Private Sector Strategies Research Articles

Harnessing private sector strategies for family planning to deliver the Dual Prevention Pill, the first multipurpose prevention technology with pre-exposure prophylaxis, in an expanding HIV prevention landscape.

The Dual Prevention Pill (DPP) combines oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with oral contraception (OC) to prevent HIV and pregnancy. Noting the significant role played by the private sector in delivering family planning (FP) services in countries with high HIV burden, high level of private sector OC uptake, and the recent growth in self-care and technology-based private sector channels, we undertook qualitative research in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe to prioritize private sector service delivery approaches for the introduction of the DPP. Between March 2022 and February 2023, we conducted a literature review and key informant interviews with 34 donors and implementing partners, 19 government representatives, 17 private sector organizations, 13 pharmacy and drug shop representatives, and 12 telehealth agencies to assess the feasibility of DPP introduction in private sector channels. Channels were analysed thematically based on policies, level of coordination with the public sector, data systems, supply chain, need for subsidy, scalability, sustainability and geographic coverage. Wide geographic reach, ongoing pharmacy-administered PrEP pilots in Kenya and South Africa, and over-the-counter OC availability in Zimbabwe make pharmacies a priority for DPP delivery, in addition to private networked clinics, already trusted for FP and HIV services. In Kenya and South Africa, newer, technology-based channels such as e-pharmacies, telehealth and telemedicine are prioritized as they have rapidly grown in popularity due to nationwide accessibility, convenience and privacy. Findings are limited by a lack of standardized data on service uptake in newer channels and gaps in information on commodity pricing and willingness-to-pay for all channels. The private sector provides a significant proportion of FP services in countries with high HIV burden yet is an untapped delivery source for PrEP. Offering users a range of access options for the DPP in non-traditional channels that minimize stigma, enhance discretion and increase convenience could increase uptake and continuation. Preparing these channels for PrEP provision requires engagement with Ministries of Health and providers and further research on pricing and willingness-to-pay. Aligning FP and PrEP delivery to meet the needs of those who want both HIV and pregnancy prevention will facilitate integrated service delivery and eventual DPP rollout, creating a platform for the private sector introduction of multipurpose prevention technologies.

Examining universal access to acute hospital care in Ireland during the first three months of COVID-19: Lessons from the policy process

Background The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the Irish state to address unprecedented challenges by prioritising public health and equitable access to care. Confronted with the threat of overwhelmed capacity in acute public hospitals, Ireland, initiated a historic Safety Net Agreement (SNA) with 19 private hospitals in March 2020, marking the inaugural establishment of universal single-tier access to hospital care in Ireland. This research aimed to comprehensively examine the policy process underlying the agreement, deriving insights for the implementation of Universal Healthcare. Methods Employing a retrospective qualitative case study approach, the research examined the policy process, including the content, context, actors, and mechanisms involved in the SNA’s implementation. The study used a dataset of 68 policy documents and conducted seven key informant interviews. Results Responding to the pandemic, Ireland classified COVID-19 as a notifiable infectious disease under the 1947 Health Act, exempting affected patients from public hospital charges. The government swiftly implemented health policy measures for universal access through the SNA, recognising challenges in public healthcare capacity and ethical dilemmas within the two-tier hospital system. The agreement's discontinuation was heavily influenced by private hospital consultants, revealing strained relationships and misunderstandings of the private sector. The ongoing policy drift since the pandemic highlights the need for a reassessment of private-sector strategies to alleviate capacity pressures in Ireland's public health system. The SNA also sparked the consideration of a Universal Health Insurance model for Ireland's hospital care. Conclusions Exploring the policy dynamics at the intersection of public and private healthcare, the study imparts lessons for health system reform. The insights have the potential to contribute to long-term goal alignment, robust governance practices, and trust-building mechanisms for effective public-private collaborations in a two-tier health system, offering valuable guidance for future healthcare policy and implementation.

