Participation of SCM Strategy in the definition of Business Strategy and its further conditions for operationalization. The status of SCM in LATAM

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a discipline of management that can be seen in different ways. However, only a strategic approach of SCM derived into subsequent tactical decisions and an operational implementation will provide the benefit that promises. SCM decisions must be considered at the strategic level; this is because the decisions in SCM contain several edges that necessarily involve the coordination of multiple areas of the company and therefore their guidelines must be defined to the highest managerial level. In this thesis is emphasize the strategic nature of SCM and the importance of being considered this way. Most research on SCM focuses on the relationship among organizations within the supply chain; but scarce literature exists that addresses the issue of internal conditions that allow proper management of the supply chain out of the borders of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to explore how SCM strategy is taken into account when the organization delineates the business strategy and how those conditions have to be met internally within the organization to be successfully implemented at the tactical and operational levels. This research is centered in Latin America where SCM’s development from the strategic point of view is scarce, more than this, SCM’s development in this region is wrongly oriented. While not considering at the strategic level, any effort organizations want to make in the area of SCM will hardly get satisfactory results in the medium and long term. In order to get this, a set of constructs was explored, proposed and defined as critical, to be considered as the first steps for a successful implementation of a SCM strategy. As it will be developed through this work, seven constructs were conisdered: Degree of participation of SCM strategy in the business strategy; Parameters to guide segmentation of providers and customers; Culture of the organization; Distribution of benefits along the chain’s criteria; Internal alignment of all the firm’s areas that participate in the SCM strategy; Coherence between strategic SCM'S alignement and Incentive program for managers; SCM manager’s role and profile Through two qualitative field studies (a Delphi panel of experts, the first and a case study the second) conducted in Latin America, the aim was to demonstrate the status of SCM in the region and how, through a correct application of the constructs, the organizations can raise their SCM strategy and from there achieve a correct operationalization

Participation of SCM Strategy in the definition of Business Strategy and its further conditions for operationalization. The status of SCM in LATAM

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a discipline of management that can be seen in different ways. However, only a strategic approach of SCM derived into subsequent tactical decisions and an operational implementation will provide the benefit that promises. SCM decisions must be considered at the strategic level; this is because the decisions in SCM contain several edges that necessarily involve the coordination of multiple areas of the company and therefore their guidelines must be defined to the highest managerial level. In this thesis is emphasize the strategic nature of SCM and the importance of being considered this way. Most research on SCM focuses on the relationship among organizations within the supply chain; but scarce literature exists that addresses the issue of internal conditions that allow proper management of the supply chain out of the borders of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to explore how SCM strategy is taken into account when the organization delineates the business strategy and how those conditions have to be met internally within the organization to be successfully implemented at the tactical and operational levels. This research is centered in Latin America where SCM’s development from the strategic point of view is scarce, more than this, SCM’s development in this region is wrongly oriented. While not considering at the strategic level, any effort organizations want to make in the area of SCM will hardly get satisfactory results in the medium and long term. In order to get this, a set of constructs was explored, proposed and defined as critical, to be considered as the first steps for a successful implementation of a SCM strategy. As it will be developed through this work, seven constructs were conisdered: Degree of participation of SCM strategy in the business strategy; Parameters to guide segmentation of providers and customers; Culture of the organization; Distribution of benefits along the chain’s criteria; Internal alignment of all the firm’s areas that participate in the SCM strategy; Coherence between strategic SCM'S alignement and Incentive program for managers; SCM manager’s role and profile Through two qualitative field studies (a Delphi panel of experts, the first and a case study the second) conducted in Latin America, the aim was to demonstrate the status of SCM in the region and how, through a correct application of the constructs, the organizations can raise their SCM strategy and from there achieve a correct operationalization

COVAD survey 2 long-term outcomes: unmet need and protocol

Vaccine hesitancy is considered a major barrier to achieving herd immunity against COVID-19. While multiple alternative and synergistic approaches including heterologous vaccination, booster doses, and antiviral drugs have been developed, equitable vaccine uptake remains the foremost strategy to manage pandemic. Although none of the currently approved vaccines are live-attenuated, several reports of disease flares, waning protection, and acute-onset syndromes have emerged as short-term adverse events after vaccination. Hence, scientific literature falls short when discussing potential long-term effects in vulnerable cohorts. The COVAD-2 survey follows on from the baseline COVAD-1 survey with the aim to collect patient-reported data on the long-term safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines in immune modulation. The e-survey has been extensively pilot-tested and validated with translations into multiple languages. Anticipated results will help improve vaccination efforts and reduce the imminent risks of COVID-19 infection, especially in understudied vulnerable groups

