Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Dublin Institute of Technology ARROW@DIT Articles School of Management 1-1-2010 (Le)agility in Humanitarian Aid Supply Chains Kirstin Scholten Dublin Institute of Technology, kirstinusa@yahoo.com Pamela Sharkey Scott Dublin Institute of Technology Brian Fynes Smurfit School of Business, University College Dublin Recommended Citation Scholten, K., Sharkey Scott, P., Fynes, B. Le)agility in humanitarian aid (NGO) supply International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management Volume: 40 Issue: 8/9 2010 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Management at ARROW@DIT. It has been accepted for inclusion in Articles by an authorized administrator of ARROW@DIT. For more†¦show more content†¦10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Figure 1 Humanitarian Aid funding to the developing world from 2000-2008 in million US$ (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2010) In contrast, commercial organisations actively adopt emerging SCM techniques and have responded to volatile and dynamic markets by developing agile supply chains. These agile supply chains build flexible and responsive capabilities in terms of their processes, networks and how they are integrated across other organisations (Van Hoek et al., 2001). We investigate the applicability of the agility concept to the HA supply chain, specifically NGOs, and present the results of our exploratory investigation. This provides an exciting opportunity to develop and extend the potential originally suggested by Oloruntoba and Gray (2006), and contribute to the theoretical underpinning of this under-researched area (Pettit and Beresford, 2009). By demonstrating how agility practices are translated from commercial to HA organisations, we gain insights into how NGOs specifically, and HA agenciesShow MoreRelatedIntroduction A few decades ago, the true understanding of the impact of supply chain management1400 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction A few decades ago, the true understanding of the impact of supply chain management was alien to many companies (Moore, Baldwin, Camm, Cook, 2002). As Moore et al (2002) continue to state, few companies within different industries understood the important link between strategic goals and supply management principles. This, in effect, meant that purchasing departments were undervalued, seen more or less as order takers and placers, while enjoying little or no respect from other organizationalRead MoreExtended Supply Chain1474 Words   |  6 Pages1. The extended supply chain is a way where everyone contributes to a product. For example, to an automotive company, like Ford, its extended supply chain would include a factory where plastics are produced and another factory where glasses for windshields are molded. Therefore, it is very important to a company to monitor what would happen in its extended supply chain. Sometimes a supplier’s supplier could have an impact on you. For instance, if there is a fire happened in a rubber factory ownedRead MorePerformance Measurement in Logistics Operations1440 Words   |  6 Pagesby the current emulous environment, performance measurement and monitoring, as a subject, has been arousing growing interest in various scopes, especially in the field of logistics operations. Explicit performance measurements provide a common groundwork for decision-making in companies. For performance measurement in Logistics operations, Key Performance Indicators are applied. â€Å"Key Performance Indicators, also known as KPI or Key Success Indicators (KSI), help an organization define and measureRead MoreHumanitarian Supply Chain3188 Words   |  13 Pages Introduction 3. Literature Review 1. Risk Management in Humanitarian Relief Operations 2. Commercial Supply chain and Humanitarian Supply Chain – A Comparative Study 4. Case Study 1. The Yogyakarta Earthquake – Humanitarian Relief Operations through IFRC’s Decentralized Supply Chain. 5. Areas to focus for Future Research 1. Sourcing and Supplier Management 2. Performance Management 3. Transportation, Model Choice and Routing Read MoreManaging Risks For Humanitarian Aid And Disaster Relief Procurement And Logistical Supply3289 Words   |  14 Pages Title: ‘’Managing Risks in Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Procurement and Logistical Supply’’ Acknowledgement: This research thesis results from my Masters studies carried out at the Logistics and supply chain Department of the University of the West of Scotland, United Kingdom. It is my long term desire and great pleasure to offer my sincere thanks to all those who have contributed, in whatever way, to the completion of this work of mine. First of allRead MoreHurricane Katrin The United States6790 Words   |  28 PagesNew Orleans in pity and disgust. The city was falling apart simply because disaster response organizations (namely FEMA) were not adequately responding to the disaster. Critics claim that the government’s