Health Adjusted GDP (HAGDP) Measures of the Relationship Between Economic Growth, Health Outcomes and Social Welfare

Welfare economic analysis of health issues and policies can provide well balanced orderings of the state of the economy. This paper provides an innovative framework for welfare economic analysis of the relationships between economic growth, health outcomes and social welfare for both a developing and a developed country. Economic growth can increase health outcomes and social welfare but its influence is limited by biological laws. Further, achieving economic growth may have negative externalities which reduce health outcomes (particularly when biological health limits are reached). A new health adjusted GDP indicator to investigate the relationship between economic growth, health outcomes and social welfare in both a developing and developed country using social choice perspectives is developed in this paper. This new approach to social welfare analysis is also based on cost-benefit analysis and systems analysis and is called the social choice approach. The importance of good health is crucial when determining social welfare. The major limitation of many health-based indicators is that they can fail to adequately consider social welfare issues, such as equity and efficiency. Social choice theory allows optimal health outcomes to be fully considered in terms of equity and efficiency when determining the impact of economic growth on social welfare. Social choice theory incorporates the various “social concerns” that are not adequately captured using individual preference satisfaction techniques. This paper analyses the health outcomes resulting from economic growth (costs and benefits) using Thailand and Australia as case studies, from 1975 to 1999. Two health adjusted gross domestic product (HAGDP) indices are prepared in this paper by adjusting GDP to reflect the social welfare impacts of achieving economic growth on health outcomes.

Automatic Pill Reminder for Easy Supervision

In this paper we present a working model of an automatic pill reminder and dispenser setup that can alleviate irregularities in taking prescribed dosage of medicines at the right time dictated by the medical practitioner and switch from approaches predominantly dependent on human memory to automation with negligible supervision, thus relieving persons from error-prone tasks of giving wrong medicine at the wrong time in the wrong amount.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, ICISS- 2017 (IEEE Conference

Change in the room temperature magnetic property of ZnO upon Mn doping

We present in this paper the changes in the room temperature magnetic property of ZnO on Mn doping prepared using solvo-thermal process. The zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetisation of undoped ZnO showed bifurcation and magnetic hysteresis at room temperature. Upon Mn doping the magnetic hysteresis at room temperature and the bifurcation in ZFC-FC magnetization vanishes. The results seem to indicate that undoped ZnO is ferromagnetic while on the other hand the Mn doped ZnO is not a ferromagnetic system. We observe that on addition of Mn atoms the system shows antiferromagnetism with very giant magnetic moments.Comment: 5 figure

Assessment of employees’ attitudes toward ongoing organizational transformations

Purpose: Global companies in the digital service industry are experiencing a pressing urgency for ongoing transformations caused by external factors driven by the need to change business models. This study aims to evaluate the willingness and ability to change as constructs of employee attitude toward change, assess their predictors and develop an approach to analyzing willingness and ability to change. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses an abductive approach, building on the refinement of existing theories. The authors conducted 306 employees' surveys and nine interviews to collect primary data. Findings: The result of this study suggests that the employees are willing to change when they have a sense of perceived control based on collaboration with management. Factors that have an impact on the willingness and ability to change include job function, age, years of job experience, knowledge of values, company background, understanding the current challenges, understating the urgency for change, positive attitude toward past changes and trust in leadership. Research limitations/implications: This is research is focused on one organization, and research in other industries or firms in the digital service industry would be beneficial. Practical implications: This research contributes to the practice on the conduct of diagnostic investigation in an organization's readiness and risk for a planned change. The authors add to the existing literature the new dimensions related to the prior experience with change and understanding the need and urgency for change -specific factors that are relevant to individual ability to change. Managers can use findings in this study to learn how to plan and manage organizational change in the fast-paced business environment of digital service industries. Social implications: This research will help to understand work attitudes, emotions and behaviors and therefore will improve the well-being in the organizations experiencing transformation. Originality/value: Individual readiness as a stand-alone concept was not enough explored in the literature, thus creating an opportunity for this study to fill the research gap. The lessons learned from this study are the following: ongoing change initiatives require longer time with a need to extend the organizational restructuring to behavioral and mindset change. This research suggests a practical approach to the assessment of change readiness in organizations. A simple model explaining factors affecting employees' willingness and ability to change has been suggested