Search results for: healthcare organizations (HCOs)

Authors: Zeba Mahmood

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The modern business organizations are adopting technological advancement to achieve competitive edge and satisfy their consumer. The development in the field of Information technology systems has changed the way of conducting business today. Business operations today rely more on the data they obtained and this data is continuously increasing in volume. The data stored in different locations is difficult to find and use without the effective implementation of Data mining and Knowledge management techniques. Organizations who smartly identify, obtain and then convert data in useful formats for their decision making and operational improvements create additional value for their customers and enhance their operational capabilities. Marketers and Customer relationship departments of firm use Data mining techniques to make relevant decisions, this paper emphasizes on the identification of different data mining and Knowledge management techniques that are applied to different business industries. The challenges and issues of execution of these techniques are also discussed and critically analyzed in this paper.

Keywords: knowledge, knowledge management, knowledge discovery in databases, business, operational, information, data mining

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Authors: Igor A. Bessmertny, Bidru C. Enkomaryam

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Active involving patients and communities in health decisions can improve both people’s health and the healthcare system. Adopting artificial intelligence can lead to more accurate and complete patient record management. This review aims to identify the current state of researches conducted using artificial intelligence techniques to improve patient engagement and wellbeing, medical domains used in patient engagement context, and lastly, to assess opportunities and challenges for patient engagement in the wellness process. A search of peer-reviewed publications, reviews, conceptual analyses, white papers, author’s manuscripts and theses was undertaken. English language literature published in 2013– 2022 period and publications, report and guidelines of World Health Organization (WHO) were also assessed. About 281 papers were retrieved. Duplicate papers in the databases were removed. After application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 41 papers were included to the analysis. Patient counseling in preventing adverse drug events, in doctor-patient risk communication, surgical, drug development, mental healthcare, hypertension & diabetes, metabolic syndrome and non-communicable chronic diseases are implementation areas in healthcare where patient engagement can be implemented using artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning and deep learning techniques and tools. The five groups of factors that potentially affecting patient engagement in safety are related to: patient, health conditions, health care professionals, tasks and health care setting. Active involvement of patients and families can help accelerate the implementation of healthcare safety initiatives. In sub-Saharan Africa, using digital technologies like artificial intelligence in patient engagement context is low due to poor level of technological development and deployment. The opportunities and challenges available to implement patient engagement strategies vary greatly from country to country and from region to region. Thus, further investigation will be focused on methods and tools using the potential of artificial intelligence to support more simplified care that might be improve communication with patients and train health care professionals.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, patient engagement, machine learning, patient involvement

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Authors: Veerpaul Maan, Gaurav Mishra

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The evolution of omnichannel has revolutionized the supply chain of the organizations by enhancing customer shopping experience. For these organizations need to develop well-integrated multiple distribution channels to leverage the benefits of omnichannel. To adopt an omnichannel system in the supply chain has resulted in structuring and reconfiguring the practices of the traditional supply chain distribution network. In this paper a multiple distribution supply chain network (MDSCN) have been proposed which integrates online giants with a local retailers distribution network in uncertain environment followed by sustainability. To incorporate sustainability, an additional objective function is added to reduce the carbon content through minimizing the travel distance of the product. Through this proposed model, customers are free to access product and services as per their choice of channels which increases their convenience, reach and satisfaction. Further, a numerical illustration is being shown along with interpretation of results to validate the proposed model.

Keywords: sustainable supply chain network, omnichannel, multiple distribution supply chain network, integrate multiple distribution channels

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Authors: Mananya Meenakorn

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The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of public enterprise reform policy on the attributes of organizational commitments in the public energy enterprises in Thailand. It compares three structural types of public energy enterprises: totally state-owned public enterprises, partially transformed public enterprises and totally transformed public enterprises, based on the degree of state ownership and the level of management control that exist in the public reformed organizations, by analyzing the presence of the desirable attributes of organizational commitment as perceived by employees. Findings indicate that there are statistically significant differences in the level of some dimensions of organizational commitment between the three types of public energy enterprises. The results also indicate empirical evidence concerning the causal relationship between the antecedents and organizational commitment. Whereas change-related behaviors show a direct negative influence on organizational commitment, both HRM practices and work-related values indicate direct positive influences on them also.

Keywords: affective commitment, organizational commitment, public enterprise reform organizations, public energy enterprises in Thailand

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Authors: Joy Winston James, Abdul Kadher Jilani

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This review article provides a comprehensive overview of social engineering attacks, specifically those executed through the Kali Linux operating system. It aims to present an in-depth analysis of the background and importance of social engineering in cybersecurity, the tools, and techniques used in these attacks, real-world case studies that demonstrate their effectiveness, and ethical considerations that need to be taken into account while using them. The article highlights the Kali Linux tools that are commonly used in social engineering attacks, including SET, Metasploit, and BeEF, and discusses techniques such as phishing, pretexting, and baiting that are crucial in conducting successful social engineering attacks. It further explores real-world case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of these techniques, emphasizing the importance of implementing effective countermeasures to reduce the risk of successful social engineering attacks. Moreover, the article sheds light on ethical considerations that need to be taken into account while using social engineering tools, emphasizing the importance of using them ethically and legally. Finally, the article provides potential countermeasures such as two-factor authentication, strong password policies, and regular security audits to help individuals and organizations better protect themselves against this growing threat. By understanding the tools and techniques used in social engineering attacks and implementing appropriate countermeasures, individuals and organizations can minimize the risk of successful social engineering attacks and improve their cybersecurity posture. To illustrate the effectiveness of social engineering attacks, we present real-world case studies that demonstrate how easily individuals and organizations can fall prey to these attacks. We also discuss ethical considerations that must be taken into account while using social engineering tools, emphasizing the need for responsible and legal use of these tools.

