Health literacy and empowerment in the COVID-19 era

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a teachable moment to empower citizens to assess and apply information to protect their health by promoting critical health literacy. Most Americans took preventive measures, suggesting some overall increase in critical health literacy around infectious disease. Simultaneously, however, a torrent of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation intentionally buried facts, sewed doubt and confusion, promoted lies and conspiracies, and undermined health authorities and institutions. The authors discuss how this ‘infodemic' rose from previously localized, unconnected anti-vaccination, anti-government, and anti-science groups galvanized by the pandemic. Prominent politicians seeking political gain lent the power of their offices to the movement, layering a ‘polidemic' onto the infodemic and overwhelming inconsistent public health messaging. Even those with strong health literacy skills were challenged. Millions were misled to over-confidently self-manage their risk, revealing the possibility and perils of empowerment in the absence of critical health literacy skills – negative empowerment. The roots of resistance to the government response to COVID-19, and conditions that fostered its influence are examined, followed by recommendations to position health literacy scholars and practitioners to better meet communication challenges and opportunities in future crises. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Information Services & Use is the property of IOS Press 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.)

Determinants of domestic violence against women: Evidence from Khulna District of Bangladesh

Domestic violence against women is a major social problem in Bangladesh. This paper examines the determinants of domestic violence in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project was carried out in selected areas of Khulna district of the country and followed survey research design. A total of 312 ever married female respondents who experienced domestic violence at any stage of their life were surveyed. The respondents were selected through simple random sampling as a semi-structured questionnaire/ interview schedules was used as the primary tool for data collection. The data were collected in two stages between the months of May-October, 2021 through face-to-face interviews. Results from the chi-square analysis show that, respondents' residence, educational status, age at first marriage, duration of marriage life, husband's income, husband's occupation, and a demand for dowry were all associated with domestic violence against women (p <.01). The study concludes that creation of awareness and empowerment of women through income generating activities particularly in the rural areas of Bangladesh is necessary to reduce the prevalence of domestic violence.Copyright © Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Converging Crises and the Cost of Exclusion: Unveiling the Invisible Women of Sri Lanka's Economy

In Sri Lanka, womens labor force participation has never exceeded 35% in over three decades. As of 2022, the country was ranked 110 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forums Gender Gap Index. The gaps in womens participation in the formal economy alongside womens limited political empowerment are two leading causes for the country to be lagging in such global gender equality indicators. At a large cost to the economy, the existence of archaic gender norms that promulgate womens unpaid care work often exclude women from the formal labor force. This paper dissects the socio-economic and socio-political factors that lead to the invisibility of women in Sri Lankas economy, while seeking to understand how such underlying causes have been aggravated within the precarity of the post-pandemic context. It is important, now more than ever, to recognize the invisibility of women in Sri Lankas formal economy, while bringing about a transformative vision with a multi-pronged approach to address existing gaps and challenges. With reference to key principles of feminist economics, including the theoretical foundations of Claudia Goldin, Nancy Folbre, and Diane Elson, among others, the paper will make a case for inclusivity and intersectionality in policy recommendations aimed at encouraging womens entry, active engagement, contribution, and retention in Sri Lankas economy. The paper reaches a conclusion that when women lead, participate, and benefit equally in all aspects of life, societies and economies will thrive, thereby contributing to sustainable development and inclusive economic growth.

Fostering employee work engagement and sustainable employment during COVID-19 crisis through HR practices, employee psychological well-being and psychological empowerment

