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The health pandemic has rapidly pushed many organizations to a virtual workplace. Working remotely has triggered an increase in anxiety, emotions, behaviors, and technostress among employees and IT professionals worldwide. Thus, today, change management and communication skills are critical in the new virtual workplace. This study's purpose endeavors to examine whether emotional intelligence is a true indicator of extra-role behaviors measured by employee organizational citizenship behavior. The research methodology uses an online survey. A total of 150 higher education faculty and leaders participated. The results indicate a statistically significant relationship p < .001 between the total emotional intelligence and organizational citizenship behaviors scores. The findings support the positive effects of employee emotional intelligence and citizenship behaviors that contribute to individual and organizational performance. This study may assist companies, researchers, and IT Leadership programs in retooling their IT leaders with the communication skills necessary for the new virtual workforce. © 2022 International Association for Computer Information Systems
ABSTRACT
We live in a world of disruption aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In view of the highly divisive global discourse, we envision a different way of regional and international partnership in social work education and practice through our proactive partnership, to build hope and transformation. Social work educators from the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Israel, and Vietnam, who have developed partnerships with counterparts in the countries along the New Silk Road, have come together to reflect on their partnership experiences, having developed the "Transformative Cultural Inclusion Model” consisting of four essential pillars: (1) equal partnership, (2) cultural inclusion, (3) capacity-building, and (4) social solidarity. Social work is a catalyst for social change and development, and we hope that the model can provide insights and principles to guide future development of regional and international partnerships. This will, in turn, develop context-specific authentic social work theories and practice by partnering together, engaging in participatory practice research, and making positive changes through education, research, and action with regional, international, and local partners. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
ABSTRACT
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world in March 2020, it impacted all areas of society. Most conspicuous were the lockdowns that were quickly imposed in many countries along with other restrictions. These in-terventions into the everyday life of ordinary citizens were, perhaps not surprisingly, often met with resistance by citizens and businesses that felt their rights were being trampled on by governments. In this paper, we analyse reactions towards the far-reaching measures taken by the Danish government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the fur industry and thereby prevent the development of new mutations of the virus: to cull all minks and temporarily ban mink production in Denmark. We argue that by studying this case, valuable lessons can be learned regarding how a business community reacts when faced with a great reset. Taking the current climate crisis into consideration, it must be expected that emission-heavy industries, like agriculture, will be faced with calls to radically change their mode of production in the near future. In this sense, we propose to view the Danish mink case as an early example of what a great reset could look like, how it is perceived by those who experience it first-hand, and how feelings of resentment and resistance can develop following a logic of (mis)recognition.
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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on peace is unfolding. While some forms of violence declined in the short-term, growing unease with lockdowns and rising economic uncertainty resulted in civil unrest and violence increasing in 2020. According to the 2021 Institute for Economic and Peace, over 5000 pandemic-related violent events were recorded between January 2020 and April 2021. They outline that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on socioeconomic development in many countries. In 2020, the economic impact of violence to the global economy was USD 14.96 trillion in purchasing power parity terms. This is equivalent to 11.6% of the world's economic activity or USD 1942.00 per person. In Kenya, the 2020 National Crime Research Centre revealed that socioeconomic shocks caused by COVID-19 increased violence—especially gender-based violence (GBV)—among people living in Kibra, Nairobi's largest informal settlement, as well as other slums located in the city. Between January and June of 2020, 71% of the 2416 cases of GBV reported were female victims. The main perpetrators of GBV are youthful males aged 18–33 years who are in the context of a family or intimate partner relationship. This chapter will look at the social structures that increase the vulnerability of people living in Nairobi's slums in comparison to the other parts of the country. Specifically, it utilizes Galtung's classification of direct, structural, and cultural violence framework to analyze structures to increase resilience of people in informal settlements in the context of COVID-19, so as to suggest policy directions that can foster institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Prescription digital therapeutics are software-based disease treatments that are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration; the reSET-O prescription digital therapeutic was authorized in 2018 and delivers behavioral treatment for individuals receiving buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. Although reSET-O improves outcomes for individuals with opioid use disorder, most of the therapeutic content is delivered as narrative text. PEAR-008 is an investigational device based on reSET-O that uses an interactive, game-based platform to deliver similar therapeutic content designed to enhance patient engagement, which may further improve treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVE: We aim to investigate how participants interact with the prescription digital therapeutic's new content delivery format. Secondary objectives include evaluating treatment success, symptoms of co-occurring mental health disorders, recovery capital, and skill development. METHODS: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this study was redesigned using a decentralized model because it was not possible to conduct medication initiation and study visits in person, as initially intended. A decentralized, randomized controlled trial design will be utilized to compare patient engagement with PEAR-008 and that with reSET-O using both subjective and objective assessments. The study population will consist of approximately 130 individuals with opioid use disorder (based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 criteria) who have recently started buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder. Participants will be virtually recruited and randomly assigned to receive either PEAR-008 or reSET-O. All study sessions will be virtual, and the duration of the study is 12 weeks. The primary outcome measure of engagement is operationalized as the number of active sessions per week with either PEAR-008 or reSET-O. (An active session is any session that contains some active participation in the app, such as navigating to a different screen, engaging with a learning module, or responding to a notification.) Subjective dimensions of engagement will be assessed with participant surveys. The hypothesis is that PEAR-008 will have significantly greater participant engagement than reSET-O. RESULTS: As of February 2021, participant enrollment is ongoing. CONCLUSIONS: This randomized controlled trial will investigate if changing the delivery format and enhancing the content of a prescription digital therapeutic for opioid use disorder will affect how participants use and interact with the prescription digital therapeutic. The study design may serve as a useful model for conducting decentralized studies in this patient population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04542642; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04542642. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/32759.