Keywords: pen testing, hacking, Kali Linux, social engineering

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Authors: Mukondi Esther Nethavhakone

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In 2020 World Health Organization announced the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known as Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To curb or contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID 19), global governments implemented social distancing and lockdown regulations. Subsequently, it was no longer business as per usual, life as we knew it had changed, and so many aspects of people's lives were negatively affected, including financial and employment stability. Mainly, because companies/businesses had to put their operations on hold, some had to shut down completely, resulting in the loss of income for many people globally. Finances and employment insecurities are some of the issues that exacerbated many social issues that the world was already faced with, such as school drop-outs, teenage pregnancies, sexual assaults, gender-based violence, crime, child abuse, elderly abuse, to name a few. Expectedly the majority of the population's mental health state was threatened. This resulted in an increased number of people seeking mental healthcare services. The increasing need for mental healthcare services in Low and Middle-income countries proves to be a challenge because it is a well-known fact due to financial constraints and not well-established healthcare systems, mental healthcare provision is not as prioritised as the primary healthcare in these countries. It is against this backdrop that the researcher seeks to find viable, cost-effective, and accessible mental health solutions for low and middle-income countries amid the pressures of any pandemic. The researcher will undertake a systematic review of the technology-based mental health solutions that have been implemented/adopted by developed countries during COVID 19 lockdown and social distancing periods. This systematic review study aims to determine if low and middle-income countries can adopt the cost-effective version of digital mental health solutions for the healthcare system to adequately provide mental healthcare services during critical times such as pandemics (when there's an overwhelming diminish in mental health globally). The researcher will undertake a systematic review study through mixed methods. It will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The mixed-methods uses findings from both qualitative and quantitative studies in one review study. It will be beneficial to conduct this kind of study using mixed methods because it is a public health topic that involves social interventions and it is not purely based on medical interventions. Therefore, the meta-ethnographic (qualitative data) analysis will be crucial in understanding why and which digital methods work and for whom does it work, rather than only the meta-analysis (quantitative data) providing what digital mental health methods works. The data collection process will be extensive, involving the development of a database, table of summary of evidence/findings, and quality assessment process lastly, The researcher will ensure that ethical procedures are followed and adhered to, ensuring that sensitive data is protected and the study doesn't pose any harm to the participants.

Keywords: digital, mental health, covid, low and middle-income countries

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Authors: Nouira Mariem, Ennigrou Samir

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Background and aims: Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) represent a major public health problem worldwide. They represent one of the most serious adverse events in health care. The objectives of our study were to estimate the prevalence of HAI at the Charles Nicolle Hospital (CNH) and to identify the main associated factors as well as to estimate the frequency of antibiotic use. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study at the CNH with a unique passage per department (October-December 2018). All patients present at the wards for more than 48 hours were included. All patients from outpatient consultations, emergency, and dialysis departments were not included. The site definitions of infections proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were used. Only clinically and/or microbiologically confirmed active HAIs were included. Results: A total of 318 patients were included, with a mean age of 52 years and a sex ratio (female/male) of 1.05. A total of 41 patients had one or more active HAIs, corresponding to a prevalence of 13.1% (95% CI: 9.3%-16.9%). The most frequent site infections were urinary tract infections and pneumonia. Multivariate analysis among adult patients (>=18 years) (n=261) revealed that infection on admission (p=0.01), alcoholism (p=0.01), high blood pressure (p=0.008), having at least one invasive device inserted (p=0.004), and history of recent surgery (p=0.03), increased the risk of HAIs significantly. More than 1 of 3 patients (35.4%) were under antibiotics on the day of the survey, of which more than half (57.4%) were under two or more types of antibiotics. Conclusion: The prevalence of HAIs and antibiotic prescriptions at the CNH were considerably high. An infection prevention and control committee, as well as the development of an antibiotic stewardship program with continuous monitoring using repeated prevalence surveys, must be implemented to limit the frequency of these infections effectively.

Keywords: prevalence, healthcare associated infection, antibiotic, Tunisia

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Authors: Ashfaq Ahmed Kharal

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The study asserts that environment-friendly practices are increasingly being used by businesses throughout the world. Today, there is a great deal of interest in green management from both practitioners and academics. People expect managers to use resources intelligently and responsibly and to minimize the use of water, minerals, and other components in the finished products, as a crucial factor in this passion. The ethical or moral relevance of green management cannot be overstated. Employee Green Behavior (EGB) and environmental sustainability were shown to be significantly influenced by green human resource management (GHRM) in this study. Environmental issues, such as climate change, global warming, and resource conservation have a direct impact on business activities. The environment, society, and economy all suffer as a result of such obstacles. The depletion of natural resources needs immediate replenishment. As a result of government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), environmental activists, and labor unions putting pressure on businesses and firms are now required to operate in ecologically responsible ways. Organizations are increasingly concerned about environmental sustainability in light of contemporary environmental circumstances and commercial marketplaces. Companies that emphasize long-term viability will benefit from integrating green employee behavior, green human resource management techniques, and environmental sustainability. Competition drives firms to respond to external causes, adapt, and evolve in response to changing conditions in the marketplace. Organizations develop strategic capabilities to transform their resources and acquire a competitive edge while implementing a business plan. The study of GHRM's function is being prioritized since environmental sustainability is becoming a more important strategic goal.

