Objectif Sciences International

Outline of New Program

Marie DENIZET — 2022-03-01T16:14:03Z

An essential timeframe of 18 months to 2 years is required between the approval of an outline and the first operation to allow for optimal project co-development, effective promotion of the operation, and, consequently, adequate participant enrollment.

Sommaire

This is the procedure for a new program.
In the case of a variation on an existing program, a simplified process may apply (approval by the 3 circles under the responsibility of dir-op, then scheduling), provided that:

there is a program leader, or at least a project manager, for each area necessary for the operation (Research, Educational-Logistics, Development).
minimum timelines are respected, allowing for promotion and enrollment in the program (online publication of the validated description at least 18 months before the first operation).

Steps for the Project Manager

The process must begin at least 2 years before the first operation.

Discuss with the relevant dir-op for a project within an existing local group, or with the Local Group Creation department for a project within a new local group. The dir-op will direct you to a program leader or other relevant contact for preliminary discussions on the concept.

Before the next step: The project must include a research program leader and an educational-logistics program leader (or at least a project manager for each of these aspects).

Create an online draft, meaning a preliminary description on scientific-vacations in the appropriate section. A maximum of the sections in the scientific vacations descriptions should be filled out, at least partially.
Record a short video (around 5 minutes) presenting the concept and upload it to the relevant description.
Prepare a provisional budget, covering both educational-logistics aspects (accommodations, transport, etc.) and research needs (equipment or other).
Notify the relevant dir-op.

Steps for dir-op

Analyze if the project falls within an existing research program (in this case, it is handled by dir-op with the 3 circles) or if it involves a new scientific field (handled by codir).
Add the draft to the draft tracking table.
Notify the relevant people so they can review the draft and contribute to the FAQ, for example through a regular newsletter keeping everyone updated on new projects.
If the project requires a dir-op decision, consult the various stakeholders to assess the draft by answering the following questions:

Is the project scientifically and/or strategically interesting (even if it is still a preliminary concept)?
Is the team responsible for this project (3 circles) well-identified and competent?
Is the project logistically and/or safely viable?
Is the investment necessary to launch this project feasible?
Do we have time to promote and fill this operation?

Steps for the Codir, for drafts requiring a Codir decision

Validation
1. Each member of codir provides feedback/ratings on the points to be validated directly in the draft tracking table.
2. If everyone agrees all points are satisfactory, a meeting is not needed, and the codir validates the draft.
3. If any point is not validated by all codir members, it will be discussed at the next codir meeting to reach a consensus.
Notification
1. If the draft is validated by Codir, whether before or after a meeting, the project manager and relevant dir-op are notified.
2. If consensus finds a point unvalidated, the project manager and relevant dir-op are notified that the draft is not accepted as it is, but that specific improvements are required for it to be considered.
3. If multiple points are not validated, the project manager and relevant dir-op are notified of the rejection and reasons for it.

Post-Decision Steps

For validated drafts: follow the standard programming steps under the responsibility of dir-op: publication of the description, cost structure creation, selection of dates AT LEAST 18 MONTHS AFTER THE CONCEPT IS IMPLEMENTED, publication on osi-start, assignments, etc.

For unvalidated drafts: it is the project manager's responsibility to contact the dir-op again with improvement proposals.

OSI Photos website

Brice BOULANGEOT, *Att-Com, Thomas EGLI — 2020-09-14T11:33:23Z

On this page, ask your questions and describe your issues regarding the website www.osi-photos.org

Publish your project description

2020-04-15T11:20:13Z

- Edition informatique

Exploration of new themes for future Participatory Research Programs or Projects

Thomas EGLI, Julie RODE, Christophe GIRONIS — 2019-06-04T15:12:00Z

If you would like to submit a theme in Hard Sciences, Social Sciences, Technology, or related to Sustainable Development, Climate, or the Rights of Nature for a Participatory Science project, please post a message using the interactive forum feature on this page. The NGO's Resource Center will contact you and initiate the most suitable advancement process for your proposal.

Description:
- Conduct monitoring of significant scientific themes related to sustainable development that are currently not addressed, or only partially addressed, by OSI, to propose the creation of new programs or new projects within existing programs.
- Make this monitoring report available to the Executive Committee.
- Responsible for producing Calls for Projects for themes selected by the Executive Committee.
- Publish Calls for Participatory Research Participatory Research see : http://www.voyages-scientifiques.com Projects on specific themes on OSI's institutional website.

Implementation and/or Follow-up Format:
- Collective monitoring by each of you through postings on the forum on this page.
- The individual in charge of this desk compiles a summary to present to the Executive Committee (in charge of the Program Committee) at any time during the year, and at a minimum during the annual Program Committee.
- When a theme is selected by the Executive Committee, an update message is posted on the discussion thread in the forum that suggested this theme.
- When a Call for Projects is published, an update message is posted on the discussion thread in the forum that suggested this theme, and the thread is marked as resolved and closed.

Response Timeframe: Maximum 30 days
Production Timeframe After Consideration:
- Summary: Maximum 3 days
- Selection: After Executive Committee meeting
- Call for Projects if selected: between 30 and 90 days maximum

Financial Contribution: Provided by default by the OSI Resource Center
Responsible: Christophe
Communities of Practice: The forum on this page also serves as a community of practice on this topic.
Tutorials: The forum on this page also serves as a tutorial on this topic.
Notes: None

General Overview of the NGO

2019-04-17T18:32:02Z

- All the basics to know

Graphic Charter for the NGO's Materials

Thomas EGLI, *Cons-Pub&Com, *Att-Com — 2019-02-02T11:26:00Z

Before printing any materials or ordering vehicles, please refer to this guide.

White vehicles with the OSI logo in color (as with the standard stickers, excluding project or anniversary stickers).
Basic clothing items (hats, bandanas, pants…) in light beige, with an embroidered color logo (like the bandana and cap used in the past).
Outerwear (fleece jackets, waterproof jackets…) in anthracite gray, with the logo as follows:
- Chest: color embroidered on fleece, printed on waterproof jackets (no embroidery to preserve waterproofing).
- Back: white outline (same logo as the watermark on osi-photos or engraved on the magnifying glass), large, embroidered on fleece, printed on waterproof jackets.
Standard OSI goodies: white items with a flat color logo (e.g., white mug).
Variations of OSI goodies: item in one of the OSI colors with a logo in white outline on the colored item (e.g., blue water bottle with white-outlined logo) or logo engraved on metal (e.g., USB drives).

For any questions or feedback, please reach out through the forum on this page.

Value Enhancement of Results

Stephane RODE, Marie DENIZET, Anne OUVRARD — 2019-01-08T14:53:39Z

Description:
- Collect and compile the most significant results into an annual and decennial report.
- Promote the results + link to the highlights.
- Track mini-reports + write an article if there is a notable highlight.
- Post a brief in this forum linking to the full article on the program's website.

Implementation and/or Follow-up Format:

Response Timeframe: Annual report to be published in October.
Production Timeframe After Consideration:

Financial Contribution: included by default.
Responsible: Anne, with consultative assistance from Marie.
Communities of Practice: None.
Tutorials: None / Links (include links to tutorials for task contributors).
Notes: None.

Mandate Contract with NGO OSI

*Conseillers-du-CR (tous), *DG, *Président OSI — 2011-08-09T11:27:04Z

You are on the Resource Centre's Intranet portal – services organ of the Objectif Sciences International headquarters

Providing water treatment solutions, increasing biodiversity, feeding the population, educating and instructing, doing scientific research in favor of sustainable development and creating the sciences education...

… All of this in the context of YOUR proffession - educator, teacher, developer, representative, researcher- and by generating a substantial annual income at the same time.

This is possible, simply and effectively, within the network provided by the NGO Objective Sciences International, by contracting a privileged mandate with this growing organization.

Sommaire

A little bit of general knowledge

The word “mandate” is used in various fields. It used to be used for example in diplomatic (administrative supervision system) or in the Roman Empire (administrative instruction sent by the Emperor to a governor or a attendant). It is also used in many different fields such as finances (via postal or governmental payment) or law (act taken during investigations or instructions). But our two main fields of interest are politics or humanitarianism and the law of obligations:

politics and humanitarianism: when an organization gives itself or receives a mission which it is known for,
law of obligations: when the mandate is a contract by means of which legal or natural person, the grantor, gives to another legal or natural person, the agent, the power to act (law, education, construction...) in his name and on his behalf.

The initial mandate of the NGO:

Thanks to the content of the Articles of Incorporation, to the history and to the place that was made for the INGO Objective Sciences International as a result of its activities, it was mandated to conduct scientific researches in the service of solving the sustainable development problems, educational activities in science and the Research training by Research doing training.

It is this initial mandate that the NGO deploys daily, all over the world, under various forms, in order to fulfill his contract: to reach the greatest possible number of people.

After giving itself an initial mandate, the NGO gives to different agents a more specific mandate, in order to cover the entire general mandate that it gave to itself.

