Добірка наукової літератури з теми "Primary goods sector"

The purpose of this study is to find out an overview of profitability (ROE), capital structure (DER), firm size and firm value (PBV) in Primary Consumer Goods sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2016-2018 period. And to find out an overview of the effect of profitability (ROE), capital structure (DER) and firm size on firm value (PBV) in Primary Consumer Goods sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange partially and simultaneously for the 2016-2018 period. The research method used in this study is a quantitative method. The population in this study are Primary Consumer Goods sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during the 2016-2018 period with a total of 60 companies, and the research sample is 41 companies with the criteria or considerations used in research such as companies that have positive net income for the period 2016-2018. The result of this research is that profitability (ROE) tends to decrease, the capital structure (DER) fluctuates, the size of the company shows an increase, while the company value (PBV) fluctuates every year. Profitability (ROE) has an effect on firm value (PBV), capital structure (DER) has an effect on firm value (PBV) and firm size has an effect on firm value (PBV) in Primary Consumer Goods sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2016-2018. Profitability (ROE), capital structure (DER) and company size simultaneously have an effect on firm value (PBV) in Primary Consumer Goods sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2016-2018 period.

Religious holidays such as "Ramadhan" and "Idul Fitri" are one of the economic events that contribute significantly to economic growth in Indonesia. This study aims to analyze the growth and performance of the non-primary consumer goods sector, the primary consumer goods sector, and the transportation and logistics sector from 21 March 2023 to 28 April 2023. This study finds that the transportation and logistics sector is a sector that has a high rate of return with high risk. In addition, this study also finds that the transportation and logistics sector generated good growth and performance of returns on risk during the “Ramadhan” and “Idul Fitri” period.

The purpose of this research are to analyze: 1) to test the effect of production costs on nett profit; 2) to test the effect of sales volume (nett) on nett profit; 3) to test the effect of production cost and sales volume (nett) on nett profit in manufacturing companies in the primary consumer goods sector for the 2017-2021 period. The populations in this research is manufacturing companies in the primary consumer goods sector for the 2017-2021 period. The technique used in selecting the sample was purposive sampling and obtained 44 manufacturing companies in the primary consumer goods sector with a research periode of 5 five years so that 220 samples were obtained in this research. The data analysis method in this research was panel data regression analysis using Eviews software version 10. The results of this research indicate that: 1) production costs have a positive and significant effect on nett profit; 2) sales volume (nett) has a positive and significant effect on nett profit; 3) it is then known that there is a jointly significant effect between the variables of production costsand sales volume (nett) to nett profit in manufacturing companies in the primary consumer goods sector for the 2017-2021 period.

Abstract. This article contains a results of testing the analytical techniques, designed to assess the contribution of budgetary sectors of the social industries to the dynamics of household well-being. Whereas the real consumption of free-to-use goods may be measured only conditional (by the amount of resources spent on creating such goods), we estimated the contribution of the budgetary education sector to the well-being of Ukrainian households through the dynamics of demand for goods, provided by commercial sector of education. We assume from the hypothesis about interchangeability of the goods, which received by households through the budgetary and commercial sectors of education. For empirically testing of this hypothesis, the article examines the functional relationship between the rate of extension of the budgetary education sector resource provision (as a factor) and the demand of households for the goods, supplied by the commercial sector of this industry (as a dependent value). For investigating such a functional dependence, the article evaluates the parameters of the function, where the dependent variable is the basic growth rate of real consumption of goods, which is provided to Ukrainian households by the commercial sector of education. Factor variables are the basic growth rates of real resources of the commercial and budgetary sectors of the Ukrainian educational industry. According to the logic of setting, this model is similar to the Working model, but does not provide a logarithmic form of the representation of the factor variables. The latter is predetermined by that fact, that both explanatory and dependent variables are expressed as growth rates, which significantly increases the likelihood of the hypothesis about linear nature of the connection between variables and the stability in time of absolute increments of the dependent variable value. The Working model was actively used to explain the dependence of changes in the pattern of household’s consumption on household income, before it was developed by Taylor, who incorporated in that model a term to reflect the impact of relative prices. We turned to the primary form of the Working model because we have add to it a factor, whose nature of connection with dependence variable is similar wit impact made by total household incomes. The simulation results have not empirically confirmed the inverse relationship between the expansion of the resource provision of the budgetary education sector and the growth rate of consumption of goods supplied by the commercial sector of the industry. At the same time, there are signs that during the retrospective period, the expansion of the budgetary education sector’s resource provision was accompanied by an increase in pressure on the commercial sector’s resource potential: there is a crowding out effect known in the macroeconomics of public and private investment. We have not received empirical evidence of the ability of budget expenditures to replace consumption of goods, provided by the commercial education sector in Ukraine. Both sectors of education are forced to operate in a mode of resources scarcity and adverse dynamics of resource provision, which threatens to erode the quality of educational services and undermines the fundamental foundations of commercial education financing: the connection «investments to education — income growth». The social performances of both the budgetary and commercial education sectors are clearly deteriorating due to the chronically negative tendencies in resource provision. Increasing the rigidity of education financing conditions, both at the expense of household incomes and at the expense of the budget, limits the choice of consumers so much that it is more correct to interpret our results as forms of adaptation to the negative dynamics of well-being, rather than as a manifestation of rational consumer choice. In this context that we interpret the lack of indications of households’ attitude to the goods, supplied by the commercial education sector, as to the goods of luxury: during the retrospective period, the share of education expenditures in household income declines. It is an expression of extremely low economic opportunities, not of consumer preferences of Ukrainian households, who are forced to spend about half of their individual consumer spending on meeting primary needs (food and utilities). Keywords: social sectors, education, budget expenditures, goods availability, commercial sector, budget sector, consumption. JEL Classification D12, H52, I31 Formulas: 2; fig.: 1; tabl.: 3; bibl.: 20.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic had inflicted adverse impacts on the lives of throughout the world people, including Indonesia. From the perspective of the business sector, many companies were not spared, especially in terms of their financial performance. Many companies became bankrupt and had to go out of business although there were still some companies which managed to survive with all the limitations. This study was conducted to examine whether there were differences between financial distress conditions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in primary consumer goods sector companies in Indonesia and to determine which measurement model is more accurate for calculating financial distress. The samples used in this study involved 42 primary consumer goods sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. The result of this study shows that there is no significant difference between financial distress conditions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that the COVID-19 pandemic will not make companies in the primary consumer goods sector falter because people will still look for primary goods such as food and clothing for their daily needs. People's purchasing power for primary needs remains high despite the pandemic. Springate and Zmijewski are the financial distress measurement models that are considered the most accurate with an accuracy rate of 88.69%. This study is expected to be an input for investors whether investing in consumer goods companies will be profitable or not under various conditions. Future research is expected to be able to test other financial distress measurement models for companies similar to this study or other types of companies.

In 1949 Raúl Prebisch, an Argentine economist, published a study for the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA), in which he attributed the failure to reach sustained economic growth in Latin America to the international division of labour. Based on research carried out by ECLA on the terms of trade between manufactures and primary goods, he concluded that – contrary to expectations – they moved against primary products. If prices decline as productivity increases (in competitive markets), industrial goods, where the technological improvements had been more significant, should have declined in price more than agricultural goods. The empirical results of the study showed the opposite.1 If the Latin American countries therefore wanted to benefit from technological progress, they should move towards industrialisation. Almost at the same time, based on the same empirical study, Hans Singer not only argued that the gains from trade had not been distributed equally, but also that foreign investments in the export sector were not part of the domestic economy, but represented an enclave belonging to the countries of the centre which received its benefits.2 Singer advanced an argument that became popular later on; he noted the existence in the underdeveloped countries of a dual economy with two sectors each with different productivity and segmented markets: a modern sector linked to the central countries and a traditional sector linked to the rest of the economy. Also, from the critics of the classical theory of trade, another argument was put forward: the different income elasticities of demand for manufactures and agricultural goods (Engels’ law) suggested that expenditure on agricultural goods would decline in relative terms as incomes rose, hurting the terms of trade for primary products.3

Purpose: The Purpose of this study is to examine the functional relationship between goods and services tax and purchasing power of fast moving consumer goods consumers. The other purposes of the study is to examine the impact of goods and services tax on this sector and subsequent implications for industry stakeholders. Methodology: The data required for this study is collected through both primary and secondary sources. This research is quantitative in nature and IBM SPSS25 version software is used for data processing and analysis. Findings: The study identifies a significant and positive relationship between goods and services tax and purchasing power of consumers. The opposite kind of relationship exist between various performance parameters of FMCG sector. Implications: The results of the study clearly has created a significant impact on the purchasing power of the consumers and the study suggests marginal cost pricing for FMCG products so that the burden of indirect tax is minimized. Originality: This study is unique because it brings together both industry and consumer perspectives of goods and services tax and its implication for industry stakeholders.

