First Case of Systemic Coronavirus Infection in a Domestic Ferret (Mustela putorius furo) in Peru.

A domestic ferret from Lima, Peru, died after ten days of non-specific clinical signs. Based on pathology, immunohistochemistry and molecular analysis, ferret systemic coronavirus (FRSCV)-associated disease was diagnosed for the first time in South America. This report highlights the potential spread of pathogens by the international pet trade

Reorienting the Role of Middle Managers for Creating Value within the Organization: an Economical, Social and Ethical Proposal

Many studies have focused on customer value and how it is created based on the performance of front-line employees in addition to the unquestionable role of top management. It is also necessary to analyze the creation of value within the organization from the role of middle managers. These managers are crucial to orient employees for promoting value for customers that in turn creates value for stakeholders. Using an anthropological model we analyzed the creation of value in three organizational dimensions: economical, social and ethical, and how the role of middle managers contributes to this purpose. We applied a survey to 263 middle managers to identify their views about their role and their needs for assuming it. We designed and executed a program for developing the competencies and personal qualities required for fulfilling their role focused on the creation of value. This study included semi-structured interviews to explore the experience and beliefs of these managers about the main tasks they face according to the three dimensions of the model. Through the results obtained we designed a scheme to arrange the role of these managers. Finally, we validated a model to prepare them as leaders for creating value

Cómo fortalecer el clima y la cultura de servicio a través del liderazgo de servicio del mando intermedio: caso de estudio en una compañía multinacional

Las empresas comúnmente dedican significativos recursos y esfuerzos para desarrollar y entregar nuevos productos y servicios a sus clientes, y así generar su crecimiento económico. Aunque esto es indispensable para competir en esta era global, nos planteamos algunos interrogantes: ¿es suficiente concentrarse en esas acciones para obtener los resultados que se esperan?, ¿qué otros factores deben considerarse para afinar el enfoque en el cliente y promover la creación de valor para los stakeholders? Si bien para este cometido se deben gestionar varios factores, conviene tomar en cuenta el clima y la cultura considerando que ha sido comprobada su influencia en el funcionamiento de la organización. Centrar la atención en los aspectos técnico, operacional y económico no basta: es necesario generar un ambiente de aprendizaje continuo que aumente la capacidad futura de la empresa y la proyecte hacia un mundo más complejo y más exigente. Para ello, el clima y la cultura son importantes dimensiones que requieren ser analizadas con una perspectiva más amplia. En los últimos años observamos un creciente interés de los investigadores, consultores y directivos por tratar el clima organizacional como un factor relevante para propiciar un ambiente de bienestar que impulse el desempeño y las relaciones internas. Asimismo, se ha incrementado el estudio acerca de los “climas enfocados”, por ejemplo, climas enfocados en servicio, seguridad, diversidad, entre otros. Especialmente en el estudio de las empresas del sector servicios se ha verificado el beneficio de crear un clima enfocado, ya que no es suficiente el ambiente de bienestar para lograr la eficacia de su gestión estratégica. Por su parte, el interés por la cultura organizacional, que tuvo gran impulso durante los años 80 y parte de los 90, argumentándose su importante influencia en los procesos de cambio y mejora organizacionales, recibe ahora una menor atención de los investigadores y directivos en la gestión empresarial. Esta situación probablemente ha impedido el suficiente análisis acerca de la integración clima-cultura enfocada de modo concreto, como fundamento para la orientación de comportamientos y acciones específicas en el ambiente organizacional. Clima y cultura son dos conceptos claves para comprender lo que ocurre en una organización y por qué ocurre. Estas dimensiones deberían analizarse en conjunto con mayor profundidad por los investigadores, y gestionarse con mayor cuidado dentro de cada contexto organizacional, tanto por los altos directivos como por los mandos intermedios. Por ello, en este artículo las analizamos desde un pensamiento sistémico que permite integrar el aspecto estratégico de la empresa, tanto con el clima, desde una visión psicológico-social, como con la cultura, desde una visión antropológica. Nuestro trabajo identifica las principales características de estas dimensiones y plantea su conexión con un enfoque de servicio consistente, que favorezca la efectividad y el aprendizaje positivo en la organización. Aunque en la literatura organizacional se destaca el liderazgo como un rol importante en la creación de la cultura y del clima, no se ha identificado suficientemente este rol según los niveles jerárquicos. Particularmente, no se ha explorado con profundidad el liderazgo de los mandos intermedios en relación con el fortalecimiento de estas dos dimensiones mediante un enfoque de servicio. Por ello, aquí planteamos este liderazgo como un factor crucial para conectar y fortalecer un clima y una cultura de servicio, como la hipótesis de nuestro trabajo. Así, luego de revisar los conceptos de clima y cultura organizacional y de servicio, proponemos un modelo de liderazgo enfocado en el servicio, y finalmente describimos la aplicación y validación realizada con los mandos intermedios de una compañía multinacional en PerúCompanies commonly devote significant resources and efforts to develop and deliver new products and services to their customers, and so, generate economic growth. Although it is indispensable to compete in this global era, it is relevant to ask some questions: is it enough to focus on these actions to get the expected results?, what other factors should be considered to sharpen the focus on customers and promote the creation of value for stakeholders? While this task must include various factors, it is convenient to take into account the climate and culture as it has been proven that they exert influence on the functioning of the organization. Focusing on the technical, operational and economic aspects is not enough, it is also necessary to create an environment for continuous learning in order to increase the future organizational capacity and to project the company toward a more complex and demanding world. For this purpose, climate and culture are important dimensions that must be analyzed through a wider view. In recent years we have seen a growing interest of researchers, consultants and executives to manage the organizational climate as a relevant factor to foster an environment of wellbeing that boost performance and facilitate internal relationships. At the same time, it has increased the study on specific or focused climates, for example, climate focused on service, on safety, or diversity, among others. Especially the study of services companies has verified the benefit of creating a focused climate as the climate for wellbeing is not enough to achieve the efficacy of its strategic management. In the other hand, interest in the study of organizational culture that had great momentum during the 80s and 90s, arguing its important influence on the processes of change and organizational improvement, now it receives less attention from researchers and executives. This situation has probably prevented the enough analysis about the integration climate-culture as a foundation for promoting specific behaviors and actions within the organization. Climate and culture are key concepts to understanding what happens within the organization and why it happens. Thus, they should be analyzed together with higher interest by researchers, and should be better managed by both top and middle managers within the organizational context. Therefore, in this article we utilize a systemic thinking that allows us to integrate the strategic aspect of the business to climate, from a psychological-social view, and culture, from an anthropological field. We identify the main characteristics of these dimensions and propose their connection to a consistent service orientation that favors effectiveness and positive organizational learning. While leadership as an important role for creating a climate and culture is highlighted in organizational literature, it has not been sufficiently identified this role among hierarchical levels. Particularly, it has not been explored in depth the leadership of middle managers for strengthening these dimensions with a service focus. Therefore, we consider this leadership as a crucial role to connecting and strengthening a service climate and culture as the hypothesis of our work. So, after reviewing the concepts of organizational and service climate and culture, we propose a leadership model focused on service, and finally we describe its application and validation through the group of middle managers of a multinational company in Perú