This mandate is concretized in different continents around the world. That is why, the NGO is not only recognized as an NGO by the legitimate institutional partners in this domain, but it is as well considered as an international NGO, that is INGO.

Technical vocabulary to learn

The mandate therefore is a contract through which a person, the grantor, gives to another person, the agent, the mission and the power to act in his name and on his behalf. The agent is a legal person of private law (association, one-man business, company...).

The agent (the legal person) signs with the grantor (the NGO) a contract that falls within the Commercial Law. Afterwards, the natural persons, who work daily within the organization that represents the agent, are employed by their organization.

The agent is paid, by the grantor on the basis of invoices issued on behalf of his organization, for the missions that have been completed. The received Money allows the agents organization to pay the operating expenses, investments, employer and employee costs as well as the natural persons salaries which constitutes the agents team.

The main characteristic of the Power of attorney is that the agent must exercise his mission independently, allowing the NGO to be able to rely on an agent that is a partner both responsible and competent in his particular profession, which depends on the mandate type. Therefore, the agent assumes his choices in his field of competence in terms of implementation.

The agent has as many different beneficiaries as there are participants in his activities. Therefore, he does not deal with a single client, even if it is the NGO that pays him via a monthly group transfer.

Although the agent is autonomous in managing his operations, no rights or freedoms of resigning from the mandate are given to him. Any initiated act must be both in respect of the mission that was given to the agent and in the purest respect of all partners of the NGOs network (an act initiated outside the mandate, can endanger all the other agents, including those who are on the other side of the world). The mandate is defined by the Internal Regulations of the NGO where, by definition, any documented case should be treated according to the existing documentation and any non-documented case firstly must be the object of the opening of collective site in partnership with the Headquarters and the Resource Centre before being treated according to the decision taken collectively. Then, during the first presentation of the case, it may be considered to be documented according to the engineering implementation and updates regularly performed on procedures and road maps.

Concerning the funded mandates, where the agent bills the NGO for the provided services. These services are implemented after the agent has received the right to be the partner for his scope of mandate application.

Similarly, this mandate is not accessible to everyone. It is given only to the active members of the NGO, who already paied their membership – their initial membership fee and then, the following years, their annual membership fee (described below). All that consistent with the amounts needed for the initial investment. Afterwards, the the agent has to participate in the initial training and the further training as well as in the business seminars (as part agent's community of practice). He also has to respect the feedback and the diagnostic points .

The agent's joining the mandate is the result of a preliminary observation period. This process of observing his ins and outs allows him to become active members of the NGO, to seize a mandate, to learn more and to sign a contract.

Initial training - it is the training that the agent receives for the first time during his initial membership.

Further training – it is the continuation of training given every year which is is partially funded by annual membership fee.

Initial membership fee – it has to be paied only during the first year of the membership.
Annual membership fee - it has is paid from the second year of the membership.
They do not add up. Their costs are included in the agent's operating budget and they are located proportionally in the contractual fees, which the agent invoices the NGO Objectif Sciences International for to get the implemented activities payed off.

Business seminars - they take place once a year on the occasion of the International General Assembly of agents in Geneva which traditionally continues for 10 days around a publicly accessible for some topics Congress.

Communites of practice - they are enabled every day of the year, particularly thanks to the exchange forums in solving problems and solutions. However, they are also the subject of videoconferences and regular points with the different thematic pilots provided by the international headquarters. The pilots are the people skilled in a particular field what allow the agents to navigate themselves easily and to succeed faster in putting into practice certain actions that contributes to the very positive and significant of leverage effect. We find amongst them “holiday stays'” pilots, “expeditions'” pilots, “colloquiums” pilots etc.

The scope of mandate's application specifies:

the type or types of target audiences,
the geographical area,
the language area,
the relevant scientific fields,
the relevant educational fields,
the issues to solve,
services to provide,
other criteria.

In cases where the exclusivity is given exceptionally, it is given only to the concerned mandates scope of application.

This exclusivity is automatically associated with the compulsory presence and the atction in the mandates scope of application. If any of these elements is missing, the mandate is taken back from the agent.

The grantor is obligated to respect the terms of the contract regarding the provided compensation (contractual fees for invoices issued by the agent). However, the grantor (the NGO) can in no way refund more advanced fees or compensate the losses that the agent may have contracted from his side. In fact, the involved parties agree the tariffs and the expenses assigned to each workstation in advance while the initially planned invoicing covers the forseen expenses (including the amount of contributions from the NGO) and the overspendings rest of the agent's responsibility. Therefore, he must be responsible for his budget and his good management (respect of budget in proportion to the activity). So the agent uses the contractual fees and he invoices the grantor for the activities that have been conducted. The grantor (the NGO) should also respect the investment of the agent by giving him the time and the means to succeed in his mission. To do this, the NGO creates and maintains a Resource Center in the NGO (headquarters) as well as the Services Centres by making themselves the object of thematic mandates. These resources and services are made to bring the agents mission closer to the success in the long term as well as in the short and medium term. It is in the Resource Center where the Councillors and their Attachés are located as well as various thematic or business pilots.

The agent, for his part, must respect the mission entrusted to him and create the reports from hus actions for the grantor.
The agent is solely responsible for the successful implementation of his mission, that is why it must be organized internally that he would be able to carry out the task.
The success stories are then the modelizations object, either as part of the communites of practice, within the Internal Regulations or the documentation of the framework, but they can also be found in the annual or quarterly reports that the NGO has to provide to the UN in exchange for the right to the advisory vote. The failures have to be sufficiently documented and explained in order to allow the NGO to take the decision of maintaining the agent's mandate (while helping him to achieve success) or withdrawing this mandate. In the case of insufficiently detailed explanation the NGO may withdraw the agent's mandate and entrust it to another one. Knowing that the NGO has more interest in training and supporting an agent already in place than restarting from scratch with a new agent, this involves a collective work of both parties.

Une construction collective :

C'est ensemble que l'ONG et ses différents mandataires construisent chaque année la qualité sur laquelle repose les concrétisations de l'année suivante, et ainsi de suite.

La gestion et le partage des apprentissages dans le cadre d'un knowledge management permet la duplication des réussites auprès de tous les acteurs du réseau.

Le principal outil de ce knowledge management est le présent portail Intranet et ses animateurs que sont les employés du Centre de Ressources géré par le siège international de l'ONG.

Objectif intermédiaire :

Afin d'être en mesure de mener à bien un mandat au sein de l'ONG, vous devrez donc savoir user au mieux de ce portail Intranet, et d'en exploiter toutes les ressources.

Cela fait partie du contenu de la formation initiale que vous recevrez, tout comme cela fait partie de la formation continue permettant une mise à jour des compétences de chacun-e à ce sujet.

A ce stade de la préparation, vous devez vous assurer d'allouer un minimum de temps à la compréhension croissante de l'outil Intranet du Centre de Ressources, et du fonctionnement du logiciel SPIP qui l'héberge : Commencez par consulter ce tutoriel pour vous faire une meilleure idée du fonctionnement de l'Intranet.

La responsabilité du mandataire peut être engagée en raison de ses fautes mais il faut distinguer selon que sa mission était constitutive d'une obligation de moyens ou d'une obligation de résultats. Chaque action demandée au mandataire est détaillé quand à ces deux type d'obligations.

De même, le contrat de mandat donné par l'ONG comporte une prise en charge des responsabilités par chacun à son niveau. Le mandant est donc responsable de la qualité et de la continuité de son offre de services de base (Centre de Ressources), et le mandataire est responsable quand à lui de l'ensemble de ses actes, le mandant ne pouvant en être tenu responsable. A fortiori, le mandant n'est pas tenu responsable non plus des actes du mandataire alors qu'ils ne rentrent pas dans la mission qu'il lui avait été confiée par l'ONG. Ceux qui sont amenés à traiter avec un mandataire doivent vérifier si le mandataire a agi conformément aux pouvoirs qui lui ont été donnés.

La seule volonté du mandant permet de révoquer le contrat. Encore une fois, tout mandat convenablement mis en oeuvre est précieux et ne peut pas faire l'objet d'une remise en cause inutile, car cela reviendrait à faire régresser la situation de l'ONG. Les révocations sont donc uniquement le cas de forces majeurs ou nécessaires.

De par son historique et de par les différents collaborateurs aujourd'hui présents dans les équipes et issus des périodes 1992-1998, 1998-2004 et 2005-2011, l'ONG démontre concrètement que les acteurs qui rejoignent l'ONG et qui savent comprendre le cadre choisi, qui savent le co-construire, et qui savent y créer de la valeur, restent sur de longues périodes. Dans le cadre des mandats, cette durée est plus longue encore ; en effet, lorsque le mandat est donné à une association par exemple, les membres peuvent évoluer au sein de cette association tandis qu'elle conserve le mandat. De même, dans le cadre d'un auto-entrepreneur, celui-ci peut passer son mandat à une jeune recrue lorsqu'il part à la retraite, après l'avoir préalablement formé en collaboration avec le Centre de Ressources et les Centres de Services chargés de la formation initiale et de la formation continue.

