On a worldwide basis, microfinance institutions (MFIs) provide financial services to the poorest households. To date, funding of MFI activities has come primarily from outright donor grants, government subsidies, and often debt capital, including debt with non-market terms favorable to the MFI. These traditional sources of MFI financing may not be sufficient to allow MFIs to provide maximum services. There is a subset of the pool of mainstream equity investors who would consider investing in MFI opportunities, even knowing that they would not expect to earn the full economic rate of return that such investments would otherwise require. However, as part of their investment evaluation process, these investors would ask: What would the market determined required expected rate of return for my MFI investment be? What return on investment (ROI) do I expect to earn on my MFI investment? Is the difference in the above two returns acceptable given my level of social motivation? How will I "monetize" my investment and when? The purpose of this article is to employ modern corporate finance techniques to address these questions.
Pipeline integrity management programs are a requirement under Annex N of CSA Z662.07. Annex N requires that data from many sources and details be collected, integrated and analyzed on a continuous basis. The stated goal is to provide guidance for developing, documenting and implementing pipeline integrity management programs, which provide safe, environmentally responsible and reliable service(1). If executed properly, there should be improved pipeline integrity with measurable improvements and benefits. An important step in reaching this goal is risk assessment, which requires continuous data input to maintain valid integrity assessments. This dynamic process of data collection and integration enables continuous analysis and potentially leads to a more proactive integrity management system. The biggest problem for most operating companies in creating a dynamic and proactive integrity management program (IMP), compliant with Annex N, is in handling the significant data issues. Indeed, the data collection, integration and analysis are the most daunting tasks of the program. A software solution that accepts data from the many activities involved in the lifecycle of a pipeline system would be potentially beneficial. Application of integrated software tools in the oil and gas industry will result in improved integrity management, greater confidence in our pipeline infrastructure and economic benefits. We will review some of the data requirements of Annex N of CSA Z662.07 and identify the components of the program that may differ from your existing management plan. The nature and detail of data to be managed will be presented. Finally, we will provide an example of the role that software tools can play to assist in meeting the requirements of this challenging regulatory initiative.
In 2002, gynecology residents in North Rhine-Westfalia (NRW) were asked how satisfied they were with their working and training conditions. A new extended survey of gynecology residents aimed to evaluate whether changes to specialist training regulations had affected residentsʼ levels of job satisfaction and to identify areas where training conditions still urgently required improvement. Material and Methods: A total of 1223 questionnaires with 52 questions were sent to the 159 gynecology clinics in NRW. Responses could be dichotomous, multi-level or quantitative. The results were analyzed with regard to age, gender, family status and type of clinic and were additionally compared with the results of a previous survey. Results: The percentage of women residents has increased to 84.6 %. A workload of more than 48 hours per week has resulted in decreased motivation and lower levels of satisfaction during training, although overall levels of satisfaction have clearly improved compared to the previous survey. Use of a logbook to create a more structured training program has not achieved the desired effect. Nevertheless, seven of eight gynecology residents would study medicine again, although 28 % of the budding gynecologists are considering working abroad or in private industry. Conclusion: Both training and overall satisfaction with working conditions must be improved to preserve the appeal of gynecology for young academics. This survey aims to identify key factors which are responsible for (dis)satisfaction with working conditions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.