Institutions for Climate Adaptation: An Inventory of Institutions in the Netherlands that are Relevant for Climate Change

One of the goals of project IC12, a research project of the Climate changes Spatial Planning programme, is to assess if the formal institutions operating in the Netherlands are improving or hampering adaptive capacity. In order to answer the research question, the most important documents referring to those institutions need to be evaluated. This document presents an initial inventory of these adaptation institutions – i.e. policy plans, laws and directives, reports and other documents that seemed relevant to the question at hand

Cyber Babel: Finding the Lingua Franca in Cybersecurity Regulation

Cybersecurity regulations have proliferated over the past few years as the significance of the threat has drawn more attention. With breaches making headlines, the public and their representatives are imposing requirements on those that hold sensitive data with renewed vigor. As high-value targets that hold large amounts of sensitive data, financial institutions are among the most heavily regulated. Regulations are necessary. However, regulations also come with costs that impact both large and small companies, their customers, and local, national, and international economies. As the regulations have proliferated so have those costs. The regulations will inevitably and justifiably diverge where different governments view the needs of their citizens differently. However, that should not prevent regulators from recognizing areas of agreement. This Note examines the regulatory regimes governing the data and cybersecurity practices of financial institutions implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Department of Financial Services, and the General Data Protection Regulations of the European Union to identify areas where requirements overlap, with the goal of suggesting implementations that promote consistency, clarity, and cost reduction

Serbia - public sector accounting review : report on the enhancement of public sector financial reporting

The government’s public financial management (PFM) Reform Program 2016-2020 foresees the gradual transition of public sector financial reporting from a cash basis to an accrual basis of accounting and the application of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). This will significantly improve the quality of financial information and should enable better informed decision-making, more efficient use of public funds and resources and improved fiscal performance. This Report on the Enhancement of Public Sector Financial Reporting is one output of the Serbia Public Sector Accounting Reform Technical Assistance project funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) through the Strengthening Accountability and Fiduciary Environment (SAFE) Trust Fund under the Public Sector Accounting and Reporting Program (PULSAR) which provides support for the development and implementation of public sector accounting standards. This report supports the development of a plan towards that goal by assessing the institutional framework for public sector accounting as well as the gap between Serbian public sector generally accepted accounting principles (PS GAAP) and IPSAS

Inventory drivers in a pharmaceutical supply chain

In recent years, inventory reduction has been a key objective of pharmaceutical companies, especially within cost optimization initiatives. Pharmaceutical supply chains are characterized by volatile and unpredictable demands –especially in emergent markets-, high service levels, and complex, perishable finished-good portfolios, which makes keeping reasonable amounts of stock a true challenge. However, a one-way strategy towards zero-inventory is in reality inapplicable, due to the strategic nature and importance of the products being commercialised. Therefore, pharmaceutical supply chains are in need of new inventory strategies in order to remain competitive. Finished-goods inventory management in the pharmaceutical industry is closely related to the manufacturing systems and supply chain configurations that companies adopt. The factors considered in inventory management policies, however, do not always cover the full supply chain spectrum in which companies operate. This paper works under the pre-assumption that, in fact, there is a complex relationship between the inventory configurations that companies adopt and the factors behind them. The intention of this paper is to understand the factors driving high finished-goods inventory levels in pharmaceutical supply chains and assist supply chain managers in determining which of them can be influenced in order to reduce inventories to an optimal degree. Reasons for reducing inventory levels are found in high inventory holding and scrap related costs; in addition to lost sales for not being able to serve the customers with the adequate shelf life requirements. The thesis conducts a single case study research in a multi-national pharmaceutical company, which is used to examine typical inventory configurations and the factors affecting these configurations. This paper presents a framework that can assist supply chain managers in determining the most important inventory drivers in pharmaceutical supply chains. The findings in this study suggest that while external and downstream supply chain factors are recognized as being critical to pursue inventory optimization initiatives, pharmaceutical companies are oriented towards optimizing production processes and meeting regulatory requirements while still complying with high service levels, being internal factors the ones prevailing when making inventory management decisions. Furthermore, this paper investigates, through predictive modelling techniques, how various intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence the inventory configurations of the case study company. The study shows that inventory configurations are relatively unstable over time, especially in configurations that present high safety stock levels; and that production features and product characteristics are important explanatory factors behind high inventory levels. Regulatory requirements also play an important role in explaining the high strategic inventory levels that pharmaceutical companies hold

Improving Competitiveness Through Cooperation: Assessing The Benefits Of Cooperative Education Partnerships In Gaming Management

Cooperative education partnerships between industries and universities are becoming increasingly common in response to fundamental challenges facing both sectors. Theoretically, many benefits for both partners are espoused. This paper explores these benefits and then assesses whether and how these have occurred in a leading gaming management course in Australia. It was found that benefits for industry comprised enhanced industry professionalism and legitimacy; increased professional status; better public image; control of abstract knowledge and improved industry competitiveness. For the university, key benefits have included improved educational offerings; enhanced university reputation in the discipline and for cooperative education partnerships; additional student fees and economies of scale; and funds for discipline development and research and consultancy opportunities. However, precautions need to be taken in cooperative education partnerships if a university\u27s social contract is to remain intact in a climate of increased commercialization, and if it is to deliver expected benefits to industry

WAYS OF STRENGHTENING THE STATUTORY AUDIT EFFICIENCY

The integrity of the auditor’s opinion and the audit process conducting effectivenesshangs on the professional judgment applied on obtaining, processing and interpreting the internal andexternal information. Documentation is based on all the audit evidence collected through proceduressuch as: inspection, confirmation, documentation etc. Audit evidence is used to determine whether thefinancial statements present the economic reality of transactions and if they faithfully reflect thefinancial position of the company. To achieve a reasonable assurance, the auditor should gathersufficient and high quality audit evidence so that the view expressed in the report of the independentauditor should be based on a credible and relevant background.audit evidence, audit procedures, professional judgment, reasonable assurance.

Does Canada Have a Problem with Occupational Fraud?

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are an important collective force in the Canadian economy, however the visibility and economic power of small businesses suffer due to their size and frequent turnover. When it comes to the issue of businesses being subject to occupational fraud, the moderate visibility of SMEs only contributes to the challenge of assessing the real scope of the problem. This paper seeks to examine the prevalence and types of occupational fraud experienced by Canadian SMEs as well as gathers information on prevention and detection methods used to safeguard against occupational fraud. That is done based on data compiled from a survey of 802 SMEs across Canada. The analysis shows that a substantial proportion of SMEs experience incidents of occupational fraud; however, the majority of SMEs are not fully prepared to respond to fraud. Furthermore, SMEs’ experience with and attitudes toward fraud vary noticeably with company characteristics, although a large proportion of SMEs believe risk to occupational fraud is low.Occupational fraud, fraud prevention, fraud detection, types of occupational fraud, Canadian small and medium businesses, employee fraud, internal fraud

National Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change Impacts: A Case Study of Mozambique

human development, climate change