Keywords: EGB, GHRM, environment sustainability, green ecology

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Authors: Eakarat Boonreang, Anothai Harasarn

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The objectives of this study are to investigate the flood disaster management capacity of communities in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, and to recommend the sustainable flood management approaches of communities in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand. The selected population consisted of the community leaders and committees, the executives of local administrative organizations, and the head of Ubon Ratchathani provincial office of disaster prevention and mitigation. The data was collected by in-depth interview, focus group, and observation. The data was analyzed and classified in order to determine the communities’ capacity in flood disaster management. The results revealed that communities’ capacity were as follows, before flood disaster, the community leaders held a meeting with the community committees in order to plan disaster response and determined evacuation routes, and the villagers moved their belongings to higher places and prepared vehicles for evacuation. During flood disaster, the communities arranged motorboats for transportation and villagers evacuated to a temporary evacuation center. Moreover, the communities asked for survival bags, motorboats, emergency toilets, and drinking water from the local administrative organizations and the 22nd Military Circle. After flood disaster, the villagers cleaned and fixed their houses and also collaborated in cleaning the temple, school, and other places in the community. The recommendation approaches for sustainable flood disaster management consisted of structural measures, such as the establishment of reservoirs and building higher houses, and non-structural measures such as raising awareness and fostering self-reliance, establishing disaster management plans, rehearsal of disaster response procedures every year, and transferring disaster knowledge among younger generations. Moreover, local administrative organizations should formulate strategic plans that focus on disaster management capacity building at the community level, particularly regarding non-structural measures. Ubon Ratchathani provincial offices of disaster prevention and mitigation should continually monitor and evaluate the outcomes of community based disaster risk management program, including allocating more flood disaster management-related resources among local administrative organizations and communities.

Keywords: capacity building, community based disaster risk management, flood disaster management, Thailand

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Authors: Ines Cherif, Ghassen Kharroubi, Leila Bouabid, Adel Gharbi, Aicha Boukthir, Margaret Mccarron, Nissaf Ben Alaya, Afif Ben Salah, Jihene Bettaieb

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Healthcare workers' flu vaccination prevents influenza disease among both patients and caregivers. We aimed in this study to assess influenza vaccine (IV) coverage in 2018-2019 among Tunisian physicians and to determine factors associated with IV receipt. A cross sectional study was carried out in Tunisian primary and secondary health care facilities in the 2018-2019 influenza season. Physicians with direct patient contact were recruited according to a self-weighted multistage sampling. Data were collected through a face to face questionnaire containing questions on knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding IV. Bivariate analysis was used in order to determine factors associated with IV receipt. A total of 167 physicians were included in the study with a mean age of 48.2 ± 7.7 years and a sex-ratio (M: F) of 0.37. Among participants, 15.1% (95% CI: [9.7%-20.3%]) were vaccinated against influenza in the 2018-2019 influenza season. Bivariate analysis revealed that previous flu immunization in the four years preceding the 2018-2019 influenza season (OR=32.3; p < 10-3), belief that vaccinating healthcare workers may reduce work absenteeism (OR=4.7, p=0.028), belief that flu vaccine should be mandatory to healthcare workers (OR=3.3, p=0.01) and high confidence towards IV efficacy in preventing influenza among caregivers (OR= 4.5, p=0.01) were associated with a higher IV receipt in 2018-2019 among physicians. Less than one fifth of Tunisian physicians were vaccinated against influenza in 2018-2019. Higher vaccine uptake was related to a higher belief in vaccine efficacy in preventing influenza disease among both patients and caregivers. This underscores the need for periodic educational campaigns to raise physicians' awareness about IV efficacy. The switch to an IV mandatory policy should also be considered.

Keywords: influenza vaccine, physicians, Tunisia, vaccination uptake

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Authors: Houyem Kotti

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The development in societies requires that these societies are continuously changing in various aspects, a change that requires continuous adaptation to the data of the technical age. In order for the individual to perform his/her duty or task in a perfect way, it is necessary to provide all the basic requirements and necessities to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the personnel working to accomplish their tasks, requirements, and work successfully. The success of the industries and organizations are linked to the need to create individuals in the creative and innovative field. Formation process is considered an economic development and social prosperity, and to improve the quantity and quality of artistic work. Therefore, creativity and innovation play an important role in improving the performance of the artistic organization as it is one of the variables affecting the organization's ability to grow and invest. In order to provide better services to their customers, especially in the face of competition and traditional methods of work, and in an environment that discourages and hinders creativity and impairs any process of development, change or creative behavior. The research methodology that will be performed for this study is described as qualitative by conducting several interviews with artistic people, experts in the artistic field and reviewing the related literature to collect the necessary and required qualitative data from secondary sources such as statistical reports, previous research studies, etc. In this research, we will attempt to clarify the relationship between innovation and its importance in the artistic organization, the conditions of achieving innovation and its constraints, barriers, and challenges. The creativity and innovation and their impacts on the performance of artistic organizations, explaining this mechanism, so as to ensure continuity of these organizations and keeping pace with developments in the global economic environment.