Reverse logistics has received a lot of attention due to the negative impact it has on the environment and the growing demand for green products. This especially occurred in the fast-moving consumer goods retail sector due to recalls and waste management. This sector significantly contributes to the gross domestic product growth of all countries. This has therefore led to the growing significance of reverse logistics since the fast-moving consumer goods retail sector cannot avoid reverse logistics. The primary objective of this study was for fast-moving consumer goods retailers to prioritize critical success factors for reverse logistics as a source of competitive advantage in the fast-moving consumer goods retailers’ sector. This is because it is essential for the fast-moving consumer goods retail sector to implement critical success factors in reverse logistics that can lead to firm competitiveness. The study employed a positivist research philosophy, where data were collected from 418 fast-moving consumer goods retailers and consumers via SurveyMonkey using two close-ended questionnaires. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and the Analysis of Moment Structures software version 27 were employed to analyze the data. The results offer insight into the critical success factors in reverse logistics that should be carried out to achieve firm competitiveness. Through the implementation of critical success factors, this sector will achieve several goals, such as meeting environmental protocols, decreasing operational costs, cultivating the cumulative value of the brand, and improving customer satisfaction. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-02-018 Full Text: PDF

Before carrying out investment activities, investors need to form an optimal investment portfolio. This study aims to form an optimal portfolio in primary consumer goods sector stocks that sell the basic needs of the community so that stocks in the sector tend to be stable. The method used in forming the optimal portfolio is Roy's Safety-first method. The portfolio formed produces 6 combinations of stocks consisting of WIIM, DSNG, MRAT, CAMP, SIMP, and MBTO stocks respectively with a proportion of funds of 44.05%, 16.38%, 18.61%, 15.06%, 4.32%, and 1.59% with an expected return portfolio of 3.10% and a portfolio risk of 1.65%.

In the industry of goods, the product is the primary brand. However, with services, the company is the primary brand. Branding is not for visible goods but also a significant factor of performance for services. The ability to educate consumers of their expertise and credence values before the order has contributed to the general awareness of the value of products in the service industry in relation to consumer preference. If the brand is an essential consideration in any campaign initiative, it is crucial to consider the meaning of its equity. Brand value is the confidence gained in a brand regardless of customer experience. Because of the strategic advantages of established and established products, brand value is significant. Brand equity can make a significant contribution to the visualization of intangible goods for service companies. Given that there is no research available, this study seeks to suggest descriptive brand equity dimensions in Pakistan's service markets. The history is regarded as Brand Loyalty, Brand Awareness, Brand Association, Brand Perceived Quality, Brand Image, Brand Trust, Brand Credibility as antecedents of brand equity in services markets. This research is focused on the literature review and specifics are discussed. A systemic literature review approach for extracting the existing literature of desire has been used.

Les réseaux sociaux ont engendré un nouvel environnement où certains utilisateurs, connus sous le nom d'influenceurs, peuvent toucher un public plus ou moins étendu et être rémunérés pour leur contenu, faisant ainsi référence au marketing d'influence. Cependant, les adeptes de ces influenceurs apprécient principalement leur motivation intrinsèque et leur approche non commerciale. En conséquence, les collaborations entre ces leaders d'opinion et les marques entraînent des tensions quant à la préservation de l'authenticité perçue, pouvant ainsi entacher leur crédibilité auprès de leur audience. Bien que les chercheurs se soient intéressés à cette thématique, une étude plus approfondie est nécessaire pour mieux comprendre ce phénomène. Cette recherche vise donc à combler cette lacune dans la littérature en examinant l'impact des influenceurs sur le comportement du consommateur, en particulier dans le secteur des biens premiers. Ce travail inclut plusieurs études intersectorielles, toutes directement liées à ce phénomène et appliquées aux biens premiers. À l'issue de cette recherche, nous discutons des implications théoriques et managériales de ces résultats. À l'heure actuelle, il revêt une importance capitale de saisir l'impact des influenceurs sur le comportement des consommateurs et la manière dont les marques peuvent établir des collaborations authentiques avec ces derniers, afin de gagner en confiance et en crédibilité auprès de leur audience. En approfondissant ces éléments, notre objectif est de fournir des connaissances pratiques qui orienteront les décisions marketing et la gestion des relations avec les influenceurs, notamment dans le contexte des biens premiers. Ces informations s'avèrent en effet essentielles pour bâtir des stratégies efficaces, renforcer la réputation des marques et optimiser leur impact
Social media has given rise to a novel landscape where certain users, commonly known as influencers, can connect with a vast audience and earn compensation for their content through influencer marketing. However, the followers of these influencers primarily value their genuine passion and non-commercial approach. Consequently, collaborations between these opinion leaders and brands often give rise to tensions concerning the preservation of perceived authenticity, which may undermine their credibility with their audience.Although researchers have shown interest in this subject, a more comprehensive investigation is required to gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. Therefore, this research aims to bridge this gap in the existing literature by examining the influencers' impact on consumer behavior, specifically in the primary goods sector. This work comprises multiple cross-sectoral studies, all directly linked to this phenomenon and applied to primary goods.By the conclusion of this research, we delve into the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings. Understanding how influencers impact consumer behavior and how brands can collaborate with them authentically is essential to gain trust and credibility with their audience. We aspire to provide practical insights that can guide marketing decisions and the management of influencer relationships within the realm of primary goods

While no society can guarantee good health, societies can, if they will, create the conditions—effective institutions, social systems, and practices—to support all members as they seek to achieve central health capabilities. The SHG model sets out allocations of responsibility, resources, and sovereignty to state and non-state actors and institutions, NGOs, the private sector, communities, families, and individuals themselves. The primary responsibility for efficiently preventing and reducing shortfall inequalities in central health capabilities falls to the state, because national governments have the authority and resources to create health system infrastructures, including health care, public health, and other systems affecting health. State duties include developing and maintaining a national health care and public health policy and system and guaranteeing a universal comprehensive benefits package of medically necessary and appropriate goods and services as well as ensuring the social determinants of health.

This book advances the theory that a potential leading export sector—in this case, the oil sector—is capable of inducing economic growth even in peripheral countries where the product line is primary in nature. In Venezuela the oil sector has contributed directly and indirectly to the development of the country’s overall economy, particularly from 1936 to 1973, when that sector met the criteria of a leading sector, i.e., one that expands rapidly and obtains a large specific size relative to the economy as a whole. Oil investment in Venezuela contributed to the fiscal sector, the foreign sector, GDP, income, backward and forward linkages, the multiplier and accelerator effects, and the retained value of total expenditures. In spite of recent efforts to diversify the production and export mix, the Venezuelan economy continues to remain heavily dependent on oil production for export. During the midcentury decades of solid growth, it became evident that government oversight was needed to ensure that the numerous contributions flowing from the oil sector would be put to good use. Overall, it appears that the contributions were well utilized by the Venezuelan government, although there was plenty of room for improvement. Income distribution problems and other social inequities continued to beset the development process, leaving the economy rigid and inflexible. Consequently, when the oil sector faltered (1974 to 2000), Venezuela was unable to shift into other product lines. Political disarray soon followed, and with it a pervasive aura of economic uncertainty that persists to this day.

This chapter traces the economic reintegration of Alsace. Upon the region’s return to French rule, the primary priority was recovery from the devastation of the First World War, and the realignment of the Alsatian economy towards French structures and institutions. While some sectors of the economy achieved successes in their efforts to produce goods suitable for French markets, these remained in their early stages when the global economic depression hit the recovered departments in the 1930s and triggered unemployment and protest. Throughout, economic developments were shaped by the border and were inseparable from social relations. This chapter considers this history and is suggestive of the ways in which a change of national regime and fluctuations in the global economic and political situation affected the Alsatian economy.

The federal model is potentially subject to two ‘special’ cases. First, because the jurisprudence on Article 34 primarily concerned goods produced within the Union, the question arises whether the same constitutional principles also apply to restrictions imposed on goods coming from outside the Union. A second special problem, on the other hand, relates to export restrictions under Article 35. Section I discusses these special cases, while Section II subsequently explores the various exemptions and justifications for national measures considered to hinder intra-Union trade. According to the so-called ‘purely internal situation’ rule, the Court has traditionally exempted situations from the scope of both Articles 34 and 35 that were, as regards their facts, procedurally confined to a single Member State. This ‘procedural’ exemption was complemented by those substantive justifications expressly mentioned in Article 36, which were—after Cassis—themselves complemented by an unlimited number of ‘mandatory’ or ‘imperative’ requirements.

