Coping with Climate Change

• What should be your role within this environment?
• How can the principles of information organization and representation help you in performing this role?
• What are the challenges facing you in performing the role? How will you address these challenges?

Coping with Climate Change

What is climate change?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) refers to climate change as “any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity.”

What are the impacts of climate change?

Climate change is indeed a global environmental problem. As industries, the transport sector and other human activities continue to pump more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the planet is now becoming more vulnerable to potential impacts. Ranging from severe droughts and heavy downpours to ocean acidification and spread of vector-borne diseases, climate change rapidly becomes a major threat to people in various parts of the globe.

The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report cited that coastal areas, especially heavily-populated megadelta regions in South, East and South-East Asia, will be at greatest risk due to increased flooding from the sea and, in some megadeltas, flooding from the rivers.

The whole world will be affected by rising sea levels. Changes in weather and climate could severely affect fisherfolks and coastal communities because of floods. When there is too little or too much rainfall during growing seasons, agricultural productivity will suffer thus affecting food security.

What are the vulnerabilities of Philippine ecosystems to climate change?

Sea Level Rise and Flooding

As the country’s population grows and ecosystems are continuously degraded, floods will worsen the condition of low-lying coastal areas especially for fisherfolks and informal settlers. For metro cities such as Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, wherein seventy percent of the country’s infrastructure is located, rising sea levels coupled with frequent storm activities will likewise severely affect these areas and put many lives at risk. This may be further aggravated if storm activities were to increase.

Agriculture and Food Security

During extreme weather events, crop production is at great risk. Any significant changes in weather and climate can directly affect the growth of crops and may result to yield decrease.

A study by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development showed that in the case of selected municipalities Pampanga, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Bulacan, and Zambales where farming is the major source of income, respondents experienced food shortage due to the El Niño phenomenon. Some of the reasons cited by local respondents were drying of crops and fishpond areas, reduction in fish catch and absence of fish in catching areas, and an increase in the price of food commodities.

Based on studies in the marine ecosystem, climate change has also been manifested in the marine environment. The rising sea level has resulted in smaller coastal areas, marine fish kill, occurrence of red tide, transfer of some marine fish species to safer grounds as their new habitat, and the stranding of marine mammals in beaches like the dolphins and whales.

Water scarcity

Another most serious potential threat arising from climate change is water scarcity. Freshwater availability in Central, South, East and South-East Asia is projected to decrease due to changes in climate. Coupled with population growth and the increasing demand for water, the IPCC projected that by the 2050s, more than a billion people would be adversely affected by the rapid decrease in water resources.

What is adaptation to climate change?

The IPCC defines adaptation to climate change as “an adjustment in natural human systems in response to actual or expected climate stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits benefit opportunities.”

Adapting to climate change is determined by the level of development, access to resources and scientific and technical capacity of communities in various parts of the globe. The impacts of climate change can create challenges for the world's poorest communities as their livelihoods are likely to be affected by climate change.

Some forms of adaptation may include more access to information on climate change, training and more technical measures, such as the production of drought-resistant seeds and better coastal protection. To lessen the impact of climate change on a country's development, our government must work hand in hand with key sectors in integrating adaptation into the country’s development policies.

What are some good adaptation practices and strategies on climate change?

The following are local strategies that can be adopted to prepare for future changes in climate.

Water:

* Water conservation
* Water harvesting and storage
* Better management of water supply systems

Agriculture:

Crop production

* Forecasts and early warning
* Diversification of herds, crops and livelihoods
* More resistant crop varieties
* Irrigation solutions
* Soil conservation
* Changes in timing of farming activities, in land use and in farm location
* Use early maturing rice varieties in the face of climatic variability
* Practice rice ratooning to increase rice production
* Conserve rainwater to extend cropping period
* Develop simple measures for handling rapid harvesting and postharvesting

Fish production

* Changes in fish stocking and harvesting
* Improve fish cage management

Health:

* Improve access to health care
* Disease monitoring and emergency responses

Ecosystems:

