Award Process Research Articles

Abstract B095: Evaluating the research experiences and outcomes of pre-pilot and pilot awardees of a U54 regional cancer partnership: Success, challenges, and solutions

Abstract Purpose: The Synergistic Partnership for Enhancing Equity in Cancer Health (SPEECH) is a regional, comprehensive cancer health disparity initiative jointly led by Temple University/Fox Chase Cancer Center and Hunter College (TUFCCC/HC). This partnership is supported by a U54 grant from the National Cancer Institute. In this study, we present the successes of the Pre-Pilot and Pilot Projects funded by the U54 Partnership Matched Fund. Additionally, we discuss the challenges encountered in the award process and propose solutions to enhance this process for current and future recipients. Background: One of the key components of SPEECH - the Synergistic Partnership for Enhancing Equity in Cancer Health - is to provide rigorous and robust multidisciplinary cancer disparities research education experiences and mentorship to graduate, post-doctoral, and junior faculty trainees in cancer and cancer health disparities research. So far, through the SPEECH U54 Partnership Matched Fund provided by the Partnership institutions, SPEECH has successfully funded a total of 63 studies, including 35 pre- pilot and 28 pilot projects. Methods: The Planning and Evaluation Core (PEC) team conducted virtual face-to-face interviews and surveys with open-ended questions with 8 awardees. We also connected video testimonials from the awardees. The main goal was to understand the awardees' experiences in applying for, implementing, and evaluating their projects funded under the U54 Partnership. Results: Preliminary results showed five areas of successes, including improved research skills, advanced career in cancer health disparities research, expanded professional network, foster a sense of belonging and scientific identity, and facilitating scientific collaboration and integration across disciplines and institutions. Specifically, awardees mentioned gaining experience with the grant writing process and transitioning to an independent investigator, encompassing tasks such as data collection and manuscript development, and research dissemination, which helped to expand their professional portfolio. Awardees also highlighted receiving mentorship that championed for career advancement and opportunities for professional awards. We also identified four main areas for improvement in the solicitation and implementation process of the awards. These include improving the comprehensibility of the application process, timelines, budget, and other outputs. We also identified the opportunity to augment the networking channels for mentors and collaborators of the SPEECH partnership. Conclusion: As we continue our interviews and surveys with additional awardees, we will analyze the qualitative data collected to identify how to improve the award mechanism for current and future cohorts. We plan to help facilitate the proper improvements and continue to re-evaluate the award process. Citation Format: Jade A. Truehart, Elisabeth Russell McKenzie, Cicely Johnson, Grace X Ma, SJ Dodd, Lin Zhu. Evaluating the research experiences and outcomes of pre-pilot and pilot awardees of a U54 regional cancer partnership: Success, challenges, and solutions [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B095.

Business leaders’ perceptions of how workplace charters can reduce health inequalities for employees in West Yorkshire, England: a qualitative study

BackgroundWorkplace interventions to increase the number of good quality jobs can help reduce widening health inequalities in England and are an important area for public health research. Over the past decade, workplace charters led by local and regional government authorities have become increasingly popular. Charters typically include commitments on workplace practices—such as job security, pay, wellbeing, and employee voice—and an assessment and award process. Still, there is limited knowledge on how this intervention works. We aimed to understand the views of business leaders on how workplace charters can reduce health inequalities for employees. MethodsIn this qualitative study, 12 business leaders in West Yorkshire were purposively recruited (seven [58%] female, and five [42%] male) through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, covering different business sizes and sectors. Business leaders were recruited, as key stakeholders who decide whether to engage with charters. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between Aug 3, and Sept 7, 2022. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify perceived charter mechanisms to reduce health inequalities, alongside emergent barriers to charter implementation. Ethics approval was granted by the University of Sheffield Research Ethics Committee. Participants gave written informed consent. FindingsBusiness leaders perceived multiple charter mechanisms to reduce health inequalities: the charter to benchmark workplace practices, facilitate a business community, act as a credible badge for fair employers, and open a dialogue with partners. Three key emergent barriers to charter implementation were also identified, including different perceptions of fair work among business leaders, concern about significant charter demands for smaller businesses, and perceived external constraints from the political, social, and economic environment. InterpretationBusiness leaders’ views affirmed that workplace charters are collectively perceived as a potential tool to address differential workplace practices and reduce health inequalities. However, due to substantial barriers identified, this study suggested that workplace charters could also exclude particular organisations and generate health inequalities. Charter providers must reconcile the tension between the collective aspiration, and practical reality of workplace charters. If reconciled, workplace charters could potentially be a timely and meaningful intervention to help reduce health inequalities in England. FundingNone.

Experts, Information, Reviews, and Coordination: Evidence on How Prizes Affect Sales*

Exploiting the award process, we implement a regression discontinuity design to estimate the effect of winning France's main literary prize, the Goncourt. It increases sales, especially for books that sold fewer copies before the announcement, the number of reviews on Amazon, and the probability of them being negative. The effect is partly driven by an increase in word of mouth. Those findings are consistent with a model where the prize provides information on the existence of a book and acts as a quality signal and a coordination device but prompts consumers to read books that are far from their tastes.

Proposed Improvement of the Contract Award Process in Contracting and Procurement using Lean Six Sigma Methodology (A Case Study of an Oil and Gas Company in Indonesia)

Oil and gas (O&G) production is crucial for Indonesia’s economy, and Company XYZ is actively involved in O&G exploration and production in three operational fields. Effective contracting and procurement procedures are essential for timely access to equipment, services, and materials while minimizing costs, delays, and risks. O&G procurement involves various responsibilities such as procuring drilling rigs, equipment, seismic services, and transportation. Insufficient planning in these processes can lead to project delays, increased expenses, and lower profitability. To address these challenges, the research proposes implementing Lean Six Sigma principles with the DMAIC methodology to improve the contracting and procurement process. In the Define phase, the current state of the contract award process is identified through process mapping. The Measure phase evaluates the internal contract routing approval performances, highlighting variations in completion time for IRS documents. The Analyze phase identifies factors contributing to redundancy, including lack of digitization, absence of a contract control system, time-consuming processes, and a complicated routing process. The Improve phase recommends three solutions: implementing a contract monitoring and control system, streamlining the contract approval routing process, and digitizing the contracting and procurement processes. These solutions aim to improve efficiency, coordination, and decision-making, ultimately enhancing the contract award process, reducing delays, and increasing operational effectiveness and profitability. The Control phase ensures the sustainability of proposed solutions through regular monthly reviews to assess the effectiveness of the control plan and make necessary improvements.

Making the students pay? The gross cost of property tax abatement for U.S. school districts

ABSTRACT In the U.S., local property taxes fund public education more than any other source, but the revenue cost of property tax abatements for school districts has long eluded capture. This paper finds that at least $2.4 billion was diverted in 2019 to fund tax incentives from just the small percentage of school districts that disclosed out of the 10,370 financial statements reviewed. School board authority in the award process is limited or absent in most cases. Given the cost-inefficiency and cost-ineffectiveness of many awards, the long period of time before profits come in, and the critical need for closing the funding gap in public education, more judicious use of tax incentives is called for. Specifically, we recommend that all states establish independent agencies for reviewing incented projects regularly and rigorously, impose benefit reduction or clawback on underlivering recipients, enable institutions for multiscalar collective action, and maintain oversight of tax abatement reporting by local governments.

