximately 2,500 workers within eleven locations of the company. Terms and conditions of operation for these two unions, found application in smaller United States unions, which represented smaller groups of GE Company workers.
Settling of the problems:
Union workers strike was the key step that employees engaged in order to settle the problems they faced while working at GE. These strikes had negative repercussions on the employees since in many instances employees would find themselves falling as victims of employee layoff. On the other hand, the unions were at a perfect competition. As such, some unions would raid other unions in order to gain the power to control the company. For example, IUE raided UE in order to manage the workers of GE. Consequently; workers from UE on strike would find replacement from employees under the IUE union. This depicts that resulting into an action of strike is not long-term solution for problems that occur in an organization or a company.
On the other hand, GE would engage in adopting measures that discourage the formation of unions by the workers. This had an effect of weakening the union powers to get involved in the worker relations contract negotiations. GE engaged extensively in dialogues to seek for a change of operation from craft basis to industry that had no fail. As such, GE would use fear of job loss for the employees and stress as measures of solving problems. This led to inefficiency of problem solving within the organization.
GE Company would also adopt work-sharing plans as a means of solving the inherent workers problem within the organization. In addition, the company would avail loans to the employees as problem-solving technique. However, not all these measures were successful since workers would still result into a strike action. The strikes fostered the company to consent to workers representation request at the company facilities. However, GE played a hard line and declined to accept consequential organization of the company. This led to some unions like UE and IU realizing a need of cooperation in order to confront the company effectively. GE had the characteristic of adopting labor policies for workers relations and declined to engage in any form of negotiations with the workers representatives. As such, GE appeared as a company that dictated what the employees would have to perform, rather than engaging in a dialogue for consultation purposes. The dialogue would have helped the company in identifying the ills within its relations with the workers.
GE management adopted the style of employee layoff as a measure of company restructuring. An example, is when Jack Welch, the chief executive officer, in 1980s eliminated jobs as part of company restructuring measure. In the same period, most of the plants were shut down and the work shifted to regions in which plants were not unionized.
GE adopted Boulwarism as a bargaining strategy that was a violation of the legal considerations (Holley, Jennings, & Wolters, 2009). In this GE’s approach adopted for bargaining had similarity to the product marketing strategy. Whereby, a research on desires of the workers and competitive position of the company would take place, and the results presented to the union during the bargaining process. During the bargaining process, GE would stick to the research results unless the union representatives would offer new information concerning the issues, which according to the company view, the union could not provide. GE management claimed the bargaining strategy was effective since the company’s bargaining position had a base on facts generated after careful examination of the problems. In addition, the company maintained that the approach eliminated time wasting that would result if collective bargaining took place. Moreover, during the negotiations, GE would make the union representatives feel that they are the key causes of not reaching into a consensus. As such, the union had to conceptualize the company’s offer as the most reasonable and fair (Berry, Gould, & Staudohar, 1986).
Improvement of CBA:
GE Company bargaining strategy had an element of inefficiency and limitation of achieving the desired results from the negotiation process. As such, there was a need of the company adopting an effective means of collective bargaining. One of the key measures that GE would have adopted as a means of improving the bargaining process would be providing initial proposals free of company’s resistance (Holley, Jennings, & Wolters, 2009). The proposal for the bargaining process should have a room for alteration, rather than being rigid. This would have changed GE bargaining technique of being hard during the negotiation process with the union.
GE should have adopted a bargaining strategy of conceding at a slow rate, the bargaining positions established. In addition, both parties should have demonstrated a desire of commitment to the bargaining process. Moreover, the bargaining process would have been effective if the negations took place in an open manner. This would have involved clarification of each party’s interest, minimization of any form of emotional outburst, asking questions that would trigger gathering of information concerning the other party interest, and identifying, as well as agreeing on merits of each bargaining proposal.
The union representatives had labeled GE company management has one that hard negotiation strategy during the bargaining process. As such, GE would have changed the bargaining strategy to eliminate development of un-trust levels from the union representatives. This would have aided in development of respect and mutual trust between GE company management and the union representatives. In addition, union representatives should have scheduled marathon bargaining sessions. These sessions would aid in weakening the company’s management resistance, as well as concentration levels. Time pressure is an effective tool that would have aided in the scheduling of the marathon bargaining sessions. The effectiveness of this lies on the fact that an agreement would have being sort hurriedly to eliminate any possibility of lockout or strike deadline being reached.
Brainstorming would have been an effective tool if adopted in the bargaining process between GE company management and the union representatives. This would aid in attaining each parties respective interests for the proposal subject. The process would enhance identification of areas in which the parties had common interests and areas in which the parties had conflicting interests. Thus, the negotiations would begin on common interest areas in order to develop mutual trust and respect, as well as the bargaining pattern that need adoption for efficiency of the process. As such, negotiations on conflicting interest areas would take place in an efficient manner. However, the bargaining process should have depicted an expression of empathy towards each party’s concerns and interest.
Finally, both parties after engaging in negotiations during the bargaining process should have adopted a means of exchanging the papers of the proceedings. After the exchange, the parties should then make a formal arrangement for final revision of the presentations from the papers. The bargaining process should then end with the signing of the agreements document. This would aid in ensuring that each party obeys the agreement contract and implements it effectively.
Conclusion:
Bargaining power is a key factor for parties to attain an agreement in the negotiation process (Lewin, 1988). GE workers union representatives had no bargaining power; as such, the union representatives could not reach an agreement amicably with the management of GE Company. In all negotiations, an agreement is attained easily if the cost of disagreement exceeds cost of agreement. The bargaining process between GE company management and workers union representatives had a higher cost of agreement than the cost of disagreement. As such, the bargaining process would not yield any results from the negotiations that took place. However, GE Company demonstrated a lot of resistance, in all bargaining processes, towards the union representatives’ proposal interests. The motivating factor towards the establishment of bargaining process was the strike that workers would engage in most of the time.
References
Berry, R, Gould, W, & Staudohar, P. (1986). Labor Relations in Professional Sports.
Greenwood Publishing Group.
Cray, C. (n.d). General Electric. Retrieved from:
HYPERLINK “http://www.corpwatch.org/section.php?id=16” http://www.corpwatch.org/section.php?id=16
GE Citizenship. (n.d). Labor Relations: Retrieved from:
HYPERLINK “http://www.ge.com/citizenship/our-priorities/our-people/labor-relations.html” http://www.ge.com/citizenship/our-priorities/our-people/labor-relations.html
Holley, W, Jennings, K, & Wolters, R. (2009). The Labor Relations Process. Cengage
Learning.
Lewin, D. (1988). Public sector labor relations: analysis and readings.
