Charles Manga Fombad is a Professor of law in the Department of Law, University of Botswana. He holds a Licence en Droit (University of Yaounde), LL.M. and Ph. D. (University of London) and a Diploma in Conflict Resolution (University of Uppsala). He was, from 2003-2006, Professor Honorarius of the Department of Jurisprudence, School of Law, University of South Africa. Professor Fombad is the author of 4 books and has published more than 45 articles in international refereed journals, more than a dozen book chapters as well as numerous other publications and conference papers. In 2003, Professor Fombad received the Bobbert Association Prize for the best first article in the Journal for Juridical Science. He was also awarded the Wedderburn Prize in 2003 for a paper that appeared in the "Modern Law Review." In two successive years, 2004 and 2005, he received a special commendation from the University of Botswana Research Awards Committee for research excellence. He has been a member of the editorial board of several international journals. He is presently the founding editor-in-Chief of the "University of Botswana Law Journal" and Consultant Editor of the "BIAC Journal of Business, Management and Training." Professor Fombad teaches several courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. His research interests are in legal history, torts, media law, constitutional law, and international law.
Cameroon, with a total land area of 475,440 square kilometers, is located in Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo to the South, Central African Republic and Chad to the east, Lake Chad to the north and Nigeria to the west. The population of 17,340,702 million (2006), is made up of an extraordinary diversity of about 250 tribes speaking at least 280 different indigenous languages. To this complex mix is superimposed a bi-cultural division between a minority Anglophone community from the former British trust territory of Southern Cameroons, who make up about 20% of the population and occupy two of the ten administrative provinces in the country, and a dominant Francophone community from the former French Cameroun who make up 80% of the population and occupy the rest of the eight administrative provinces. The English and French languages are constitutionally recognized as the official languages, though most official communications are usually in the dominant French language. However, Pidgin English, a common lingua franca in English-speaking West Africa, is widely spoken in the Anglophone provinces and in some of the major towns in the Francophone provinces which have a substantial Anglophone community.
The Portuguese are considered to be the first Europeans who arrived on Cameroon's coast in the 1500s, but malaria prevented any significant settlement and conquest of the interior until the late 1870s. The country's name is derived from "Camaroes," meaning shrimps, so-called by the Portuguese explorer Fernando Po, who named the River Wouri "Rio dos Camaroes" (Shrimp River), after the many shrimps. However, it was at the Berlin Conference of 1884 that all what is now Cameroon and parts of several of its neighbors became the German colony of "Kamerun." Their presence lasted until 1916 when, during the First World War, a combined British and French expeditionary force defeated the Germans in Cameroon and proceeded to divide the territory into two unequal parts. The British took control of two disconnected portions which they labeled Northern and Southern Cameroon respectively, whilst the French took the larger portion, constituting about four-fifths of the territory. This arbitrary division was later recognized by the League of Nations which conferred mandates on there two powers to administer the territories on June 28, 1919. The mandates were later superseded by trusteeship agreements on the creation of the United Nations in 1945. The British administered their portion as part of their neighboring colony of Nigeria whilst the French made theirs part of their colony of French Equatorial Africa. In a UN-conducted plebiscite of February 11, 1961, Southern Cameroon voted in favor of gaining independence by reuniting with the French Cameroun, which had already become independent on January 1, 1960, whilst Northern Cameroon voted in favor of remaining as part of Nigeria. On September 1, 1961, the Southern Cameroon and the newly independent French Cameroun were formally reunited as the "Federal Republic of Cameroon."
The legal system, like most in Africa, is a relic of the colonial era. However, it is unique in that it consists of two distinct and often conflicting legal systems, the English common law and the French civil law operating in some sort of tenuous coexistence. This makes Cameroon one of the few examples of such a dual legal system in the world.
Three major periods can best explain the nature and evolution of the legal system namely, the pre-colonial, the colonial and the post-independences periods.
In the pre-colonial Cameroonian society, there existed diverse unwritten indigenous laws and usages which applied in varying degrees to the different ethnic groups. The only exception was in the north where the Foulbe tribes, who originally invaded the territory from North Africa in the early nineteenth century, had introduced Islamic laws. Despite the differences in the structures, content and institutions which applied these indigenous and Islamic laws or traditional laws as they are referred to today, there were many similarities. A German attempt to ascertain and codify the different traditional laws was frustrated by the outbreak of the First World War, but the results from the six tribes that were studied showed that there were substantial similarities in basic concepts and practices. The traditional system of justice was administered by a series of ad hoc bodies ranging from the family head, quarter head, chief and the chief's council. Perhaps the most remarkable and controversial aspect of this system of justice was the extensive use of trial by ordeal. The commonest examples of this involved drinking poisonous concoctions, putting the hands in boiling palm oil or water, or holding a red-hot iron bar. If the accused came to no harm, then his innocence was considered as proven.
During the German colonial period, a rudimentary system of administration was established. Two parallel systems of Courts, one exclusively for Europeans where German law was applied, and the other exclusively for Cameroonians, where traditional law under the control and supervision of the Germans was applied.
The League of Nations' agreement with the French and British conferred on these two powers, in Article 9, "full powers of administration and legislation." The two powers were authorized to administer Cameroon in accordance with their laws and as an integral part of their territory, subject to such modifications as may be required by the local conditions. This was the basis for the almost wholesale exportation of the English common law and the French civil law to Cameroon. There were significant differences in the policies they pursued in introducing their respective systems of justice. The British, like the Germans and French, also operated two parallel systems of courts, but unlike them, this was not separated on racial lines. One structure was for the traditional sector of the population, mainly Cameroonians, and the other was for the modern sector, mainly Europeans or those Cameroonians who opted for it. The applicable law was based on Section 11 of the Southern Cameroons High Court Law (SCHCL), 1958, which provided for the application of English common law, the doctrines of equity and statutes of general application which were in force in England on January 1, 1900. On the basis of this, a number of English statutes as well as Nigerian laws and Ordinances were made applicable to Southern Cameroons. Through the system of "indirect rule," traditional institutions and laws were retained provided they were not repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience or incompatible with any existing laws. In French Cameroun, the French in line with their policy of assimilation made a strict distinction between citizens, who were defined as either French nationals or Cameroonians who had evolved and were honored with that status (and there was hardly any), and the ordinary Cameroonians who were derogatorily referred to as "sujet"(indigenous people). Based on this, two systems of justice were administered; one for the Cameroonian population in accordance with traditional laws, and another, for French nationals in accordance with French law. French administrators presided over the traditional courts and used the local chiefs and notables merely as assistants or assessors.
The federal system that came into existence in 1961 was based on a two-state federation consisting of West Cameroon, made up of the former Southern Cameroons, and East Cameroon, made up of the former French Cameroun. Until the country became the "United Republic of Cameroon" in 1972 when a unitary system of government was introduced, the two federated states had each retained their inherited colonial system of justice although this was under the control of a Federal Ministry of Justice. However, the early history of the independent and reunified Cameroon was marked by strides towards complete political and legal unification. By 1964, two Federal Law Reform Commissions had been created to draw up a Penal Code, a Criminal Procedure Code and several other Codes. Its only achievement was the 1967 Penal Code which remains the only reasonably successful legislation that reflects the country's dual legal culture, although it was substantially based on the French Penal Code. Based on the unitary Constitution of 1972, Ordinance no.72/4 of August 26, 1972, which has since been amended several times, created a civilian- style unitary system of Courts to replace the different court structures that had operated in the two states. Nevertheless, article 38 of the Constitution provided for the continuous application of the different laws that were in force in the two legal districts provided these were not inconsistent with any new laws. As a result of this, despite the unified court structure, the two pre-independence legal systems continued to operate. The 1972 Constitution has been amended on several occasions, though the most significant and substantial was in 1996 in response to pro-democracy nation-wide strikes and demonstrations that had started in the early 1990s.
"The legislation applicable in the Federal State of Cameroon and in the Federated States on the date of entry into force of this Constitution shall remain in force insofar as it is not repugnant to this Constitution, and as long as it is not amended by subsequent laws and regulations."
The Cameroonian legal system can therefore be described as bi-jural in which French law applies in the eight French speaking provinces and English law substantially applies in the two English speaking provinces, although most of the uniform laws that are now being introduced are essentially based on French legal concepts.
The legal system as well as the sources of law applicable in the country has been significantly shaped by the dual English-French colonial legal heritage that has given rise to its dual legal system in the country. The main sources of Cameroonian law are the Constitution, legislation, judicial precedents and customary law.