Purpose: This study aims to investigate employee behavior toward work engagement with an integrative research framework that combines human resource practices, employee psychological empowerment and well-being. Moreover, the moderating effect of transformational leadership is tested between employee engagement at workplace during crisis such as COVID-19 and sustainable employment. Design/methodology/approach: This study empirically investigates research framework with 353 responses retrieved from employees working in private sector organizations. The data were collected through structured, closed-ended questionnaires. For inferential analysis, structural equation modeling approach has been used. To test the predictive power of the research framework, blindfolding procedure Q2 is incorporated. Findings: Statistical findings indicate that HR compensation, HR training, opportunity enhancing, motivation enhancing, psychological well-being and empowerment have explained substantial variance (R2 = 67.5%) in employee work engagement during crisis. Concerning with sustainable employment, the transformational leadership and work engagement have shown significant variance (R2 = 20.6%) in determining sustainable employment. Moving further psychological empowerment has revealed maximum effect size (f2) to determine employee engagement behavior at work place during pandemic crisis. The blindfolding procedure Q2 has exhibited substantial power to predict employee work engagement and sustainable employment during crisis such as COVID-19 pandemic. Practical implications: This study has several contributions to theory and practice. Theoretically, this study develops an integrative research framework with the help of human resource practices and employee psychological factors such as employee well-being and empowerment. Therefore, practically, this research suggests that factors such as opportunity enhancing, transformational leadership and employee psychological empowerment need managerial attention to increase employee engagement at workplace and sustainable employment during pandemic crisis. Social implications: With the growing concerns of layoff during pandemic crisis, employees have shown lack of interest at workplace because of psychological fears. Nevertheless, this study has established that policymakers could enhance employee engagement at workplace and sustainable employment during crisis by redesigning HR practices and improving employee psychological well-being and empowerment. In addition to that, employee psychological well-being and empowerment are considered healthy factors for human beings and nurture society at large. Originality/value: This research is original as it establishes an integrative research framework grounded in HR practices, employee psychological empowerment and employee psychological well-being to investigate employee behavior at work place during crisis such as pandemic. In addition to that, this study has enriched leadership literature by examining the moderating effect of transformational leadership between employee work engagement and sustainable employment. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Direct selling: tackling the challenge of women's inclusion within the base of the pyramid (BOP) labour market during COVID era

The exclusion of women from the labour market continues to be one of the leading causes of poverty within the base of pyramid (BOP) labour market. Using Kabeer's women empowerment framework, this research aggregates some support that direct selling may be a pathway to increase the inclusion of women within the BOP labour market and alleviate poverty;the complexities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic provide a unique context to test this proposition. Drawing on the social constructivist approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with women engaged in direct selling in the BOP market in a Middle Eastern country. The study revealed four key themes throughout the participants' narratives of their experience working in direct selling businesses within the context of COVID-19. These themes are agency, resources, achievement, and precarious work. Our study also explored how the pandemic facilitated the female labour force's inclusion within the direct selling business in the BOP labour market. We concluded that engaging in direct selling has promoted the inclusion of women in labour markets;however, direct selling is still not considered a secure employment option, and direct sellers are exposed to poor pay, employment insecurity, and lack of employment benefits.

Introduction

The twenty-first century has brought in massive changes in the labour processes, employment relations and erosion of labour standards in all sectors—manufacturing, agriculture and service—of the world economy. COVID19 pandemic has brought centre-stage the feminist discourse on paid and unpaid work, visible and invisiblised work, officially recognised and officially bypassed/ignored work as well as women's contribution of care economy for the survival of humankind. At this juncture, this edited volume acquires a great significance as it not only connects the missing dots in the gendered labour markets but also makes a convincing case for an urgent need for fiscal expansion to ensure food and health security, protection of livelihoods and investment in human development in this unequal world. The book is divided into three parts: (1) macroeconomy and women's work, (2) women in the urban economy and regional diversity and (3) women in agriculture and allied occupations. © 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Patrolling portals: the regulation of online genetic data sharing

Background/Objectives: Online portals are being increasingly used to disseminate genetics data. While portal-facilitated sharing might have significant scientific value, it is also likely to raise difficult legal and ethical questions. Many of these questions were highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic, as the urgency of efficient data sharing became apparent. Responding to these emerging concerns, regulators around the world have implemented regimes for 'software used as a medical device.' It is unclear how these regimes affect online portals for genetic data sharing. This study addresses how online data sharing may be shaped by new forms of regulatory oversight. Method(s): We performed an international comparative analysis of advisory documents applicable to software as medical devices prepared by medical regulators in Canada, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. We selected 20 documents for review. Result(s): We found that regulatory agencies are likely to regulate online tools as medical devices only when they are intended to perform a medical purpose. Online portals for genetic data sharing will not usually meet this threshold. Nevertheless, regulatory guidance provides significant insight into the kinds of issues to which regulators are likely to be attentive in addressing online data sharing. We identify eight normative and logistical issues: efficiency, equity, transparency, confidentiality, communication, empowerment, training, and safety. Conclusion(s): This review clarifies how the regulation of medical software might apply to portals for genetic data sharing. We offer recommendations to portal developers and researchers.

