Q&A

In this interview, Sujay Jadhav, global vice president, study start-up, Oracle Health Sciences, touches on how COVID has affected study start-up and what new perspectives it has forced the industry to have on its own challenges. [...]assessing site ability to leverage telehealth will be a factor in site selection. Andy Studna is an Assistant Editor for Applied Clinical Trials Sujay Jadhav Global Vice President, Study Start-Up, Oracle Health Sciences Problems with startup, more than any other phase of a clinical trial, have the greatest potential to increase timelines and budgets.

The effect of having COVID-19 on anti-vaccination: observational prospective study

Objective: In this study, the effect of having had coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) disease on anti-vaccination was investigated. Material and Methods: The study was conducted between February 2022-August 2022 in the COVID chest diseases clinic in our hospital. The cases who were COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and not vaccinated against COVID-19 hospitalized in our clinic were included in the study. The level of anti-vaccination of the cases was measured with the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS). In addition, demographic informations such as age, gender, educational status, marital status, number of people living in the household, average monthly income, smoking history, and additional chronic diseases were recorded. Routine radiological and laboratory examinations, follow-up times in the clinic, and treatment results were recorded for cases like all patients hospitalized in our COVID chest diseases clinic. Results: 46 cases were included in the study. The mean age of the cases was 54.63+or-14.81 years, 24 (52.1%) were female. VHS was applied to all cases at the time of hospitalization. Since 6 cases were referred to the intensive care unit due to respiratory failure, the second VHS could not be applied to these cases, and these 6 cases were excluded from the study. A 2nd VHS was performed in the remaining 40 patients just before discharge. Each question score, A-B-C section score and total scale score were compared for the pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 cases. While the VHS total score before COVID-19 infection was 36.48+or-7.36, the post-COVID-19 total score was found to be 25.65+or-9.10, a statistically significant decrease was observed (p < 0.001). It was observed that the mean scores of A-B-C decreased statistically in all sections (p < 0.001). Conclusion: As a result of our study, we found that the degree of anti-vaccine resistance decreased after the patients who were against the COVID-19 vaccine had the disease. As a result of our study, we found that the degree of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy of patients decreased after they had the disease. We believe that conducting similar studies and sharing their results through mass media, can change the perspective of vaccine hesitancy individuals in society on this situation, especially during pandemic periods.

The impact of military expenditures on out of pocket healthcare payments: international evidence based on a dynamic panel data analysis

PurposeThe empirical analysis dealt in this paper emphasizes on the impact of military expenditures on out of pocket (OOP) healthcare payments. A sizeable body of defence economics literature has investigated the trade-off between military and public health expenditure, by testing the crowding-out or growth-stimulating hypothesis;does military expenditure scaling up crowd-out or promote governmental resources for social and welfare programs, including also state health financing?Design/methodology/approachIn this study, panel data from 2000 to 2018 for 129 countries is used to examine the impact of military expenditure on OOP healthcare payments. The dataset of countries is categorized into four income-groups based on World Bank's income-group classification. Dynamic panel data methodology is applied to meet study objectives.FindingsThe findings of this study indicate that military expenditure positively affects OOP payments in all the selected groups of countries, strongly supporting in this way the crowding-out hypothesis whereby increased military expenditure reduces the public financing on health. Study econometric results are robust since different and alternative changes in specifications and samples are applied in our analysis.Practical implicationsUnder the economic downturn backdrop for several economies in the previous decade and on the foreground of a potential limited governmental fiscal space related to the Covid-19 pandemic adverse economic effects, this study provides evidence that policy-makers have to adjust their government policy initiatives and prioritize Universal Health Coverage objectives. Consequently, the findings of this study reflect the necessity of governments as far as possible to moderate military expenditures and increase public financing on health in order to strengthen health care systems efficiency against households OOP spending for necessary healthcare utilization.Originality/valueDespite the fact that a sizeable body of defence economics literature has extensively examined the impact of military spending on total and public health expenditures, nevertheless to the best of our knowledge there is no empirical evidence of any direct effect of national defence spending on the main private financing component of health systems globally;the OOP healthcare payments.