Since independence and the reunification of the former British Southern Cameroons and the French Cameroun, the country can be said to have had at least three different Constitutions and numerous constitutional amendments. What can be considered to be the first Constitution was in reality the Constitution under which French Cameroun became independent on 1 January 1960. The second Constitution was in reality simply an amendment of the 1960 Constitution of the French Cameroun in 1961, when the British and French administered parts of the country were reunited and was styled as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Cameroon, which ushered in a highly centralized federal system. On 2 June 1972, after a referendum, a new unitary Constitution was adopted and the name of the country was changed to the United Republic of Cameroon. In 1984, the appellation "United Republic" was replaced with "Republic." What is currently in force is this 1972 Constitution although it was substantially amended in a rather controversial manner in 1996 with a new text of 69 articles replacing the old text of 39 articles.
Although not explicitly so-stated, the Cameroonian Constitution is treated as the supreme law of the land. Article 2(1) vests national sovereignty in the people who exercise this either through the President of the Republic and members of Parliament or by way of referendum.
The Cameroonian Constitution distinguishes between parliamentary power to legislate (le pouvoir législatif) in Article 26 and the governmental power to issue rules and regulations (le pouvoir réglementaire) in implementation of parliamentary legislation in Article 27.
Article 26 is the principal provision in the Constitution that specifies in considerable details the scope of the Cameroon Parliament's legislative competence. This article, in broad terms, identifies six areas that fall within the reserved legislative domain (domaine de la loi).
The parliamentary power to legislate has been complimented by governmental power to issue regulations in implementation of such legislation. Express governmental intervention in the legislative domain under the Cameroonian Constitution is provided for on two different occasions. The first is provided for by Article 27, which states that "matters not reserved to the legislative power shall come under the jurisdiction of the authority empowered to issue rules and regulations." This has the effect of giving the Government the right to enact "laws" in its own right by way of "rules and regulations" in all matters not reserved for Parliament under Article 26. The President of the Republic (Article 8(5)), the Prime Minister (Article 12(3), and a host of other government officials share this general power to issue rules and regulations. The second major instance of governmental intervention is provided for in Article 28 of the Constitution. According to this provision, Parliament may, on matters falling within its reserved legislative domain, "empower the President of the Republic to legislate by way of ordinance for a limited period and for given purposes." To be valid, such ordinances must be tabled before the bureau of the National Assembly and the Senate for purposes of ratification within the time limit laid down by the enabling law.
Unlike legislation, the role of judicial precedent as a source of law in Cameroon depends on whether one is in the English speaking Anglophone or French speaking Francophone provinces of the country.
The English legal system on which the law applied in the Anglophone provinces is based treats judicial precedent differently from the way the French civil law on which the law applied in the Francophone provinces is based. The English law doctrine of binding precedent or stare decisis under which judicial precedent is a major source of law was received in the Anglophone provinces as part of the general reception of English law. Its actual operation to render judicial precedent an effective source of Cameroonian law is however subject to the complexities of the judicial organization of the courts in the country.
The courts within the country operate within a unified but decentralized court structure at the summit of which is a single Supreme Court for the whole country that operates more like the French Cour de Cassation rather than an English Court of Appeal. The highest court within each of the provinces is the Appeal Court. For the two Anglophone provinces, the doctrine of binding precedent operates in the sense that the precedents laid down within each province constitute binding authority within that province. However, judicial precedent as a binding source of law in the English provinces plays but a rather limited role because of the "provincialized" system. Although appeals may be taken from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court, these are not usually handled as appeals in the strict sense of the word and the decisions taken by the Supreme Court are at best only of persuasive authority. To this extent, whilst judicial precedents remain important source of law in the Anglophone provinces, because of the way the courts are structured and actually operate, it may not be as significant as it should have been.
Generally, the attitude towards judicial precedent in Francophone Cameroon is different. Judiciary precedent is not regarded as a primary source of law. However, precedents, especially of the superior courts, although not strictly binding, are of highly persuasive value in the Francophone courts.
As pointed out earlier, in pre-colonial Cameroon, there existed a wide variety of what is today known simply as traditional or customary law. In this regard, the Moslem law that was in place in large areas of the northern part of the country was also treated as part of customary law. Both the British and the French recognized and enforced customary law. However, not every custom or usage was recognized and enforced as customary law. For example, in Anglophone Cameroon, section 27(1) of the Southern Cameroons High Court Law, 1955, provided for the recognition and enforcement of only customary law which is not repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience or incompatible either directly or by implication, with any existing law. Generally, today in Cameroon, customary law has very limited application. It only applies to certain persons and governs only a few matters. It applies only to persons traditionally subject to it, effectively meaning the rural population and even then, only if they desire that this law should regulate their relationship. The only exception to this is in the northern part of the country, where sharia law and sharia courts still play a large part in regulating the lives of rural people.
Whilst laws enacted by Parliament and some subsidiary legislation are published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cameroon, which is printed by the National Printing Press, there is no regular and efficient system of law reporting in Cameroon. Since the 1960s, a number of short-lived but commendable efforts in this direction have been started but quietly abandoned.
The Bulletin des Arrêts de la Cour Suprème, begun in 1960, appeared only sporadically. François-Xavier Mbouyom's collection of administrative cases from 1962 to 1975 was essentially a private venture that was not very authoritative. The series, "West Cameroon Law Reports," ceased publication after just three volumes; 1962-1964, 1965-1967, and 1968. Despite its stated objective to continue from where these stopped, "The University of Yaoundé Law Reports," appeared only once, in 1985 and covered cases decided between 1968-1970 and 1971-1973. The most recent attempt, the "Cameroon Common Law Report," that started in 1997 appears only sporadically. A number of decided cases were reported in two journals that appeared in the 1990s, viz the Lex Lata, and the Revue de Legislation et de Jurisprudence Camerounaise.
The second consists of courts with appellate jurisdiction. While the High Court has limited appellate jurisdiction, the main appellate courts are the Court of Appeals which are located in the headquarters of each of the ten provinces. The Supreme Court sometimes operates as an "appellate" court, in the sense that it can quash, on an application to it, a judicial decision which it considers to have mistakenly interpreted the law. It does not decide the matter itself, but usually instructs a lower court of similar standing to the one from which the matter came to do so. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court has exclusive jurisdiction over all administrative, institutional and constitutional disputes in the country. Since it is usually saddled with a heavy backlog of administrative and institutional disputes, and has generally been slow and inefficient, a party who "appeals" a matter from the provincial Courts to it usually does so more to delay and frustrate the other party than to achieve anything else.
Courts with special jurisdiction deal with either specified matters provided for by law, or a particular class of persons. Besides the Constitutional Council, the amended Constitution also provided for the creation of a set of Administrative and Audit Courts decentralized along the lines of the ordinary courts. With the perennial problem of shortage of qualified personnel, it is not surprising that no steps have been taken to create any of these courts. Perhaps, the most that can be expected is that, administrative and audit matters could be added to the list of matters which the ordinary courts handle. However, three Courts with special jurisdiction operate. First is the Court of Impeachment, which has powers to try the President for treason, and ministers as well as some senior pubic officials for conspiracy against the security of the state. Second, there is the Military Court located in Yaoundé. Its jurisdiction is defined in such broad and vague terms that civilians have been brought and convicted by it in circumstances where their cases would have been dismissed by the ordinary criminal courts. Finally, there is a State Security Court that has exclusive jurisdiction to try felonies and misdemeanors against the internal and external security of the state and related offences.
The Ministry of Justice directs, coordinates and supervises Government policy with regard to the administration of justice as well as oversees and supervises its key actors. The latter are made up of persons who dispense or demand justice, such as judges of the bench and prosecuting judges and the auxiliaries of justice who ensure the smooth operation of the administration of justice by either assisting the judge, for instance Court Registrars and judicial police officers, or assisting the parties such as, advocates and notaries.
The judges who preside over Traditional Law Courts are usually appointed by the Minister of Justice from notables and other persons knowledgeable in the customs and traditions of the area to be served. Other judges are appointed from persons with at least a Master's degree in law who have undergone a two- year training at the National School of Administration and Magistracy (ENAM) in Yaoundé. Entry into the school is by competitive examination, and on graduation, the intending judge may be appointed either to the bench or to the prosecution department. As a career profession, a judge's progress depends on seniority and the ability to impress senior judges, although increasingly, political loyalty and reliability is beginning to count.
An intending advocate must be a Cameroonian with a law degree who has obtained a certificate of proficiency to practice. This certificate is issued only after two years of pupilage followed by passing a qualifying examination. All advocates are members of the Cameroon Bar Association which amongst other things maintains discipline amongst members of the profession.
As regards the auxiliaries of justice, Court Registrars who are appointed after studies in ENAM, assist judges by authenticating their acts as well as keeping a minute's book in which they record all incidents which take place during judicial hearings. Judicial police officers, who may be either police or gendarme officers, help the judge in carrying out criminal investigations .Besides advocates, other auxiliaries of justice who are primarily there to assist the parties in legal proceedings, include; notaries who draft legal documents which are then regarded as authentic and enforceable; process-servers who are responsible for judicial and non-judicial notifications, and; auctioneers who appraise and value property for sale.