mismanagement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is to blame for the disappointing relief efforts. FEMA has been accused of taking too long to act and then for not even having a plan of action. Many people agree that the agency had no idea of just how much damage the storm causedRead MoreSwot Analysis Of Jamsetji Tata School Of Disaster Management Essay3196 Words   |  13 PagesDISASTER MANAGEMENT Supply Chain and Logistics challenges Haiti Earthquake, 2010 Shailendra Rai 02-Aug-15 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND DISTRIBUTION NETWORK IN DISASTERS: TRANSPORTATION, WAREHOUSING AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT Submitted to- Prof. Janki Andharia â€Æ' In the last few decades we have seen the emergence of the supply chain as a critical competitive force in today’s market. By understanding supply chain and fostering appropriate ties between both customers and supplier humanitarian agenciesRead MoreOperation Management - the World Food Program1338 Words   |  6 Pagesthe globe. The organizations are funded by governments, humanitarian organizations, and other voluntary entities or individuals. According to Wikipedia, it is â€Å"the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide†. WFP saves lives by getting food to the hungry fast. Over the years, WFP has developed expertise in different areas including Emergency Preparedness, Food security Analysis, Nutrition, Food Procurement and Logistics to ensure the best solutions for the hungry populationsRead MoreA Brief Note On Inter Agency Coordination And Collaborations Impact The Success Of A Humanitarian Relief Operation1553 Words   |  7 Pagesunpredictability of immediate responders, often result in requirement of large scale post disaster partnership between agencies. The paper intends to focus on the degree to which inter-agency coordination and collaborations impact the success of a humanitarian relief operation and thereby asserting the need of association and teamwork both pre and post disaster. Introduction and purpose of study The need for collaboration between different actors working post disaster has been stressed time and againRead MoreNew Service Or Product Development Process1377 Words   |  6 Pagesthe preferred candidate in need of a business opportunity with FedEx. The supplier must be able to provide financial strengths and strong management. Being that the marketplace is competitive, FedEx must find suppliers who can give quality and efficient materials, good delivery and overall beneficial performance for the company. Order fulfillment process Logistics at FedEx is based on four methods of transportation known as trucks, trains ships and airplanes. The end-to-end order fulfillment process

The Battle Of The Atlantic - 1638 Words

The Battle of the Atlantic (03 September 1939 to 08 May 1945) I. Background The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, running from 1939 to the defeat of Germany in 1945. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, announced the day after the declaration of war, and Germany s subsequent counter-blockade. It was at its height from mid-1940 through to the end of 1943. The Battle of the Atlantic pitted U-boats and other warships of the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) and aircraft of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) against the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Navy, and Allied merchant shipping. The convoys, coming mainly from North America and mainly going to the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, were protected for the most part by the British and Canadian navies and air forces. These forces were aided by ships and aircraft of the United States from September 13, 1941. The Germans were joined by submarines of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) after their Axis ally Italy entered the war on June 10, 1940. As an island nation, the United Kingdom was highly dependent on imported goods. Britain required more than a million tons of imported material per week in order to be able to survive and fight. In essence, the Battle of the Atlantic was a tonnage war: the Allied struggle to supply Britain and the Axis attempt to stem the flow of merchant shipping which enabled Britain to keep fighting. From 1942 onwards, the Germans alsoShow MoreRelatedThe Battle Of The Atlantic1659 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest lasting battle of World War II. The Battle was to control the Atlantic Shipping Lanes and lasted from September 3rd 1939 to May 8th 1945, mainly in The Atlantic Ocean, but later spread to the United States and The Caribbean Sea. The Battle of the Atlantic was originally fought by Britain and Canada against Germany until 1940 when the Italians joined the German side. In 1941 the United States joined Britain and Canada in the battle, leading to theRead MoreThe Battle Of The Atlantic1749 Words   |  7 Pages5. How significant was the Battle of the Atlantic to the outcome of the Second