Keywords: artistic work, creativity and innovation, artistic organization, performance

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Authors: Frank Fan

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PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) education has confronted an increasing challenge — curricular overload, a phenomenon resulting from the expansion of curricular requirements, as PharmD education strives to produce graduates who are practice-ready. The aftermath of the global pandemic has amplified the need for healthcare professionals, leading to a growing trend of assigning more responsibilities to them to address the global healthcare shortage. For instance, the pharmacist’s role has expanded to include not only compounding and distributing medication but also providing clinical services, including minor ailments management, patient counselling and vaccination. Consequently, PharmD programs have responded by continually expanding their curricula adding more requirements. While these changes aim to enhance the education and training of future professionals, they have also led to unintended consequences, including curricular overload, student burnout, and a potential decrease in program quality. To address the issue and ensure program quality, there is a growing need for evidence-based curriculum reforms. My research seeks to integrate Cognitive Load Theory, emerging machine learning algorithms within artificial intelligence (AI), and statistical approaches to develop a quantitative framework for optimizing curriculum design within the PharmD program at the University of Toronto, the largest PharmD program within Canada, to provide quantification and measurement of issues that currently are only discussed in terms of anecdote rather than data. This research will serve as a guide for curriculum planners, administrators, and educators, aiding in the comprehension of how the pharmacy degree program compares to others within and beyond the field of pharmacy. It will also shed light on opportunities to reduce the curricular load while maintaining its quality and rigor. Given that pharmacists constitute the third-largest healthcare workforce, their education shares similarities and challenges with other health education programs. Therefore, my evidence-based, data-driven curriculum analysis framework holds significant potential for training programs in other healthcare professions, including medicine, nursing, and physiotherapy.

Keywords: curriculum, curriculum analysis, health professions education, reflective writing, machine learning

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Authors: Devyani Shete, Sudeep Rai

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused one of the highest disruptions to the NHS (National Health Service), especially to the fundamental cervical cancer screening service. To prioritize screening response effectively, it is vital to understand the underlying disease risks amongst groups of women who are less likely to resume their screening/follow up at General Practices. The current government target is to have>=80% of women have an adequate test within the previous 3.5 years (ages 25-49) or 5.5 years (ages 50-64). Aims/Objectives: To increase the number of eligible people aged 25-49 attending cervical screening by 5% at Lakeside Healthcare (a General Practice in Corby). Methods: An online survey was posted on the Lakeside Healthcare website to find out what the barriers towards cervical screening were. It was apparent that patients needed more information catered to their responses. 6 informational videos and a “Cervical Screening Guide” were created for Lakeside patients about cervical screening, which were posted on the Healthcare website. Lakeside also started sending reminder texts to those eligible, with a link to a booking form. Results: On 18th January 2022, 69.7% of patients aged 25-49 years (7207) had an adequate cervical screening test in the last 3.5 years. There were 80 total responders to the online survey. In response to “which of the following are reasons why you have not attended screening”, 30% ticked “I kept putting it off/did not get around to it,” and 13% ticked “I was worried it would be painful or daunting.” In response to “which of the following would make you more likely to book an appointment”, 23% ticked “More detailed explanations of what the risks are if I don’t have screening,” and 20% ticked “I would like more information about the test and what the smear entails.” 10% of responders had previous trauma, whilst 28% of responders said the pandemic had impacted them getting a smear. Survey results were used to carry out interventions to increase smear uptake. On 23rdMarch 2022 (after a 2-month period), 75%of patients aged 25-49 (7119) attended the screening, which was a 5.3% increase from January. Discussion/Conclusion: The survey was vital in carrying out the exact interventions that were required for patients to increase screening uptake, as it is important to know what the populations’ needs are in order to create personalized invitations. This helps to optimise response during a pandemic. A HPV self-sample kit at home could be a popular method of dealing with further outbreaks.

Keywords: gynaecology, cervical screening, public health, COVID-19

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Authors: Sanele E. Nene L., Lia M. Hewitt

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Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has a high value in healthcare, various applications have been developed for the efficiency of clinical operations, such as appointment/surgery scheduling, diagnostic image analysis, prognosis, prediction and management of specific ailments. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore, describe, contrast, evaluate, and develop the various leadership strategies as a conceptual framework, applied by public health Operational Managers (OMs) to embrace AI benefits, with the aim to improve the healthcare system in a public hospital. Design and Method: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was followed and a descriptive phenomenological approach. Five phases were followed to conduct this study. Phenomenological individual interviews and focus groups were used to collect data and a phenomenological thematic data analysis method was used. Findings and conclusion: Three themes surfaced as the experiences of AI by the OMs; Positive experiences related to AI, Management and leadership processes in AI facilitation, and Challenges related to AI.

