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Cancer Biomarkers are the key to unlocking the promise of precision oncology, selecting which patients will respond to a more personalised treatment while sparing non-responders the therapy-related toxicity. In this paper, we highlight the primacy of cancer biomarkers, but focus on their importance to patients and to health systems. We also highlight how cancer biomarkers represent value for money. We emphasise the need for cancer biomarkers infrastructure to be embedded into European health systems. We also highlight the need to deploy multiple biomarker testing to deliver the optimal benefit for patients and health systems and consider cancer biomarkers from the perspective of cost, value and regulation. Cancer biomarkers must also be situated in the context of the upcoming In Vitro Diagnostics Regulation, which may pose certain challenges (e.g. non-compliance of laboratory developed tests, leading to cancer biomarker shortages and increased costs) that need to be overcome. Cancer biomarkers must be embedded in the real world of oncology delivery and testing must be implemented across Europe, with the intended aim of narrowing, not widening the inequity gap for patients. Cancer patients must be placed firmly at the centre of a cancer biomarker informed precision oncology care agenda.

Post Tender Negotiation (PTN) procedure is part of the tendering process in procurement of goods and services. The procedure could be triggered if the initial tendering activity does not result in the selection of a supplier. This could be due to a lack of clear Value for Money (VfM) bidder. The PTN procedure is sparingly applied in the UK public sector procurement and the reasons adduced for this are based on ethical considerations. The UK Office of Government Procurement (OGP), formerly known as the Office for Government Commerce (OGC) and the European Union (EU) are the chief proponents of restricting the use of PTN to exceptional cases. The premise of their argument is that the buyer could unethically tilt her/his actions in the process of applying the PTN procedure to favor certain suppliers. It is the argument of this paper that buyers from the public sector in UK are being deprived of the procedure’s benefit and therefore, the restrictions should be relaxed. Evidence from this study suggests that the procedure could offer the opportunity for further clarifications of supplier’s bid. The study also identifies that, for PTN to be successful, factors ensuring success in negotiations including cooperation should be present.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex and debilitating condition that requires care from a multispecialty team. The Integrated Parkinson Care Network (IPCN) is an innovative pragmatic care model that focuses on integrated care, self-management support and technology-enabled care. Objective: This study aims to estimate the costs of the IPCN and assess whether benefits gained from the intervention offset its costs based on a single center experience. Methods: We conducted a return on investment (ROI) analysis of the IPCN from a societal perspective. The ROI for the IPCN was estimated as a ratio of the net savings and the intervention cost. The intervention cost was calculated as a sum of set-up and implementation costs. Cost savings was measured as the absolute reduction in the societal costs realized by PD patients. A positive ROI indicated that savings generated from the intervention offset its cost. Results: The total cost of the IPCN for 100 PD patients was C$135,669, or C$226 per patient per month. IPCN was associated with the reduction in societal cost of C$915 per patient per month (95%CI: –2,782, 951). The ROI per PD patient per month for the IPCN was 3.08 (95%CI: –0.60, 22.93), suggesting that for every C$1 invested in the IPCN, C$4.08 is gained through reduction in societal costs. The returns were greater among advanced PD patients. Conclusion: The IPCN has the potential to offer a good return on investment for PD patients, and its value for money is higher among advanced PD patients.

Reflecting on Loader and White ’s (2018) suggestion that the labour of private security workers is difficult to ‘commodify’, this paper uses original empirical data to show that there are four elements to what private security workers ‘do’ for victims of domestic violence when contracted by domestic violence advocacy services: they provide (a) practical ‘target-hardening’ measures, (b) ‘expert’ advice on security, (c) forms of ‘security therapy’ as workers talk clients through their safety-based anxieties and (d) forms of ‘security theatre’ as workers provide the appearance of providing security despite the efficacy often being unclear or uncertain. Each of these elements have significant risks that can threaten the interests of victims and domestic violence services.

This paper provides an assessment of how Maltese healthcare performance compares against that of other selected EU countries. The study analyses a chosen set of key performance indicators (KPIs) re...

