Blockchain Papers

Sope Williams-Elegbe

No abstract is available for this record.

Ebizimoh Abodei, Alex Norta, Irene Azogu, Chibuzor Udokwu · 5 authors

No abstract is available for this record.

Gunnar Prause

A smart contract is an electronic transaction protocol intended to digitally facilitate, verify, or enforce the negotiation and execution of the terms of an underlying legal contract designed to fulfil common contractual conditions comprising payments, legal obligations, and enforcement without third parties. Thus, by following the traditional perception, smart contracts target to reduce transaction costs including arbitration and enforcement costs by realising trackable and irreversible transactions by using blockchain technology for distributed databases. However, the potential of smart contracts goes far beyond cost reductions by facilitating the entrepreneurial collaboration of cross-organisational business-processes that are characteristic for smart supply chains. A closer look to existing or ongoing smart contract projects reveals that the majority of smart-contract applications in business life are linked to supply chain management, Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 solutions. The author participated in several EU projects related to transnational entrepreneurial networks and smart supply chains. Thus, the paper discusses the research question of how and to which extent smart contracting and blockchain technology can facilitate the implementation of collaborative business structures for sustainable entrepreneurial activities in smart supply chains. The research is based on expert interviews, surveys and case studies, which took place in the context of the EU projects with a focus on the Baltic Sea Region.

Mawuko Dza, Evan Kyeremeh ., Simon S. K. Dzandu ., Samuel Afran .

The paper probes corruption in public procurement in Ghana. The research, which focused on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the country, revealed widespread corruption in the public service of Ghana. Notable procurement related corrupt practices unraveled included influence peddling, inflating contract sums, payment for non-existing contracts, deliberate contract splitting, multiple payments for contracts, use of phantom vendors and misapplication of public funds. The study further noted that some principal officers such as Coordinating Directors, Finance Officers, Budget and Planning officers, Engineers, Internal Auditors, Stores and Procurement officers, as well as government representatives misappropriate funds meant for development projects in their catchment areas, while staff looked on unconcerned. The research also discovered how Internal and external auditors ostensibly “train” principal officers on how to conceal corrupt practices in return for money and other rewards. The study is significant because the concept of decentralization was introduced to enable MMDAs to effectively and efficiently manage resources for the development of their communities. The concept has been defeated as some public servants connive with external auditors and other stakeholders to amass wealth at the expense of the generality of the people. A worrying phenomenon is the culture of silence by employees who are witnesses to most of these corrupt practices. Indeed, our findings show that most public servants are nonchalant about the act of corruption perpetuated by colleague workers. Essentially, some employees see nothing wrong with their principal officers and other colleagues indulging in acts of corruption, their reason being that they might do same when they assume similar positions in future. With this revelation, the onus is on government not to only adopt a combative strategy in dealing with the incidence of corruption. Rather, it is recommended that a blend of combative and the moral suasion strategies be adopted if the fight against corruption is to achieve desired results.

Xiaoli Wang, Liu Yun, Gui Bing-Xiu, Meijian Yang · 6 authors

In many countries of the world, government procurement is a powerful tool for reflecting national strategic intentions and promoting scientific and technological innovation. Based on the perspective of the institutional structure and the method of policy for bibliometrics, we analyzed Chinese policies of government procurement to promote scientific and technological innovation, revealed the policymaking characteristics, and concluded that the Ministry of Finance should appropriately decentralize the policymaking work to other relevant departments of the State Council. This paper compares the main policy tools from five dimensions among China and other typical countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, and so on. Five aspects, which include establishing the database for vendors of micro, small, and medium enterprises; developing the grade system and the post evaluation system; formulating detailed implementation methods of innovative products and services; carrying out classification management for imported products; and setting mandatory insurances. In general, for the policies of government procurement to promote scientific and technological innovation, this paper provides an effective reference for organizing the agencies and formulating the detail measures. The research framework of this paper could be applied to analyze other policies.

Xiaoli Wang, Yun Liu, Yanbing Ju

In many countries, sustainable public procurement is a powerful tool to reflect on national strategic intentions and promote scientific and technological innovation. Based on the perspective of an institutional structure, we filtered out the core policies. Using policy bibliometrics, we analyzed Chinese public procurement policies on promoting scientific and technological innovation, revealed policy-making characteristics, and concluded that the Ministry of Finance should appropriately decentralize the policy-making work to other relevant agencies of the State Council. This article compares the main policy tools from four dimensions in China, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, France, and South Korea. We issued these pertinent strategies: establishing the vendor database for small and medium enterprises, developing a grade system and the post-evaluation system, formulating detailed implementation methods for high-tech products (services), and carrying out classification management for imported products. For sustainable public procurement policies on promoting scientific and technological innovation, this article provides an effective reference to organize the agencies and formulate the detail measures. This article’s research framework could be applied to analyze other industry policies.