"One of the Weakest Budget Players in the State”: State Funding of Higher Education at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Prior studies have documented the pattern of decreased state funding for higher education in periods of economic contraction (i.e., the balance wheel phenomenon). This qualitative case study examines how policymakers in California and Texas made decisions about funding higher education at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when policymakers faced an economic downturn. Data comprise 28 interviews with key state actors and 69 documents. The analysis expands prior understandings of how state policymakers make budgeting decisions that affect higher education by exploring how they perceive certain target populations as deserving or undeserving of state support. The study also sheds light on the tenuous relationship between policymakers' views of higher education and their funding decisions. © 2023 The Author(s).

Australia to set up CDC

PUBLIC HEALTH ;Australia is establishing a Centre for Disease Control (CDC), joining the majority of advanced countries in having a national health agency. Australia's states and territories will retain responsibility for public health;the new CDC is meant to provide nationwide surveillance of disease outbreaks and help improve coordination, "something that was sorely lacking during COVID", says Ben Marais, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Sydney. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Science is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Coordination in a not-for-profit organisation during the COVID-19 pandemic: organisational sensemaking during planning meetings

PurposeThe authors examine how a not-for-profit organisation (NPO) coordinates NPO's actions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic to remain focussed on strategic and operational goals.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a live case study of an NPO as the crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. Drawing on a sensemaking perspective that incorporates sensegiving, the authors develop a framework of five types of organisational sensemaking. The authors analyse weekly planning meetings during which managers discussed past performance, forecast performance and the forecast duration of current cash reserves.FindingsThe authors show how three of the five types of organisational sensemaking helped to coordinate actions. The authors highlight how accounting information triggers organisational sensemaking processes;but depending on the type of organisational sensemaking, accounting information has little further role. The authors also show that the stability of decisions depends on the types of organisational sensemaking.Practical implicationsThe authors show how coordination as a management control practice is enabled by organisational sensemaking within an NPO during a crisis. Organisational sensemaking enabled the agreement of actions, which enabled coordination. Accounting practices provided trigger mechanisms to facilitate organisational sensemaking.Originality/valueSince this study is the first to examine sensemaking processes and accounting practices in coordination in an NPO in a pandemic, the authors contribute to the limited research on NPOs during crises and on the management control practice of coordination. The authors extend the accounting literature on sensemaking by showing that, whilst accounting triggers organisational sensemaking, accounting is only implicated in one type of organisational sensemaking and by revealing the different outcomes of the different types of organisational sensemaking.

Executive Summary

[...]it was determined that the herd investment was valid for BioNTech and Moderna when the highest index value belonged to BioNTech company. The following study is also related to the financial sector, focused on the Turkish Banking Sector and examines the relationship between financial innovation and economic growth in banks on a regional basis. According to the study results, it was understood that subjective norms and perceived behaviour control had a positive and significant effect on students' recycling behaviours. The last study of this issue, digital household technology ownership analysis, investigated the effects of preferred technology applications in the household and socio-economic and socio-demographic factors by using the generalised sequential logit method with TURKSTAT 2021 Household Information Technologies Usage Research Microdata.

Reinstating fiscal policy for normal times: Public investment and Public Jobs Programmes

This paper upholds the classical Keynesian position that a laissez-faire market economy lacks a spontaneous tendency to full employment. Focusing on the UK case, it argues that monetary policy could not prevent the economic collapse of 2008-9 or achieve full recovery from the Great Recession that followed. The paper then outlines the case for fiscal policy to regain a permanent status of primacy in modern macroeconomic management, beyond the pandemic emergency. It distinguishes between public investment and automatic stabilisers, reducing discretionary actions to a minimum. It presents the case for re-empowering the State'spublic investment function and for reforming the system of automatic counter-cyclical stabilisers by means of public jobs programmes.

Future Proofing Streaming Video Acquisitions: A Medium Sized Academic Library Adapts

The pedagogical appeal of using film in higher education, while not new, has undeniably grown since the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote teaching for health and safety reasons. This dramatic rise in streaming video requests is challenging for academic libraries of all sizes. Yet, smaller- and medium-sized institutions have personnel who already juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, resulting in chaos and the need for new workflows. This article will reflect on the past 24 months of managing streaming video at the University of San Diego's Copley Library, comparing the remote instruction period to the hybrid teaching that followed.