Since 1972, Cameroon has had a strong centralized system of government dominated by the President. This was reinforced in the 1996 amendment to the 1972 Constitution.
The President of the Republic is head of state and although the Prime Minister is described by the Constitution as the head of government, he is actually appointed and serves at the pleasure of the President of the Republic and is responsible for implementing policies laid down by the former. Since 1996, the president is elected to serve a term of 7 year, renewable once. He is empowered to name and dismiss cabinet members, judges, generals, provincial governors, prefects, sub-prefects, and heads of Cameroon's parastatal (about 100 state-controlled) firms, obligate or disburse expenditures, approve or veto regulations, declare states of emergency, and appropriate and spend profits of parastatal firms. Although the amended Constitution also provided for a certain degree of decentralization of powers, these as well as many other provisions have remained a dead letter. Administratively, the country is divided into 10 provinces, 58 divisions and 349 sub divisions, the heads of which are appointed by the President.
The amended Constitution provides for a bicameral Parliament made up of the National Assembly and the Senate. So far, only the National Assembly, made up of 180 members, elected for a term of five years has been established. It meets briefly three times each year - in March, June and November. Since 1990 when political opposition was legalized, the parliament now has representatives from some of the more than 168 opposition parties that exist in the country. However, the former one party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) virtually dominates parliament. Although parliament is the main legislative authority, because of the dominance of the executive, it merely rubber-stamps legislation put before it by the executive.
The amended Constitution also appears to provide for a separation of powers marked by what it refers to as "Judicial power." The concept of judicial independence is apparently stated in Article 37(2) of the Constitution, which provides that "the judicial power shall be independent of the executive and legislative powers." In reality, the enormous powers given to the President of the Republic under the Constitution to appoint, dismiss, promote, transfer and discipline judicial officers, especially judges and prosecutors limits in a fairly significant way not only the independence of the judiciary but also the effectiveness of the separation of powers.
Droit Francophone - This is a collection of links to Cameroon legal websites including Governmental sites, organizations, law faculties and journal Websites. Access to legislation, the Constitution and background to the history and legal system of Cameroon are also provided. This page forms part of the Droit Francophone gateway a site made freely available by the Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie which offers links to legal web resources throughout the French-speaking world. The site is available in French only.
CamLaw - This is a site which aims to provide online legal research services to lawyers, academics and business people seeking information about Cameroon Law and the legal system. The site includes a selection of full text laws of Cameroon (in French and English) covering criminal procedure, constitutional law and intellectual property. There is a bibliography of books and articles dealing with Cameroonian law and a page of links to other Cameroonian legal sites.
http://www.unpan.org/africa.asp - This site contains the full-text of the constitution of the state of Cameroon as agreed with revisions on 18th January 1996. The document sets out the nature and structure of government in the Cameroon, including the roles of the presidency, executive and judiciary. It also documents the rights of the individual. At present the text is offered in French only. The site is hosted through UNPAN - United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance.
Prime Minister's Office - This site contains full text laws of the Republic of Cameroon made freely available on the Prime Minister's Office Website. Legislation is listed in reverse chronological order and can be browsed or searched by keyword, date, ministry or type of law (ordnance, decree, order or decision). The site can be viewed in French and English but some of the laws are available only in French.
President of the Republic of Cameroon - This is the official website of the President of the Republic of Cameroon. It provides access to a biography of the current incumbent and details of his/her recent activities. The latter includes news of official engagements, press releases and communiqués which cover current economic, social, political and foreign policy. Also accessible are recent issues of Le Magasin du Palais which describe recent political events. However, most of the information is currently offered only in French.
http://www.spm.gov.cm/ - This is the official website of the Prime Minister of Cameroon. It provides details on the current incumbent and his activities. This includes access to recent press releases and speeches covering all aspects of political, economic, social and foreign policy. The site also provides links to details of ongoing political programmes of the government and recent legislative acts. The information is available in both English and French.
WorldLII - This section of WorldLII's World Law service covering the Republic of Cameroon. A range of browse and search features are available on the site. Browse sections highlight links relating to Government, legislation, Parliament, other Web portals and subject areas including cyberspace, telecommunications and taxation, revenue and customs. A stored search will automatically search for materials relating to Cameroon on all of World Law. This section of WorldLII was developed from work initiated by the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII).
Constitution Finder: Cameroon (University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law) in English and French.
La Constitution de Cameroun (Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie) in French.
NATLEX: Cameroon (International Labour Organisation) database of national laws on labor, social security and related human rights.
Multinational Collections Database: Cameroon (Law Library of Congress) provides bibliographic information on materials in our reference collection.
Sources of Online Legal Information for African Countries (Jane Williams, via GlobaLex).
World Directory of Parliamentary Libraries: Cameroon (Germany Bundestag).
World Legal Information Institute: Cameroon (WorldLII).
World Legal Materials from Africa: Cameroon (Cornell Legal Information).
Portals to the World: Cameroon (Library of Congress).
Background Notes: Cameroon (U.S. Dept. of State).
Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments: Cameroon (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency).
Consular Information Sheet: Cameroon (U.S. Dept. of State).
Country Information: Cameroon (U.S. Dept. of State).
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Cameroon (U.S. Dept. of State).
Governments on the WWW: Cameroon (Gunnar Anzinger).
Human Rights in Cameroon (Amnesty International).
International Religious Freedom Annual Reports: Cameroon (U.S. Dept. of State).
World Factbook: Cameroon (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency).
Anyangwe, C. The Cameroonian Judicial System Yaounde: CEPER, 1987.
Anoukaha, F., Cissé-Niang, A., Messanvi F. J & Issa-Sayeph, Sûretés (OHADA), Bruxelles: Bruylant, 2002.
Azevedo, M. (ed.), Cameroon and its National Character. Mississippi: EUGA, 1984.
Bokalli, V.E., and Sossa, D. E., Droit des Transports de Marchandises par Route. Bruxelles: Bruylant, 2007.
Djuidje, B., Pluralisme Légslatif Camerounais et Droit International Prive. Paris: L'Harmattan, 2000.
Enonchong, H.N.A. Cameroon Constitutional Law: Federalism in a Mixed Common-Law and Civil-Law System. Yaounde: Centre d'Edition et de Production de Manuels et Auxiliaires de L'Enseignement, 1967.
Etoundi, F.O., Biumla, J.M.M. Cinq Ans de Jurisprudence Commentée de la Cour Commune de Justice et d'Arbitrage de l'OHADA (CCJA) (1999-2004. Yaoundé: Presse de l'Ama, 2005.
Fombad, C.M. Cameroon: Constitutional Law (in Blanpain, International Encyclopaedia of Laws - Constitutional Law). The Hague, Kluwer Law International, 2003.
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Mbah-Ndam, J., Practice and Procedure in Civil and Commercial Litigation, Yaounde: Presses Universitaires d'Afrique, 2003.
Monie, J.N. The Development of the Law and Constitution of Cameroon. Ph.D. Thesis, London University, 1970.
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Pougoue, P-G, Anoukaha, F., Cisse, A., Diouf N., Toukam N., and Sam M., Sociétés Commerciales et G.I.E, Bruxelles, Bruylant, 2002.
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Cherelle is a 21 year old from Samoa who has been involved with the YWCA for three weeks. In this short time, she has participated in the YWCA Aotearoa New Zealand/YWCA Samoa Young Women's Leadership Training, the Asia Pacific Monitoring and Evaluation Meeting and the International Leadership Institute. Here she shares some of her learnings and her hopes for the future of YWCA Samoa revitalization.
Three weeks ago today, I met an amazing woman named Sina Wendt-Moore. She was in Samoa at the time with other women from the YWCA of Aotearoa New Zealand conducting a Young Women's Leadership Training in hopes of revitalizing the YWCA of Samoa. Twelve short days later, I was on a plane to Bangkok, Thailand, representing Samoa in the Asia Pacific Monitoring & Evaluation Meeting and the International Leadership Institute.
In Fiji they take a Christian and scripture based approach that supports a young women's rights to make informed decisions and be free from violence and discrimination.
In Haiti they have an after-school programme for girls which provides them with leadership skills and gives them intangible assets such as financial literacy, self-esteem and key economic concepts.
In Lebanon they hold interactive workshops for young men and women in high school. They focus on creating awareness of violence against women and gender discrimination.
These examples are only few of many. I have found that each delegate I talk to shares similar concerns for the young women in their country.
With 80 young women leaders from around the globe, we have built a strong and collaborative network of which we will we use to help each other, learn from one another and grow together as a team.
The mentors and guest speakers at both of the conferences have all been inspirational role models and women leaders. From each session I have expanded my knowledge set on a vast range of current issues and as a result, expanded my overall skill set. Knowledge truly is power! I now have more confidence to speak in public, to articulate myself and express my opinion.
In June 2013, a YWCA Samoa meeting will be held to discuss and plan a Leadership Programme for young women. I plan to take all the lessons I have learned and all the skills I have gained to fully contribute to this planning and further pass on these lessons to young women in my country.
To close, I would just like to send a big Fa'afetai Lava, Khob Khun Kaa and Thank You to the incredible women that made this experience possible for me. Juli Dugdale, Sina Wendt-Moore and the amazing YWCA mentors and facilitators, you have changed my life. I can only hope to inspire others as you have inspired me.


