Comparing private and public performance of Portuguese water services

Water Policy ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Cunha Marques
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
The Public ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Portuguese Water ◽  
Private Management

This article compares the performance of the Portuguese water services (WS) according to their ownership. Several techniques, such as performance indicators, total factor productivity and data envelopment analysis were used. First, the paper describes the water sector institutional framework in Portugal. Then, it reviews the major theories that relate performance to WS ownership and the main empirical studies developed in this area. Finally, it presents the case study. The conclusions drawn from the study seem to prove the outperformance of the WS under private management in Portugal when compared with the public ones. The quality of service provided by the former is better than that of the latter, which is particularly evident with regard to water quality. Productivity is also superior in private companies. However, the results suggest an opposite trend as far as efficiency is concerned.

Private And Public Sector Innovation And The Importance Of Cross-Sector Collaboration

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanka Setnikar Cankar ◽  
Veronika Petkovsek
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Work Culture ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Innovation ◽  
Economic Progress ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Innovative Thinking

Innovation plays a very important role in the private sector in terms of competitiveness, and is the key to success for private businesses, helping to cut costs, improve products and open new markets. Nowadays, innovation is gaining in importance in the public sector as well, as it can improve the quality of service delivery as well as reduce costs. Innovation is an important driver of economic progress and competitiveness in all economies.Collaboration between public and private entities creates better and more effective public and private services and products. Collaboration enables the participants to exchange and share knowledge, experiences, know-how and expertise. Collaboration helps to bring a broader set of skills and talents and a more responsive work culture into public sector organisations, along with innovative thinking and creativity; it also helps private companies to innovate more effectively and to achieve their concrete goals in a more efficient way.The objective of this paper is to outline the differences and similarities between private and public sector innovation in terms of definition, driving factors, barriers and measurement; the paper also aims to examine the importance of cross-sector collaboration for private and public sector innovation, and demonstrate that collaboration can improve innovation.

scholarly journals LA VALORACION DE LOS EXPERTOS SOBRE LAS ESTADISTICAS RELATIVAS AL CONOCIMIENTO DE LOS TURISTAS

2021 ◽  
pp. 277-299
Author(s):  
María Pilar Peñarrubia Zaragoza
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Tourist Behavior ◽  
The Public ◽  
Behavior Based ◽  
Private Management ◽  
Tourist Information

El conocimiento del comportamiento del turista, a partir de la información que generan y recogen tanto administraciones públicas, como privadas, resulta clave para la planificación de los destinos. Por ello, es fundamental conocer la opinión de los expertos al respecto. La realización de entrevistas personales a diferentes actores de la administración pública, la empresa privada y el ámbito universitario ha permitido detectar necesidades y demandas reales de información en relación al comportamiento del turista, así como realizar una reflexión relativa a la necesidad de la formulación de un Sistema de Información Turístico público. Knowledge of tourist behavior, based on the information generated and collected by both public and private management, is key for destination planning. Therefore, in this regard, it is essential to know the experts' opinions. Carrying out personal interviews with different players in the public administration, private companies and the academy has enabled finding actual needs and requirements of information regarding tourist behaviors, as well as reflecting on the necessity of the development of a public Tourist Information System.

scholarly journals PENGARUH PENERAPAN APLIKASI e-GOVERNMENT PEMBAYARAN PAJAK KENDARAAN BERMOTOR TERHADAP KINERJA CASH ADMINSTRATION (Studi Kasus di Kantor Unit Pelaksana Teknis Dinas Pendapatan Provinsi Jawa Timur Trenggalek)

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sungging Purwokoadi
Keyword(s):  
Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Correlational Research ◽  
Statistical Analysis Tool ◽  
The Subject