* Reduce other stresses
* Rehabilitate habitats
* Create protected areas and migration corridors
* Plant trees along highways, forest reserve areas, water shed areas and mountains

Coasts:

* Integrated coastal resource management
* Integrate adaptation to planning
* Construct sea walls
* Raise housing
* Conserve ecosystems

Increased flooding:

* Elevate major thoroughfare
* Modify existing drainage system
* “Flood-proof” buildings
* Provide flood hazard mapping and flood warnings
* Provide temporary shelter for affected communities
* Relocate affected communities should sea water level rise
* Empower community institutions


Clean Air and Good Health: Some Basic Facts
Clean air is essential to good health. Unfortunately, toxic air pollutants and contaminants are adding a whole list of “unwanted” ingredients in the air that we breathe thus giving rise to a variety of serious health risks.
How do these pollutants affect the body?
There are thousands of chemicals and chemical compounds that can contaminate the air we breathe.
When we breathe, contaminants enter the lungs where they are allowed to pass into the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, they are disbursed throughout the entire body where it negatively affects a person’s health.
Experts say that certain pollutants such as particulate matter can be inhaled and end up setting deep inside the lungs. Some particles are large or dark enough to be seen as haze, soot or smoke. Others are so small they can only be seen by an electron microscope.
The effects of air pollution on human health can vary greatly and can give birth to a multitude of health problems. The effects can range from irritated eyes and nose, headaches, fatigue, wheezing, long-term acute changes in lung function, respiratory illnesses, and impairment of the immune system or a shortened life expectancy.
What are the major air pollutants monitored in the country?
Carbon Monoxide (CO). It is an odorless and colorless gas produced by the incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, including gasoline, oil and wood. It can also build up in high concentrations in enclosed areas such as garages and along roadsides during heavy traffic.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2). It is a principal greenhouse gas emitted as a result of human activity. When exposed to CO2 in its solid or liquid state, this chemical can cause burns, frostbite, and blindness. If a person inhales CO2 in high concentrations, it can likewise cause unconsciousness and death.
Lead (Pb). It is a highly toxic metal that produces a range of adverse health effects particularly in young children. Since ____, Lead has already been phased out of gasoline, which has considerably reduced the contamination of air with lead. Some of the sources for lead include paint (for houses and cars), smelters, cosmetic products and a few hair dye products.
Ozone (O3). It is a gas that is a variety of oxygen. Ozone in the upper atmosphere is known as the ozone layer which shields the Earth from the sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays. However, at ground level it is considered a pollutant with highly toxic effects. Some of the major sources of ground-level ozone are vehicles and industries. Some of the ill effects of this pollutant include irritations in the respiratory tract, chest pain, persistent cough and an increased susceptibility to lung infection.
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx). Nitrogen oxides are produced from burning fuels, gasoline and coal. It is a major contributor to smog and acid rain. In high doses, smog can harm humans especially asthmatics and can cause general illness of the respiratory system. Acid rain, on the other hand, can harm vegetation and change the chemistry of the water thus affecting marine life.
Particulate Matter. It is any type of solid particles in the air in the form of smoke, dust and vapors. Particulate Matter is produced by many sources, including burning of diesel fuels by vehicles, fossil fuels, mixing and application of fertilizers and pesticides, road construction, industrial processes and operation of woodstoves. Some microscopic particles in the air can be breathed into the lungs causing increased respiratory disease and lung damage.
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) It is an odorless gas at low concentrations, but can have a very strong smell at high concentrations. SO2 is a gas produced by burning coal, most notably in power plants. Some industrial processes, such as production of paper and smelting of metals, produce sulfur dioxide. It can harm vegetation and metals and can cause lung problems, including breathing problems and permanent damage to lungs.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These are organic chemicals that found in gasoline, industrial chemicals such as benzene, solvents such as toluene and xylene, and perchloroethylene (principal dry cleaning solvent). Vehicle emissions are an important source of VOCs. These chemicals are released from burning fuel, such as gasoline, wood, coal, and from solvents, such as paints, glues, and other products used at home or work.
What can we do for cleaner air and better health?
About half of the air pollution comes from mobile sources such as cars, trucks, jeepneys and buses. Here are some things that you can do to clean the air:
ท Use clean fuels for cleaner air and healthier environment.
ท Clean fuels such as biofuels, ethanol and compressed natural gas emit fewer pollutants like hydrocarbons and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.
ท Maintain your vehicle’s engine to clean the air by:
o Checking cleanliness of your car’s air cleaner
o Changing oil periodically
o Checking steering wheel free play
o Following recommended tire pressure
o Keeping wheels properly aligned
o Making sure that battery, alternator, voltage regulator and fan are in good working condition
o Making sure that brakes do not drag or bind
o Checking fuel line connections
o Not overloading your vehicle
ท Have airconditioning units of your vehicles tested to check if refrigerant is ozone-friendly.
ท A healthy lifestyle means saying no to smoking.
o Smoking damages nearly every organ in the human body, and is linked to at least 10 different cancers.
o Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your loved ones.
ท Yes to good health! Go organic.
ท Prepare your food the environment-friendly way.
ท Conserve energy and help clean the air.
o Increased consumption of electricity means more burning of fossil fuels by power plants that contributes to global warming
o Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
o Use energy efficient lighting, equipment and appliances
ท Avoid burning of garbage. Practice waste segregation, reuse and recycling.
o Choose recycled products.
o Choose products with recyclable packaging.
o Reuse paper bags.
o Recycle paper, plastics and materials
o Print and photocopy on both sides of the paper.
ท Our everyday activities affect the quality of our air. We should do our share to clean the air!
ท When traveling alone and not in a hurry, take the mass railway transit or any form of mass transport instead of your car or a taxi.
ท Walk or ride a bike when traveling short distances.
ท Plant trees and ornamental plants in your surroundings. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen.
ท Share rides with your neighbors, officemates, and friends.
ท Plan your trips.
ท Have your vehicle’s emission tested prior to registration.