This study aims to determine the financial governance model of the DPRD Secretariat of Pinrang Regency based on the perspective of good governance. It is hoped that the results of this study can be a source of reference for further researchers as well as information for the Secretariat of the DPRD of Pinrang Regency. Data collection techniques used are documentation, observation, and interviews with personal paper data sources and places. The analysis technique used is descriptive qualitative analysis. The results of the study indicate that financial governance at the DPRD Secretariat of Pinrang Regency has implemented the principles of good governance. Financial governance indicators used are community participation in regional financial management, transparency in regional financial management, accountability, and value for money.

PurposeIn addition to lower value for money and the loss of trust in government, procurement corruption threatens to produce a vicious cycle whereby honest firms self-select out of public procurements, further increasing corruption and decreasing value for money. This paper aims to explore this vicious cycle hypothesis.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a survey of businesses registered with the procurement regulator in Honduras, a country with high grand corruption but low levels of administrative procurement corruption. The study uses the survey to test the effects of experiences and perceptions of corruption and personal connections on perceptions of fairness and intention to bid on future procurements.FindingsThis study finds that experiences with bribery and the perceived importance of personal and party connections undermine perceptions of fairness, particularly for firms bidding with Honduras’s public works agency. While firms that have not bid recently view the process as less merit-based than those that have, the study does not find that perceptions of fairness influence intention to bid in the future as the vicious cycle hypothesis would suggest.Social implicationsThis research suggests that even firms that are frustrated with procurement irregularities are willing to tolerate them to access government markets.Originality/valueThe study benefits from a unique survey of businesses on issues of corruption and connections in a challenging procurement environment.

Public long-term care (LTC) systems provide services to support people experiencing difficulties with their activities of daily living. This study investigates the marginal effect of changes in public LTC expenditure on care-related quality of life (CRQoL) of existing service users in England. The public LTC program for people aged 18 or older in England is called Adult Social Care (ASC) and it is provided and managed by local authorities. We collect data on the outcomes and characteristics of public ASC users, on public ASC expenditure, and on the characteristics of local authorities across England in 2017/18. We employ an instrumental variable approach using conditionally exogenous elements of the public funding system to estimate the effect of public ASC expenditure on user CRQoL. Our findings show that by increasing public ASC expenditure by £1000 per user, on average, local authorities increase user CRQoL by 0.0030. These results suggest that public ASC is effective in increasing users' quality of life but only to a relatively small extent. When combined with the other potential effects of LTC expenditure (e.g., on informal carers, mortality), this study can inform policy makers in the United Kingdom and internationally about whether social care provides good value for money.

The background of this research is the phenomenon of very good village fund management, so that it becomes very effective and efficient in its use, even though in very unsupportive conditions due to the covid-19 outbreak. The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of Subun Bestobe Village Financial Management using the value for money (VFM) method, namely with measurement indicators (economical, efficiency, and effectiveness). The results showed that the economic level for the last 5 years was in the >100% category, thus meeting the economic standard of value for money. The efficiency level for the last 5 years is at the standard >40%, the ratio is above 100% so that the efficiency ratio does not meet the efficient value for money standard. The effectiveness ratio for the last 5 years has met the standard so that it shows that the Subun Bestobe Village Government has been effective in managing village finances for the village community. This is because the effectiveness of financial management can increase if the village community is satisfied with the performance of good financial management, especially in village development. So that in the future the village can become a superior, independent and competitive village.

Background With 50% of Australians having chronic disease, health consumer views are an important barometer of the "health" of the healthcare system for system improvement and sustainability. Aims To describe the views of Australian health consumers with and without chronic conditions when accessing healthcare. Methods A survey of a representative sample of 1,024 Australians aged over 18 years, distributed electronically and incorporating standardised questions and questions co-designed with consumers. Results Respondents were aged 18-88 years (432 males, 592 females) representing all states and territories, and rural and urban locations. General practices (84.6%), pharmacies (62.1%) and public hospitals (32.9%) were the most frequently accessed services. Most care was received through face-to-face consultations; only 16.5% of respondents accessed care via telehealth. The 605 (59.0%) respondents with chronic conditions were less likely to have private health insurance (50.3% vs 57.9%), more likely to skip doses of prescribed medicines (53.6% vs 28.6%), and miss appointments with doctors (15.3% vs 10.1%) or dentists (52.8% vs 40.4%) because of cost. Among 480 respondents without private health insurance unaffordability (73.5%) or poor value for money (35.3%) were the most common reasons. Most respondents (87.7%) were confident that they would receive high-quality and safe care. However, only 57% of people with chronic conditions were confident that they could afford needed healthcare compared with 71.3% without. Conclusions Health consumers, especially those with chronic conditions, identified significant cost barriers to access of healthcare. Equitable access to healthcare must be at the centre of health reform. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Water companies are regional monopolies in the UK, and subject to quinquennial price reviews to ensure customers receive value for money. This paper documents the application and evolution of state...

