Strategies for Identifying and Selecting Performance Measures of Effectiveness for Nonprofit Organizations

There is a growing demand for accountability of nonprofit organizations, and nonprofit business leaders are increasingly under pressure to demonstrate operational effectiveness. The problem is that some business leaders of nonprofit organizations lack strategies for identifying and selecting actionable performance measures of operational effectiveness. Using the plan-do-study-act conceptual framework, this single case study of a nonprofit organization located in the mid-Atlantic region of United States was conducted to explore strategies that 3 of its business leaders used to identify and select actionable performance measures of operational effectiveness. Using thematic analysis of data collected from semistructured interviews, documents, and public sources, emergent themes included: (a) usefulness of measures, (b) customer experience, and (c) workforce education. The findings of this study may have implications for social change by helping nonprofit business leaders achieve consensus on measures of effectiveness beyond financial measures. Additionally, the findings could support the usefulness of transparency in reporting performance outcomes, encourage a shift in focus from program spending and ratios to effectiveness, and prompt external stakeholders to expect performance measures that demonstrate effectiveness in nonprofit program operations

A study of the Kansas City Chiefs crisis communication during the national anthem protests

This study explores the background of crisis communication and corporate social responsibility as they relate to practices in the sport industry. By building off the literature review, the study here aims to further research done in the area where crisis communication and corporate social responsibility intersect. This study looks specifically at the Kansas City Chiefs communication practices as a result of the National Anthem Protest that impacted the National Football League during the 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons. Qualitative research methods and Image Restoration Theory are used to answer the research questions and understand how the Chiefs used their corporate social responsibility with the military to aid their crisis communication tactics and formulate their message strategies during the National Anthem Protest. Within the data set, it was found that the Chiefs utilized the message strategy of reducing offensiveness most, and that they did not directly address or apologize for the controversy.by Devan Suzanne CollinsIncludes bibliographical reference

How should thyroid replacement be initiated?

Levothyroxine (LT4) should be used alone as initial replacement for patients with hypothyroidism (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A). The optimal initial dose is 1.6 μg/kg/d for healthy people aged 60 years or younger (SOR: B). Patients aged more than 60 years may require less levothyroxine to achieve therapeutic serum thyroid hormone replacement, so initial replacement should be decreased to 25 to 50 μg daily (SOR: C). Since patients with known heart disease may develop dysrhythmias, angina, and myocardial infarctions when started on full replacement doses, experts recommend starting 12.5 to 25 μg daily for this population (SOR: C). Brand-name (Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc) and generic LT4 are bioequivalent (SOR: B), although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not consider these products to be interchangeable until proven therapeutically equivalent

The path to the Aras: (the role of political communications in the election of Mary McAleese as the eighth President of Ireland)

This thesis will attempt to explore aspects of political communications in Ireland. The political communications strategy of Fianna Fail will be focused upon, through an examination of the electoral campaign of Mary McAleese in her bid, in 1997, to become the eighth President of Ireland. The various components of the election campaign will be assessed and appraised as they came together to result in a victory for Fianna Fail. McAleese’s campaign will be examined in two phases. Firstly, her successful campaign to gain a nomination from Fianna Fail, when she was not a member of the party, and secondly her campaign to convince the electorate to vote for her. In an examination of both phases of the campaign McAleese’s target audience, core message and the role of the Fianna Fail party will be discussed. The second phase of McAleese’s campaign will examine her use of non-mediated and mediated political communication and the role of political communication in her success

Assessment of the relative performance of the EQ-5D-3L, ICIQ UI SF and POP-SS using data from the OPAL trial

Conducting economic evaluations alongside randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is an efficient way to collect cost-effectiveness data. Generic preference-based measures, such as EQ-5D, are often used alongside clinical data measures in RCTs. However, in the case of female urinary incontinence (UI), evidence of the relative performance of EQ-5D with condition-specific measures such as the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF), measuring severity of UI, and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Symptom Score (POP-SS), measuring severity of prolapse symptoms, is limited. This study employed secondary analysis of outcome measures data collected during the Optimal Pelvic floor muscle training for Adherence Long-term (OPAL) RCT, which compared biofeedback-mediated pelvic floor muscle training to basic pelvic floor muscle training for women with UI. The relative performance of EQ-5D-3L and ICIQ-UI SF, and EQ-5D-3L and POP-SS was assessed for concurrent validity and known-groups validity. Data for 577 women (mean age 48) were available for EQ-5D-3L/ICIQ-UI SF, and 555 women (mean age 47) for EQ-5D-3L/POP-SS. Overall, EQ-5D-3L exhibited very weak association with the ICIQ-UI SF total score, or any subscale. EQ-5D-3L and POP-SS were found to be weakly correlated. EQ-5D-3L was able to distinguish between groups with known differences in severity of UI and also between types of UI. These findings provide useful information to guide researchers in selecting appropriate outcome measures for use in future clinical trials

Using social norms to encourage healthier eating

What and how much people choose to eat is influenced by social context. People tend to use the eating habits of others as a guide to appropriate consumption. This suggests that one way of encouraging healthier eating would be to provide information about the healthy eating choices of others. Research conducted as part of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project investigated the effect of providing information about how others eat on the purchase and consumption of vegetables in both laboratory and in field settings (restaurants). In a laboratory-based study, we found that that while overall vegetable intake was not increased, exposure to a novel ‘liking norm’ message increased the selection and intake of broccoli from a buffet by participants who were low habitual consumers of vegetables. We also found that the liking norm increased broccoli intake even when there was a delay between exposure to the message and selection at the buffet, suggesting that the effects of social message exposure may persist beyond initial exposure. In two online studies and a laboratory study, we found that the effect of exposure to a descriptive social norm message on eating intentions and intake was moderated by the participants’ motivation to identify with the norm referent group. In three intervention studies, exposure to social norm messaging was associated with increased purchases of meals with vegetables in restaurant settings. Taken together, these results suggest that it is feasible to use social norm messages in restaurant settings and they provide information that could be used to implement randomised controlled trials

Global Programs: A New Vision in Agricultural Research

Issues in Agriculture no. 12 from the series "Issues in Agriculture" published by the CGIAR Secretariat