The Earth is a huge greenhouse?
As you know, greenhouses use glass to keep the heat in. And just as the glass in a greenhouse holds the sun’s warmth inside, so the atmosphere traps the sun’s heat near the Earth’s surface. This keeps the Earth warm using what are called “greenhouse gases”. Without these gases, the sun’s heat would escape and the average temperature of the Earth would drop from 15oC – 18oC!

Greenhouse gases and climate change
For thousands of years, the Earth’s atmosphere has changed very little. The temperature and the careful balance of greenhouse gases have stayed just right for humans, animals and plants to survive. But today we are having problems keeping this balance. Because we burn fossil fuels to heat our homes, run our cars, produce electricity, and manufacture all sorts of products, we are adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. These activities are changing the atmosphere at a greater rate than humans have ever experienced.

What could happen if the climate changes?
By increasing the amount of “heat-trapping” gases, we are adding to the warming effect of the natural atmospheric greenhouse. This could warm the planet and have a huge effect on all forms of life. The global sea level could rise due to several factors including melting ice and glaciers. Rising sea levels could damage coastal regions through flooding and erosion. The climate of various regions could change too quickly for many plant and animal species to adjust. Harsh weather conditions, such as heat waves and droughts, could also happen more often and more severely.

What are the Greenhouse Gases?
Did you know that water vapor is the most common greenhouse gas? But there are others that are very important too. Some occur naturally and some come from human activity. Check out the list below.

• Carbon Dioxide or CO2 is the most significant greenhouse gas released by human activities, mostly through the burning of fossil fuels. It is the main contributor to climate change.

• Methane is produced when vegetation is burned, digested or rotted with no oxygen present. Garbage dumps, rice paddies, and grazing cows and other livestock release lots of methane.

• You can find nitrous oxide naturally in the environment but human activities are increasing the amounts. Nitrous oxide is released when chemical Fertilizers and manure are used in agriculture.

• Halocarbons are a family of chemicals that include chlorofluorocarbons (which also damage the ozone layer), and other human-made chemicals that contain chlorine and fluorine.