This study entitled "The Effect Of E-Government Applications Vehicle TaxPayments On The Performance Of Cash Administration". Revolutionarytechnology telecommunications, media and information technology (ICT)affects the increasing demands and expectations of the public on fast publicservice, accurate, and inexpensive but excellent. Democratization, impacting theincreasing demands people's participation in public policy, demandtransparency, accountability and quality of public performance. Descriptiveresearch is a study of the problems in the form of the current facts of apopulation which aims to test hypotheses or answer questions relating to thecurrent state of the subject under study. Correlational research is to study thecharacteristics of the problem in the form of a correlational relationship betweentwo or more variables which aims to determine whether there is an associationbetween two or more variables, as well as how far the correlation that existsbetween the variables studied. The research method of data with secondary dataresearch types are the type of research data obtained institutional data from theUnit Pelaksana Teknis Dinas Pendapatan Provinsi Jawa Timur throughobservation, also use this type of research primary data obtained through fieldsurveys. The research sample used all employees serve as responden. Thecollecting data through observation and questionnaire. Answer the problemformulation used descriptive statistical analysis tool with the help of a frequencytable and regression models using SPSS release 16. Hypothesis testing produces,indicating that the hypothesis 1 is accepted, it means the variable partialapplication of e-Banking System has a positive and significant impact on theperformance of Cash Adminstration. The results of hypothesis testing indicatesthat the hypothesis 2 in this study received, meaning that in partial RevenueApplication Implementation (SAP) has a positive and significant impact on theperformance of Cash Adminstration Variation of performance can be explainedby the Adminstration Cash independent variables of e-Banking SystemImplementation and Application of Revenue Application (SAP) and while the explained by other factors. The Performance of Cash Administration will riseproperly Implementation of e-Banking System and Application SystemApplication Revenues(SAP) is well managed.

scholarly journals Plain Language - a Panacea of Linguistic Quality Assurance?

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (43) ◽  
pp. 203
Author(s):  
Anne Lise Laursen
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Business Communication ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Plain Language ◽  
Language Management ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
The Public

This article questions the use of a set of principles or guidelines, often referred to as language policies or language guides, which proliferate in companies and organisations as a means of harmonizing and modernizing corporate discourse. The language guide recommendations promote certain syntactic and lexical features which seem to have been inspired by the plain language campaigns conducted in various countries with the purpose of setting up a framework for a simplification of the public-sector discourse from administration to citizens. The problem of applying theses principles as an overall instrument of assuring the linguistic quality of private companies has been pointed out on various occasions. However, the argumentation has until now been made on an impressionistic or introspective basis. The article demonstrates that the inventory of linguistics in fact offers a range of possibilities to give a theoretical and empirical support to the arguments. Based on a set of language guide recommendations from Danish companies, it is illustrated how variations in discourse elements, i.e. purpose, domain and audience, conventionally call for variations in the linguistic devices used. In other words, from a discoursal point of view, the set of plain language-like recommendations for paradigmatic stylistic choices cannot be expected to cover every instance of business communication. Furthermore, it is argued that certain intralingual and interlingual features require empirical research in order to establish a stylistically adequate framework of this instrument of language management in companies.

L'evoluzione del piano dei servizi

TERRITORIO ◽  
2009 ◽  
pp. 68-73
Author(s):  
Laura Pogliani
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Community Resources ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Quality Of Living ◽  
Positive Experiences ◽  
Operational Criteria ◽  
Urban Welfare

- The Lombard services plan defines operational criteria and policies designed to achieve the objectives of settlement quality and urban welfare. They are objectives which cut across the public-private relationship in the construction and improvement of settlement contexts. If quality of living in an area and the long term value of the urban asset depends on the capacity to achieve integrated development (housing, public transport and social services), then the centrality of this instrument is clear to see, with its ability to seize on local opportunities and community resources in its triple nature of a plan, a project and a programme. A number of positive experiences have developed in recent years, such as the Bergamo, Cremona and Monza plans which have introduced a new vocabulary and new ways of operating (competitions, settlement criteria, expected public performance and financial assessments) to strengthen bargaining capacities and competition in public strategies and policies.

scholarly journals The legal regime and the compliance façade in public procurement in Ghana

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Ibrahim ◽  
Justice Nyigmah Bawole ◽  
Theresa Obuobisa-Darko ◽  
Abdul-Bassit Abubakar ◽  
Anthony Sumnaya Kumasey
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Procurement Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Study Approach

Purpose The extant literature posits several claims about the equitable resources allocation through compliance in public procurement management. Notwithstanding, there are hardly any empirical studies that explore the link between the causes and extent of compliance on one hand and value for money (VfM) on the other hand. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the efficacy of public procurement laws in ensuring VfM in a developing country context. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a qualitative case study approach involving three local government agencies in Ghana. Purposive and stratified random sampling strategies were used in selecting respondents who were interviewed through focused group discussions, semi-structured and open-ended questionnaires. The study utilizes an interpretivist/constructivist paradigm which allows for the co-creation of knowledge and subjectivity in knowledge acquisition. Findings The study finds that the presence of a legal and regulatory framework does not ipso facto guarantee compliance and VfM. Additionally, a possible reason why even reported cases of compliance do not translate into VfM is that evidence of compliance, especially in a developing country setting, is often a façade. Practical implications Public procurement entities in developing countries stand little chance of achieving accountability and VfM gains if they continue to rely on compliance as a micro-management tool. Originality/value The paper challenges the dominant assumptions in the public procurement management discourse by drawing attention to the quality of reported compliance and its implication for VfM.

Measuring the performance efficiency of banks in a developing economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 575-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sashank Chaluvadi ◽  
Rakesh Raut ◽  
Bhaskar B. Gardas
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Sector Banks ◽  
Quality Category ◽  
Indian Banks

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to measure and evaluate the performance efficiency of 44 Indian commercial banks, out of which 26 banks belong to the public sector, and 18 banks are from the private sector for the period of 2008-2013. Design/methodology/approach The two-stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach (i.e. variable return to scale and constant return to scale) is used for the measurement of performance in the Indian banking sector. To verify the robustness of the proposed study, sensitivity analysis is also performed. Findings A comparative study between public sector banks (PSBs) and private sector banks (PVBs) showed that latter being more productive compared to the former. The investigation highlighted that two banks are most efficient among the PSBs, and eight banks from PVBs are found to be most effective. On the other side, the performance of State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur and Lakshmi Vilas Bank is discovered to be less significant from PSB and PVB category, respectively. Research limitations/implications This study will guide the Indian banks to improve upon the factors in which they are lagging, for the improvement of their overall performance. The quality category parameters, i.e. quality of service, quality of equipment, are not considered due to unavailability of information in the output measures, and the methodology used for the study does not identify the causes or remedies for the inefficiency of the banks. Originality/value The developed DEA model would help the decision maker to take decisions on the issues related to the performance of the banks. This paper discusses very practical issues in an analytic manner.

The privatisation debate on water services in the Netherlands: public performance of the water sector and the implications of market forces

Water Policy ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan M. Kuks
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Free Market ◽  
Regulatory Regime ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
The Public

Legally adopted in France and the UK, privatization of water services is still vigorously debated in the Netherlands. Advocates of privatization believe it is the best way to save on utility costs and to increase their transparency. Opponents believe that the Dutch water sector already provides high quality services for low prices, including an additional public performance that is expected to be excluded in a free market. The author argues that the performance of water service providers should not be assessed only in terms of efficiency, but in terms of the effects on the entire water system as well as the protection of small customers. It is quite possible that without privatization, a public agency could also improve its efficiency and become more competitive in relation to other service providers. Privatization seems to be more a matter of political ideology (based on a belief that the public sector operates inefficiently) than a matter of hard facts. The success of privatization depends at least on the performance of a complementary public regulatory regime. The question should not be whether the public or the private sector performs better hypothetically, but how the actual performance regarding public goods and services can be improved.

scholarly journals AN OVERVIEW OF QUALITY AT STATE AND PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-22
Author(s):  
Hariz Agić ◽  
◽  
Sead Rešić ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Private Universities ◽  
State Level ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
The State ◽  
State Universities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Fertile Ground ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Private And Public

We are witnessing the emergence of private universities “like mushrooms after rain”. It is more than clear that they are not well met by state universities. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a very fertile ground for setting this palette of problems in the educational focus of interest of the public, because there are no competent ministries of education at the state level. There isframework lawon the state level but nothing exists anywhere along the vertical axis. This produced distortion of the quality and reputation of higher education. In this paper a survey among teachers and students of private and stateuniversitywas conducted and has shownthat there are differencesin opinionsof respondentsin some respectsregarding the quality of work. The solution would be replacing the stereotypical opinions about the differences between private and public universities and entirely rotating them toward a new, living approach to ensuring quality of education.

scholarly journals The evaluation of the Higher Education lecturer competences in East Timor: a student inquiry

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abílio António Freitas Belo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
East Timor ◽  
Public Higher Education ◽  
The Public ◽  
National Strategic Plan ◽  
National University ◽  
The Impact

<p>Several studies have demonstrated the impact that the quality of teacher education has on teaching and student performance. The assessment of the competences of higher education teachers by students is one way of assessing the quality of teachers and, therefore, the quality of public higher education itself. It is therefore pertinent to carry out empirical studies that make it possible to understand how students evaluate teachers' competences.</p><p>The objective of this study was to evaluate the competences of higher education teachers in the public university of East Timor, based on the students' opinion. Using a random sample of 342 students enrolled in four of the nine faculties of the National University of East Timor (UNTL), surveys were carried out to evaluate the pedagogical, professional, social and personality traits of teachers. The results showed a positive evaluation by the students, although the objectives of the National Strategic Plan for Education 2011-2030 (METL, 2011) have not yet been fully achieved.</p>

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