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There are also cases where a customer or partner has developed a solution to a problem and then wants to make it available to others. Igloo will work with the partner to validate the problem, solution and the approach. This helps ensure that the Marketplace houses the 'cream of the crop' of integrations for our customers to use.
When a partner or a customer begins developing an integration widget for the Marketplace, they work with our Developer Relations team to engage our Product Managers. This ensures that the integration is a good fit for the Igloo platform. We want to make sure that the widget will follow proper user experience guidelines. Our Product team will make sure that the integration widget's design and functionality iscomplete and solves the desired problem effectively.
Once the scope of the integration is properly defined, development (in other words, the fun) can begin. The development team will work closely with our Developer Relations team. We'll ensure that the integration widget follows best practices and utilizes the Igloo APIs in the most efficient and appropriate manner.
Developer Relations request access to the development repositories as early as possible. This not only helps us answer the deepest technical questions quickly, but we can also raise any API related issues early in the development process.
How do they end up in the Marketplace?
When development is complete, and the integration widget is ready for the Marketplace, we take another deep look. We conduct a functionality and technical review of the widget prior to listing it in the Marketplace. Depending on the widget, this review may also include our Engineering team.
Every integration widget in the Marketplace is reviewed, and every integration widget is high-quality.
Once the code and functionality review is complete, we work with them to finalize their go-to-market strategy and list the integration widget in the Marketplace.
Does every widget end up in the marketplace?
No! You may have a specific need, or you may want to build an integration widget that is very specialized to your workflow. You're welcome to build your integration widget for your own use. Not every integration widget created needs to live in the marketplace. We have had many wonderful customers build integration widgets solely for their own environment.
The purpose of this approval process is to ensure that each and every integration widget in our Marketplace is amazing. If you would like to build a widget for the Marketplace – or even if you're building a widget for your own organization's use – please reach out to us!