Is the Earth getting warmer?
Yes! Scientists may not agree exactly how much global warming will occur, or exactly how much the climate will change, but they do agree that some global warming has already occurred and there will likely be much more. The 12 warmest years in the past 140 years have all been since 1980, with eight of them since 1990. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change noted that 1990 was the warmest decade and 1998 was the warmest year.

So what’s wrong with warmer temperatures?
For many in the temperate countries, warmer temperatures might not seem like such a bad thing. But in tropical countries, this would be significant. Scientists warn us of the possible consequences like:

• more severe weather events like droughts, more powerful hurricanes, winter storms and tornadoes
• flooding and erosion in the coastal regions
• our forests and farms would be at greater risk from pests, diseases and fires
• damage to our water sources

Climate change could also affect the health and well-being of people. Many larger cities could experience a significant rise in the number of very hot days. Air pollution problems would increase, placing children, the elderly and people suffering from respiratory problems at greatest risk of health effects. Increases in molds and pollens due to warmer temperatures could also cause respiratory problems such as asthma for some people.

What is being done around the world?
Climate change affects the entire globe. Developed and developing countries are working together to find solutions to climate change. In June 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed by 154 countries that agreed to stabilize the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at levels that won’t cause harm. In December 1997, in Kyoto, Japan, 161 industrialized nations committed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, as part of an international agreement on climate change called the Kyoto Protocol.
Sources:
www.climatechange.gc.ca
www.emb.gov.ph


Many of us just taking for granted how wonderful God’s creation is. We just let our air be polluted, water be black, soil be full of plastics. Even our the atmosphere, we just think that it is a simple air up there, but actually it is a mixture of gases that surrounds our earth that has many many function to give life in every living thing in this planet.
Climate change it is the most talk about issue in this past weeks. Sudden floods like what happened in metro manila. Many died but many of us still continue the wrong doing in destroying our world. Burning of garbage, not separating the garbage, not serious in recycling, and not conserving water.
If our planet can talk, maybe now we are all deaf because of its continuous crying, shouting to stop doing the things that can harm our planet. If our planet can produce tear in every cry maybe Earth is covered with its tears now.
Diseases are everywhere, unfortunate for the poor. Because of change of climate every now and then creates a much stronger illness than before.
People ACT now, not just LISTEN, but take it very serious. Its coming very soon we just don’t know when.

iNsOuRcE!!!!!

I absolutely GO iNsOuRcE!!!!!

Outsourcing in general can be defined as passing of service provision or production to another internal or external party. The chief reason of outsourcing is to reduce capital expenditure over a business process. Also management gets more time to concentrate over core competencies. This also reduces the dependency upon internal resources and increases the flexibility to meet the changing business and commercial conditions.

Even though several other reasons can be listed up in favor of outsourcing, one must not overlook the disadvantages of it.

By outsourcing a business process, we tend to loose the managerial control. This happens because it is harder to manage the outsourcing service provider as compare to managing one's own employees. Also because we generally tend to skip (or miss to calculate) the
potential hidden costs of outsourcing which includes legal costs of putting together a contract between companies and time spent on coordinating the contracts, we feel that outsourcing reduces the overall expenditure of a business process, one of the major reasons why a company goes for outsourcing. This hidden and missed out costs of outsourcing is hard to predict causing overall costs to be underestimated.

Another disadvantage is that outsourcing can also prove to be a threat to the security and confidentiality of issues of a company. If your company is outsourcing business process such as payroll, confidential information such as salary will be known to the outsourcing service provider. Therefore one must be very careful in choosing which business process to outsource and which one not.

Outsourcing may also result into the possible loss of flexibility in reacting to changing business conditions, lack of internal and external customer focus and sharing cost savings. Loss of internally generated talent is yet another problem associated with the outsourcing as it may hamper the growth of an employee by depriving him from the experience he would have gained by handling the business issue himself then by passing it over to some other external party.

