The impact of procurement practices in the municipality auditing market

JEL Classification: M41; M42 AuditingAudit services procurement is a means to an end as far as financial statements quality is concerned. Municipalities play an important role in the public sector and its monitoring is of utmost importance in terms of the delicate balance of public debt and local economics. In this dissertation, motivated by agency theory, I study, not only the external auditing abidance to the law, but also the determinants of audit services public procurement, the audit fees, and the perception of audit quality of Portuguese municipalities. The introduction of external compulsory audits in municipalities in 2007 is a response to the application of accrual accounting in 2001, and the need for central government monitoring of municipalities’ debt sustainability, and budget balances. The compliance is not immediate, and political factors are involved. This study also concludes that public procurement with lowest price, or where price is the sole criterion, is used by the majority of municipalities raising reasonable doubts about audit fees, and audit quality. This selection criterion is affected not only by other aspects of the procurement process, but also by political competition and agency theory. The audit fees model is extended to include public procurement features, along with political competition, and agency theory. The perceived audit quality is also studied against public procurement, and agency theory. The results confirm a negative association between the audit quality perception and the lowest price selection criterion.Os procedimentos de contratação pública utilizados para a auditoria externa nos municípios são um meio para garantir que, por via desta auditoria, haja qualidade na prestação de contas. Os municípios têm um papel fundamental no setor público, assim, a sua monitorização é primordial na garantia do equilíbrio delicado entre a dívida pública e a economia local. Nesta tese, motivada pela teoria da agência, investigo no contexto municipal, não apenas o cumprimento da legislação que obriga à contratação de auditoria externa, mas também a utilização de procedimentos de contratação pública na contratação de auditoria externa, os honorários de auditoria, e a perceção de qualidade de auditoria. A introdução de auditoria externa, obrigatória nos municípios em 2007, resulta da utilização da base contabilística do acréscimo e da necessidade da administração central monitorar a sustentabilidade da dívida e saldos dos municípios. O cumprimento da legislação não é imediato e alguns fatores políticos podem explicar parcialmente o processo de adoção da norma legal. Este estudo conclui que o critério de seleção baseado no preço mais baixo é utilizado pela maioria dos municípios, levantando dúvidas sobre a razoabilidade dos honorários de auditoria, e até da qualidade da auditoria. Este critério de seleção é influenciado, não apenas por outras componentes do procedimento de contratação, mas também por fatores políticos e a teoria da agência. O modelo de honorários de auditoria é alargado no sentido de incluir aspetos dos procedimentos de contratação pública, simultaneamente com fatores políticos e a teoria da agência. A perceção de qualidade na auditoria também é estudada conjuntamente com aspetos da contratação pública e a teoria da agência. Os resultados confirmam uma associação negativa entre a perceção de qualidade de auditoria e a utilização do critério de seleção baseado no preço mais baixo

O Conceito da Logística Inversa para a Gestão de Resíduos numa U/E/O do Exército Português – O Caso da Academia Militar

O presente Trabalho de Investigação Aplicada encontra-se subordinado ao tema “O Conceito da Logística Inversa para a Gestão de Resíduos numa U/E/O do Exército Português – O Caso da Academia Militar”. Ao longo dos últimos anos o ser humano é responsável por um crescente consumo de recursos naturais não renováveis, que consequentemente provoca o aumento da produção de resíduos, colocando em causa a sustentabilidade das gerações vindouras. Torna-se imperativo a utilização de novas medidas para a minimização da perda de matérias-primas, nomeadamente o aparecimento de fluxos físicos inversos na cadeia de abastecimento. Assim, esta investigação visa aferir a correta aplicabilidade da logística inversa, por forma a alcançar a eficiência na gestão de resíduos numa Unidade/Estabelecimento/Órgão do Exército Português, particularmente na Academia Militar. A metodologia utilizada durante a elaboração do trabalho para a recolha de informação teve por base a pesquisa bibliográfica, a análise documental, as observações diretas e participantes, bem como os inquéritos por entrevista. Os resultados obtidos nesta investigação demonstram que a logística inversa é aplicada com alguns entraves devido a um processo de abate moroso e armazenamento provisório dos resíduos em locais não apropriados durante um período prolongado, correndo o risco de perda de valor. Conclui-se que é necessário tornar o processo de abate mais célere, desenvolver áreas específicas para a triagem e armazenamento dos resíduos na Academia Militar e racionalizar o transporte.Abstract This work lies under the theme “The Concept of Reverse Logistics for Waste Management in a U/E/O - The Case of the Military Academy”. Over the past few years the human being has been responsible for an increasing consumption of non-renewable natural resources, which in turn causes increased production of waste, jeopardizing the sustainability of future generations. It becomes imperative to use new measures to minimize the loss of raw materials, namely the appearance of physical flows in the reverse supply chain. Thus, this research aims to assess the correct applicability of reverse logistics in order to achieve efficiency in waste management within the Unit / Establishment / Organ of the Portuguese Army, particularly at the Military Academy. The methodology used to collect information during this work was based on bibliographic research, document analysis, direct and participants observations, as well as interview surveys. The present results demonstrate that reverse logistics is applied with some obstacles due to a lengthy process of slaughter and storage of waste not suitable for a long period, the risk of loss of value locations. I tis concluded that it is necessary to make the process faster slaughter, develop specific areas for sorting and storage of waste at the Military Academy and streamline transport

