Reputation Rankings Research Articles

Examining the Role of Social Media Usage in Plastic Surgery Residency Recruitment during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for medical students applying in the 2021 match cycle. The Association of American Medical Colleges recommended that visiting student rotations be discouraged on May 11, 2020. These rotations are the most important criteria in resident selection by program directors.1 As a result, applicants and programs were forced to find alternative ways to learn about one another, including social media. Nearly four-fifths of the U.S. population uses social media, and more than half of practicing plastic surgeons are using these digital networks to connect directly with the public.2 Are plastic surgery residency programs using these tools to connect with prospective candidates? We examine the utilization of three social media platforms (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook) by plastic surgery residency programs. We obtained a list of accredited integrated or independent programs from Doximity and separated programs into four tiers based on their Doximity reputation ranking (25 programs each in tiers 1 through 3 and 23 programs in tier 4). For each social media platform, we assessed whether a program had a profile, total number of posts, total number of followers and likes, total number of followed accounts, and date of creation. A total of 80.6% of programs (79 of 98) had Instagram profiles dedicated to plastic surgery residency, with an average of 1619.37 followers and following an average of 360.17 accounts. On average, programs had 127.26 posts. Tier 1 programs (programs 1 through 25) had the largest proportion of programs participating on Instagram compared with other tiers [23 of 25 (92%)]. This was followed by tier 3 [22 of 25 (88%)], tier 2 [20 of 25 (80%)], and tier 4 [14 of 25 (56%)] (Fig. 1).Fig. 1.: Number of dedicated plastic surgery residency Instagram accounts sorted by tier.A total of 22.44% of programs (22 of 98) had Twitter profiles dedicated to residency, with an average of 493.45 followers and following an average of 347.39 accounts. On average, programs had 212.06 posts (ie, tweets). A total of 32.65% of programs (32 of 98) had Facebook profiles dedicated to residency, with an average of 368.25 likes and 498.65 followers. A similar analysis of general surgery residency social media found that 43.7% of residency programs had an Instagram account and 44.0% were on Twitter, with 55.3% of residency programs having at least one account on social media, illustrating the increasing importance of maintaining a presence on social media.3 Other specialties have also adopted social media use.4,5 Instagram allows plastic surgery residency programs to reach a larger audience than Facebook and Twitter combined and the top tier of programs had the largest number of followers on Instagram (Fig. 2). Applicants should consider following all tiers of programs across social media platforms to maximize chances to connect. Lower tier programs may consider creating an Instagram account as they were least represented by the total number of accounts.Fig. 2.: Average followers per plastic surgery residency account sorted by tier.Other specialties hosted virtual interviews for the 2022 match. We recommend that programs that have not adopted Instagram as a recruitment tool do so. Social media represents a viable platform for residency accounts to communicate with prospective residents. Because of the ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the popularity of social media, social media represents a powerful recruitment tool that we expect to continue to grow. DISCLOSURE The authors did not receive any funding for this study. They have no financial disclosures to declare and report no conflicts of interest.

The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Match Results, a Cohort Study

Background The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2021 Orthopaedic residency recruitment process by eliminating visiting rotations and in-person interviews. In the fields of Plastic Surgery and Urology, this led to a significant increase in the rate at which residency applicants matched into residency at the same institution (“home match”) as their medical school. This study sought to investigate the effects the pandemic had on the outcomes of the 2021 Orthopaedic Surgery Match compared to the preceding four cycles 2017-2020. Methods A list of all Orthopaedic Surgery residency programs with an affiliated medical school was obtained using ORINTM and Doximity. Program websites and official social media accounts were used to gather resident information including class year, medical school, and medical school state. Outcomes of interest were home matches and matches within the same region or state as one’s medical school. Results The rate of home matches increased by 41% from 22% in 2017-2020 to 31% in 2021 (p<0.001). This increased rate was consistent across medical school regions and sub-regions, as well as across program sizes and reputation rankings. Southern programs had a higher rate of home matches than all other regions both at baseline in 2017-2020 28% v. 20% (p<0.001) and in 2021 36% v. 28% (p<0.001). Conclusions In 2021, the first residency match affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of home matches increased compared to the prior four cycles. This may be a result of the inability of prospective residents to visit programs in-person during an away rotation or interview, resulting in programs preferring individuals they already knew via their affiliated medical school. Many pandemic-related changes such as virtual rotations and virtual interviews might stay for the long term; it will be interesting to see how these impact Orthopaedic Residency recruitment and resulting Match characteristics in subsequent cycles.

