A performance model for Public-Private Partnerships: the authorized economic operator as an example

Resumen Asociaciones Público-Privadas (APP) se hizo conocido como una de las alternativas para aumentar la eficacia de los controles fronterizos. Controles excesivos, falta de cooperación y procedimientos engorrosos pueden obstaculizar el comercio en las operaciones globales. Por otro lado, la facilitación del comercio (FC) es una respuesta al crecimiento observado en las operaciones internacionales de la cadena de suministro en los últimos años. Desde que FC implica una relación entre los actores públicos y privados, las alternativas al plan del comercio internacional son compatibles con este tipo de asociación. Sin embargo, solamente establecer una relación entre las partes no asegura se alcanzarán todos los beneficios de la FC. El objetivo de esta investigación es proponer un modelo teórico que puede indicar cuáles son los factores que influyen en el éxito de las APP dirigidas a FC. La relación entre cada variable y el rendimiento de la asociación se ensayó. Con el fin de validar el modelo se utilizó el método de Modelos de Ecuaciones Estructurales. Los resultados muestran los factores que más influyen en el rendimiento de las APP, aprovechando el Operador Económico Autorizado (OEA) como referencia para los programas de facilitación. Se recogieron los datos, tanto a nivel nacional como internacional, centrándose en los profesionales de los sectores públicos y privados que trabajan directamente con FC o tienen conocimiento de ello. Los resultados mostraron que los factores que más influyen en las asociaciones orientadas a FC son, respectivamente, el "microambiente", las "capacidades de las partes" y el "entorno macro-". Futuros programas de APPs con énfasis en facilitación del comercio pueden considerar este modelo para su implementación.Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have become known as one of the alternatives for increasing the effectiveness of border controls. Excessive controls and the lack of cooperation can hinder trade in global operations. On the other hand, Trade Facilitation (TF) is a response to the observed growth in international supply chain operations over the last few years. Since TF involves a relationship between public and private agents, alternatives to solutions within the field of international trade fall into these types of partnerships. However, simply establishing a relation between both agents does not ensure that all of the benefits of TF will be reached. The objective of this research is to propose a theoretical model, one that can indicate which factors have the most influence over TF-oriented PPPs. The relationship between each variable and the performance of a partnership were tested. To validate the proposed model, we used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings show which factors influence the success of TF-oriented PPPs, using the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) as an example. The data were gathered both at the national and international levels, focusing on professionals from the private and public sectors who either work with TF within their regular functions or have expertise on the subject. The results show that the factors that have the most influence over the performance of TF-oriented PPPs are, in order, the "micro-environment", the "abilities of parties" and the "macro-environment". Further PPPs that focus on TF may consider this model for implementation.As Parcerias Público Privadas (PPP) ficaram conhecidas como uma das alternativas para aumentar a eficiência dos controles de fronteira. Controles excessivos, falta de cooperação e procedimentos burocráticos podem atrapalhar o comércio em operações globais. Por outro lado, a Facilitação Comercial (FC) é uma resposta ao crescimento das operações de cadeias de suprimentos internacionais. Já que FC envolve uma relação entre os agentes públicos e privados, alternativas para o plano do comércio internacional encontram respaldo nesse tipo de parceria. Contudo, simplesmente estabelecer uma relação entre as partes não é garantia de que todos os benefícios da FC serão atingidos. O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi propor um modelo teórico que consiga indicar quais sãos os fatores que mais influenciam o sucesso de PPPs voltadas à FC. As relações entre cada variável e o desempenho da parceria foram testados de forma a quantificar suas forças. De forma a validar o modelo proposto foi utilizado o método de Modelagem de Equações Estruturais (SEM, na sigla inglesa). Os resultados mostram quais são os fatores que mais influenciam o desempenho de PPPs, valendo-se do programa Operador Econômico Autorizado (OEA) como referência para programas de FC. Os dados foram coletados, tanto em nível nacional, quanto internacional, focando em profissionais dos setores público e privado que trabalham diretamente com FC ou possuem conhecimento sobre o assunto. Os resultados mostraram que os fatores que mais influenciam o desempenho de parcerias voltadas à FC são, respectivamente, o microambiente, as habilidades das partes e o macro ambiente. Futuros programas de PPPs com ênfase em facilitação comercial podem se valer de modelos como esse para sua implementação

E-government in Sao Paulo: the case of the restructuring of Channel 156 in the city of Limeira