Keywords: ambivalence, embracing, Artificial intelligence, public hospital

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Authors: Bethany Leake, Samantha Caton, Paul Norman, Jill Edmondson

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With the majority of the UK population residing in urban areas and with the pressures both environmentally and socially on rural agriculture, the role of urban food production, particularly urban horticulture (UH), is increasingly important in the future of UK food security. UH has the potential to provide an important contribution to urban diets and to provide additional benefits to human health and well-being. While allotments are the traditional focus of UH and play an important role, as access to this type of land is limited and unequal across cities, other forms of UH space, such as domestic growing, will need to be utilized to provide a significant contribution to urban diets. It is theorized that this smaller scale of growing may also be a more accessible way of engaging novice growers in UH. A collaborative research project, Urban Harvest, was designed between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield-based food organizations, which aimed to engage inexperienced gardeners in UH by providing them with home food-growing kits (Grow-Kits). Grow-Kits were provided to 189 participants across Sheffield in 2022, 48% of whom had never grown food before. Data collected through surveys and interviews will help us to evaluate the effect of small-scale food growing on health and wellbeing and the potential of this type of scheme to encourage future UH engagement. This data and increasing evidence on the co-benefits of UH have important implications not only for local food security but also for urban health inequalities and the potential use of this activity for preventative healthcare.

Keywords: urban horticulture, health and wellbeing, food security, nutrition

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Authors: Benoit Atge, Alice Dhersin, Oscar Da Silva Cacao, Beatrice Martinez, Dominique Ducint, Catherine Verdun-Esquer, Isabelle Baldi, Mathieu Molimard, Antoine Villa, Mireille Canal-Raffin

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Introduction: Healthcare workers' exposure to antineoplastic drugs (AD) is a burning issue for occupational medicine practitioners. Biological monitoring of occupational exposure (BMOE) is an essential tool for assessing AD contamination of healthcare workers. In addition to BMOE, surface sampling is a useful tool in order to understand how workers get contaminated, to identify sources of environmental contamination, to verify the effectiveness of surface decontamination way and to ensure monitoring of these surfaces. The objective of this work was to develop a complete tool including a kit for surface sampling and a quantification analytical method for AD traces detection. The development was realized with the three following criteria: the kit capacity to sample in every professional environment (healthcare services, veterinaries, etc.), the detection of very low AD traces with a validated analytical method and the easiness of the sampling kit use regardless of the person in charge of sampling. Material and method: AD mostly used in term of quantity and frequency have been identified by an analysis of the literature and consumptions of different hospitals, veterinary services, and home care settings. The kind of adsorbent device, surface moistening solution and mix of solvents for the extraction of AD from the adsorbent device have been tested for a maximal yield. The AD quantification was achieved by an ultra high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Results: With their high frequencies of use and their good reflect of the diverse activities through healthcare, 15 AD (cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, 5-FU, dacarbazin, etoposide, pemetrexed, vincristine, cytarabine, methothrexate, paclitaxel, gemcitabine, mitomycin C) were selected. The analytical method was optimized and adapted to obtain high sensitivity with very low limits of quantification (25 to 5000ng/mL), equivalent or lowest that those previously published (for 13/15 AD). The sampling kit is easy to use, provided with a didactic support (online video and protocol paper). It showed its effectiveness without inter-individual variation (n=5/person; n= 5 persons; p=0,85; ANOVA) regardless of the person in charge of sampling. Conclusion: This validated tool (sampling kit + analytical method) is very sensitive, easy to use and very didactic in order to control the chemical risk brought by AD. Moreover, BMOE permits a focal prevention. Used in routine, this tool is available for every intervention of occupational health.

Keywords: surface contamination, sampling kit, analytical method, sensitivity

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Authors: Murtuza Ali Lakhani, Michelle Marquard

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Given the paradoxical nature of innovation, we propose that leaders of innovation-centered organizations need certain specific qualities focused on developing higher-order structures, fostering self-organization, and nurturing constructive dissonance and conciliation. Keeping in view the prolific literature on leadership and innovation, we carry out a quantitative study with data collected over a five-year period involving 31 leaders and 209 observers (direct reports, peers, and managers) from across five companies based in the United States. Rather than accepting, as some scholars and practitioners do, that leadership is all-encompassing, we argue that it is specific to a given context, e.g., innovation. We find that leadership is the locus of innovation and that leaders able to effectively lead the innovation agenda demonstrate five specific behaviors and characteristics, namely stewardship, communication, empowerment, creativity, and vision. We demonstrate that the alignment (or misalignment) between a leader’s “self view” and “other view” is a tell-tale sign of whether (or not) the leader’s organization will succeed at innovation. We propose a scale, iLeadership, and test it psychometrically for assessment of leaders and organizational units charged with innovation.

Keywords: leadership, innovation, knowledge creating organizations, leadership behavior, leadership assessment

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Authors: Takwa Belwakess

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With the wave of the digitization that invades the modern world, communication tools took their place in the world of business. As for organizations, being part of the digital era necessarily involves an evolution of the management style, mainly in processes management, knowing also as quality management system (QMS). For more than 50 years quality management standards have been adopted by organizations to prove their operational and financial performances. We believe that achieving a high-level of communication can lead to better quality management and greater customer satisfaction, which is essential to make sure long-term competitiveness. In this paper, a questionnaire survey was developed to investigate the use of collaboration tools such as Content Management System and Social Networks. Data from more than 100 companies based in France was analyzed, the results show that adopting new digital communication tools while applying quality management practices over a reasonable period, contributed to delivering a better implementation of the QMS for a better business performance.

