Actual Management Research Articles

Know-do gap for sick child care and drivers of knowledge and practice among health extension workers in four regions of Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThough efforts were made to expand community-based sick child healthcare in Ethiopia, the quality of care provided remained low. Improving quality of care requires understanding providers’ knowledge of appropriate care...

Finding green performance targets globally closest to management goals for ports experiencing similar circumstances

The development of the port industry not only promotes national economic growth but also leads to environmental pollution. Consequently, port managers have recognized the importance of prioritizing green development. One common approach involves setting best-practice green performance targets as benchmarks to improve port sustainability. However, there is a lack of research considering the disparity between actual management goals and green performance targets for ports facing similar circumstances. To address these shortcomings, we propose innovative models as follows: We introduce a novel data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to provide the best-practice green performance targets for ports in similar circumstances. These targets aim to be globally closest to the respective management goals, while also aligning with actual green performance. Achieving these targets requires the reallocation of inputs and outputs, illustrating the pathways to enhance green performance. We present another DEA model along with an iterative algorithm to offer stepwise reallocation paths for ports with limited potential for reallocation. These paths enable these ports to reach their ambitious green performance targets gradually. To validate the effectiveness of the models, we conducted a case study involving 18 ports in South Korea. The results demonstrate the following: The green performance targets generated by our method represent the optimal input-output level, considering both economic and environmental factors. The green performance targets closely resemble the corresponding actual management goals. Ports with limited potential for reallocation can progressively approach their best performance targets through stepwise reallocation paths. Finally, this study concludes by providing policy recommendations and suggesting avenues for future research.

A comprehensive functional form of the optimal harvest control rule for multiple fishery management objectives

For many of the world's fisheries, harvest control rules (HCRs) are the main tools for supporting decision-making. We previously clarified the optimal shape of the HCR to achieve multiple fisheries management objectives (maximising average catch, reducing variation in yields, and avoiding stock collapse) and ensure robustness to estimation errors in biomass by numerically estimating the optimal values of the 21 biological reference points (BRPs) comprised in the HCR. However, for actual management, a simple but comprehensive functional form to emulate the optimal HCR is desirable, as numerical HCR optimisation with many BRPs is time-consuming. Here, we introduced three objective utility functions ( U1– U3) representing HCR performance for composite management objectives: mean–variance utility functions, where the performance indicator for variation in yields is the standard deviation ( U1) or the annual average variance ( U2) of yields, and the constant relative risk aversion utility function ( U3). We derived two equations to emulate the optimal HCRs with three adjusting parameters corresponding to the management objectives and different magnitudes of estimation errors. These equations will help stakeholders discuss desired management strategies by showing expected catch and risk by adjusting the parameter values.

김정은 집권 이후 북한 경제 관련 법령의 변화

JAfter Kim Jong-il died in December 2011, his son Kim Jong-un implemented various economic reform measures to solve North Korea's economic problems, and accordingly, significant changes occurred in North Korean economy-related laws. The purpose of this article is to analyze the changes in North Korea's economy after Kim Jong-un came to power, focusing on North Korean laws and regulations. Since the enactment of the Socialist Constitution in 1972, the fundamental ideology of the North Korean economy has been ‘socialist relations of production(nationalization of the means of production)’, ‘independent national economy’, and ‘planned economy’, which have been maintained even after Kim Jong-un took power. However, after Kim Jong-un came to power, North Korea adopted a new method of economic management called the “socialist corporate responsibility management system,” which was also specified in the 2019 amended constitution. The Socialist Enterprise Responsible Management System granted “actual management rights” to enterprises, and as a result, the autonomy of enterprises was greatly expanded. In particular, enterprises and farms were able to plan and produce on their own under the names of 'enterprise index' and 'farm index', respectively, and decide the price to sell, which is a significant change in the socialist planned economy. can be said However, it is questionable how much the socialist responsible management system can achieve in a situation where the ownership and management of enterprises are not separated. Various measures to improve the economy have been implemented since the early days of Kim Jong-un's reign, and the results are being completed and organized through the revision of relevant laws and regulations. From the time Kim Jong-un came to power until 2019, North Korean economy-related laws were mainly revised in the direction of expanding the management rights and autonomy of enterprises and farms. However, after 2020, it has changed in the direction of strengthening control over enterprises and society as a whole. As a result, there is a possibility that the autonomy of enterprises or private economic activities will shrink in the future. It is necessary to pay attention to changes in North Korea's economy-related laws in the future.