The study aimed to identify the consequences of a low-cost restructuring process of an e-government initiative in the state of Sao Paulo. The measures adopted strengthened interaction between government and citizens and the initiative received an award for the good results achieved. A single-case study was carried out on Channel 156 of the municipal government of Limeira. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participation in meetings with the program's managers and technicians, and analysis of internal documents available to researchers. The findings contribute to studies on the use of information technology by public agencies, an area as yet poorly explored. The research may help in restructuring similar initiatives in other contexts through the use of appropriate management and information technology tools, resulting in better service to citizens263139150FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPsem informaçã

Universities' institutional settings and academic entrepreneurship : notes from a developing country

The evolving role of universities drives attention to initiatives aiming at making these institutions hubs of entrepreneurial activity. Nonetheless, literature has defied the extent of these changes, thus calling for further approaches dealing with the heterogeneous nature of contextual influences on academic entrepreneurship. Aiming at disentangling the role of the academic environment upon academic entrepreneurship, this article evaluates impacts associated with university-level institutional settings. We draw from a dataset that contains information from 680 faculty members of 70 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) located across 22 Brazilian States. Estimations of econometric models account for entrepreneurial activity, innovation-driven entrepreneurship and high-growth new ventures. Results highlight the lack of significance in most institutional variables, suggesting some level of ineffectiveness in initiatives aiming at promoting academic entrepreneurship in Brazilian universities. Main implications are related to the difficulty in adapting strategies that proved successful in specific universities from the context of developed countries147243252FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP16/17801-

Explaining library user loyalty through perceived service quality: what is wrong?

This study validates the adaptation of a loyalty scale for the library scenario and recovers the hierarchical nature of the perceived service quality (PSQ) by operationalizing it as a second-order level construct, composed by the determinants of service quality (DSQ) identified by Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry in 1985. Our hypothesis was that DSQ are distinct and complementary dimensions, in opposition to the overlapping of DSQ proposed in the SERVQUAL and LibQUAL+(R) models. In addition, the influence of PSQ on user loyalty (UL) was investigated. Using structural equation modeling, we analyzed the survey data of 1,028 users of a network of academic libraries and report 2 main findings. First, it was shown that the 10 DSQ are statistically significant for the evaluation of PSQ. Second, we demonstrated the positive effect of PSQ for UL. The model presented may be used as a diagnostic and benchmarking tool for managers, coordinators, and librarians who seek to evaluate and/or assess the quality of the services offered by their libraries, as well as to identify and/or manage the loyalty level of their users14

Exploring Digital Literacy Skills in Social Sciences and Humanities Students

Digital literacy is among the mandatory abilities to any higher education level and represents a fundamental ingredient in successful professionalization. Considering the deep penetration of digital technologies in everyday life, digital literacy offers a set of transversal skills that could improve a whole area of activities, from banking operations to civic participation. However, these skills are diverse and vary according to the development of technologies and society. This study fills an important academic gap on digital literacy by placing it in a specific and well-defined context, analyzing different perspectives that involve such learning, such as predictors of digital literacy in different types of students. In addition, research increases its importance as it is being developed during the pandemic, a period characterized by accelerated technological use and sudden changes. This research used a quantitative design based on the answers to a questionnaire conducted from March 2021 to May 2021. From a methodological perspective, we tested several hypotheses using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) within the structural equation model (SEM). The results show that communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and technical digital skills are more present in the case of students enrolled in social sciences, while other digital skills (i.e., creativity and information) are more prevalent in the case of humanities students. Moreover, the results showed that, except for creativity and problem-solving-related digital skills, all of the digital skills were significantly influenced by students’ different levels of education

Exploring Digital Literacy Skills in Social Sciences and Humanities Students

Digital literacy is among the mandatory abilities to any higher education level and represents a fundamental ingredient in successful professionalization. Considering the deep penetration of digital technologies in everyday life, digital literacy offers a set of transversal skills that could improve a whole area of activities, from banking operations to civic participation. However, these skills are diverse and vary according to the development of technologies and society. This study fills an important academic gap on digital literacy by placing it in a specific and well-defined context, analyzing different perspectives that involve such learning, such as predictors of digital literacy in different types of students. In addition, research increases its importance as it is being developed during the pandemic, a period characterized by accelerated technological use and sudden changes. This research used a quantitative design based on the answers to a questionnaire conducted from March 2021 to May 2021. From a methodological perspective, we tested several hypotheses using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) within the structural equation model (SEM). The results show that communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and technical digital skills are more present in the case of students enrolled in social sciences, while other digital skills (i.e., creativity and information) are more prevalent in the case of humanities students. Moreover, the results showed that, except for creativity and problem-solving-related digital skills, all of the digital skills were significantly influenced by students’ different levels of education