Le mandat, lorsqu'il est spécial, prend fin lorsque l'objet pour lequel il avait été confié a été réalisé. Alors le mandataire peut ensuite passer à d'autres mandats spéciaux s'il en fait sa spécialité, ou s'investir dans un mandat classique.

Dans tous les cas, même s'il y a bien une prestation facturée, il ne s'agit jamais de sous-traitance. L'ONG n'a jamais sous-traité, et c'est ce qui a toujours fait son succès, car seuls les membres de l'équipe sont à même d'apporter aux participants et autres bénéficiaires ce qu'ils attendent de l'ONG. Les mandataires sont donc entièrement partie intégrante de l'équipe OSI.

En effet, le mandat est une forme administrative et juridique qui permet une organisation plus forte, plus efficace, mais n'est aucunement une forme de mise en sous-traitance. Il le serait par exemple pas concevable, ni acceptable, qu'un mandataire OSI ne rencontre que à certaines rares occasion les autres mandataires, et ne participe ni aux réunions, ni aux formations, informations, et séances collectives de travail.

Sur le terrain des réalités

Dans le cadre qui nous occupe ici à Objectif Sciences International, l'ONG mandante s'engage à fournir au mandataire un savoir-faire, une formation et une assistance permanente, en contre-partie de la mise en oeuvre du mandat de la meilleure qualité qui soit. En cas de mise en oeuvre correcte, le mandataire peut facturer le mandant pour le travail effectué. En cas de mise en oeuvre incorrecte, ou bien le mandataire perd le mandat, ou bien le mandataire assume seul les pertes de son erreur ou de son incapacité/incompétence.

En s'associant à l'ONG en tant que membre actif chargé d'un mandat, le mandataire s'affilie à une marque, un style, une façon de faire, un historique, à des techniques maîtrisées par le siège seul et à des projets, le tout dans le respect des méthodes de travail, autant en terme de pédagogie, de démarche de recherche que d'organisation hiérarchique, logistique, intellectuelle ou financière, mais également éthique.

En adhérant au réseau de l'ONG Objectif Sciences International, seul détentrice de son historique, de ses compétences métier et de sa marque de fabrique (pour laquelle elle est précisément reconnue par ses partenaires institutionnels), le mandataire bénéficie de sa notoriété, de son image de marque, de fournitures (centrale d'achats) et de services communs (communication par exemple). En contrepartie, il se trouve lié à l'ONG mandante par des obligations, tant dans la façon d'exercer son activité, qu'au niveau financier (paiement des cotisations, paiement de services fournis en plus des services basiques et automatiques, garanties de gestion, gestion de comptes épargne en guise de garantie, salaire des employés du mandataire dans le respect du cadre global de l'ONG...).

Selon les cas (décrits plus loin, tels que Centre de Séjours, Centre de Services, Responsable de Programme, Représentations...), le mandataire est soit une personne morale de type associative ou entrepreneuriale regroupant plusieurs associés, soit une personne physique déclarée en personne morale sous la forme d'auto-entrepreneur. Les différents mandataires qui sont amenés à travailler ensemble s'échangent factures et paiements dans le cadre interne et associatif de l'ONG (participations aux frais, dénués de toutes taxes et sans TVA applicable).

Le mandataire est un acteur économique juridiquement et financièrement indépendant de son mandant. Le mandataire gère son entreprise en toute liberté dans la limite du cadre fixé par l'utilisation de la marque, de l'enseigne et de l'organisation fixée par l'ONG.

Tous les mandataires sont responsables de la marche de leur entreprise, que celle-ci soit de type associative ou auto entrepreneuriale. Par exemple, un mandataire peut, dans les limites de son contrat de mandat, embaucher, débaucher, choisir ses fournisseurs en dehors de ce que fournit le catalogue OSI (voir plus bas à ce sujet), fixer certains de ses prix, organiser son entreprise, etc. comme il l'entend. Les mandataires se doivent de réussir en écoutant et suivant les conseils émis par le Siège.

Idée importante :

Le mandat est donc un type de contrat très spécifique qui fixe un cadre très précis, cadre duquel le mandataire ne peut s'écarter mais qui respecte l'indépendance juridique et financière du mandataire. Le contrat de mandataire est un contrat qui relève du Droit commercial.

Le droit commercial applicable au contrat signé, et aux parties dans le cadre de ce contrat, est celui de la République et Canton de Genève (Suisse), et ce, pour tous les pays où un mandat est déployé. A ne pas confondre avec le droit social dont relève les contrats salariés au sein de chaque organisme mandataire ; chaque organisme mandataire recrute localement les personnes physiques qui travaillent au sein de l'organisme, et ces contrats d'embauche relèvent, eux, du droit social local (cotisations à la sécurité sociale, allocations chômages, retraites... sont ceux du pays où est salarié l'employé au sein de l'organisme mandataire).

La clause de non-concurrence fait partie intégrante du contrat de mandat, comme elle fait déjà partie de la convention d'adhésion à l'ONG ou des conditions d'utilisation de ce présent site Intranet.

Une clause d'approvisionnement exclusif est également en place, essentiellement dans le but de faire fonctionner l'ensemble du réseau, mais aussi de préserver l'image de marque, les processus et les choix organisationnels de l'ONG. Les services et produits concernés par cette clause sont soit des services et produits spécifiques à l'ONG, soit les produits et services proposés par les différents mandataires dans le cadre de mandats qui ont été mis en place précisément pour fournir l'ensemble du réseau (par exemple la Centrale d'Achat ou la Boutique des souvenirs éducatifs). Cette clause est donc présente dans le contrat de mandat pour tout ce qui est indispensable pour préserver l'identité et la réputation du réseau de franchise.

La question de l'exclusivité territoriale des inscriptions auprès des activités des mandataires, en particulier vis à vis de la distribution via Internet qui ne connaît pas de frontière, est résolue dans le cas d'espèces, par l'octroi de la commission sur les inscriptions effectuées, à tous les mandataires, et ceci indépendamment de leur champ d'application du mandat qui les concerne. Concrètement, cela signifie qu'un Responsable de Programme reçoit la rémunération relative à son mandat + la commission sur toute inscription qu'il aura effectuée dans le mois précédent, quel que soit le domaine concerné par l'inscription (le sien ou un autre), tandis qu'un Centre de Séjours Scientifiques reçoit la rémunération relative à son mandat + la commission sur toute inscription qu'il aura effectuée dans le mois précédent, quel que soit la destination concernée par l'inscription (la sienne ou une autre), alors même qu'il existe par ailleurs des mandataires qui sont mandatés uniquement pour la génération des inscriptions aux activités de l'ensemble des mandataires (tous domaines pour tous les publics sur toutes les destinations) ; Ces derniers reçoivent pour rémunération les commissions sur toutes les inscriptions qu'ils génèrent.

Objectif intermédiaire :

A ce stade, vous devez pouvoir être en mesure de vous positionner précisément sur le type de mandat que vous voudriez briguer et développer au sein du réseau de l'ONG.

Cela dépendra d'avant et avant tout de vos préférences comportementales au travail (promotion-vente, contrôle-gestion, recherche scientifique, production-distribution, recrutement-formation...) et de vos compétences métiers d'ores et déjà acquises par le passé.

Si vous débutez dans la vie professionnelle, des postes d'adjoint évolutif vous sont proposés en guise d'étape intermédiaire avant l'accès à un plein-mandat (voir plus bas).

Idée importante :

Objectif Sciences International :

a mis au point et exploité avec succès un concept pendant une période de 7 années complètes [2005-2011] et dans trois unités pilotes (France, Québec, Tahiti) avant le lancement du réseau des mandats, dans le cadre d'une expérience longue de 20 années fêtées en 2012 (activité créée en 1992) ;
est titulaire des droits sur les signes de ralliement des bénéficiaires : enseigne, marques et autres signes distinctifs ;
apporte à ses mandataires une formation initiale et continue, et leur apporte continuellement une assistance technique et sur le suivi-participants pendant toute la durée du contrat de mandat.
est une ONG ayant le Statut Consultatif Spécial auprès de l'ONU (ECOSOC)

en tant que mandataire vous devrez :

consacrer vos meilleurs efforts au développement du réseau et de votre mandat et au maintien de l'identité commune et de la réputation de l'ONG ;
fournir à l'ONG les données opérationnelles vérifiables concernant votre activité afin de faciliter la détermination des performances, ainsi que les états financiers requis pour une gestion collective efficace :
autoriser l'ONG et/ou ses délégués à avoir accès à vos locaux et à votre comptabilité à des heures raisonnables ;
ne pas divulguer à des tiers le savoir-faire fourni par l'ONG ni pendant, ni après la fin de votre contrat de mandat.