Nomxolisi Nobukhosi Okojie

ENGLISH SUMMARY : Procurement has been designed to redress some of the imbalances of the past; however, this policy instrument is being abused in some institutions around the country. This abuse has caught the eye of the Minister of Finance who, a few years ago, appointed a Chief Procurement Officer (CPO). This office of the CPO is within the National Treasury and it is tasked with ensuring that procurement, currently known as supply chain management (SCM), is properly managed. One of the causes of deficiency within the SCM environment is decentralisation. This is a method used by various institutions, including Parliament. Decentralisation means that every office is able to procure its own goods and services. This may result in procedures not being followed properly because the people who are trained in procurement or SCM reside in the SCM office. When procedures are not followed properly, this may result in awards of bids being made incorrectly, leading to irregular expenditure and possibly qualified audit opinions. The National Treasury has established a central database for all suppliers. This may curb some of the inconsistencies currently experienced; however, each institution still procures its own goods and services. In the case of Parliament, the database is not being used yet and with programmes in place that take Parliament to the rural areas, the central database may not be efficient. This study aims to give recommendations to ensure the SCM Section is able to support Parliament in meeting its strategic objectives. The study takes into consideration the unique status of Parliament as a People's Parliament and as such it needs to put people at the centre of its operations. This study also wishes to show that as much as the SCM environment is decentralised in Parliament with the necessary controls in place, there has been an improvement in ensuring that the SCM unit is able to play its strategic support role without compromise.

Lih-Ren Liu, Yuh-Ming Lee

Taiwan, like many other countries, often incentivizes private investors to participate in the construction of infrastructures for environmental protection. The build-operate-transfer (BOT) or build-operate-own (BOO) model of financing public infrastructure was introduced to Taiwan in the 1990s. Among them, the construction of incinerators to treat the municipal solid waste using the BOT/BOO model was quite a success in the beginning. With the socio-technical change of lifestyle and waste generation, the amount of amount of trash dropped dramatically. The policy failed eventually, however, because the government over-estimated the trash quantity and refrained from inter-municipality cooperation to treat trash efficiently. This failure triggered a rash of intense debates and legal disputes. In the case of the Taitung incinerator, the 26th incinerator located in southeastern Taiwan, the arbitration resulted in the government making significant compensation payments to the private sector. The finished construction was consequently converted into a “mothballed and pensioned off” facility. This study applies in-depth interviews and literature review to discuss aspects contributing to the policy failure and proposes some possible remedial measures. Five aspects are summarized, namely, the administrative organization’s rigid attitude, the irrationality of the BOT/BOO contracts, the loss of the spirit of BOO partnerships, the heavy financial burden on local government, and the abandonment of inter-municipality cooperation. The remedial measures for the policy failure are presented in the form of thorough policy evaluation, room for contract adjustments under the BOT/BOO model, encouragement of cross-boundary cooperation, and revision of the legal framework for implementing decentralization.

Imke Lammers, Michiel A. Heldeweg

This article entails an innovative approach to smart grid technology implementation, as it connects governance research with legal analysis. We apply the empirico-legal ‘ILTIAD framework’, which combines Elinor Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework with institutional legal theory (ILT), to an empirical case study of a local smart grid project. Empirical data were collected in an exploratory, descriptive example study of a single case, focusing on the Action Situation and interactions towards establishing a local Smart Grid. The case was chosen because of its complexity, following the ‘logic of intensity sampling’. Data triangulation took place combining participatory observation, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. Through an exploratory case study, we showed how the ILTIAD framework can help reduce complexity in local decision-making processes on smart grid implementation, as it allows for analytical description and prescriptive design of local smart grid systems. In the analysis we addressed ownership arrangements and contracts and identified barriers and opportunities for realizing a local smart grid system. The design part includes a scenario which revealed the prescribed patterns of behaviour (liberties and abilities) and the consequential aspects that apply to each situation. Analysing and designing normative alignment ex ante to the planning and implementation of a smart grid system provides clarity to stakeholders about their current opportunities. For this reason, the ILTIAD framework can be used as a design guideline for establishing new and integrated smart grid projects.