text:
Las hijas de Danao es el primer largometraje escrito y dirigido por Fran Kapilla, rodado en 2013 entre París y Málaga y estrenado en 2014. Es una película de suspense en la que, a través de una compleja trama que mezcla ópera y disturbios urbanos, se reflexiona sobre el sentimiento de venganza y sus consecuencias, así como las repercusiones de la lealtad.

Sinopsis
Durante los ensayos de la ópera Les Danaïdes, la famosa soprano Larissa Vilvorde  (Erica Prior) recibe una amenaza de muerte anónima. Coincidiendo con los disturbios de Francia de 2005, intentarán resolver el misterio dos singulares detectives: Pierre Lerosse (Paco Roma), un policía retirado; y Alain Beaumont (Max Millán), un manifestante con antecedentes policiales.

Reparto
 Paco Roma (Pierre Lerosse, policía retirado)
 Max Millán (Alain Beaumont, manifestante)
 Beatriz Rico (Thérèse Voiron, directora de la revista Le Journal de la Musique)
 Susanna Pauw (Michelle Lambert, escultora)
 Mónica Aragón (Blanche Girard, directora de escena)
 Antonio Montiel (director de orquesta)
 Jose Vallejo (Denis Hubert, guardaespaldas)
 Frank Vélez (Paul, guardaespaldas)
 Erica Prior (Larissa Vilvorde, soprano en el papel de Hypermnestre)
 Rafa Chaves (Georges Marchand, bajo en el papel de Danaüs)
 Norberto Rizzo (Serge Bertrand, tenor en el papel de Lyncée)
 Ángel Rubio (Maxime Debande, manifestante)
 Sarai Trujillo (Françoise Giles, brigada de gendarmería)
 Antonio Martín (Dupont, comisario)
 Kiu López (ministro)
 Mel Rocher (Jean Voiron, marido de Thérèse Voiron)
 Eduardo Duro (inspector Janvier Mignon)
 Fernando de Mora (Louis, barman)
 Encarni Migueles (Nicole Cézanne, reportera)
 Ana Ruiz (Anne Sadoul, soprano en el papel de Plancippe)
 Ángel Velasco (bajo en el papel de Pélagus)
 Bianca Kovacs (cantante en el papel de Midea)

Producción
Artefilms, asociación de Fran Kapilla y Escarlata Godiri, produce Las hijas de Danao, siendo éste el primer largometraje de la productora. Cuenta además con el mecenazgo mediante donaciones de particulares y empresas como Samyang Optics y con el trabajo cooperativo del equipo técnico y del reparto.

Tráiler
El 28 de abril de 2013, se proyectó por primera vez el tráiler de Las hijas de Danao, en el auditorio del museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga en el contexto del XVI Festival de Málaga de Cine Español. Debido a la gran afluencia de espectadores (más de doscientas personas), la Coordinación del Festival gestionó un segundo pase inmediatamente después del anterior.

