Anti-corruption programmes in post-communist transition countries and changes in the business environment, 1999-2002

This paper analyses the anti-corruption activities of 24 transition countries in the period 1999-2002. These activities are divided into omnibus anti-corruption programmes, legislative reform aimed at tackling corruption, and adherence to international anti-corruption conventions. The paper presents a new measure for determining the extent of anti- corruption activity undertaken in these three categories during 1999- 2002. Using the results of a large survey of firms across the region, the paper shows that countries with low levels of administrative corruption were more likely to adopt intensive anti-corruption programmes than countries with high levels of administrative corruption, independent of the level of state capture Across the transition countries, omnibus anti-corruption programmes and membership in international anti-corruption conventions have not led to reductions in the level of either administrative corruption or state capture – at least in this relatively short time period – while new or amended laws aimed at tackling corruption have led to reductions in administrative corruption, but not in levels of state capture. Finally, the paper finds that perceptions of corruption – measured in terms of the degree to which firms consider corruption to be an obstacle to the operation and growth of their business – are positively correlated with the intensity of anti-corruption programmes. This finding suggests that by launching high-profile anti-corruption initiatives, governments may be more likely to heighten managers’ perceptions of the problem rather than to reduce the impact of corruption on firms.business environment, law, state capture, governance, corruption, anti-corruption, legislative reform

TRUST IN TRANSITION: CROSS COUNTRY AND FIRM EVIDENCE

This paper uses data from a large survey of firms across 26 transition countries to examine the determinants of trust in the transition process. We first introduce a new measure of trust between firms: the level of prepayment demanded by suppliers from their customers in advance of delivery. Using this new measure, we confirm earlier findings that trust is higher where firms have confidence in third party enforcement through the legal system. However, the fairness and honesty of the courts are a more important determinant of interfirm trust than are the courts’ efficiency or ability to enforce decisions. We then examine the role of business networks in building trust and find that networks based around personal ties – family and friends – and business associations actively promote the development of trust, while business networks based on enterprise insiders and government agencies do not. Finally, we find that country-level effects are significantly more important determinants of interfirm trust than are firm-level effects.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40026/3/wp640.pd

Software systems engineering: a journey to contemporary agile and beyond, do people matter?

publishedVersio

Software systems engineering: a journey to contemporary agile and beyond, do people matter?

It is fascinating to view the evolution of software systems engineering over the decades. At the first glance, it could be perceived that the various approaches and processes are different. Are they indeed different? This paper will briefly discuss such a journey relating to findings from an empirical study in some organisations in the UK. Some of the issues described in the literature and by practitioners are common across different software system engineering approaches over the time. It can be argued that human-element of software development plays an integral part in the success of software systems development endeavour. After all, software engineering is a human-centric craft. In order to understand such issues, we crossed the discipline to other disciplines in order to adapt theories and principles that will help to better understand and tackle such matter. Other disciplines have well established human related theories and principles that can be useful. From Japanese management philosophies, we have adapted Lean and knowledge management theories. From psychology, we have adapted Emotional Intelligence (EI). With such an interdisciplinary view, some of the issues can be addressed adequately. Which bring the question: is it really the process or the people? The second author will reflect on his experience attending the first SQM conference 25 years ago. The reflection will discuss the evolution of software systems engineering, and what was changed since then, if at all changed

Trust in Transition: Cross-country and Firm Evidence

This paper uses data from a large survey of firms across 26 transition countries to examine the determinants of trust in the transition process. We first introduce a new measure of trust between firms: the level of prepayment demanded by suppliers from their customers in advance of delivery. Using this new measure, we confirm earlier findings that trust is higher where firms have confidence in third party enforcement through the legal system. However, the fairness and honesty of the courts are more important determinants of inter-firm trust than the courts’ efficiency or ability to enforce decisions. We then examine the role of business networks in building trust and find that networks based around personal ties – family and friends – and business associations actively promote the development of trust, while business networks based on enterprise insiders and government agencies do not. Finally, we find that country-level effects are significantly more important determinants of inter-firm trust than firm-level effects.transition, trust, prepayment, courts, business networks

Alien Registration- Steves, William (Rumford, Oxford County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/14089/thumbnail.jp

HATEWATCH

After a televised intervention goes off the rails, three friends use force to take things into their own hands. HATEWATCH is a story about the connection between art and commerce, torture, manipulation, pornography, fake news, and queso dip