Keywords: communication tools, content management system, digital, effectiveness, French companies, quality management system, quality management practices, social networks

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Authors: Kyoko Tominaga

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Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs), Social Enterprises and other actors play an important role in political decisions in governments at the international levels. Especially, such organizations’ and activists’ network in civil society is quite important to effect to the global politics. To solve the complex social problems in global era, diverse actors should corporate each other. Moreover, network of protesters is also contributes to diffuse tactics, information and other resources of social movements. Based on the findings from the study of International Trade Fairs (ITFs), the author analyzes the network of activists in anti-globalism movement. This research focuses the transition of 54 activists’ whole network in the “protest event” against 2008 G8 summit in Japan. Their network is examined at the three periods: Before protest event phase, during protest event phase and after event phase. A mixed method is used in this study: the author shows the hypothesis from social network analysis and evaluates that with interview data analysis. This analysis gives the two results. Firstly, the more protesters participate to the various events during the protest event, the more they build the network. After that, active protesters keep their network as well. From interview data, we can understand that the active protesters can build their network and diffuse the information because they communicate with other participants and understand that diverse issues are related. This paper comes to same conclusion with previous researches: protest events activate the network among the political activists. However, some participants succeed to build their network, others do not. “Networked” activists are participated in the various events for short period of time and encourage the diffusion of information and tactics of social movements.

Keywords: social movement, global justice movement, tactics, diffusion

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Authors: Mokhtar Nikgoo

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Today's industrial world has undergone tremendous changes in certain periods. These changes are called environmental changes. And they have a direct impact on organizations and bodies. Therefore, the importance of knowing these changes is clear. This importance has caused the manufacturing organizations to move towards multiple products and constantly change and expand their system. This research tries to show how the organization moves in this category by defining the basic steps of implementing a project. One of the most important features of a hard-to-order production organization is the definition of different production projects from different customers. Therefore, the lack of sufficient understanding of the type of work causes the project to be defined for the organization in question, and the managers of the organization (in every organizational level) are constantly involved with different projects. In the implementation of the production project of the aforementioned organizations, directing the facilities and people of the organization towards the implementation of the project is of particular importance. Therefore, it is felt necessary to define the project manager and his basic duties. Considering the importance of this topic, the project chapter deals with project management and its importance and examines all the different issues in that category from the perspective of implementation. A project includes certain activities of the organization that require the use of different resources and all the activities of the organization in order to implement the project with defined facilities and at the designated times. Project management is planning, organizing and controlling the organization's resources for a short-term goal that has been created for short-term and medium-term goals and objectives. Project management has the important task of centering and integrating (coordinating) task and line managers. In other words, project management requires having a strong and appropriate relationship with the internal people of the system to carry out the assigned activities and must have a general and technical knowledge related to various activities in the project environment. It seems that everything with project management in It is communication. One of the characteristics of production organizations under the order is the relationship between the customer (customers) and the organization until the completion of the defined project. Due to the nature of the work, it is necessary for a person to establish this relationship between the client and the organization's people and to establish this relationship in such a way that it does not cause a lack of coordination in the organization's activities. Therefore, project management has a very important role at this stage, because the relationship between the client and his organization will be any problems and problems and points of view that the client has, he must inform the management so that he can implement the cases with its analysis and special processes. To be transferred to other departments and line managers.

Keywords: project management, crisis management, project delays bill, project duration

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Authors: J. Al-Dmour, A. Sagahyroon, A. Al-Ali, S. Abusnana

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Radio Frequency Based Identification Systems have emerged as one of the possible valuable solutions that can be utilized in healthcare systems. Nowadays, RFID tags are available with built-in human vital signs sensors such as Body Temperature, Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Blood Sugar level and Oxygen Saturation in Blood. This work proposes the design, implementation, and testing of an integrated mobile RFID-based health care system. The system consists of a wireless mobile vital signs data acquisition unit (RFID-DAQ) integrated with a fuzzy-logic–based software algorithm to monitor and assess patients conditions. The system is implemented and tested in ‘Rashid Center for Diabetes and Research’, Ajman, UAE. System testing results are compared with the Modified Early Warning System (MEWS) that is currently used in practice. We demonstrate that the proposed and implemented system exhibits an accuracy level that is comparable and sometimes better than the widely adopted MEWS system.

Keywords: healthcare, fuzzy logic, MEWS, RFID

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Authors: Nur Atiqah Adam, Mor Jack Ng, Bernard Chern, Kok Hian Tan

