Private Commercial Sector Research Articles

Community Participation in Urban Land and Housing Delivery: Evidence from Kerala (India) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)

Current approaches to the provision of shelter, largely driven by national governments and/or the commercial private sector, continue to fall short of what is needed to reduce housing deficits. The number of people without access to adequate housing continues to grow, especially in cities of the Global South. Increasing attention is being paid to alternative models for organizing land and housing delivery, such as those led by, or at least including, civil society. In this paper, we consider two national land and housing programs—the 20,000 Plots Project in Tanzania, and Basic Services for the Urban Poor (BSUP) in India—alongside community-led housing initiatives from each country. We explore the extent to which community participation in housing delivery can have social and environmental advantages when compared to ‘business as usual’ methods and find that, given appropriate state support, community-based, and civil society actors (including organizations of the urban poor) have significant potential to contribute to acquiring land, building homes and improving the quality of life of vulnerable segments of the population. This paper echoes calls for community-led housing to become a recognized part of formal housing policy whilst emphasizing the need for theoretical refinement of the process so as to prevent it from being captured by prevailing market-led narratives.

Profitability determining factors of banking sector: Panel data analysis of commercial banks in South Asian countries.

The main purpose of this article was to investigate the impact of the determinants of profitability on the commercial banks in Asian countries. An Asian country like Bangladesh and India was selected as the research field. The present study also pursues to examine the impact of specific factors and macroeconomic factors on the profitability in the Bangladeshi and Indian private commercial banking sectors. The data were retrieved from the Annual Reports of Indian and Bangladeshi private commercial banks covering the period of 2010-2021. As sample, 40 private commercial banks were considered randomly, of which 20 were from India and 20 were from Bangladesh. The panel data research methodology was used as an estimation technique to analyze the data. Also, the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model was used to scrutinize data. To check whether the models were appropriate, the Breusch-Pagan Lagrange Multiplier (LM) Test was employed. Banks' specific factors and microeconomic factors showed almost the same variations for both Bangladesh's and India's private banks. All models and tests were evaluated using E-views econometric software. The present study finds that the Return on Asset (ROA) from the banks' specific variables, strength of the Bank size (BS), and Debt to Asset Ratio (DAR) are found to be positive and significant. For banks, the Deposit to Asset Ratio (DTAR) and the Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR) are found to be negative and significant. The Equity to Asset Ratio (EAR) and Debt to Equity Ratio (DER) do not have any positive/negative impact. As macroeconomic variables, the inflation rate (IR) and the GDP growth rate (GDPGR) are measured and found to be positive and significant for ROA. As macroeconomic variables, the Inflation Rate (IR) and the GDP Growth Rate (GDPGR) are found to be positive and significant in the case of ROA. The concerned authorities responsible for regulating the financial performance of the banking sector can use the results of this study to take various fruitful decisions on bank profitability.

Dynamic Linkage between Monetary Policy and Stock Performance in Nigeria: Cointegration and ECM Techniques

Aims: To explore the dynamic relationship between stock performance and the monetary policy instruments that influence Nigeria’s stock market activities.
 Study Design: It uses secondary data collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin. The annual time series data cover a period of 38 years, from 1981-2018.
 Methodology: The Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) unit roots' test technique was used to verify the variables' time-series properties while the Johansen procedure was applied to confirm cointegration among variables. The short- and long-run relationships were analyzed after estimating the vector error correction model. Common diagnostic tests were conducted to validate the robustness of the model estimates.
 Results: The results of tests of unit roots reveal all included variables as integrated of order one, I(1). The Trace-statistics showed that at least one cointegrating relationship exited among the time series, and the ECM was estimated. The emerging error correction term equation revealed the stock market performance as inversely related to both the credit to the private sector and the lending rate, but positively related to the money supply. Each variable was statistically significant (P<0.01). Also, the error correction term was well-behaved, being statistically significant (t=-3.17; P<0.01) and the desired negative sign, implying that previous periods' errors are correctable by adjustments in the subsequent periods, and to attain convergence. The error term had an adjustment speed of 44.19%. Granger-Causality analysis revealed a unidirectional causality relationship between the stock performance and the lending rate, with causality running from lending rate to stock performance, without a boomerang. The implication of the findings are threefold: the subsisting restrictive interest rate policy is unfavorable to long-term investment from the investors' perspective; the existing terms and conditions of the commercial credit packages had proven to be disadvantageous to long-term investment in Nigeria; and money supply as a monetary policy instrument in Nigeria had been used to boost investment and stock market performance. It is recommended that boosting investment and performance of the stock market in Nigeria would require the use of a more investment-friendly commercial lending rate, and relaxation of the stringent terms and conditions attached to the commercial private sector credit and loan packages. These measures would guarantee better access to fund and enhance ease-of-doing-business for investors.

