Strategic procurement collaboration for the common good: private and public procurement relationship duringa pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad Joseph Rutkowski ◽  
Karen Eboch ◽  
Amelia Carr ◽  
Bertie Marie Greer

Purpose This study aims to highlight and validate the importance of strategic procurement and its value to both public and private firms. This study discusses a collaborative private-public partnership (PPP), supply chain advisory committee (SCAC), established during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to acquire personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical supplies for a donation center in Toledo, Ohio, USA. This center serves the community and small businesses. This paper discusses the strategies, process and framework that were created to procure the needed items under a short lead time. The process of the partnership and outcomes are transferable and capable of being used by others to benefit society. Design/methodology/approach The case study methodology was used to investigate and summarize the actions and events of the SCAC. The case presented was tracked from the initial call to action from a local emergency response organization, Lucas County Emergency Operation Center (EOC), through the first six months of the committee’s work. Data collection was completed through a triangulation of sources. Findings The findings of this study reveal that public firms are vulnerable in a crisis. A crisis exposes the inequities in the supply chain and the need for public and private collaboration to use innovative procurement strategies. This study suggests that PPP procurement professionals benefit from working together. Both can learn from the limitations and benefits of collaborating. Practical implications This study offers a framework on how PPPs can be established to procure PPE during a crisis. This study has practical implications for private and public firms seeking to collaborate for the good of society. Social implications The findings of the study reveal that public firms are vulnerable in a crisis, which exposes the inequities in their supply chains. Private-public partnership (PPP) procurement professionals mutually benefit from working together as both can learn from each whether it is procuring PPE during a crisis or seeking to team up for the good of society. Society benefits when these organizations share solutions to problems rather than compete against one another during a crisis-situation such as a global pandemic. Supplies get to those who need them the most and information flows amongst the organizations to ensure equity in the availability of the supplies. Originality/value This study contributes to the growing body of literature that argues that public procurement must be innovative and strategic to contribute to socially responsible solutions. Government regulations require public procurement to use competitive bidding for accountability, cost reduction and to reduce fraud. However, emergency situations require innovative procurement strategies. The use of innovative procurement strategies is typical in private procurement. During a crisis, supplier relationships, lead-time management and shared and transfer of knowledge must be leveraged to acquire critical items in a timely manner. A lack of innovative public procurement strategies constrains the public and small under resourced businesses, rendering them inoperable. This paper provides a case study of an effective PPP during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper highlights the strategies, process and framework for future research and collaborations.

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel E. Collier ◽  
Daniel L. Sherrell ◽  
Emin Babakus ◽  
Alisha Blakeney Horky

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential differences between types of self-service technology. Specifically, the paper explores how the dynamics of public and private self-service technology influence customers' decision to use the technology. Design/methodology/approach – Existing customers of private and public self-service technology were surveyed from the same industry. Using structural equation modeling, the authors examine how relevant self-service constructs influence evaluations and attitudes of customers across both settings. Findings – The analysis reveals that customers' control and convenience perceptions differ across public and private self-service technology. Additionally, customers placed a heavier emphasis on the hedonic or utilitarian evaluation of a service experience based on the type of self-service technology. Practical implications – For managers of self-service applications, understanding the unique differences of public and private self-service technology can aid in the implementation and adoption of the technology. By properly understanding the differences of the self-service types, managers can provide a beneficial experience to the customer. Originality/value – By identifying and describing two distinct categories of SSTs, this study allows managers and researchers to better understand how and why individuals choose to utilize individual self-service technologies. Through understanding the unique dynamics of a public and a private SST experience, retailers can determine the appropriate strategy for customer adoption based on the utilitarian or hedonic functions of the technology.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Steinfeld ◽  
Clifford McCue ◽  
Eric Prier

Purpose The purpose of this empirical study is to identify the job tasks where decisions regarding social responsibility are likely to occur and assess the potential connections between social responsibility and professionalism. Design/methodology/approach A job study conducted by the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) of 2,593 practitioners is used for data collection. Factor analysis is applied to a set of 75 procurement job tasks to determine the relationship between practitioners’ performance and management of job tasks and social responsibility variables. Findings The results suggest that there are specific job tasks performed and managed in both public and private sector procurement that share a unique relationship with social responsibility variables. Research limitations/implications The manuscript advances the research on professionalism in procurement and administration through empirically testing job tasks performed and managed by practitioners and identifying relationships between job tasks according to a professional orientation toward social responsibility. Practical implications The study shows that specific job tasks are performed and managed in procurement and administration with a social responsibility consideration. Social implications The technical nature of job tasks found to be related to social responsibility suggests a paradoxical view of the politics-administration dichotomy, and the notion that neutral tasks of both the public and private sectors are not void of a social function. Originality/value One attribute of professionalism in the literature, social responsibility, is operationalized through actual performance and management of job tasks by practitioners.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Keith McGrath ◽  
Stephen Jonathan Whitty