This study aimed to determine the measurement of performance in the Village Government of Jabal Nur, Kec. Kodeoha, North Kolaka Regency in 2015-2019 using the concept of Value For Money. Performance measurement is one of the factors for a private or public organization. Performance measurement is used as a control tool in an organization to evaluate the results of activity and determine the success of the management carried out by an organization. The application of the value for money concept is important for the government as a public service because the implementation of this concept will provide benefits for assessing: 1) the effectiveness of public services, 2) the quality of public services, 3) spending allocations that are more oriented to the public interest, and 4) increasing public cost awareness as the root of the implementation of public accountability. The results of this study indicate that the performance of the Jabal Nur village government has been said to be economical because the percentage ratio has never exceeded 100%; in terms of efficiency, government performance is efficient even though the first 3 years are in balanced efficiency, but in years 4 and 5 the level of efficiency has increased, and from in terms of the effectiveness of the performance of the village government of Jabal Nur has been effective even though in 2017 the level of effectiveness was according to. Still, the following year the level of effectiveness increased again.

With the accelerated urbanization progress, the governmental financial funds fail to satisfy the needs of highway project construction in some areas. The building-transfer (BT) model and public-private partnership (PPP) model have been carried out in succession in China to solve the shortage of financial funds. However, the emotion analysis method in Guide of Value for Money Evaluation for PPP Project (trial) enacted by the Ministry of Finance is of great subjectivity when applied to the calculation of risk quantification, which is the key to quantitative evaluation, so it is in urgent need of perfection through scientific methods to promote the implementation of PPP projects. On this basis, under the research background of conversion of a highway stock project from BT model to PPP model in city Z, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (HAHP) and set-valued statistics method were applied to the method improvement for the risk quantification part of value for money (VFM) evaluation cases in this project. The results show that the VFM (calculated based on the improved risk quantification method) of the BT-to-PPP model for the highway stock project in city Z is elevated from the original 248,240,000 RMB to 271,643,500 RMB. The conclusions can provide a certain reference basis for further improving China’s VFM evaluation system, and boosting the development of PPP model in China.

Objective: The objective of this study is to review published cost-utility analyses of vaccination strategies in eight European countries and to assess whether there are differences in cost-effectiveness terms among countries and vaccinations. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted using the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database and the PubMed database. Cost-utility analyses of any type of vaccination that used quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) as measure of benefit and conducted in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands or the UK were included. Results: A total of 94 studies were identified. As a result of our search methodology, the vast majority of studies were conducted in the Netherlands or UK (33 and 30 studies, respectively). The most frequent vaccination types were against Human papillomavirus (HPV) with 23 studies, followed by vaccination against pneumococcal infections (19 studies). The analysed vaccinations were generally cost-effective but with high variability. Considering an incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 40,000€/QALY, we noticed that the following vaccinations studies are below this threshold, i.e. all varicella and influenza (with one outlier) studies, 90% of the studies for HPV and 75% of the studies for pneumococcal vaccinations. Rotavirus vaccination was considered as not cost-effective, with only 30% of studies below the threshold of 40,000€/QALY. There was no clear trend for vaccinations being more cost-effective in some countries. Conclusions: The published literature has shown that vaccination strategies are generally cost-effective in European countries. High heterogeneity in the results among studies and countries was found.

