Enabling policy making processes by unifying and reconciling corporate names in public procurement data. The CORFU technique

This paper introduces the design, implementation and evaluation of the CORFU technique to deal with corporate name ambiguities and heterogeneities in the context of public procurement meta-data. This technique is applied to the "PublicSpending.ner initiative to show how the unification of corporate names is the cornerstone to provide a visualization service that can serve policy-makers to detect and prevent upcoming necessities. Furthermore, a research study to evaluate the precision, recall and robustness of the proposed technique is conducted using more than 40 million of names extracted from public procurement datasets (Australia, United States and United Kingdom) and the CrocTail projec

Deep Vacuity : detecção e classificação automática de padrões com risco de conluio em dados públicos de licitações de obras

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Ciência da Computação, 2021.A identificação de fraudes e conluios em licitações de obras públicas é uma tarefa man- ual dispendiosa dependente tanto de experiência profissional quanto de profundo conheci- mento técnico e legal. As bases de dados públicas, aliadas a dados de licitações e contratos previamente analisados por peritos criminais altamente capacitados, formaram a base de dados passível de ser analisada para a identificação de atos ilícitos. Neste trabalho é pro- posta uma metodologia para realizar a detecção e classificação automática de padrões de conluio em licitações públicas, utilizando como fontes os dados disponíveis nos principais repositórios oficiais públicos, agregando a utilização de técnicas de reconhecimento de padrões para a realização deste objetivo proposto. Em uma abordagem inicial, obteve-se com sucesso para a formação da base de dados do trabalho um total de 15.132.968 pub- licações da Seção 3 do Diário Oficial da União em formato de texto e 1.907 documentos como referência de indicativo de atividades de conluio (estes disponibilizados por institu- ição parceira) que indicavam risco no processo licitatório. Foram testados modelos lineares clássicos, redes neurais profundas, bottleneck, Bi-LSTM e multicanal com vetorização do texto com TF-IDF e DOC2VEC, e dados estruturados extraídos do texto. O melhor F1- score foi obtido com o modelo passive-aggressive com 93,4% e o modelo bottleneck obteve 93,0% com melhor precisão.Identifying fraud and collusion in public bids is an expensive manual task and de- pendent on professional experience using in-depth technical and legal knowledge. Public databases, allied to bidding and contract data previously analyzed by highly trained crim- inal experts, form the database that can be analyzed for irregularities identification. This work proposes a methodology for automatic detection and classification of collusion pat- terns in public bids text, using data sources available on main public official repositories and adding pattern recognition techniques to achieve a model that detects and classifies this pattern. In an initial approach, a total of 15, 132, 968 publications of the Diario Oficial da União news, Section 3, in text format and 1, 907 documents as a reference for collusion activities were successfully obtained for the formation of the central work database (pro- vided by a partner institution) that indicated risk in the bidding process. Classic linear models, deep neural networks, bottleneck, Bi-LSTM, and multichannel were tested with text vectorization with TF-IDF and DOC2VEC, and structured data extracted from the text. The best F1-score was obtained with a passive-aggressive model with 93.4%, but the bottleneck model obtained 93.0% with better precision

Resource discovery in heterogeneous digital content environments

The concept of 'resource discovery' is central to our understanding of how users explore, navigate, locate and retrieve information resources. This submission for a PhD by Published Works examines a series of 11 related works which explore topics pertaining to resource discovery, each demonstrating heterogeneity in their digital discovery context. The assembled works are prefaced by nine chapters which seek to review and critically analyse the contribution of each work, as well as provide contextualization within the wider body of research literature. A series of conceptual sub-themes is used to organize and structure the works and the accompanying critical commentary. The thesis first begins by examining issues in distributed discovery contexts by studying collection level metadata (CLM), its application in 'information landscaping' techniques, and its relationship to the efficacy of federated item-level search tools. This research narrative continues but expands in the later works and commentary to consider the application of Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS), particularly within Semantic Web and machine interface contexts, with investigations of semantically aware terminology services in distributed discovery. The necessary modelling of data structures to support resource discovery - and its associated functionalities within digital libraries and repositories - is then considered within the novel context of technology-supported curriculum design repositories, where questions of human-computer interaction (HCI) are also examined. The final works studied as part of the thesis are those which investigate and evaluate the efficacy of open repositories in exposing knowledge commons to resource discovery via web search agents. Through the analysis of the collected works it is possible to identify a unifying theory of resource discovery, with the proposed concept of (meta)data alignment described and presented with a visual model. This analysis assists in the identification of a number of research topics worthy of further research; but it also highlights an incremental transition by the present author, from using research to inform the development of technologies designed to support or facilitate resource discovery, particularly at a 'meta' level, to the application of specific technologies to address resource discovery issues in a local context. Despite this variation the research narrative has remained focussed on topics surrounding resource discovery in heterogeneous digital content environments and is noted as having generated a coherent body of work. Separate chapters are used to consider the methodological approaches adopted in each work and the contribution made to research knowledge and professional practice.The concept of 'resource discovery' is central to our understanding of how users explore, navigate, locate and retrieve information resources. This submission for a PhD by Published Works examines a series of 11 related works which explore topics pertaining to resource discovery, each demonstrating heterogeneity in their digital discovery context. The assembled works are prefaced by nine chapters which seek to review and critically analyse the contribution of each work, as well as provide contextualization within the wider body of research literature. A series of conceptual sub-themes is used to organize and structure the works and the accompanying critical commentary. The thesis first begins by examining issues in distributed discovery contexts by studying collection level metadata (CLM), its application in 'information landscaping' techniques, and its relationship to the efficacy of federated item-level search tools. This research narrative continues but expands in the later works and commentary to consider the application of Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS), particularly within Semantic Web and machine interface contexts, with investigations of semantically aware terminology services in distributed discovery. The necessary modelling of data structures to support resource discovery - and its associated functionalities within digital libraries and repositories - is then considered within the novel context of technology-supported curriculum design repositories, where questions of human-computer interaction (HCI) are also examined. The final works studied as part of the thesis are those which investigate and evaluate the efficacy of open repositories in exposing knowledge commons to resource discovery via web search agents. Through the analysis of the collected works it is possible to identify a unifying theory of resource discovery, with the proposed concept of (meta)data alignment described and presented with a visual model. This analysis assists in the identification of a number of research topics worthy of further research; but it also highlights an incremental transition by the present author, from using research to inform the development of technologies designed to support or facilitate resource discovery, particularly at a 'meta' level, to the application of specific technologies to address resource discovery issues in a local context. Despite this variation the research narrative has remained focussed on topics surrounding resource discovery in heterogeneous digital content environments and is noted as having generated a coherent body of work. Separate chapters are used to consider the methodological approaches adopted in each work and the contribution made to research knowledge and professional practice