World War? In this essay we will be discussing the Battle of the Atlantic during world two. We will examine the battle itself, its outcome and finally how it impacted on The Second World War as a whole. The battle of the Atlantic on itself can probably be considered to be largely unimportant by itself, as nothing major came out of it on either side. Britain’s land army was largely ceremonial after the devastation theRead MoreThe Battle Of The Atlantic1113 Words   |  5 Pagesof many battles that took place in Europe or in the Pacific that decided the fate of the war. The Battle of the Atlantic was a an important battle because it decided who would control the Atlantic trade routes during the war. If the Axis Powers got a hold of these trade routes then Great Britain (Germany s greatest threat) would have suffered and it would have gave Germany a chance to win the European Front. One other example of a decisive battle was the Attack on Pearl Harbor. That battle forcedRead MoreBattle of the Atlantic Notes1182 Words   |  5 PagesBattle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic played a very significant part in World War Two. In World War Two, after the escape atDunkirk and the inspiration of the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic was Britain s next nightmare. The Battle of the Atlantic was the only thing that ever frightened me. Winston Churchill. As an island Britain needed to bring in a vast amount of food and military equipment to survive the war. The German submarine force (U-boats) severely damagedRead More The Battle of the Atlantic Essay1650 Words   |  7 Pages The Battle of the Atlantic nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the fall of 1931, the Atlantic Ocean was the boiling point of a criminal battle between the British and Germans. Most people think that the Battle of the Atlantic may have decided World War II’s outcome. This battle was the dominating factor throughout the war. The Battle of the Atlantic was a violent and destructive battle. Many people lost their lives fighting in this battle. New technology was one of the major factors in the Allies winningRead MoreThe Battle of the Atlantic Essay1866 Words   |  8 PagesThe Battle of the Atlantic During WWII, the Germans attempted to force Britain into surrender by preventing vital supplies from reaching her across the Atlantic Ocean. Explain why by mid 1943, the British had gained the upper hand in the Atlantic. The Battle of the Atlantic was a key event in deciding the outcome of WWII. The Atlantic was Britains lifeline, the only route to the great factory that was the USA with its vast production capabilities. BritishRead MoreImpact Of Technological Advancements On The Battle Of The Atlantic1734 Words   |  7 Pagesin the Battle of the Atlantic through 1939 – 1946? The Battle of the Atlantic lasted from September 1939 until the defeat of Germany in 1945; it was recalled to be the longest continuous military campaign. In the duration of six years; a glorified battle consisting of naval warfare, German U-boats, warships and Italian submarines were pitted against Allied convoys which aimed to transport military equipment and supplies across the Atlantic to Great Britain and the Soviet Union. This battle was executedRead MoreThe Atlantic Wall : The Battle Of The Nazi Party Essay837 Words   |  4 PagesHannah N. Utterback Mrs. Pruitt English 1 December 20, 2016 The Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall Adolf Hitler once said, â€Å"Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who don’t want to fight in this world of eternal struggle don’t deserve to live.† Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party, the head of the government in Germany from 1933 to 1945, and a ruthless tyrannical leader of the Nazi from 1934 to 1945. Hitler was sixteen when he dropped out of school, he wanted to become an artist, butRead MoreThe Battle Of The St. Lawrence Seaway1693 Words   |  7 Pages The Battle of the St. Lawrence Seaway refers to the attacks on Allied shipping in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence from 1942 through to the end of the shipping season in 1944 . German submarines, commonly called U-boats, entered into these Canadian waters to hinder and delay Allied supplies from reaching Britain across the Atlantic . However, Allied convoys still made voyages to Britain and back, constantly supplying them with goods. Sailing across the middle of the Atlantic itself was consi dered farRead MoreCanada s Role As The Allied War Effort Significant Or Not?1389 Words   |  6 Pagesthese vehicles were used by the British army in the battle in North Africa and Italy. Again this shows how much we contributed to the Allied war effort by giving 70% of are munitions to them and thousands of military vehicles as well. In the agricultural department the government encouraged farmers and food processors to maximize their output to help with war effort. As Germany started taking over much of Europe Britain looked across the Atlantic Ocean for food. Canada got straight to work dehydrating