The Role of Private Sector to Support Special Region of Yogyakarta’s Craft Product Export to the Global Market

As international trade flows, businesses aim to expand their market to the global market. One of Indonesia’s flagship industries in trade is the creative industry, in which handicrafts are produced. Handicrafts have been Yogyakarta’s (officially, the Special Region of Yogyakarta) featured product for export. The government has tried many efforts to increase the chance of accessing the global market with the handicrafts, such as holding exhibitions and building capacity for the craftsmen. Not only the government but also the private sectors are supporting the effort. This study aims to visualize and analyze the role of the private sector in improving the local and global craft markets. We conducted interviews from May to October 2022 with Yogyakarta’s government and private sectors to obtain primary data. We also used document analysis to supplement the interviews' analysis. Results show that the role of the private sector, both when working independently and in partnership with the government, is important in supporting the export of Yogyakarta’s craft products. However, the study also found that there are some challenges that need to be solved to optimize the private sector’s role. Therefore, future studies can be focused on private sector strategies for addressing challenges in export activities.

Validation of Food Compass with a healthy diet, cardiometabolic health, and mortality among U.S. adults, 1999–2018

The Food Compass is a nutrient profiling system (NPS) to characterize the healthfulness of diverse foods, beverages and meals. In a nationally representative cohort of 47,999 U.S. adults, we validated a person’s individual Food Compass Score (i.FCS), ranging from 1 (least healthful) to 100 (most healthful) based on cumulative scores of items consumed, against: (a) the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015; (b) clinical risk factors and health conditions; and (c) all-cause mortality. Nationally, the mean (SD) of i.FCS was 35.5 (10.9). i.FCS correlated highly with HEI-2015 (R = 0.81). After multivariable-adjustment, each one SD (10.9 point) higher i.FCS associated with more favorable BMI (−0.60 kg/m2 [−0.70,−0.51]), systolic blood pressure (−0.69 mmHg [−0.91,−0.48]), diastolic blood pressure (−0.49 mmHg [−0.66,−0.32]), LDL-C (−2.01 mg/dl [−2.63,−1.40]), HDL-C (1.65 mg/d [1.44,1.85]), HbA1c (−0.02% [−0.03,−0.01]), and fasting plasma glucose (−0.44 mg/dL [−0.74,−0.15]); lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome (OR = 0.85 [0.82,0.88]), CVD (0.92 [0.88,0.96]), cancer (0.95 [0.91,0.99]), and lung disease (0.92 [0.88,0.96]); and higher prevalence of optimal cardiometabolic health (1.24 [1.16,1.32]). i.FCS also associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR = 0.93 [0.89,0.96]). Findings were similar by age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, and BMI. These findings support validity of Food Compass as a tool to guide public health and private sector strategies to identify and encourage healthier eating.

Philippine private sector response, strategies, and state-business relations toward economic recovery and growth post-COVID-19

AbstractThe Philippines was among the fastest-growing economies averaging within the 6.5 percent GDP growth in the past five years. However, the COVID-19 crisis brought major disruptions to the Philippine economy as growth, employment, and overall productivity fell into recession levels along with the declaration of a nationwide lockdown. As the pandemic resulted in a series of business closures, supply chain breakdowns, and massive job cuts, the private sector was forced to confront the challenges brought by the pandemic including its threat to business continuity and survival. This article presents the private sector's assessment of the pandemic's impact on the Philippine economy along with their views on the national pandemic response and the extent of public-private collaborations in countering the effects of COVID-19. Following the insights and experiences shared by industry leaders and other corporate executives, this article also discusses pivots in corporate strategy along with a significant shift in corporate mindset toward new ways of doing business and fulfilling their responsibilities in society.

Competition and partnership in public and private sector strategies

The existence of the public and private sectors in the modern economy is justified from the point of view of economic policy, especially with regard to its stabilising function (regulatory sphere) and allocative and redistributive function (real sphere).

Smart and Age-Friendly Cities in Romania: An Overview of Public Policy and Practice.