Bosire, Linet K

With the implementation of devolution in Kenya where county governments are responsible for development projects in decentralized regions in Kenya, urban infrastructure projects and their financing mode is of importance in academic discussions, government policies and public sector financial management. Various county governments have initiated PPP projects for infrastructure development to suffice their mandate; however, there is scanty academic information on the factors that determine the success of attracting funding for such projects as well as the factors for the success of the projects themselves. The constraints identified to hinder the success include financial constraints, government constraints and economic constraints. This descriptive study therefore sought to establish the determinants of success of urban infrastructure projects financed by public private parternerships in Kenyan counties. Primary data was collected using a semistructured questionnaire targeting 47 county employees responsible for PPP projects implementation. 41 questionnaires were returned providing a response rate of 87.23%. The study finds that all the counties have PPP units which is in line with the national governments initiative to encourage PPP funding for projects for improving infrastructure levels across the counties. It also found that 70.73% of the counties have in place PPP implementation guidelines which are instrumental in guiding the process. The study finds that 26.2 % of variations in the proportion of urban infrastructure projects funded within the PPP framework are explained by changes in macro economic conditions, government guarantees, project implementability and procurement process. The findings show a statistically significant positive relationship between government guarantess and success of the projects. There is also a statistically significant negative relationship between macro-economic conditions and success of the projects. The study also notes a positive relationship between project implementability and sucess as well as a negative relatioship between procurement process and project success. The relationships are not statistically significant. The study recommends that government should support infrastructural development by providing project guarantees and ensuring the macro-economic environment is sound for private investments. Further, counties should address the concerns on procurement transparency and they should enhance their capacity for project feasibility inquiries, design and implementation. The study recommends further investigations on why various proposed projects are not financed and the studies should consider the other possible control variables outside the scope of the current study that may explain the variations in the success of the projects

Journals Invention, Enock Gideon Musau

The study sought to answer the following objectives; investigate the effect of market environment on procurement performance in Uasin Gishu county government., establish the contribution of legal environment on procurement performance in Uasin Gishu county government, determine the effect of political environment on procurement performance in Uasin Gishu county government and finally, to find out the contribution of social economic environment on procurement performance on Uasin Gishu county government From the findings of the study it is apparent that market environment, political environment, legal environment and socioeconomic environment have an impact on procurement performance. Under market environment, maximization of competition, accomplishment of socioeconomic objectives and fulfilment of government needs are the market components influencing procurement performance. Concerning the legal environment, aspects of contracts, personnel regulations, research and development regulations, manufacturing regulations and finance regulations are the aspects that affect procurement performance at Uasin Gishu County Government. The political environment influence on procurement performance entails; influence on budget authorization, alteration of procurement statutes, political pressures, compromising of different interest groups and involvement in all aspects of the public procurement system. Regarding the socioeconomic environment, aspects influencing procurement performance include; Favourable /unfavourable economic environment, Government Favours for tenders and Pressure from environmental activists. The study recommends that, decentralization of duties especially at the procurement department should be encouraged to minimize wastages and corruption resulting from centralization of power. Under market environment, maximization of competition, accomplishment of socioeconomic objectives and fulfilment of government needs are the market components influencing procurement performance. Concerning the legal environment, aspects of contracts, personnel regulations, research and development regulations, manufacturing regulations and finance regulations are the aspects that affect procurement performance at Uasin Gishu County Government. The political environment influence on procurement performance entails; influence on budget authorization, alteration of procurement statutes, political pressures, compromising of different interest groups and involvement in all aspects of the public procurement system. Regarding the socioeconomic environment, aspects influencing procurement performance include; Favourable /unfavourable economic environment, Government Favours for tenders and Pressure from environmental activists.

Sandeep Verma

No abstract is available for this record.

Andrew Graham

In the context of the financial management improvement, it has been given and will continue to be given priority to decentralization of responsibility management in public finance, through the provision of the right of use of Government Financial Informatics System (GFIS) to general governance institutions, concerning the process of executing their budget. Also the direct use of GFIS from those mentioned above is accompanied by the addition of internal controls in the procurement phase of public funds. Monitoring of financial management in the public sector is important not only for affecting directly in the efficient and economic use of public funds, but it significantly affects in the establishment of a sustainable culture in the better use of public funds. The country is aspiring to be a European Union member and consequently increasing the financial management performance constitutes a continuing objective of all governments. The legal framework and units and institutions that do monitoring of public financial management, are newly created, they continue their quest to grow and consolidate.