Travel Safely Essay Sample free essay sample

I’ve been fortunate plenty to go all around the universe but besides witnessed an incredible array of street cozenages and buncos. From Cairo to Caracas. Amsterdam to Amman. person was ever seeking to sell me wolf tickets: the bogus rummy. the razor blade cut. the Rio shoe cozenage. money exchange bait-and-switches. switching walls. high-speed auto pursuits through barrios. muggers with matchets. public violences shrouded in tear gas. kins of pickpocketing itinerants. alien enchantresss who slip something in your drink. being a invitee in a Third World gaol. and running for my life from the Triads. the Chinese Mafia. I even survived an luxuriant and well-orchestrated grift in Bolivia affecting bogus police officers with a bogus constabulary auto and a kg of bogus cocaine that had me sudating like a surety. But please don’t allow all of this discourage you from catching your passport and researching the beautiful universe we live in ; you’ll happen most topographi c points to be every bit safe as your forepart porch if you exercise some basic regulations of cautiousness: 1. Stay ready and you won’t have to acquire ready. Before you embark do transcripts of your passport. medical card. recognition cards. and travel path. Give a transcript to a friend back place and maintain one set with you. divide from the existent thing. Email any pertinent information to yourself through a web based email history so you can acquire it from any hotel or cyberspace cafe if needed. Check in with the U. S. embassy when you arrive. I even maintain $ 20 folded under the sole of my shoe for exigencies. 2. Don’t be the ugly American. Don’t draw negative attending to yourself. If you’re traveling to party overseas ( which I extremely encourage ) don’t acquire excessively intoxicated and ever take a cab at dark. Don’t accept an unfastened drink from person or leave yours unattended. Most significantly. neer muss with drugs while you’re in a foreign state – I have a friend functioning five old ages in a Costa Rican prison who can endorse me up on this. 3. Keep a agenda like a husbandman. A batch more bad material happens at 2 AM than it does at 2 PM. Get downing and stoping your twenty-four hours early will maintain you out of potentially unsafe state of affairss. A safe. pleasant touristed vicinity can turn into a genteelness land for offense one time the Sun goes down. 4. Don’t be easy. Thiefs go for the easiest victims they can happen. Show that you’re paying attending – head up. eyes looking about. admiting people coming and traveling – and they’ll move on to person easier. 5. Chaos theory. Thiefs choreograph state of affairss that breed confusion and so work stoppage. So if person rattles a newspaper in your face. or a intoxicated lurchs into you. or a battalion of cocottes surround you and get down being manner excessively friendly. instantly put one manus in your pocket on your billfold and utilize your free manus to courteously force off and step back from the state of affairs. But the best manner to avoid problem is to traverse the street when you see it coming. 6. Get local! No affair where you are â€Å"make nice† with the locals. Learn a few phrases in their native linguistic communication and compose them down on index cards. Chat with desk clerks. cab drivers. servers. and tradesmans. Ask them their name. where they are from. and ask about their household. Peoples will see that you’re demoing regard and doing an attempt and dainty you well in return. If all else fails. inquire them what association football ( football ) squad they’re a diehard fan of – before you know it they’ll be ask foring you over for dinner! 7. Don’t be brassy. Don’t walk around with an expensive camera or fancy jewellery hanging around your cervix. Wear a inexpensive plastic ticker. if any. Take it all off before you step out of a saloon or eating house at dark. Transport a decoy billfold so if you get held up you can lief throw them that one. Keep your billfold in your forepart pocket and when you’re on a crowded street switch your back pack to the forepart. 8. Poverty or political relations? There are offenses motivated by a disparity in wealth and those based on political relations. Avoiding offenses of poorness requires common sense and prudence. However. political offenses. like snatchs and Acts of the Apostless of terrorist act. are more villainous. It’s of import to avoid states where there’s a job with political offense ; it’s non adventuresome and it’s non a game to go on the â€Å"chicken bus† in the countryside of Mexico or hiking near the Persian boundary line without a map. Check your province department’s web site and intelligence studies for updates before you book your trip. 9. Donate to a charity. non on the street. Beggars are abundant on the streets of most developing states. The typical tourer walking by makes more money in a hebdomad than they do in a twelvemonth. so it’s easy to see why they would keep out a soiled manus for alms. Sometimes mendicants can be excessively aggressive. utilize your money for drugs or intoxicant. or even forge their status. Alternatively of passing out money on the street happen a legitimate local charity and do a contribution. Your scruples will be clear that you showed love to the local community but you won’t be tempted to give money out on the street. 