PurposeOn the basis of the justice, attachment, social support, self-determination theories, this research paper examines the impact of the student–instructor relationship construct on the customer-centric measures of overall student satisfaction, and perceived value for money and their impact of the behavioral intentions as an endogenous construct. We considered universities as providers of complex services focusing on students' service quality and students as the customers of the higher education institutions.Design/methodology/approachA survey instrument was used to collect data among undergraduate and graduate business students in a medium-sized Canadian university (N = 178). Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the strength, significance, and effect sizes of the relationships between the key constructs.FindingsThe results indicate that the student–instructor relationship is significantly related to student satisfaction and value for money perceptions. Also, the student satisfaction and behavioral intentions, value for money and student satisfaction, and value for money and behavioral intentions relationship were significant.Originality/valueThe perceived quality of student–instructor relationship and its relationship to customer-centric measures like satisfaction, value for money and behavioral intentions has received relatively little attention in previous research and was discovered to be an important contributor to the perceived student satisfaction and value for money. The importance of the student–instructor relationship is further emphasized indirectly via the perceived value for money construct to student satisfaction.

For the Government projects, Value for Money (VFM) is an important parameter based on which the projects are procured through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) by the public sector. The objective of this paper is to identify and evaluate perceptions of VFM factors affecting Indian road projects undertaken by PPP. Eighteen VFM factors were shortlisted through a literature survey and were validated with experienced professionals. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the most important VFM factors and was grouped into three categories: financial implications, the expertise of the private sector, and contract efficiency using factor analysis. Important VFM factors were identified using the Importance Index Method. The perception was analyzed with various statistical tools. The findings from this study provide more information and understanding about VFM in an early stage, which will be helpful for decision making about PPP.

The online fashion market is the largest market segment in Ghana. This present study investigates what drives Ghanaian consumers to purchase fashion products online from perceived risk and perceived value for money perspectives. Moving away from the purely monetary perspective, this study operationalizes value for money to include ease of use (qualitative perspective). Findings from this study highlight the fact that the average Ghanaian e-buyer is more influenced to shop for fashion products online by their perceived value for money than by their perceived risk and this insight is relevant in boosting e-commerce transactions significantly in the economy.

Since the creation of the National Health Service in 1948, different groups of experts have competed to inform the development of British health policy. This article analyzes the long-term rise of one of these groups-management consultants. The scale and regularity of their engagement has increased considerably over time, strikingly in recent years, and the functions fulfilled by consultants have become ever more diverse. At important moments they were often seen by policymakers-particularly when there was understood to be a lack of internal expertise-as possessors and imparters of important knowledge. Firms and individuals worked consciously to integrate themselves into emerging health policy networks. But there has often been relatively little consideration of their real suitability for work in the health field. Many debates around the use of external consultants today-accountability, value for money, dependency-were foreshadowed during earlier periods, with implications for current policymakers.

CSR and Sustainable development are interrelated. Companies are practicing Corporate Social Responsibility manner that generates significant returns to their businesses. Well – Known Companies have proven that they can differentiate their Brands and reputations, if they take responsibility for the well being of society and environment in which they operate. Sustainability and CSR have taken something of a back seat in the past few months thanks to the increasing reality of a global economic slowdown. In this tough economic climate, tough decisions have to be made. With everyone focused on delivering value for money to the customers there is likelihood that people will see CSR as a fringe activity and not a business essential. Recession is a time of uncertainty and corporate should try to focus on the long term benefits from CSR activities rather than focusing on immediate cost cutting at the risk of forgoing their responsibilities towards the community.

Private Finance Initiative (PFI) was introduced in 2006 aimed at achieving value for money. Nevertheless, most of the PFI projects in Malaysia are currently facing difficulties in meeting the expectation. Therefore, a brainstorming workshop involving 69 PFI practitioners from diverse backgrounds was conducted to investigate the implementation issues at the operational level and strategies towards achieving the project goals. The results showed that skills and knowledge, procedures and implementation, challenges in project management, and conflict on documentation were among the issues debated among workshop participants. “Loopholes” were identified to facilitate the improvement of the PFI project implementation in Malaysia. Keywords: Operational Performance; Private Finance Initiative (PFI); Issues; Strategies. eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bsby e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI3.2531

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the passengers' perception of app or application-based ride-sharing service in Bangladesh. The research directly measures the passengers' perception of perceived quality and value for money of using app-based ride-sharing services in Bangladesh and how it impacts passengers' satisfaction. The study also measures the indirect relationship of perceived quality and value for money and passengers' loyalty through the mediating effects of passenger satisfaction in app-based ride-sharing services.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used an online self-administered survey questionnaire to collect data from the respondents who have experienced app-based ride-sharing services in Bangladesh. In this study, 400 questionnaires were distributed to the respondents online (Google form) and received 281 useful responses that give a 70.25% response rate. The survey data were analyzed based on construct validity, convergent validity and structural equation modeling by using Smart PLS 3.FindingsThe research findings indicate that perceived quality and value for money positively and significantly influence passengers' satisfaction. The passengers' satisfaction has a direct and significant relationship with passenger loyalty. The research findings also indicate that perceived quality and value for money have an indirect relationship with passenger loyalty through the mediating effect of passenger loyalty in app-based ride-sharing services.Practical implicationsBoth perceived quality and value for money have been the key drivers of passenger satisfaction and loyalty. Thus, the ride-sharing service providers should emphasize enhancing passenger value perception and quality service to reinforce passenger satisfaction and loyalty by increasing communication with the passengers about their apps. Besides, the service providers need to keep track of passengers' satisfaction levels and adopt necessary initiatives to ensure satisfied passengers toward loyalty.Originality/valueLimited studies have investigated the impacts of perceived quality and value for money on passenger satisfaction and loyalty to app-based rideshare service. It is a suitable time as the research findings will help ride-sharing service providers enhance their quality performance to compete healthily. Simultaneously, passengers can enjoy improved, and value-added services due to increasing competition among the app-based service providers. Regulators can also emphasize passenger quality services and the importance of money as a proposition while formulating policy and regulations toward the management of ride-sharing companies.

This article examines how alternate-level-of-care (ALC) days are funded through the cancer surgery funding model in Ontario and evaluates policy options to better address ALC days. The contribution of ALC days to hospital funding and the impact of removing or reallocating this funding from cancer surgery is measured. Though costs associated with ALC days in cancer surgery are low, this article highlights the need for policy options that would realign funding across the healthcare system in Ontario to better meet the needs of patients waiting for ALC, reduce pressure on inpatient bed capacity and improve value for money.

Background Despite the burden of varicella, there is no universal varicella vaccination (UVV) program in the United Kingdom (UK) due to concerns that it could increase herpes zoster (HZ) incidence. We assessed the cost-utility of a first-dose monovalent (varicella [V]) or quadrivalent (measles-mumps-rubella-varicella [MMRV]) followed by a second-dose MMRV UVV program. GSK and MSD varicella-containing vaccines (VCVs) were considered. Methods Dynamic transmission and cost-effectiveness models were adapted to the UK. Outcomes measured included varicella and HZ incidences and the incremental cost-utility ratio (ICURs) over a lifetime horizon. Payer and societal perspectives were evaluated. Results The impact of V-MMRV and MMRV-MMRV UVV programs on varicella incidence was comparable between both VCVs at equilibrium. HZ incidence increased by 1.6%–1.7% over 7 years after UVV start, regardless of the strategies, then decreased by >95% at equilibrium. ICURs ranged from £5665 (100 years) to £18 513 (20 years) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained with V-MMRV and from £9220 to £27 101 per QALY gained with MMRV-MMRV (payer perspective). MMRV-MMRV was cost-effective in the medium- and long-terms with GSK VCV and only cost-effective in the long term with MSD VCV at a £20 000 per QALY gained threshold. Without the exogenous boosting hypothesis, HZ incidence decreased through UVV implementation. ICURs were most sensitive to discount rates and MMRV price. Conclusions A 2-dose UVV was demonstrated to be a cost-effective alternative to no vaccination. With comparable effectiveness as MSD VCV at lower costs, GSK VCV may offer higher value for the money., A 2-dose universal varicella vaccination was demonstrated to be a cost-effective alternative to no vaccination. With comparable effectiveness as MSD varicella-containing vaccines (VCVs) at lower costs, GSK VCV may offer higher value for the money.

PurposeThe procurement strategy challenges that influence the development of sustainable smart housing require a holistic system approach that models the relationships between procurement strategies and sustainable smart housing development approach. This considers the use of technology partnering to ensure value for money. The purpose of the paper is to assess the mediation effect of the technology partnership on procurement strategy influencing sustainable smart housing development.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a quantitative approach and primary data were collected via a structured questionnaire. In total, 500 survey questionnaires were administered to project managers in the Nigerian construction industry and a stratified proportionate random sampling method was used for the selection of respondents.FindingsThe results indicated that the procurement strategy influenced sustainable smart housing development in Nigeria, and the technology partnership mediates the relationship between procurement strategy and sustainable smart housing development.Research limitations/implicationsThis quantitative study is based on the perception of construction project managers in Nigeria. The findings serve as an awareness of the government and other stakeholders in the construction industry on the development of sustainable smart housing in Nigeria.Practical implicationsThe study establishes that technology partnership mediates the relationship between procurement strategy factors and sustainable smart housing development through enhancement of smart housing development and serves as awareness to stakeholders on the factors influencing smart housing development in Nigeria.Social implicationsThe study suggests that technology partnership influences the effect of procurement strategy factors on sustainable smart housing and hence improves the development of smart housing in developing countries.Originality/valueMediation roles of technology partnership minimize procurement strategy challenges and enhance sustainable smart housing development.

Whole life costing plays an essential role in ensuring value for money, not only in the construction stage but also in the duration of the asset’s life. This study investigates the level of awarene...

The achievement of Universal Health Coverage, including quality services, is high on the international agenda. Cambodia aims to expand social health protection and is committed to improving the healthcare service quality. We review the country context and propose five policy approaches to accelerate progress on healthcare quality improvement in Cambodia. These approaches aim to augment the profile and continued focus on quality while leveraging and optimizing existing systems to incentivize improvements and increase value for money.

This study aimed to study the role of e-marketing in building the competitive advantage of electrical appliances companies in Egypt from the customers' point of view. To achieve the goal of the study, the descriptive analytical approach was used to collect data and information, and the field study was conducted with the guidance of (520) survey forms and distributed them electronically to those interested in the field of study, Statistical packages v.25 SPSS have been used to test the hypotheses of the study in addition to v.24 AMOS, where the modeling of the structural equation SEM is a technique for building and testing statistical models. The study has found a significant relationship between the role of e-marketing and between the price, the quality of the environmentally friendly electric product, the value for money, and the creativity and innovation of the environmentally friendly electric product. The study recommended the need to pay attention to safety and privacy on the corporate website to enhance customer satisfaction with the environmentally friendly electric product..

Local or regional fast-moving consumer (FMCG) brands sold mostly in delimited geographic areas are a growing trend. This study aims to understand consumer attitudes towards such products and to identify factors critical to their success. The paper is a comparative study between developed (Germany) and emerging (South Africa) nations to identify differences between the preference criteria for FMCG. The methodology involved an online cross section survey in the two countries. Respondents from both countries preferred local brands and believe they are better quality and more supportive of, and connected to, local communities. South Africans feel this more strongly, show greater commitment, and are prepared to pay more than Germans. ‘Beliefs’ regarding quality, value for money, and trust in local brands are critical.

Global strategists suggest to deploy a value for money strategy both in emerging and developed markets. This study uses reviews from 24,926 airline passengers across 29 countries, and investigates ...

The purpose of this research was to determine partially and simultaneously the influence of accountability, public participation and supervision of budget performance with the concept of value for money in the Bengkalis District Financial and Asset Management Agency. This research uses descriptive quantitative analysis method. The sampling technique uses boring sampling method. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear of regression. The results showed that partial accountability, participation and supervision had a positive and significant effect on budget performance with the concept of value for money in the Bengkalis District Financial and Asset Management Agency. While simultaneously accountability, participation and supervision have a positive and significant effect on budget performance with the concept of value for money in the Regional Financial and Asset Management Agency in Bengkalis Regency with a 93.5% influence.