Research on vectorized engineering file management model

Abstract To solve the problem of low efficiency of engineering archives management in the general environment, this paper researches vectorized engineering archives management mode. Firstly, the composition of the archive management system is introduced, the basic system is established according to the cyclic management process of engineering archives, and the vectorization technology and characteristics are explained. Subsequently, the traditional vectorization algorithm based on edge structure extraction is used as an example, and further vectorization calculation is carried out using the bilateral filtering model, weighted least squares method, Lo gradient minimization model, Snake parameter activity contour model, geometric activity contour model, and aggregation algorithm. The advantages of vectorization techniques in information extraction are exploited to provide necessary assistance to the actual archive management work. The results show that the images processed by vectorization have the lowest compression rate, with an average compression rate of 55.67%; among the three methods, the image storage space and compression time under vectorization technology are the smallest at about 324MB and 3.4s; and the method in this paper has the highest output signal-to-noise ratio and the lowest mean square error, which well preserves the shape of the signal time domain waveform and has better noise reduction performance.

Prophylactic cannula cricothyroidotomy and percutaneous oxygen insufflation with the Rapid-O2®: A simple and effective tool for enhancing safety in difficult airway management.

Prophylactic cannula cricothyroidotomy is a recognised technique for actual or potential difficult airway management, where it confers a number of technical and non-technical benefits. Oxygenation with this technique is traditionally achieved by way of pressure-regulated, high flow jet ventilation and requires specialised equipment and considerable expertise for safe use, neither of which are always readily available. As an alternative, we describe the management of two patients with progressive upper airway obstruction in whom prophylactic cannula cricothyroidotomy and oxygen insufflation were performed using equipment which we consider is safer, widely available and already familiar to most anaesthetists throughout Australia.

How material flow cost accounting contributes to the SDGs through improving management decision-making

The purpose of this study is to clarify how material flow cost accounting (MFCA) can contribute to the SDGs and indicate how to introduce it into a company. First, we undertake a literature review to examine which SDGs MFCA can potentially contribute to. We then analyse the interplay between MFCA and management decision-making on the SDGs using an MFCA-LCA integrated model. Finally, we discuss how to introduce MFCA into a company to integrate the SDGs into management decision-making with reference to the SDG Compass. The main contributions are as follows: First, we revealed that MFCA could potentially contribute to multiple goals in the SDGs. Second, we clarified that MFCA could integrate the SDGs into actual management decision-making. Third, we suggested appropriate steps for implementation, regarding how managers should introduce MFCA into the management process on the condition that it does not prioritise economic benefit over social and environmental benefits in contributing to the SDGs. Therefore, this study provides evidence that MFCA can contribute to the SDGs by integrating them into management decision-making, and suggests appropriate implementation steps for promoting the pursuance of SDGs in any company.

Managing Difficult Encounters

Difficult doctor-patient relationships are a recognized aspect of modern healthcare, but the actual incidence, risk factors, ethical issues, and management strategies are less well-known. The author queried PubMed, ScienceDirect, and the Education Resources Information Center. The inclusion criteria consisted of the free-text terms “difficult patient” and “difficult client” and the Medical Subject Heading terms “patient participation” and “professional-patient relations” with searches further refined by focusing on adults, management, screening, and incidence among review and research articles published in academic journals in English. The author excluded articles focused on children, adolescents, and anger management. This study condenses a body of research spanning two decades and can help clinicians understand factors that contribute to difficult encounters, employ simple screening instruments, and implement management approaches that can minimize difficult encounters and maximize their successful resolutions. Based on the collected evidence, most doctor-patient relationships are trouble-free, but some, ranging between 10% and 20%, are dominated by difficulties of varying degrees and types.

Lower Self‐Control Is Associated With More Standard, Reputation Management, and Maladaptive Facebook Use

Abstract: Social media can help fulfill the need for belonging. Past work suggests that frequent or extreme Facebook use can engender costs to the self and relationships, such that self-control may be associated with Facebook use. Indeed, trait self-control was negatively associated with standard, reputation management, and maladaptive Facebook use (Study 1, N = 309), above extraversion, self-esteem, and perceptions of own attractiveness (Study 2, N = 527). Further, trait self-control was negatively associated with actual reputation management behavior online: people with lower (vs. higher) self-control were more likely to post written or image content of themselves vs. a book in a Facebook group (Study 2). Together, results suggest that higher self-control is associated with less Facebook use across the spectrum – standard use (e.g., posting, commenting, changing pictures), reputation management use (i.e., use to manage others’ perceptions of oneself), and maladaptive use (i.e., feeling negative affect as a result of comparisons to others online or not receiving positive feedback to one’s use).

The End of Management Consulting as We Know it?

Abstract The management consulting business model requires new changes in this new era of disruptions. The typical management consulting business mode is based on consultants either training and developing or engaging in actual management consulting. Today, this has been combined due to operational risk management. The reason is that identifying problems and providing solutions to senior managers is not enough today - consultants need to also be able to offer and execute solutions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has placed consultants in what is known as a dual role. In this article, we examine the challenges of the management consulting business model and provide an alternative way for large consulting companies and those medium to small organizations to re-emerge with sustenance. These challenges were found in our interviews with 81 senior management consultants at McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group, Inc. in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates.

Impact of asymmetric trust on construction project management performance: the mediating role of knowledge sharing

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the impact of asymmetric trust on construction project management performance in China's construction industry. Moreover, the authors explore the mediating role of two types of knowledge sharing (explicit knowledge sharing and tacit knowledge sharing) in explaining the association between asymmetric trust and project management performance.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical model based on the research hypotheses proposed in this study was developed and a questionnaire survey was conducted with 271 professionals. The data collected was analyzed by the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique.FindingsThe results of this study indicate that there is a significant and negative association between asymmetric trust and project management performance. Moreover, two types of knowledge sharing (explicit knowledge sharing and tacit knowledge sharing) have different degrees of impact on improving project management performance. In addition, tacit knowledge sharing is a mediator between asymmetric trust and project management performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe data used in this study is from Chinese scenarios, so the research conclusions and application effects based on this are bound to have certain regional limitations. Besides, there are many factors that affect project management performance improving, and the relationships among them are so complex. The theoretical model proposed in this study may not be fully considered. Therefore, follow-up researchers can consider bringing more suitable variables into their researches, so that the theoretical researches can be more in line with the actual project management practice, and the specific mechanism for improving project management performance can be explained more deeply.Originality/valueThis research's value is as follows: Firstly, this paper contributes to the trust and relational governance literature by expanding the research perspective of mutual trust to asymmetric trust. Specially, this research designs a measurement scale for asymmetric trust and then reveals the impact mechanism of it on project management performance, which will certainly promote research paradigm change of trust. Secondly, this research is beneficial to knowledge sharing literature in the construction management field by expanding the research scope of knowledge sharing from a cross-organizational perspective.

The Impact of a Multifaceted Simulation Education and Feedback Program for Community Emergency Departments on Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis Management.

