Effects of information communication technology on the procurement of pharmaceutical drugs in public hospitals in Kenya: A case of Kisi County

The use of information communication technology in organizations has been found to have far reaching effects in meeting customer needs in terms of service provision. It has enhanced communication along the supply chain hence sharing of real-time information. In procurement it has lead to better inventory management techniques, easy communication with internal and external customers and faster order processing. The general objective of this study was to find out the effect of information communication technology on the procurement of pharmaceutical drugs in public hospitals, Kisii County, Kenya. The research design for the study was nonexperimental in which a descriptive cross-sectional study was done. The accessible population was all the 114 public hospitals in Kisii County. The study used stratified random sampling to categorize the accessible population into district hospitals, sub-district hospitals, health centers and dispensaries. Simple random sampling was then used in each stratum to select cases for inclusion in the main sample size of twenty percent of the accessible population. Paper-based questionnaires were used to obtain raw data. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, that is, frequencies, percentages and means. Findings were presented in tables and figures. The study revealed that inventory management, order processing and information processing and communication are important areas in the procurement of pharmaceutical drugs. Regarding the information processing and communication technologies, it was found out that both the traditional and the modern electronic and internet-based technologies are used in most healthcare facilities. Some district hospital uses the intranet technology for purposes of information sharing internally while others don’t. No facility uses the internet-based extranet technology to link with suppliers. But however, all facilities use the public internet to link with theirsuppliers of pharmaceutical drugs. The modern electronic and internet-based technologies are thought to have brought about some improvements in order placement and tracking, communication and information sharing, gathering of information about quantities and specifications of orders to be made, counting the on-hand inventory and maintenance of appropriate amounts of all type of pharmaceutical drugs. However, the traditional modes of information processing and communication are more used when it comes to inspection of new deliveries than the electronic and internet-based technologies. In regard to the findings of the, it is then necessary to have knowledge of the suppliers side for a much deeper understanding of the whole procurement process of pharmaceutical drugs. Software that can scan the barcodes of pharmaceutical commodities needs to be used by the health facilities to improve on the inspection process rather than using the labor-intensive traditional modes

Theoretical and methodological contributions of the knowledge economy: The applicable "steps" in Brazilian recycling

With the emergence of new paradigms in social and labor relations, before the property or assets of a company are valued. However, today, in addition, it is also considered that knowledge (in innovations, technology, experience, trade secrets, among others) adds value to an institution. Therefore, this research seeks to detail the phenomenon of the knowledge economy, in job prospects, education, environment and innovation, in addition to relating this concept to the collection of recyclable materials. The problem question developed to initiate the reflections was: How is the knowledge economy related and positively influences work activities such as the collection of recyclable materials? The general objective, on the other hand, is to understand how knowledge, experience and innovations are configured as fundamental for the improvement of processes and work in industries and organizations, here, specifically, the recycling industry. The specific objectives are focused on: detailing the emergence of the concept of the “Knowledge Economy”; understand how the knowledge economy relates to aspects of education, labor and the environment; understand the concept of social innovation and how it applies to third sector organizations; and learn about the “Steps of knowledge” applied to the activity of recycling materials. The methodology was an analysis of the recurring literature related to the topic of the knowledge economy and the recycling industry. It is concluded, therefore, that the workers of this branch make up the large group of Brazilians in conditions of informality and social exclusion and rights, and that is why the discussion addressed here is so important. for believing that the condition of these recyclers continues to be highly undervalued, despite being so important, both for society and for the environment

Innovation management and port governance: An approach to models and practices in the world

The main objective of the research was to prospect the state of the art in the management of innovation and port governance in order to identify models and practices in the different ports around the world, through the international scientific bases Web of Science and Scopus, which allowed the exploratory study. More specifically, we sought to raise the level of development in the field of scientific production in the areas of innovation management and port governance. Scientometric methods were applied to prepare graphs that reflect the treatment of data and information generated from selected publications, as well as the search in the patent database of the National Institute of Industrial Property – INPI. In general, a gap in scientific production related to the researched field of knowledge was evidenced, which may be associated with the low level of port innovations which, therefore, may also reverberate in the search for patent protection. Thus, it is recommended that scientific productions be encouraged to support innovations in the port sector, in addition to incremental innovations, playing a prominent role in the collaborative action of agents in the port cluster and scientific, technological and innovation institutions (ICTs)

Business plan NGO: digital competences school for underprivileged youth in Colombia