Luz ao fundo do túnel? Análise de um modelo de prevenção e intervenção face ao sobreendividamento das famílias

Na actual conjuntura económica portuguesa tem-se registado uma evolução crescente de situações de sobreendividamento ou de insolvência dos agregados familiares. Associada a esta tendência, surge a preocupação, por parte dos decisores, em encontrar formas de intervenção, mais ou menos ajustadas, face aos problemas verificados. Contudo, esta problemática exige uma actuação integrada, que contemple medidas direccionadas não apenas para a intervenção mas também para a prevenção deste tipo de situações na sociedade portuguesa. Pretendemos, com a apresentação deste modelo, propor um vasto conjunto de medidas, entre as quais se conta a educação financeira, que conduzam a uma dupla actuação face à problemática do sobreendividamento (preventiva e de tratamento), atendendo aos antecedentes, de natureza diversa, que podem estar na sua origem. Este modelo será alvo de uma reflexão e análise, com vista a identificar a pertinência da sua aplicação ao actual panorama sócio-económico português.In Portugal the number of cases of over-indebtedness or insolvency of households is increasing. Due to this trend, there is a concern, on the part of decision-makers, in finding ways to intervene, to face this problem. However, this problem requires an integrated action, which includes measures aimed not only at the intervention but also at the prevention of this type of situation in the Portuguese society. Our objective is to present a model that includes a comprehensive set of measures, among whom is financial education, which involves a collective action aimed at the prevention and intervention of problems of over-indebtedness, given the track record of factors of a diverse nature that may be in its origin. This model is object of reflection and analysis, to identify the relevance of its application in the current socio-economical Portuguese conjuncture

Rural tourism associated with agriculture as an economic alternative for the farmers

This paper aims at presenting a possible approach to identify the best sites for rural tourism and also to analyze the synergies between agriculture and cultural heritage in Azores, in order to be incorporated in the full range of management concerns into private and public decision‑making. The following territorial aptitudes for alternative were used to simulate this exercise: urban, touristic, horticulture, agricultural, cattle and forestry. Soil potential was defined in a number of classes from I to VII. The best hypothetical sites for rural tourism were defined using Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

Debate: auditing and political accountability in local government - dealing with paradoxes in the relationship between the executive and the council

This article addresses the role of external auditing in enhancing accountability in local government, building upon several paradoxes that result from the political relationship between elected bodies. It takes the example of Portuguese municipalities. In local governments, the council scrutinizes and inspects the general activity and financial management of the executive, censuring where necessary, and supervising the overall performance of the local management (CEMR, Citation2016). The local authority budget, the main instrument of local policy, must be approved by the council. The executive is then responsible for implementing it and is accountable through the annual accounts. In this (internal) accountability process, statutory external auditors play an important role in ensuring fair presentation, assuring the reliability of the information reported (Maclean, Citation2014; Nogueira & Jorge, Citation2017). The Portuguese reporting framework includes both financial and budgetary requirements and statements. Consequently, the external auditor has to express an opinion on whether the financial statements are prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with the applicable financial reporting framework. Furthermore, they also have to state that the public entity complied with the requirements for the budgetary execution and statements, according to what is set out in the Portuguese public sector budget and accounting standards (Jorge et al., Citation2022). A weakness in this system is that the electoral process for both the executive and the council can interfere with the auditor’s role. For example, in Portuguese municipalities, both the council (‘Assembleia Municipal’) and the executive (‘Câmara Municipal’) are directly elected and allocated through the d’Hondt proportional representation voting method (Law 1/2001). Consequently, although the mayor (like the council chair) is the candidate who received the most votes, they do not choose the municipality’s management team, because both the executive and the council can include opposing party members with their own political agenda. Therefore, while contributing to improving accountability in the political relationship between the council and the executive, and among their members, the statutory external auditor may face a number of paradoxes. Although these paradoxes are considered in this article taking the case of Portugal, they apply to other countries, and are particularly striking in contexts where the local authority’s management bodies include members of opposing political parties

A Reputational-Risk-Based Match Selection Framework for Collaborative Networks in the Logistics Sector

