Safety in High-Speed Railways and the Importance of Top-Management Decisions

Safety is a central issue during the planning and implementation of high-speed railways. Top management has a role to play in improving the safety culture of organizations. The authors conduct an assessment of the safety cultures at two railway companies, illustrate the importance of sustained efforts from top leaders in developing a positive safety culture, and conclude that the dynamics related to safety culture are also affected by other components in the system.

Thiam Hee Ng

Thiam Hee (Bernard) Ng is a Director in Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division, South Asia Department with the Asian Development Bank. He leads ADB's regional cooperation activities in South Asia and also manages ADB operations in the Maldives. Prior to this role, he carried out research on economics and regional cooperation issues in South East Asia. He also worked in the Strategy and Policy Department where he managed the allocation of concessional resources and policies relating to ADB’s poorest countries. 

Jeff Taylor

Jeffrey Taylor is the Deputy Director General, Procurement, Portfolio and Financial Management Department. He also serves as ADB's Chief Procurement Officer representing ADB in the MDB Heads of Procurement forum. Jeff has been working on the public procurement of infrastructure projects for 36 years, the last 16 years of which have been with ADB.

Ramping Up Results-Based Management in the Philippines

Measuring (and reporting on) performance evidences concern for efficiency and effectiveness: it demonstrates to shareholders and stakeholders that an organization means business; it promotes transparency and accountability; and it helps compete for funds. Above all, it facilitates systematic thinking about three basic questions: Are we doing the right thing? Are we doing it right? How do we know? In the Philippines, efforts to improve public sector management have been deployed from the late 1980s, aiming to ensure that development results are achieved for the Filipino people.

Building Modern Land Administration Systems

Efficient and effective land administration underpins the very functioning of states and societies. Imagine a country where, for example, tenure to land cannot be secured or mortgages cannot be established in aid of property development. Across the world, key questions about land are surfacing, and the inability to answer them curtails social and economic development, environmental management, and good governance.

Lin Lu

Lin Lu is appointed Advisor, SEC and Head, Information Access Unit, Office of the Secretary (SEC), effective upon assumption of office. Ms. Lu, a national of the People’s Republic of China, holds a Doctorate and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, from Drexel University and Temple University, USA, respectively. She also holds a Master’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree in Thermal Energy Engineering from Northeastern University and the University of Science and Technology of Beijing, respectively, in the People’s Republic of China.