Water resources provide services of economic value to different sectors through consumptive uses, non-consumptive uses, nonuse, and as a waste receptor. The diverse array of goods and services provided by water create a challenge for efficiently allocating the resource. Furthermore, water resources are often subject to market failures because they lack the conditions of excludability and rivalry. These market failures result in depleted water supplies and degraded water quality. This chapter discusses various policy approaches that have attempted to address these market failures, many of which have created additional economic inefficiencies. It also discusses some of the scale and jurisdiction issues in water management—such as local self-governing institutions and transboundary policy formation—from an economics perspective. It primarily analyzes policies affecting agricultural water use and the impacts of agriculture on water quality because agriculture is the largest user of water and is a major contributor to water quality problems.

Anesthesiologists may encounter patients with a wide variety of acute neurologic events in the perioperative period at various stages in their workup, diagnosis, and treatment. The urgency of diagnosis, workup, and definitive treatment falls on a spectrum from minutes to days to weeks depending on the clinical scenario. This section deals primarily with the emergent and urgent acute neurologic events where time to treatment is paramount to a good neurological outcome. A thorough understanding of the pathophysiology, assessment, and treatment of these neurologic conditions is essential for all anesthesia professionals in order to ensure optimal care delivery and outcomes for patients.

The project “Corporate governance in sports organizations: A gendered approach” (hereinafter the GESPORT project) seeks to strengthen equality between men and women in the areas of decision-making in sports organizations in Europe. The project’s primary aim is to improve women’s access to the governing board of all sports federations under Erasmus+ sports actions. In other words, the GESPORT project aims to advance knowledge about female presence in strategic decision-making and, by doing this, contribute to the European policies for enhancing and supporting good governance in sports. Herein we have defined gender in binary terms, as “male” and “female”. However, we recognize that these are ambiguous terms to which not everyone can or wishes to be assigned. Therefore, we reflect more on the issue of non-binary as a social identity and transgender in sport later in the background section of the report following the introduction.

The spread of infrastructure requirements and variety in mechanisms used to secure contributions (infrastructure provision) from private sector was a reflection of the institutional framework in planning system.The study has identified that although both private and local authorities have a good understanding of the fundamental of concept of local infrastructure provision and the arguments for and against the use of private provision, there are still considerable areas of uncertainty surrounding the precise definition (as prescribed in the relevant legislations) and measurements of the key elements pertaining to local infrastructure.The findings revealed that the previous studies has tended to examine the nature of the practice of the infrastructure delivery within the framework of national economy and very little focus has been given to a comprehensive examination on how private developers can be involved in local infrastructure development.The primary problem is that there is no single framework available at the local level that might be considered or applied to secure infrastructure from private developers.The study then provides the parameters for securing contributions towards infrastructure provision. To achieve a complete understanding of this issue, it is necessary to appreciate the broader picture of what is required in terms of infrastructure for the operation of the urban environment.

Relatively few studies have investigated the strategies, policies, programmes, and projects concerning rural NEETs (namely, young people living in rural areas neither in employment nor in education or training). This special issue of Quality of Life Jour- nal is dedicated to fulfilling this gap in the literature. It contributes case studies from European Union (EU) member states. The primary purpose of this special issue is to approach and discuss the various strategies, policies, programmes, and projects appli- cable to youth rural NEETs. This special issue edition has sought to gather research papers (or critical, theoretical analysis on selected topics) covering NEETs strategies, policies, measures, programmes, and projects. These highlight the success factors and scope for transferability of good (or, how to avoid bad) practices. To that end, they examine pertinent labour market and NEET situations which can help to explain the context, reasons, and baseline for the various strategies and policy measures being implemented. They also cover assessment of NEET strategies by focusing on formal education, training and skills development, and active employment policies, in particular the role of Youth Guarantee in local/rural employment. Various other relevant factors are considered/examined, including: assessment of the NEET policy measures and results; objectives, target groups, geographical and sectoral scope in different economic activities, financial, legal and institutional frameworks; results and lessons learned, including adaptations due to crisis; domestic and international programmes, as well as numerous projects and instruments; difficulties and constraints; and, finally, assessment of the success factors and transferability of projects and strategies thereof

AbstractIn addition to fulfilling their primary function, the so-called “status-symbol” objects also vehicles of deeper meaning. Among them, yacht have been often seen as a tool to convey messages of different content throughout the years. The aim of this study is twofold: to show the evolution of yacht design meaning during the last decades, and to outline the future one, according to the redefinition of the concept of luxury goods, category of which yacht belong. The study results confirm that the yachting sector is starting to adopt new perspectives toward sustainability and that, to succeeded in this, the multidisciplinary of design is an essential aid, if not the only possible way to tackle the challenge to convey new messages.

AbstractProfessions are one means of organizing the delivery of goods and services. In this paper, the authors consider how the power and control of professional groups can change within specific fields of work due to a combination of endogenous and exogenous factors. Their case study is the changing role of UK architects within the private residential sector over the post-war period. The architect was once the primary actor who brought together, organized, and integrated the workflow of a myriad of contractors, legal agencies, and planning authorities, but this is no longer the case. To understand how this occurred, and whether the architectural profession could regain a key position in the UK housing industry, the authors conduct a broad historical analysis of the factors at play within the UK architectural profession and the industry as a whole that have resulted in this shift in knowledge, roles and power.

Abstract3D personal data is a type of data that contains useful information for product design, online sale services, medical research and patient follow-up.Currently, hospitals store and grow massive collections of 3D data that are not accessible by researchers, professionals or companies. About 2.7 petabytes a year are stored in the EU26.In parallel to the advances made in the healthcare sector, a new, low-cost 3D body-surface scanning technology has been developed for the goods consumer sector, namely, apparel, animation and art. It is estimated that currently one person is scanned every 15 min in the USA and Europe. And increasing.The 3D data of the healthcare sector can be used by designers and manufacturers of the consumer goods sector. At the same time, although 3D body-surface scanners have been developed primarily for the garment industry, 3D scanners’ low cost, non-invasive character and ease of use make them appealing for widespread clinical applications and large-scale epidemiological surveys.However, companies and professionals of the consumer goods sector cannot easily access the 3D data of the healthcare sector. And vice versa. Even exchanging information between data owners in the same sector is a big problem today. It is necessary to overcome problems related to data privacy and the processing of huge 3D datasets.To break these silos and foster the exchange of data between the two sectors, the BodyPass project has developed: (1) processes to harmonize 3D databases; (2) tools able to aggregate 3D data from different huge datasets; (3) tools for exchanging data and to assure anonymization and data protection (based on blockchain technology and distributed query engines); (4) services and visualization tools adapted to the necessities of the healthcare sector and the garment sector.These developments have been applied in practical cases by hospitals and companies of in the garment sector.

AbstractThe aquaculture sector has grown rapidly over the last two decades, particularly in Asia, providing a larger share of seafood for human consumption than capture fisheries. It has received attention for its contribution to poverty reduction and nutrition improvement for the poor. In this essay, we illustrate the brief history of the development of the aquaculture sector in Asia and present a case of the shrimp sector in Vietnam, one of the largest exporters in the global market in recent years. We show how the sector has developed, particularly in relation to rice production, using nationally-representative household-level data. We then examine a persistent challenge faced by the sector, the frequent occurrence of disease outbreaks, based on our analyses using primary data and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Specifically, we consider the role of spillovers among farmers and the importance of quantifying unobserved qualities in promoting the adoption of good practices. The effectiveness of digital technology in this area is discussed.

AbstractThe primary objective of the narrative, which spans the 1960s and 1990s, is to verify the contribution of industrial design – through the objects it uses (telephone sets but also fittings) and in their implications of function, form and production [1] – as a lever both in the private market (which Italtel Telematica used) but also considering how, beyond the object, the investment was part of a broader strategy of expansion of the telecommunications sector in Italy. The telephone, an element of connection par excellence that accompanied the physical and immaterial transition from mechanical to electronic and digital technology, in its parallel evolution with the development of communications technology, turns out to be only a piece, albeit an emblematic one, an instrument of cultural and social representation that satisfies the functional, symbolic and communicative dictates of every era.The essay therefore proposes a reinterpretation of the encounter between a fundamental player in Italy, Italtel – formerly Sit-Siemens (IRI) – with one of the nascent forces of the 1950s, industrial design, the new discipline that, in the years of the economic boom, promised through ‘good industrial product design’ the achievement of market success. The role of design as a catalyst for innovation and as one of the main drivers of Italian innovation in the Sit-Siemen and Italtel entrepreneurial venture is thus argued.