Distribución
Las hijas de Danao compite en diversos festivales internacionales de cine.
 Se estrenó en marzo de 2014 en el XVII Festival de Málaga de Cine Español, (en el Cine Albéniz y en el Multicines Alfil Fuengirola).
 Seleccionada en Sección Oficial en el II Indian Cine Film Festival, proyectándose en la gala de Bombay, el 27 de septiembre de 2014. Recibe el Certificate of Excellence del festival.
 Seleccionada en Archidona en la XI Muestra de cine andaluz y del Mediterráneo, proyectándose el 7 de octubre de 2014.
 Ganadora del Primer Premio Platinum Award del Filmmakers of the Year 2014 Film Festival de Yakarta, el 15 de noviembre de 2014.
 Seleccionada en Sección Oficial en el XIX Festival de Cine de Zaragoza, proyectándose el 26 de noviembre de 2014 en Cines Aragonia.
 Seleccionada en el V CinemAvvenire Film Festival, proyectándose el 16 de diciembre de 2014 en Roma.
 Nominada al Narrative Feature Award del I International Film Festival de Erie, en diciembre de 2014.
 Nominada al Premio ASECAN Música 2015 de la Asociación de Escritoras y Escritores Cinematográficos de Andalucía.
 Preseleccionada en el X Festival Internazionale D'Arte Cinematografica Digitale de Imperia, de abril de 2015.
 Finalista Best Feature Movies en el II Florida Movie Fest. Se proyecta el 2 de mayo de 2015 en Casselberry.
 Finalista World Awards of Merit en el III World Film Awards de Yakarta, de junio de 2015.
 Tercer finalista Feature Foreign Suspense-Thriller en el XX Indie Gathering International Film Festival de Hudson, de agosto de 2015.
 Seleccionada en La Rioja es de Cine: I Festival Internacional de Cortometraje y Cine Indie. Se proyecta en Logroño el 16 de septiembre de 2016.
 Ganadora del Premio a Mejor Actriz Nacional a Beatriz Rico en el I Festival de cine de autor y cine independiente de Mallorca. Se proyecta en Palma de Mallorca en enero de 2017.
 Finalista en el V Sacramento Underground Film & Arts Festival. Se cancela la proyección de julio de 2020 debido a la pandemia por     coronavirus.
Su distribución comercial se espera próximamente.

Enlaces externos
 Página de Facebook de Las hijas de Danao
 Perfil en Twitter de Las hijas de Danao
 Tráiler en Youtube de Las hijas de Danao
 Teaser en Vimeo de Las hijas de Danao

Referencias

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Pashmina export revenues of Nepal fall
Posted by Editorial Team | Apr 29, 2019 | Global | 0 |
Nepal's pashmina export revenues are plunging despite high priority accorded to the sector, say officials. According to Nepal Rastra Bank, export revenues were Rs. 2.45 bn in fiscal 2016-17, and dropped to Rs. 2.28 bn in 2017-18. Shipments in the first eight months of 2018-19 ending mid-July were worth Rs. 1.52 bn, down 1.14 per cent year-on-year.
Pashmina is one of Nepal's major export earners. As government investment in the sector has failed to yield the desired results, there is a need to rigorously review the business process of Nepali pashmina, Sharad Bickram Rana, Executive Director of the Trade and Export Promotion Centre, said.
According to the association, Nepal imports almost all pashmina yarn primarily from China. Manang, Mustang and Dolpa districts are the largest producers of pashmina products among the 14 districts in the country where such products are manufactured. These three districts can annually produce at least 4 tonne of pashmina, according to a report.
Counterfeit products made of viscose and polyester too are a major worry for the industry now, said Durga Bikram Thapa, President of the Nepal Pashmina Industries Association. He gave the example of Nepal's woolen carpet industry, which went from boom to bust in the last decade due to poor quality.
The pashmina industry also receives aid from international organisations like the World Bank and the International Trade Centre, a multilateral joint agency under the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations.
The International Trade Centre provided $1.8 mn to improve the quality of production and design and promote the collective pashmina trademark Chyangra in the international arena through its Pashmina Enhancement and Trade Support project. The project lasted from 2014 to 2017. The organisation has plans to extend the project, but is reportedly reluctant due to the slow progress of the Nepali pashmina sector.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


You're just one step away from your Almagrafía!
Here you can select the day in which we will meet for our interview by videoconference or in person – if you live in Valencia, Spain -, where you will tell me your trip or their trip – if it is a gift – and we will talk about the emotional aspects that have led you to want to translate it forever into a work of art.
I will be the connexion between you and the painting and I will work with scissors, paint and maps, to enjoy your travel through memories, museum entries, photos, tickets and different souvenirs to challenge me in each Almagrafía.


In Novel Ways … WebAction for NonStop X Will Change the Way Business Operates!
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Transformers Aren't Solely Fiction – Our Data Routinely Transforms!


text:
Q: TagHelper for passing route values as part of a link When specifying asp-controller and asp-action on a link, what's the syntax for also passing an id attribute?
E.g. If I wanted to link to the edit URL for a given object, the required URL would be /user/edit/5 for example.
Is there a method to achieve this using TagHelpers, or do we still have to fall back to @Html.ActionLink()?

A: you can pass custom ID using below code:
Edit

A: I'd like to suggest a combination of the other two answers, but with a bit of extra clarification.
You will use an attribute prefix asp-route-{name} where {name} is the name of the route parameter you want to use. In other words, if the number 5 in your route is passed into the controller as an ID value, you could have:
Edit

or if the parameter you wanted to pass to the route was item.UserName then
Edit

And if you had both parameters then
Edit

A: You can use the attribute prefix asp-route- to prefix your route variable names.
Example: Edit

A: I would suggest one more way for Razor view to use model value using @Html.actionlink in jsp
var URLvalue='@Html.ActionLink("UserString", "action", new { routeValueName1 = "__value1__", routeValueName2="__value2__" }, htmlAttributes: new { @class = "btn btn-default", @role = "button" })'
     .replace('__value1__', Model.somevalue).replace('__value2__',  Model.somevalue);