The role of smart cities in order to improve older people’s quality of life, sustainability and opportunities, accessibility, mobility, and connectivity is increasing and acknowledged in public policy and private sector strategies in countries all over the world. Smart cities are one of the technological-driven initiatives that may help create an age-friendly city. Few research studies have analysed emerging countries in terms of their national strategies on smart or age-friendly cities. In this study, Romania which is predicted to become one of the most ageing countries in the European Union is used as a case study. Through document analysis, current initiatives at the local, regional, and national level addressing the issue of smart and age-friendly cities in Romania are investigated. In addition, a case study is presented to indicate possible ways of the smart cities initiatives to target and involve older adults. The role of different stakeholders is analysed in terms of whether initiatives are fragmentary or sustainable over time, and the importance of some key factors, such as private–public partnerships and transnational bodies. The results are discussed revealing the particularities of the smart cities initiatives in Romania in the time frame 2012–2020, which to date, have limited connection to the age-friendly cities agenda. Based on the findings, a set of recommendations are formulated to move the agenda forward.

Private Sector Strategies to Address High Drug Prices and the Promise of Reference Pricing Programs

Private Sector Strategies to Address High Drug Prices and the Promise of Reference Pricing Programs

Association of a Workplace Sales Ban on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages With Employee Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Health

Reductions in sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake can improve health, but are difficult for individuals to achieve on their own. To evaluate whether a workplace SSB sales ban was associated with SSB intake and cardiometabolic health among employees and whether a brief motivational intervention provides added benefits to the sales ban. This before-after study and additional randomized trial conducted from July 28, 2015, to October 16, 2016, at a Northern California university and hospital assessed SSB intake, anthropometrics, and cardiometabolic biomarkers among 214 full-time English-speaking employees who were frequent SSB consumers (≥360 mL [≥12 fl oz] per day) before and 10 months after implementation of an SSB sales ban in a large workplace, with half the employees randomized to receive a brief motivational intervention targeting SSB reduction. The employer stopped selling SSBs in all workplace venues, and half the sample was randomized to receive a brief motivational intervention and the other half was a control group that did not receive the intervention. This intervention was modeled on standard brief motivational interventions for alcohol used in the workplace that promote health knowledge and goal setting. Outcomes included changes in SSB intake, Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), and measures of abdominal adiposity. The primary associations tested were the correlation between changes in SSB intake and changes in HOMA-IR. Among the 214 study participants, 124 (57.9%) were women, with a mean (SD) age of 41.2 (11.0) years and a baseline mean (SD) body mass index of 29.4 (6.5). They reported a mean daily intake of 1050 mL (35 fl oz) of SSBs at baseline and 540 mL (18 fl oz) at follow-up-a 510-mL (17-fl oz) (48.6%) decrease (P < .001). Reductions in SSB intake correlated with improvements in HOMA-IR (r = 0.16; P = .03). Those not randomized to receive the brief intervention reduced their SSB intake by a mean (SD) of 246.0 (84.0) mL (8.2 [2.8] fl oz), while those also receiving the brief intervention reduced SSB intake by 762.0 (84.0) mL (25.4 [2.8] fl oz). From baseline to follow-up, there were significant reductions in mean (SE) waist circumference (2.1 [2.8] cm; P < .001). This study's findings suggest that the workplace sales ban was associated with a reduction in SSB intake and a significant reduction in waist circumference among employees within 10 months. The randomized clinical trial portion of this study found that targeting those at high risk with a brief motivational intervention led to additional improvements. Workplace sales bans may offer a promising new private-sector strategy for reducing the health harms of SSB intake. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02585336.

Exploratory qualitative study to understand the underlying motivations and strategies of the private for-profit healthcare sector in urban Bangladesh

ObjectivesThis paper explores the underlying motivations and strategies of formal small and medium-sized formal private for-profit sector hospitals and clinics in urban Bangladesh and their implications for quality and access.MethodsThis...