IPL/2021/ReEdIACollaborative networks in the logistics sector have proven to be a solution that both meets environmental footprint reduction goals and addresses the impact of rising fuel prices on logistics companies, especially for small-and medium-sized enterprises. Despite these benefits, these collaborative networks have not received the desired amount of participation due to reputational risk. This paper develops a framework for assessing and managing reputational risk to encourage logistics companies’ participation in collaborative networks. To this end, customer satisfaction factors were correlated with logistics operations, and this correlation was then modeled using the Bowtie method, fault trees, event trees, reliability theory, and the Monte Carlo model. The results show that it is possible to implement a structured model that can be easily put into practice. Using an illustrative case study, it is also possible to prioritize three companies according to their reputational risk as assessed by the proposed model. The developed model can promote the sustainability of collaborative networks in the logistics industry by assessing and consistently reducing reputational risk, thus supporting the strengthening of the relationship between suppliers, logistics service providers, and end customers.publishersversionpublishe

Sustained gene expression in the retina by improved episomal vectors

Gene and cellular therapies are nowadays part of therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diverse pathologies. The drawbacks associated with gene therapy-low levels of transgene expression, vector loss during mitosis, and gene silencing-need to be addressed. The pEPI-1 and pEPito family of vectors was developed to overcome these limitations. It contains a scaffold/matrix attachment region, which anchors its replication to cell division in eukaryotic cells while in an extrachromosomal state and is less prone to silencing, due to a lower number of CpG motifs. Recent success showed that ocular gene therapy is an important tool for the treatment of several diseases, pending the overcome of the aforementioned limitations. To achieve sustained gene delivery in the retina, we evaluated several vectors based on pEPito and pEPI-1 for their ability to sustain transgene expression in retinal cells. These vectors stably transfected and replicated in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Expression levels were promoter dependent with constitutive promoters cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter (CMV) and human CMV enhancer/human elongation factor 1 alpha promoter yielding the highest levels of transgene expression compared with the retina-specific RPE65 promoter. When injected in C57Bl6 mice, transgene expression was sustained for at least 32 days. Furthermore, the retina-specific RPE65 promoter showed higher efficiency in vivo compared to in vitro. In this study, we demonstrate that by combining tissue-specific promoters with a mitotic stable system, less susceptible to epigenetic silencing such as pEPito-based plasmids, we can achieve prolonged gene expression and a sustained therapeutic effect.Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia, Portugal [PEst/OE/EQB-LA 0023/2013, SFRH/BD/76873/2011, SFRH/BD/70318/2010, PTDC/SAU/BEB/098475/2008]; European Union [PIRG-GA-2009-249314

Evaluation of allergic rhinitis and asthma control in a Portuguese community pharmacy setting

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis and asthma (ARA) are frequent respiratory diseases that often coexist, causing a high social and economic impact. It is important to maintain ARA disease control to reduce the disease burden. OBJECTIVE: To assess control in patients with 1 or both pathologies through the application of validated questionnaires at community pharmacies. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the pharmacies of the Portuguese county of Covilhã (located in the central region of Portugal with about 53,000 inhabitants). Subjects aged between 18 and 70 years who presented a prescription for an asthma and/or allergic rhinitis medication were invited to participate in the study by responding to a questionnaire that included the Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARAT). The CARAT is a validated tool to simultaneously assess the control of ARA with scores that range from 0 to 30 points, 0 meaning the worst and 30 meaning the best possible control of disease. RESULTS: Of the 224 participants, 58% were female and the median age was 48.5 years. The median CARAT score was 19 (mean = 17.8 ± 5136.4), and 87% of participants had a score < 25, indicating noncontrolled disease. Female participants, the elderly, and those with less school education responded with scores that demonstrated significantly less disease control. CONCLUSIONS: Using a simple self-assessment questionnaire, such as the CARAT, pharmacists can help identify patients with uncontrolled ARA disease, which is an important first step to change patients’ knowledge about their disease, with an ultimate goal of improving ARA outcomes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The effect of flaxseed in breast cancer: a literature review

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and the second most responsible for cancer mortality worldwide. In 2014, in Portugal approximately 27,200 people died of cancer, of which 1,791 were women with breast cancer. Flaxseed has been one of the most studied foods, regarding possible relations to breast cancer, though mainly in experimental studies in animals, yet in few clinical trials. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, α-linolenic acid, lignan, and fibers. One of the main components of flaxseed is the lignans, of which 95% are made of the predominant secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG). SDG is converted into enterolactone and enterodiol, both with antiestrogen activity and structurally similar to estrogen; they can bind to cell receptors, decreasing cell growth. Some studies have shown that the intake of omega-3 fatty acids is related to the reduction of breast cancer risk. In animal studies, α-linolenic acids have been shown to be able to suppress growth, size, and proliferation of cancer cells and also to promote breast cancer cell death. Other animal studies found that the intake of flaxseed combined with tamoxifen can reduce tumor size to a greater extent than taking tamoxifen alone. Additionally, some clinical trials showed that flaxseed can have an important role in decreasing breast cancer risk, mainly in postmenopausal women. Further studies are needed, specifically clinical trials that may demonstrate the potential benefits of flaxseed in breast cancer.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio