Distinguishing Characteristics of Corruption Risks in Iranian Construction Projects: A Weighted Correlation Network Analysis.

The construction industry consistently ranks amongst the highest contributors to global gross domestic product, as well as, amongst the most corrupt. Corruption therefore inflicts significant risk on construction activities, and overall economic development. These facts are widely known, but the various sources and nature of corruption risks endemic to the Iranian construction industry, along with the degree to which such risks manifest, and the strength of their impact, remain undescribed. To address the gap, a mixed methods approach is used; with a questionnaire, 103 responses were received, and these were followed up with semi-structured interviews. Results were processed using social network analysis. Four major corruption risks were identified: (1) procedural violations in awarding contracts, (2) misuse of contractual arrangements, (3) neglect of project management principles, and, (4) irrational decision making. While corruption risks in Iran align with those found in other countries, with funds being misappropriated for financial gain, Iran also shows a strong inclination to champion projects that serve the government's political agenda. Root cause identification of corruption risks, namely, the noticeable impact of authoritarianism on project selection in Iran, over criterion of economic benefit or social good, is a significant outcome of this study.

Internal contracting of health services in Cambodia: drivers for change and lessons learned after a decade of external contracting.

BACKGROUND: Since the late 1990s, contracting has been employed in Cambodia in an attempt to accelerate rural health system recovery and improve health service delivery. Special Operating Agencies (SOA), a form of 'internal contracting', was introduced into selected districts by the Cambodia Ministry of Health in 2009. This study investigates how the SOA model was implemented and identifies effects on service delivery, challenges in operation and lessons learned. METHODS: The study was carried out in four districts, using mixed methods. Key informant interviews were conducted with representatives of donors and the Ministry of Health. In-depth interviews were carried out with managers of SOA and health facilities and health workers from referral hospitals and health centres. Data from the Annual Health Statistic Report 2009-2012 on utilisation of antenatal care, delivery and immunisation were analysed. RESULTS: There are several challenges with implementation: limited capacity and funding for monitoring the SOA, questionable reliability of the monitoring data, and some facilities face challenges in achieving the targets set in their contracts. There are some positive effects on staff behaviour which include improved punctuality, being on call for 24 h service, and perceived better quality of care, promoted through adherence to work regulations stipulated in the contracts and provision of incentives. However, flexibility in enforcing these regulations in SOA has led to more dual practice, compared to previous contracting schemes. There are reported increases in utilization of services by the general population and the poor although the quantitative findings question the extent to which these increases are attributable to the contracting model. CONCLUSION: Capacity in planning and monitoring contracts at different levels in the health system is required. Service delivery will be undermined if effective performance management is not established nor continuously applied. Improvements in the implementation of SOA include: better monitoring by the central and provincial levels; developing incentive schemes that tackle the issues of dual practice; and securing trustworthy baseline data for performance indicators.

A Trust-Based Pact in Research Biobanks. From Theory to Practice.

Traditional Informed Consent is becoming increasingly inadequate, especially in the context of research biobanks. How much information is needed by patients for their consent to be truly informed? How does the quality of the information they receive match up to the quality of the information they ought to receive? How can information be conveyed fairly about future, non-predictable lines of research? To circumvent these difficulties, some scholars have proposed that current consent guidelines should be reassessed, with trust being used as a guiding principle instead of information. Here, we analyse one of these proposals, based on a Participation Pact, which is already being offered to patients at the Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, a comprehensive cancer hospital in Milan, Italy.

MPs question CQC chief exec over Hinchingbrooke failings.

The chief executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has been quizzed by MPs over findings in its inspection report on Hinchingbrooke Hospital that two patients had been told to soil themselves.

Full circle at privately-run NHS trust as operator hands it back.

The only private company to run an NHS hospital announced last month it was pulling out of its contract early because it could not cope with funding cuts and rising patient numbers.