Calogero Guccio, Giacomo Pignataro, Ilde Rizzo

No abstract is available for this record.

Mohammad Ali Hossain

This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Procurement and Supply Management, 2014.

Xiang Min, Yu Liting

In supply chain, the key problem and difficulty in information-based construction lies in coordinating the benefits of various participating enterprises so that they may always maintain a positive attitude towards participation. This paper, from the hypothesis of the rational people, studies the financing for supply chain information-based construction between member enterprises in the supply chain, and then combines the features of distributed control supply chain to propose the corresponding financing package based on Stackelberg game theory, and last analyzes the approach to financing balance between information-based construction enterprises in the decentralized supply chain. It is found in this study that the expected return is the most important factor to coordinate the financing member enterprises for supply chain informationbased construction

Roine Leiringer, Libby Schweber

The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is frequently portrayed as a vehicle for change for the UK construction sector. Significant change in the working practices of construction companies is predicted as new business models based on whole-life value creation emerge. This paper shifts the focus of discussion from projected ideals and possible developments to the current situation. More specifically, it focuses on the challenges that large firms participating in both PFI and traditional markets face. The analysis focuses on the relations between business units and on day-to-day challenges to greater long-term commitment, through life-service provision and increased integration between construction and service provision. The paper offers insights into the effects of PFI on construction practice and their implications for theorizing on organizational and strategic change. It suggests abandoning a simplistic model of the centralized, homogenous firm and instead capturing the dynamics of decentralized, large firms working in multiple markets on a variety of projects. This would assist in the provision of more realistic and fruitful models of how to realize the PFI vision. L'Initiative Financière Privée (Private Finance Initiative – PFI; contrats de concession d'ouvrages publics à paiements publics) est fréquemment dépeinte comme un moyen de faire évoluer l'industrie britannique du bâtiment. D'importants changements dans les pratiques de travail des entreprises du bâtiment sont à prévoir au fur et à mesure qu'apparaissent de nouveaux modèles d'entreprise basés sur la création de valeur pour toute la durée du cycle de vie. Cet article déplace le centre de la discussion des idéaux envisagés et des développements possibles à la situation actuelle. De manière plus précise, il se concentre sur les défis auxquels se trouvent confrontées les grandes entreprises qui participent à la fois aux marchés PFI et aux marchés traditionnels. L'article porte principalement sur les relations entre les Business Units et sur les défis qui se posent au quotidien par rapport à un engagement à long terme plus grand, au maintien de la qualité des prestations pendant la durée du cycle de vie, à une plus grande intégration entre la construction et les prestations fournies. L'étude de cas et l'analyse élargie qui sont présentées permettent une évaluation de l'effet des contrats PFI sur les pratiques du bâtiment et une théorisation sur les organisations et les changements stratégiques. L'article suggère d'abandonner le modèle simpliste de l'entreprise homogène, centralisée, et de s'inspirer plutôt de la dynamique des grandes entreprises décentralisées opérant dans de multiples marchés sur des projets variés. Cela contribuerait à fournir des modèles plus réalistes et féconds permettant de savoir comment concrétiser la vision PFI. Mots clés: travail collaboratif entreprises de construction solutions intégrées marchés multiples Initiative Financière Privée (PFI) initiative financière publique création de valeur

Biemo W. Soemardi, Krishna S. Pribadi

The policy regarding the management of national road networks in Indonesia has been centrally programmed and managed by the Directorate General Bina Marga, under the Ministry of Public Works. Under such policy, the national road and bridge system is planned, programmed and financed by the central government, whereas the implementation of construction and rehabilitation/maintenance of roads and bridges are delegated to local authorities. In exercising its authority, the government of Indonesia has relied on traditional design-bid-build approach for delivery of road and highway construction and maintenance projects. Under this approach, program development and engineering were prepared by the central agency (DGBM) whereas the biding and construction process will be carried out by local authorities at provincial level. This paper discusses result of preliminary study on alternative delivery method for road projects in Indonesia. The study attempts to identify the potential application of design-build delivery method, as well as performance based contract to the current management structure of national road network system. In particular, this study aims at investigating the impact of organizational structure and decentralization mechanism at both central and local authorities to current state of application of traditional design-bid-build delivery method in road construction projects.

Stephen King

No abstract is available for this record.