Thus before a company decides to outsource its business process, it must examine all the factors carefully. It may not happen that outsourcing becomes a reason for company to regret later.

There is a strong public opinion regarding outsourcing (especially when combined with offshoring) that outsourcing damages a local labor market. Outsourcing is the transfer of the delivery of services which affects both jobs and individuals. It is difficult to dispute that outsourcing has a detrimental effect on individuals who face job disruption and employment insecurity; however, its supporters believe that outsourcing should bring down prices, providing greater economic benefit to all. There are legal protections in the European Union regulations called the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment). Labor laws in the United States are not as protective as those in the European Union. On June 26 2009, Jeff Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, called for the United States to increase its manufacturing base employment to 20% of the workforce commenting that the U.S. has outsourced too much and can no longer rely on consumer spending to drive demand.

Quality Risk is the propensity for a product or service to be defective, due to operations-related issues. Quality risk in outsourcing is driven by a list of factors. One such factor is opportunism by suppliers due to misaligned incentives between buyer and supplier, information asymmetry, high asset specificity, or high supplier switching costs. Other factors contributing to quality risk in outsourcing are poor buyer-supplier communication, lack of supplier capabilities/resources/capacity, or buyer-supplier contract enforceability. Two main concepts must be considered when considering observability as it related to quality risks in outsourcing: the concepts of testability and criticality.

Quality fade is the deliberate and secretive reduction in the quality of labor in order to widen profit margins. The downward changes in human capital are subtle but progressive, and usually unnoticeable by the out sourcer/customer. The initial interview meets requirements, however, with subsequent support, more and more of the support team are replaced with novice or less experienced workers. India IT shops will continue to reduce the quality of human capital under the pressure of drying up labor supply and upward trend of salary, pushing the quality limits. Such practices are hard to detect, as customers may just simply give up seeking help from the help desk. However, the overall customer satisfaction will be reduced greatly over time^. Unless the company constantly conducts customer satisfaction surveys, they may eventually be caught in a surprise of customer churn, and when they find out the root cause, it could be too late. In such cases, it can be hard to dispute the legal contract with the India outsourcing company, as their staff are now trained in the process and the original staff made redundant. In the end, the company that outsources is worse off than before it outsourced its workforce to India

Disadvantages of Outsource

Although there are several reasons in favor of outsourcing, a company must also consider the disadvantages of outsourcing. There are risks that need to be analyzed whenever a company embarks on a new business venture. Even though outsourcing is often the right solution for companies, one should not outsource simply for the sake of outsourcing. Several benefits and value addition have to be realized in order for companies justify outsourcing. It is a hot trend nowadays and seems an attractive option for many, but if the risks are not considered in detail, the disadvantages of outsourcing may dominate the advantages.

Lately however, the concept of outsourcing has been criticized. The negative attitudes toward offshore outsourcing have been mostly discussed by parties in the US and UK, due to job losses in the mentioned countries. Some people in countries like the US, feel that outsourcing is threat to their economy. Outsourcing jobs to offshore destinations, is causing unemployment in the minds of some people. It cannot be denied that the immediate effects of outsourcing such as lay-offs as well as the shifting of production and jobs to foreign locations causes problems many employees. Both high and low-end jobs are moving out of the US causing people to loose jobs. The needs of companies, national economies and those of individual people often clash.

The disadvantages of outsourcing may include the following:

· Loss of managerial control, because it is more difficult to manage outside service providers than managing one’s own employees working possibly in the same building.
· Often the hidden costs are difficult to calculate or prepare for. These include legal costs related to putting together a contract between two companies and the time spent to coordinating the contract.
· Another disadvantage of outsourcing can be a threat to security and confidentiality. If your company is outsourcing processes like payroll, medical transcriptions or other confidential information, a company must be very careful in choosing which process it wants to outsource and to which provider.
· A possible loss of flexibility in reacting to changing business conditions, lack of internal and external customer focus and sharing cost savings may also be a disadvantage of outsourcing.
· Other disadvantages of outsourcing may include unfavorable contract lengths, loss of competitive edge, problems in contract renewal, and contractual misunderstandings.