ABSTRACT
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world in March 2020, it impacted all areas of society. Most conspicuous were the lockdowns that were quickly imposed in many countries along with other restrictions. These interventions into the everyday life of ordinary citizens were, perhaps not surprisingly, often met with resistance by citizens and businesses that felt their rights were being trampled on by governments. In this paper, we analyse reactions towards the far-reaching measures taken by the Danish government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the fur industry and thereby prevent the development of new mutations of the virus: to cull all minks and temporarily ban mink production in Denmark. We argue that by studying this case, valuable lessons can be learned regarding how a business community reacts when faced with a great reset. Taking the current climate crisis into consideration, it must be expected that emission-heavy industries, like agriculture, will be faced with calls to radically change their mode of production in the near future. In this sense, we propose to view the Danish mink case as an early example of what a great reset could look like, how it is perceived by those who experience it first-hand, and how feelings of resentment and resistance can develop following a logic of (mis)recognition. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
ABSTRACT
Physical inactivity has increasingly affected public health in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic as it is associated with chronic diseases such as arthritis, cancer, and heart disease. Contingency management has been shown to increase physical activity. Therefore, the present study sought to evaluate the effects of an escalating schedule of monetary reinforcement with a reset contingency on physical activity, as compared between 2 counterbalanced groups in which a monetary deposit of $25 was either required (deposit group) or not (no-deposit group). Twenty-five adults wore Fitbit accelerometers to monitor step counts. An ABA reversal design was used; in the 2 baseline phases, no programmed contingencies were in place for step counts. During intervention, step goals were set using a modified 70th percentile schedule with a 7-day window: Reaching the first goal would result in $0.25, and incentives increased by $0.25 for each subsequent day in which the goal was met. Failure to reach a goal resulted in a reset of the monetary incentive value to $0.25. Ten out of 12 participants from the deposit group were determined to be responders to intervention, whereas 8 out of 13 participants from the no-deposit group were determined to be responders to intervention. Overall, there were no significant differences between the groups' step counts. However, the deposit group's intervention was cheaper to implement, which suggests that deposit contracts are a viable modification for physical activity interventions.
ABSTRACT
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world in March 2020, it impacted all areas of society. Most conspicuous were the lockdowns that were quickly imposed in many countries along with other restrictions. These interventions into the everyday life of ordinary citizens were, perhaps not surprisingly, often met with resistance by citizens and businesses that felt their rights were being trampled on by governments. In this paper, we analyse reactions towards the far-reaching measures taken by the Danish government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the fur industry and thereby prevent the development of new mutations of the virus: to cull all minks and temporarily ban mink production in Denmark. We argue that by studying this case, valuable lessons can be learned regarding how a business community reacts when faced with a great reset. Taking the current climate crisis into consideration, it must be expected that emission-heavy industries, like agriculture, will be faced with calls to radically change their mode of production in the near future. In this sense, we propose to view the Danish mink case as an early example of what a great reset could look like, how it is perceived by those who experience it first-hand, and how feelings of resentment and resistance can develop following a logic of (mis)recognition.
ABSTRACT
This article compares the ideological positions found in the visions of the future proposed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in "The Great Reset” campaign and in the internet users' reaction to it. In this YouTube campaign, the WEF presents what it un-derstands the "new normal” should be –understood as the new social, economic, and political relations after the COVID-19 pan-demic. The YouTube users' comments reject the agenda and express different grounds for such an attitude. This study identifies the main ideas and ideologies within the comments and in the presentation of the WEF's campaign using the psychoanalytical political theory. The results reveal that the agenda and reactions to it are motivated by the exacerbated state of inequality and suffering caused by the current pandemic. While "The Great Reset” attempts to save capitalism by integrating human values, the comments contain populist and conspiratorial ideas. Although they rely on different epistemological grounds, the analysis reveals that both share a common understanding of a society that separates the populace against the ruling elites, who have become wealthier during the pandemic. © 2022 Lusofona University. All rights reserved.