Reflections on ideas and disputes in the context of the promotion of healthy eating.

Actions in the promotion of healthy eating are strategic for reversing nutritional problems. This article analyzes the disputes over ideas in discursive repertoires on healthy eating in Brazil's national policies and international, government, civil society, and private commercial sector documents in the last 20 years. Based on the document analysis method in dialogue with the academic literature, the following perspectives on healthy eating were identified: traditional culturalist; medicalizing biological/nutritional; multidimensional; and systemic. The disputes are established between ideas in the following areas: the existence of "unhealthy foods"; the attributions, limits, and forms of State intervention; eating as an individual or public matter; and the meanings of sustainability, commensality, culture, and food. Policy positions on pesticides, food fortification, and supplementation are key elements in these disputes. In the policy sphere, the private commercial sector adopts strategies of fragmentation, downplaying, and distortion of meanings that reinforce polarization between individual actions (lifestyles, freedom of choice) and environmental interventions, thereby disseminating a narrow approach to food and nutrition education. Civil society pressures governments to establish concepts and principles in policies that directly affect the disputes' parameters. The latter act with greater or lesser permeability to pressures from internal or external stakeholders, depending on their composition and the institutional spaces for dialogue with society.

Obesity agenda in Brazil, conflicts of interest and corporate activity.

Obesity is a social and health problem of global dimensions that demands coordinated solutions from different sectors as well as intersectoral efforts to overcome it. However, policies to overcome obesity affect the interests of the commercial private sector. In Brazil, the Intersectoral Strategy for Obesity Prevention and Control (EIPCO) is the result of participative public action and integrates a set of policies in the field of food and nutrition security. Based on the premise that EIPCO expresses public interests to be protected, promoted and guaranteed by the federal government, this article aims to analyze corporate political activity (CPA) and conflict of interest (COI) situations involving the private commercial sector in the food and nutrition field in Brazil, using EIPCO as a reference. The methods include document analysis and identification of cases reported by the Brazilian civil society organizations that are part of the National Council on Food and Nutrition Security. The results highlighted the actors, actions, ideas and interests addressed by EIPCO and also indicated that EIPCO does not question the private commercial sector's practices in regard to obesity and some of its recommended actions reflect disputes about the concept of healthy eating. All cases analyzed involved CPA to promote ultra-processed food consumption, including lobbying and funding researchers. Those practices and goals are in the opposite direction from the objectives of EIPCO to overcome obesity which indicates potential COI once these representatives of the private sector are directly influencing the governmental political process and policies.

Measurement of Total Factor Productivity in Commercial Airlines Sector using Malmquist Index and Data Envelopment Model

This study attempts to measure productivity change of Airlines companies in private and public sector in India for a period of four years (2011-2016). In this study the nature and productivity change is probed using the Malmquist Productivity Index. This index has the constituents which are used to measure the performance in terms of change in Scale Efficiency, change in Technical Efficiency, change in Technological Change and Total Factor Productivity. The paper compares efficiencies for the companies in public and private commercial airlines sector in India. Five Airlines companies are included in the study. The research includes Total Annual Income as an output variable and Total Expenditure, Employee Compensation, Sales & Distribution Expenditure and Marketing expenses as Input variables. A panel data with 30 observations has been used for analysis. The panel data is used to arrive to MPI estimates, with a total of five commercial airlines companies in India. The Total Factor Productivity change in the airlines sector depends upon the change in the efficiency and productivity of the companies. From the study it is evident that the Total Factor Productivity change has not changed significantly over the last six years for all the companies under study. The Technical Efficiency was the highest in the year 2013-14 which then dropped in the subsequent year. The Total Factor Productivity change is mainly due to change in scale efficiency of the companies since the pure efficiency has shown no significant change during the period under study. The Total Factor Efficiency dropped by almost 50% in the case of Air India in the year 2015-16. This drop is attributed to the deterioration in the technical efficiency of the company. The overall Total Factor Productivity of Air India is the highest. This can be attributed to positive change in the company’s Technical Efficiency especially in the year 2013-14. It is evident that all the airlines companies under study have not emphasized on improving scale efficiency as well as pure efficiency. These companies can improve their overall productivity by bringing in efficiency in the scale of operations as well as focus on improving efficiency on factors other than scale of operations. The commercial airlines companies in India need to improve their scale efficiency and pure efficiency to improve their total factor productivity.