Le Plan de Développement

Le plan de développement est le document stratégique et d'entente par lequel l'ONG et le mandataire conviennent ensemble de :

la situation locale relative au champ d'application du mandat,
des actions à mener sur une échelle de cinq ans, dont les 2 premières années sont détaillées

le tout en cohérence avec :

le plan de l'ONG qui a été établi sur 5, 10 ou 15 ans ou toute autre durée,
le document vision-mission-stratégie de l'ONG, tenu à jour annuellement par la totalité des mandataires d'OSI, à l'occasion du FORUM DE GENEVE, organisé tous les ans à l'ONU

Ce document, conservé d'une version à l'autre au format pdf, est mis au point conjointement à l'occasion des premières séances de travail débloquées par l'ONG avec le mandataire une fois que celui-ci s'est acquitté de son adhésion initiale. Le montant de cette adhésion est proportion de la charge de travail nécessaire d'un type de mandat à un autre, et prend en charge précisément ces frais de lancement du mandat (dont formation continue et rédaction du contrat de développement).

D'un type de mandat à l'autre, le contenu de ce document peut changer, mais il est organisé selon une logique réalisé-existant-à faire et selon une répartition par compétences du Centre de Ressources, afin de couvrir l'ensemble des questions, le tout en accord avec le but donné au mandat dans le cadre du champ d'application du mandat. En fin de document se trouvent les états financiers (budgets, comptabilité, prévisions, graphiques, indicateurs...).

On trouve également dans ce document des détails utiles tels que la description de la concurrence directe (positionnée de manière similaire) ou de la concurrence indirecte ou périphérique (positionnée en dessous ou au-dessus).

Idée importante :

Le mandat est une mission qu'il faut envisager sur le long terme, voire pour toute une carrière professionnelle. Plusieurs cas sont possibles toutefois ; après avoir mis sur pied un mandat et l'avoir consolidé durant plusieurs années, une personne physique qui se trouve salariée de l'organisme mandataire qu'elle a créé peut revendre son mandat (qui se trouve être alors son fond de commerce) à une autre personne qui désire reprendre ce mandat. La personne qui a vendu ce mandat peut alors décider d'en créer et d'en développer un autre, mais cela peut également se faire à la fin de sa carrière professionnelle, à la veille d'un départ en retraite bien mérité. Les allocations de la retraites seront alors ceux générés par la cotisation payées chaque mois dans le cadre du salaire reçu au sein de l'organisme mandataire, et l'argent obtenu par la vente du mandat vient en plus. Souvent, il sera plus efficace encore d'accueillir au sein de l'équipe le futur repreneur pendant quelques années, afin qu'il ou elle puisse racheter le mandat après avoir acquis l'expérience nécessaire pour faire perdurer le mandat avec succès.

Le Manuel Opératoire

Le manuel opératoire encore appelé par d'autres, “règlement intérieur”, “manuel qualité”, “bible du concept” ou “manuel opérationnel” est un document stratégique, méthodologique et juridique par lequel l'ONG transmet à son mandataire les éléments constitutifs du concept qui concerne le champ d'application de son mandat.

Un manuel opératoire existe pour chaque type de mandat, afin d'accompagner le meilleur développement possible de chaque mandat. Ce manuel est à la fois :

Un outil de développement, qui rappelle ce qui relève du savoir faire secret, substantiel et identifié propre à l'ONG Objectif Sciences International, et qui énumère les actes que le mandataire doit poser successivement pour mener à bien son mandat
Un outil de formation du mandataire et de ses équipes: C'est le support majeur de la formation initiale et de la formation continue
Un outil de pilotage et de suivi. C'est l'outil de retro-contrôle et de points étapes. Pour le mandataire : il peut s'y référer en cas d'oubli. Pour le mandant : il s'y référera pour rappeler un point au mandataire. Plusieurs pilotes existent et dont le rôle est de fluidifier et faire avancer les tâches de chacune des parties.
Un outil qualité qui rappelle le savoir-faire métier, par les procédures et feuilles de routes à suivre et à respecter.
Un outil de certification : l'ensemble de ce manuel opératoire étant composé d'un ensemble de processus, il permet au mandataire de répondre aux normes spécifiques au métier en vue d'une certification de type EDUQUA, ISO ou HACCP par exemple.

Concrètement, ce manuel est constitué de l'assemblage des éléments présents sur l'Intranet du Centre de Ressources d'Objectif Sciences International, qui sont relatifs au mandat donné, et qui forment le Règlement Intérieur à respecter par la même occasion. Certains éléments concernent plusieurs mandats. Il s'agit donc d'une page d'accueil, d'une carte d'orientation web, à partir de laquelle le mandataire trouve contenus, formations et réponses en fonction de ses besoins et de son cas. On accède aux manuels opératoires par la page d'accueil de chaque Communauté de Pratique directement en rapport avec les différents mandats existants dans le réseau.

On trouve donc dans ces manuels opératoires un regroupement d'informations diverses qui matérialise les éléments constitutifs du savoir-faire mais aussi les éléments non secret qui font partie du concept. On trouvera notamment dans le manuel opératoire :

L'organisation et les structures du réseau,
Les éléments graphiques de l'enseigne,
Les techniques de management,
Les techniques de gestion,
Les techniques de ventes,
Un descriptif Descriptif
Descriptifs Pour savoir comment vous devez procéder pour publier votre descriptif veuillez cliquez.
Vous serez redirigé vers les tutoriels qui vous donnent les éléments nécessaires. des produits ou services vendus,
Le manuel d'utilisation de l'informatique,
Les règles de sécurité...

Un manuel opératoire a deux cibles: il s'adresse d'une part aux mandataires et d'autre part aux salariés des mandataires. Il est donc rédigé en tenant compte de ces deux type de lecteurs. Les Mandataires ont à leur charge de vérifier que leurs salariés ou associés connaissent et respectent l'ensemble du Règlement Intérieur et du fonctionnement des services du Centre de Ressources et des Centres de Services.

Adhésion et Cotisations

L'acteur qui désire obtenir un mandat et les revenus qui y sont associés doit au préalable adhérer à l'OiNG Objectif Sciences International en précisant quels domaines, quels publics et quelles régions géographique il est capable de couvrir. Il le fait dans le cadre de sa candidature, et ce, pour tout type de Programme mis en mandat.

Son dossier et sa proposition de prise de mandat est étudiée par la Direction d'OSI en association avec les collaborateurs compétents au sein du Centre de Ressources (Conseiller Sciences & Pédagogie, Conseiller Marketing & Développement, Conseiller Administration & Logistique, Conseiller Publication & Communication ou encore toute autre personne de l'équipe qui serait concernée par le thème du mandat). Cette étude se fait avec le candidat, et dans le cadre d'un échange permanent avec celui-ci.

Afin de couvrir les frais d'accueil, d'intégration et de formation initiale de base, il est demandé au mandataire une cotisation initiale à partir du moment où le contrat de mandat est signé. Ainsi, aucune cotisation n'est requise tant qu'aucun contrat de mandat n'est signé. Le montant de la cotisation initiale est directement proportion de la charge de travail pour l'accueil, l'intégration et la formation initiale, selon le type de mandat concerné.

Les formations sont de très haut niveau autant que pragmatiques et concrètes, et les accompagnements sont personnalisés. La prise de poste d'un mandat se veut efficace et profitable aux deux parties. Le nouveau mandataire accède à un revenu important associé à un travail valorisant dans le cadre d'une mission utile à la société.

Afin de couvrir les frais de suivi personnel annuel et de formation continue de base, il est demandé au mandataire de s'acquitter de sa cotisation annuelle pour la 2ème année et pour chacune des années suivantes. Là encore le montant de cette cotisation est fonction de la charge de travail selon le type de mandat.

Investissement initial

Pour mener à bien son implantation et le démarrage de son mandat, le mandataire doit être en mesure de déployer un apport initial dont le montant est directement fonction de l'ampleur du mandat.

Le montant de cet investissement initiale dépend du mandat concerné. Ce montant est précisé au sein de la fiche décrivant chaque mandat, et est rappelé dans le contrat.

Ce montant revient souvent, dans la plupart des cas, à la capacité du nouveau mandataire à subvenir à ses besoins durant la période d'intégration et de formation, qui peut se passer sur telle ou telle plateforme de formation internationale de l'ONG, pendant des durées allant de 1 à 5 mois.

A l'issue de cette période d'intégration et de formation, les niveaux de compétences acquis peuvent devenir très impressionnant en quantité comme en qualité. La formation et l'accompagnement est effectué par des dirigeants et formateurs de haut niveau de l'ONG.

Compte de garantie

Il est demandé au mandataire de placer une somme en garantie sur un compte épargne dont il peut utiliser les fonds à tout moment (compte épargne non bloqué) ou bien de bénéficier de valeurs de garantie (mobilier, autres). Cet argent, par exemple s'il est déposé par le mandataire sur un compte épargne lui appartenant, reste ainsi de la propriété du mandataire, mais la présence de cette somme garanti un coussin de sécurité minimal qui permettra au mandataire de prouver sa capacité à gérer une absence de résultats temporaire.

Le montant de ce compte de garantie dépend du mandat concerné. Ce montant est précisé au sein de la fiche décrivant chaque mandat, et est rappelé dans le contrat.