A converging reputation ranking iteration method via the eigenvector.

Ranking user reputation and object quality in online rating systems is of great significance for the construction of reputation systems. In this paper we put forward an iterative algorithm for ranking reputation and quality in terms of eigenvector, named EigenRank algorithm, where the user reputation and object quality interact and the user reputation converges to the eigenvector associated to the greatest eigenvalue of a certain matrix. In addition, we prove the convergence of EigenRank algorithm, and analyse the speed of convergence. Meanwhile, the experimental results for the synthetic networks show that the AUC values and Kendall’s τ of the EigenRank algorithm are greater than the ones from the IBeta method and Vote Aggregation method with different proportions of random/malicious ratings. The results for the empirical networks show that the EigenRank algorithm performs better in accuracy and robustness compared to the IBeta method and Vote Aggregation method in the random and malicious rating attack cases. This work provides an expectable ranking algorithm for the online user reputation identification.

Two-Year Interview and Match Outcomes of Otolaryngology Preference Signaling.

To present the first year-over-year data comparison of preference signaling for residency interviews in the otolaryngology application marketplace. Cross-sectional study conducted over 2 application cycles. Otolaryngology training programs in the United States. Otolaryngology residency applicants were invited to participate in preference signaling during the 2021 and 2022 application cycles. Submissions were collected using a web-based interface. The distribution of signals among programs was evaluated descriptively and in relationship to Doximity program reputation rankings. Surveys were sent to applicants to assess general attitudes and the number of interview invitations received from signaled and nonsignaled programs. Surveys were sent to programs to evaluate use of signals and the impact on match results. Programs received a range of signals, from 0 to 66, with 50% of signals going to 24% of programs in 2022, which was similarly found in 2021. Programs of higher rank tended to receive more signals. Overall, >87% of surveyed applicants received an interview offer from at least 1 program that they signaled. In 2021 and 2022, applicants were 2.6 times more likely to get an interview from a signaled program than a comparator nonsignaled program. A greater positive impact on interview offer rate was seen for less competitive applicants. Signaling was viewed favorably by the majority of surveyed applicants and programs. Preference signaling for otolaryngology residency interviews demonstrates a promising mechanism to improve applicant visibility to programs during the application cycle. This impact is consistent over 2 application cycles.

Research Productivity of Integrated Plastic Surgery Residents: Does Reputation Matter?

It is unknown whether the ranking of plastic surgery residency programs influences resident research output. This study aims to determine whether program reputation and other factors are associated with integrated plastic surgery resident academic productivity. Programs were divided into four tiers based on Doximity reputation rankings. Residents from 2019 to 2020 were found through program websites and social media accounts. Works published during residency were identified through PubMed and Scopus from July 1 of each resident's intern year to August 10, 2020. Variables included resident demographics and medical school, residency reputation ranking, geographic region, and medical school affiliation. 'High research output' was defined as having ≥75th percentile of publications adjusted by training year. In total, 921 residents in 80 programs were identified. The median (IQR) number of total publications and original articles was 3 (1-6) and 2 (0-4), respectively. On multivariable analysis, residents in top-20 ranked programs (OR=2.31, 95% CI [1.55; 3.43], P<0.001) or from programs associated with top-20 medical schools (OR=1.61, 95% CI [1.08; 2.41], P=0.020) were more likely to have higher research output. On the other hand, coming from a top-50 in research medical school (OR=1.80, 95% CI [1.31; 2.47], P<0.001) or being in a program affiliated with a top-20 medical school (OR=2.52, 95% CI [1.69; 3.78], P<0.001) were associated with higher original article output. Gender and geographic location were not associated with higher research output. Program reputation and affiliated medical school research rankings are associated with research productivity during integrated plastic surgery residency. Applicants with a particular interest in research careers may consider this as they apply to residency.