COVAD survey 2 long-term outcomes: unmet need and protocol

Vaccine hesitancy is considered a major barrier to achieving herd immunity against COVID-19. While multiple alternative and synergistic approaches including heterologous vaccination, booster doses, and antiviral drugs have been developed, equitable vaccine uptake remains the foremost strategy to manage pandemic. Although none of the currently approved vaccines are live-attenuated, several reports of disease flares, waning protection, and acute-onset syndromes have emerged as short-term adverse events after vaccination. Hence, scientific literature falls short when discussing potential long-term effects in vulnerable cohorts. The COVAD-2 survey follows on from the baseline COVAD-1 survey with the aim to collect patient-reported data on the long-term safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines in immune modulation. The e-survey has been extensively pilot-tested and validated with translations into multiple languages. Anticipated results will help improve vaccination efforts and reduce the imminent risks of COVID-19 infection, especially in understudied vulnerable groups

Vaccine hesitancy decreases, long term concerns remain in myositis, rheumatic disease patients: A comparative analysis of the COVAD surveys

Objective: COVID-19 vaccines have a favorable safety profile in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) such as idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), however hesitancy continues to persist among these patients.Therefore, we studied the prevalence, predictors, and reasons for hesitancy in patients with IIMs, other AIRDs, non-rheumatic autoimmune diseases (nrAIDs) and healthy controls (HCs), using data from the two international COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) e-surveys. Methods: The 1st and 2nd COVAD patient self-reported e-surveys were circulated from March to December 2021, and February to June 2022 (ongoing). We collected data on demographics, comorbidities, COVID-19 infection and vaccination history, reasons for hesitancy, and patient reported outcomes. Predictors of hesitancy were analyzed using regression models in different groups. Results: We analyzed data from 18,882 (COVAD-1) and 7666 (COVAD-2) respondents. Reassuringly, hesitancy decreased from 2021 (16.5%) to 2022 (5.1%) [OR 0.26; 95%CI: 0.24-0.30, p < 0.001]. However, concerns/fear over long-term safety had increased [OR 3.6;95% CI:2.9-4.6, p < 0.01].We noted with concern greater skepticism over vaccine science among patients with IIMs than AIRDs [OR:1.8; 95%CI: 1.08-3.2, p = 0.023] and HCs [OR: 4; 95%CI: 1.9-8.1, p < 0.001], as well as more long-term safety concerns/fear [IIMs vs AIRDs; OR: 1.9; 95%CI: 1.2-2.9, p = 0.001; IIMs vs HCs; OR: 5.4 95%CI: 3-9.6), p < 0.001].Caucasians [OR 4.2 (1.7-10.3)] were likely to be more hesitant, while those with better PROMIS physical health score were less hesitant [OR 0.9 (0.8-0.97)]. Conclusion: Vaccine hesitancy has decreased from 2021 to 2022, long-term safety concerns remain among patients with IIMs, particularly in Caucasians and those with poor physical function

COVID-19 breakthrough infections in type 1 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study by the COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD) Group

To investigate the frequency, profile, and severity of COVID-19 breakthrough infections (BI) in patients with type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM) compared to healthy controls (HC) after vaccination. The second COVID-19 Vaccination in Autoimmune Diseases (COVAD-2) survey is a multinational cross-sectional electronic survey which has collected data on patients suffering from various autoimmune diseases including T1DM. We performed a subgroup analysis on this cohort to investigate COVID-19 BI characteristics in patients with T1DM. Logistic regression with propensity score matching analysis was performed. A total of 9595 individuals were included in the analysis, with 100 patients having T1DM. Among the fully vaccinated cohort, 16 (16%) T1DM patients had one BI and 2 (2%) had two BIs. No morbidities or deaths were reported, except for one patient who required hospitalization with oxygen without admission to intensive care. The frequency, clinical features, and severity of BIs were not significantly different between T1DM patients and HCs after adjustment for confounding factors. Our study did not show any statistically significant differences in the frequency, symptoms, duration, or critical care requirements between T1DM and HCs after COVID-19 vaccination. Further research is needed to identify factors associated with inadequate vaccine response in patients with BIs, especially in patients with autoimmune diseases