Organizational Ambidexterity and Not-for-profit Financial Performance

The purpose of this dissertation is to extend the concept of organizational ambidexterity (OA) into the domain of not-for-profit (NFP) organizations. These organizations are subject to many of the same demands as their for-profit counterparts, yet research has not been conducted on how NFPs manage the competing pressures of refining existing routines for efficiency with the need to grow and innovate. This dissertation includes two portions: a quantitative analysis of a large NFP-rating agency dataset and qualitative interviews with executive directors and managers from within the food banking industry to identify the processes in use at a sample of ambidextrous organizations. The quantitative study uses a financial outcome—fiscal performance—in order to assess the degree to which financial outcomes are affected by exploration and exploitation, two actions central to the ambidexterity paradigm. Results of this study indicate that although exploration and exploitation are related to fiscal performance within NFPs, the results vary greatly depending on the industry in question. The qualitative portion of the study indicates that three activities aid NFPs in engaging in exploration and exploitation: managing knowledge, retaining professional talent, and enabling leadership. This study concludes with implications for researchers and managers, as well as suggestions for future research extensions

Athletic Ticket Pricing in the Collegiate Environment: An Agenda for Research

As pressure mounts for intercollegiate athletic departments to be more selfsufficient, administrators must respond by increasing generated revenues. Despite the importance of ticket sales in this endeavor, however, little is known about the underlying ticket pricing structures and policies used by National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions. Of the limited existing scholarship focused on managerial pricing decisions in the field of sport management, only professional sports settings have been addressed. Given the unique operational differences between professional and intercollegiate sport, this paper is designed to establish a foundation from which to build future research concerning the pricing of college sport tickets. The frameworks of stakeholder theory and institutional theory are proposed to ground future study in an attempt to strengthen our understanding of the process and behavior of price setting in intercollegiate athletics

The Urban/Rural Divide in Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Utah

Death by drug poisoning is the leading cause of death due to injury in the state of Utah (UDOH, 2014). From 2013-2015, Utah ranked seventh in the nation for drug overdose deaths, the majority of which were opioid-related (CDC, 2018a). In 2017, the age-adjusted mortality rate from drug overdose in Utah was 15.5 per 100,000, putting the state above the national average of 14.9 per 100,000 (CDC, 2018b). Opioid overdose death rates in most of rural Utah far exceeds rates across the urban counties of the state. The higher rates of deaths in rural Utah is indeed concerning. Evidence indicates that rural areas are particularly hard hit due to limited access to care and resources (USDA, 2019). Three kinds of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) approved for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) include: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone (SAMHSA, 2019a). These medications block the euphoric effect of drugs, relieve cravings, and stabilize brain chemistry without the negative side effects of the previously abused drug (SAMHSA, 2019b). This fact sheet gives details about MAT for opioid use disorder

Medicaid savings from the Contraceptive CHOICE Project: a cost-savings analysis

Background Forty-five percent of births in the United States are unintended, and the costs of unintended pregnancy and birth are substantial. Clinical and policy interventions that increase access to the most effective reversible contraceptive methods (intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants) have potential to generate significant cost savings. Evidence of cost savings for these interventions is needed. Objective The purpose of this study was to conduct a cost-savings analysis of the Contraceptive CHOICE Project, which provided counseling and no-cost contraception, to demonstrate the value of investment in enhanced contraceptive care to the Missouri Medicaid program. Study Design The Contraceptive CHOICE Project was a prospective cohort study of 9256 reproductive-age women who were enrolled between 2007 and 2011. Study follow-up was completed October 2013. This analysis includes 5061 Contraceptive CHOICE Project participants who were current Missouri Medicaid beneficiaries or were uninsured and reported household incomes <201% of the federal poverty line. We created a simulated comparison group of women who were receiving care through the Missouri Title X program and modeled the contraception and pregnancy outcomes that would have occurred in the absence of the Contraceptive CHOICE Project. Data about contraceptive use for the comparison group (N=5061) were obtained from the Missouri Title X program and adjusted based on age, race, ethnicity, and income. To make an accurate comparison that would account for the difference in the 2 populations, we used our simulation model to estimate total Contraceptive CHOICE Project costs and total comparison group costs. We reported all costs in 2013 dollars to account for inflation. Results Among the Contraceptive CHOICE Project participants who were included, the uptake of intrauterine devices and implants was 76.1% compared with 4.8% among the comparison group. The estimated contraceptive cost for the simulated Contraceptive CHOICE Project group was $4.0 million vs$2.3 million for the comparison group. The estimated numbers of unintended pregnancies and births averted among the simulated Contraceptive CHOICE Project group compared with the comparison group were 927 and 483, respectively, which represented a savings in pregnancy and maternity care of $6.7 million. We estimated that the total cost savings for the state of Missouri attributable to the Contraceptive CHOICE Project was$5.0 million (40.7%) over the project duration. Conclusion A program providing counseling and no-cost contraception yields substantial cost savings because of the increased uptake of highly effective contraception and consequent averted unintended pregnancy and birth

A Crisis of Her Own: Fatal Opioid Overdose, Opioid Use Disorder, and Intimate Partner Violence Among Rural Utah Women

The Centers for Disease Control report that the rate of overdose deaths among women is rapidly increasing, with women experiencing a 532% increase in fatal opioid overdose deaths between 1999 and 2017, compared to a 355% increase for men. Among women, those in rural areas have disproportionately higher drug overdose death rates than women in urban areas (Mazure & Fiellin, 2018), indicating an opportunity for targeted rural public health interventions to slow overdose fatality increases among women. This fact sheet reviews Utah trends, potential factors increasing fatal opioid overdose, intimate partner violence and substance use disorders, and provides resources for getting help