Empowering through solution-focused conversations: Context of COVID-19 crisis

What makes SFBT remarkably fast and effective is its shift from the traditional medical model approach, which emphasises recognising and treating the deeper root cause, which in turn is time consuming. Instead of digging in past traumas and finding patterns, the therapist helps the client build the image of a preferred future. Moreover, this small change in perspective often encourages the client to recognise his hidden resources blurred by the magnitude of the problem. digging into problems creates more problems, and substituting them with a solution-focused conversation will help both the client and the therapist land at desired outcomes fast. Although the emphasis is on the future rather than the past, it is not strictly restricted to future talk. The conversations regarding the past are focused on the previous successes or, in other words, the exceptions in the conflict the client is going through. SFBT often adopts questions as interventions. They apply questions and questioning in different ways following a cognitive change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Citizen empowerment through smart surveillance: evidence from Indian smart cities

PurposeCitizens often perceive surveillance by government authorities as oppressive and, hence, demonstrate reluctance in value co-creation from such services. This study aims to investigate the challenges and benefits of citizen empowerment through technology-driven surveillance or "smart surveillance.”Design/methodology/approachGuided by Dynamic Capability theory, the authors conduct in-depth interviews with officers in-charge of surveillance in smart cities. Given the contemporary advancements, this approach allows a retrospective and real-time understanding of interviewees' experiences with smart surveillance.FindingsThe authors develop five propositions for citizen empowerment through smart surveillance to summarize the findings of this study.Research limitations/implicationsThis study advances the relevance of Dynamic Capability in public administration.Practical implicationsSmart city authorities and policymakers may leverage the insights provided in this study to design appropriate policies for smart surveillance.Originality/valueThe authors find that factors such as digital technology and infrastructure, information management, skill divide and perceived return on investment may influence citizen empowerment through smart surveillance.