When the IT department is taken over by an outsourcer you will see some changes. Some of these changes can be good for you and your organization -- but not all will be. The outsourcer will make a great deal of noise about its ability to leverage its support organization and your contribution to that organization. This makes it sound like a good thing for your organization in that you get a wider range of skills and you don't have to employ any additional staff to achieve it. Also, it suggests a good prospect for you because it gives you a career path outside your current employers' structure without actually changing jobs. As Ira Gershwin wrote; "It ain't necessarily so."

The tight integration with the outsourcer's help desk and systems management solutions, which I addressed in my last article, is a double-edged sword.

Here are some reasons to be wary:

· Longer resolution time. Typically, any problem with a server that you control will take significantly longer to resolve when you're relying on an outside company to solve it. Before being outsourced, you would have been able to go to the server room or at least access it using Remote Desktop and act quickly and directly using your knowledge and experience. Now that your are outsourcing the support for the server, you may find yourself constrained and possibly unable to control the server in the manner that is most appropriate to the problem at hand. Remember that if performance is merely degraded, you may not be given permission to do anything about the application until a time that is convenient for the outsourcer but inconvenient for you and your staff.

Server and Active Directory permissions are almost always changed. Settings pertaining to the operating system are set in a way that only personnel in the data center or remote support center are able to control such things as drive configuration, Registry settings or patch levels. If you have an application problem, rest assured that the problem will come straight back to your lap, but you will have one hand tied behind your back while you are troubleshooting and resolving the problem.

· Patch management is becoming more complicated. Patch management is always an area of heated debate. Traditionally, IT structures have the ability to control which patches are applied to their servers and, more importantly, when those patches are to be applied. Support teams from outsourced providers are often constrained by a contract that is written by the customer to keep operating systems and applications patched to a degree that sometimes may not sit well with third-party application vendors.

These vendors may often be focused on their product's functionality rather than on certifying it with a given service pack or patch. For example, there are many applications out there that are still only certified to run on Windows 2000 Server, with no prospect of them being approved for use on Windows Server 2003 in the future. Major releases aside, there is always a time lag between minor releases such as service packs and patches that application vendors take a long time to approve from a supportability perspective. You will receive a great deal of pressure from the centralized operating system support teams within the outsourcing organization to take patches that might not be even remotely relevant to your server(s) but are deemed essential by the centralized teams to allow them to conform with their schedule of the contract. Be prepared for some difficult conversations with the outsourcers'centralized teams, the Service Management organization and almost certainly with the software vendor or its support people.

· Stifled innovation. Innovation will also be a challenge for you personally. No matter what the marketing hype says, innovations and new technologies and ideas will present a challenge. Your contract may not contain a provision to develop the infrastructure using existing technology in a manner that will enable you to be part of the future within the organization. The kind of research & development activity that would have been done during an internal undertaking at no visible cost to the project is not always possible within an IT outsourcing arrangement. Projects under an outsourced arrangement typically are done to a tight cost model. While it might appear to you to be expensive, it takes into account the project management and other governance activities that may have been missing in your organization previously.

· Career advancement may be stifled. An outsourcer will always bring an external team in to look at two things that affect you -- architecture and business process. Architecture is the primary affecting point here. The team will view the entire infrastructure and work closely with the business process re-engineering teams. Future designs may be implemented with only a cursory reference to what technologies are in place -- save for how to migrate away from them. Whereas before your career progression may have gone from Windows administrator to technical architecture or to an IT management role, you will find that both of those functions are now imported from the outsourcer's pool of resources, who already have the requisite experience.

This is a newsletter from inquirer:

How gov't projects (like NBN and Cyber Ed) get overpriced

By Manuel A. Alcuaz Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:01:00 03/09/2008

Filed Under: Government Contracts, Graft & Corruption, NBN deal

I have been studying the Cyber Ed project for the past few weeks. All of a sudden one night last week it dawned on me--proponents of overpriced government mega-projects use the same strategy as ERP (enterprise resource planning) vendors.