Abstract The education system of the province of Ontario, Canada ranks among the best in the world and has been touted as a model of excellence for other countries seeking to improve their education system. In a system-wide reform, leaders used a political and professional perspective to improve student performance on basic academic skills. The school system rose to renown after this reform which moved Ontario from a “good” system in 2000 to a “great” one between 2003 and 2010 (Mourshed M, Chijioke C, Barber M. How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better, a report McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/social-sector/our-insights/how-the-worlds-most-improved-school-systems-keep-getting-better, (2010)). Premier Dalton McGuinty arrived in office in 2003 with education as his priority and was dubbed the “Education Premier” because of this mandate. His plan for reform had two primary goals: to improve student literacy and numeracy, and to increase secondary school graduation rates. McGuinty also wanted to rebuild public trust that had been damaged under the previous administration. The essential element of Ontario’s approach to education reform was allowing educators to develop their own plans for improvement. Giving responsibility and freedom to educators was critical in improving professional norms and accountability among teachers (Mourshed M, Chijioke C, Barber M. How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better, a report McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/social-sector/our-insights/how-the-worlds-most-improved-school-systems-keep-getting-better, (2010)) and the sustained political leadership throughout the entire reform concluding in 2013 provided an extended trajectory for implementing and adjusting learning initiatives. The Ministry of Education’s Student Achievement Division, which was responsible for designing and implementing strategies for student success, took a flexible “learning as we go” attitude in which the reform strategy adapted and improved over time (Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group. The Ontario student achievement division student success strategy evidence of improvement study. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/research/EvidenceOfImprovementStudy.pdf, (2014)). This chapter will discuss influences on the reform design and key components of strategies to support student and teacher development and build a relationship of accountability and trust among teachers, the government and the public. The successes and shortcomings of this reform will be discussed in the context of their role in creating a foundation for the province’s next steps towards fostering twenty-first century competencies in classrooms.

In the text, the author asks the question whether, or under what conditions and to what extent, contractual arrangements entitling one of the contracting parties to determine or change the content of the obligation (Leistungsbestimmungsrecht; Unilateral Determination by a Party) are possible in Czech law. First, a historical and comparative analysis is carried out, which helps to illuminate the foundations underlying the current legislation and helps to structure the whole issue, as well as to deal with the arguments that have historically prevented such arrangements. A distinction is then drawn between unilateral determination by a party and ultimative proposals for change, and between a “genuine” unilateral change (i.e. one that has no basis in the parties’ agreement). The latter is addressed in the next section, where it is argued that it is not excluded in certain cases either. The detailed analysis, however, focuses primarily on the possibilities and limits of a non-genuine unilateral determination or amendment, both in terms of certainty, general contractual limits, and performance in accordance with the principle of fairness and good faith. Finally, provisions in adhesive contracts and consumer contracts are also thoroughly analyzed.

Industrialization and intensification in agriculture are becoming more necessary to meet the rising demand for food. The internet of things (IoT) is an exciting new development that has the potential to significantly improve agricultural practises worldwide. There is a continual effort by academic institutions and scientific communities to develop and market goods and services that use the IoT to solve various agricultural sectors. The primary objective of this study is to compile a comprehensive systematic literature review (SLR) that examines the utilization of internet of things (IoT) technologies in diverse agricultural domains, encompassing current applications, sensors/devices, communication protocols, and network categories. This entails consolidating research on IoT applications in agriculture. There's also a good discussion of the most pressing agricultural questions and problems.

The primary goal of luxury hotels is to give their visitors the best possible service in the most comfortable environment. Reaching the necessary high standards in, for example, heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation, cleaning, and laundry means that they have very high levels of energy and water use. The hospitality sector has historically had a dramatic environmental impact through energy and water consumption, use of consumable and durable goods, and solid and hazardous waste creation.

The COVID-19 outbreak has heavily influenced the way many businesses operate across all sectors linked to both changes in the consumer behavior, social-distancing restrictions and also the availability of resources and services (inc. public services) for businesses. These restrictions have influenced also the work of enterprises in the sector of bioeconomy � producers, processors and distributors of manufactured goods like food, clothing or home goods and other bio-based sectors both in the stages of primary production and processing and distribution. This study aims to assess the digitalisation process of the enterprises in the bioeconomy sector, the enterprise`s motivation for digitalisation and the impact of COVID-19 to the digitalisation of enterprises. It analyses the results of a survey carried out in Latvia in 2 phases � in 2020 and 2021 of entrepreneurs and employees of the enterprises working in the sector of bioeconomy, which allows to identify the digitalisation tools used by these enterprises and their motivation in moving towards the digital transformation.

Retail sector has always played and important role in the national economy. Any business is tendet towards satisfaction of consumer desires and needs, albeit profits. In relationships between companies and consumers both sides have their interests. For a company it, primary, is to increase the turnover and make profits, while the consumers may have several goals – to obtain the goods or services, to receive the necessary information and attitude. These consumer benefits are the basis for loyalty. Thus, the aim of the present paper is to research the loyalty formation process and its characteristics in the retail sector.

The goal of this paper is to analyse socio-economic role of value added agriculture in Uzbekistan. The main agricultural exports are cotton (raw and yarn), fruits, vegetables, leather, wool and fur. There is an opportunity to acquire more social and economic advantages by exporting finished goods, which are made out of primary agricultural commodities. Adding value to agricultural products lead to increasing the share of finished goods in export, supplying import-substituting products, improving infrastructure in rural areas, providing new jobs and growing people’s income. The paper presents the analyse of the agriculture sector in GDP and the production dynamics of the primary agricultural commodities during 2005-2014, as well as comparison the share of cotton, fruits, vegetables and leather in export in 2005 and 2014. Based on the analyses it is recommended to widely use value added agriculture in order to support people, who are living in rural areas in Uzbekistan.

The maritime transportation mode is the primary means for global goods movement, transforming ports into pivotal logistics centers in the operationalization of the supply chain. Due to its significance, terminals are constantly pressured to seek improvements in operational efficiency, relying on innovations as a necessary alternative to achieve their objectives. In this research, a case study was conducted at the private port in the city of Navegantes, located in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, being one of the national leading in container handling volume. The research aims to develop a performance evaluation model to support the management of external innovation in the port. The intervention tool used was the Multicriteria Decision Aiding-Constructivist (MCDA-C) methodology, which, through primary and secondary data, enables the construction of a customized model according to the decision-maker's preferences and organizational context. The results presented by the model highlighted opportunities for improvement in the port's relationship with other external actors, as there is no formal and organized procedure for seeking external cooperation for the development of innovative solutions. At the same time, the management understands the importance of innovations for the sustainability of the company, investing, albeit in a decentralized manner, in improvements of both internal and external origin. The research contributes to the growth of the literature on the subject, in addition to offering practical contributions to the port of Navegantes in the form of a model capable of supporting innovation management, generating knowledge, highlighting critical points, and outlining improvement plans.

The presented contribution focuses on describing the Value Added Tax refund to foreign tourists, specifically the Tax-Free Shopping incentive, that increases tourists’ propensity to buy retail goods where shopping can even sometimes be the primary reason for traveling. To have a practical analysis and comparison, four economies from South America were chosen. Colombia and Ecuador whose tax-refund system is entirely operated by the State and Argentina and Uruguay whose governments have decided to outsource their VAT refund service to tourists having private companies operate them. Adding to this, an evaluation of the main characteristics of these countries regarding the competitiveness of their tourism sector was gathered with data obtained from the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) Report (2019). The findings of this research provide a benchmark to tourism policymakers interested in assessing changes overtime on this type of incentive.

Joint industry-academia projects with regional industry have influenced creation of Florida’s First Coast Manufacturing Innovation Partnership (MIP). The development of MIP has the primary goals of project-centered innovations for technology transfer, training the regional workforce with relevance to industry, and sustainability of technology transfer through creation of high-technology jobs. The region known as Florida’s First Coast is one of the fastest growing in the nation and has received recent acclaim as a top location for new and emerging businesses and industries to relocate or expand. The importance of manufacturing to the economy is crucial. Every individual and industry depends on manufactured goods. This sector continues to account for 14% of US GDP and 11% of total US employment. One way to help expand the regional industrial base is to develop a shared resource support facility in the fields of manufacturing engineering and design. The first objective of MIP is to stimulate transformation of knowledge in design and manufacturing occurring in the academic domain to applied research and development in industry. This is accomplished with project-centered innovations developed using a shared manufacturing and design resource. The second objective of MIP is to develop partnerships with additional academic institutions with the common goal of producing students whose education satisfies the needs of the regional workforce with scientific and technological training with relevance to industry. This also includes a mentorship facet to attract and retain engineering students for the future. The third objective is to implement MIP for long-term sustainability of technology transfer and creation of high-technology jobs in the manufacturing engineering and design professions. Technology tools for innovation in advanced manufacturing, for example, robotics and automation, modular robotics, advanced manufacturing process development, manufacturing systems modeling, and simulation; and advanced design, for example, computer aided engineering including finite element modeling, design analysis, and rapid prototyping are used in support of projects in partnership with regional industrial companies. Joint industry-academic projects require the integration of research and the technical need of the partnering company. A critical level of innovation is accomplished with the outcomes of projects while providing a distinguishing educational background for the engineering graduates. Several partnership projects have been initiated under the auspices of MIP. These projects with local industry are outlined and serve as a platform for new and emerging projects for joint mutually beneficial collaboration between industry and academia.