Composition du Contrat

Dans le contrat de mandataire signé par votre organisme avec OSI, on trouve successivement :

L'Identification d'OSI : siège social, forme juridique, capital, curriculum vitae des dirigeants, références bancaires
L'Identification de votre organisme : siège social, forme juridique, capital, curriculum vitae des dirigeants, références bancaires
La réalité de la marque OSI : numéro et date du dépôt
La date de création de l'ONG et ses références juridiques
La désignation du mandat
Les champs d'application du mandat
Les conditions d'adhésion qui ont été remplies par le mandataires
Les droits d'OSI
Les droits du mandataire
Les biens et/ou services fournis au mandataire
Les obligations d'OSI
Les obligations du mandataire
Les tarifs conventionnés pratiqués par le mandataire (à la date de la signature, puis mise à jour annuelle)
Durée du contrat (de 2 ans à 5 ans renouvelables par simple reconduction tacite selon le type de mandat)
Les conditions financières pour le mandataire (montants de la cotisation initiale, de la cotisation annuelle, montant du compte de garantie et montant des investissements que le mandataire devra engager)
Les conditions du renouvellement
Les conditions de la cession ou du transfert des droits découlant du contrat, ainsi que les conditions de préemption d'OSI
Les conditions d'utilisation de la marque OSI
Le droit d'OSI de faire évoluer son concept de mandat
Les clauses de résiliation du contrat
Les clauses prévoyant la récupération par le mandataire de tout élément corporel ou incorporel lui appartenant en cas de cessation du contrat avant l'échéance prévue
Les clauses de règlement des litiges

ainsi que

Des annexes :
- Les bilans annuels du réseau des deux années précédentes
- Historique et perspectives de développement du réseau
- Coordonnées des membres du réseau
- CV du responsable mandataire
- Analyse objective et réaliste du marché local, réalisée par le mandataire avec l'appui d'OSI

Tous ces éléments sont décrits pour certains dans les fiches de mandat ci-dessous, pour d'autre directement au sein du contrat (que vous pourrez lire après avant de déposer votre adhésion pour un mandat donné).

Les Mandats à prendre

Les différents mandats qui vous sont proposés de contracter sont décrits sur la page qui regroupe les appels d'offres en cours ( Lab4Labs : Calls' for tenders lab for the Mandates )

Veuillez cliquer sur les barres de titre pour déplier la fiche de présentation concernée.

Si vous désirez contracter un mandat en particulier, il vous faudra nous communiquer votre déclaration d'intérêt (lien situé au sein de la description de chaque appel d'offre)

C'est ainsi et de cette manière que vous signifiez à l'ONG Objectif Sciences International votre volonté claire de signer un mandat. Suite à la réception de votre déclaration d'intérêt, nous reprenons contact avec vous et nous analysons ensemble vos avantages et possibilités vis à vis du mandat concerné. Dans la foulée, nous activerons ensemble la période d'observation qui se situe après votre déclaration d'intérêt pour l'appel d'offre et avant la signature du contrat de mandat. Ainsi, vous signez votre contrat après avoir pris en compte l'intégralité des tenants et aboutissants de la mission. Démarre alors la formation initiale du responsable de ce mandat au sein de votre organisme.

Votre déclaration d'intérêt est le Document d'Information Précontractuel qui précède le contrat définitif.

Consulter les appels d'offres en cours : vour le lien Lab4Labs : Calls' for tenders lab for the Mandates.

Questions et Réponses

Pour toute question technique, stratégique, juridique ou économique au sujet de la contractualisation des mandats en général et du modèle de fonctionnement établi au sujet des mandats au sein de l'ONG, merci de poser votre question sur cette page.

Vous recevrez la réponse directement dans votre boîte aux lettres électronique, et elle restera également conservée sur cette page afin de renseigner les autres acteurs dans la même situation que vous.

The best of online worlds

*Att-Log, *Tech Informatique — 2011-06-06T08:17:14Z

Sommaire

Shopping online: search, click, buy

Shopping on the Internet is increasingly popular. Concerns about security online are gradually fading away. The advantages offered by online shopping are taking precedence.

The growing trend of a stronger use of shopping portals continues. According to a study by the University of St. Gallen, the Swiss prefer online shopping for books, food items, flight bookings, CDs, tickets, and auctions. There are differences between genders: while men particularly appreciate direct product comparisons, women value not having to carry their purchases home. Men shop online more often than women, who primarily miss a sensory approach to products.

Additional benefits are convincing

Some sites keep a list of reviews for each product. Customers can share their opinion on the product or rate their satisfaction with points. It should be noted that this customer information for other customers can be manipulated by the provider. Reading one or two reviews can still be helpful. This way, you will know if only positive reviews are published.

No more carrying drinks

The two food distributors Migros and Coop are also posting double-digit annual growth rates in online sales. Customers spend over 200 francs per purchase, which is seven times more than in-store purchases. The main reason for buying groceries online is the convenience of not having to carry anything home. Both providers also convince customers with next-day delivery and fresh products.

Generally positive experiences with credit cards

Consumers who don't shop online often cite their lack of computer skills or concerns over payment security. However, the majority of online shoppers are satisfied: over 90% of those who have paid with a credit card have never had a bad experience or felt uneasy. Often, you can choose the payment method, but most customers prefer bank transfers. If you want to buy on an auction site, you should choose paid payment options, as they include added security.

Christa Gall (Swisscontent Corp.)

How to use online content: copyright and copy wrong

Downloading songs and movies, copying texts and photos, everything seems possible on the Internet. But beware: not everything is allowed!

In Antiquity and the Middle Ages, intellectual property did not exist. For instance, a book could not be stolen, but it could be copied. It was normal for many artists and authors to rework existing content, just as it was common for musicians to reuse or modify songs or musical pieces. If an author didn't want to see their work altered, they would cast a spell on the book and curse anyone who dared falsify it with leprosy.

Copyright is equivalent to copyright law

Nowadays, no one casts spells because laws now exist. Copyright law is equivalent to copyright in Anglo-Saxon legislation. It protects intellectual works in literature and art that have an individual character, i.e., a certain originality, such as literary works, photographs, magnetic tape or music recordings, or even choreographies or pantomimes. Computer programs are also included in works protected by copyright law.

Permission required

Generally, for protected works, one must obtain permission from the author. However, there are exceptions: works published in a private domain or within a circle of close individuals, such as family or friends, may be used without permission. This exception does not apply to computer programs.

The Internet is not a law-free zone

The Internet is not a law-free zone either. The use of copyrighted works from the web is only possible in private. To publish copyrighted works on the Internet, you must have the author's permission, unless access to the work is restricted to a close circle of people by means of a password.

Severe penalties

Anyone who makes copyrighted songs or movies available on a file-sharing platform is subject to penalties and can face a fine of up to 10,000 francs or even one year in prison.

Links from another site

What about images and texts copied from another site? This is only possible if you have the source's authorization. Images and texts, therefore, cannot be copied (from a newspaper's site, for example). However, you can link to other sites without permission.

Videos on YouTube

Can I post videos on the web, for example, on YouTube? Yes, if they are your own (image and sound). Those who use someone else's material without permission (excerpts from TV shows, movie scenes, and music) are also breaking the law.

Fighting Internet crime

Recently, the Confederation and the cantons created the National Coordination Service for the Fight Against Internet Crime (SCOCI), which receives reports of copyright violations on the Internet. More information at www.cybercrime.ch.

Deborah Balmer (Swisscontent Corp.)

Virtual economies: Second Life & Co.

Everyone is talking about the virtual universe Second Life (SL). The online three-dimensional infrastructure allows users to create worlds where internet users interact, play, do business, and communicate.

Since 2003, an estimated nine million people worldwide have registered to frolic in Second Life. About 100,000 Swiss also participate in this global virtual economy. However, the number of active players is smaller and has been declining since mid-2007. Depending on the time of day, between 15,000 and 50,000 people are online.

Swiss companies' virtual presence

Life in the virtual universe brings a special fascination. Players can not only choose their virtual appearance as they wish, but they also decide the character they want to be in the game: whether living adventures as a superhero or flirting in a virtual bar, almost anything is possible. Individuals are not the only ones present in the virtual parallel world. Companies like IBM, Toyota, Mercedes, Adidas, and Nike, as well as Swiss companies like SBB, Swisscom, and Publigroup, create their “avatars” (virtual people in Second Life) and try their luck in business. These companies know that behind these avatars are real people who also benefit from commerce.

You have to pay to build

Anyone can participate in Second Life. There are free accounts and several types of paid subscriptions ranging from a one-time fee of $10 to a monthly $10. Only paying members can buy their own land on the main continent “Mainland,” a prerequisite for creating virtual infrastructure. Prices vary according to supply and demand. Currently, a full region (about 65,000 square meters) costs $1,650, plus a monthly tax of $295.

Private business in Second Life…

In Second Life, it is possible to trade objects and services freely. Payment is made with Linden dollars. This virtual currency can be converted into real currency (USD) and is thus connected to the real economic cycle. To earn money in Second Life, one can create objects, such as houses or bars, and sell them to other users. This also applies to services or paid virtual jobs, such as maintenance jobs. Linden dollars can also be earned by “camping,” that is, renting out certain places.