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Introduction: Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a common pregnancy complication with short and long-term health consequences for both mother and fetus. Factors such as family history of diabetes mellitus, maternal obesity, maternal age, ethnicity and parity have been reported to influence the risk of GDM. In a multi-racial country like Singapore, it is worthwhile to study the GDM prevalences of different ethnicities. We aim to investigate the influence of ethnicity on the racial prevalences of GDM in Singapore. This is important as it may help us to improve guidelines on GDM healthcare services according to significant risk factors unique to Singapore. Materials and Methods: Obstetric cohort data of 926 singleton deliveries in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) from 2011 to 2013 was obtained. Only patients aged 18 and above and without complicated pregnancies or chronic illnesses were targeted. Factors such as ethnicity, maternal age, parity and maternal body mass index (BMI) at booking visit were studied. A multivariable logistic regression model, adjusted for confounders, was used to determine which of these factors are significantly associated with an increased risk of GDM. Results: The overall GDM prevalence rate based on WHO 1999 criteria & at risk screening (race alone not a risk factor) was 8.86%. GDM rates were higher among women above 35 years old (15.96%), obese (15.15%) and multiparous women (10.12%). Indians had a higher GDM rate (13.0 %) compared to the Chinese (9.57%) and Malays (5.20%). However, using multiple logistic regression model, variables that are significantly related to GDM rates were maternal age (p < 0.001) and maternal BMI at booking visit (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Maternal age (p < 0.001) and maternal booking BMI (p = 0.006) are the strongest risk factors for GDM. Ethnicity per se does not seem to have a significant influence on the prevalence of GDM in Singapore (p = 0.064). Hence we should tailor guidelines on GDM healthcare services according to maternal age and booking BMI rather than ethnicity.

Keywords: ethnicity, gestational diabetes, healthcare, pregnancy

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Authors: Denvi Giovanita, Wustari L. H. Mangundjaya

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The pace of globalization and technological development make changes inevitable to organizations. However, organizational change is not easy to implement and is prone to failure. One of the reasons of change failure is due to lack of employees’ commitment to change. There are many variables that can influence employees’ commitment to change. The influencing factors can be sourced from the organization or individuals themselves. This study focuses on the affective form of commitment to change. The objective of this study is to identify the effect of transformational leadership (organizational factor) and employees’ change self-efficacy (individual factor) on affective commitment to change. The respondents of this study were employees who work in organizations that are or have faced organizational change. The data were collected using Affective Commitment to Change, Change Self-Efficacy, and Transformational Leadership Inventory. The data were analyzed using regression. The result showed that both transformational leadership and change self-efficacy have a positive and significant impact on affective commitment to change. The implication of the study can be used for practitioners to enhance the success of organizational change, by developing transformational leadership on the leaders and change self-efficacy on the employees in order to create a high affective commitment to change.

Keywords: affective commitment to change, change self-efficacy, organizational change, transformational leadership

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Authors: Seyed Mohammadbagher Jafari, Elahe Mahdizadeh, Masomeh Ghahremani

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Nowadays almost all organizations depend on information systems to run their businesses. Investment on information systems and their maintenance to keep them always in best situation to support firm business is one of the main issues for every organization. The new concept of cloud computing was developed as a technical and economic model to address this issue. In cloud computing the computing resources, including networks, applications, hardwares and services are configured as needed and are available at the moment of request. However, migration to cloud is not an easy task and there are many issues that should be taken into account. This study tries to provide a comprehensive model to assess a firm readiness to implement cloud computing. By conducting a systematic literature review, four dimensions of readiness were extracted which include technological, human, organizational and environmental dimensions. Every dimension has various criteria that have been discussed in details. This model provides a framework for cloud computing readiness assessment. Organizations that intend to migrate to cloud can use this model as a tool to assess their firm readiness before making any decision on cloud implementation.

Keywords: cloud computing, human readiness, organizational readiness, readiness assessment model

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Authors: Samuel Asrat

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Infusion pumps have become indispensable tools in modern healthcare, allowing for precise and controlled delivery of fluids, medications, and nutrients to patients. This paper provides an overview of the historical development, measurement, and parts of infusion pumps. The historical development of infusion pumps can be traced back to the early 1960s when the first rudimentary models were introduced. These early pumps were large, cumbersome, and often unreliable. However, advancements in technology and engineering over the years have led to the development of smaller, more accurate, and user-friendly infusion pumps. Measurement of infusion pumps involves assessing various parameters such as flow rate, volume delivered, and infusion duration. Flow rate, typically measured in milliliters per hour (mL/hr), is a critical parameter that determines the rate at which fluids or medications are delivered to the patient. Accurate measurement of flow rate is essential to ensure the proper administration of therapy and prevent adverse effects. Infusion pumps consist of several key parts, including the pump mechanism, fluid reservoir, tubing, and control interface. The pump mechanism is responsible for generating the necessary pressure to push fluids through the tubing and into the patient's bloodstream. The fluid reservoir holds the medication or solution to be infused, while the tubing serves as the conduit through which the fluid travels from the reservoir to the patient. The control interface allows healthcare providers to program and adjust the infusion parameters, such as flow rate and volume. In conclusion, infusion pumps have evolved significantly since their inception, offering healthcare providers unprecedented control and precision in delivering fluids and medications to patients. Understanding the historical development, measurement, and parts of infusion pumps is essential for ensuring their safe and effective use in clinical practice.