Novas expressões da religiosidade: o que elas dizem sobre o sujeito em sociedade hoje

Nas últimas décadas surgiram novas expressões da religiosidade, manifestadas na proliferação das seitas engendradas numa dimensão de contrato e troca entre os fiéis e Deus. O artigo as compara com religiões tradicionais orientadas por um pacto que, ao contrário, mantém a referência à alteridade e a impossibilidade de um arbítrio frente aos desígnios de Deus. Para além das semelhanças que as unem - marcadas todas pela mesma busca da felicidade e do alívio para o mal-estar -, há diferenças acentuadas entre elas, que apontam para distintas configurações do laço social e do sujeito que delas é efeito(AU)

New expressions of religiosity: what they say about subjectivity and society today. In the last decades new expressions of religiosity have arisen in the form of sects that entail a dimension of contract and exchange between the faithful and God. The present article compares them with traditional religions that are guided by the notion of a pact. The former keeps the reference to alterity and considers it impossible for people to arbitrate when facing God's will. In spite of their similitude - both sects and traditional religions are in search of happiness and relief from all kinds of discomfort in society - there are important differences between them pointing to diverse social bonds and hence different subjectivities(AU)

Novas expressões da religiosidade: o que elas dizem sobre o sujeito em sociedade hoje / New expressions of religiosity: what they say about the subject in society today

Nas últimas décadas surgiram novas expressões da religiosidade, manifestadas na proliferação das seitas engendradas numa dimensão de contrato e troca entre os fiéis e Deus. O artigo as compara com religiões tradicionais orientadas por um pacto que, ao contrário, mantém a referência à alteridade e a impossibilidade de um arbítrio frente aos desígnios de Deus. Para além das semelhanças que as unem - marcadas todas pela mesma busca da felicidade e do alívio para o mal-estar -, há diferenças acentuadas entre elas, que apontam para distintas configurações do laço social e do sujeito que delas é efeito...

New expressions of religiosity: what they say about subjectivity and society today. In the last decades new expressions of religiosity have arisen in the form of sects that entail a dimension of contract and exchange between the faithful and God. The present article compares them with traditional religions that are guided by the notion of a pact. The former keeps the reference to alterity and considers it impossible for people to arbitrate when facing God's will. In spite of their similitude - both sects and traditional religions are in search of happiness and relief from all kinds of discomfort in society - there are important differences between them pointing to diverse social bonds and hence different subjectivities...

[Patient information in urology: current legal situation with particular emphasis on the codification of the contract governing medical treatment in the German Civil Code (BGB)]. / Patientenaufklärung in der Urologie : Aktuelle Rechtslage unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Regelungen zum Behandlungsvertrag im Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuch (BGB).

The extent and specification of patient information have so far been defined by case law. Henceforth, the rules of patient information are included in a new type of contract, a contract governing medical treatment (Behandlungsvertrag), codified in §§630a-630e of the German Civil Code (BGB). The main conclusions of the case law are now governed by law; however, some new requirements, such as the obligation to inform patients about treatment errors or the stipulation to deliver copies of undersigned documents have been added. This article gives an overview of the codification of patient information, explains how to inform patients, particularly in urology and illustrates where it is still likely that law courts will be concerned with questions of interpretation. Correct patient information is crucial for declarations of informed consent.

Physicians beware: revisiting the physician practice acquisition frenzy.

This commentary compares the current physician practice acquisition frenzy to that of the mid-1990s and reflects on lessons learned. The bottom line: Physicians must understand that there were no "white knights" in the 1990s, and there really aren't any today. This article delineates five main factors that both physicians and hospital executives should thoroughly explore and agree on before an alignment or acquisition. Agreement on these issues is the glue that holds the deal together after the merger. These factors eliminate both buyer and seller remorse and delve into the true cultural alignment that must take place as the healthcare industry addresses the challenges of the future.

Contratos, mecanismos de pago y poder de negociación: el caso del sistema de salud de Córdoba / Contracts, payment mechanisms and bargaining power: the case of Cordoba’s health care system

Objetivos: Analizar la estructura del mercado de servicios de salud de la Provincia de Córdoba durante el período 2003-2008, considerando las condiciones socio-económico-sanitarias locales, marco institucional, la historia de los actores más relevantes del sector, y las conductas adquiridas como respuesta a la estrategia combinada de tales actores. Métodos: Revisión de literatura, mapa de actores, encuestas de campo a establecimientos de segundo y tercer nivel en los sectores públicos y privados de los departamentos de Ciudad de Córdoba, Calamuchita y Tercero Arriba. Resultados: Córdoba aparece como un caso de estructura de mercado de competencia monopolística, con pocos competidores por especialidad y alta presencia de instituciones líderes. Conclusiones: La diferenciación vertical de producto se constituye en la estrategia elegida por los jugadores donde la infraestructura es el primer criterio para definir la competencia, seguido por la tecnología, ambos indicadores de calidad tanto para pacientes como de financiadores