Cómo desarrollar un proceso de capacitación con orientación al servicio para los empleados

El presente artículo tiene como propósito analizar los factores que deben tomarse en cuenta cuando se pretenden desarrollar procesos de capacitación para los empleados que proporcionan servicio a los clientes, tanto aquellos de línea de frente como los de apoyo. En ese sentido, presentamos un modelo de organización orientada al servicio, inspirado en el enfoque antropológico desarrollado por el profesor Pérez López, que nos ayuda a entender cómo debe funcionar una empresa que busca destacar y consolidarse en el campo de los intangibles en esta era global. A partir de este enfoque de organización, desarrollamos otro modelo que contribuye a forjar la orientación al servicio de los empleados a través de los procesos de capacitación. A través de la aplicación de estos dos modelos intentamos ayudar a que la organización cuente con empleados productivos,satisfechos y leales, fomentando así la capacidad de servicio en la realidad organizacional. Los modelos citados fueron aplicados en un proceso de capacitación realizado para los empleados del principal distribuidor de autos de la marca Nissan en Perú, cuyos resultados compartimos con los lectores. Cabe mencionar que este trabajo de investigación fue seleccionado para ser presentado en la XXI The Frontiers in Service Conference, llevada a cabo en Maryland en junio 2012, evento anual organizado por el “Centro para la Excelencia en el Servicio” de la Escuela de Negocios “Robert H. Smith” de la Universidad de Maryland, la American Marketing Association e IBM

Sexual and Reproductive Health Disparities in a National Sample of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White U.S. College Students

Hispanic students are the fastest growing minority population on U.S. college campuses. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the sexual and reproductive health behaviors and outcomes between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White college students. Analyses utilized data from 15,518 non-married undergraduates (aged 18-24 years) responding to the Fall 2009 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II, a national sample of U.S. college students. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine disparities in sexual and reproductive health behaviors and outcomes, including sexual behavior, contraceptive and condom use, HIV testing, and STD and unintended pregnancy history, between Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites. Hispanics had greater odds of reporting a past-year STD, although rates of reported sexual risk behaviors were no higher among Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, fewer Hispanics reported using birth control pills. Hispanics were 2.5 times less likely to report using any method to prevent pregnancy, which may explain why Hispanics were more likely to report emergency contraceptive use in the past 12 months and a past-year unintended pregnancy. Important sexual health disparities exist among U.S. students, which have important practical implications for college health policy, practice, and intervention. Further research is warranted to understand the ethnic differences in the use of both hormonal and emergency contraceptives, particularly among college students

Research Ethics Training in Peru: A Case Study

With the rapidly increasing number of health care professionals seeking international research experience, comes an urgent need for enhanced capacity of host country institutional review boards (IRB) to review research proposals and ensure research activities are both ethical and relevant to the host country customs and needs. A successful combination of distance learning, interactive courses and expert course instructors has been applied in Peru since 2004 through collaborations between the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center Detachment, the University of Washington and the Department of Clinical Bioethics of the National Institutes of Health to provide training in ethical conduct of research to IRB members and researchers from Peru and other Latin American countries. All training activities were conducted under the auspices of the Peruvian National Institute of Health (INS), Ministry of Health. To date, 927 people from 12 different Latin American countries have participated in several of these training activities. In this article we describe our training model

Identifying gaps on health impacts, exposures, and vulnerabilities to climate change on human health and wellbeing in South America: a scoping review

There is an important gap in regional information on climate change and health, limiting the development of science-based climate policies in South American countries. This study aims to identify the main gaps in the existing scientific literature on the impacts, exposure, and vulnerabilities of climate change on population health. A scoping review was performed guided by four sub-questions focused on the impacts of climate change on physical and mental health, exposure and vulnerability factors of population to climate hazards. The main findings showed that physical impacts mainly included infectious diseases, while mental health impacts included trauma, depression, and anxiety. Evidence on population exposure to climate hazards is limited, and social determinants of health and individual factors were identified as vulnerability factors. Overall, evidence on the intersection between climate change and health is limited in South America and has been generated in silos, with limited transdisciplinary research. More formal and systematic information should be generated to inform public policy. Funding: None