We sought to determine if general emergency departments (GEDs) were managing pediatric diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) correctly and if management could be improved using a multilayered educational initiative. We hypothesized that a multifaceted program of in situ simulation education and formal feedback on actual patient management would improve community GED management of pediatric DKA. This study combined a prospective simulation-based performance evaluation and a retrospective chart review. A community outreach simulation education initiative was developed followed by a formal patient feedback process. Fifteen hospitals participated in simulation sessions and the feedback process. All hospitals were scored for readiness to provide care for critically ill pediatric patients using the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Pediatric Readiness Assessment. Six of the 15 have had a second hospital visit that included a DKA scenario with an average performance score of 60.3%. A total of 158 pediatric patients with DKA were included in the chart review. The GEDs with higher patient volumes provided best practice DKA management more often (63%) than those with lower patient volumes (40%). Participating in a DKA simulated scenario showed a trend toward improved care, with 47.2% before participation and 68.2% after participation ( P = 0.091). Participating in the formal feedback process improved best practice management provided to 68.6%. Best practice management was further improved to 70.3% if the GED participated in both a DKA simulation and the feedback process ( P = 0.04). A multifaceted program of in situ simulation education and formal feedback on patient management can improve community GED management of pediatric patients with DKA.

Limitations of farm management data in analyses of decadal changes in SOC stocks in the Danish soil‐monitoring network

AbstractChanges in soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in agricultural land are an important part of the Land Use, Land‐Use Change and Forestry component of national greenhouse gas emission inventories. Furthermore, as climate mitigation strategies and incentives for carbon farming are being developed, accurate estimates of SOC stocks are essential to verify any management‐induced changes in SOC. Based on agricultural mineral soils in the Danish soil‐monitoring network, we analysed management effects on SOC stocks using data from the two most recent surveys (2009 and 2019). Between 2009 and 2019, the average increase in SOC stock was 1.2 Mg C ha−1 for 0–50 cm despite a loss of 1.2 Mg C ha−1 from the topsoil (0–25 cm), stressing the importance of including deeper soil layers in soil‐monitoring networks. Comparing all four national surveys (1986, 1997, 2009, 2019), the mean SOC stock of mineral soils in Denmark appears stable. The change in SOC stock between 2009 and 2019 was analysed in detail in relation to management practices as reported by farmers. We found that the effects of single management factors were difficult to isolate from co‐varying factors including soil parameters and that the use of farm management data to explain changes in SOC stocks observed in soil‐monitoring networks appears limited. Uncertainty in SOC stock estimates also arises from low sampling frequency and statistical challenges related to regression to the mean. However, repeated stock measurements at decadal intervals still represent a benchmark for the overall development in regional and national SOC storage, as affected by actual farm management.

Factors motivating head teachers in Marakwet west Sub County to enroll for the KEMI diploma in educational management course

Head teachers of primary schools have to deal with a lot of shifting managerial environments, which sometimes makes them ineffective in their expanding responsibilities. Therefore, providing targeted in-service training has never been essential. Head teachers in Kenya's Marakwet West Sub County were asked to participate in the KEMI Diploma in Educational Management Course as part of this study. The research design was a descriptive survey. The sample consisted of 38 head teachers chosen through stratified random sampling from 57 schools whose heads had completed the KEMI Diploma in Education Management, 42 teachers chosen at random, and 13 chairpersons of the Board of Management chosen intentionally from the same schools. Data was gathered through the use of questionnaires. The information was summed up and introduced utilizing recurrence tables, charts and rates. The study found that head teachers were motivated by the need to improve their skills, a raise in pay, and a higher job grade. In order to encourage teachers to participate in useful professional development programs, the study suggested that head teachers' job evaluations include an audit of skill requirements, continuous short-term refresher courses in areas that were studied, decentralization of training, and recognition of head teachers' academic achievement through promotion and salary increments. The study found that there were gaps between the course content and the actual management skills that school managers need, such as ICT skills and financial management bookkeeping. The TSC's selection, promotion, and deployment of head teachers of primary schools should also be reviewed, according to the study.