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANIA

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main opportunities and limitations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The survey was defined with the aim to involve the highest possible number of relevant CSR topics and give the issue a more wholesome perspective. It provides a basis for further comprehension and deeper analyses of specific CSR areas. The conditions determining the success of CSR in Romania have been defined in the paper on the basis of the previously cumulative knowledge as well as the results of various researches. This paper provides knowledge which may be useful in the programs promoting CSR.Corporate social responsibility, Supportive policies, Romania

Exploring Stakeholder Participation and Representations in Region Branding: The Case of Northamptonshire, UK

Collaborative multi-stakeholder processes for regional development are not novel, but they are usually inhibited by complex management issues and power politics. Peripheral regions face the greatest likelihood of economic decline due to the aggregation of activities in the largest cities. Stakeholder-led place branding strategies have been known to create a distinctive identity and narrative about a place or location to garner recognition. However, few models and recommendations have been developed for adoption in resource-constrained regions. Given this socio-economic context specificity, the present study suggests a ‘Conceptual Framework for Multi-Stakeholder Place Brand Governance’ for developing region branding strategies. The theoretical notions of social representations, regional cohesion, brand architecture and participatory place branding are reviewed and examined in the case context of Northamptonshire. The research adopts a qualitative, single case study strategy to investigate the social representations and participation of institutional and community stakeholders. Data from semi-structured interviews, focus groups and secondary documents are thematically analysed. The findings reveal dominant social representations, historically unequal development in urban and rural areas, and the marginalised position or feeling of neglect in the case context. A market-oriented approach is evident in the narrow interpretation of place branding as a tourism marketing exercise. An in depth exploration of stakeholders’ assumed and expected roles reveals the intertwined issues of inclusiveness and legitimacy of place branding. Brand architecture strategies are suggested to manage the critical issues hindering a cohesive approach to region branding. The research aim is achieved by linking complex brand and stakeholder relationships under one framework. Special attention is paid to stakeholder management by conceptualising roles, relationships and mechanisms for multi-stakeholder place brand governance. Finally, the practical implications for widening participation in a resource-constrained region are discussed. The recommendations are directed towards practitioners and policymakers who play a prominent role in brand governance since institutional recognition and support are found to be central to diversifying the social representations and participation in place branding

Current issues of the management of socio-economic systems in terms of globalization challenges

The authors of the scientific monograph have come to the conclusion that the management of socio-economic systems in the terms of global challenges requires the use of mechanisms to ensure security, optimise the use of resource potential, increase competitiveness, and provide state support to economic entities. Basic research focuses on assessment of economic entities in the terms of global challenges, analysis of the financial system, migration flows, logistics and product exports, territorial development. The research results have been implemented in the different decision-making models in the context of global challenges, strategic planning, financial and food security, education management, information technology and innovation. The results of the study can be used in the developing of directions, programmes and strategies for sustainable development of economic entities and regions, increasing the competitiveness of products and services, decision-making at the level of ministries and agencies that regulate the processes of managing socio-economic systems. The results can also be used by students and young scientists in the educational process and conducting scientific research on the management of socio-economic systems in the terms of global challenges

Professionalism in the Information and Communication Technology Industry

Professionalism is arguably more important in some occupations than in others. It is vital in some because of the life and death decisions that must be made, for example in medicine. In others the rapidly changing nature of the occupation makes efficient regulation difficult and so the professional behaviour of the practitioners is central to the good functioning of that occupation. The core idea behind this book is that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is changing so quickly that professional behaviour of its practitioners is vital because regulation will always lag behind

Sustainable Development

The technological advancement of our civilization has created a consumer society expanding faster than the planet's resources allow, with our resource and energy needs rising exponentially in the past century. Securing the future of the human race will require an improved understanding of the environment as well as of technological solutions, mindsets and behaviors in line with modes of development that the ecosphere of our planet can support. Sustainable development offers an approach that would be practical to fuse with the managerial strategies and assessment tools for policy and decision makers at the regional planning level