Empowering cultural change at North Manchester general hospital

ContextNorth Manchester General Hospital is a large District General Hospital in Greater Manchester, serving a relatively disadvantaged population. The overall culture change project involved practically all facets of a functioning medical organisation, including the Senior Medical Leadership Team (SMLT), Transformation team, Human Resources, Finance, and many more. However, one of the key aims of the change was to improve the experience of Junior Doctors working at NMGH. Therefore, postgraduate doctors in training have been key to all of the development, including the Medical Director's Leadership Fellow (MDLF), Junior Doctors' Leadership Group (JDLG), and every staff member that they represent.Issue/ChallengeHistorically, North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH) has had a reputation as a poor place to work;staff aimed to avoid the site. The hospital was unable to retain highly-skilled employees, and trainee experience was extremely low, impacting on patient safety metrics. The site was stuck in a continuous cycle of having this reputation, leading to an inability to attract permanent staff, causing a deficit in teaching and training opportunities, further diminishing the reputation.Rotational junior doctors are the most transient group of NHS healthcare workers (HCWs). Their experience is reflective of organisational culture and that of other, less vocal groups of HCWs. Prior to 2020, many junior doctors considered NMGH to be a ‘rite of passage' ‘ one to be avoided if possible, but if unavoidable, just get through it. On-call teams were chronically short-staffed, 3 services were in enhanced General Medical Council (GMC) monitoring, and GMC survey results were unsatisfactory. Teams were forced to be tenacious, lateral thinking, and resilient to cope with the stresses of work.2019 saw NMGH receive significant criticism from GMC and Health Education North West (HENW) monitoring visits. The General Surgery (GS) Department remained in ‘enhanced monitoring', and patient safety concerns were raised. These included inadequate ‘prescribing of admission medication', poor use of incident reporting systems, and challenges escalating sick patients. Trainees described ‘fire-fighting, not learning'. Improvement recommendations included addressing departmental culture, reinforcing the importance of incident reporting, and ensuring trainees had easy access to appropriate senior support at all times. Early in 2020, trainee experience further deteriorated in GS, due to a negative culture and deficiencies in support, education and training. This resulted in Foundation Year 1 doctors being removed from GS.The Senior Medical Leadership Team (SMLT) decided that enough was enough;the hospital culture needed a fundamental overhaul. There was a clear and urgent need to address staff experience.Assessment of issue and analysis of its causesThe Senior Medical Leadership Team (SMLT) set themselves an audacious goal: to support NMGH to transform into the best training and working experience for junior doctors in Greater Manchester. This goal was split into primary drivers, with each driver linked to specific future projects, and projects assigned to each leadership team member. These projects, identified through co-production with junior doctors, were aimed to improve employee experience, including facilitating access to breaks, improving supervision and support, and enhancing development opportunities â€' aiming to raise staff wellbeing and patient safety standards. Changes were made to General Surgery, resulting in huge investments in expanding the permanent junior doctor and consultant workforces.Several initiatives were implemented to help assess the scope of work required, including setting up a Junior Doctors' Leadership Group (JDLG), or ‘Shadow Board'. All hospital specialties are represented;some representatives sit on the SMLT, on Educational Board meetings, and the Clinical Leaders Forum. The SMLT join every JDLG meeting. Whilst acting as a conduit for rapid two-way communication between clinician and leadership teams (e.g. reliably informing doctors about last-minute changes to visiting policy during Covid surges, or effectively communicating crucial information to crash-call teams when building work closed part of the hospital), the group debates issues raised by junior doctor colleagues they represent, and feeds that back to the SMLT. Recent examples include raising patient safety concerns related to misinterpretation of the Emergency Department Referrals policy, and working collaboratively with junior doctors to address urgent staffing and patient safety risks related to the last wave of the pandemic.In addition to this, a Medical Director's Leadership Fellow (MDLF) role was established. This was fundamental in progressing projects related to the SMLT goal and ensuring appropriate input from junior doctors, Human Resources, the Communications and Transformation teams, and more. As a key member of the JDLG, the MDLF is a role designed in part to enhance junior doctor experience, foster better relationships between staff groups, and encourage feedback provision. The role has been vital in bridging the gap between doctors and hospital leaders, managers and executives – often a source of discontent amongst clinicians. Bridging this gap is important in developing the hospital's culture. Even though many projects are still ongoing, improvements are already being experienced.Impact2021 GMC Survey results showed improvement in 15/18 metrics compared to 2019. These included improvements in ‘Reporting Systems', ‘Workload', and ‘Clinical Supervision Out Of Hours'. 2020 Care Quality Commission inspection reports showed improvement in 11 individual aspects, including improvement to ‘outstanding' in 3 elements.HENW/GMC monitoring visits in 2021 reported ‘they have more robust teams to support the ward and on call workload', resulting from investment in clinicians. It also notes, ‘prescribing audits have shown improvements in prescribing of time critical medication', and demonstrable improvements in ‘use of incident reporting systems and sharing of lessons learnt'. Further comments note that there have been ‘significant improvements in culture in the [General Surgery] department over the past year';one doctor described the department as ‘the most supportive place he had worked'. The report summary noted, ‘through strong clinical leadership and oversight, and a concerted effort to improve departmental culture there have been significant improvements in General Surgical trainee experience with good support, supervision and education reported'. The department was subsequently removed from enhanced GMC monitoring.Although this rapid and impressive turnaround occurred within one department, benefits were seen elsewhere in the organisation.The efforts of the SMLT and JDLG have resulted in positive cultural changes. Surveys reflected: ‘friendly colleagues, less work-related stress, helpful management', and ‘thank you for your work to improve NMGH. I was worried about working at NMGH having heard ‘horror stories' about working there. However, these have not been reflected in reality at all, and NMGH has offered excellent training opportunities.InterventionThe JDLG helps ensure that important information is shared with the wider junior doctor group. Colleagues now feel that their voices are heard. The positives from the previous culture are still evident – leadership teams across the Trust have repeatedly recognised the ‘can-do attitudes' of NMGH staff, with the negative culture firmly in the past. Staff testimonials include: ‘there has definitely been an improvement over the years I have worked here;‘my supervisor was supportive and encouraged reflection through discussions about experiences;and ‘the senior staff are INCREDIBLE. They offer support, they teach, and they encourage us to learn new skills. I cannot be more thankful'. This is in contrast to historical Freedom To Speak Up (FTSU) submissions, which pointed to a culture of disregarding the opinions of NMGH staff.The ‘can-do' approach has been evident during the waves of Covid-19;members of the JDLG fed into management and governance structures to highlight problems in real time, increasing the organisation's responsiveness to challenges faced, working as a two-way conduit of information.During the 2021 HENW/GMC visit, the team reported that junior doctors knew