Quality Management in Public Sector; How is the QM approach employed in the Public Administration of the Republic of Kosovo?

Quality Management as approach started to be rapidly developed and gained use in the early 1950‘s in Japan, while the result produced in Japan made the US organizations to embrace this approach and develop it further by introducing the ‗new‘ approach called Total Quality Management. Quality Management produced enormous results in the private sector; however, number of authors questioned the suitability of the Quality Management approach in the Public Sector1. Despite the hesitation expressed, many others see a little problem in adopting this approach in the government sector. Government of Kosovo made its priority the reform of Public Administration. In this regard, numbers of laws and other documents were amended; however, so far these did not produce any significant results in the improvement of services produced by the government officials. Having in mind that the core to the introduction of the Total Quality Management in any organization is a need to be acutely sensitive to the cultural aspects of the organization1 as well as the fact that human factor is very important piece in relation to Quality Management approach, considering that researches show that people related issues (resistance to change, lack of ownership, fear and the suspicion of motives of management, etc.) represent the most of difficulties146, this paper will show how is Quality Management Approach is addressed in the laws, strategies and other documents produced by the Republic of Kosovo as well as how do they impact the reform of Public Administration

Cross-country Comparative Analysis of Healthcare Financing in Western Balkans: its effect on performance and quality

The principal aim of this paper is to critically assess the current situation of healthcare financing in the Western Balkan countries as it impacts the quality and performance of the system as a whole. This assessment shall be used to identify the current state of financing methods and quality of the healthcare sector in countries of Western Balkans. Specifically, by identifying the differences in financing healthcare sector among Western Balkan countries, this research paper measures the effect of financial means on the performance variables, as well as the relationship between the performance variables and the quality measurement variable i.e. life expectancy. These measurements were done using regression analysis through the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) methodology. The number of physicians and the number of nurses are considered as performance measurement variables due to their crucial role in the performance of the healthcare sector as it was previously determined in other research studies. According to regression analysis, the effect of financial means that a country dedicates to healthcare sector resulted to be statistically significant over the number of physicians operating in healthcare. On the other hand, according to the results that can be drawn by the regression model, the impact of financial means on the number of nurses resulted to be statistically insignificant. Regression analysis was also used in determining the impact of performance variables on life expectancy, used as a quality measurement variable. The model which tested for the relationship between the number of physicians and the number of nurses shows that at a 10% level of significance, both variables resulted to be statistically significant, showing that these variables are important in measuring the quality of healthcare. But at a 95% level of confidence the model shows that only the number of physicians is significant, whereas the number of nurses turns to be insignificant. Therefore, it can be said that the number of physicians is a crucial factor in determining the quality of healthcare in a specific country. Furthermore, the effect of healthcare infrastructure, specifically, the effect of bed ratio is also measured over the quality of the healthcare sector of a country. Considering that at a 95% level of confidence, the bed ratio variable resulted to be statistically significant, it can be concluded that more attention needs to be paid at the bed ratio variable as it plays an important role in determining the healthcare quality of a country

Challenges and Opportunities for Startup Innovation and Entrepreneurship as tools towards a knowledge-based economy: The Case of Kosovo

There is a global drive to accelerate the growth and development of nations through innovation and technology. Supporting new businesses has become a priority on the global agenda and their critical role as key drivers of growth and development is beginning to be recognized in developing countries. It is crucial to distinguish and place at the heart of any strategy the significant impact of establishing new and relevant companies which will design, develop and support products and services that meet the needs of the society and are valuable for developing the economy in Kosovo. This research study, analyzes the entrepreneurship environment through specifically focusing on startups and innovation infrastructure in Kosovo. It will try to investigate the main challenges that startups and entrepreneurs face while trying to asses innovative technological advancements in order to build a prosperous society. By the same token, while trying to analyze the current pace of change that startups and entrepreneurs bring on an economic, political and social landscape, this study will also try to identify the waves of opportunities that come along with startups towards the goals of resolving critical issues in any field. To conclude, creating an ecosystem of innovation to provide solutions to meet the needs and demands of our society will foster a startup culture that is inclusive, efficient and valuable for the whole society

Legislative Framework Of The Republic Of Kosovo In The Area Of Border And Migration And Its Accordance With Eu Acquis