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS

Democracy Worldwide v. United States No. 20-782C Filed: September 30, 2020· OPINION BLAKE, J. This case arises out of a grant awarded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to Democracy Worldwide (DW), as authorized by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, Pub. USAID sought applications for programs to increase protection for human rights defenders through various methods, including, but not limited to, strengthening civil society capacity to conduct civic education and activism, bolstering protections for journalists and human rights advocates, and conducting strategic civil and human rights-based litigation. [...]DW's Program Manager, Amanda McDowell, contacted Justin Baird, the Agreements Officer Representative (AOR) at USAID, to alert him that the training would need to make certain adjustments. The cheapest option per mask was a manufacturer that required a 500-mask minimum. Because the COVID-19 pandemic appeared that it would last beyond the first training, DW decided to order 500 masks.

The reform of social protection in Morocco following the coronavirus pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affirmed the importance of social protection. To combat the effects of the pandemic, countries have taken exceptional measures to preserve health and have introduced or adapted measures to provide income support to people who have lost their sources of income. The pandemic has also highlighted the weaknesses of the social protection system in Morocco, introduced in 1940, which is composed of a contributory system whose financing depends on social security contributions and regulations, and a subsidiary system which takes into covers people who do not have access to contributory basic social insurance. The kick-off for the implementation of the social protection reform in Morocco was given in April 2021 and should be spread over five years. The objective of this reform is to reorganize and improve the operation of the various social protection instruments with a view to greater effectiveness and increased efficiency and also to create new components likely to extend coverage. This large-scale reform initiated by Morocco requires an annual envelope estimated at 51 billion dirhams, which constitutes a major challenge for the country's public finances, which have been hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Moderating Role of Liquidity in the Relationship between the Expenditures and Financial Performance of SMEs: Evidence from Jordan

The current paper aims to investigate the moderating role of liquidity in the relationship between accounting and advertising expenditures and the financial performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan. Furthermore, the present paper highlights the importance of managing expenditures and improving financial performance. Since the performance of Jordanian SMEs is extremely critical, furthermore, the present paper explores the possibility of empowering these businesses in order to achieve profitability. This paper is based on descriptive statistics, regression, and correlation analysis in order to analyze the data, collecting secondary data from 200 SMEs. The results demonstrate that accounting expenditures are key factors for financial performance, especially in SMEs. Moreover, SMEs are more sensitive to liquidity challenges, which significantly impact their short-term expenditure and consequently influence their financial performance. It is evident that accounting expenditures moderated by liquidity have a positive effect on the financial performance of SMEs. However, our findings indicate a negative effect regarding the relationship between advertising expenditures and financial performance. According to the results of this study, regulators may offer new regulations and legislation in the future to the Ministry of Finance and the Amman Stock Exchange.

Exploratory study: Financial behaviour of qualified financial professionals during South Africa's lockdown

Orientation: Financial behaviour is known for the direct or indirect management of funds through inter alia spending, saving and borrowing. Research purpose: This study aimed to investigate the financial behaviour of qualified financial professionals and how it compares with behaviour since the national lockdown regulations in South Africa were imposed in March 2020. Motivation for the study: Several studies found that higher levels of financial knowledge are often associated with more desirable financial behaviour, but because of individual psychological resource differences, people in a similar economic situation may experience different levels of financial threat. Research approach/design and method: An empirical study using a survey, which is supported by an underlying literature review. Main findings: Survey results showed that most respondents do not track actual expenditure against budgets;however, this tendency changes with an increase in age. Financing through loans decreases with an increase in the age of respondents. Cash flow considerations were identified since the national lockdown regulations were imposed, addressed mostly by an increase in saving initiatives. Where qualified financial professionals use financial advisors, it is predominantly for advising on retirement and investment strategies. An association was found between the age of respondents and the likelihood of utilising the services of financial advisors for taxation savings. Practical/managerial implications: It is recommended that the findings on how qualified financial professionals managed their funds prior to and after the national lockdown should be used as guidance by others. Contribution/value-add: The study provides information that the lockdown did not necessarily result in major changes in the financial behaviour of the qualified financial professionals in the study.