O governo Temer e a asfixia dos processos de democratização da educação

Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar discussões sobre o atual governo de Michel Temer que, desde o golpe parlamentar e empresarial de 2016, está cada vez mais próximo do setor privado mercantil na criação de políticas educacionais, no Brasil, aprofundando a naturalização da incorporação da associação entre os setores público e o privado. O presente estudo explora evidências do redimensionamento de políticas em curso a partir do Ministério da Educação, da Base Nacional Comum Curricular, da ação da Conferência Nacional de Educação – CONAE e do Fórum Nacional de Educação. A partir de fontes bibliográficas e de pesquisa documental, constata-se que esse governo é aliado e apoiado pelo setor privado mercantil com o qual articula propostas, ampliando a ação do mercado na educação pública brasileira, tanto na proposição quanto na implantação de políticas, e, ao mesmo tempo, vem tomando medidas que asfixiam os processos de participação e de democratização da educação.

Challenges of civil service ”restarting”

Introduction. The article explores the problems of the civil service in Ukraine, in particular in the context of significant amendments to the Law “On Civil Service” that were introduced in September 2019 and stipulated by the “reset of power”. The analysis focuses on the possible impact of such innovations as the possibility of dismissal without justification (grounds) of senior civil servants from positions of the category "A"(actually, based on a change of the Government), leveling of competitive procedures for selection on civil service, whereby the subject of appointment is offered for arbitrary selection of “up to 5 candidates” according to results of a competition, introduction of “contracts” in the civil service of Ukraine, simplification of procedures on recruitment and dismissal of civil servants and their approximation to relations in private (commercial) sector. Aim of the article. The aim of the article is to draw attention to the risks posed by the aforementioned changes in the civil service legislation, since such key principles of the civil service as professionalism, stability and public-law regulation of civil service relations are undermined. Results. The results of the research suggest that without protection by the law, civil servants cannot perform their functions properly, as they become vulnerable to pressure. And as a result of instability and arbitrary dismissals, the evolutionary professionalization of the civil service and its political neutrality (impartiality) are destroyed. Conclusions. Therefore, the amendments to the Law “On Civil Service” of September 2019 are extremely threatening to the Ukrainian civil service system. In the case of their negative impact confirmation, it is recommended to correct the errors as soon as possible and to return to building a civil service system on the European principles of good governance and public administration. Ukraine also needs to form a culture not only of the "transfer" of power from "outgoing" politicians, but also of "acceptance" of this power by new political leaders.

Benchmarking and effective strategic communications: ways to implement in public administration

The current information environment is being extremely fast developed mixing up and joining public administration and commercial (private) sector. The article discusses benchmarking, including a proposal to implement benchmarking as measurement of effectiveness of realization of the strategic communications in public administration.

India's family planning market and opportunities for the private sector: An analysis using the total market approach.

SummaryThe private (commercial) sector in India can complement public sector for family planning services, but the roadmap to engage these two sectors remains a challenge. The total market approach (TMA) offers a strategy by understanding the comparative advantage of public, commercial, and nonprofit sectors. We estimated TMA indicators using data of four rounds of the National Family Health Surveys: 1992‐93, 1998‐99, 2005‐06, and 2015‐16. The contraceptive prevalence of modern methods in India did not increase in recent years, but the number of users increased, and so did the market size for the commercial sector. In rural areas, the current market size in 2015‐16 (75 million) failed to reach its potential size in 1992‐93 (84 million). In urban areas, the market of modern contraceptives is mostly composed of the users from higher wealth, and a high percentage of users obtain contraceptives from subsidized sources. The family planning market of northern part of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and of Northeast India are in the “early” stage and need more demand generation; “matured” markets are mostly concentrated in and around big metros. Subsidization in urban areas should be offered to the targeted population who need family planning products and services at low cost.