10. Populate to go another twenty-four hours. Your end should ever be to acquire place in one piece so if something happens use common sense and maintain your cool. If person pulls a knife on you neer put up a battle ; give them what they want and acquire off safely – at least you’ll have a wild narrative to state. Modern life is impossible without going. First of all. in towns or metropoliss the bulk of us are committed by trips to school and work every twenty-four hours. For some people it’s a existent traveling to acquire from the house to work. They are traveling by the resistance. so by coach or by cab. Occasionally we have to travel to other metropolis or state on concerns. After a twelvemonth of difficult work. people receive a vacation. and they do non like to pass it sitting at place. Millions of people all over the universe spend their vacation going. They travel to see other states and continents. modern metropoliss and ruins of ancient metropoliss. to bask picturesque landscapes or merely to alter the state of affairs. It is ever interesting to detect the new. to see. how different the life can be. to run into new people. to seek unusual dishes. to hear unfamiliar musical beat. Most travellers and holiday-makers take a camera with them and take images of everything that involvements them the sights of a metropolis. old churches and palaces positions of mountains. lakes. vales. fields. waterfalls. woods. different sort of trees. birds. workss and animate beings. For those who live in the state. it is pleasant to travel to a large metropolis and to pass clip. sing museums and artistic passageways. analyzing shopfronts and holding dinner at alien eating houses. City dwellers normally like quiet vacation at sea or in the mountains. when it is non necessary to make anything. except walking. bathing and idleness. lying on a beach. Those who are traveling travel on concern or for pleasance. have at their disposal assorted agencies of conveyance. The fastest 1 is the plane. It’s better to book tickets in progress. In the really twenty-four hours you go to the airdrome by auto. Soon you will be sitting in a large plane. and it will convey you to new lands. Siting in a plane. you can look around yourself. The pilot and the crew are in the forepart cabin. Passengers can loosen up in comfy seats

Workplace as learning environment Essay Example

Workplace as learning environment Paper Hence, understanding the conceptualization of learnt knowledge and its application and situated learning processes became focuses for inquiry. However, now governments, enterprises and workers themselves are increasingly concerned about maintaining and developing further individuals workplace competence throughout working life. Therefore, in addition to initial occupational preparation which often relies upon the contribution of workplace experiences, there is a growing realization that as work and occupational requirements constantly change, there is a need for ongoing development throughout working life and through work. The workplace and workplace experiences are seen as being central to this ongoing development (Hearties Grubber, 2004). Moreover, developing the particular requirements for effective work practice within specific enterprises necessitates learning through engagement with particular instances of occupational practices (Billet, AAA). These imperatives have economic, social and personal dimensions that are in some ways consistent and richly entangled, yet can have distinct emphases. Governments want skilful and adaptable workforces to maintain or improve national prosperity and the capacity to deliver social revisions, and for workers to be positioned to resist unemployment. Both public and private enterprises are interested in a workforce able to respond to the changing work requirements in ways pertinent to their workplace needs, in order to sustain the effective provision of their goods and services. Workers need to maintain their capacities for effective performance, and for some (e. . , older workers or those with disabilities, or minority workers), this may have to occur without the direct support of their employers. Moreover, workers may be less concerned with releasing the employers enterprise- pacific outcomes and seek to direct their learning efforts to personal goals, such as career mobility. So, there is a growing and important set of imperatives to understand the ways in which workplaces can support learning to sustain these different kinds of devel opment (Hearties, 2003). We will write a custom essay sample on Workplace as learning