"Scientific research" Almanac

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  EVALUATION OF CONVERGENCE IN SOCIAL PROTECTION EXPENDITURE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

  The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the degree of convergence across the EU Member States in social protection expenditure for the period 2008-2016 by using statistical and econometric approaches for measuring convergence. This is achieved by accomplishing several tasks: presentation of theoretical concepts and statistical and econometric ... The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the degree of convergence across the EU Member States in social protection expenditure for the period 2008-2016 by using statistical and econometric approaches for measuring convergence. This is achieved by accomplishing several tasks: presentation of theoretical concepts and statistical and econometric approaches for convergence evaluation; exploring the convergence process through the club convergence approach; exploring the convergence process through the beta-convergence approach across European Union Member States as a whole, and between countries in individual convergence clubs; analysis of the impact of structural variables on social protection expenditure and the cohesion process. The thesis defended by the author is that by using the applied approaches for the study of the club convergence and beta-convergence, an adequate evaluation of the degree of convergence of the EU Member States is achieved. This makes it possible to establish the rate of convergence to the general equilibrium both within the European Union and within separate convergence clubs. As a result of the study of club convergence, convergence clubs, clubs in a process of transitional divergence, as well as countries that are not involved in that process are identified. The study of beta-convergence shows a process of reducing disparities in convergence clubs and the European Union as a whole. The findings of the study indicate that the additional variables in the models of conditional beta-convergence have a significant impact on the increase in the social protection expenditure and the cohesion process. EU countries converge at a faster pace into the general equilibrium level of social protection expenditure when it is presented as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product.

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  THE ROLE OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL AUDITORS FOR IDENTIFYING FRAUDS IN ORGANIZATIONS

  The variety of ways and approaches to fraud necessitates the updating of measures and mechanisms to identify and limit them. By properly implementing these mechanisms and approaches, the risk assessment and the display of indicators signalling misconduct contribute to reducing them and improving the effectiveness of the control impact. The ... The variety of ways and approaches to fraud necessitates the updating of measures and mechanisms to identify and limit them. By properly implementing these mechanisms and approaches, the risk assessment and the display of indicators signalling misconduct contribute to reducing them and improving the effectiveness of the control impact. The relevance of the study is due to the growing threat of spreading fraud and the need for adequate and timely measures to limit them. The purpose of the research study is to outline the possible actions to curb fraud, applied by internal and external auditors, as well as to examine the methodology used in the preparation of fraud risk assessments. The tasks are as follows: to clarify the role of internal audit in combating fraud; examining methodological guidelines for fraud risk assessment; implementation of anti-fraud management measures and adequate audit procedures. The thesis being defended is that fraud is a complex phenomenon and the role of internal and external auditors is essential for detecting and limiting it by applying innovative and adequate methods. The study substantiates the relationship between management actions and the ability to prevent and detect fraud, as well as the conditionality of audit procedures, performed by external auditors on the type and nature of possible fraudulent financial reporting schemes.

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  CURRENT TENDENCIES IN E-COMMERCE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

  In today’s competitive and dynamic business environment, companies need to transform their business in order to survive. There has been a steady trend for companies to engage in e-commerce and business based on online technologies, since it has become clear that unless they do so, they will drop out of the market. Although their presence on the ... In today’s competitive and dynamic business environment, companies need to transform their business in order to survive. There has been a steady trend for companies to engage in e-commerce and business based on online technologies, since it has become clear that unless they do so, they will drop out of the market. Although their presence on the internet offers new channels for the distribution of goods and services, it also poses a number of risks which companies need to be aware of so that they could analyse and adequately manage them. The aim of this study is to present the opportunities provided by different technological solutions for developing e-commerce applications. Those solutions, like any new technology, are viewed from different standpoints and provoke different reactions and assessments. It is therefore necessary to present their specific characteristics, as well as the impact of their implementation. The main thesis of the research is that business transformation requires the development of e-commerce apps with maximum efficiency according to the resources, which companies have at their disposal. The findings of the study indicate that teams engaged in the digitalisation of a business must be aware of current trends in developing e-commerce apps and the ability of a company to adjust to them. Hence, there are two major issues to be resolved in terms of digital transformation: first, designing and running the right online store (e-commerce website) and second, choosing the best approaches to accomplish that.