The Influence of E-Procurement on the Effectiveness of Micro-scale and Medium-sized Businesses in South Africa

Purpose: The goal of this survey was to look into how e-procurement affected the performance of small and medium-sized businesses in Cape Town, South Africa. 
 Methodology: The descriptive research approach was used. 3000 small and medium-sized businesses operating in Cape Town, South Africa, were the target population. 97 owners or managers of Small and Medium Sized Businesses made up the sample size. Owners and managers of Small and Medium Sized Businesses made up the observational unit. Using a stratified random selection approach, 97 respondents were chosen from the target demographic. 
 Findings: According to the study, e-tendering had no appreciable impact on the performance of small and medium enterprises in Cape Town, South Africa. However, the performance of small and medium enterprises in Cape Town is significantly impacted by e-sourcing. E-invoicing also has a big influence on Cape Town's small and medium enterprises' performance. Additionally, e-payment has a big impact on Cape Town, South Africa's Small and Medium Enterprises' performance. 
 Conclusion: E-tendering has a marginally beneficial impact on Cape Town SMEs' performance. However, the majority of SMEs do not have an online system for managing supplier contracts that simplifies the tendering procedure. 
 Recommendations: Small and medium-sized businesses should adopt and use e-tendering, according to the study's recommendations, to streamline the procurement process and reduce associated expenses. Additionally, small and medium-sized businesses should switch to electronic invoicing to save money on the costs of printing, storing, and shipping paper invoices. The report also suggests that all small and medium-sized businesses implement e-payment to boost productivity by increasing payment efficiency and lowering mistakes associated with cash transactions. Additionally, small and medium-sized businesses should use e-sourcing since it expands their access to a wide range of suppliers and speeds up the contract award process.

A Bid/Mark-Up Decision Support Model in Contractor’s Tender Strategy Development Phase Based on Project Complexity Measurement in the Downstream Sector of Petroleum Industry

The tender process is an inseparable step of the contract award process in the public sector, and from the other point of view, it is one of the crucial elements of the core business of construction contractors. Reviewing previous research reveals a gap in the application of a project’s detailed features and historical data to support the bid/no-bid decision and to determine the cost and time contract mark-ups. In this study, a prescriptive project complexity-based model is proposed to support the bid decision in the tender strategy development phase of a contractor for the downstream sector of the petroleum industry in Iran. For this purpose, regression analysis of historical data is adopted to configure the model and to infer from previous actual trends by exploring relationships between the contractor’s bid decision and proposed mark-ups with the project’s inherent and surrounding complexity factors. Hence, using experts’ opinions and historical data from 139 previous contracts as training and test data, a model was developed to make a decision on a bid and mark-up problem. The results of the model validation show that the credibility of the model is 74.67% and 75.36% for time and cost, respectively, and the reliability of model outputs is approximately 90% overall in predicting the bid mark-ups in accordance with the project complexity index (PCI). The main contribution of this research to current knowledge has two aspects: utilizing the complexity concept for the tender problem in the form of a project complexity index (PCI) and considering both time and cost mark-ups (TMU–CMU) in the contractor’s bid simultaneously. In addition, the results show that the more complex the project is, the higher the bid rate is.

Procurement challenges analysis of Iraqi construction projects

Abstract Public procurement in Iraq plays an essential function in the development and recovery of the country's economy as well as providing the essential infrastructure for the growth of the private sector. The Coalition Provisional Authority's Government Procurement Legislation No. 87 (2004) is the final procurement law in effect in Iraq. Preparations are underway for new procurement legislation as of Oct. 2021. The objective of the paper is to determine the effectiveness of the public procurement process used in a construction project in Iraq, there is also a lack of procurement methods and policy consistency between government agencies. procurement techniques, tender documentation information, Advertising deadlines, and document management procedures, for example, vary amongst federal contracting agencies. Furthermore, there is no mandatory process for the definition and disclosure of tender evaluation criteria, providing room for subjectivity in the tender award process. This paper's major conclusion that is competitive tendering is open to everyone, tendering is not mandated as Iraq's general rule, despite the fact that it is considered best practice elsewhere. Direct invitation techniques are widely used in the construction project process tendering of Iraq and if not adequately managed, they can lead to bias, fraud, and corruption.

