By Larry Kilman
Assistant Professor, NGO Management

Wednesday, 11 October 2017

The US Office of Government Ethics has reminded government agencies to respect ethical standards following a growing number of dubious practices, the Washington Post reports. The key advice: Ask “should I do it” not “can I do it.”

Far too often, organizations get themselves in trouble when the ethical debate – assuming there is one – focuses on “can I get away with it.”

By Larry Kilman

Monday, 3 July 2017

Maria Ressa, head of the Philippines-based social media news network Rappler, was chosen by UNESCO to receive the first copy of my report, “An Attack on One is an Attack on All: Successful Initiatives to Protect Journalists and Combat Impunity.”

She is an apt choice. Her work to combat and prevent gender online harassment, highlighted in the report published by UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication, can provide inspiration and solutions for others facing similar attacks.

by April Ward
M.A. Candidate 2018

Monday, 19 June 2017

NGOs play an important role in many different areas: Feeding the hungry, providing shelter, teaching children, giving medical aid, etc. Those who want to work in the NGO sector are deeply passionate people. They see injustice and seek to provide justice. They see the helpless, and seek their empowerment. They see the invisible and say, “I see you.”

By Larry Kilman

Thursday, 8 June 2017

This is why transparency is so important for aid workers and NGOs.

According to the New York Times, a kidnapped American aid coordinator in Yemen had a secret job overseeing US commando shipments. This dual role muddies the waters between humanitarian aid and military actions, and immediately raises suspicions about aid workers in general.

By Khalid Al-Jufairi

Wednesday, 31 May 2017

Cultural variation among negotiators is very common in international business dealing, and understanding these differences is often the key to a successful negotiation.

In global organizations – businesses and NGOs alike – managers often engage in negotiations with subordinates, clients, and partners from different cultures on a range of matters including coordination of operations, arrangement of processes or for the purpose of convincing a foreign partner to sign a deal.

By Larry Kilman

Tuesday, 30 May 2017

To his utter surprise, TMS “Teddy” Ruge found himself stripped naked on the stage.

Not literally naked. But what Walid Al-Saqaf did to him left him feeling that way.

Ruge, a technology innovator and global entrepreneur who was chairing a session at the Stockholm Internet Forum, was still wearing his clothes, but what was exposed was even more personal than a naked body. There, on stage before an audience of hundreds of civil society activists, was a deep, graphic look into his Twitter activity – a network diagram of his direct communications and interactions, a word cloud of his hashtags, even his tweet texts and how often they’re retweeted: in short, his interests and his influence.

By Gabriela Lemus
M..A. Candidate 2017

Friday, 12 May 2017

Adam Bryant, the editorial director of live journalism at the New York Times, says he interviewed 500 CEOs about leadership for his weekly “Corner Office” series, asking them a simple question: “How do you hire?”

By Yomaira Lopez
M.A. Candidate 2018

Tuesday, 9 May 2017

Nobody wants to accept failure, but sometimes you can learn more from failure than from success. In the NGO world, accepting failure is much harder because of the intensity and the emotional/personal involvement brought to each project. However, an NGO working with Welthungerhilfe and Viva con Agua addresses some of their mistakes in trying to provide access to clean drinking water in India. 

By Yomaira Lopez
M.A. Candidate 2018

3 May 2017

This news article is a year old, but still relevant since the question of government-funded NGOs and how they are perceived is still a big issue, particularly in countries that view US-funded NGOs as unwanted foreign influence.

By Marci Otranto
M.A. Candidate 2018

2 May 2017

In the on-going refugee and migrant crisis taking place in the Mediterranean Sea, non-governmental agencies (NGOs) have played a large role in rescuing people from drowning en route to Europe. But their humanitarian efforts are not always applauded.