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"The article examines the connection between the environmental processes during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2022) and the ""greening"" of the political sphere. A specific feature of environmental policy is its close linkage with the economy, since economic activity is the direct cause of anthropogenic pollution of natural environments. The environmental changes that have arisen in response to economic realities of the pandemic period have led to transformation of socio-political attitudes towards strengthening the ""green"" direction in the policies of the world's leading states - the European Union member countries, the United States, Russia, China and other. The global ""green agenda"" was substantiated at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020 and 2021, as well as at the following 26th UN Climate Change Conference 2021 (COP26) in Glasgow, actually shaping a new world order based on the environmental goals and obligations. In West European countries, with prominent green parties' political positions, the environmental policy is formed largely from grassroots. In the United States, it depends entirely on the political situation (mostly on the sitting president's party affiliation). Whereas the European Union and the EU states (primarily Germany and France) have seized the initiative of directing the world environmental policy, striving to take the lead in this sphere (particularly, in climate protection), the new U.S. government is now seriously challenging the European leadership. Noteworthy is that the COVID-19 crisis has updated the green political and economic agenda globally, regardless of differences between the states, which verifies the importance and necessity of agreeing a conceptually new common approach to interaction with the environment in the short and long term."
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Recent scholarship has established that conspiracist narratives proliferated in mainstream online discourse during the coronavirus pandemic. This proliferation has been provocatively characterized as a 'conspiracy singularity' in which previously divergent conspiracy narratives converged into a single, overarching narrative. Yet while the idea of narrative convergence has long figured in conspiracy theory research, empirical evidence has been scarce. The present article aims to address this gap by means of an investigation of an archive containing over 470,000 conspiracy-related Instagram posts from 2020. Given the size and conceptual complexity of the dataset, the paper introduces a 'digital hermeneutics' approach, which combines data science methods with qualitative interpretation and theorization. Operating across three levels of observation (hashtag analysis, text analysis, and image analysis) we identify patterns of convergence among different conspiracy narratives (including anti-vax, QAnon, anti-5G, and 'The Great Reset') over the year 2020 as well as the apparent role of protagonists and antagonists (notably Donald Trump and Bill Gates) in creating connections. In interpreting these findings we focus on the concept of 'the Deep State' as a bridge between various conspiracist narratives, which seems to cut diagonally across political ideologies.
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The article analyses the problems (dilemmas) in approach to the environmental protection and management. EU has declared the plan for the Great Reset of global economy and environmental politics. The idea is not new, but the approach is expected to be completely different. While the EU leaders set the strategy of centralisation, there are strong claims for opposite way - decentralisation. The second dilemma we analyse in our article is the problem of European Commission massive support of green investments (including using of renewable sources of energy and focus of environmental protection), especially after lockdowns connected with covid pandemic which meets with the strong negative position of those economical circles which see such types of initiatives as green shooting to the economy. Terra Carta as an integral part of Sustainable Markets Initiative was launched in 2020. The third dilemma we pay our attention is connected with the efficiency of new environmental taxes. The article focuses also on the good practice as can be seen in environmental protection management efforts and green solutions for using and saving energy resources. As an examples we assess the projects supporting use of renewable energy in Africa (e.g. Lights for Africa), Cradle to Cradle Program (C2C) and we go back to the Come2CoM. The whole is analysed in the context of corporate social responsibility.