Comparing the efficacy of intra-articular injections of platelet rich plasma and hyaluronic acid in the treatment of Kellgren-Lawrence stage I-III Knee Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of synovial joints that result in pain and decreased level of function. This is a leading cause of disability in the United States, with disease of the knee being most common. Current non-surgical treatment options focus on symptomatic management and are associated with unfavorable side effect profiles. The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of two intra-articular injections, hyaluronic acid and platelet rich plasma. After a systematic literature search was performed, 7 articles met criteria for evaluation. When comparing the treatment options, both were shown to significantly improve symptoms from baseline, however a statistically significant difference between the options was not observed. Further research is needed before changes to clinical practice can be recommended

Finite-Time Stability Criteria for Sun-Perturbed Planetary Satellites

The inability of the c2H stability criterion in the general three-body problem to guarantee Hill (or hierarchical) stability in the case of a planetary satellite perturbed by the Sun when the planet's orbital eccentricity is non-zero, leads to the search for a finite-time stability criterion applicable to such cases. Instead of looking for a stability criterion that guarantees stability for all time, a search is made for one which is valid for a finite length of time and which provides an estimate of that finite time. The finite-time stability method involves applying a series of increasingly less pessimistic stability criteria that are each valid for finite lengths of time. The successive levels of the finite-time stability method are based on the natural periodic cycles found in the planet-satellite-Sun system. At each level the stability criteria method takes the most pessimistic viewpoint. Choosing the eccentricity to be the best indicator of an approaching unstable situation, it assumes that the worst possible change in the satellite's eccentricity over the specified cycle is added on to the satellite's eccentricity every period of that cycle. When the eccentricity accumulates to some arbitrarily chosen upper limit, the system is taken to be approaching an unstable situation. The time required for the eccentricity to reach this upper limit is then a measurable minimum lifetime for the satellite system. The finite-time stability method is developed for both a circular and elliptical coplanar restricted three-body model of planet-satellite-Sun systems. Applications of the method to the main satellites of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus produce minimum durations ranging from 1 x 10e6 to 1x10e9 years for Jupiter's satellites, 7x10e5 to 1 x 10e10 years for Saturn's satellites and 1 x 10e9 to 9x10e11 years for Uranus's satellites. Extension of the finite-time stability method to include the elliptic coplanar restricted three-body model for planetary satellites, produces minimum durations that are similar to the equivalent results for the circular case, only slightly smaller. The failure of the c2H criterion in the general three-body problem to guarantee the stability of any of the satellites found in the solar system when the eccentricity of the planet is included in the problem, suggests that the c2H criterion is far too stringent a test for most of the real cases of interest in the solar system. Application of the finite-time stability method failed to provide useful results for several highly Sun-perturbed outer satellites, such as the Earth's Moon, Jupiter's outer satellites and Saturn's Phoebe. In the case of the Earth's Moon, a search is made for a larger natural period which will produce more reasonable results. A description is given of certain historically known cycles associated with high-number near commensurabilies among the synodic, anomalistic and nodical lunar months and the anomalistic year. In particular, the properties of the Saros cycle are studied. The Saros is a period of 6,585. 32 days or approximately 18 years and 10 or 11 days, depending on the number of leap years in the interval. The Saros has been known since Babylonian times as the time that elapses between successive repetitions of a particular sequence or family of solar and lunar eclipses. It is a cycle formed by high-number commensurabilities between the synodic, anomalistic and nodical lunar months. Using eclipse records and the JPL ephemeris, any dynamical configuration of the Earth-Moon-Sun system (within the framework of the main lunar problem) is shown to repeat itself closely after one Saros period. The role played by mirror configurations in reversing solar perturbations on the lunar orbit is examined and it is shown that the Earth-Moon-Sun system moves in a nearly periodic orbit of period equivalent to the Saros. The Saros cycle is therefore the logical base period to use in the application of the finite-time stability method to the lunar problem. The Saros cycle is also the natural averaging period of time by which solar perturbations can be most effectively removed in any search into the long term evolution of the lunar orbit. The Saros cycle, with its ability to reverse solar perturbations, may have relevance to the stability of any system which contains a saros-like cycle. Since tidal evolution affects the periods which form the commensurabilites within the Saros cycle, the Moon's orbit may not have had in the past and possibly will not have in the future a saros-type cycle to cancel solar perturbations. Also studied therefore is the probability that a dynamical three-body system will contain a saros-like cycle (ie that a set of commensurabilities between the three periods can be found to within a given accuracy and with integer multiples of less than a given upper limit). Unfortunately, the Moon has only about a 25% chance of finding a saros-like cycle within its orbital dynamics. A possible sequence of saros cycles that the Moon's orbit might evolve through is calculated, if only tidal friction is considered