Corporate reputation and stakeholder engagement: Do assurance quality and assurer attributes matter?

The objective of this research is to determine the impact that sustainability assurance services have on corporate reputation and stakeholder engagement, delving into the differentiating effect of certain attributes of the assurer and the quality level of the assurance. After an initial exploratory analysis in which the added value that the assurance service has on the external business image and on the relationships with stakeholders is evidenced, the results obtained for a sample of 604 multinational corporations for the period 2011–2017 show the existence of a reputational advantage for those companies that have contracted for a higher quality assurance service. On the contrary, the attributes of the assurer have no direct and indirect effect on corporate reputation unless the assurer is an auditor, which favours a higher quality of assurance service and indirectly affects the probability that the company will be included in a reputation ranking. The intrinsic characteristics of this service do not translate into active stakeholder engagement. From a theoretical and practical point of view, this evidence contributes to the knowledge of the effect of assurance on stakeholder engagement and corporate reputation by improving the climate of trust around the company's disclosure.

P6. #MedicalStudentSpotlight: An Analysis of Medical Student Representation in Plastic Surgery Residency Program Social Media Accounts

Background: Plastic surgery residency programs are increasingly using social media to educate, attract, and engage medical students. The content informs and influences students’ perceptions of programs and their ranking process. This study aims to analyze plastic surgery residency Instagram accounts for medical student-related content Methods: Integrated plastic surgery residency programs were identified from the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS) website. Their Instagram accounts were identified through Instagram searches. Program variables including Doximity reputation ranking, geographic region, and accreditation date were recorded. Posts uploaded through 8/21/2021 were analyzed for medical student-related content. Posts were considered student-related if they directly mentioned students in captions or showed them in photos, or if students were their target audience. Video-only posts were excluded. Program engagement scores were calculated by dividing mean likes on 10 most recent posts by number of account followers. Student’s t and ANOVA tests compared student-related content between programs (?=0.05) Results: Of 84 programs, 77 (91.7%) had active accounts, totaling 9361 total posts. Of these, 870 were student-related (9.3%), featuring 337 advertisement (38.7%), 244 match (28.0%), 85 academic activity (9.8%), 81 research (9.3%), 78 interview (9.0%), 25 team-bonding (2.9%), 21 resident-led events for students (2.4%), 15 operative case (1.7%), and 3 clinic (0.3%) posts. 3 (3.9%) accounts had no student-related content. 2145 student-related hashtags were used, with 43.2% used on student-related and 56.8% on non-student-related posts. The most commonly used hashtags were #medschool or #medicalschool (554), #medstudent or #medicalstudent (553), and #match2021 (192). Proportion of student-related posts varied significantly by program ranking quartile (p<0.001), with the second quartile having the highest average (12.7%) and the first quartile the lowest (9.1%). Program geographic region, age, and engagement score did not significantly impact the proportion of student-related content Conclusion: Despite the potential use of social media sites like Instagram to connect with applicants, less than 10% of the content posted by integrated plastic surgery residency programs targets or directly features medical students, with top-tier programs featuring less. Given applicant interest in and influence by programs’ social media presences, further research is needed to determine more effective means of engaging medical student audiences.