Учреждение и практика награждения орденами советских республик в годы гражданской войны (1917–1922)

This article analyses the military award practice in the Red Army during the Civil War. The author turned to archival materials, published data from official statistics, and scientific literature. The study is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, and systematic approach. In order to process quantitative data, statistical analysis was used to calculate the results obtained by means of continuous sampling. Due to the abolition of the pre-revolutionary award system, new awards had to be created in parallel with the formation of the Red Army. The first award established in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) was the Order of the Red Banner. Initially, it was awarded to individuals; over time it could also be re-awarded and presented to military units. Other Soviet republics – Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Armenian, Azerbaijan and Georgian – followed this example and established their own orders, which had much in common in terms of composition and meaning. The overwhelming majority of the awards presented during the Civil War were the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR. To optimize the award process, military personnel were divided into four categories, one category being authorized to award another. The total number of awards was small, only about 0.001 % of military personnel were awarded this order. The most awarded were Red Army soldiers, while the most frequently re-awarded were the upper echelons of military power – unit and formation commanders. The dynamic and socially determined nature of the Civil War explains the prevailing number of awards presented to servicemen in cavalry, artillery and armoured forces. The largest number of awards was given in 1922. The results of the study allow us to draw a conclusion about the democratic nature of the award system during the Civil War in Russia, as well as about the high motivational effect of these awards.

Beyond Ticking Boxes: Holistic Assessment of Travel Award Programs Is Essential for Inclusivity

Beyond Ticking Boxes: Holistic Assessment of Travel Award Programs Is Essential for Inclusivity

Practical publication metrics for academics.

Research organizations are becoming more reliant on quantitative approaches to determine how to recruit and promote researchers, allocate funding, and evaluate the impact of prior allocations. Many of these quantitative metrics are based on research publications. Publication metrics are not only important for individual careers, but also affect the progress of science as a whole via their role in the funding award process. Understanding the origin and intended use of popular publication metrics can inform an evaluative strategy that balances the usefulness of publication metrics with the limitations of what they can convey about the productivity and quality of an author, a publication, or a journal. This paper serves as a brief introduction to citation networks like Google Scholar, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, Microsoft Academic, and Dimensions. It also explains two of the most popular publication metrics: the h‐index and the journal impact factor. The purpose of this paper is to provide practical information on using citation networks to generate publication metrics, and to discuss ideas for contextualizing and juxtaposing metrics, in order to help researchers in translational science and other disciplines document their impact in as favorable a light as may be justified.

From Doers to Donors:Sociology Students’ Perceptions of Experiential Philanthropy

ABSTRACT Service learning is a well-established part of the sociology curriculum in many American universities and colleges. Less well known is student-led philanthropy (also known as experiential philanthropy), a form of service learning that encourages students to donate money to the community partners they are serving. Underwritten by national foundations or regional Campus Compacts, student-led philanthropy (SLP) positions undergraduates as donors as well as doers. In this paper, we ask how sociology students perceive the role of donor and how it enhances or detracts from their volunteer experiences with community partners. To answer this question, we draw on qualitative and quantitative data from 24 SLP students enrolled in an Honors Social Problems course. We find that students overwhelmingly welcome the shift from doer to donor in so much as it affords them a greater perceived sense of purpose and impact, enriching their relationships with community partners. Students lament being donors, however, when they have to collectively decide which organizations “deserve” funding. The award process is especially fraught when organizations become maligned and deemed unworthy by a subset of students. We conclude with a discussion of how SLP can be integrated into the sociology classroom and how instructors might pursue this form of service learning when resources for philanthropic giving are limited.

