The Treachery Trope: Anti-Semitism as Indicative of a Psycho-Spiritual Disease Associated with the Betrayal of Cultural Ideals and of the Self.

The study seeks to place anti-semitism in a wider context by exploring the dynamics of betrayal-a designation often attributed to Jews, but also attributed to many victimized groups who are also deemed to be treacherous. The study argues that what lies at the heart of this practice is the betrayal (on the part of the victimizers) of ideological or personal principles that have not been realized. Instead of taking responsibility for this painful failure, those who have betrayed their principles project their treachery onto a set of victims who are accordingly punished as the 'true' embodiments of treachery. In view of this, cultural and personal health can only be improved if there is a greater consciousness of this psycho-spiritual dynamic; and, as the study suggests, principles associated with enlightenment may be brought to bear against this harmful affliction, which I have named the treachery rope.

Human resource crises in German hospitals--an explorative study.

BACKGROUND: The complexity of providing medical care in a high-tech environment with a highly specialized, limited labour force makes hospitals more crisis-prone than other industries. An effective defence against crises is only possible if the organizational resilience and the capacity to handle crises become part of the hospitals' organizational culture. To become more resilient to crises, a raised awareness--especially in the area of human resource (HR)--is necessary. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the process robustness against crises through the identification and evaluation of relevant HR crises and their causations in hospitals. METHODS: Qualitative and quantitative methods were combined to identify and evaluate crises in hospitals in the HR sector. A structured workshop with experts was conducted to identify HR crises and their descriptions, as well as causes and consequences for patients and hospitals. To evaluate the findings, an online survey was carried out to rate the occurrence (past, future) and dangerousness of each crisis. RESULTS: Six HR crises were identified in this study: staff shortages, acute loss of personnel following a pandemic, damage to reputation, insufficient communication during restructuring, bullying, and misuse of drugs. The highest occurrence probability in the future was seen in staff shortages, followed by acute loss of personnel following a pandemic. Staff shortages, damage to reputation, and acute loss of personnel following a pandemic were seen as the most dangerous crises. CONCLUSIONS: The study concludes that coping with HR crises in hospitals is existential for hospitals and requires increased awareness. The six HR crises identified occurred regularly in German hospitals in the past, and their occurrence probability for the future was rated as high.

Risks and crises for healthcare providers: the impact of cloud computing.

We analyze risks and crises for healthcare providers and discuss the impact of cloud computing in such scenarios. The analysis is conducted in a holistic way, taking into account organizational and human aspects, clinical, IT-related, and utilities-related risks as well as incorporating the view of the overall risk management.

The dynamics of devaluation: the spiritual disease of civilization.

The presentation seeks to identify a major spiritual sickness that is not only widespread but also kept out of public discourse or seriously minimized in terms of its scope and destructive effects. Most religious traditions derive much of their power by giving 'believers' a sense of personal and/or collective worth, where worth may be associated with a feeling of positive valuation. However, as religious traditions decline in the wake of a materialist science or as they become corrupted by developing false forms of valuation, Western, if not world, civilization becomes ever more threatened by the disease of devaluation. In this context, the study will attempt three things: (1) to identify the manifestations or symptoms of devaluation as a disease of the soul; (2) to place these symptoms in a kind of historical context; and (3) to develop some effective healing strategies that may serve to counter, not only the symptoms but also the root causes of the disease of devaluation. In particular, it will be argued that false forms of valuation need to be identified so that public discourse can minimize the possibilities of these taking root and leading to one of the tragedies of our time: that is, the gaining of a kind of substitute value by the devaluing of some other group.