Keywords: dip, ip, sp, is

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Authors: Lotha Valan, Åsa Hörnsten, Ulf Isaksson

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Introduction: Sweden has a national child health care program (CHCP) where all parents are offered support to raise their children and support them for lifelong health. A systematic review concludes that there is a request for guidance in using the internet effectively for the health purposes of their children. However, a study about internet use among young mothers means that the internet is not always easy to navigate for parents, and they may need support. To fill this gap and develop a digital channel to complement the child health care (CHC) for the support of parents of children within CHC, there is a demand to investigate parents' needs in relation to this purpose. Methods: The study had a qualitative approach using focus group interviews with parents. The interview data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The main theme highlights that parents expected that a digital support channel would be something that might strengthen them toward independence concerning the care of their children in a positive way. However, they also felt that they needed personal support and that relationships with other parents and the child health care nurse were significant and meaningful. Another parental desire that emerged was that a future digital channel would facilitate and simplify access to care, and they suggested having both planned and urgent times available for parents to book. The digital channel was expected to make this possible and be a good complement to the physical contacts the traditional child healthcare currently offers. Discussion/conclusions: The parents in this study believed that digital solutions could increase their parental power in relation to the care of their children. Examples were given as nurse-led parent groups where parents with similar problems and experiences around their children could support each other and were expected to strengthen them over time. The parents stressed that a planned digital support channel also needs satisfactory solutions for both contact and response. It was suggested that there should be bookable times for both planned and urgent needs and also the possibility of rescheduling visits.

Keywords: child healthcare, parents, digital support, nursing

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Authors: Inayatullah Jan, Sidra Pervez

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Effective institutional arrangements at local and national levels are quintessential for promotion of renewable energy in a country. This study attempts to examine the institutional arrangements for development of domestic renewable energy in rural northwest Pakistan. The study describes that very limited number of public and private organizations were working on clean development in the area. Surprisingly, no institutional arrangements exclusively meant for domestic clean energy promotion were observed in the area. The study concludes that the objectives of Kyoto Protocol in Pakistan can be achieved only if the government and non-governmental organizations work together to launch cost-effective renewable energy interventions, particularly in rural areas. The need is to have a coordinated, consistent, and focused cooperation of all stakeholders involved in promotion of domestic renewable energy at all levels. This will not only improve the socioeconomic and environmental conditions in the local context, but will play a key role in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals(MDGs).

Keywords: governance, clean energy, greenhouse gases, CDM, Northwest Pakistan

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Authors: Eszter Hamza

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The competitiveness of economic operators is based on interoperability, which is relatively low in Hungary. The development of co-operation is high priority in Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020. The aim of the paper to assess co-operations in Hungarian agriculture, estimate the economic outputs and benefits of co-operations, based on statistical data processing and literature. Further objective is to explore the potential of agricultural co-operation with the help of interviews and questionnaire survey. The research seeks to answer questions as to what fundamental factors play role in the development of co-operation, and what are the motivations of the actors and the key success factors and pitfalls. The results were analysed using econometric methods. In Hungarian agriculture we can find several forms of co-operation: cooperatives, producer groups (PG) and producer organizations (PO), machinery cooperatives, integrator companies, product boards and interbranch organisations. Despite the several appearance of the agricultural co-operation, their economic weight is significantly lower in Hungary than in western European countries. Considering the agricultural importance, the integrator companies represent the most weight among the co-operations forms. Hungarian farmers linked to co-operations or organizations mostly in relation to procurement and sales. Less than 30 percent of surveyed farmers are members of a producer organization or cooperative. The trust level is low among farmers. The main obstacle to the development of formalized co-operation, is producers' risk aversion and the black economy in agriculture. Producers often prefer informal co-operation instead of long-term contractual relationships. The Hungarian agricultural co-operations are characterized by non-dynamic development, but slow qualitative change. For the future, one breakout point could be the association of producer groups and organizations, which in addition to the benefits of market concentration, in the dissemination of knowledge, advisory network operation and innovation can act more effectively.

Keywords: agriculture, co-operation, producer organisation, trust level

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Authors: Malki Fatima Zahra Nadia, Kellal Cheiimaa, Brahimi Houria

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Total Quality Management (TQM) is one of the most important modern management systems in marketing, that help organizations to survive and remain competitive in the dynamic market with frequent changes. It assists them in gaining a competitive advantage, growth, and excellence compared to their competitors. To understand the impact of TQM on competitive advantage in economic companies, a study was conducted in Ooredoo Telecommunications Company. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to OOredoo' 75 employees in each of the departments of leadership, quality assurance, quality control, research and development, production, customer service, Similarly, resulting in the retrieval of 72 questionnaires. To analyze the descriptive results of the study, the SPSS software version 25 was used. Additionally, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the help of Smart Pls4 software was utilized to test the study's hypotheses. The study concluded that there is an impact between total quality management and competitive advantage in Ooredoo company to different degrees. On this basis, the study recommended the need to implement the total quality management system at the level of all organizations and in various fields.

Keywords: total quality management, ISO system, competitive advantage, competitive strategies

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Authors: Stephen Wheat

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Institutional mobile application governance and distribution processes are essential to mobile app innovation. The absence of effective processes poses a significant barrier to the development and adoption of mobile apps for use within a research enterprise and also impedes the translational science of applying research apps in clinical and engineering settings. To accelerate mobile app innovation and adoption, Emory University and Emory Healthcare implemented a three-pronged strategy including. I) Mobile app review and distribution policies and processes. II) Mobile app management infrastructure and mobile app foundation components. III) A strategic sourcing strategy based on preferred mobile app development firms. The results have been an increase from five to 56 mobile apps in the pipeline over three years; increased engagement from technology transfer, legal counsel, compliance, and information security; articulation of a coordinated mobile app strategy; and allocation of more institutional resources toward specific mobile technology and mobile application goals.

Keywords: mobile app management, governance, distribution, information security

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