…doesn't guarantee big profits

According to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, some individuals try to make a living as Second Life developers, i.e., as merchants and service providers. According to experts, real profit opportunities are limited. Among the more than 400,000 users online in December 2006, only about 400 earned more than 250,000 Linden dollars (about 1,050 francs) per month.

A laboratory for companies

So far, no company has made real profits. Only the creator of Second Life, Linden Lab, is truly making money through participation fees and virtual island rents. According to some estimates, this amounts to about half a million USD per month. Companies in SL mainly aim to learn more about consumer purchasing behavior in order to test new sales methods.

The competition doesn't sleep

Currently, Second Life is the main platform of its kind in the Western world. Linden Lab's competitors include Active Worlds, considered by some as the true creator of the online three-dimensional concept, Entropia Universe, There, Newcomer, and the cyberpark Dotsoul. In Asia, platforms are also being developed, like the Chinese platform hipihi.com. The Chinese variant was only created in 2005, and by early October, the HiPiHi universe already had 30,000 residents, according to their own data. The launch of the virtual universe “Home,” developed by Sony, is scheduled for early 2008.

Markus Kick (Swisscontent Corp.)

The new Internet: direct and indirect interaction

The modern Internet is called Web 2.0. It is more than just a mass of data. Thanks to new applications, the Internet platform allows users to exchange data and thus interact directly or indirectly.

New applications are booming on the Internet. The enormous amounts invested by major online companies show how important this trend of new applications is. For example, Yahoo acquired the photo-sharing site Flickr, though the purchase price was not disclosed. Google acquired the video-sharing site YouTube for 1.8 billion dollars. Microsoft bought aQuantive, a company specializing in online advertising, for 6 billion dollars.

Today on the Internet

Whoever surfs the Internet can already find these applications. Some are used intensively without users even realizing the technology at work. For example, users viewing the online map of Zurich on www.mapsearch.ch can not only zoom in but also see, for instance, tram stops. And if the cursor hovers over a stop, the user will see the tram schedule for that stop. The map also provides information on restaurants and cinemas in the city.

Collective intelligence

The wider the dissemination of these new technologies, the more apparent the effects will be, as with the fax machine: if only a few people own a fax machine, its use is limited; however, the more widely the fax is available, the more people it can reach, and the more it is used. The information from countless users is gathered in Web 2.0, then reworked and structured through interactions. This way, the new applications possess a form of collective intelligence that surpasses the knowledge and capacity of any single application. The Internet of the future will therefore be significantly more powerful than today.

Web 2.0: the same impact as mobile phones?

The new virtual world will not look like a science fiction movie. Despite all the new developments, it is merely an evolution of already existing technologies. However, we should not forget that this was also true for mobile phones. These have become omnipresent in our lives, whether we like it or not. We might witness the same phenomenon with Web 2.0. Perhaps, in a few years, thanks to new technologies, the Internet will be as present in our lives as mobile phones are now.

Patrick Herger (Swisscontent Corp.)

Open source databases: Wikipedia is not the only one

Online database management systems like Wikipedia work wonderfully. However, to protect against manipulation and incorrect entries, quality controls are necessary.

The days of consulting hefty encyclopedic dictionaries to look up a term are long gone. Today, the Internet offers countless virtual libraries, with decisive advantages over books: text content can be linked, multimedia functions can support text with visual or audio elements, and full-text search functions allow users to find information in the context of the text. Articles can also be updated at any time.

A rapidly expanding virtual newsroom

The most informative and by far the most spectacular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, was not created by a renowned publishing house but by the users themselves. This international project is based on open-source software, allowing all users to add articles or revise old ones; it is therefore a virtual newsroom that grows daily. However, entries vary greatly in quality and length, reflecting more the author's knowledge than the actual significance.

Secure Wikipedia

Wikipedia has other weak points: in the past, there were incorrect entries and recurrent manipulations, but this should soon change. Starting in November, the standard site will show only entries identified as free from distortion. However, unmarked articles are accessible with one click and can still be edited.

Meyers Lexikon opens up to users

Today, Wikipedia includes 8.2 million articles in 253 languages. This success has forced traditional encyclopedia providers to take action. One possibility is to allow users to contribute to encyclopedic dictionaries. Meyers Lexikon has chosen this strategy. This reference work consists of 24 volumes, 9,000 pages, 150,000 keywords, and around 4,000 photos, plus a DVD, for 237 Swiss francs.

All contributions are reviewed

On the site “lexikon.meyers.de,” everyone is free to contribute to article updates. Additionally, registration is required, and all contributions are reviewed by an editorial team before publication. Unlike Wikipedia, user-revised articles are stored in a special section of the encyclopedic dictionary. Meyers Lexikon online has been on the web for more than a year. According to the publisher, it contains 150,000 keywords and has about 22,000 daily visitors.

Bibliographies on the Internet

Thematic encyclopedias, managed by universities or private users and largely based on scanned works, abound on the World Wide Web. The link collection from the “Bibliografien im Internet” project covers over 200 useful links, but is not always up to date.

Deborah Balmer (Swisscontent Corp.)

E-business: competition intensifies

Online shopping is becoming increasingly popular. However, in both the United States and Europe, growth rates are expected to be significantly lower this year than in 2006. Increasingly intense competition and higher customer demands are the causes of this decline.

Currently, many companies offer customers the option to purchase goods and services online. Purely virtual companies are rare, however. Generally, in addition to their online platform, they also operate a traditional store. Companies that want to focus solely on the Internet must offer the most advantageous prices, as customers can easily and quickly compare prices online.

Advantage through size

Companies such as the online bookstore amazon.com or the auction website eBay benefit from their size. These companies can order in large volumes and therefore demand discounts from suppliers, which then benefits customers. Smaller competitors do not have this advantage. They must therefore find other compelling arguments besides price to attract new customers. For these companies, it is important that customers can learn about the company and its products through the website. A customer approach that does not focus on price is particularly suitable for companies offering consulting and support services.

Networked customers

The increasing networking of customers is an important trend in e-business. Many companies now offer their customers the chance to publish a brief profile to connect with other customers through the company's homepage. Product reviews and lists of favorite items are even more common. This form of customer networking will intensify in the coming years and will become more important to support customers during their shopping.

Online presence: a boost for business

Studies have shown that an online presence boosts in-store business. In fact, online stores attract far more customers to the physical store than vice versa. This behavior suggests that many customers research online but prefer to buy in-store. It's believed that concerns about scams contribute to this trend. Important: a bit of caution is always advised.

Signs of reputable online companies

According to Stiftung Warentest, when shopping online, make sure the company's full address and a contact number are displayed on the homepage. Additionally, the provider should hold a recognized quality label. The transfer of sensitive information, such as credit card data, should always be done through an encrypted connection. A secure connection begins with “https://” and also displays a padlock symbol (which should remain closed) in the browser. When purchasing online with a credit card, it is strongly recommended to keep payment records. The best way is to print the payment details page.

Patrick Herger (Swisscontent Corp.)

Digital business network: a fast and useful network

Online professional networks such as Xing or LinkedIn compete with traditional clubs like the Rotary Club or alumni associations. Online clubs may be less exclusive, but they are faster, more global, and easier to use. Headhunters are also increasingly using online networks.

The Rotary Club, traditional and limited to established business professionals, now faces growing digital competition: the publicly traded professional network Xing (a leader in Europe), along with other networks like LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com, the U.S. leader, available only in English) and industry-specific networks like AdGabber (www.adgabber.com) and INmobile (www.inmobile.org), threaten the existence of real-world professional networks. Thanks to digital interconnectivity, you can, for example, find business colleagues or potential clients on Xing (www.xing.com) within minutes, after online registration and setting up your profile.

Business success through networking

A young entrepreneur who makes gold clothing reportedly met a businessman from the United Arab Emirates through the Xing platform. This businessman introduced him to clients, thus giving the young entrepreneur a new distribution channel. Xing is a perfect example of Web 2.0 services: on Web 2.0 sites comparable to Xing, such as YouTube or Flickr, content is no longer produced solely by companies in a centralized manner and then disseminated to the masses but also by private individuals networking with each other.

The essence of business: contacts

Contacts are the essence of business. Finding and maintaining them is easiest via the Internet. In automated testing, Xing proved very effective. Just by setting up a free profile, including career information and office address, etc., you become accessible to other members. And indeed, after a few days, Xing members I already know reach out and wish to be added to my personal network. The personal network of contacts grows rapidly and becomes a hub of “guaranteed-benefit” acquaintances. A quick glance is enough to see who you're connected to. American sociologist Stanley Milgram was right with his “small world” phenomenon: on average, two people are connected by a chain of six relationships.

Finding contacts: an easy task

On Xing, the confidentiality of personal data is largely preserved, with only a few details visible. Access can be limited to certain data. Communication with Xing members takes place through an internal mailing system. External emails notify you of messages or invitations. Xing doesn't stop at the virtual level: the network also offers business meetings in real life, which makes sense since connecting the real and virtual worlds translates to profit.

