The role of research in viral disease eradication and elimination programs: Lessons for malaria eradication

By examining the role research has played in eradication or regional elimination initiatives for three viral diseases-smallpox, poliomyelitis, and measles-we derive nine cross-cutting lessons applicable to malaria eradication. In these initiatives, some types of research commenced as the programs began and proceeded in parallel. Basic laboratory, clinical, and field research all contributed notably to progress made in the viral programs. For each program, vaccine was the lynchpin intervention, but as the programs progressed, research was required to improve vaccine formulations, delivery methods, and immunization schedules. Surveillance was fundamental to all three programs, whilst polio eradication also required improved diagnostic methods to identify asymptomatic infections. Molecular characterization of pathogen isolates strengthened surveillance and allowed insights into the geographic source of infections and their spread. Anthropologic, sociologic, and behavioural research were needed to address cultural and religious beliefs to expand community acceptance. The last phases of elimination and eradication became increasingly difficult, as a nil incidence was approached. Any eradication initiative for malaria must incorporate flexible research agendas that can adapt to changing epidemiologic contingencies and allow planning for posteradication scenarios. © 2011 Breman et al

Emotional Rollercoaster: The Inverted U-Shaped Relationship between CEO Emotions and Innovation Outcomes

While the literature suggests that CEOs’ emotions can affect organizational decision- making, leadership, and employee engagement, we know little about how they influence firms’ culture and outcomes of innovation. Acknowledging that innovation is a critical element for long-term success, we investigate the relationship between CEO emotions and firm innovation. The results of our analysis of 1,903 firm-year observations supports our theorizing of an inverted U-shaped relationship between CEO emotions and innovation outcomes. The findings show that moderate levels of emotions lead to the highest innovation outcomes, while extremely high or low levels decrease innovation. This study contributes to the literature by applying the Yerkes-Dodson law within upper echelon theory, demonstrating a non-linear relationship between CEO emotions and innovation, and utilizing a novel algorithm to measure CEO emotions more objectively

The (In)Effectiveness of Incentives - A Field Experiment on the Adoption of Personal Electronic Health Records

Medication errors are the third-leading cause of death in the US; however, a large number of these cases could be prevented through better medication management. The aging population and the associated high number of individuals taking multiple medications regularly makes medication management even more important. Personal electronic health records (PHRs) can improve medication management significantly and thus increase patient safety. Despite unequivocal benefits for individuals, healthcare professionals, governments, insurers, and employers, the adoption rate of PHRs remains low. Therefore, we seek to identify measures that motivate individuals to adopt PHRs. Drawing on justice theory, we show that incentives in terms of personalization, as well as the signal of fair information practices, increase the adoption rate of PHRs. These effects are mediated by perceived benefits and privacy concerns, respectively. Based on counterintuitive findings on the effects of monetary compensation we start a discussion on the complexity and context-dependency of different incentives

Forced distribution rating systems and team collaboration

This study provides three real-effort experiments on how a forced distribution rating system (FDRS) influences team collaboration. In the first and the second experiment, we examine the performance implications of an FDRS in a card sequencing task (1) when working alone and (2) when working in a team. In the third experiment, we test how an FDRS affects knowledge sharing within teams. Our findings show that an FDRS increases the speed of completing the card sequencing task when working alone and decreases the speed of completing the card sequencing task when working in a team. Beyond that, we find that an FDRS also significantly decreases knowledge sharing within teams. As the FDRS was perceived as unfair in collaborative settings but not when working alone, we provide evidence on the role of perceived justice concerning the effects of an FDRS and shed light on the psychological and economic consequences of introducing an FDRS in environments where team collaboration is essential for success. © 2021 The Author(s

The President’s National Security Agenda Curtailing Ebola, Safeguarding the Future