On the road transportation sector, considering its deep involvement with many social expectations, assumed such proportions to become one of the major source of air pollution, mainly in urban highly congested areas. The use of reciprocating internal combustion engines (ICE) dominates the sector and the environmental dimension of the problem is under a strong attention of Governments. European Community, for instance, through sequences of regulations (EURO) reduced the emission allowed of primary pollutants; more recently, the Community added limits to climate-altering gases which directly refer to fuel consumption reduction. These limits today appear the new driver of the future engine and vehicle technological evolution. Similar efforts are under commitment by other developed countries (USA, Japan, etc,…) as well as also by the other Countries whose economic importance will dominate the markets in a very near future (BRICS Countries). The need to fulfill these issues and to keep the traditional engine expectations (torque, speed, fun to drive, etc..) triggered, especially in recent decades, a virtuous cycle whose result will be a new engine and vehicle era. The evolution till had today has been driven by the EURO limits and it demonstrated surprisingly that emission reduction and engine performances can be matched without compromises in both sides. Today, adding severe limits on equivalent CO2, emissions, it appears very difficult to predict how future engines (and vehicles) will be improved; new technologies are entering to further improve the traditional thermal powertrain but the way to a massive and more convinced electrification seems to be definitely opened. The two aspects will match in the sector of energy recovery which appears one of the most powerful tools for fuel consumption saving and CO2 reduction. When the recovery is done on exhaust gases it has an additional interest, having a moderate cost per unit of CO2 saved. The potentiality of this recovery is huge: 30%–35% of the chemical energy provided by the fuel is lost with the flue gases. For different reasons engines for passengers cars or goods transportation (light and heavy unit engines) as well those used for electricity generation (gen-set) are interested to this recovery: the first sector for the CO2 reduction, the second for the increasing value of electrical energy on the market. This wide interest is increasing the probability to have in a near future a reliable technology, being different actors pushing in this direction. In recent years the literature focused the attention to this recovery through a working fluid (organic type) on which the thermal energy is recovered by increasing its enthalpy. Thanks to a sequence of thermodynamic transformations (Rankine or Hirn cycle), mechanical work is produced. Both concept (Organic working fluid used and Rankine Cycle) are addressed as ORC technology. This overall technology has an evident complexity and doesn’t match with the need to keep reduced costs: it needs an energy recovery system at the gas side, an expander, a condenser and a pump. The space required by these components represents a limiting aspect. The variation of the flow rate and temperature of the gas (typical in ICE), as well as that at the condenser, represents additional critical aspect and call for suitable control strategies not yet exploited. In this paper the Authors studied an energy recovery method integrated with the turbocharging system, which does not require a working fluid making the recovery directly on the gas leaving the cylinders. Considering that the enthalpy drop across the turbine is usually higher than that requested by the compressor to boost the intake air, the concept was to consider an additional turbine which operates in parallel to the existing one. Room for recovery is guaranteed if one considers that a correct matching between turbine and compressor is actually done bypassing part of the exhaust gas from the turbine (waste gate) or using a variable geometry turbine (VGT) which, in any case, represents an energy loss. An additional positive feature is that this recovery does not impact on engine performances and the main components which realizes the recovery (valves & turbine) are technologically proven. In order to evaluate the potentiality of such recovery, the Authors developed a theoretical activity which represents the matching between turbocharger and engine. Thanks to an experimental characterization done on an IVECO F1C 16v JTD engine, an overall virtual platform was set up. The result produced a very satisfactory representation of the cited engine in terms of mechanical engine performances, relevant engine flow rates, pressures and temperatures. The ECU functions were represented too, such as boost pressure, EGR rates, rack control of VGT, etc… Two new direct recovery configurations have been conceived and implemented in the engine virtual platform.

In order to promptly model the cross-sectoral impact of the market crisis (macro-level impact in the narrow sense) that primarily has a direct impact on agriculture and food production, but due to the cross-sectoral linkages, the full impact also includes the impact on other sectors and the overall impact on the economy (macro level in the broadest sense), the input-output modelling tool is used. Two scenarios have been modelled: the effect of external shocks on the demand for products from the agricultural and food production sectors. Latvian farmers, producers and consumers are mostly price takers, therefore the changes in the global price level largely determine the price level in the domestic market. The modelling of the first scenario which involves a decline of food industry exports by 40%, assuming that household consumption remains at its previous level and is not initially affected and replaced by cheaper imported food industry goods, results in the net final consumption expenditures on food products decrease by 30.1%, resulting in a 25.1% drop in food industry output, also affecting the output of agriculture (-8.3%) and fishing (-10.9%). The impact on other sectors is relatively minor. The total net final consumption declined by 1.8%, but the domestic output -2.5%. Modelling the second shock scenario with two sub-scenarios the product market is experiencing a shock and export demand is declining by 50%. Modelling results show that agriculture itself has the most significant impact due to a decrease in the net final consumption expenditure by 44.2%, while agricultural output by 28.1%. The food production output declined by 0.8%, the total output – by 1.9%, and the total value-added – by 1.4%. The use of the input-output approach is directly linked to the available data on agricultural subsectors and their linkage with all other sectors of the economy.

Aerodynamic investigations in a cold flow annular sector high-pressure turbine cascade test facility and an annular sector cascade facility operating at near-engine conditions are presented. The test section of both facilities is a 36° sector cascade of a modern turbine stator consisting of 6 vanes. The two facilities have been designed in order to gain detailed information concerning film cooled gas turbine vanes. Due to the operation conditions of the hot annular sector cascade it takes over the part of detailed investigations of the influence of film cooling on the heat transfer. In the cold annular sector cascade facility investigations on the aerodynamic behavior of the cascade are performed. Both facilities together will lead to a better understanding of the complicate three-dimensional flow in modern gas turbines. A detailed description of both facilities is given in this paper. Aerodynamic investigations in both facilities were performed. The in- and outlet Mach number and profile Mach number distribution is in good agreement in both of them and shows a periodic flow filed. Aerodynamic performance measurements in the cold flow facility have been conducted by means of a five-hole pneumatic pressure probe traverses 106% of cax downstream of the cascade to gain information about the quality of the flow field across flow passages “+1” and “–1” in terms of yaw angle, pitch angle and primary loss distribution. Comparison with a three dimensional Navier Stokes solvers show a very good agreement with the measurements. In order to deduce the external heat transfer coefficient on the vane a transient test procedure was adopted in the high-pressure hot facility. The dependency of the heat transfer coefficients on the Reynolds number is presented in the paper. The experimental results show reasonable agreement with calculations using a two dimensional boundary layer code.

A typical 1000MW pressurized-water reactor (PWR) unit model of China’s living nuclear power plant (NPP) units is built based on MAAP4[1] in this paper. Different severe accidents cases caused by different LOCA area on hot leg of primary loop are studied. And different mitigation measures are focused to evaluated their effectiveness. The study indicates that during the accident, the larger broken area LOCA case caused the more severe rector core damaged. However, it is important to inject water into the reactor core in good time. And that can mitigate the severe accident progress effectively.

This study analyzes the challenges the Dominican Republic faces to increase educational levels, particularly of the poor, making the case that, in the regional context, the Dominican Republic educational system is simultaneously an overachiever in education enrollment and an underperformer in attainments. Where things fall apart is in turning this attendance record into years of schooling, a very rough firstpass measure of skills. The main reason for divergent performance (high enrollment but very low attainment) is high repetition rates. The Dominican Republic's main challenge is to understand and address the causes of repetition and weak progression. This will most likely require a host of interventions to improve equity of access to good-quality education both in rural and urban marginal areas and to ease supply bottlenecks in the second cycle of primary education in rural areas and in secondary education in both urban and rural areas. This will require a sustainable increase in both the level and efficiency of public expenditures on primary and, even more, on secondary education.

Since its entry into force, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been enormously influential as a model for trade liberalization. While trade in goods among Canada, the United States and Mexico has been liberalized to a significant degree, this most famous of agreements nonetheless contains areas of recalcitrant protectionism. The first part of this paper identifies these "outlier sectors" and classifies them by primary source advocating protectionism, i.e., producer interests or governments themselves. The second part of the paper analyzes the characteristics of each source.

This case study engages with the journey of Good Business Lab (GBL), a non-profit registered in Bengaluru in 2017 that today has offices across India, as well as the USA and Latin America. Good Business Lab aims to apply research to steer businesses (primarily in labor-intensive industries such as manufacturing), to invest in the wellbeing of their workers. Through its ability to marry rigorous research techniques to its concerted intent to strike the balance between business and worker, GBL today occupies a notable niche within the Indian social sector ecosystem. The case study explores the experience of GBL, which now includes almost 100 full-time employees, in designing an organization to operate at these edges and involving talent across different locations. For a young organization with a strong research and academic focus, GBL has paid unusually detailed attention to how it works within, how it can sustain itself and, in particular, how it can integrate lessons of the central conceptual strand of its research—wellbeing—into its own organizational precepts and practice.

