Logistics salience impact on logistics capabilities and performance

Purpose – The purpose of this manuscript is to assess the impact of logistics salience on logistics capabilities and performance. Specifically, the impact of logistics salience on logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation is measured along with logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation effect on logistics performance. Design/methodology/approach – Conclusions were drawn from survey data gathered from logistics and supply chain managers at US firms. Structural equation modelling was utilized to measure the statistical significance of the hypothesized model paths with all findings meeting the basic requirements of interpretation. Findings – The results suggest that logistics salience positively impacts both logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation. Logistics innovativeness and logistics service differentiation both positively influence logistics performance. These findings give credence to the resource based view of the firm which states that resources lead to capabilities which leads to performance. Research limitations/implications – Conclusions based on the study’s results highlight the importance of logistics within firms and indicate that the function must be made salient throughout the firm to further capitalize on the benefits of logistics. These benefits include enhanced logistics capabilities and their eventual impact on logistics performance. Originality/value – Using the resource based view of the firm as the theoretical framework, the manuscript supports the notion that logistics salience is an important resource for firms looking to provide differentiated services and innovative logistics operations to their customers

Automatic replenishment: the relationship between resource commitment and program performance

Some firms have adopted a new approach to order fulfillment, i.e., automatic inventory replenishment. With automatic replenishment programs (ARPs), sellers replenish or restock inventory based upon actual product usage and stock level information provided by buyers. This paper reports on a recent survey of logistics professionals regarding .ARP involvement. In addition to providing a profile of current usage, the research also examines the relationship between investment in automatic replenishment related resources and .ARP performance. Firms making a greater commitment to ARP (in terms of resource allocation) reported enhanced day-to-day operational performance and greater success in the overall performance of the trading relationship

Profit contribution information’s impact on internal integration

An exploratory quantitative study on the relationship between profit contribution information and firm-wide internal integration is presented. Specifically, the authors examine how profit contribution information availability impacts firm-wide internal integration and, subsequently, logistics performance. This study provides greater insight into the area; only a few studies have empirically examined the impact of profit contribution information within a firm. The primary implication is that firms should utilize specific types of information, i.e. profit contribution information, for making more informed operational and strategic decisions. The paper also underscores the managerial value of using profit contribution information in decision making and planning

A Systematic Review of the Impact of Summative Assessment and Tests on Students’ Motivation for Learning

First paragraph: The current widespread use of summative assessment and tests is supported by a range of arguments. The points made include that not only do tests indicate standards to be aimed for and enable these standards to be monitored, but that they also raise standards. Proponents claim that tests cause students, as well as teachers and schools, to put more effort into their work on account of the rewards and penalties that can be applied on the basis of the results of tests. In opposition to these arguments is the claim that increase in scores is mainly the consequence of familiarization with the tests and of teaching directed specifically towards answering the questions, rather than developing the skills and knowledge intended in the curriculum. It is argued that tests motivate only some students and increase the gap between higher and lower achieving students; moreover, tests motivate even the highest achieving students towards performance goals rather than to learning goals, as required for continuing learning

A Systematic Review of the Impact on Students and Teachers of the Use of ICT for Assessment of Creative and Critical Thinking Skills

First paragraph: The review reported here was prompted by the rapid changes associated with the ‘information age’. New technologies have created both the need for education toprovide students with what are described as ‘higher level thinking skills’ and the opportunity to teach and assess these skills. There is also evidence from two previous reviews of assessment (Harlen and Deakin Crick, 2002; Black and Wiliam, 1998) that, on the one hand, what is assessed for summative purposes is what is valued in the curriculum, and, on the other hand, that formative assessment of what is taught leads to improved learning. It follows that, if valued goals of education are to be taught effectively, they need to be assessed effectively for both formative and summative purposes. The reported neglect of creative and critical thinking in assessment (Harlen and Deakin Crick, 2000) is therefore a cause for concern, given the prominence it is accorded in currentdiscussion of the education that students need in preparation for life in a rapidly changing society and for life long learning

Evidence Collection for the Unconscious and Unconsented Patient

Forensic nurses are faced with making an ethical decision when an unconscious patient presents with signs of sexual assault. If the patient is unable to consent, the nurses need to decide whether or not to perform a forensic exam. Hospitals have policies in place regarding consent for emergency care, but not all of them consider the collection of forensic evidence. The window of opportunity for forensic collection may disappear before contacts are made or proper consent is established.\ud Ethical, legal, and policy considerations that complicate this scenario are discussed

Scale development to evaluate differences between concern about falling and fear of falling: the concern and fear of falling evaluation

PurposeIndividuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience fear of falling (FOF), which is associated with negative health and quality-of-life consequences. Prior research has used FOF and concern about falling (CAF) interchangeably, but persons with MS report that CAF and FOF represent separate constructs that lie on a continuum. Unfortunately, no scale exists to understand the differences between CAF and FOF. Therefore, we developed a novel questionnaire, the Concern and Fear of Falling Evaluation (CAFFE), in which respondents rank their CAF and FOF on a continuum across various activities. This study aims to describe the scale development process and examine its psychometric properties.MethodsIn a single online survey, MS participants responded to demographic questionnaires, indicated whether they experience CAF and FOF, and completed the CAFFE. Psychometric evaluation of the CAFFE involved internal consistency, split-half cross validation, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).ResultsOut of 1,025 respondents, 64.6% reported CAF and 47.2% reported FOF. The EFA yielded a two-factor solution encompassing activities in open (factor 1) and closed environments (factor 2). The CFA replicated this two-factor solution and the CAFFE demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = 0.98).ConclusionThe 27-item CAFFE is a highly reliable and valid measure capturing the tipping point at which point CAF moves to FOF. Future research should seek to define the tipping point from the MS community, as CAF may be an adaptive mechanism, whereas FOF may be a maladaptive behavior

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570