Determinants of Implementation of County Bursary Regulations in Kirinyaga County, Kenya

Kirinyaga County bursary scheme was introduced in the 2013/14 financial year. Bursary for secondary schools and higher level institutions being a National government function, the county sought advice from the then cabinet to offer state support to enhance access, ensure retention and reduce corruption in the provision of school education. Poor vetting criterion and compliance of guidelines have resulted in cronyism and nepotism which have plagued the bursary award process for decades. Poor monitoring & evaluation has piled up grievances with no follow up system. Lack of clear regulations on funding allocation has allowed political interference on budget cycles. The County bursary targets were students from poor households and the vulnerable. This study sought to examine the determinants of implementation of county bursary regulations in Kirinyaga County, Kenya. The study was guided by the following objectives; To establish the extent to which compliance of guidelines determines the implementation of County Bursary in Kirinyaga County, to explore the extent to which vetting criteria determines the implementation of County Bursary in Kirinyaga County, to examine the extent to which funding allocation determines the implementation of County Bursary in Kirinyaga County and to examine the extent to which monitoring of utilization of the bursary fund determines the implementation of County Bursary in Kirinyaga County. The new public administration theory that captures the concept of equity and fairness was adopted to explore the gaps during implementation of county bursary regulations in Kirinyaga County. The study sourced requisite data from 70 parents whose students benefited from bursary and 31 principals, both samples having been picked from the PTAs membership. The respondents were drawn using a combination of random and purposive sampling procedures. The study adopted descriptive design which was used to analyze primary data. Data was presented, interpreted and analyzed using frequency & percentage distributions, cross tabulations with STATA. Qualitative data in form of first hand experiences, informed opinions and suggestions, were analyzed using qualitative procedures and were used to strengthen quantitative findings. The results of the study indicated that majority of beneficiaries allocation by need were from poor households 51% followed by bright students at 29%. Similarly, orphans and special needs students both received 9.7%.

Underlying causes and mitigation measures of delays in construction projects

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to contribute to the theory and practice of project management in the construction industry by identifying the primary causes and extracting the underlying causes of construction delays and providing recommendations on delay mitigation measures.Design/methodology/approachAA survey was used to identify the importance of 47 causes of delays. The relative importance index was used to rank them, factor analysis was applied to extract the underlying causes and focus group interviews were used for discussion and development of mitigation measures.FindingsSix of the ten most important causes are in the top ten universal delays in construction projects. Factor analysis revealed six underlying causes: improper planning, poor consultant performance, inefficient site management, owner influence, bureaucracy and sub-standard contracts.Practical implicationsThe owner/sponsor/client must have adequate engineering and project management skills to be able to evaluate proposals and contractors more accurately, economically and technically. The bidding and contract award process should focus on the most economically advantageous proposal and contracts should provide for mechanisms for managing risks while executing projects. Contractors should select reliable, high-quality subcontractors and suppliers and should have competent site managers.Originality/valueThis work expands and improves the understanding of the causes of delays in construction projects by providing an empirical study of the causes of delays and respective mitigation measures in Portugal.

Arte contemporânea e legitimação: o caso das jovens artistas

Resumo Este artigo objetiva tratar de dados de uma pesquisa recente acerca dos processos de legitimação de jovens artistas, em que se evidencia o perfil de artistas que vêm sendo selecionadxs por certames artísticos que contribuem para a construção e a legitimação de carreiras no campo da arte. Partindo da pergunta: artistas mulheres enfrentam presentemente os mesmos processos de exclusão de outrora, quando vivenciavam processos de invisibilidade de seu trabalho no campo da arte?, apresentam-se, portanto, os dados referentes à legitimação de jovens artistas mulheres por meio de seis editais e um prêmio brasileiros.

Awards of Excellence Inspire and Motivate Extension Professionals

Extension awards recognize programs that have achieved outstanding accomplishments, results, and impacts in addressing contemporary issues. Whether an individual or a team is recognized, the awardees gain inspiration and motivation and may attain promotion and/or tenure. The Western Region Program Leadership Committee oversees a special award process that recognizes individuals and teams whose program outcomes result in regional and multistate impacts that benefit communities across the West. We describe a rubric that allows for equitable scoring across Extension content areas. Additionally, we recommend that Extension awards programs be expanded and encouraged to promote personal and professional growth.