The UN World Water Development Report 2016, Water and Jobs: A Critical Review

The UN World Water Development Report 2016, <i>Water and Jobs</i>: A Critical Review

Current challenges to and for public service media

Esta comunicação aborda uma variedade de desafios que se colocam aos Media de Serviço Público a partir do ambiente exterior e também à própria instituição. O autor defende a continuidade da relevância do ideal, da abordagem e da prática de serviço público nos media, enquanto reconhece uma variedade de críticas legítimas e concorda com a importância do setor comercial privado. Assim, as linhas de argumentação são, simultaneamente, uma defesa e uma crítica aos media de serviço público. Os aspetos mais importantes incluem a proliferação de plataformas e canais, a fragmentação de audiências, a mudança geracional, o desenvolvimento na tecnologia e na infraestrutura digitais, as premissas ideológicas da vida sociopolítica, as condições económicas, a sustentabilidade e a prestação de contas. O texto termina com três recomendações que o autor sugere como prioridades para Público na Europa: 1) a necessidade de articular uma visão clara, convincente e atraente para a empresa do século xxi, 2) a necessidade de decidir o que os Media de Serviço Público vão ser e fazer e não fazer e ser a partir da sua herança da era da radiodifusão e 3) investir capital e esforço no desenvolvimento de organizações mais inclusivas e colaborativas.

Health promotion policies and potential conflicts of interest involving the commercial private sector.

Resumo O estudo analisou os potenciais conflitos de interesses (CDI) que envolvem o setor privado comercial no âmbito das políticas de promoção da saúde (PS), especialmente em sua interface com o campo da alimentação e nutrição no Brasil. Consideraram-se as influências do ideário internacional nesse processo e, para tal, foram analisadas as duas edições da Política Nacional de Promoção da Saúde (2006 e 2014) e os pactos internacionais que as subsidiaram. O estudo pautou-se em método de análise documental, considerando as seguintes dimensões e categorias de análise: na dimensão do ideário da PS foram identificados os enfoques, os princípios e as estratégias propostos; na dimensão dos CDI foram identificadas a abordagem do tema nos documentos, as relações com o setor privado comercial, e as propostas denominadas “parcerias público-privado”. Concluiu-se que a abordagem de CDI ainda é frágil nessas políticas. O debate é despolitizado quando não são explicitadas as assimetrias de poder entre os setores envolvidos nas relações público-privado, ou quando são desconsideradas as práticas do setor privado comercial que ferem objetivos, princípios e valores das políticas de PS.

A Practical Guide to Ordering and Interpreting Coagulation Tests for Patients on Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Singapore

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are establishing themselves as principle choices for the treatment of a variety of thrombotic disorders. DOACs are also known to affect common coagulation tests which are routinely performed for patients in clinical practice. An understanding of their varied effects is crucial for the appropriate ordering of coagulation tests and their interpretation. Laboratories in public and private healthcare institutions and commercial sectors were surveyed on coagulation tests offered and their methods. A Medline and bibliography search, including a search on search engines, was performed for publications reporting the effects of dabigatran, apixaban and rivaroxaban on these coagulation tests. These papers were reviewed and summarised for consensus recommendations. Prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) are variably affected by the DOACs and dependent of the coagulation assays used. Clinicians must know which laboratory has performed these tests to logically interpret test results. A normal PT or aPTT does not exclude the presence of residual DOACs effect. The thrombin time is sensitive to dabigatran but not apixaban or rivaroxaban. Specialised coagulation tests such as thrombophilia tests are also variably affected by the DOACs. All laboratories in Singapore however, employ similar test methods permitting a common set of recommendations for specialised coagulation testing. Knowledge of the effects of DOACs on coagulation testing is essential to determine the appropriateness of performing such tests and interpreting them coherently. Practical recommendations which are tests and location-specific are set out in this paper.

Human Resource Management (HRM) Practices of the Banking Sector inBangladesh: A Study on Private Commercial Bank

The purpose of this study is to find out HRM practices on the private commercial banking sector in Bangladesh. The researches want to examine the human resources management practices in the field of banking sector. It evaluates and compares existing human resources management activities of the employee like; job analysis, human resource planning, talent acquisition, training &amp;development, performance appraisal, compensation, and the industrial relation of nine selective commercial banks. For conducting this research, 100 bank employees are randomly selected from the seven different banks. And out of this 91 employees responses properly; the response rate is 91 percent. The questionnaire consists of individual questions on seven HRM dimensions. The questionnaires were developed by considering five point Liker scale. The collected data were analyzed by applying both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques such as factor analysis and structural equation model (SEM). The SEM results indicated that job analysis, human resource planning, training &amp; development, compensation, and industrial relation significantly and positively associated with overall human resource practices in private commercial banking sectors in Bangladesh. JEL Classifications: M10; M12; M19

Determinants of price setting decisions on anti-malarial drugs at retail shops in Cambodia.