They sell the idea that having a single vendor guarantees that everything will work together and this best for the customer (or government).

Seven years ago the Manila Polo Club bought a Club ERP from Micros-Fidelio at P12 million because they thought if they bought everything from a single vendor they would have an integrated system.

The Club did not get an integrated system now seven years after the club's management says that the various subsystems--POS, receivables, F & B management, and accounting do not work well together.

It is a pity because if the club had bid the various subsystems independently the cost could have been only about P6 million instead of P12 million.

Many vendors could have offered IBM based POS Systems at about half the price of the Micros-Fidelio POS.

My company had offered a Windows based F&B System for P250,000 instead of the DOS based Micros Fidelio F&B system at P1,415,000.

The advantages to the customer of breaking down bids into loosely coupled subsystems can be very significant.

Deeper analysis shows that the ERP single vendor integrated systems strategy is not for the good of the customer or the government.

It is a vendor strategy to

1. Eliminate competitors who cannot offer everything in the mega RFP (request for proposal)
2. Get all the business.
3. Be able to get very high margins.

The ERP selling strategy includes:

Sell high (to top management)
Make single vendor and integrated mandatory
Offer total solution (hardware, training, implementation, project management)
Sow FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) about smaller specialized vendors.

In the NBN-ZTE and Cyber Ed projects, we see that the project proponents advocate the ERP single vendor integrated system concept (religion!) as well as the strategy of selling high. How much higher can you get? It's not everyday that you get the President of a country flying to another country to witness the signing of a commercial contract (which subsequently gets lost!).

In both projects a single vendor provides everything (hardware, software, training, project management, etc.).

If one studies both the NBN-ZTE and Cyber Ed projects it becomes obvious that the Arroyo administration is not focused on good governance nor does it follow good procurement practices:

1. Both projects looked like they were being rushed.
2. Both projects avoided any semblance of competitive bidding.
3. Both projects do not show evidence of any effort to save money for the government.
4. In fact there seems to be an effort to borrow and spend as much as possible.
5. Both projects are designed to award everything to a single vendor.

Advantages of INSOUCE:

Ø No struggling with the trends of increasing costs.

Ø No support fees.

Ø Increase of staff knowledge and skill.

Ø Gives a high rate in employment of IT personnel.

Ø No vendor-lock in.

Ø Reduce costs.

Ø No managerial control.

Ø No loss of flexibility in reacting to changing business conditions.

Ø No hidden costs.

Ø No unfavorable contract lengths, loss of competitive edge, problems in contract renewal, and contractual misunderstandings.

Ø Not tied to the financial interests of vendor

This is my projected cost plan of my adopted company which I conducted a assessment of their Information System.

Projected Cost Plan

Shows in the table 1.1 the estimated cost in outsourcing and in sourcing. It also shows that in sourcing is cheaper than outsourcing. It also increases staff knowledge and skills to ensure a productive and satisfying work environment. As seen in the table it is much cheaper to switch to in source from outsource. Even though the company will have to spend more in personnel cost that is 82,500 php compared to outsource that is 45,000 php. It is an advantage also in our IT industry because in- sourcing gives a high rate in employment of IT personnel.

YEARS	COST SAVE	TOTAL
1 year	1,436,500	1,436,500
2 years	257,500	1,694,000
3 years	257,500	1,951,500
Table 1.2

Table 1.2 shows that shifting to in-source from outsource it can save 1,436,500 php. And in 3 years time the company will save 1,951,500 php.

I recommend hiring additional programmers, designer, researcher, and create a system development team to make a program system application so that the company doesn’t have to buy license system anymore. I recommend going in-source, to avoid too much expense in the company. Building a system development team is more easier for the IT personnel in the company to customized a certain program, and can also put the company information and ideas to the software, rather than buying a license where in if the company need assistance, the company will call their customer care specialist then every question cost time and money. I recommend going in-source so that the company will not be dependent anymore to the source of their Information System. Lastly, I recommend going in-source with the intention that the company will not be requires to sign an agreement that mandates that support fees will continue to be paid even if use of that product is discontinued within the contract period.

