An investigation on the socio-cognitive foundations of reputation robustness

Scholars have consistently found that a positive reputation can lead to many benefits for organizations (e.g., Cable & Turban, 2003; Deephouse, 2000; Rindova et al., 2005; Roberts & Dowling, 2002), thereby constituting a fundamental resource for competitive advantage (Barney, 1991). As a result, academics have advocated for a better understanding of what makes reputations stable to the effects of negative events and/or information (e.g., Carter & Ruefli, 2006; Flanagan & O’Shaughnessy, 2005; Love & Kraatz, 2009). However, despite such an acknowledgement, we still know relatively little about what makes a firm’s reputation resistant to new events or information, apart from the fact that highly positive reputations are likely to be more resistant (Coombs & Holladay, 2006; Flanagan & O’Shaughnessy, 2005; Love & Kraatz, 2009). To date, scholars who have examined similar topics have looked at reputation stickiness (e.g., Schultz et al., 2001), meaning stability over time in absence of disruptions, and reputation resilience (Rhee & Valdez, 2009), referring to the ability of the reputation to recover after disruptions. This dissertation can be positioned in relation to these two other terms as I look at the stability of a firm’s reputation in the presence of events and/or information that can potentially change it. In this regard I use the term reputation robustness. After an initial chapter reviewing the literature on organizational reputation, this dissertation comprises three other chapters investigating different facets of the same phenomenon. In chapter two, I introduce the concept of reputation robustness in order to help explain why the reputation of some organizations is more robust against negative events than the reputation of other organizations. By building on a review of extant reputation research, I identify two sets of factors that are relevant for the understanding of reputation: cognitive and contextual factors. Starting from this review, I put forward a series of propositions on the role of the identified factors in moderating the effect of negative events on stakeholders’ reputation judgments and explain how this improves our understanding of reputation management. In chapter three, I elaborate on the role of familiarity in making people’s reputation judgment more robust in light of new information and investigate such a relationship empirically through two experiments. Results lend support for the hypothesis that familiarity mitigates the effect of both positive and negative information on people’s reputation judgments. The fourth chapter focuses on the role of ambivalence in moderating the effect of new information, but also more generally in influencing the way in which new information regarding an organization is interpreted. Through one experiment, I find that the reputation judgments of highly ambivalent people are more influenced by new information. At the same time, I find that highly ambivalent people use new information to reduce their sense of ambivalence toward the focal organization, when possible. Overall, this dissertation contributes to research on organizational reputation by improving the understanding of the variables influencing reputation’s robustness to new events or information. In particular, the findings demonstrate that there is more to reputation than its level (whether bad or good) that might cause it to be more or less robust, as suggested by extant research. As discussed in the thesis, these variables are related to stakeholders’ cognitive and contextual characteristics and go beyond the ability of the organization to consistently deliver a positive performance

Fooling Them, Not Me?:How Fake News Affects Evaluators’ Reputation Judgments and Behavioral Intentions

The volume of fake news in the digital media landscape is increasing, creating a new threat to organizations’ reputations. At the same time, individuals are more aware of the existence of fake news. It thus remains unclear how fake news affects evaluators’ reputation judgments. In this article, we draw on the distinction between first-order judgments (i.e., an individual evaluator’s reputation judgment) and second-order judgments (i.e., an individual evaluator’s belief about the reputation judgments of other evaluators). We integrate this distinction with insights from communication research and social psychology to theorize how fake news affects reputation judgments and behavioral intentions. Through three experimental studies, we show that the negative effect of fake news is larger for second-order reputation judgments and that this effect is greater for organizations with a positive reputation. Furthermore, our results indicate that although fake news has a smaller effect on first-order judgments, the latter adapt to second-order judgments and thereby affect behavioral intentions. This article contributes, first, to the micro-cognitive perspective on reputation formation by taking the first step in developing a comprehensive understanding of the intricate impact of fake news on reputation and behavioral intentions. Second, this article contributes to our understanding of the role of a good prior reputation as a buffer or a burden

Long-Term Survival and Predictors of Failure of Opening Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy

Objective: High tibial valgus osteotomy (HTO) is a widely accepted procedure indicated for varus knee with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the medial compartment. However, there is a lack of studies evaluating long term results of this procedure. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term survival of opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) for isolated osteoarthritis in the medial compartment of the knee. The secondary objective was to identify independent predictors of conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: This is a long term retrospective study of 296 cases of open wedge HTOs performed at a single center (level of evidence IV) between January 2005 and August 2015. Opening wedge medial HTO was always performed after diagnostic arthroscopy. Eighty-three percent of the population (233 patients, 247 procedures) was followed up at a mean 11.6 years (6-17) by telephone interview, to evaluate the possible conversion to TKA. Mean age at the index operation was 42.8 years (range 15-70) and most patients were male (70%). Associated procedures (e.g., platelet rich plasma supplementation, microfractures, meniscectomy, etc.) were carried out at the time of the HTO in 80 (32%) cases. Survival of HTO and its association with age, sex, body mass index, smoking habit, preoperative severity of varus deformity, cartilage status at surgery, and associated procedures were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed. Results: Thirty-three of the 247 HTOs (13.4%) were converted to knee replacement, with 86.6% of the original procedures surviving at a mean 12-year follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates at 17 years for HTO were 75.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 66.7-84.3). There was significant difference (P < 0.001) in the 17-year survival rate between obese (55.5%; 95% CI 35.3-75.6) and non-obese (79.7%; 95% CI 70.1-89.2) patients. The determinants of conversion to knee arthroplasty detected at multivariate Cox regression analysis were body mass index, severity of cartilage degeneration in the medial compartment (Outerbridge grade), and age. Conclusion: The long-term survival of open wedge HTO for osteoarthritis in the medial compartment of the knee is satisfactory. The risk of conversion to TKA is significantly increased in obese patients. Advanced age and severity of pre-existing cartilage damage may also contribute to the risk of conversion to TKA

Quality of life and functionality after total hip arthroplasty: a long-term follow-up study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is a lack of data on the long-term outcome of total hip arthroplasty procedures, as assessed by validated tools.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a follow-up study to evaluate the quality of life and functionality of 250 patients an average of 16 years (range: 11-23 years) after total hip arthroplasty using a validated assessment set including the SF-36 questionnaire, Harris Hip Score, WOMAC score, Functional Comorbidity Index, and a study specific questionnaire. Models of multiple stepwise linear and logistic regression analysis were constructed to evaluate the relationships between several explanatory variables and these functional outcomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The SF-36 physical indexes of these patients compared negatively with the normative values but positively with the results obtained in untreated subjects with severe hip osteoarthritis. Similar results were detected for the Harris Hip Score and WOMAC score. There was a 96% rate of post-surgical satisfaction. Hip functionality and comorbidities were the most important determinants of physical measures on the SF-36.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Patients who had undergone total hip arthroplasty have impaired long-term self-reported physical quality of life and hip functionality but they still perform physically better than untreated patients with advanced hip osteoarthritis. However, the level of post-surgical satisfaction is high.</p

Effect of surgical correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis on the quality of life: a prospective study with a minimum 5-year follow-up

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the quality of life (QoL), functionality, and body image of subjects who had undergone surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) 5–12 years previously, and to identify the outcome predictors. Methods: The sample consisted of 87 patients for whom follow-up data were available out of a series of 91 patients who had surgery for AIS between 2002 and 2009. We assessed the preoperative, 1-year postoperative, and 5-year or more postoperative SF-36 and SRS-23 questionnaire scores. Longitudinal clinical and radiographic data also were evaluated. Changes in the patient-oriented outcomes were compared with age and sex-adjusted normative values. A multiple regression analysis was used to identify possible outcome predictors. Results: Preoperatively, patients had impaired QoL, functionality, and body image compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Surgery led to significant improvement of the SF-36 and SRS scores at the one-year and final control date, but the final scores on SF-36’s physical indexes were lower than control subjects’ scores. No clinically relevant differences with the normative values were detected in the final SRS scores. The height of the residual rib hump negatively predicted the total SRS and self-image scores; a more caudal level of fusion correlated with more postoperative pain. Conclusions: Patients who underwent surgery for AIS a minimum of 5 years earlier had impaired self-reported physical QoL compared to control subjects, but they nevertheless performed better than before their surgery. Greater size of the residual hump and greater distal extension of the fusion area are negatively correlated with final self reported outcome