the Medical Director and Director of Medical Education by first name, and felt able to raise concerns directly to them, evidencing a more flattened hierarchy. The visiting team reported being impressed by this positive change and were not aware of other organisations where this had been achieved to this extent.Having Postgraduate Doctors in Training play such a significant role within the Senior Leadership Team setup is relatively unique. As explained, empowering staff to feel they can raise any issues directly to the Medical Director or SMLT, or via the JDLG, has played a huge role in facilitating palpable cultural change through leadership structure additions. As a point of contact, the MDLF has acted as an extension of the JDLG, but works directly alongside the Medical Director and Associate Director of Medical Education, essentially enabling the SMLT to keep their ear to the ground, their fingers on the pulse of staff atmosphere and wellbeing.Examples of achievements of the MDLF include projects to introduce personalised theatre caps (benefits include enhanced communication, especially in emergencies, improving patient outcomes), formation of a Wellbeing group (representatives from all cohorts of staff across the site discuss wellbeing initiatives and colleagues' wellbeing concerns), and an impressive and rapid response to staffing crises and patient safety risks during the most recent Covid-19 wave. As a result of these outcomes, other Trusts haveapproached the SMLT, requesting further information regarding the JDLG and MDLF model;another MDLF has since been appointed at a different trust site.Involvement of stakeholders, such as patients, carers or family members:The SMLT itself is made up of clinicians from a variety of backgrounds, across medicine and surgery. SMLT members sit in morning medical handovers to actively gather clinician experience feedback. They also work closely alongside colleagues from Nursing, Finance, HR, Transformation teams, and more, which enables the SMLT to work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to improve culture at NMGH.The MDLF is in the perfect position to take advantage of this MDT approach. As a result, the MDLF sits on Group-level Patient Safety Panels (acting to highlight patient safety incidents, initiatives, and achievements across the entire Trust). This panel consists of representatives from hospital, community, and medical education staffing groups. The lessons learnt are then communicated to individual hospitals, no matter where the incident or initiative originated. A big part of the meeting is the FTSU aspect, and local FTSU Guardians are active within the panel.Given that the MDLF role is so closely linked to improving communication and feedback, a Freedom To Speak Up Champion role fitted well within the responsibilities of the post. Therefore, over the past year, the MDLF has worked alongside the FTSU team and has completed training as a FTSU Champion. As a consequence of working closely with shop-floor colleagues, the MDLF has received communications from a wide variety of staff roles and levels of seniority throughout the year, asking questions, or raising awareness about issues. The MDLF can then seek appropriate advice, signpost the colleague, and keep them updated on a potential resolution, further propagating the positive feedback loop and support of the wider MDT. As previously mentioned, the JDLG consists of representatives from all medical specialties, and each member is encouraged to raise concerns, suggest improvements, and lead on projects;these include an overhaul of the medical handover process, enabling a safer and more efficient handover, and escalating concerns of a coll ague speaking up about potential patient safety concerns within a department. Furthermore, speakers at JDLG meetings have included the Head of Nursing: Quality & Patient Experience, local FTSU Guardians, the Director of Human Resources, and the local Guardian of Safe Working Hours, enabling group members to share information from a wide range of disciplines with shop-floor colleagues. As a result of the efforts and MDT approach of the above groups, a placement feedback survey performed early in 2022 demonstrated that 93% of respondents felt their working environment supports a multidisciplinary approach.Key MessagesOne of the hallmarks of good medical leadership is putting all staff members, regardless of their role, seniority, or experience, in the best position for them to succeed. Giving Postgraduate doctors early opportunities to play a significant part in, and learn about, an organisation's leadership structure, is not only beneficial to the doctor, but helps the organisation capitalise on a previously relatively untapped market of ideas and solutions. Crucially, this is not limited to postgraduate doctors in training, but also locally-employed doctors, which make up a significant proportion of the workforce in any hospital yet typically remain underrepresented and under-utilised.NMGH has realised the potential that can be unlocked in Junior Doctors, through leadership placements and roles, and the positive benefit this can have on the individual, team and organisation.Lessons learntNorth Manchester General Hospital was fortunate in that the entire SMLT bought into everything: the overall project for culture change, the introduction of the MDLF into the SMLT, and empowering members of the JDLG to contribute to change at the highest level. Having spoken to other organisations looking to replicate our success, they have found that this buy-in is absolutely crucial. Recruiting effectively, to both the MDLF position and JDLG representative roles, is vital, as a huge amount of motivation to fight for change and the betterment of the system is required when overcoming barriers and challenges. Many of the barriers we faced are well-documented in literature, and to a point we expected them;these included resistance from non-medical stakeholders, which was somewhat abetted by further conversations, explanation of goals and objectives, and outlining the overall vision of the SMLT. Of course, resistance to change is important in any project, as it can highlight potential issues not yet visualised.Measurement of improvementFrom the start, we set out our intention to use openly-available, independent metrics of improvement, such as the GMC Nation Training Survey. To compliment this, the MDLF utilised a variety of temperature-check methods, including surveys (dissemination supported by the increasingly-established network of the Postgraduate doctors in training of the JDLG) and departmental visits. Importantly, having a fellow junior doctor asking for feedback, rather than a traditional member of the SMLT, enabled us to garner potentially more honest opinions, criticisms and ideas. As explained elsewhere, GMC survey results have shown improvement, and local surveys have displayed some very positive results. That said, it is recognised that the vision is a long-term project, and continuous improvement will be sought, rather than settling on the progress made thus far.Strategy for improvementThe SMLT sat down and brainstormed an overall vision alongside the individual large-scale projects that would contribute to achieving change. Within this, individual members of the SMLT were assigned roles leading one or more projects, and the MDLF role was created in part to support with the running of these projects where required. This enabled utilisation of the minds of the JDLG and other Postgraduate doctors in training. The MDLF role was instrumental in not only involving this cohort, but also reaching out to other organisations to share learned experiences when they had gone through implementation of similar projects. The team was kep accountable not by having a set timeline for implementation but by having regular away days, reporting back to their colleagues and the transformation team regarding progress.The JLDG, established in 2020, and reappointed every year, have been key to the success of the culture change, through engagement, sense-checking and feedback regarding strategy and relevant projects. Over time the organisation has increasingly engaged this Shadow Board in the development and role out of projects as well as problem solving of significant challenges. Through this team the SMLT has fedback key messages and challenges to the Junior Doctor workforce, which has resulted in increased engagement across the organisation.