Dynamic spending and portfolio decisions with a soft social norm

We explore the implications of a preference ordering for an investor-consumer with a strong preference for keeping consumption above an exogenous social norm, but who is willing to tolerate occasional dips below it. We do this by splicing two CRRA preference orderings, one with high curvature below the norm and the other with low curvature at or above it. We find this formulation appealing for many endowment funds and sovereign wealth funds, including the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, which inspired our research. We derive an analytical solution, which we use to describe key properties of the policy functions for consumption and portfolio allocation. We find that annual spending should not only be significantly lower than the expected financial return, but mostly also procyclical. In particular, financial losses should, as a rule, be followed by larger than proportional spending cuts, except when some smoothing is needed to keep spending from falling too far below the social norm. Yet, at very low wealth levels, spending should be kept particularly low in order to build sufficient wealth to raise consumption above the social norm. Financial risk taking should also be modest and procyclical, so that the investor sometimes may want to “buy at the top” and “sell at the bottom.” Many of these features are shared by habit-formation models and other models with some lower bound for consumption. However, our specification is more flexible and thus more easily adaptable to actual fund management. The nonlinearity of the policy functions may present challenges regarding delegation to professional managers. However, simpler rules of thumb with constant or slowly moving equity share and consumption-wealth ratio can reach almost the same expected discounted utility. Nevertheless, the constant levels will then look very different from the implications of expected CRRA utility or Epstein–Zin preferences in that consumption is much lower.

LABOR AND PERSONNEL POTENTIAL OF THE ENTERPRISE: INTERCONNECTION OF CATEGORIES

Personnel is a key component of the successful operation of enterprises of any industry sector, and their labor potential is the basis for the implementation of strategic plans and prospects for further development, which causes in-depth attention of both scientists and managers of various levels to the issue of effective personnel management. At the same time, modern domestic scientific opinion contains numerous theoretical inconsistencies in the personnel management issues of the enterprise, which are related to the actual management of the potential of employees, and this does not at all contribute to the development of practical approaches in the management of the potential of the personnel of Ukrainian enterprises. Theoretical substantiation of the relationship and interdependence between labor and personnel potential. The methodological basis of the research is general scientific and special methods of economic theory, and, in particular, methods of theoretical generalization, grouping, and comparative analysis and synthesis. Scientific views on the interpretation of the essence and separation of constituent elements of labor and personnel potentials have been studied. The characteristics of the studied potentials are summarized, with common and separate characteristics being highlighted. The substantive aspects of the concepts of “labour activity” and “personnel” as basic in the context of the study of labor and personnel potential have been studied. The ratio of personnel and labor potential of personnel at the enterprise level is characterized.

Sensitivity and specificity of in vivo COVID-19 screening by detection dogs: Results of the C19-Screendog multicenter study

Trained dogs can recognize the volatile organic compounds contained in biological samples of patients with COVID-19 infection. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of in vivo SARS-CoV-2 screening by trained dogs.We recruited five dog-handler dyads. In the operant conditioning phase, the dogs were taught to distinguish between positive and negative sweat samples collected from volunteers' underarms in polymeric tubes. The conditioning was validated by tests involving 16 positive and 48 negative samples held or worn in such a way that the samples were invisible to the dog and handler. In the screening phase the dogs were led by their handlers to a drive-through facility for in vivo screening of volunteers who had just received a nasopharyngeal swab from nursing staff. Each volunteer who had already swabbed was subsequently tested by two dogs, whose responses were recorded as positive, negative, or inconclusive. The dogs’ behavior was constantly monitored for attentiveness and wellbeing.All the dogs passed the conditioning phase, their responses showing a sensitivity of 83–100% and a specificity of 94–100%. The in vivo screening phase involved 1251 subjects, of whom 205 had a COVID-19 positive swab and two dogs per each subject to be screened. Screening sensitivity and specificity were respectively 91.6–97.6% and 96.3–100% when only one dog was involved, whereas combined screening by two dogs provided a higher sensitivity. Dog wellbeing was also analyzed: monitoring of stress and fatigue suggested that the screening activity did not adversely impact the dogs’ wellbeing. This work, by screening a large number of subjects, strengthen recent findings that trained dogs can discriminate between COVID-19 infected and healthy human subjects and introduce two novel research aspects: i) assessement of signs of fatigue and stress in dogs during training and testing, and ii) combining screening by two dogs to improve detection sensitivity and specificity.Using some precautions to reduce the risk of infection and spillover, in vivo COVID-19 screening by a dog-handler dyad can be suitable to quickly screen large numbers of people: it is rapid, non-invasive and economical, since it does not involve actual sampling, lab resources or waste management, and is suitable to screen large numbers of people.