Canada has the potential for good long-term development of its mineral resources, and needs to maintain a competitive position for crude minerals in export markets. Therefore, Canada should strongly support the mineral exploration and mining sectors. This conclusion is reinforced by the finding that most of the other countries in this study, which represent much of the world's mining technology and mining education expertise, are in or are approaching the decline phase of their mining industries' life cycles. They are also dependent on imported crude minerals, and are turning their R&D focus away from primary resources towards substitution and efficiency in the use of raw materials. This pattern of R&D focus is not appropriate for Canada, although it is in fact being followed. Canada should stress R&D in extractive metallurgy with a special emphasis on environmental and health aspects and on conservation of energy. This can give Canada a comparative advantage in smelting and refining over the United States and Western Europe, where the cost pressures resulting from dependence on raw materials and energy and from environmental controls make such R&D investments relatively unattractive. Canada should make special efforts to compensate for and reduce the negative effects of the prevalent separation of scientists and engineers from management and formulators of public policy. These three initiatives, if adopted, should help Canada to realize the benefits of its mineral endowment, to keep its mineral sector viable for the long term, to take advantage of opportunities arising from the decline of the primary mineral sectors in other countries, and to avoid being le ft potential. behind by newly emerging countries with mineral The views expressed in this report and in the background study are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Centre for Resource Studies and its sponsors, or of The Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET).

Low-fee private schools are today recognised as important players in the education market in developing countries, as they are argued to provide at least marginally better education than is on offer in the state schools. Leading international development agencies have begun encouraging governments in developing countries to include them within the policy-planning process. Based on fieldwork in two urban neighbourhoods in Pakistan, this paper shows that low-income parents are keen to secure good-quality education for their children, but they have to choose not only between state schools and low-fee private schools but also from among an array of low-fee tuition providers in their immediate neighbourhood to ensure that the child can cope in class, complete daily homework assignments, and pass exams in order to transition to the next grade. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that whether their child is enrolled in a state school or in a low-fee private school, the parents’ dependence on low-fee tuition providers is absolute: without their services, the child will not progress through the primary grades. Yet the sector remains entirely under-researched. The paper argues for the need to map the scale of this sector, document the household spending on it, and bring it within policy debates, placing it alongside low-fee private schools and state schools in order to provide access to primary education to all and improve the quality of education. At the same time it complicates the existing debates on low-fee private schools, by showing that parents on very low incomes — in this case households where mothers are employed as domestic workers and fathers are in casual employment — find them inaccessible; it also shows that household spending on education needs to take into account not just the charges imposed by low-fee schools, but also the cost of securing religious education, which is equally valued by the parents and is not free, and also the cost of paying the low-fee tuition provider. When all these costs are taken into account, the concerns that low-fee private schools are not truly accessible to the poor gain further traction. The paper also shows that mothers end up bearing the primary burden, having to work to cover the costs of their children’s education, because the core income provided by the father can barely cover the household costs.

With the global increase in the use of traditional and complementary remedies for the prevention and treatment of illness, the quality and safety of these medicines have become a significant concern for all regulatory authorities. Herbal medicines are the most commonly used form of traditional and complementary medicines in the world and the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines, like conventional medicines, largely depends on their quality from planting to harvesting, preprocessing and final processing. Due to the inherent complexity of herbal medicines, often containing an array of active compounds, the primary processing of herbal medicines has a direct influence on their quality. Quality concerns are the reason why the medicines regulatory agencies insist that manufacturers of medicines strictly follow Good Manufacturing Practices since it is an essential tool to prevent instances of contamination, mix-ups, deviations, failures and errors. However, a strict application of GMP requirements is expensive and would drive the prices of the manufactured products up. As a result, a maturity level grading of facilities is proposed as a way of justifying the costs incurred for manufacturers desiring to reach a broader market and investing in continuous improvement. 36 Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspection reports of local herbal manufacturers conducted by National Drug Authority were analyzed to establish the type and extent of deficiencies to GMP requirements for local herbal manufacturers in Uganda. The different GMP chapters and related sub-parameters constituted the variables used for the analysis of conformity to requirements. The primary outcome variable was the conclusion regarding compliance or noncompliance of the inspected local herbal manufacturing facility. GMP parameters that were frequently defaulted by local herbal manufacturers and the corresponding frequencies were identified. The Pearson Chi-square test was applied independently on each category to find the association that existed between conformity and the questions in each category. Only 22% (8) of the 30 inspected facilities were found to comply with GMP requirements, as per National Drug Authority (NDA) guidelines; while the majority of the facilities, 28 (78%), were found not to comply. Of the facilities inspected, 25 were undergoing GMP inspection for the first time. A total of 1,236 deficiency observations were made in the 36 inspection reports reviewed for the study. The mean for all deficiencies was 34.3, and the standard deviation was 15.829. 91.5% of the facilities did not have mechanisms for a record of market complaints; 80.9% did not meet documentation requirements; 78.9% did not have quality control measures in place, and 65.7% did not meet stores requirements. By encouraging a culture of self/voluntary improvement through the introduction of listing of manufacturers based on a maturity level grading, the National Drug Authority will improve the Herbal Medicines sector as per the mandate of improving the herbal medicine industry. Also, increased sensitization of all relevant stakeholders regarding the requirements for GMP should be intensified.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), a component of Pharmaceutical Quality Systems, is aimed primarily at managing and minimizing the risks inherent in pharmaceutical manufacture to ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of products. Provision of adequate number of personnel with the necessary qualifications/practical experience and their continuous training and evaluation of effectiveness of the training is the responsibility of the manufacturer. (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014; International Organization for Standardization [ISO], 2015). The classroom method of training that has been used for GMP capacity building in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Nigeria over the years, delivered by experts from stringently regulated markets, have not yielded commensurate improvement in the Quality Management Systems (QMS) in the industry. It is necessary and long over-due to explore an alternative training method that has a track record of success in other sectors. A lot of studies carried out on mentoring as a development tool in several fields such as academia, medicine, business, research etc., reported positive outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore mentoring as an alternative GMP training method in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Nigeria. Specifically, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of mentoring as a GMP capability building tool in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Nigeria, with focus on GMP documentations in XYZ pharmaceutical manufacturing company located in South-Western region of Nigeria. The methodology comprised gap assessment of GMP documentation of XYZ company to generate current state data, development of training materials based on the identified gaps and use of the training materials for the mentoring sessions. The outcome of the study was outstanding as gap assessment identified the areas of need that enabled development efforts to be targeted at these areas, unlike generic classroom training. The mentees’ acceptance of the mentoring support was evident by their request for additional training in some other areas related to the microbiology operations that were not covered in the gap assessment. This result portrays mentoring as a promising tool for GMP capacity building, but more structured studies need to be conducted in this area to generate results that can be generalized.