Disability, workplace inclusion and organizational citizenship behavior: an exploratory study of the legal profession

PurposeMany workers with disabilities face cultures of exclusion in the workplace, which can affect their participation in decisions, workplace engagement, job attitudes and performance. The authors explore a key indicator of engagement—perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)—as it relates to disability and other marginalized identities in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachUsing an online survey, legal professionals answered questions about their workplace experiences. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multivariate regression analysis with progressive adjustment was used to investigate the effect of demographic and organizational factors on perceptions of OCB.FindingsThe authors find that employees with disabilities have lower perceptions of OCB, both before and after controlling for other personal and job variables. The disability gap is cut nearly in half, however, when controlling for workplace culture measures of co-worker support and the presence of an effective diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy. Disability does not appear to interact with gender, race/ethnicity and LGBTQ + status in affecting perceptions of OCB.Originality/valueThe results point to the workplace barriers faced by people with disabilities that affect their perceptions of engagement, and the potential for supportive cultures to change these perceptions.

The future is relational: management development for today and tomorrow

PurposeThe authors of this study aim to test a possible turn toward relational, as opposed to agentic, management development program (MDP) content.Design/methodology/approachThe authors performed a content analysis of the literature and qualitative interviews of management coaches/consultants from South Africa and the USA.FindingsIn both studies, the authors found more relational than agentic content comprising MDP content. Interviews revealed a predominance of relational strategies and that agentic and relational skills are often interwoven in development efforts.Practical implicationsThis work may guide management coaches and consultants to offer clients management development (MD) with a greater focus on relational skills.Originality/valueFuture studies should build on our findings to explore whether leadership may now require more relational as opposed to agentic skills.