Earnings Management and Tax Aggressivity before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic (an Evidence from Indonesia)

Companies facing financial crises tend to manipulate reported earnings in unfavorable markets. Earnings management is an effort to manage earnings by managers to meet the expected profit level to obtain personal gain. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the government to issue various tax incentives that individuals and companies can utilize. Under these conditions, management as an internal party can manage earnings to meet its expectations. This study examines differences in earnings management before and during the Covid-19 pandemic and the effect of earnings management on tax aggressiveness. The data from this study are the financial statements of manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The sampling method is purposive sampling. The analytical method used is the comparative test and multiple regression analysis. The results of this study are the same in the level of tax avoidance, accrual earnings management, and actual management before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study also concludes that real earnings management negatively affects tax aggressiveness, while accrual earnings management does not. This research indicates that the government needs to increase supervision and control over the possible tax avoidance that companies can carry out. While accrual earnings management does not. This research indicates that the government needs to increase supervision and control over the possible tax avoidance that companies can carry out. While accrual earnings management does not. This research indicates that the government needs to increase supervision and control over the possible tax avoidance that companies can carry out.

Research on The Application of Blockchain-Based Data Security in Healthcare

This study focuses on the use of blockchain data security technology and its application in pharmaceutical companies, providing a theoretical foundation for achieving digitalization, efficient traceability, and ensuring the quality and safety of drugs in the rapidly advancing technological landscape. The research is based on a thorough review of the literature, supplemented by case studies, and provides insights into the data security scheme required for pharmaceutical companies' traceability processes. It also highlights the various steps involved in the traceability procedures, which have the potential to produce data and involve multiple participants. Effective technical security measures should be employed to manage and use the data to ensure its security and provide tools for maintaining drug quality. Also, the study highlights the technical foundation required to implement data security management, including blockchain and data security technology in the various data states analyzed, provides valuable management insights for medical enterprises or institutions, and explores the realization principles of various data security technologies in conjunction with blockchain technology. The research provides a comprehensive application of literature and cases and serves as a guide for enterprises' actual data security management, providing resources for pharma companies undergoing digital transformation to make strategic decisions about information management. Overall, the study offers valuable insights for learning lessons and generating new ideas in pharmaceutical traceability.

The role of information and digital tools in supply chain management during the Covid crisis

Supply chains have become the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, as evidenced by problems in the supply of semiconductors, food, and other products, which raises the problem of supply chain manageability. There has been a so-called ‘shortening’ of the supply chain. The paper addressed the problem of using digital tools in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study aims to examine the main digital tools used by local businesses and evaluate the prospects for logistics management using new technology. The hypothesis is that SMEs that do not use digital tools in supply chain management are also characterized by the poor quality of management. A survey was conducted to identify the actual supply chain management practices during the COVID-19-induced crisis in the Russian Federation, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Republic of Kazakhstan and discover common trends and differences in these countries. A set of recommendations for implementing best global practices in these countries was suggested. The study found that poor supply chain management correlates with a lack of digital tools application. The studied enterprises were divided into five groups based on the digital tools level and provided tailored recommendations to improve the integration of such tools.