A One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance surveillance: is there a business case for it?

Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem of complex epidemiology, suited to a broad, integrated One Health approach. Resistant organisms exist in humans, animals, food and the environment, and the main driver of this resistance is antimicrobial usage. A One Health conceptual framework for surveillance is presented to include all of these aspects. Global and European (regional and national) surveillance systems are described, highlighting shortcomings compared with the framework. Policy decisions rely on economic and scientific evidence, so the business case for a fully integrated system is presented. The costs of integrated surveillance are offset by the costs of unchecked resistance and the benefits arising from interventions and outcomes. Current estimates focus on costs and benefits of human health outcomes. A One Health assessment includes wider societal costs of lost labour, changes in health-seeking behaviour, impacts on animal health and welfare, higher costs of animal-origin food production, and reduced consumer confidence in safety and international trade of such food. Benefits of surveillance may take years to realise and are dependent on effective and accepted interventions. Benefits, including the less tangible, such as improved synergies and efficiencies in service delivery and more timely and accurate risk identification, should also be recognised. By including these less tangible benefits to society, animal welfare, ecosystem health and resilience, together with the savings and efficiencies through shared resources and social capital-building, a stronger business case for a One Health approach to surveillance can be made

Taking the business cycle´s pulse to some Latin American economies: Is there a rhythmical beat?

The paper deals with the macroeconomic behavior of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay for the period 1970-1997. Its aim is twofold. First, to determine whether their economic fluctuations followed a similar pattern according to their duration, intensity and timing. Second, to evaluate the demand and supply disturbances. The arhythmical beat among these economies in the past reveals that there is little point in trying to align macroeconomic policies, and the absence of an economic argument for a monetary union.

Is there room for human dignity in business law? A Brazilian contribution

Brazilian constitutional and social imperatives determine a company’s right to value human dignity instead of merely utilitarian and traditional sectarian considerations. In practical terms, the notion of legitimate profit and a company’s social function, social responsibility, and social ethics are already expressions of human dignity in business law. In highly monetized societies, the company occupies a central position and can make its contribution to human ontological realization

An engineering approach to business model experimentation – an online investment research startup case study

Every organization needs a viable business model. Strikingly, most of current literature is focused on business model design, whereas there is almost no attention for business model validation and implementation and related business model experimentation. The goal of the research as described in this paper is to develop a business model engineering tool for supporting business model management as a continuous design, validation and implementation cycle. The tool is applied to an online investment research startup in roll out and market phase. This paper describes the research as performed in a case study setting by focusing on the design, implementation and evaluation of the business model engineering tool. We also analyze the actual implementation and usage of the business model tool by the online investment research startup by focusing on the most critical actions related to actual business model implementation – i.e. actions with so-called ‘Lollapalooza tendencies’