COVID-19 Pandemic Learning: The Uprising of Remote Detailing in Pharmaceutical Sector Using Sales Force Automation and Its Sustainable Impact on Continuing Medical Education

The availability of resources is vital when rapid changes and updated medical information in the provision of care are needed, such as in the fight against COVID-19, which is not a conventional disease. Continuing medical education plays an essential role in preparing for and responding to such emergencies. Workflow has improved based on the virtual meetings, online trainings, and remote detailing conducted by medical representatives in order to deliver educational content instantly through digital tools, such as salesforce automation (SFA), webinars, etc. In terms of its regulatory barriers, the pharmaceutical industry mainly targets healthcare professionals, unlike most businesses that reach end users directly. Medical representatives are equipped with an SFA to enhance customer relationship management (CRM) and closed loop marketing (CLM) capabilities in pharmaceutical companies. This study aimed to fill a gap in the literature by investigating the use of SFA in work patterns, such as health professionals' loyalty and involvement in their medical knowledge in Turkey, and how it allows for differentiating training from marketing. This study intended to compare the data on internists and medical products gathered from a well-known pharmaceutical company's SFA. The data covered the first three months of the year 2020, when medical representatives had a normal daily routine, and that of 2021, when Turkey experienced the most powerful surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis was based on simple correspondence analysis (SCA) and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) for 11 variables. Monitoring product, physician's segment, and medical representatives' behaviors with SFA had a significant influence on the pharma-physician relationship strategy, as expected. The findings supported the view that SFA technologies can be deployed to advance the medical knowledge of physicians, in addition to managing and designing superior CRM and CLM capabilities.

Women's Participation in Firms' Management and Their Impact on Financial Performance: Pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 Period Evidence

At a time when gender equality is a key priority of all international organizations, this paper can be considered a remarkable contribution to the role of women executives in firms' performance. More specifically, this study focuses on the effect of women holding positions of responsibility on firms' performance worldwide. For the purposes of our research, we applied cross-sectional and panel data analysis for all sectors at an international level from 2019, the year preceding the breakout of the pandemic crisis, to 2021, while the indicators used to measure the participation of women in executive positions are classified as ESG indices. The empirical analysis findings end up showing that the participation of women in executive positions positively affects firms' performance over time, while there is no material change observed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period. More specifically, when the percent of women processing job positions of responsibility increases by 10%, then the index of profitability will increase from 1.4% to 1.8%, regardless of the measurement of female participation in executive positions used. The results of this study constitute a remarkable contribution to the promotion of the creative economy, the progress of societies, and sustainable development. The research's outcome can be primarily used by policymakers drawing up policies for achieving gender equality in the labor market and workplaces and by shareholders and firms' managers in order to trust females in executive positions in favor of their firms' financial performance. The current study is unique in that it focuses on the period before and during the COVID-19 period, as a period of high volatility in economic activity worldwide, while the sample includes firms from large and mid-cap companies belonging to developed and emerging markets. The above approach will contribute to providing more credible information related to the role of women executives in firms' performance.

Non-Governmental Organizations' approaches to women's empowerment amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Towards decolonizing development praxis in northern Ghana

This article examines local non-governmental organizations (LNGOs) approaches to women's empowerment amid crisis and the implications for decolonizing women's empowerment praxis. The article draws on lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and decolonial critique of development praxis to analyse LNGOs approach to women's empowerment. The study relied on snowballing to select twenty-six LNGOs operating in northern Ghana for in-depth interviews. Our study found that LNGOs deploy local and international frameworks on women's rights and combine these with indigenous knowledge principles and economic empowerment. Yet there are tensions between negotiating culturally appropriate approaches and meeting the interests of philanthro-capitalist donor agencies. The LNGOs are dependent on Western donors for financial resources and have become more vulnerable due to Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath as funding for women's empowerment work continues to dwindle. LNGOs have modified their interventions to address specific needs of beneficiaries arising from the consequences of the crises. This study enriches understandings of the specific vulnerabilities of LNGOs in northern Ghana, resource-scarce and semi-arid settings across the global South. For women's empowerment to achieve meaningful results, especially during and after crisis, activism needs to be centred on indigenous knowledge. This is central to building the resilience of LNGOs and women beneficiaries to effectively position themselves to absorb the shocks that attend crisis and to cope more effectively with it.

Empowering Youth Vaccine Ambassadors to Promote COVID-19 Vaccination in Local Communities: A 7-Step Approach.