BackgroundIn many low-income countries, the private commercial sector plays an important role in the provision of malaria treatment. However, the quality of care it provides is often poor, with artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) generally being too costly for consumers. Decreasing ACT prices is critical for improving private sector treatment outcomes and reducing the spread of artemisinin resistance. Yet limited evidence exists on the factors influencing retailers’ pricing decisions. This study investigates the determinants of price mark-ups on anti-malarial drugs in retail outlets in Cambodia.MethodsTaking an economics perspective, the study tests the hypothesis that the structure of the anti-malarial market determines the way providers set their prices. Providers facing weak competition are hypothesized to apply high mark-ups and set prices above the competitive level. To analyse the relationship between market competition and provider pricing, the study used cross-sectional data from retail outlets selling anti-malarial drugs, including outlet characteristics data (e.g. outlet type, anti-malarial sales volumes), range of anti-malarial drugs stocked (e.g. dosage form, brand status) and purchase and selling prices. Market concentration, a measure of the level of market competition, was estimated using sales volume data. Market accessibility was defined based on travel time to the closest main commercial area. Percent mark-ups were calculated using price data. The relationship between mark-ups and market concentration was explored using regression analysis.ResultsThe anti-malarial market was on average highly concentrated, suggesting weak competition. Higher concentration was positively associated with higher mark-ups in moderately accessible markets only, with no significant relationship or a negative relationship in other markets. Other determinants of pricing included anti-malarial brand status and generic type, with higher mark-ups on cheaper products.ConclusionsThe results indicate that provider pricing as well as other key elements of anti-malarial supply and demand may have played an important role in the limited access to appropriate malaria treatment in Cambodia. The potential for an ACT price subsidy at manufacturer level combined with effective communications directed at consumers and supportive private sector regulation should be explored to improve access to quality malaria treatment in Cambodia.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-015-0737-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Public Private Partnerships and the Development of Space Launch Systems in the United States

The dynamic between the governmental space sector and the private commercial space sector is shown in Figure 1. A successful outcome for space commerce is indicated by the acceptable region. One ap...

Filling the gap: The geospatial skills shortage in New Zealand

AbstractGeospatial technologies span governmental, academic and private commercial sectors, and their potential for growth is considerable. The USA and Australia have trouble meeting demand for geospatial skills. This paper reports on a national survey of 157 organisations that identified a similar geospatial shortage in New Zealand. The paper also details dimensions of the shortage and the current frameworks for meeting the shortfall of skilled professionals. Arising from this skills gap, key challenges facing both the geography and geospatial communities are identified and discussed: raising student numbers, gaining experience, up‐skilling current professionals and raising awareness of the value of the geospatial skillset.

Intersetorialidade e potenciais conflitos de interesse entre governos e setor privado comercial no âmbito das ações de alimentação e nutrição para o enfrentamento de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis

This article analyzed the potential conflicts of interest between government and private commercial sectors in the area of food and nutrition (FN) activities within the context of intersectoral proposals for dealing with chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCD) in Brazil. To this end, academic articles and institutional documents published after 2000 were identified that addressed FN actions in CNCD policies guided by intersectoriality. Elements that contributed to understanding the potential conflicts of interest between governments and the private, commercial sector within the context of intersectoral strategies to deal with CNCD were prioritized. It was concluded that the principle of intersectoriality disassociated from a political process that complicates the eligibility criteria and institutional practices of the sectors responsible for the set of actions that comprise government policies may serve as facilitators for favoring commercial interests. Participation in the decision-making process of the sectors of commercial interest whose practices, driven by increased demand for their products and the progressive concentration of power, contradict the purposes and principles of public policy, may delay, reduce, or prevent effective actions to reduce CNCD. This possibility is particularly relevant in the context of attributions that are specific to government entities, especially regulatory strategies.

7. Administrative structures.

The basic systems of any society rarely can operate independently. Instead, they are dependent and often interdependent upon other entities. Such entities control the resources within their respective systems. Thus, coordination and control agencies require contracts or memoranda of understanding with these entities in order to assure access to the resources required during a crisis. These administrative structures include: (1) governmental institutions and agencies, including the military; (2) intergovernmental organisations; (3) nongovernmental organisations; (4) commercial private sector organisations; and (5) academic institutions. These dependencies create potential barriers to the provision of coordination and control including: (1) the complexity of the administrative structures with which coordination and control must interact; (2) the location of resources; (3) finding responsible person(s); (4) the competence and compatibility; (5) methods of access; (6) payment; (7) contracts and memoranda of understanding; (8) inventories of accessible resources; (9) competition for the mandate, power, and resources; and (10) jealousy. The need for potential interactions between administrative structures requires that agreements for the sharing of resources during crises be reached as part of planning and preparedness. Gaining an understanding of these relationships is an important area for research.