P5. #AllHandsonDeck: A Social Media Analysis of Hand Surgery Content by Plastic Surgery Residency Programs

Background: As a core competency required by the ACGME for plastic surgery training, sufficient hand surgery exposure during residency is essential. Social media platforms, including Instagram, are widely used by residency programs and can factor into applicant decision-making. This study aims to evaluate the representation of hand surgery by integrated plastic surgery residency programs on their Instagram accounts Methods: Integrated plastic surgery residency programs were identified from the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS) website. Their Instagram accounts were identified through Instagram searches. Program variables including Doximity reputation ranking, geographic region, and accreditation date were collected. Posts uploaded through 8/21/2021 were analyzed for hand surgery-related content and hashtags. Video-only posts were excluded. Engagement scores were calculated by dividing mean likes on the 10 most recent posts by number of account followers. Student’s t and ANOVA tests were used to compare hand surgery-related content between programs (?=0.05) Results: Of 84 programs, 77 (91.7%) had active accounts, totaling 9361 posts. 788 (8.4%) posts were hand surgery-related, featuring 211 academic activity (26.9%), 147 operative case (18.7%), 143 fellowship (18.1%), 133 faculty subspecialty (16.9%), 107 research (13.6%), 77 resident interest (9.8%), 29 hand call (3.7%), 13 clinic (1.6%), 5 mission trip (0.6%), 2 news article (0.2%), 2 physical exam (0.2%), and 1 patient testimonial (0.1%) posts. The most commonly featured operative procedures included hand nerve repairs (11.6%), artery repairs (8.8%), replants (8.2%), and transplants (8.2%). 5 (6.5%) accounts had no hand-related content. 934 hand-related hashtags were used, with 75.4% used on hand-related and 24.6% on non-hand-related posts. The most frequently used hashtags were #handsurgery (567), #hand (42), and #handsurgeon (42). Program ranking, geographic region, age, affiliation with hand fellowship, and engagement score were not significantly associated with proportion of hand-related content Conclusion: Under 10% of content featured by integrated plastic surgery residency program Instagram accounts is hand-related. Hand surgery hashtag usage is relatively limited to hand-related content. Given that hand surgery represents one of multiple core competencies, future research is needed comparing proportions of content dedicated to each plastic surgery subspecialty.

Home Program Matching in Neurosurgical Residency Programs: A 7-Year Study

The objective of the study was to determine home program matching percentage (staying in a program affiliated with one's medical school) for each neurosurgical residency program in the United States. Secondarily, it was to elucidate both program-level and resident characteristics associated with home program matching. Demographic and bibliometric characteristics were collected for 1572 residents in U.S.-based and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited neurosurgery programs over the 2014-2020 match period using publicly available websites. Program characteristics were collected, including number of clinical faculty, top 20 Doximity research ranking, top 10 Doximity reputation ranking, top 10 U.S. News department ranking, affiliation with a U.S. News top 10 medical school, and geographic region. Programs were ranked according to home program matching percentage, and associations were statistically evaluated. The average home program matching percentage per residency was 18.6%. NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia retained the largest percentage of its own medical students with a home program matching percentage of 57.14%. From the resident frame of reference, only a higher preresidency H-index (3.7±4.0 vs. 3.2±3.7, P= 0.033) was significantly associated with home program matching. From a program perspective, program size (standardized β= 0.234, P= 0.006), Doximity research (standardized β= 0.206, P= 0.031), Doximity reputation (standardized β= 0.196, P= 0.040), and U.S. News program rankings (standardized β= 0.200, P= 0.036) were all significantly associated with home program matching. Overall home program matching percentage remained relatively constant over the 2014-2020 time period. The results of this study delineate home program matching patterns on a program-by-program level for U.S. neurosurgical residency programs.

Research Reputation Rank of US Medical Schools Is Inversely Associated with Increased Competition Amongst Medical Students.