Consumer behaviour related to rabbit meat as functional food

&lt;p&gt;Rabbit is one of the most versatile livestock species, responding successfully to bio-economic principles, which promote a clever use of resources and their conversion into added value products, such as functional foods (FFs). The excellent nutritive and dietetic properties of rabbit meat justify granting it the attributes of FFs. Based on the premise that it is the consumer who ultimately decides what kind of meat to buy, a consumer focus should be a core factor in private or public meat sector strategies. Following this assumption, the aim of this study is to contribute to understanding Romanian consumer behaviour related to rabbit meat as a functional food and to provide information on how to better market rabbit meat as FF in the domestic market. As far as the authors know, this study is the first one to assess and report on Romanian consumer perceptions, knowledge and behaviours related to rabbit meat. Consequently, the variables investigated reflect rabbit meat consumption habits. They also reveal preferences related to the acquisition of rabbit meat, perceptions on future rabbit meat consumption, perceptions of rabbit meat characteristics, perceptions of rabbit meat main characteristics compared to other types of meat, and rabbit meat consumption deterrents. The survey results show that rabbit meat is perceived as lean and low cholesterol, healthier and tastier than other meats, but more expensive, that its consumption is low, being 2.2 times lower than chicken and 1.8 times lower than pork, and that 29.6% of people surveyed have never eaten rabbit meat. The findings ascertain that the understanding of Romanian consumer behaviour related to rabbit meat as FF is an optimal tool for changing behaviour patterns towards a more sustainable market. The transfer of this knowledge towards marketers mainly focusing on how to increase consumer satisfaction for FFs, especially meat, is the leverage for designing successful businesses regarding market re-orientation, development or even reduction of health cost.&lt;/p&gt;

Private sector role, readiness and performance for malaria case management in Uganda, 2015

BackgroundSeveral interventions have been put in place to promote access to quality malaria case management services in Uganda’s private sector, where most people seek treatment. This paper describes evidence using a mixed-method approach to examine the role, readiness and performance of private providers at a national level in Uganda. These data will be useful to inform strategies and policies for improving malaria case management in the private sector.MethodsThe ACTwatch national anti-malarial outlet survey was conducted concurrently with a fever case management study. The ACTwatch nationally representative anti-malarial outlet survey was conducted in Uganda between May 18th 2015 and July 2nd 2015. A representative sample of sub-counties was selected in 14 urban and 13 rural clusters with probability proportional to size and a census approach was used to identify outlets. Outlets eligible for the survey met at least one of three criteria: (1) one or more anti-malarials were in stock on the day of the survey; (2) one or more anti-malarials were in stock in the 3 months preceding the survey; and/or (3) malaria blood testing (microscopy or RDT) was available. The fever case management study included observations of provider-patient interactions and patient exit interviews. Data were collected between May 20th and August 3rd, 2015. The fever case management study was implemented in the private sector. Potential outlets were identified during the main outlet survey and included in this sub-sample if they had both artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) [artemether–lumefantrine (AL)], in stock on the day of survey as well as diagnostic testing available.ResultsA total of 9438 outlets were screened for eligibility in the ACTwatch outlet survey and 4328 outlets were found to be stocking anti-malarials and were interviewed. A total of 9330 patients were screened for the fever case management study and 1273 had a complete patient observation and exit interview. Results from the outlet survey illustrate that the majority of anti-malarials were distributed through the private sector (54.3%), with 31.4% of all anti-malarials distributed through drug stores and 14.4% through private for-profit health facilities. Availability of different anti-malarials and diagnostic testing in the private sector was: ACT (80.7%), quality-assured (QA) ACT (72.0%), sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine (SP) (47.1%), quinine (73.2%) and any malaria blood testing (32.9%). Adult QAACT ($1.62) was three times more expensive than SP ($0.48). The results from the fever case management study found 44.4% of respondents received a malaria test, and among those who tested positive for malaria, 60.0% received an ACT, 48.5% received QAACT; 14.4% a non-artemisinin therapy; 14.9% artemether injection, and 42.5% received an antibiotic.ConclusionThe private sector plays an important role in malaria case management in Uganda. While several private sector initiatives have improved availability of QAACT, there are gaps in malaria diagnosis and distribution of non-artemisinin monotherapies persists. Further private sector strategies, including those focusing on drug stores, are needed to increase coverage of parasitological testing and removal of non-artemisinin therapies from the marketplace.

