ABSTRACT
Due to the increasing aging of the population, the number of elderly people requiring care is growing in most European countries. However, the number of caregivers working in nursing homes and on daily care services is declining in countries like Germany or Italy. This limits the time for interpersonal communication. Furthermore, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, social distancing during contact restrictions became more important, causing an additional reduction of personal interaction. This social isolation can strongly increase emotional stress. Robotic assistance could contribute to addressing this challenge on three levels: (1) supporting caregivers to respond individually to the needs of patients and residents in nursing homes;(2) observing patients' health and emotional state;(3) complying with high hygiene standards and minimizing human contact if required. To further the research on emotional aspects and the acceptance of robotic assistance in care, we conducted two studies where elderly participants interacted with the social robot Misa. Facial expression and voice analysis were used to identify and measure the emotional state of the participants during the interaction. While interpersonal contact plays a major role in elderly care, the findings reveal that robotic assistance generates added value for both caregivers and patients and that they show emotions while interacting with them. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential synergy between companies' sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) activities and their supply chain resilience (SCRES). The authors propose hypotheses about the impact of buying companies SSCM activities on the inflicted damage by unexpected supply chain disruptions and the recovery time afterwards and test these empirically using data from companies during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The authors investigate a sample of 231 of the largest publicly traded companies in the European Union with 4.158 firm-year observations. For the analysis, the authors generate variables capturing the companies' intensity and years of experience of their SSCM activities targeted at the supply chain and run regression analyses on the inflicted damage due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery time after the disruption. Findings Buying companies' SSCM activities have a positive effect on their SCRES. The damage inflicted by unexpected supply chain disruptions is lower when companies have higher levels of SSCM and longer experience with it. The recovery time afterwards is significantly reduced by longer experience with SSCM efforts. Research limitations/implications The authors suggest SCRES is reinforced by transparency, situational awareness, social capital and collaboration resulting from companies SSCM activities translate into increased SCRES. Practical implications The authors show that companies with superior SSCM are more resilient in a crisis and conclude that, therefore, companies should invest in SSCM to prevent future supply disruptions. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical study analyzing a data set of multi-industry companies, linking their SSCM activities to SCRES during the pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Since the beginning of 2020 an increase in a Kawasaki-like disease has been noted. The WHO assumes a connection to the COVID-19 pandemic and it is defined as the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with coronavirus disease 2019.A 9-year-old boy attended the pediatric emergency department with persistent fever and then developed a classical Kawasaki syndrome with affection of the left coronary artery. A specific origin of an infection could not be detected. The SARS-CoV-2 PCR was negative. In due course positive SARS-CoV2 antibodies were detected. The patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulins, ASS and a glucocorticoid, which led to an improvement in the clinical and echocardiographic state of the patient.