Economic Role of Government Budget Revision in the Presence of COVID-19

Fiscal policies are one of the most important instruments of government to guide the progress of the country's economic development. They find significant use in cases where the economy is experiencing a period of recession, such as the current one caused by COVID-19. This study aims to assess the multiplier effects that budget revision has on the economy for the case of Albania, and more specifically by referring to the initial and revised budget scenario for the year 2020 which is characterized by significant changes caused by the presence of COVID-19. Referring to the multipliers from the input–output tables (IOT) the total effect that the state budget brings to the economy for a certain year is derived. From this paper, it appears that the budget restructuring that takes place during the year does not take into account the multiplier effect in the economy, but is mostly done for specific purposes related to certain government functions. In this context, it is very important that various options during budget revision are evaluated, concluding with the option that has the highest returns for the economy.

Mapping the key challenges and managing the opportunities in supply chain distribution during COVID-19: a case of Myanmar pharmaceutical company

PurposeThis study aims to present a study on the supply chain process of a Myanmar-based pharmaceutical company (named ABC Pvt. Ltd. in this study) that produces pharmaceutical products across Myanmar and aims of bringing quality medical products and best care for Myanmar people's health. The study aims to identify the key supply chain challenges and manage the opportunities executed by this pharmaceutical company to improve the supply chain process during the COVID-19 outbreak.Design/methodology/approachThis work used a case study and conducted semistructured interviews with the manager, senior managers and senior staff of the ABC Company to improve the supply chain process and develop a comprehensive structural relationship to rank them to streamline the uncertainties, real-time information and agility in a digital supply chain using grey relational analysis (GRA) method.FindingsFrom the data analysis and results, "Impact of political factor,” "Delay in import process” and "Weak internet connection,” and "Weak knowledge of the use of digital platform,” "Poor information sharing in online by employees” and "Information flow from top management to operational level” have been identified as top and bottom three key challenges, respectively. "Inventory management,” "Selection of transport method” and "Operational cost”, and "Marketing and brand Innovation,” "Online delivery of products” and "E-commerce enablement (Launching applications, tracking system)” are identified as the top and bottom three managing the opportunities, respectively.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the study help to supply chain decision-makers of the company in their establishment of key challenges and opportunities during the COVID-19 era. As a leading company, it always tries to add value to its product through a supply chain system, effective management teams and working with skillful decision-making toward satisfying the demand on time and monitoring the supplier performance.Originality/valueThe novelty of this study is to identify the key supply chain challenges and opportunities by the GRA method to rank them, considering the case of Myanmar pharmaceutical manufacturing company as a case-based approach to measuring its performance during the COVID-19 outbreak era. This work will assist managers and practitioners help to the company to provide optimal services to its consumers on time in this critical situation.

Collaborating on Healthcare on an All-Island Basis: A Scoping Study *

Over the past two decades health has been identified as a key area for increased cross-border working on the island of Ireland. To date though, the approach has been minimalist and often project specific. The global pandemic, the continuing fallout from Brexit and the establishment of the Shared Island initiative have pushed the broad issue of healthcare cooperation up the policy agenda. Theoretically, closer cooperation could deliver economies of scale, value for money, opportunities for clinical specialisation, and facilitate the sharing of knowledge. However, despite its obvious potential and policy significance, cross-border collaboration in healthcare has been the subject of remarkably little research attention. This small-scale qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews with 49 individuals with expertise and experience in this area. From these interviews six broad themes emerged: support for collaboration, lack of strategic direction, knowledge sharing, CoviD-19, data and opportunities for future cooperation. Given the similar social, economic and political pressures faced by both healthcare systems, it is concluded that leveraging the strengths from cross-border collaboration should be a policy priority.