Anti-malarial landscape in Myanmar: results from a nationally representative survey among community health workers and the private sector outlets in 2015/2016

BackgroundIn 2015/2016, an ACTwatch outlet survey was implemented to assess the anti-malarial and malaria testing landscape in Myanmar across four domains (Eastern, Central, Coastal, Western regions). Indicators provide an important benchmark to guide Myanmar’s new National Strategic Plan to eliminate malaria by 2030.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey, which employed stratified cluster-random sampling across four regions in Myanmar. A census of community health workers (CHWs) and private outlets with potential to distribute malaria testing and/or treatment was conducted. An audit was completed for all anti-malarials, malaria rapid diagnostic tests.ResultsA total of 28,664 outlets were approached and 4416 met the screening criteria. The anti-malarial market composition comprised CHWs (41.5%), general retailers (27.9%), itinerant drug vendors (11.8%), pharmacies (10.9%), and private for-profit facilities (7.9%). Availability of different anti-malarials and diagnostic testing among anti-malarial-stocking CHWs was as follows: artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) (81.3%), chloroquine (67.0%), confirmatory malaria test (77.7%). Less than half of the anti-malarial-stocking private sector had first-line treatment in stock: ACT (41.7%) chloroquine (41.8%), and malaria diagnostic testing was rare (15.4%). Oral artemisinin monotherapy (AMT) was available in 27.7% of private sector outlets (Western, 54.1%; Central, 31.4%; Eastern; 25.0%, Coastal; 15.4%). The private-sector anti-malarial market share comprised ACT (44.0%), chloroquine (26.6%), and oral AMT (19.6%). Among CHW the market share was ACT (71.6%), chloroquine (22.3%); oral AMT (3.8%). More than half of CHWs could correctly state the national first-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum and vivax malaria (59.2 and 56.9%, respectively) compared to the private sector (15.8 and 13.2%, respectively). Indicators on support and engagement were as follows for CHWs: reportedly received training on malaria diagnosis (60.7%) or national malaria treatment guidelines (59.6%), received a supervisory or regulatory visit within 12 months (39.1%), kept records on number of patients tested or treated for malaria (77.3%). These indicators were less than 20% across the private sector.ConclusionCHWs have a strong foundation for achieving malaria goals and their scale-up is merited, however gaps in malaria commodities and supplies must be addressed. Intensified private sector strategies are urgently needed and must be scaled up to improve access and coverage of first-line treatments and malaria diagnosis, and remove oral AMT from the market place. Future policies and interventions on malaria control and elimination in Myanmar should take these findings into consideration across all phases of implementation.

Evidence of successful malaria case management policy implementation in Cambodia: results from national ACTwatch outlet surveys.