Functional outcome and short-term mortality after surgery for hip fractures

Introduction Hip fractures are associated with significant disability and mortality. We conducted a prospective study to investigate the mortality rate and functional ability in patients who underwent surgery for hip fracture over a one-year period. Materials and methods One-hundred patients (72 females and 28 males; mean age, 78.2 years (range 32–102) surgically treated for hip fracture were prospectively followed-up for 1 year. Fifty-five and 45 patients sustained a trochanteric fracture or a fracture of the femoral neck, respectively. Daily-life activities (ADL scale), cognitive impairment (MMSE Scale), comorbidity (CIRS scale), functional status, and personal mobility were prospectively evaluated 4 months and 1 year after the operation by telephonic interviews with the patient, his/her relatives, or primary care providers. Mortality data was also recorded. Possible outcome predictors were evaluated by regression analysis. Results The overall mortality rate at 1 year was 19 percent. Male sex, comorbidity, and a poor pre-fracture functional status were significant predictors of mortality. ADL scale and personal mobility significantly improved between 4-month and 1-year follow-up controls. Forty-five percent of patients without preoperative walking limitations dropped out their walking aids 1-year postoperatively. Patients with trochanteric fracture treated with hip prosthesis showed greater and faster postoperative functional improvement with respect to patients treated by gamma nail. Discussion Current results represent the first report of a wider ongoing prospective study aimed to evaluate possible outcome predictors of hip fractures to be used to improve and personalize the surgical treatment. The preoperative functional status and comorbidities are major determinants of 4-month and 1-year postoperative mortality and ability of subjects. Conclusions Our preliminary findings demonstrate the role of surgery in promoting the functional improvement of patients who sustained hip fracture

Early results of a conservative hip stem

Introduction: Different conservative stems are available for primary cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA). The aim of this preliminary study is to assess short-term results of the GTS femoral stem (Biomet) for THA. Patients and methods: For this retrospective study of prospectively collected data, 40 patients (28 males, 12 females) who received a THA with a GTS femoral stem from 2011 to 2013 were evaluated. The mean age at the time of surgery was 48.5 years (range 31-81). All patients were operated by one surgeon with a postero-lateral approach. Etiology: 30 osteoarthritis (19 primary, 6 post-traumatic, 5 post-dysplastic) and 10 AVN of the femoral head. A press-fit hemispheric titanium acetabular component was used in all cases. Tribology: 32 ceramic on polyethylene, 8 metal on polyethylene. The mean follow-up was 26.3 month (range 15-40 months). All patients were assessed preoperatively and at the last follow-up with two patient-oriented instruments, the Harris Hip score (HHS) and WOMAC questionnaires. As a part of routine care, radiographs were obtained preoperatively and at set intervals (One day postoperative, 6 months postoperatively, 1 year postoperatively, and annually thereafter) and evaluated for any radiolucencies or osteolysis in Gruen zones, heterotopic ossifications (Brooker scale), and stem subsidence. Results: The mean HHS increased from 44 points (range 17-61) before surgery to 91.3 points (range 82-99.7) at the last follow-up (P<0.001). The disability according to mean WOMAC Score decreased from 61.8 before surgery (range 32-100) to 9.2 (range 0-47) at the final follow-up (P<0.001). Thirty-eight patients (95%) were fully satisfied with their result. The radiographic analysis at the last follow-up showed non-significant radiolucencies (less than 1 mm of width) in 3 cases (2 Gruen zone 1 and 1 in Gruen zone 5). Heterotopic ossification was present in 1 hip (Brooker 1). No stem showed subsidence of more than 5 mm at the time of final follow-up. No implant-related complication was diagnosed in this series. No implant showed radiographic loosening or was revised for any reason. Conclusions: Short term subjective clinical outcomes and radiographic results of the GTS femoral stem are excellent and comparable with published data for contemporary cementless stems. The level of post-surgical satisfaction was high in this study group