The Sanford Lorraine Cross Award for medical innovation: Advancing a rigorous and repeatable method for recognizing translational research leaders who today are bringing emerging transformative innovations to patients

The Sanford Lorraine Cross Award identifies the most successful application of translational research that ultimately expedited the development of a treatment or cure of a disease.

Engaged in integrated reporting? Evidence across multiple organizations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: to provide evidence on geographic and firm-level characteristics within organizations using integrated reporting (<IR>) methodology to communicate their business model to stakeholders; and to shed light on the contend of integrated reports of organizations that have been recognized as leading practice by a reputable award process or through benchmarking.Design/methodology/approachSecondary analysis of data (descriptive and inferential statistics) is used for a sample of 224 organizations (79 classified as <IR> Reference Reporters and 145 as <IR> Regular Reporters) across 26 countries (2011 to mid-2015). Content analysis is used for <IR> Reference Reporters.FindingsEvidence for the first objective suggests that compared with <IR> Regular Reporters, the majority of the <IR> Reference Reporters are from Europe, are larger, have a higher market value, are more profitable and are less leveraged. Evidence for the second objective reveals that the guiding principles, fundamental concepts and content elements of the most recent integrated report published by each <IR> Reference Reporter (leading practice) seem less than expected.Research limitations/implications<IR> Examples Database does not cover all of the organizations reporting according to the <IR> framework. Content analysis can be biased by authors’ interpretations.Practical implicationsPotential benefit both to researchers and to those involved in the reporting of financial and non-financial information using the <IR> tool.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper is as follows: it contributes to the international debate on the evolution from sustainability to <IR>, provides evidence on geographies and firm-level characteristics of organizations using <IR> to better communicate and provides the most prominent information disclosed by Reference Reporters.

Life-Cycle Cost Adjustment Factors in Alternate Design/Alternative Bid Pavement Bids: Added Value or Added Controversy?

Alternative design/alternative bids (ADAB) provides a mechanism for the asphalt and concrete paving industries to compete for the same paving project. It operates on the principle of the market pricing of each material determining which is most economical when the bids are opened, rather than selecting the pavement type during design based on a life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA). This paper reviews including LCC-based bid adjustment factors in the ADAB award decision. Data are from a survey that received responses from 40 U.S. Departments of Transportation (DOT) and the Canadian province of Ontario, and a content analysis of 55 ADAB project outcomes in 13 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Seven algorithms in use to calculate an ADAB bid adjustment factor were found, and six U.S. DOTs that award ADAB projects without an adjustment factor. The paper finds that the adjustment factor formula rarely influences the award decision and, generally, the pavement type with the lowest bid cost wins with or without the adjustment factor. The paper models the ADAB process in financial terms as an exercisable commodity option that accrues value from the differential rates of volatility between asphalt and concrete. It concludes that an LCC-based bid adjustment factor complicates the award process, creating potential for controversy over what the factor inputs are, and does not add value over bidding the pavement types head to head and awarding to the low bidder. The ADAB process increases the number of bidders and reduces unit bid prices for both pavement types.

Process innovations for the digitalization of public procurement: synergies between BIM and multi-criteria analysis

The aim of this paper is to identify the potential for integration, within BIM approach, the multi-criteria evaluation methods to improve the effectiveness of the award process of tendering, by defining an alternative method to more traditional procedures. To reach this aim four public procurement have been analyzed for the construction of educational facilities in the Metropolitan City of Naples. It was later represented the procedure of one of the four contracts previously analyzed, through the synergy of building information modeling and PROMETHEE method. The study has identified interesting results in relation to the objectives of speeding up the phase of evaluation and preparation of the final ranking, as well as of the transparency of this phase.