BackgroundFor over a decade, Cambodia has implemented a number of policies and innovative strategies to increase access to quality malaria case management services and address the drivers of multi-drug resistance. This paper utilizes outlet survey trend data collected by the ACTwatch project to demonstrate how changes in Cambodian policy and strategies have led to shifts in anti-malarial markets.MethodsAnti-malarial ACTwatch outlet surveys were conducted in Cambodia in 2009 (June–July), 2011 (June–August) and 2013 (September–October). A census of all outlets with the potential to sell or distribute anti-malarials was conducted within a nationally representative sample of communes. Drug information, sales/distribution in the previous week, and retail price were collected for each anti-malarial in stock. Information on availability of malaria blood testing was also collected.ResultsA total of 7833 outlets were enumerated in 2009, 18,584 in 2011, and 16,153 in 2013. The percentage of public health facilities with at least one anti-malarial in stock on the day of the survey increased between 2009 (65.8 %) and 2011 (90.0 %) and remained high in 2013 (82.0 %). Similar trends were found for village malaria workers (VMW). Overall, private sector availability of anti-malarials declined over time and varied by outlet type. By 2013 most anti-malarial stocking public health facilities (81.5 %), VMW (95.4 %), private for-profit health facilities (64.8 %), and pharmacies (71.9 %) had the countries first-line artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) treatment in stock. In 2013, 60 % of anti-malarials were delivered through the private sector, 40 % through the public sector, and the most common anti-malarial to be sold or distributed was the first-line ACT, comprising 62.8 % of the national market share. Oral artemisinin monotherapy, which had accounted for 6 % of total anti-malarial market share in 2009, was no longer reportedly sold/distributed in 2013. Malaria blood testing availability remained high over time among public facilities and VMW, with availability over 90 % in 2011 and 2013. Moderate availability was observed in the private sector.ConclusionsContinued implementation of successful public and private sector strategies in support of evolving malaria drug treatment policies will be important to protect the efficacy of anti-malarial medicines and ultimately facilitate malaria elimination in Cambodia by 2025.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-016-1200-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Implementation of quality initiatives in Indian public and private sector organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare the implementation of quality initiatives in banking, insurance and tele-communication industry under public and private sectors in India. Design/methodology/approach – The study comprised of a descriptive research with a cross-sectional design. Preliminary interviews and extensive literature review was done to identify the quality initiatives to be considered for the study. Data were gathered through a questionnaire comprising of items on a five-point Likert’s scale. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviations and inferential statistics such as paired t-test and correlation were used for analysing the data. Findings – The results depict that although both the sectors are trying to outsmart each other by the various quality initiatives undertaken, the private sector is still ahead in quality implementation. It is also worth witnessing a major overhaul in the public sector operations to service the end customer with utmost commitment good enough to match its private counterparts. Practical implications – The paper provides insights to young managers and researchers about the level of implementation of quality practices in public and private sector organisations and strategies for improvement. Originality/value – The paper contributes to theory and practice as little empirical research is available to understand the differences between the two sectors on the basis of quality initiatives. Also there is dearth of such a research in industries other than banking.

It’s all about women: creating healthy, functional markets to address the unmet global need for contraception

In 2012, dozens of organizations and hundreds of individuals met in London for a groundbreaking Summit on Family Planning to increase global access to family planning services. This visionary group of governments, civil-society members, multilateral organizations, donors and private sector groups agreed to support the research and development community to enable 120 million more women and girls in 69 developing countries to use contraceptives by the year 2020 [1]. The work of this Summit has been organized under the banner of Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) and is facilitated through the FP2020 Secretariat, headquartered at the United Nations Foundation offices in Washington, DC. This initiative represents an unprecedented step forward in improving the quality of life of women and girls worldwide [2]. As the global family planning community ratchets up efforts to empower these 120 million women and girls, FP2020 collaborators have put into motion a set of diverse approaches to create societal change. For developing and developed countries, we strongly advocate for infusing a robust, business-oriented approach into FP2020 strategies that explicitly incorporates women’s voices. We are proposing a fresh “total market” perspective that incorporates lessons learned from past efforts that focused on using market forces but did not include more business-oriented approaches. A large number of women in developing countries obtain their family planning from the private sector, and we propose that more intentional integration of private sector strategies will increase overall sustainability of these services in the developing world [3,4]. It is essential to listen carefully and to thoroughly integrate their varied contraceptive needs and support requirements into our plans. Otherwise, FP2020’s goal will be difficult to meet.