you can use URLvalue where ever you want to in jsp or jquery.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Last week, Cathedral School celebrated Science Week. On Monday we visited the Planetarium and learnt about the stars in our galaxy. In English, we wrote myths about the origin of these impressive constellations.
In Science, we conducted an experiment to see if we could make a paper helicopter go faster by changing the width of the blades, adding weight, or altering the size. It was a lot of fun and we have definitely improved our measuring skills!
We also had visitors who came in to talk to us about Artificial Intelligence and Engineering in Science. We learnt so much and it was a fantastic opportunity to learn about how Science is used in everyday life.
Finally, for homework we produced posters about different types of journeys. They are very impressive and show lots of super Scientific knowledge.
Well done Year 5 – please comment below and let me know what your favourite part of Science week was.
My favourite part of science week was making paper helicopters and trying to find out how to make it land on the floor faster.
My favorite part in science week is the planetarium. This is because I learnt a lot in the planetarium like the star constellations and I learnt about some stars (which is way bigger than the sun). It was also a great, enjoyable experience.
My favourite activity was the planetarium, I really enjoyed it!
My favourite part of science week was definitely the planetarium. I love space and astronomy! It reminded me about my interest in space. It was really hard to decide between the planetarium and poster. I really like art, so, this was one of my favourites out of everything.
My favourite part of science week was going in the planetarium because it really helped my learning about stars.
My favourite part of science week was going into the planetarium because it really helped my learning about stars.
my favourite thing in science week is when we did the planeterium because it taught me alot about space and constellations like the orion and the bulls eyes.
My favourite thing I did in Sience Week was writing our interesting myths about constellations and how they were created, I also really enjoyed making paper helicoptors and making them go faster and slower, it was really fun to work together with my friends. Sience Week was SOOOOO FUN!
My favourite thing about science week was,that we went to the planeteriem .Also ,I very much enjoyed doing the science posters about journeys.Going back to the planeteriem we learnt about orions belt and how the stars in the sky represent something.
My favourite part of science week was making the helicopters and the planetarium!
My favourite thing about science week was,that we went to the planeteriem and got to see all the stars ,plonets ang moons and I also liked lisaning to the astronima.
My favourite part of British Science Week 2019 was when we created our posters. I like how all my other classmates had a different style to their project and how it makes each and every one of us unique. Even though I missed the Planetarium, my friends told me that it was really fun and cool! I also really enjoyed hearing and seeing what adults do that relates to science it was so interesting!
My favourite part of Science Week was the helicopters. It was they exciting seeing how it spun in the air. Also I really loved the plantain. The way they displayed it was amazing. I learnt about new stars! I hope next Science Week can be better! I do miss Mr Wizz.
Fun Fact: The Sun is tiny!
My favourite part about Science Week was the Myth Writing. It was especially fun as I love story-writing and the myths we read were really interesting.
(I wasn't able to see the planetarium)My favourite part of science week was making the "helicopters" it was very enjoyable and the experiment was educational. 🙂 I ENJOYED THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE ALL TOGETHER!
My favourite part of British Science Week 2019 was when we created our posters. It was fun to see my classmates posters and see what their view of a poster is! Even though I missed the Planetarium, my friends said that it was so fun and cool! I also really enjoyed seeing other adult's jobs it was intruiging and interesting!
My favourite part of science week was when we went to the planatarium because I learnt about the constellation of different stars and some new stars that I've never learnt about for example Betelgeuse I did not even no if that was a word or either orians belt.
My favourite part of British Science Week was the planetarium because I learnt a lot about the many star constellation out into the depths of the unknown space. I learnt about The Constellation of Orion and many more. I have really enjoyed British Science Week 2019!
My favourite part of British Science Week was the helicopter experiment we did in a Science lesson in class. I particularly enjoyed this because we were able to experiment and alter the things we put on the helicopters. For example, adding more paperclips to the helicopter would increase the weight of the helicopter, so it will fall faster. The larger helicopter came down to touch the ground with the slowest time due to the area of it. The wider area increased the level of up-thrust pushing up against the gravitational force, making it go slower. I have really enjoyed British Science Week 2019!
My favourite part of British Science Week was creating my poster for the British Science Week Poster Competition. As the theme for 2019 was 'Journeys' we were required to create a poster based on journeys. It could have been done on A3 or A4 paper. I have especially liked this particular activity because it extended my creativity skills and it was a very fun time creating my poster. I have really enjoyed British Science Week 2019!
My favourite part of science week was doing the poster competition. I enjoyed this task because it allowed me to be creative and discover new things. For example, I did not know that electricity was made in a power plant. I also enjoyed using different types of materials for my poster.
Did you know that there are stars in this galaxy that are bigger then the sun .stars are actually the same size as the sun but the sun is closer to us.
I love science it is one of my favourite subjects in school.
I really enjoyed science! My favourite part of it was when we went to the planetarium and when we were doing our experiment on the paper helicopters. The planetarium was soo fun because we got to learn about our solo system. I also really enjoyed it because we got to go inside a HUGE BALL of air! when I was going inside it I had to squeeze in and my hair also got stuck but it was really fun. I also really enjoyed doing our experiment on the paper helicopters. We got to choose groups or partners to do this with my partners were amazing because we all got turns to drop the paper helicopters. It was so COOL to watch it go down to the floor if you was standing on a chair- which we got to do how AMAZING IT THAT!!!!! Science week was so fun and I hope it can be this fun next time.


We are all very happy to have January (and the snow) behind us. Next week is Parent/Teacher Conferences. We love having you come in to talk about your favorite subjects – your kids! It's a great time to celebrate the accomplishments so far this year and to look on areas we will be working on for the remainder of this school year and to look toward your child's next educational setting – regardless of if it's here at First Lutheran or at another school! We have Valentine parties to look forward to. The Lions and Kinders will be mailing their valentines home – with a stop at Starbucks. We are also looking forward to a visit from our favorite dentist – Nicole Van Meigheim (Valerie and Ellie's mom). Don't forget we have a "mini" mid-winter break – so we will not have school on February 20 & 21. Please don't hesitate to call if you have any questions!
Thank you for the opportunity to educate your children, we love it so much!