The public has put increased pressure on organizations providing public services to demonstrate the most productive use of resources, with due regard for value received. Education is no exception. This study focus on the presentation and evaluation of public organizations (public grammar schools in our case) in education on the basis of their economy, efficiency and effectiveness as one of the indicators of performance assessment. The methodology of Value For Money presented in this study can provide useful information about the situation of education for public forces and for public grammar schools themselves. Also, this methodology may help to gain a deeper insight into strengths of individual schools, as well as in which they can improve. A limitation of the concept of VFM is that performance evaluation is possible only between homogeneous services. The originality and value of the study are reflected in its focus on such topics as monitoring and measuring of performance for public service organizations (i.e., education services). It also provides a tool for districts and individual schools to gain information using indicators employed here for identifying and solving the performance problems that occur in education system of Slovakia.

With the suboptimal performance of the Jakarta-Surabaya corridor railway currently operating, the Government of Indonesia intends to upgrade the railway system in terms of speed performance as well as to engage the participation of both the public and private sectors in the upgrading project as mandated in Presidential Regulation Number 38/2015. Through this research, the type selection of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme and their implications on the Jakarta-Surabaya railway project will be demonstrated by conducting analysis to the alternative scenarios of the study on railway technology selection with an emphasis on economic and financial feasibility aspects to determine the suitable PPP type, which is validated through Value for Money (VfM) analysis, where the benefits of the selected PPP type in terms of economic, financial, and non-financial aspects were examined through numerical tests, the result of which indicated that with the VfM value of the actual data of IDR 224.51 trillion, and the most significant changes in VfM value for each variable change are in the 20-year concession period which reduces the VfM value by 4%. Of all the variable changes, there is no minus VfM value, indicating that public projects are in an improved condition with the PPP scheme.

Online apparel industry is suffering from a major issue of return, with a high rate of return for apparels that are sold online it becomes necessary to investigate the probable reasons of return in online apparel industry. The objective of the study is to develop a multi-criterion approach for evaluation of various factors that are responsible for the return of apparels purchased online in context of India. A total of 34 factors were identified through literature review and discussion with experienced experts from the fashion domain. In this study, best–worst method has been employed to prioritize and rank the factors for online return more effectively. Sensitivity analysis has been carried out to check the robustness of the proposed model of the study. The findings of the study show that fit and size variation, defects, found a better product (wisdom of purchase), wrong product delivery, lenient return policy and value for money were identified as crucial factors for online apparel return. The present study provides valuable research implications which can be used for retail policy improvements and also to online selling strategy.

Anti-competitive activities, like bid-rigging, undermine the main objectives of public procurement, such as value for money and efficiency in the procurement process. The magnitude of the problem i...

This study investigates the changing discourses of the value of degrees in prospectuses between 1976 and 2013, chosen due to the massification of higher education and use of the particular ...

An important factor in modern-day tourism is restaurant guests' feeling of satisfaction. Motivated by the desire to quantify this feeling and make it an operational element of recommendations for further development of one segment of restaurant tourism, this paper examines the expressed satisfaction of foreign tourists in restaurants of selected cities in the Western Balkans. The second goal of this paper is to show the extent to which local visitors and domestic tourists are satisfied with the service provided in the analysed catering facilities. Comments that are an integral part of the research part of this paper's analysis were collected from one of the most popular websites in the field of restaurant industry - Trip Advisor.

This article seeks to develop our understanding of the agency of vulnerable groups who at first sight may not seem to have much agency in their lives. It explores the co-constructed nature of agency in three Danish homeless shelters. Unlike earlier interview-based studies, our research is based on naturalistic data drawn from 23 video-recorded placement meetings. Using concepts from Goffman, we examine how versions of the neediness and worthiness of homeless people are negotiated verbally and bodily between staff and clients. We find that homeless people have to juggle two partly contradictory roles when they are given or take the roles of either a (active) citizen or a (passive) client. Clientship is actively negotiated by both parties and demonstrates the agency of homeless people: they can collaborate with (as clients) or challenge (as citizens) the staff's attempts to formulate solutions to their troubles. We further examine how the professional ideology of client centredness affects the meeting between the two parties. However, we show that, like any discourse, client centredness has no intrinsic meaning and is played out by actors in very different ways. In work with the homeless, the discourse of client centredness is related to discourses of 'neediness', 'worthiness' and 'value for money' that define agency in different ways and make three different client positions available: the resolute client, the acquiescent client and the passive client.