The influence of financial literacy and financial attitude on financial management behavior: A study on culinary micro SMEs in Rawamangun Urban Village, East Jakarta City

The goal of this research is to determine how financial literacy and financial attitude influence financial management behavior in Culinary MSMEs in Rawamangun, East Jakarta City. The type of research used is explanatory research. The sampling method is probability with area sampling. Samples were collected from 50 Culinary MSMEs actors in East Jakarta's Rawamangun Urban Village. The primary data used are questionnaire responses on a five-point Likert scale. Multiple Regression Analysis was used to analyze the data, aided by SPSS version 25.0. Based on the results of testing, the two hypotheses show that financial literacy and financial attitudes positively and significantly influence financial management behavior in Culinary MSMEs actors in Rawamangun Urban Village. Theoretically, this study recommends further research to analyze in-depth other variables that shape the financial management behavior of Culinary MSMEs in Rawamangun Urban Village. Practically, this study highlights the need for education and literacy to strengthen the financial management behavior of culinary entrepreneurs, with the aim of improving the economy and business through insightful activities such as education, and training courses that focus on savings, loans, investments and insurance.

Superintendents' perspectives on the school district budgeting process at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential effects on future school district budgets

School superintendents face complex issues on a regular basis, these issues include but are not limited to scarce resources, the politics of the school board and conflicting demands from the community (Noppe, Yager, Webb, & Sheng, 2013). In March 2020, the United States faced an unprecedented event when the COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses and schools to close. This placed unforeseen budgetary challenges on superintendents that they had never faced prior and did require superintendents to change how districts allocate funds right now and possibly how districts allocate funds in the future. This qualitative study examined superintendents' perceptions of how, at the onset, the COVID-19 pandemic affected school districts' budgetary process and their perceptions of the effects on future school districts' budgetary process. There were 15 participants for this study, all of whom were superintendents in their current district during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research showed that when initially faced with the challenges of COVID-19 the superintendents relied on their knowledge of leadership strategies and being able to adapt to an unknown situation. The current rate of inflation along with supply issues are going to be a hurdle that districts will need to overcome. Adding to this the serious issues of learning loss suffered by students and the increase of mental health concerns are going to have to be part of any future school district budget. . (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Strategizing alumni to encounter financial sustainability issue: insights from public higher education institutions of Pakistan

PurposeThis practitioner paper intends to explore how Public Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in Pakistan could strategize alumni to encounter the financial sustainability challenges and achieve their organizational potential relevant to academic, research and public services.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a hermeneutic (interpretive) phenomenological approach, this study used interviews and focus group discussion data with 26 alumni from eight different PHEIs in Pakistan to explore their attitudes toward engagement with their institutions.FindingsThis study shows a clear shift in institutional strategies between the developing and developed economies regarding the importance and value given to alumni and engagement practices employed.Practical implicationsThis study recommends that PHEIs in Pakistan can enjoy alumni engagement benefits to strengthen their organizational standing, provided they view alumni as a valuable entity and observe a proactive approach to engage alumni in a manner that may reflect the mutually beneficial and trustworthy relationship. Further, it would help institutions attain long-term financial sustainability, which is threatened by state-funding cuts and, more recently, COVID-19 pandemic-led recession.Originality/valueScholarship shows that institutions in the developed economies have built a strong bond with their alumni to seek their support. However, the voices of institutions from the developing economies have not been heard yet. In this regard, this study appears to highlight the current alumni engagement practices and how institutions could improve on them to strategize alumni for a sustainable future.

Non-reimbursable Financing of Health Projects in Romania

Health is our fundamental right as citizens and, therefore, it must occupy a priority place in government programs. Despite the progress of recent years, Romania is still in the last places at the EU level in terms of the financing of the health system and its results. As a result, health financing is a priority even in the current period. Non-reimbursable financing, whether it is European funds or funds from the national budget, or other non-reimbursable sources, is the key to investments for the development and modernization of the health system. Ensuring a high degree of absorption of European funds dedicated to the health field in the period 2021-2027 and using these funds as an additional source of funding for the Romanian health system, represents a solution for investment in this field. Funds from the European Union can be used both for improving health, for faster recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, and for reducing health inequalities. The paper also includes a study on the contribution of funding from non-refundable funds to the modernization of the Moinesti Municipal Emergency Hospital, Bac&acaron;u County, a hospital that is in the top 10 nationally in terms of medical services. The focus is on the projects implemented over the years at the unit level and their impact on the medical activity.