environment specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Workplace as learning environment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Workplace as learning environment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer All of this has led to interest in and focuses on workplaces as learning environments in their own right, rather than as environments whose key purpose and contribution is to augment and extend the experiences in and learning from educational institutions. In this way, understanding more about workplaces as sites of learning serves ore than short-term pragmatic economic concerns of increasing business efficiency and national economic goals. Developing and sustaining workers occupational competence stand as important and worthwhile educational goals through being able to support individuals personal and professional advancement. For individuals, this includes enjoying a rich working life, resisting unemployment, seeking advancement and securing effective work and occupational transitions. These goals can be realized through engagement in ongoing learning through work and throughout working lives. They include a consideration of issues associated with identity and how individuals can come to position themselves as competent in changing work and occupational circumstances. Thus, learning for workplace and personal- professional development Come together through a consideration Of learning through work and now stand as a central and growing field of education. No longer is it possible to assume and claim that a robust early education and initial occupational preparation will be sufficient for a long working life. Ongoing learning through working life is now a necessity for most workers, ND essential for those engaged in transitions across work and occupational boundaries. Much of this development will occur, and needs to be extended, through workplace activities and interactions. It is these kinds of social, economic and personal imperatives that are now initiating workplaces being transformed from being seen only as sites of experiences, to needing to be understood as effective, important learning environments. Through these negotiations and activities not only are goods and services generated, but individual learning and the remaking of those practices arise. Aligned to these purposes has been a growing body of scholarship into learning through work. As noted, much of the earlier considerations of workplaces were about the provision of experiences to augment and extend (I. E. , make more transferable) the learning occurring through participation in educational institutions through drawing on models of learning based on occupational practice (Brown et al. , 1 989; Collins, Brown, Newman, 1989). A central concern was also to improve experiences in educational settings with those from the circumstances in which the knowledge is to be applied (Arsenic, 1987). Yet, it is in more recent times that incinerations of workplaces as learning environments in their own right have commenced, for instance, theoretical and procedural considerations of the pedagogic qualities Of different kinds Of work (Colic, 2004; Moreland Jensen, 2006), 2 learning through errors at work (Bauer Mulled, 2007), the active role of the learner (Billet, Bibb), including their subjectivity and sense of self (Somerville Abramson, 2003), the effect of professional practice for the development of tacit knowledge (Klein, 2003), and the complex entanglements between personal interests and capacities and those of the oracle (Hoodwinks Hoodwinks, 2004). Consequently, there is now a growing array of theoretical concepts and investigative procedures being directed to identify the curriculum practices and pedagogic qualities of workplace settings, and also the roles that learners need to play in engaging and supporting this learning. However, these emerging theories and practices remain nascent (Evans, Hoodwinks, Rainbow, Union, 2006), as they require more income passing explanatory frameworks. In particular, there is a need to understand workplace learning from the perspectives of both the workplaces that are generative of and use that knowledge and the individuals who learn and enact it, and the kinds of negotiations that occur between these social and personal contributions to that learning. This includes elaborating theories Of curriculum, pedagogy and epistemology that are premised and explain workplaces as settings in which individuals participate and learn whilst engaged in activities that have social geneses (I. E. , history, culture and situation). Consequently, understanding these processes and outcomes has conceptual and procedural salience for learning per SE. Indeed, whereas workplaces have been used extensively to evolve theory within cognitive and social cultural theory, these sites for learning provide rich bases for developing richer conceptual accounts of learning, unencumbered by a discourse which is premised upon what happens in educational institutions, and how learning is conceived and purposes shaped through associations with those institutions. Indeed, one such advance is the focus of this special issue, that is, to understand ways in which the social and personal contributions to learning are negotiated in the processes of learning through and for work, and the remaking of practice. In doing so, the body of work here represents a contribution to an emerging and important theme within contemporary theorizing about the relationship between the personal and social in both individuals learning and the remaking of social and cultural practices. 