A clear lesson of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa is the need for strong public health systems globally, including in the United States. Ebola has highlighted the dangers of weak public health systems, from the immense shortage of health workers in West Africa to the budget cuts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In response to Ebola and the broader threat of infectious disease, President Obama has proposed a $6.2 billion supplemental funding request to Congress. The supplemental would surge resources for containing and treating Ebola in West Africa -- including a reserve of funds to enable a robust, flexible response going forward--enhance prevention and detection of, and response to, Ebola in the United States, and buttress U.S. and partner country health systems to respond rapidly and flexibly to all infectious disease hazards in the future. The additional resources the supplemental would devote to the ongoing Ebola crisis is critically important. So is the supplemental request\u27s funding to prepare for the future, including developing treatment centers in the United States that would provide advanced care and isolation facilities, and funding for research and development for vaccines and medicines for Ebola and other novel infections. The request would also provide the first significant batch of funding to the Global Health Security Agenda, which President Obama unveiled in February 2014. The Global Health Security Agenda takes an all-hazards approach to building greater global capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious diseases, from zoonotic diseases and antibiotic resistant bacteria to biosecurity and bioterror threats. From environmental degradation to increased human-animal interchange, the threats are only increasing. Strong public health systems at home and globally are our best defense. Congress should support the President\u27s supplemental funding request, furthering a bipartisan U.S. tradition of support for global health, continuing U.S. global leadership in the Ebola response, and preparing our country and our world for disease threats of the future

U.S. Radio in the 21st Century: Staying the Course in Unknown Territory

This essay examines the development of the radio industry in the United States as it makes its way into the 21st century. Issues of regulation, technology, commerce, and culture are addressed

Toolkits for innovation: how digital technologies empower users in new product development

In recent decades, toolkits for innovation have been increasingly used to integrate users into new product development processes. They promise to empower users in these processes by providing design freedom and iterative learning for the transformation of ideas into products. Despite these potential benefits, little is known about how these often digital toolkits compare to traditional design methods, and what role previous experience of users in new product development plays. To compare the effectiveness of toolkits for innovation with physical product modeling, we conducted a two-stage laboratory experiment in the form of an innovation challenge. One hundred non-expert and 46 expert users created new product designs, which were subsequently evaluated by an independent jury. Our results show that users with no experience in digital or physical design tasks develop more innovative product ideas when using a digital toolkit for innovation than when they use physical product modeling, while expert users seem to be able to use both methods with equal success. We, thereby, show that toolkits for innovation are a powerful way to translate users' solution information into a prototype. Moreover, our results indicate that the usage of a digital toolkit for innovation decreases the quality gap between the designs of non-expert and expert users in new product development

Decoding the Mindset: A Neural Network Approach for Analyzing CEO’s Digital Strategy and Its Innovation Implications

The swift advancement of digital technologies demands CEOs to prioritize digital innovation strategies to stay competitive. However, an overemphasis on digitality, neglecting aspects like customer focus, operations, and collaboration, can hinder innovation. Using a neural network, we evaluated CEOs’ digital strategies by training on 1,000 company pitches and applying this to S&P 500 CEOs\u27 Shareholder Letters (2001-2018). We discovered an inverted U relationship between digital strategy intensity and innovation performance. This stresses the need for a balanced strategy with the right digital focus. Our research illuminates top executives\u27 digital mindset in driving innovation, emphasizing the potential pitfalls of a purely digital approach. Furthermore, our machine-learning method offers a novel, scalable way to quantify digital strategy, paving the way for subsequent research

Organizational attractiveness after identity threats of crises: how potential employees anticipate social identity

This study examines how organizations shape potential employees’ social identity prior to joining the organization. This is relevant in light of growing demands for knowledge workers together with a lack of knowledge about the determinants of employer attractiveness for this group. Our study uses different organizational crises as identity-threatening events and extends current research by showing how such events influence potential employees’ anticipations about social identity, as well as their perceptions of the organization’s attractiveness. Empirical evidence from our scenario-based experiments in the United Kingdom and the United States shows that identity changes occurring from organizational crises reduce organizational attractiveness and that anticipated self-continuity and anticipated self-esteem mediate this relationship. The effects become stronger with increasing crisis responsibility. More surprisingly, our qualitative data indicate that certain forms of crises can also attract certain types of employees by triggering organizational compassion, engagement to help the organization recover, and beliefs in learning and future improvements. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group