The standard profile is free, the rest is paid

The online network is available in 16 languages and already has nearly two million members worldwide. In Switzerland, about 100,000 people are registered with Xing. It is no surprise that headhunters search for qualified employees via Xing. Online networks like Xing and similar platforms generally offer free standard registration. Those who want to expand their profile and view other profiles must pay. On Xing, a one-year subscription costs 120 francs annually.

Bernhard Bircher-Suits (Swisscontent Corp.)

Online telephony: VoIP, modern communication

Online telephony, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is very straightforward. Skype is used by most people who utilize mobile telephony. However, this service also has some drawbacks.

Free communication has become a reality. At least, for those who have Internet access, only one more step is required. There are several software providers on the market. The global leader is Skype. Currently, about 170 million people use this software, which is why it takes precedence. This is because only Skype users can call each other for free.

Calling landlines costs money

Those who make or receive calls through landlines must pay. However, the rates are significantly lower than those of traditional operators. Additionally, with Skype, there is no distinction between day, night, or weekend rates. There are no registration, activation, or other fees to pay.

Not always computer-dependent

To receive a call via Skype, it isn't always necessary to be online; it rings even if the user isn't connected. However, the computer must be turned on. If you also want to be reachable outside of your home, you can connect a regular phone or mobile phone to the computer, provided you have the necessary software.

A multitude of possibilities

Skype doesn't only offer free calls. You can also chat, send emails, or exchange large amounts of data, which might exceed the capacity of a typical server. With Skype, you can also talk via webcam and look your conversation partner in the eyes; phone and video conferences are also possible.

Large companies don't use Skype

Multinational corporations, which could benefit from Skype because they often communicate over long distances via phone or videoconference, do not use Skype. The data they exchange is too sensitive. Skype is mainly suited for private phone calls.

Joining the Skype Family

Using Skype doesn't require expertise. Anyone can go to www.skype.com and download the program suitable for their operating system (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Pocket PC). To use Skype, at least an ISDN connection is required.

Christa Gall (Swisscontent Corp.)

Efficient email flow management

With email communication, daily office work can be managed far more effectively. However, the countless unnecessary and vague emails quickly become a burden for the user.
_Solution: a good work technique.

Almost everyone working in an office is familiar with this phenomenon: due to its advantages, email quickly became a daily work tool. But it can also feel like a lot of time is wasted on emails. Spam is a problem in this regard; the other issue is careless email management.

A workday for emails

The Swiss Productivity Foundation (www.produktive-schweiz.ch) wanted to learn more and estimated figures from relevant studies: Swiss employees would lose nearly 8.5 million work hours weekly due to inefficient email management. Annually, this results in a loss of 26.7 million Swiss francs. On average, employees spend 1 hour and 20 minutes checking emails. During this time, they write about 21 emails and receive 28. Weekly, employees lose nearly a full workday.

Time-wasting ping-pong...

Thus, it's essential to manage emails better, which also saves time. But skillful email program management alone is not enough. To boost productivity, it's crucial to avoid the ping-pong effect. This happens especially when poorly written emails lead to clarification requests, forwards, refusals, and other reactions.

...especially due to content errors

The ping-pong effect is mainly caused by content errors. Experience shows that emails without a subject pose issues for nearly half of users. Other issues include emails that are too long, discussions that should have been conducted through other means, unnecessary urgency flags, chaotic and incomplete content, confusing appointments, and incorrect recipients.

Overcoming communication barriers

Avoid constantly sending messages without being sure that the recipient has the time to review them thoroughly; otherwise, you'll encounter unnecessary communication barriers and misunderstandings. A tip: even if they're always reachable, email recipients should impose periods of access restriction and stop constantly checking their inbox.

Message sorting

For many users, messages pile up in the Inbox. It's easy to lose track. A tip: create various subfolders in the inbox. You should then consistently transfer received messages to these folders. This step can be automated using filtering rules.

Establishing and following rules

Communication requires certain rules. The more these rules are followed, the smoother the information flow. For this, send only necessary emails, and they should be short, structured, and clearly formulated. Stick to this rule and ask the same from others. You can respond to verbose authors with: “shorter and more concise!”

By the way: just give a quick call

In short, email serves many purposes in the workplace. But alongside email, alternative applications are also very useful for office life, such as instant messaging, shared calendars, collaboration tools for more effective project coordination, shared archiving, intranet for general information transfer. Ultimately, there's still the good old phone to discuss particularly complex or controversial topics without misunderstandings.

Markus Kick (Swisscontent Corp.)

Instant messaging: staying connected, even at work

The real-time exchange of messages as well as voice and video files over the internet via instant messaging programs is also increasingly common in companies. This method of direct and quick internet communication has numerous advantages compared to email, which is slower.

Instant messaging (IM) is a software program that allows quick, real-time transmission of messages or files. Compared to chat, SMS, and email, IM offers significant advantages: almost all IM programs are free and easy to use. Messages are transmitted in real-time, unlike email, and compared to more expensive SMS, messages sent via IM are free. Many IM programs save messages sent, even if the message recipient isn't online. IM software can also forward received messages by SMS to mobile phones.

Short messages gain ground in companies

Experts estimate that about 500 million people worldwide use chat services, either privately or professionally; over 90% of them use IM software. Meanwhile, many companies have also discovered the benefits of IM programs, despite the risk of viruses during data transfer. According to American market research firm Gartner, companies will be unable to avoid implementing instant messaging systems. IM programs will soon become the main means of communication worldwide, not only for text messages but also for phone and video conferences. Gartner predicts that IM usage will increase from the current 25% to 100% by 2011.

Wide range of programs

With IM programs like “Windows Live Messenger” from Microsoft (www.get.live.com/messenger), “Yahoo Messenger” (http://fr.messenger.yahoo.com/), or “Google Talk” (www.google.com/talk), users can see at any time which friends or colleagues are online. You can reach out to these people online with a click of a mouse and then start a conversation. In the meantime, there is a vast choice of IM programs, so it's worth trusting well-known names: this way, you can contact the maximum number of people.

Multi-messaging as a solution to the problem

Unfortunately, many messaging services are not compatible. Almost all providers use their own data protocols for data transfer. A multi-messaging app, however, recognizes several protocols. Thus, you can use a single multi-messaging app to “simulate” various other messaging services. The advantage is obvious: anyone with accounts from multiple providers can use them all simultaneously on a single program interface. More information on multi-messaging can be found at http://www.softonic.de/suche/multimessenger.

The business model

Providers make money through advertising and additional services like smiley packages, extra features, and SMS forwarding. IM services are also increasingly offered for landline and mobile telephony. Based on IM technology, Microsoft will soon enter the landline market and offer devices with integrated IM software. Thus, IM services will follow us daily in various forms.

Bernhard Bircher-Suits (Swisscontent Corp.)

Online marketing: creativity, the key to success

Online marketing has long been an integral part of the marketing mix for companies. Reaching customers online with advertising banners and newsletters is both effective and advantageous. However, encouraging customers to spread the advertising message themselves can prove even more effective.

Commercial senders have accumulated experience in this area and know that for success in electronic marketing, advertising banners must be legible, user-friendly, and generally placed at the top of the website or on the side. Pop-ups are something one must get used to, as they instantly cover the text. However, due to multimedia elements like video sequences and others, they're often worth viewing but can be removed with a single click if they're a nuisance.

Respecting Netiquette

Today, even newsletter senders generally respect recipients' wishes and follow the Internet community's rules, known as “Netiquette.” Only those who have expressly given their consent receive information. “Spam,” or unsolicited advertising sent to recipients, is highly disliked by the community and is now punishable by law.

Email marketing: effective and economical

If the sender respects Netiquette when sending emails or newsletters, the response rate, or the measurable reaction rate from users, is significantly higher. The response rate for authorized marketing is 10% to 20%, which is double that of traditional direct marketing. Additionally, email marketing is a cost-saver for companies. In fact, email advertising costs about five times less than mailing printed ads. However, the fundamental ingredients for success remain a good idea and a convincing concept. Without these essential elements, advertising messages have no positive impact on sales and end up in the virtual trash, unread.

Small budget, big effect

Even in viral marketing, the author's creativity is far more important than the marketing budget. Viral marketing relies on good old word-of-mouth to draw attention to brands, products, or campaigns. As contagious as a virus, news spreads via the internet. This “planned infection” leverages internet users' irresistible need to communicate, for example, in forums, blogs, and online magazines.

Shining example: “Moorhuhn”

A well-known example of this strategy is the free computer game “Moorhuhn.” Originally launched by whisky producer Johnnie Walker, it quickly spread like wildfire over the internet (carrying the brand logo) and captivated the fan community. Another renowned example of successful viral marketing is the webmail provider Hotmail, or the music-sharing platform Napster, which rallied 70 million users in record time. All these projects share one thing in common: they started from nothing, required no support from classic advertising, and operated on minimal financial resources. However, their advertising and distribution impact was enormous.