2. Relations between the personal and the social in learning Much of the existing research on workplaces, by disciplinary tradition and researcher preference, has focused on either individual or organizational contributions to learning through work and working life. Analyses of individual contributions focused on the cognitive 3 placement of workers and their knowledge creation (e. G. , Streamer, 2006). Conclusions offered concentrated on individual cognitions even in analyses of social interactions at workplaces (e. G. , Balloon, Hackneying, Talkative, Letting, 2004). Research on organizational contributions, on the other hand, described changes in social processes and investigated interaction patterns mediated through the social environments of workplaces (Cole, 2001). However, there are shortcomings in conceptions of and theorizing about workplace learning through only individual or organizational perspectives. One such shortcoming is that less emphasis has been placed on the relationships between the organizational and individual contributions. This raises at least two concerns. Firstly, individual contributions are socially influenced by the organizationally generated demands or tasks individuals have to deal with at workplaces. Secondly, individuals contribute to the social construction of knowledge at workplaces by applying personal constructions of meaning and practice developed in particular life histories and biographies (e. G. , Hoodwinks Hoodwinks, 2004). It is the enactment of these personal instructions that shape the remaking of these social practices at particular lard points in time and circumstances. Therefore, organizational contributions cannot be understood without considering individual bases for learning the remaking of practice when engaging in workplace settings. Moreover, as the construction of meaning is premised on individuals earlier socially- and cue Diurnally-derived experiences, their construal of what they experience and what they construct from that are likely to be personally unique in some ways (Billet Somerville, 2004). So the mediation of what is experienced and earn in workplaces in the immediate experience of engaging in and learning through work is likely shaped through unique combinations and negotiations between personal construal and what is afforded by the workplace setting. In this way, the social forms and suggestions that individuals have experienced earlier, and then through immediate workplace experiences, are exercised with different degree, focus and intensity by individuals construction, agency and interest in the particular suggestion, and how that suggestion is exercised in the workplace setting, the community that rounds it, and the cultural and historical practices it represents. Hence, because of the different ways workplaces afford experiences and the potentially idiosyncratic process of knowledge construction, the relational contributions of the organizational and personal become important to understanding learning as an inter-psychological process. All this suggests that comprehensive conceptual bases for understanding workplaces as learning environments will not be realized without consideration of both the personal and situational, and the relationships between them (Billet, Bibb). Without these bases, the 4 conception of the workplace as a learning environment, and the development Of a workplace curriculum and conceptions Of workplace pedagogies, cannot properly proceed, because they may simply be privileged by just social or personal factors. These include consideration of the workplace as a learning environment on the basis of what they afford learners in terms of contributions to learn the knowledge, rules, and practices required for work and also how individuals come to engage and learn through these experiences. The studies included in this special issue propose that it is insufficient to understand this learning in workplace settings without consideration of both organizational and personal contributions, and, importantly, the relations between them. These comprise the performances of the workplace (I. E. , its invitational qualities), in terms of the access to activities and interactions that are required to secure the knowledge required for performance, which constitutes the social experience. Then, there is the degree by which individuals elect to engage with what is afforded them.