The area of border and migration is fairly new in Kosovo, especially when considering legislation adopted and en-force related to this area. The initial Law (Law on Foreigners) dealing with migration was drafted only in 2008 (after Kosovo declared its independence) and entered into force in 2009, while the first legislative piece that ‘dealt’ with border and migration was adopted only in 2005, that was the UNMIK Regulation No. 2005/16, approved by the Special Representative of the Secretary General of UN. This regulation (on the Movement of Persons Into and Out of Kosovo) consisted of only 28 articles and covered the areas of entry, stay and exit of ‘foreigners’, refugees as well as border control. These areas are now regulated with three specific Laws and number of sub-legal acts (Administrative Instructions) Standard Operation Procedures (SOP’s).This area of legislation deals directly with the national security related concerns, as well as directly relates with the Government of Kosovo’s top priorities; one being visa liberalization of Kosovo with European Union; and the highest strategic priority of the Kosovo’s Government, being the full integration of the Republic of Kosovo into the European Union, that requires the harmonization of Kosovo’s Legislation with the EU Acquis Communitaire. This study aims to give an overall picture to the Kosovo’s legislation in the area of Border and Migration Management and its compatibility with the EU Acquis covering the respective area

Challenges in the translation of legal texts: the case in Kosovo

Our paper conducts a contrastive analysis between Albanian and English lexical units in the language of laws using corpora analysis. It fills a literature gap related to Corpus linguistics in order to better comprehend patterns of legal lexicon. We use KWIC Concordance to extract the top frequently words and concordance lines in order to analyse differences and similarities among lexical units in Albanian (Source Language) and English (Target Language) laws, compared to those identified in respective corpora. Additionally, we identify types of errors in translation, difficulties in translating legal texts, and factors that influence translators’ errors in translating certain laws of the Republic of Kosovo from Albanian into English. According to our analysis, both languages have in common the use of the same grammatical patterns such as: conjunctions, prepositions, and the use of the common noun forms. The rest have significant differences in their usage, especially with regards to particles and determiners. Our contrastive approach demonstrates that some of these laws were not originally written in Albanian and then translated into English language, as many articles within these laws lack the appropriate word structure and word order and in some cases are semantically ill-formed in the Source Language. Key words: analysis, corpus, language, legal, translation, KWIC Concordance. &nbsp

Politisch-militärische und polizeiliche Rolle der internationalen Gemeinschaft in Kosova ab 1999

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Art Nouveau en La Plata: evocación y resiliencia de un estilo

El Laboratorio de Entrenamiento Multidisciplinario de Investigación Tecnológica (LEMIT) y el Consejo Internacional de Monumentos y Sitios (ICOMOS Argentina) firmaron, el 21 de octubre de 2016, un convenio donde se establecen programas de intercambio y desarrollo de actividades en conjunto referidas a la restauración y conservación de bienes patrimoniales con la finalidad de propender a un mejor conocimiento, estudio y aplicación de tecnologías vinculadas con los materiales, a la ejecución de estudios e investigaciones y a la formación especializada de profesionales, docentes y alumnos de distintas disciplinas. Encuadrado en dicho convenio se elaboró, con la intervención de profesionales de sendas instituciones, el programa “Arte Nuevo en la ciudad de La Plata” que tiene como objetivo principal la identificación y registro de bienes comprendidos dentro de las características estilísticas de este movimiento y que conforman el patrimonio urbano platense, La investigación implica: revisión del referencial teórico, relevamiento dentro de un área predeterminada del casco urbano platense, información histórica obrante en archivos provinciales y municipales, análisis y evaluación de datos recabados, identificación y registro de elementos ornamentales característicos, elaboración de una base de datos junto con la formulación de procedimientos transferibles para la recuperación y/o reposición de dichos elementos, publicación de resultados El presente trabajo mostrará el avance de la investigación realizada, las primeras conclusiones, la exposición de los ornamentos más destacados, la adopción de criterios a seguir en el tratamiento de casos particulares y la base documental para la formación y/o capacitación de mano de obra relacionada con la restauración edilicia

Pojavnost aflatoksina M1 u uzorcima jogurta pronađenima na tržištu u Kosovu tijekom proljeća 2023.

