Kazakhstan healthcare reforms in the context of public administration: Analysis of results and public opinion

Several systems of budgeting have been introduced into practice over the last fifty years. While more popular budgeting systems such as incrementalism and Planning Programming Budgeting Systems (PPBS) have seen continued popularity and resilience as budgeting systems, zero-based budgeting (ZBB) has experienced a resurgence in popularity, as governments and public organizations alike seek to control wasteful spending within their departments. The aim of this article is to provide users with a step-by-step guide to designing zero-based budgeting for public organizations. This article begins by describing the foundations of zero-based budgeting, as well as providing a brief comparative exploration of ZBB alongside other contemporary budgeting systems. To gain a deeper understanding of zero-base budgeting and the potential, as well as the drawbacks that this type of budgeting system holds, this paper examines the actual experience of several organizations that have implemented the zero-based budgeting method. This is accomplished by conducting a critical review of all the research and case studies that have been conducted on this topic. It is the hope of the author that both public sector and non-profit organizations will benefit from the findings of this paper when considering the implementation of their own zero-based budgeting, resulting in better planning and performance evaluation.

Risk management is one of the prominent issues which are pivotal to the success of a business and may adversely affect profitability if not properly practised. Therefore, the main objective of this paper was to determine risk management practices in manufacturing SMEs in Cape Town. The research conducted was quantitative in nature and constituted the collection of data from 74 SME leaders, all of whom had to adhere to a list of strict delineation criteria. All data collected were thoroughly analyzed through means of descriptive statistics. From the findings made, it is clear that SMEs in the manufacturing sector do in fact understand risk management initiatives applicable to ‘manage’ their respective businesses towards sustainability, but not to a large extent. It was found that respondents are unaware of the elements which make risk management effective, which ultimately aids to the development of problems for SMEs. All employees, managers and owners must coordinate their efforts together to identify and manage organizational risks within their ambit to obtain total risk coverage, as well as provide assurance that these risks are effectively managed from a coordinated approach. Further studies may be carried out to identify measures that can be taken to improve the effectiveness of risk management practices in SMEs.

The objective of the research is to examine the impact of brand name and pricing on Kazakhstan Gen Z consumers’ buying behavior, spending patterns, and other buying motives. Adopting a quantitative approach, the study administers a structured questionnaire following a comprehensive analysis of the relevant literature and gleaned responses from 300 Generation Z consumers after checking the reliability and validity of the instrument using Cronbach’s alpha. The selected hypotheses were tested using the Karl Pearson coefficient of correlation, which revealed that brand name significantly impacts Kazakh women, and price greatly influences both genders. The results observed that price has the most significant effect on the buying behavior of female and male Gen Z consumers in Kazakhstan, with 25 and 28 percent, respectively. Brand name and authenticity considerably influence female consumers, with 16 and 15 percent, whereas innovation, technology, and customization, with 20 and 14 percent, influence male consumers. The significant influence of branding and pricing on the buying behavior of Kazakhstan Gen Z customers is displayed, and the findings provide a focal context for developing marketing plans in this first-of-its-kind research article.