Gertrud Rall (Swisscontent Corp.)

E-business security: technical aids and common sense

Viruses or worms like “Blaster” and “Slammer” have infected millions of computers worldwide. PCs connected to the Internet are particularly vulnerable. With a bit of common sense, technical know-how, and a dash of discipline, it's possible to work safely on the internet.

Viruses, worms, and Trojans are created by people with criminal intentions (data theft or destruction). The programs, or commands, are intended to spread and then attack as many computers worldwide as possible. But “spyware” (software that spies on confidential data such as passwords) and “cookies” (small text files that are transferred to the PC when visiting a web page) can also lead to data loss or a considerable invasion of privacy.

“Phishing” and “dialers”: beware!

Scammers attempt through “phishing” to access the confidential data of unsuspecting Internet users. This may involve, for example, account data on an auction site (eBay, Ricardo) or access data to e-banking. “Dialers” are small programs that establish an Internet connection via the phone number. In this way, you can settle paid internet services through the phone bill. In cases of abuse, it's often difficult to convince banks or telephone companies.

Annoying “hoaxes” and spam

“Hoaxes” (emails warning about supposedly very dangerous new viruses) or spam are generally annoying and a waste of time. Following instructions or accepting the offers contained in these emails can be dangerous and lead to high bills. “Hoaxes” can cause data loss or render the PC unusable. But they primarily represent a loss of time and overload the Internet infrastructure.

Updateable firewalls and antivirus

Electronic threats from the internet can be effectively countered. It's especially important to activate a firewall. It protects computer systems by monitoring incoming and outgoing connections and, if necessary, rejecting them. Essential security software updates (patches) fill security gaps that appear almost daily. Many software applications offer an automatic update function. Up-to-date antivirus software is essential for anyone who downloads programs or data or exchanges them with others.

Backups as a safety net

Despite all security measures, data can still be partially destroyed or entirely lost due to a mistake, technical defect, virus, or worm. To minimize this risk, experts advise making regular backups.

User behavior is crucial

In addition to technical measures, user behavior is also crucial. It's especially important to choose a secure password, handle emails carefully, and use browser security measures and caution on networks or file-sharing sites while surfing the internet. The MELANI Reporting and Analysis Center for Information Security offers concrete and useful security advice (www.melani.admin.ch).

Markus Kick (Swisscontent Corp.)

Ecological Wastewater Treatment

Thomas EGLI — 2011-03-04T13:32:06Z

The NGO includes various members skilled in lagooning, reed bed filtration, and ecological wastewater treatment. The Architecture Service offers you the opportunity to implement these particularly effective techniques.

Sommaire

While, for example, French regulations (Order of May 6, 1996) set the limit values for treated effluent at 40 mg/l for BOD5 [1] and 30 mg/l for TSS [2], experimental monitoring conducted over 12 consecutive months on an ecological filtration system showed results of 14 mg/l BOD5 (min = 5 mg/l; max = 33 mg/l) and 4.6 mg/l TSS (min = 2 mg/l; max 10 mg/l) at the system's output.

Also in France, several municipalities have implemented this type of wastewater treatment and achieved better results than those required by European standards, which are stricter than French standards; to name just two, Honfleur in Calvados with a capacity of 26,000 population equivalent, and Corcoué/Logne in Loire Atlantique with a capacity of 1,600 population equivalent.

General Explanations

Several similar terms refer to this type of treatment: “phyto-purification,” “filter gardens,” “phytoremediation,” “macrophyte beds,” “planted filters.”

To achieve the ecological treatment of wastewater from a greenhouse or household (showers, toilets, kitchens...), wastewater is collected and then transferred, after screening or through a grease trap, to sealed basins using natural clay layers, compacted bottoms, or specific waterproofing installations. These basins, which are embanked and connected, also contain gravel for drainage, as well as bacterial microorganisms and plants. The water sequentially passes through each basin and is completely purified by the end. Note that the purified water must often be discharged via overflow, but discharge into a surface environment (streams, rivers...) requires official authorization from the municipality or landowner where the treated water is released. Analyses must also confirm the treatment's effectiveness. Maintenance of these installations is essential (regular dredging), but these systems are consistently more effective than traditional systems, including in terms of logistics.

Overall, there is limited documentation, though competent specialists and professionals are becoming increasingly available. The Architecture Service of the NGO Objectif Sciences International provides you with this expertise.

Detailed System Components

The following components describe the implementation developed by the Architecture Service of the NGO Objectif Sciences International. Various alternatives exist, but this version combines all key advantages, though it requires a bit more space than each alternative when used alone. This setup produces the highest possible water quality at system output, resulting in pure water.

Pre-Filtration

While wastewater from toilets is pre-filtered through a screen (either a pit filled with medium-sized rocks or a vertical-flow PVC screen, each with a volume of 0.1 m3 to 0.2 m3 per user and an outlet at the bottom), wastewater from showers, sinks, and kitchens is pre-filtered within a grease trap (0.05 m3 to 0.1 m3 per user—if the grease trap volume is reduced, maintenance cleaning frequency increases and insufficient temperature drop results in improper function. The larger the trap, the less frequent emptying is needed).

These two parallel devices prevent clogging materials from reaching the vegetative filter bed and separately recover 80% of the dry matter in the wastewater.

The emptying of these two pre-filters follows a standard schedule (per the manufacturer's documentation). The collected dry matter and grease are to be reused conventionally (for fertilizer spreading or compost for soil creation). The volume determines the time between each emptying.

Organic and Phosphate Filtration

A first basin of 5 m2 per user, 1 m deep, is filled with porous gravel, preferably basaltic, where water arrives at the surface, and reeds (Phragmites) are planted. The reeds' rhizomes (root networks) harbor bacterial colonies. These are aerobic bacteria, meaning they consume oxygen and organic matter.

In this first filtration basin, phosphates in the water are absorbed by the porous gravel, while complex organic matter, which reed roots cannot absorb, is digested by the bacteria, which release simpler organic molecules that the reeds can absorb.

To ensure ongoing phosphate absorption, the gravel should be replaced every 30 years if the basin has a volume of 5 m2 per user at a depth of 1 m. However, we recommend testing the phosphate levels before replacing the gravel, as the period could be longer, which is advantageous for logistics and finances.

Other rhizome plants could replace reeds (essential for hosting bacterial colonies), but the reeds' natural resistance to wind prevents surface clogging, adding further benefit to this model.

Nitrate Filtration

After the water flows through the first basin's surface, it is directed into a second basin of half the size and with an elongated surface to increase flow time. Water is injected at the bottom of this second basin, which also contains porous gravel but no reeds. It is covered with sand and topped with clay-rich soil to create an airtight seal. The anaerobic bacteria here don't consume oxygen (since none is available) but instead consume the nitrates present in the water.

In this second filtration basin, residual phosphates are stored by the gravel, remaining complex organic matter is consumed by the bacteria, as well as all remaining nitrates. The bacteria also consume simpler organic matter.

This second basin's gravel only needs to be changed every 30 to 40 years or less (based on tests of water composition at the output).

Lagooning

Water exiting the second basin is phosphate- and nitrate-free, nearly devoid of organic matter, and clear. However, it is not drinkable because it still contains harmless bacteria that could cause intestinal issues.

This water can be released into the soil, which completes its natural purification, or collected as a pond or fire water reserve. In a warm country with mosquitoes, this lagoon should be avoided; soil filtration is preferable. In this case, verify that the water percolates deeply into the soil or create a controlled flow, avoiding standing water to prevent mosquito larvae.

Public Access Buildings

Public buildings (ERP) experience variable occupation, leading to fluctuating effluent flow. Conventional basins could dry out and harm the reeds. The NGO Objectif Sciences International's Architecture Service designed a model for ERP with a riverbed shape to support low, medium, and high flow, allowing reeds and bacteria to thrive even during low-occupancy periods.

Under Snow?

The filtration basins operate well under snow and at sub-zero temperatures. Simply trim and lay reeds flat before snowfall to form an insulating layer, keeping the basin functional with minimal efficiency loss. Once snow melts, remove last year's reed stalks to prevent unnecessary organic buildup, which can be composted.

Flow Control

Water is not visible in the first basin; it flows horizontally below the gravel surface, then downward. Overflow near the top prevents surface water from becoming exposed. The second basin also keeps water below the surface, avoiding mosquito access.

Reeds

The reeds perform four functions:

The plants absorb nutrients (nitrates and phosphates), contributing actively to purification.
The root zone (rhizosphere) supports purifying microorganisms. Oxygen produced in the leaves is returned through roots for aerobic bacteria, which are highly effective in organic matter treatment.
Roots stabilize the filter structure, preventing clogging and ensuring maximum diffusion.
During sunny summers, evapotranspiration can reach 10 liters per m² of the bed, reducing discharge when streams are low.

If you are interested in ecological wastewater treatment, please contact us.

[1] biochemical oxygen demand over 5 days

[2] total suspended solids