REFERENCES:

http://www.cyfuture.com/disadvantages-of-outsourcing.htm

http://www.softwareprojects.org/disadvantages-outsourcing.htm

http://business.inquirer.net/money/columns/view/20080309-123726/How-govt-projects-like-NBN-and-Cyber-Ed-get-overpriced

http://searchwinit.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid1_gci1212417,00.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed

On the assumption that you heard/read the SONA of the President last month, (July 2000), identify at least 3 areas related to ICT and identify how the

What is ICT?

ICT or Information and Communications Technology was created by President Gloria Arroyo

History:

In the year 2000, President Joseph Estrada formed the Information Technology and E-Commerce Council, which merged the powers and functions of the National Information Technology Council and the Electronic Commerce Promotion Council. Four years later, President Gloria Arroyo would abolish ITECC and create the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), We really need a department that will handle the offshoring sector as well as other legislation such as the cybercrime bill and the data privacy bill.

On the assumption that I heard/read the SONA of the President, I identify at 4 areas related to ICT and also I identify how these areas can improve our quality of life.

1. creating wealth by developing the BPO and tourism sectors as additional engines of growth

The President said in her SONA:

Kung noong nakaraan, lumakas ang electronics, today we are creating wealth by developing the BPO and tourism sectors as additional engines of growth. Electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy. But BPO remains resilient. “With earnings of $6 billion and employment of 600,000, the BPO phenomenon speaks eloquently of our competiveness and productivity. Let us have a Department of ICT.”

2. Telecommunications Commission

The President said in her SONA:

Sa telecommunications naman, inatasan ko ang Telecommunications Commission na kumilos na tungkol sa mga sumbong na dropped calls at mga nawawalang load sa cell phone. We need to amend the Commonwealth-era Public Service Law. And we need to do it now. Addressing to the National Telecommunications Commission to act on complaints against dropped calls and lost cellphone load. “We need to amend the Commonwealth-era Public Service Law. And we need to do it now.”

3. creation of DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology)

The President said in her SONA:

Pres. Gloria Arroyo on Monday made a final push for the creation of DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology) in her last State of the Nation Address (Sona). Let us have a Department of ICT. Philippines is now starting to create wealth with the development of the BPO industry as an engine of growth.

4. voting!

The President said in her SONA:

As the seeds of fundamental political reform are planted, let us address the highest exercise of democracy - voting!

In her 9th State of the Nation Address, Mrs. Arroyo cited the role of the BPO and tourism sectors as engines of growth in the country.

She noted that while electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy, the BPO sector has remained resilient and continues to grow.

Currently the country has recorded a $4.8 billion market share of outsourcing operations employing a total of 650,000 workers.

IT stakeholders from Davao will be having a summit which will prepare an roadmap that will include a short to medium term plan for Davao's IT industry. Currently Davao is ranked the 4th most preferred investment destination for Business Process Outsourcing companies from a study prepared by the CICT. Presently BPO operations in the City, are growing despite the ongoing global recession, it currently is employing 6,000 workers locally, with job demand steadily growing as several big-ticket BPO players are expanding operations while others are moving in to the City with the opening of the Ayala and Robinson IT parks.

Fournier said that Government's policy towards IT has contributed to the growth of the sector particularly CICT which he said is actively moving to develop the industry.

Recently President Arroyo was cited by the Contact Center Association of the Philippines for her support to the industry among the concrete government initiatives cited by the group include PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority) incentives, CICT (Commission on Information and Communications Technology) formation and the P50-million PGMA scholarship fund for call center training.

RESOURCES:

http://enjoyfrancis.com/news-and-info/ict-players-await-pgma%E2%80%99s-sona-speech/

http://www.mb.com.ph/node/213088/gma-

http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=reader&rp=2&fi=p090716.htm&no=11&date=07/16/2009

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/technology/07/27/09/arroyo-oks-creation-ict-department