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to create a “refined” (with unnecessary elements removed) definition of the term stakeholder, thereby removing confusion surrounding the use of this term from the general and project management arenas. Design/methodology/approach A method of deriving refined definitions for a group of terms by ensuring there are no unnecessary elements causing internal conflict or overlap is adopted and applied to resolve the confusion. Findings The refined definitions of stake and stakeholder are in terms of an interest and activity. This avoids all extensions of meaning introduced by defining particular types of stakeholders and/ or their degrees of impact. It also resolves the multiplicity of conflicting meanings possible when silent or assumed qualifiers of a word are ignored, restricting definition to, for example, project stakeholders or stakeholders of a firm. These definitions are carried forward into a mapping of the stakeholder locus of interest on an activity rather than a company base, enabling generic categorisation of stakeholders to be proposed for use in both private and public sectors. A governance difficulty with the term customer also emerged and a resolution to this is proposed. Research limitations/implications Resolution of the academic contention around the definition of stakeholders will facilitate future research endeavours by removing confusion surrounding the term. It can also provide clarity in governance arrangements in public and private sectors. Verification of the method used through its success in deriving this “refined” definition suggests its suitability for application to other contested terms. Practical implications Projects and businesses alike can benefit from removal of confusion around the definition of stakeholder in the academic research they fund and attempt to apply. Social implications A refined definition of the stakeholder concept will facilitate building social and physical systems and infrastructure, benefitting organisations, whether public, charitable or private. Originality/value Clarity results in the avoidance of confusion and misunderstanding together with their consequent waste of time, resources and money.


2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adedayo Johnson Ogungbile ◽  
Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke

Purpose – This paper aims to assess the facility management (FM) practices in public and private buildings, and compare the practices in both the buildings. This paper critically analysed the current FM practices and explored the range of contributions that the facility manager could offer in both public and private buildings. Design/methodology/approach – A case study of 19 public and 20 private buildings in Ibadan and Akure cities was carried out in this paper. Findings – The paper revealed that the state of FM awareness is higher in private buildings than in public buildings and that FM practices in the two types of buildings are significantly related, but the extent of usage of FM methods are significantly different in the buildings. It was also observed in the research that corrective and responsive FM practices are the order of the day in both public and private buildings. Practical implications – The paper acknowledged that the involvement of the facility manager with the integrated design team if implemented efficiently will contribute in reducing the need for major repairs and alterations in the lifespan of the facility and that the practices of preventive, planned and immediate responsive approaches would better the life of buildings. Social implications – The paper recommended that stricter action should be taken to mitigate against the poor handling and misuse of buildings by users, as it affects negatively the success story of FM in the country. Originality/value – This paper reached out to address the lack of proper FM in the country.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Dupont ◽  
Laure Morel ◽  
Claudine Guidat

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how French universities can play a key role in generating Smart City (SC) through an innovative Public-Private Partnership (PPP) dedicated to urban transformation. Design/methodology/approach – The authors led an action-research study for five years with several research and pedagogic projects, including users or citizens. Findings – The paper points out main factors of SC development. It also presents shared demonstrators’ characteristics, including industrial scale, sustainability, and citizens’ participation. Research limitations/implications – This research is experimented with only one regional multi-case study. Practical implications – Practical implications of this paper include a University of Lorraine diversification strategy through the “Chaire REVES” supported by public and private partners. Social implications – At the regional level, industrial-university-territorial partnerships could tackle both societal and economical issues “with,” “for,” and “by” citizens. Originality/value – Based on the Living Lab concept, this case study shows a concrete regional university strategy involving: user-centric design, collaborative processes, citizens’ workshops, and new financial and organizational answers enabling collaboration between private companies and public institutions. The paper also argues that innovative PPPs involving users are necessary for developing SC.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Cader Da Silva ◽  
Luciana Betiol ◽  
Teresa Villac ◽  
Raquel Nonato

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report the experience of the Federal Public Institution with sustainable public procurement through the mechanism of shared acquisitions. Design/methodology/approach The analysis adopted a qualitative approach and an empirical investigation of MPF’s experience, based on a documentary research and participant observation. Findings The results allow the authors to demonstrate the economic, environmental and social advantages of the procurement made by MPF, thus granting to this new model of acquisition governance, the adherence to the organization’s institutional mission. Research limitations/implications This is a single case study. Practical implications It is a promising path that optimizes the institution’s use of its budgetary, human, logistical and information technology resources, focusing on the quality and sustainability of public biddings. Social implications The process of collective construction, improvement of knowledge management, standardization, procedural and scale economies, and the use of sustainability criteria are the main reasons for the implementation of the sustainable shared acquisitions system in the institution. Originality/value This is a development process of a new paradigm of procurement at MPF.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-466
Author(s):  
Annemarie Groot-Kormelinck ◽  
Jacques Trienekens ◽  
Jos Bijman