Objectives: To analyze the market structure of healthcare services in the province of Cordoba for the period 2003-2008, considering socio-economic and local health conditions, institutional framework, history of most relevant actors, and behaviors acquired as a response to their combined strategies. Methods: Literature review, stakeholder analysis and field surveys of public and private providers at second and third level of care for the departments of the City of Córdoba, Calamuchita and Tercero Arriba. Results: Cordoba appears as a case of monopolistic competition, with few competitors, high presence of leading institutions and vertical product differentiation as the strategy chosen by the players. Conclusions: Infrastructure is the first criterion to define competition, followed by technology, for both indicators of perceived or actual quality of both patients and financiers

Contratos, mecanismos de pago y poder de negociación: el caso del sistema de salud de Córdoba / Contracts, payment mechanisms and bargaining power: the case of CordobaÆs health care system

Objetivos: Analizar la estructura del mercado de servicios de salud de la Provincia de Córdoba durante el período 2003-2008, considerando las condiciones socio-económico-sanitarias locales, marco institucional, la historia de los actores más relevantes del sector, y las conductas adquiridas como respuesta a la estrategia combinada de tales actores. Métodos: Revisión de literatura, mapa de actores, encuestas de campo a establecimientos de segundo y tercer nivel en los sectores públicos y privados de los departamentos de Ciudad de Córdoba, Calamuchita y Tercero Arriba. Resultados: Córdoba aparece como un caso de estructura de mercado de competencia monopolística, con pocos competidores por especialidad y alta presencia de instituciones líderes. Conclusiones: La diferenciación vertical de producto se constituye en la estrategia elegida por los jugadores donde la infraestructura es el primer criterio para definir la competencia, seguido por la tecnología, ambos indicadores de calidad tanto para pacientes como de financiadores(AU)

Objectives: To analyze the market structure of healthcare services in the province of Cordoba for the period 2003-2008, considering socio-economic and local health conditions, institutional framework, history of most relevant actors, and behaviors acquired as a response to their combined strategies. Methods: Literature review, stakeholder analysis and field surveys of public and private providers at second and third level of care for the departments of the City of Córdoba, Calamuchita and Tercero Arriba. Results: Cordoba appears as a case of monopolistic competition, with few competitors, high presence of leading institutions and vertical product differentiation as the strategy chosen by the players. Conclusions: Infrastructure is the first criterion to define competition, followed by technology, for both indicators of perceived or actual quality of both patients and financiers(AU)

Reciprocity of temporary and permanent workers: an exploratory study in an industrial company

The increasing use of temporary work prompts the need to understand to what degree workers with this type of contract differ from permanent workers as to the relationship they establish with the organization they work for. This study used a sample of temporary workers (N = 78) and permanent workers (N = 196) within the same company of electronics in Portugal. The results show that, regardless of the type of contract, the perception of human resource practices was related to the perception of psychological contract fulfillment by the company. Additionally and according to the norm of reciprocity, we verified that when workers thought the company was fulfilling its obligations they responded favorably showing more affective commitment towards the company. However, we found differences between these two groups of workers: for the permanent performance appraisal, training and rewards were human resources practices that were significantly related to psychological contract fulfillment, while for the temporary ones there weren’t any specific practices that had a significant relationship with that variable. The practical implications of these findings for the management of temporary workers are discussed (AU)

El uso creciente de trabajo temporal hace que surja la necesidad de comprender en qué medida los trabajadores con este tipo de contrato difieren de los trabajadores con contratos permanentes en cuanto a la relación que establecen con la organización para la que trabajan. Este estudio utilizó una muestra de trabajadores temporales (N = 78) y otra de trabajadores permanentes (N = 196) de la misma empresa de electrónica en Portugal. Los resultados muestran que, independientemente del tipo de contrato, la percepción de las prácticas de recursos humanos se relaciona con la percepción de cumplimiento del contrato psicológico por parte de la empresa. Adicionalmente y de acuerdo con la norma de reciprocidad, se comprobó que cuando los trabajadores pensaban que la compañía estaba cumpliendo con sus obligaciones, respondieron favorablemente mostrando un mayor compromiso afectivo con la empresa. Sin embargo, encontramos diferencias entre estos dos grupos de trabajadores: para los permanentes, las prácticas de recursos humanos que se relacionaron significativamente con el cumplimiento del contrato psicológico son la evaluación del desempeño, la formación, y las recompensas; mientras que para los temporales hubo prácticas específicas significativas en relación con esta variable. Se discuten las implicaciones prácticas de estos hallazgos para la gestión de los trabajadores temporales (AU)