Governance of technological change: How to define it without reducing it?The Governance of Socio-Technical Systems: Explaining Changeedited by Susana Borrás and Jakob Edler

The governance of technology and innovation has become an increasingly important issue in recent decades. Issues such as environmental management, the availability of energy sources, arms control and food safety have appeared in the area of transnational politics, and are now governed by different conflict resolution instruments within the framework of international law, such as treaties, protocols and conventions. Nation states play a central role in negotiating, writing and operationalizing these legal devices. However, issues of scientific and technical governance often pass national borders to cross multiple spheres of sovereign action and different jurisdictions, communities of practice, and private sector strategies. Analysts from a variety of social science disciplines are interested in how arrangements of scientific and technical governance take effect in view of the internationalization of issues, the complexity of devices, the changing borders of governmentality, and the globalization of actors. A number of authors have explored how these arrangements are redrawing the boundaries of nation states, and more generally, how they reconfigure the meaning and the implementation of democracy thanks to the intervention of new players, whose perimeter is defined around their involvement in the governance of complex technical issues ( Irwin 2008 ).

Advice Networks in Public Organizations: The Role of Structure, Internal Competition, and Individual Attributes

AbstractInterpersonal networks are increasingly important for organizational learning and performance. However, little is known about how these networks emerge. In this article, exponential random graph models are employed to explore the underlying processes of advice network formation in 15 organizations. The author examines the influence of (1) structural effects (reciprocity, transitivity, multiplexity), (2) actor attribute effects (job function, tenure, education, self‐efficacy), and (3) peer competition. Results suggest that employees rely more on reciprocity, closure, and similarity in job function than on peer expertise or status when seeking advice. In addition, employees who perceive greater levels of competition with peers are significantly less likely to both seek and provide advice. As public organizations look to private sector strategies that promote internal competition to improve efficiency and accountability, public managers need to be aware of the negative implications those strategies can have on interpersonal networks and organizational learning.

The Smooth Implementation of Activity Based Cost Management (ABCM) in the Public Service Organisation (PSO) in South Africa

This paper describes the procedure that allows public service organization to smoothly switch from traditional costing system to an Activity Based Costing system at low risk and with minimum investment. The aim of many contemporary national, provincial and local is to reinvent government through the application of private sector strategies and techniques (Kearney, Feldman, and Scavo 2000). The fundamental objective of reinvention is to strive for a government that works better and costs less. The purpose of this paper is to investigate if ABC can be a valuable tool to understand costs and provide more accurate costs of services in a public service organisation in South Africa; and to determine and implement the process improvements strategies in the public service organisation in South Africa. The results achieved show that the municipality would have an increase in profitability and be able to improve cost control. The overall results achieved indicate that ABCM has a significant role to play in the Public Service Organisation in South Africa.

The Potential for Social Marketing a Knowledge-Based Family Planning Method

Social marketing is a proven private sector strategy to provide health-related products, including contraceptives. Pharmacies offer affordable, convenient, and rapid delivery of over-the-counter contraceptives directly to the consumer, providing wider availability and accessibility to family planning (FP) in sub-Saharan Africa. Pilot projects tested the feasibility of including CycleBeads®, the visual tool that supports the use of the Standard Days Method®, into Population Services International (PSI) social marketing programs. The purpose of this article is to review evidence to provide guidance for social marketing CycleBeads in pharmacies in sub-Saharan Africa. Literature on contraceptive provision through pharmacies in comparison to clinics was summarized from developing and developed country contexts, highlighting salient and relevant lessons for the African context in regard to pharmacists’ knowledge and perceptions of FP, clients’ perceptions of pharmacists’ FP knowledge and FP service delivery in pharmacies, and the impact of pharmacy access on contraceptive use. Descriptive data from PSI social marketing initiatives in several African countries, and commercial marketing information were reviewed. Evidence from CycleBeads sales suggests that there is demand for the product and it is affordable in comparison to oral contraceptives. In addition, there were high levels of correct use by women who purchased CycleBeads in pharmacies, suggesting that CycleBeads are an appropriate product for social marketing. Until awareness of and demand for the method increases, social marketing of CycleBeads requires continued subsidy to maintain viability. Training to update pharmacists’ knowledge and increase capacity to provide basic information, positioning of the method, and low profit margins for pharmacies present challenges.