Purpose The aim of this paper is to study the influence of quality standards on contract arrangements in food supply chains. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative double case study was conducted on the dairy and citrus sectors in Uruguay. A transaction cost theoretical framework was used. All current public and private quality standards applied by processors were studied in relation to contract arrangements between processors and upstream producers as well as downstream buyers for each sector. Findings Quality standards complement contract arrangements for upstream transactions, leading to hierarchy-type contract arrangements. Quality standards substitute contract arrangements for downstream transactions, leading to market- or hybrid-type contract arrangements. Research limitations/implications Longitudinal studies that measure changes in contract arrangements over time are recommended. Practical implications Supply chain actors can reduce transaction costs by aligning quality standards with appropriate contract arrangements – further supported by public instruments. Originality/value Quality standards have differential influence on underlying transaction characteristics, and therefore on contract arrangements, depending on the location of the transaction in the supply chain.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Al-Amri ◽  
Saif Al Shidi ◽  
Munther Al Busaidi ◽  
Serkan Akguc

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of real earnings management by private and public firms in a unique institutional setting, which is the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The paper also compares the level of real earnings management between public and private firms in the GCC area. Design/methodology/approach The GCC area is a unique setting to investigate the use of real earnings management because of the low enforcement of reporting standards and supervisory rules, lack of sophisticated financial analysis, specialized media tools and high concentration of capital ownership. The authors use different models of real earnings management proposed by Roychowdhury, 2006, cash flow management, productions cost management and discretionary expenses management to examine the use of real earnings management. Findings The paper documents evidence consistent with private and public firms using real earnings management to influence their earnings figures. The paper also shows that the level of real earnings management is higher for private firms compared to public firms when cash flow management and discretionary expenses management models are used. The production cost model results show evidence consistent with public firms only engaging in real earnings management through production cost reduction. Research limitations/implications The results of this study might not be applicable to other emerging markets. Practical implications The findings of this study should promote a general understanding of firms’ behavior in unique environment such as GCC countries. Regulators in the GCC region should be aware that real earnings management techniques have been used by firms and that extra caution is required when auditing or analyzing the financial information of private and public firms in the GCC market. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature in many aspects. First, it provides additional evidence on the use of earnings management in unique market contexts outside the USA and Europe. The GCC markets share many common characteristics that make them interesting settings to be investigated. Second, this paper adds more evidence on the use of earnings management between public and private firms. In this regard, the paper adds additional evidence in the discussions proposed by Ball and Shivakumar (2005) and Givoly et al. (2010) who use two competing perspectives to investigate earnings quality in public and private firms: the demand hypothesis and the opportunistic behavior hypothesis.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edith Andresen

Purpose The purpose of the study is to identify and develop a framework to clarify facilitating orchestrator hub-team roles; their interactions, linked capabilities and activities; and the hub-team concept. This framework is illustrated by a case study of an orchestrator hub-team facilitating cross-country and network co-creation in Northern Sweden, Norway and Finland. Design/methodology/approach The following two approaches are used: a conceptual approach that combines various source materials and concepts related to the “bricolage approach”; and an empirical approach that illustrates the conceptual framework using a longitudinal, qualitative, single-case study and the action research method. Findings By combining research related to three differing yet somewhat overlapping research perspectives, three facilitating orchestrator hub-team roles are identified, linked to orchestrator capabilities and activities relevant to innovative value creation in extensive networks including both private and public actors highlighting the role of people in networks. An orchestrator hub-team framework and five related activity categories are developed and introduced. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to research on the orchestration of innovative co-creation in extensive networks and network management by clarifying the facilitating orchestrator hub-team roles and their related capabilities and activities, and thereby describing the role of a centrally positioned hub-team. Practical implications The hub-team framework may bring structure and understanding to hub-teams, thus easing and enabling orchestration and value co-creation. Originality/value This study offers a further developed, integrated framework for intermediating the facilitating roles of a hub-team orchestrating extensive network and public/private co-creation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1333-1349
Author(s):  
Jorge Alejandro Silva ◽  
María Antonieta Andrade

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse how solar energy is harnessed and implemented in Mexico. This paper presents a diachronic analysis of the divergent literature presented into the subject with the themes being divided substantially. Design/methodology/approach This paper used at least five methods in the identification of the studies with the first being the use of the SCImago Institution Ranking followed by the use of Scopus for journal evaluation. SCImago was used to determine the efficiency of the journals with the Newcastle Ottawa scale allowing for the evaluation of the different case study articles presented on Mexico. The fourth tool was a 21-item STROBE checklist after which the Web of Science was used to determine the authenticity levels of the identified articles. Findings The implementation of solar energy technologies is still novel in Mexico with private and public entities working together towards building sustainable options. In addition, it cites the divergent merits that might stem from the use of solar energy technologies. Originality/value A myriad of articles has been presented concerning solar energy in Mexico, but no attempt has been made to synthesize the evidence and arguments made in this significant body of research. The subsequent review is original with its findings being valuable for current and future research.


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