The following business plan presents a NGO that develops digital competence in Colombian underprivileged youth. Its objective is to increase the use of ICT for working and entrepreneur doing both: providing free lessons to youth and delivering digital outsourcing services to companies. To develop a suitable high-quality digital competence model and a sustainable business plan the inputs considered were: 1) The literature review: contains a PEST analysis to adjust the European DIGITCOMP model to the Colombian context, and the analysis of the Sesame Workshop business case as a success reference of an educative NGO. 2) The competitive analysis: evaluates the opportunities and threats of the outsourcing services industry where the NGO acquires financial resources and the weaknesses and strengths of the institution in comparison with others. 3) In-Depth interviews: examines the thoughts, perspectives, and knowledge of the owners of MSMEs regarding digital competence and the use of ICT. The outputs of the analysis are; the adapted version of DIGITCOMP presented in the product section of the marketing policy; the formulation of the development strategy for the NGO; and the policies for its implementation.O plano de negócios apresenta uma ONG que desenvolve a competência digital em jovens carentes da Colômbia. Seu objectivo é aumentar o uso das TIC para trabalhar: com o fornecimento de aulas gratuitas, e prestação de serviços de outsourcing digitais. Para desenvolver um modelo de competências adequado de alta qualidade e um plano de negócios sustentável as entradas consideradas foram: 1) A revisão da literatura: contém uma análise PEST para ajustar o modelo europeu DIGITCOMP ao contexto colombiano e análise o Sesame Workshop como referência o sucesso de uma ONG educativa. 2)A análise da concorrência: avalia as oportunidades e ameaças da indústria de serviços de outsourcing, onde a ONG adquire recursos financeiros e os pontos fracos e fortes da instituição, em comparação com os outros. 3)Entrevistas em profundidade: examina os pensamentos, perspectivas e conhecimento dos proprietários de MPMEs concernentes à competência digital e a utilização das TIC. Os resultados do análise são; a versão adaptada do DIGITCOMP apresentado na seção produto da política de marketing; a formulação da estratégia de desenvolvimento para a ONG; e as políticas para a sua implementação

Develop a fuzzy inference model to measure the quality of project management processes in a third sector institution

The contemporary business environment seeks continuous improvement to remain competitive in the market, as customers increasingly demand quality products or services. In this perspective, this paper presents a methodology aimed at evaluating the quality of processes in the project management sector in a Third Sector Organization, based on the Fuzzy mathematical model. For this, linguistic variables (input) were developed according to information obtained from company Y, which enabled the application of the Fuzzy Logic method, in order to determine the output variable, which in this case is quality. After determining the rules, it was possible to obtain results that show that the developed fuzzy model has the potential to help improve the quality of processes

Contours of Inclusion: Inclusive Arts Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this publication is to share models and case examples of the process of inclusive arts curriculum design and evaluation. The first section explains the conceptual and curriculum frameworks that were used in the analysis and generation of the featured case studies (i.e. Understanding by Design, Differentiated Instruction, and Universal Design for Learning). Data for the cases studies was collected from three urban sites (i.e. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston) and included participant observations, student and teacher interviews, curriculum documentation, digital documentation of student learning, and transcripts from discussion forum and teleconference discussions from a professional learning community.The initial case studies by Glass and Barnum use the curricular frameworks to analyze and understand what inclusive practices look like in two case studies of arts-in-education programs that included students with disabilities. The second set of precedent case studies by Kronenberg and Blair, and Jenkins and Agois Hurel uses the frameworks to explain their process of including students by providing flexible arts learning options to support student learning of content standards. Both sets of case studies illuminate curricular design decisions and instructional strategies that supported the active engagement and learning of students with disabilities in educational settings shared with their peers. The second set of cases also illustrate the reflective process of using frameworks like Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to guide curricular design, responsive instructional differentiation, and the use of the arts as a rich, meaningful, and engaging option to support learning. Appended are curriculum design and evaluation tools. (Individual chapters contain references.

Identification of Suppliers able to provide Hydraulic Fracturing Services in Unconventional Reservoirs and Risks associated with the Construction of these Wells

According to the international agencies U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and World Energy Council (WEC), Brazil is the 10th country in the world ranking of the largest holders of shale gas reserves, with 245 Tcf (trillion cubic feet) (6.9 Tcm – trillion cubic meters) of natural gas. Due to the low permeability of these formations, the so-called unconventional reservoirs, only become viable if stimulated through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques. These techniques, like any other ones, have associated risks that should be very well managed and mitigated. This article aims to show that the benefits, in terms of fostering the local economy, job creation and energy security, outweigh the risks since they are known and well managed. In addition, suppliers present in country, able to provide these services properly, with numerous successful cases around the world, are identified in the article as well