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In The Great Reset, Richard Florida defines Great Resets as “broad and fundamental transformations of the economic and social order that involve much more than economic or financial events.” In this chapter, we expand Florida’s model to give a much greater emphasis to politics and power and then argue that, while the Trump administration can be viewed as a response to America’s ongoing Great Reset in the 21st century, its efficacy appears to be highly problematic, in large part because it represents a “Back to the Future” vision of where America should go. In particular, the Great Reset that has transformed the political economy of the United States after World War II is composed of a complex set of interacting economic, political, and social phenomena. Economic resets include: 1) the transformation of the economy from an industrial to an information-age one;2) the communications and transportation revolutions that spurred globalization;3) the laissez-faire international order after World War II;4) the transformation of the impact of globalization from positive to negative on many aspects of the economy;5) deindustrialization;6) the changing nature of employment;7) changing business philosophy;8) the marginalization of labor;9) slower economic growth;and 10) the Covid-19 crisis. Political and social resets include: 1) the replacement of Keynesianism by neoliberalism as the nation’s public philosophy;2) the rise of cultural issues in domestic politics;3) the abjuring of large-scale government interventions in the economy, such as the GI Bill and Great Society Programs;4) the “Great Risk Shift” in social insurance;5) decline of educational system;6) financialization of economy;7) limited reduction in barriers facing marginalized members of society;8) the escalating polarization of domestic politics;9) escalating inequality;and 10) the creation and then decline of broad middle class. The Trump administration has had a mixed response to the threats and opportunities that these resets create for continuing and expanding the “American Dream.” It has clearly tried to reverse: 1) globalization’s changing impact on the American economy;2) the changing nature of employment;3) deindustrialization;4) slower growth;5) the changing fortunes of the middle class;6) macroeconomic neoliberalism;7) the role of public education;and 8) the negative impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the economy. In addition, it has accelerated: 1) the rise of cultural issues;2) the polarization of American politics;3) the barriers facing marginalized members of society;4) the financialization of the U.S. economy;and 5) the marginalization of labor. In contrast, it has generally ignored: 1) the transformation from an industrial to an information-age economy;2) the postwar communications and transportations revolutions;3) the change in business philosophy;4) direct government interventions, like the Great Society and G.I. Bill;5) the Great Risk Shift;and 6) rapidly rising inequality. © 2021 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
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In 2002 John Tribe made an impassioned plea in the Annals of Tourism Research for Philosophic Practitioner education, education designed to equip graduates to think and act in the best interests of tourism business and the ‘wider tourism society and world’. In recent times, however, ongoing socio-ecological issues related to tourism arguably point to a lack of Philosophic Practice. In this context, we examined the experiences of students and staff involved with teaching and learning for Philosophic Practice and highlight the need to (re)commit to the key principles underpinning Philosophic Practitioner education. The potential limitations of human-centred conceptualisations of Philosophic Practitioner education are also discussed and addressed.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) (reSET-O®) may expand access to behavioral treatment for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) treated with buprenorphine, but long-term data on effectiveness are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To compare real-world healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) among patients who engaged with reSET-O and buprenorphine compared to similar patients in recovery treated with buprenorphine who did not fill their reSET-O script or engage with the PDT beyond week one. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of facility and clinical service claims data was conducted in adults with PDT initiation and between 12 weeks and 9 months of continuous enrollment in a health plan after initiation. Patients who filled their prescription and engaged with the therapeutic were compared to patients who filled the prescription but did not engage beyond week one (NE), and patients who did not fill the prescription (NR) (the latter two groups combined into one group hereafter referred to as "non-engagers"). Comparisons were analyzed using a repeated-measures negative binomial model of encounters/procedures, adjusted for number of days in each period. Associated cost trends assessed using current Medicare reimbursement rates. RESULTS: A total of 444 patients redeemed a prescription and engaged with the PDT (mean age 37.5 years, 63.1% female, 84% Medicaid), and 64 patients did not engage with the PDT (mean age 39.5 years, 32.8% female, 73.4% Medicaid). Total cost of hospital facility encounters was $2693 for engaged patients vs $6130 for non-engaged patients. Engaged patients had somewhat higher rates of certain clinician services. Total facility and clinician services costs for engaged vs non-engaged patients were $8733 vs $11,441, for a net cost savings over 9 months of $2708 per patient who engaged with reSET-O. CONCLUSION: Patients who engaged with an OUD-specific PDT had a net cost reduction for inpatient and outpatient services of $2708 per patient over 9 months compared to patients who did not engage with the PDT, despite similar levels of buprenorphine adherence.
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In reviewing the Great Reset, an initiative launched by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in response to the global coronavirus crisis, this perspective article considers the scenario of an epochal transition from capitalism to "restorism". To facilitate the observation of underlying trends and assumptions, a systems-theoretical framework is developed for the observation of both this Great Reset scenario and those scenarios that are by implication excluded by the WEF vision. It is thus shown that the "shared goals" advocated by the WEF would converge to a transition from a modern pluralist to a "new-normative" order stratified to the primacy of individual, institutional, and planetary health. In discussing sociological implications of this transition, a vision emerges of a new digitally enhanced medieval era where health plays the role once played by religion. In this restorist scenario of a neo-medieval world health society, the emergence of new social strata corresponding to different levels of purity, infection, or pollution would be a probable consequence. The paper concludes that idea of deliberately caused great resets and other control illusions nurtured by the WEF initiative are barely smarter than and spur what the UN Secretary-General refers to as "wild conspiracy theories".