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), a toxic byproduct of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) produced by Aspergillus fungi, is a carcinogenic mycotoxin that can contaminate various agricultural commodities. It can be transferred from AFB1-contaminated feed to milk and dairy products, including yogurt, posing a potential health risk to consumers. In spring 2023, a total of 74 yogurt samples were collected from the largest food suppliers in Kosovo for analysis, including samples produced in Kosovo and seven other countries: Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Greece, Italy, and Germany. A rapid and sensitive analytical method, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), was used for the analysis. The results of the study highlight discernible differences in the maximum tolerable levels of AFM1 between the countries. More specifically, yogurt samples from Slovenia and Germany had lower levels than those from other countries. Additionally, the median levels of AFM1 in samples from Slovenia and Germany were significantly lower. The mean concentrations of AFM1 in yogurt samples from Kosovo and other countries were 0.071 μg/kg and 0.080 μg/kg, respectively. Out of all samples, 66 (89%) exceeded the maximum tolerable limit of 0.05 μg/kg. Among the exporting countries, Albania had the highest median AFM1 level of 0.085 μg/kg and the highest maximum level of 0.195 μg/kg. Slovenia had the lowest median AFM1 level, while Germany had the lowest maximum AFM1 level. All samples from Albania, Greece, and Bosnia and Herzegovina exceeded the maximum tolerable limit. High prevalence was also observed in samples from Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Slovenia. Considering the average daily consumption of about 250 grams of yogurt, and the total median value of Aflatoxin M1 concentration (0.071 μg/kg), the estimated daily intake was calculated to be 0.017 μg. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring and enforcing regulatory limits to ensure yogurt safety and to protect public health. Efforts should be focused on mitigating AFM1 contamination and implementing measures to minimise its presence in dairy products, especially in regions where levels exceed the established limits.Aflatoksin M1 (AFM1), toksični nusproizvod aflatoksina B1 (AFB1) kojeg proizvode gljivice Aspergillus kancerogeni je mikotoksin koji može kontaminirati različite poljoprivredne proizvode. Može se prenijeti iz hrane za životinje kontaminirane s AFB1 na mlijeko i mliječne proizvode, uključujući jogurt, predstavljajući potencijalni rizik po zdravlje potrošača. U proljeće 2023. godine prikupljeno je ukupno 74 uzoraka jogurta od najvećih dobavljača hrane na Kosovu za analizu, uključujući uzorke proizvedene na Kosovu i u sedam drugih zemalja: Albaniji, Sjevernoj Makedoniji, Bosni i Hercegovini, Sloveniji, Grčkoj, Italiji i Njemačkoj. Za analizu je rabljena brza i osjetljiva analitička metoda, Enzimski povezani imunosorbentni test (ELISA). Rezultati studije ukazuju da nalazi ove studije naglašavaju zamjetne razlike u maksimalno dopuštenim razinama AFM1 između različitih zemalja. Točnije, u uzorcima jogurta iz Slovenije i Njemačke zamijećene su niže razine od onih iz drugih zemalja. Uz to, srednje razine AFM1 u uzorcima iz Slovenije i Njemačke bile su značajno niže. Srednje koncentracije AFM1 u uzorcima jogurta s Kosova i iz drugih zemalja bile su 0,071 μg/kg, odnosno 0,080 μg/kg. Od svih uzoraka, 66 (89 %) prekoračilo je maksimalno dopušteno ograničenje od 0,05 μg/kg. Od zemalja izvoznica, Albanija je imala najveću srednju razinu AFM1 od 0,085 μg/kg i najveću maksimalnu razinu od 0,195 μg/kg. Slovenija je imala najnižu srednju razinu AFM1, a Njemačka najnižu maksimalnu razinu AFM1. Svi uzorci iz Albanije, Grčke i Bosne i Hercegovine prekoračili su maksimalnu dopuštenu razinu. Visoka prevalencija zamijećena je i u uzorcima s Kosova, iz Sjeverne Makedonije i Slovenije. Razmatrajući prosječnu dnevnu konzumaciju od jedne čašice od oko 250 g jogurta i ukupnu srednju vrijednost koncentracije aflatoksina M1 (0,071 μg/kg), izračunat je procijenjeni dnevni unos od 17,75 μg. Ovi nalazi naglašavaju važnost nadziranja i provođenja regulatornih ograničenja kako bi se osigurala sigurnost jogurta i zaštitilo javno zdravlje. Potrebno je uložiti napore za smanjenje kontaminacije AFM1 i provedbu mjera za smanjenje njegove prisutnosti u mliječnim proizvodima, posebice u regijama gdje razine prekoračuju utvrđena ograničenja

The effectiveness of internal cohesion psychotherapy in treating young clients with depression and anxiety disorders: The role of developmental assets in Kosovo context

The positive youth development approach (PYD) is widely used as a meaningful framework to guide research, policy, and intervention, to support young people to develop their full potential. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, is a verbal and psychological procedure that can be a suitable solution to mental health concerns, which are prevalent among youth. This study aimed to explore the potential role of developmental assets in treating clients with depression and anxiety disorders using Internal Cohesion Psychotherapy (ICP). In total, 10 young people who took at least five sessions of ICP were part of this study. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather information about clients’ experiences with ICP and their perception/opinions on the presence of developmental assets in their lives. The results confirm the effectiveness of ICP in treating depression and anxiety, while clients acknowledge the role of developmental assets in their psychotherapeutic process. The current study has important theoretical, practical, and research implications. It provides evidence on how clients use their developmental assets in maximizing the effectiveness of the ICP process. The usage of developmental assets to enhance the effectiveness of psychotherapy opens a new path for further research and can serve as a foundation ground for intervention on mental health among youth