text:
LA Times Festival of Books
With Beatie Wolfe
"How I Wrote "September"
University of Southern California, LA campus
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is the nation's largest literary festival, held at the University of Southern California. More than 500 writers, musicians, artists and chefs, hundreds of exhibitors and 150,000 attendees transformed the 226-acre campus into a vibrant cultural festival. I joined Beatie Wolfe in the festival's Newstory zone, which Beatie curated and starred in, showcasing creative storytelling including podcasts, virtual reality, music, film and television.
© 1999 Allee Willis. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Why HR Needs To Go Open Source
The field of HR is regularly said to be on its deathbed. Can embracing much more transparency revive it?
[Photo: StockWithMe/iStock]
By Lars Schmidt 6 minute Read
This story reflects the views of this author, but not necessarily the editorial position of Fast Company.
When Celinda Appleby was hired at Oracle as the head of global recruitment marketing, she didn't have a predecessor to look to for guidance. The role had just been created, and she was tasked with building a global employer brand team from the ground up. Appleby began to poke around for resources to help her do that, and ultimately landed upon HR Open Source (HROS), a network that I cofounded.
Practitioners are still used to playing it close to the chest, and it's holding everyone back.
HROS offers a library of free case studies contributed by other human resources professionals, and in it Appleby found one contributed by the social media company Hootsuite, which had made its own framework public. And when she had questions about modeling Oracle's employer brand program on Hootsuite's, Appleby turned to HROS's Facebook group, where over 2,300 HR and recruiting professionals in more than 50 countries regularly weigh in with their ideas and experiences.
Since rolling out Oracle's global employer brand program, Appleby has since contributed two case studies of her own to the HROS community, drawing on that experience. Having helped set up the platform, I obviously believe in open-sourcing HR issues, but I'm hardly alone. Buffer, for instance, is famously committed to laying bare its HR and management challenges and encouraging conversation around them. And you don't have to look far to find proof of concept in other fields, where sharing "institutional knowledge" means going outside your own institution.
Talk Is Cheap, And It Pays Off
That's something software developers have understood for decades, and there's little doubt that the "open-source" approach to writing code has contributed to some of the biggest, fastest technological advances we've seen in our lifetimes.
In HR roles, though, practitioners are still used to playing it close to the chest, and it's holding everyone back. Every couple of years, there's an article or two issuing HR's death certificate, variously claiming that the profession has failed to curb employee turnover, solve retrenched diversity and inclusion issues, or lower the pressures brought on by an increasingly multigenerational workforce. And maybe that's true. But what's certain is that there's more to be gained than lost when HR practitioners compare notes and collaborate.
Wondering how your competitor designs, implements, and measures ROI for a certain recruiting initiative? Why not go ahead and ask? Unlike the race to corner a market, for instance, HR challenges rarely amount to zero-sum games. Sure, the talent market may be tight, and competition for certain in-demand roles even tighter, but in most cases, when your competitor makes a more thoughtful hire who's likely to stick around longer, it doesn't automatically lower your chances of doing the same.
Being able to point to a case study as proof that it's doable can be indispensable.
At least that's the theory we set out to test with HROS when I cofounded the platform in 2015 with Ambrosia Vertesi, Duo Security's VP people, first as a pilot program with Hootsuite and shortly thereafter as a standalone, public initiative. From the start we've asked users to lay out the "how" of their efforts in a prescriptive level of detail, plus dish on their failures and pitfalls so others can avoid repeating them. So far, HR professionals from major companies like Cisco, Virgin Media, Dell, GoDaddy, and others have all proved willing to do so.
This creates a sense of community–and a collective intellect–that minimizes inflated fears of losing a competitive edge. Beyond the case studies and curated resources, HROS users trade ideas, knowledge, and expertise in real time through the organization's Facebook group. What's more, they save their companies money in the process. Practitioners don't hesitate to ask questions about issues their employers might otherwise hire consultants to solve, or pay fees for access to research reports and training materials.
The Hot-Button Issues Open-Sourcing Can Solve
Open-sourcing HR can fundamentally change the way practitioners work. In some cases an HR rep is struggling to make a case to a skeptical boss to do something new or different. Being able to point to a case study as proof that it's doable can be indispensable. In other fields, finding quantifiable evidence to back up a proposed approach is easy and routine. In HR, it isn't. But if those in the field don't get comfortable with offering one another tangible, comparable examples–free of charge–innovation will continue to trudge along, and we can expect to keep hearing that HR is on its last leg.
"We wouldn't have stopped to reflect on the fact that we had doubled the percentage of women on our sales team, all while growing the team."
This is especially true in some of the most pressing issues, like diversity, where transparency can make such a big difference. Over the past few years, a handful of leading tech companies have been diligent about releasing demographic data and sharing their approaches to improving the diversity of their workforces. In recent months, their progress has slowed, and certain companies have slackened their pace sharing updates with the public, ostensibly to give themselves time to retool. But with a completely open-source approach, neither big strides nor setbacks would require their own announcements–it would all be out on the table.
Even for companies that aren't comfortable going that far yet, greater transparency can still prove useful. Leela Srinivasan is chief marketing officer at Lever, a recruiting software company, which had been experimenting with ways to use its employer branding campaign to appeal to more diverse candidates. "A lot of companies have a fatalistic attitude toward the topic," says Srinivasan, believing, "'It's the talent pool, what can we do?'" By answering HROS's call for detailed case studies on diversity efforts, Lever felt challenged to quantify what it was already doing and see how it stacked up.
Otherwise, she says, "we wouldn't have gone back to find that 74% of women who joined our company during that period were influenced by employee blogging and storytelling. We wouldn't have stopped to reflect on the fact that we had doubled the percentage of women on our sales team, all while growing the team."
For Srinavasan, getting into the habit of discussing failures around issues like this–something that other companies still approach squeamishly–was the biggest upside. "Without that prodding" from the community, she says, "most practitioners would gloss over the failures, but often that's where the richest learnings occur."
Defying The Ghosts Of HR's Past
To be sure, there are plenty in the HR world who aren't ready to embrace this kind of openness, and probably won't be anytime soon. The "war for talent" mind-set dictates that practices should be siloed and guarded as competitive advantages. Despite some encouraging signs of interest in greater collaboration, many still believe that keeping their recruiting and staffing strategies under wraps is the key to their success.
The Top Five HR Trends For 2017
What's changing, how come, and why it matters
They're probably mistaken. The history of HR is largely one of closed practices, and seasoned practitioners came up through an environment where ideas like "radical transparency" set off alarm bells. But if that's got us anywhere, it's to a world where the interest in greater openness has never been higher. Many HR professionals can already see how past norms no longer accord with their field's biggest challenges right now. And they recognize that, just like in so many other fields, collaboration and resource sharing isn't just useful, it's the only way real, sustainable innovation comes about.
Google has its own version of open-source with its re:Work initiative, and the company's recruiters are often pretty vocal about what they're looking for and why. Facebook recently opened up its internal unconscious bias training program to the public. We'll have to wait to see how each of these shifts play out, of course, but the direction they're all pointing in is unmistakable. The future is open, and it's already here.
Lars Schmidt is the founder of Amplify Talent, a recruiting and branding agency that helps companies like Hootsuite, NPR, and SpaceX reimagine the intersection of culture, talent, and brand. He's also the cofounder of the HR Open Source initiative. Connect with Lars on Twitter @Lars.
Lars Schmidt is the founder of Amplify, an HR executive search and consulting firm that helps companies like Hootsuite, NPR, and SpaceX navigate the future of work. He is also the cofounder of the HR Open Source initiative.