The National Park Service (NPS) Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program administered by the NPS Water Resources Division evaluates current conditions for important natural resources and resource indicators using primarily existing information and data. NRCAs also report on trends in resource condition, when possible, identify critical data gaps, and characterize a general level of confidence for study findings. This NRCA complements previous scientific endeavors, is multi-disciplinary in scope, employs a hierarchical indicator framework, identifies and develops reference conditions/values for comparison against current conditions, and emphasizes spatial evaluation of conditions where possible. Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial (LIBO) was authorized by an act of Congress on February 19, 1962, (Public Law 87-407) to preserve the site associated with the boyhood and family of President Abraham Lincoln, including a portion of the original Tom Lincoln farm and the nearby gravesite of Nancy Hanks Lincoln. The 200-acre memorial commemorates the pioneer farm where Abraham Lincoln lived from the age of 7 to 21. The NRCA for LIBO employed a scoping process involving Colorado State University, LIBO and other NPS staffs to establish the NRCA framework, identify important park resources, and gather existing information and data. Indicators and measures for each resource were then identified and evaluated. Data and information were analyzed and synthesized to provide summaries and address condition, trend and confidence using a standardized but flexible framework. A total of nine focal resources were examined: four addressing system and human dimensions, one addressing chemical and physical attributes, and four addressing biological attributes. The quality and currentness of data used for the evaluation varied by resource. Landscape context ? system and human dimensions included land cover and land use, natural night skies, soundscape, and climate change. Climate change and land cover/land use were not assigned a condition or trend?they provide important context to the memorial and many natural resources and can be stressors. Some of the land cover and land use-related stressors at LIBO and in the larger region are related to the development of rural land and increases in population/housing over time. The trend in land development, coupled with the lack of significantly sized and linked protected areas, presents significant challenges to the conservation of natural resources of LIBO to also include natural night skies, natural sounds and scenery. Climate change is happening and is affecting resources, but is not considered good or bad per se. The information synthesized in that section is useful in examining potential trends in the vulnerability of sensitive resources and broad habitat types such as forests. Night skies and soundscapes, significantly altered by disturbance due to traffic, development and urbanization, warrant significant and moderate concern, respectively, and appear to be in decline. Air quality was the sole resource supporting chemical and physical environment at the memorial. The condition of air quality can affect human dimensions of the park such as visibility and scenery as well as biological components such as the effect of ozone levels on vegetation health. Air quality warrants significant concern and is largely impacted by historical and current land uses outside the memorial boundary. The floral biological component was examined by assessing native species composition, Mean Coefficient of Conservation, Floristic Quality Assessment Index, invasive exotic plants, forest pests and disease, and forest vulnerability to climate change. Vegetation resources at LIBO have been influenced by historical land uses that have changed the species composition and age structure of these communities. Although large tracts of forests can be found surrounding the park, the majority of forested areas are fragmented, and few areas within and around LIBO exhibit late-successional or old-growth characteristics. Vegetation communities at LIBO have a long history of being impacted by a variety of stressors and threats including noxious and invasive weeds, diseases and insect pests; compounding effects of climate change, air pollution, acid rain/atmospheric chemistry, and past land uses; and impacts associated with overabundant white-tail deer populations. These stressors and threats have collectively shaped and continue to impact plant community condition and ecological succession. The sole metric in good condition was native species composition, while all other indicators and metrics warranted either moderate or significant concern. The faunal biological components examined included birds, herptiles, and mammals. Birds (unchanging trend) and herptiles (no trend determined) warrant moderate concern, while mammal populations warrant significant concern (no trend determined). The confidence of both herptiles and mammals was low due to length of time since data were last collected. Current forest structure within and surrounding LIBO generally reflects the historical overstory composition but changes in the hardwood forest at LIBO and the surrounding area have resulted in declines in the avian fauna of the region since the 1970s. The decline in woodland bird populations has been caused by multiple factors including the conversion of hardwood forest to other land cover types, habitat fragmentation, and increasing human population growth. The identification of data gaps during the course of the assessment is an important NRCA outcome. Resource-specific details are presented in each resource section. In some cases, significant data gaps contributed to the resource not being evaluated or low confidence in the condition or trend being assigned to a resource. Primary data gaps and uncertainties encountered were lack of recent survey data, uncertainties regarding reference conditions, availability of consistent long-term data, and the need for more robust or sensitive sampling designs. Impacts associated with development outside the park will continue to stress some resources. Regionally, the direct and indirect effects of climate change are likely but specific outcomes are uncertain. Nonetheless, within the past several decades, some progress has been made toward restoring the quality of natural resources within the park, most notably the forested environments. Regional and park-specific mitigation and adaptation strategies are needed to maintain or improve the condition of some resources over time. Success will require acknowledging a ?dynamic change context? that manages widespread and volatile problems while confronting uncertainties, managing natural and cultural resources simultaneously and interdependently, developing disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge, and establishing connectivity across broad landscapes beyond park borders.