Despite the availability of COVID-19 vaccines for youth since 2021, vaccine hesitancy has resulted in suboptimal uptake. Public health campaigns that empower local youth ambassadors as trusted messengers who share their personal narratives related to getting vaccinated hold promise for promoting COVID-19 vaccination. We used a seven-step approach to develop, implement, and evaluate a youth-led ambassador campaign to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake in communities experiencing COVID-19 disparities in Worcester, MA. The seven steps included (1) engaging with key partners; (2) determining a community of focus; (3) identifying trusted sources; (4) determining campaign components; (5) training the vaccine ambassadors; (6) disseminating the campaign; and (7) evaluating the campaign. We trained nine youth as vaccine ambassadors. Ambassadors were guided through self-reflection of motivations for COVID-19 vaccination and the resulting personal narratives became the campaign messaging. English/Spanish vaccine messages developed by youth ambassadors were disseminated through social media platforms (n = 3), radio (n = 2), local TV (n = 2), flyers (n = 2,086), posters (n = 386), billboards (n = 10), and local bus ads (n = 40). Qualitative youth feedback indicate participation in the campaign was a positive and empowering experience which reinforces the importance of engaging youth in public health messaging. Youth empowerment through personal narratives (and storytelling) holds promise for future public health campaigns.

Rethinking human capital: Perspectives from women working in the informal economy

MotivationThe development of human capital is a priority for most nation states, accelerated by the COVID-19 global pandemic. In the context of reimagining a "new normal" post-COVID, we reconsider the concept of human capital, and focus on knowledge, skills, and training of individuals in order to capture aspects of inclusive development.PurposeThis paper shows how the perspective of women, informal sector workers, representing some of the most marginalized workers in society, informs and improves our understanding of human capital and its development and utilization.Methods and approachOur findings are derived from field-based research conducted over the summer of 2021 in which multiple (virtual) focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with selected members of the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in India.FindingsThrough our FGDs, the participants provided new perspectives and insights into our knowledge of human capital, emphasizing the importance of social protection programmes, gender equity, ongoing training opportunities, decentralized supply chains, and income security. Perhaps most significantly, the benefits accrued to women through being organized have been key to unlocking their human capital potential.Policy implicationsOur research highlights themes that are often overlooked in the literature or are beyond the scope of more narrow conceptualizations of human capital. We show that human capital is tightly interwoven with other forms of capital (community assets), and hence efforts to build the former cannot be achieved in isolation from attending to the latter.

The impact of student self-disclosure on the stress and wellbeing of tertiary educators during the COVID-19 pandemic

Workplace stress, burnout, and fatigue are commonplace amongst tertiary educators, and are compounded by the ongoing challenges of teaching and learning during a global pandemic. Amid efforts to identify and understand contributors to educator stress, student-teacher interactions have received relatively little attention. However, educators are often expected to engage in pastoral care when students disclose academic and personal problems. Receiving and responding to self-disclosure can be emotionally taxing, particularly in professional contexts of care, and therefore contribute to educator experiences of stress and burnout. In this study, we examined the relations between student self-disclosure and educator stress and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand. Almost all of the 318 tertiary educators received COVID-19 related disclosures from students. Findings show that educators whose students had shared personal problems during COVID-19 were more likely to report high stress and poor wellbeing.Such communication was also associated with higher rates of workplace presenteeism, suggesting that these teachers were likely to push themselves to a level that risks illness. Fortunately, these negative impacts were ameliorated when educators also reported a sense of support in the workplace. The implications for educators and tertiary institutions are discussed, including the provision of educator training and well-resourced student support services.

The mediating role of learner empowerment in the relationship between the community of inquiry and online learning outcomes

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a rapid shift to online learning, making the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework increasingly relevant for creating meaningful and effective online learning experiences. However, the impact of CoI presences (i.e., teaching, social, and cognitive presence) on students' learning outcomes has been inconsistent in the literature, and a recent meta-analysis has identified a publication bias in this relationship, suggesting the need for a further investigation. This study aimed to enhance our understanding of how the CoI presences influence students' actual learning outcomes by incorporating learner empowerment as an essential learner characteristic. This study was conducted in two undergraduate courses that were abruptly shifted online due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationship between the CoI presences, learner empowerment, and actual learning outcomes. The results show that learner empowerment has a direct and positive impact on students' actual learning outcomes, and partially mediates the relationship between CoI presences and learning outcomes. The findings highlight the significant mediating role of learner empowerment within the CoI framework and offer valuable insights into the design of productive online learning communities.