Banco de la República is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2023. This is a very significant anniversary and one that provides an opportunity to highlight the contribution the Bank has made to the country’s development. Its track record as guarantor of monetary stability has established it as the one independent state institution that generates the greatest confidence among Colombians due to its transparency, management capabilities, and effective compliance with the central banking and cultural responsibilities entrusted to it by the Constitution and the Law. On a date as important as this, the Board of Directors of Banco de la República (BDBR) pays tribute to the generations of governors and officers whose commitment and dedication have contributed to the growth of this institution.1 Banco de la República’s mandate was confirmed in the National Constitutional Assembly of 1991 where the citizens had the opportunity to elect the seventy people who would have the task of drafting a new constitution. The leaders of the three political movements with the most votes were elected as chairs to the Assembly, and this tripartite presidency reflected the plurality and the need for consensus among the different political groups to move the reform forward. Among the issues considered, the National Constitutional Assembly gave special importance to monetary stability. That is why they decided to include central banking and to provide Banco de la República with the necessary autonomy to use the instruments for which they are responsible without interference from other authorities. The constituent members understood that ensuring price stability is a state duty and that the entity responsible for this task must be enshrined in the Constitution and have the technical capability and institutional autonomy necessary to adopt the decisions they deem appropriate to achieve this fundamental objective in coordination with the general economic policy. In particular, Article 373 established that “the State, through Banco de la República, shall ensure the maintenance of the purchasing power of the currency,” a provision that coincided with the central banking system adopted by countries that have been successful in controlling inflation. In 1999, in Ruling 481, the Constitutional Court stated that “the duty to maintain the purchasing power of the currency applies to not only the monetary, credit, and exchange authority, i.e., the Board of Banco de la República, but also those who have responsibilities in the formulation and implementation of the general economic policy of the country” and that “the basic constitutional purpose of Banco de la República is the protection of a sound currency. However, this authority must take the other economic objectives of state intervention such as full employment into consideration in their decisions since these functions must be coordinated with the general economic policy.” The reforms to Banco de la República agreed upon in the Constitutional Assembly of 1991 and in Act 31/1992 can be summarized in the following aspects: i) the Bank was assigned a specific mandate: to maintain the purchasing power of the currency in coordination with the general economic policy; ii) the BDBR was designatedas the monetary, foreign exchange, and credit authority; iii) the Bank and its Board of Directors were granted a significant degree of independence from the government; iv) the Bank was prohibited from granting credit to the private sector except in the case of the financial sector; v) established that in order to grant credit to the government, the unanimous vote of its Board of Directors was required except in the case of open market transactions; vi) determined that the legislature may, in no case, order credit quotas in favor of the State or individuals; vii) Congress was appointed, on behalf of society, as the main addressee of the Bank’s reporting exercise; and viii) the responsibility for inspection, surveillance, and control over Banco de la República was delegated to the President of the Republic. The members of the National Constitutional Assembly clearly understood that the benefits of low and stable inflation extend to the whole of society and contribute mto the smooth functioning of the economic system. Among the most important of these is that low inflation promotes the efficient use of productive resources by allowing relative prices to better guide the allocation of resources since this promotes economic growth and increases the welfare of the population. Likewise, low inflation reduces uncertainty about the expected return on investment and future asset prices. This increases the confidence of economic agents, facilitates long-term financing, and stimulates investment. Since the low-income population is unable to protect itself from inflation by diversifying its assets, and a high proportion of its income is concentrated in the purchase of food and other basic goods that are generally the most affected by inflationary shocks, low inflation avoids arbitrary redistribution of income and wealth.2 Moreover, low inflation facilitates wage negotiations, creates a good labor climate, and reduces the volatility of employment levels. Finally, low inflation helps to make the tax system more transparent and equitable by avoiding the distortions that inflation introduces into the value of assets and income that make up the tax base. From the monetary authority’s point of view, one of the most relevant benefits of low inflation is the credibility that economic agents acquire in inflation targeting, which turns it into an effective nominal anchor on price levels. Upon receiving its mandate, and using its autonomy, Banco de la República began to announce specific annual inflation targets as of 1992. Although the proposed inflation targets were not met precisely during this first stage, a downward trend in inflation was achieved that took it from 32.4% in 1990 to 16.7% in 1998. At that time, the exchange rate was kept within a band. This limited the effectiveness of monetary policy, which simultaneously sought to meet an inflation target and an exchange rate target. The Asian crisis spread to emerging economies and significantly affected the Colombian economy. The exchange rate came under strong pressure to depreciate as access to foreign financing was cut off under conditions of a high foreign imbalance. This, together with the lack of exchange rate flexibility, prevented a countercyclical monetary policy and led to a 4.2% contraction in GDP that year. In this context of economic slowdown, annual inflation fell to 9.2% at the end of 1999, thus falling below the 15% target set for that year. This episode fully revealed how costly it could be, in terms of economic activity, to have inflation and exchange rate targets simultaneously. Towards the end of 1999, Banco de la República announced the adoption of a new monetary policy regime called the Inflation Targeting Plan. This regime, known internationally as ‘Inflation Targeting,’ has been gaining increasing acceptance in developed countries, having been adopted in 1991 by New Zealand, Canada, and England, among others, and has achieved significant advances in the management of inflation without incurring costs in terms of economic activity. In Latin America, Brazil and Chile also adopted it in 1999. In the case of Colombia, the last remaining requirement to be fulfilled in order to adopt said policy was exchange rate flexibility. This was realized around September 1999, when the BDBR decided to abandon the exchange-rate bands to allow the exchange rate to be freely determined in the market.Consistent with the constitutional mandate, the fundamental objective of this new policy approach was “the achievement of an inflation target that contributes to maintaining output growth around its potential.”3 This potential capacity was understood as the GDP growth that the economy can obtain if it fully utilizes its productive resources. To meet this objective, monetary policy must of necessity play a countercyclical role in the economy. This is because when economic activity is below its potential and there are idle resources, the monetary authority can reduce the interest rate in the absence of inflationary pressure to stimulate the economy and, when output exceeds its potential capacity, raise it. This policy principle, which is immersed in the models for guiding the monetary policy stance, makes the following two objectives fully compatible in the medium term: meeting the inflation target and achieving a level of economic activity that is consistent with its productive capacity. To achieve this purpose, the inflation targeting system uses the money market interest rate (at which the central bank supplies primary liquidity to commercial banks) as the primary policy instrument. This replaced the quantity of money as an intermediate monetary policy target that Banco de la República, like several other central banks, had used for a long time. In the case of Colombia, the objective of the new monetary policy approach implied, in practical terms, that the recovery of the economy after the 1999 contraction should be achieved while complying with the decreasing inflation targets established by the BDBR. The accomplishment of this purpose was remarkable. In the first half of the first decade of the 2000s, economic activity recovered significantly and reached a growth rate of 6.8% in 2006. Meanwhile, inflation gradually declined in line with inflation targets. That was how the inflation rate went from 9.2% in 1999 to 4.5% in 2006, thus meeting the inflation target established for that year while GDP reached its potential level. After this balance was achieved in 2006, inflation rebounded to 5.7% in 2007, above the 4.0% target for that year due to the fact that the 7.5% GDP growth exceeded the potential capacity of the economy.4 After proving the effectiveness of the inflation targeting system in its first years of operation, this policy regime continued to consolidate as the BDBR and the technical staff gained experience in its management and state-of-the-art economic models were incorporated to diagnose the present and future state of the economy and to assess the persistence of inflation deviations and expectations with respect to the inflation target. Beginning in 2010, the BDBR established the long-term 3.0% annual inflation target, which remains in effect today. Lower inflation has contributed to making the macroeconomic environment more stable, and this has favored sustained economic growth, financial stability, capital market development, and the functioning of payment systems. As a result, reductions in the inflationary risk premia and lower TES and credit interest rates were achieved. At the same time, the duration of public domestic debt increased significantly going from 2.27 years in December 2002 to 5.86 years in December 2022, and financial deepening, measured as the level of the portfolio as a percentage of GDP, went from around 20% in the mid-1990s to values above 45% in recent years in a healthy context for credit institutions.Having been granted autonomy by the Constitution to fulfill the mandate of preserving the purchasing power of the currency, the tangible achievements made by Banco de la República in managing inflation together with the significant benefits derived from the process of bringing inflation to its long-term target, make the BDBR’s current challenge to return inflation to the 3.0% target even more demanding and pressing. As is well known, starting in 2021, and especially in 2022, inflation in Colombia once again became a serious economic problem with high welfare costs. The inflationary phenomenon has not been exclusive to Colombia and many other developed and emerging countries have seen their inflation rates move away from the targets proposed by their central banks.5 The reasons for this phenomenon have been analyzed in recent Reports to Congress, and this new edition delves deeper into the subject with updated information. The solid institutional and technical base that supports the inflation targeting approach under which the monetary policy strategy operates gives the BDBR the necessary elements to face this difficult challenge with confidence. In this regard, the BDBR reiterated its commitment to the 3.0% inflation target in its November 25 communiqué and expects it to be reached by the end of 2024.6 Monetary policy will continue to focus on meeting this objective while ensuring the sustainability of economic activity, as mandated by the Constitution. Analyst surveys done in March showed a significant increase (from 32.3% in January to 48.5% in March) in the percentage of responses placing inflation expectations two years or more ahead in a range between 3.0% and 4.0%. This is a clear indication of the recovery of credibility in the medium-term inflation target and is consistent with the BDBR’s announcement made in November 2022. The moderation of the upward trend in inflation seen in January, and especially in February, will help to reinforce this revision of inflation expectations and will help to meet the proposed targets. After reaching 5.6% at the end of 2021, inflation maintained an upward trend throughout 2022 due to inflationary pressures from both external sources, associated with the aftermath of the pandemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, and domestic sources, resulting from: strengthening of local demand; price indexation processes stimulated by the increase in inflation expectations; the impact on food production caused by the mid-2021 strike; and the pass-through of depreciation to prices. The 10% increase in the minimum wage in 2021 and the 16% increase in 2022, both of which exceeded the actual inflation and the increase in productivity, accentuated the indexation processes by establishing a high nominal adjustment benchmark. Thus, total inflation went to 13.1% by the end of 2022. The annual change in food prices, which went from 17.2% to 27.8% between those two years, was the most influential factor in the surge in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Another segment that contributed significantly to price increases was regulated products, which saw the annual change go from 7.1% in December 2021 to 11.8% by the end of 2022. The measure of core inflation excluding food and regulated items, in turn, went from 2.5% to 9.5% between the end of 2021 and the end of 2022. The substantial increase in core inflation shows that inflationary pressure has spread to most of the items in the household basket, which is characteristic of inflationary processes with generalized price indexation as is the case in Colombia. Monetary policy began to react early to this inflationary pressure. Thus, starting with its September 2021 session, the BDBR began a progressive change in the monetary policy stance moving away from the historical low of a 1.75% policy rate that had intended to stimulate the recovery of the economy. This adjustment process continued without interruption throughout 2022 and into the beginning of 2023 when the monetary policy rate reached 12.75% last January, thus accumulating an increase of 11 percentage points (pp). The public and the markets have been surprised that inflation continued to rise despite significant interest rate increases. However, as the BDBR has explained in its various communiqués, monetary policy works with a lag. Just as in 2022 economic activity recovered to a level above the pre-pandemic level, driven, along with other factors, by the monetary stimulus granted during the pandemic period and subsequent months, so too the effects of the current restrictive monetary policy will gradually take effect. This will allow us to expect the inflation rate to converge to 3.0% by the end of 2024 as is the BDBR’s purpose.Inflation results for January and February of this year showed declining marginal increases (13 bp and 3 bp respectively) compared to the change seen in December (59 bp). This suggests that a turning point in the inflation trend is approaching. In other Latin American countries such as Chile, Brazil, Perú, and Mexico, inflation has peaked and has begun to decline slowly, albeit with some ups and downs. It is to be expected that a similar process will take place in Colombia in the coming months. The expected decline in inflation in 2023 will be due, along with other factors, to lower cost pressure from abroad as a result of the gradual normalization of supply chains, the overcoming of supply shocks caused by the weather, and road blockades in previous years. This will be reflected in lower adjustments in food prices, as has already been seen in the first two months of the year and, of course, the lagged effect of monetary policy. The process of inflation convergence to the target will be gradual and will extend beyond 2023. This process will be facilitated if devaluation pressure is reversed. To this end, it is essential to continue consolidating fiscal sustainability and avoid messages on different public policy fronts that generate uncertainty and distrust. 1 This Report to Congress includes Box 1, which summarizes the trajectory of Banco de la República over the past 100 years. In addition, under the Bank’s auspices, several books that delve into various aspects of the history of this institution have been published in recent years. See, for example: Historia del Banco de la República 1923-2015; Tres banqueros centrales; Junta Directiva del Banco de la República: grandes episodios en 30 años de historia; Banco de la República: 90 años de la banca central en Colombia. 2 This is why lower inflation has been reflected in a reduction of income inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient that went from 58.7 in 1998 to 51.3 in the year prior to the pandemic. 3 See Gómez Javier, Uribe José Darío, Vargas Hernando (2002). “The Implementation of Inflation Targeting in Colombia”. Borradores de Economía, No. 202, March, available at: https://repositorio.banrep.gov.co/handle/20.500.12134/5220 4 See López-Enciso Enrique A.; Vargas-Herrera Hernando and Rodríguez-Niño Norberto (2016). “The inflation targeting strategy in Colombia. An historical view.” Borradores de Economía, No. 952. https://repositorio.banrep.gov.co/handle/20.500.12134/6263 5 According to the IMF, the percentage change in consumer prices between 2021 and 2022 went from 3.1% to 7.3% for advanced economies, and from 5.9% to 9.9% for emerging market and developing economies. 6 https://www.banrep.gov.co/es/noticias/junta-directiva-banco-republica-reitera-meta-inflacion-3

This Technical Note is primarily intended for use by Chinese investors and EPC firms, specifically senior management and decision makers responsible for the planning, design and delivery of the EHS strategy and safeguards when operating in LAC. It may also be used as a reference for LAC governments and companies. The Technical Note focuses primarily on mining, oil and gas (i.e. extractive), infrastructure and agriculture activities as key sectors; although there is recognition that large projects may involve associated facilities such as roads, railroads, dams or transmission lines. Regional context and regulations are focused on three countries, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru, given the growing Chinese investments in these countries and the advancements of their EHS regulations. The Technical Note is practical and generic in order to be applicable to the construction of various project types throughout LAC. Case studies for specific projects and industries can be found in Appendix A.