We aim to compare the experience of medical students at higher- versus lower-ranked medical schools in terms of levels of competition, feelings of animosity amongst students, emphasis on subspecialty choice, and the influence of financial situation on choice of residency specialty. Students at randomly chosen medical schools were contacted via email and administered a 10-question survey assessing levels of burn out, peer relations, and school pressures on career choice. Perceptions of adverse competition were higher in the non-top-45 cohort. Pressure to pursue subspecialty training was higher in the top-45 cohort. Medical school reputation appears to be inversely correlated with symptoms of animosity amongst peers, and these findings should be evaluated for downstream ramifications.

No Pain No Gain - Quest for Academic and Research Excellence

No pain in academic and research endeavours, no gain in university rankings. Let us look at the gain first. Any university worth its salt has a high caliber faculty who are experts in their fields of study and are effective teachers or mentors to their students. Their effectiveness in teaching are mostly informed by their continuing research activities and strong academic performance of students. As more faculty publish their studies, the higher the probability of citations. Reputation and university rankings elevate with academic and research excellence of its faculty and students. Improved university rankings are likely to translate into opportunities for larger international research collaborations and funding. As more resources become available for research, higher is the chance to participate in ground-breaking studies.

Influence of Hospital Characteristics on Hospital Transfer Destinations for Patients With Stroke.

Patients with stroke are frequently transferred between hospitals. This may have implications on the quality of care received by patients; however, it is not well understood how the characteristics of sending and receiving hospitals affect the likelihood of a transfer event. Our objective was to identify hospital characteristics associated with sending and receiving patients with stroke. Using a comprehensive statewide administrative dataset, including all 78 Massachusetts hospitals, we identified all transfers of patients with ischemic stroke between October 2007 and September 2015 for this observational study. Hospital variables included reputation (US News and World Report ranking), capability (stroke center status, annual stroke volume, and trauma center designation), and institutional affiliation. We included network variables to control for the structure of hospital-to-hospital transfers. We used relational event modeling to account for complex temporal and relational dependencies associated with transfers. This method decomposes a series of patient transfers into a sequence of decisions characterized by transfer initiations and destinations, modeling them using a discrete-choice framework. Among 73 114 ischemic stroke admissions there were 7189 (9.8%) transfers during the study period. After accounting for travel time between hospitals and structural network characteristics, factors associated with increased likelihood of being a receiving hospital (in descending order of relative effect size) included shared hospital affiliation (5.8× higher), teaching hospital status (4.2× higher), stroke center status (4.3× and 3.8× higher when of the same or higher status), and hospitals of the same or higher reputational ranking (1.5× higher). After accounting for distance and structural network characteristics, in descending order of importance, shared hospital affiliation, hospital capabilities, and hospital reputation were important factor in determining transfer destination of patients with stroke. This study provides a starting point for future research exploring how relational coordination between hospitals may ensure optimized allocation of patients with stroke for maximal patient benefit.

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the 2021 Orthopaedic Surgery Match Outcomes.

Background:The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 2021 orthopaedic surgery residency match outcomes. Because in-person away rotations and interviews were canceled during the 2020 to 2021 application cycle, we hypothesized that applicants would match at their home program at a higher rate in 2021 than in previous years.Methods:We queried allopathic orthopaedic surgery residency websites and social media accounts for names of residents and medical school information for cohorts matching from 2017 through 2021. To assess availability of and participation in virtual away rotations, we administered a survey to Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited allopathic orthopaedic surgery residency programs. The primary outcome was the annual proportion of applicants matching at the program affiliated with their medical school (“home program”). Subgroup analyses were stratified by Doximity reputation ranking and availability of a virtual away rotation.Results:We identified 2,632 residents who matched between 2017 and 2020 and 698 residents who matched in 2021. Overall home program match rate and likelihood of home matching were higher in 2021 compared with 2017 to 2020 (28% vs. 20%; odds ratio [OR] = 1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24-1.82, p < 0.001). The increase in the home match rate at programs ranked in the top 30 (27% vs. 20%, p = 0.034) was similar to the increase at programs ranked outside the top 30 (28% vs. 20%, p < 0.001). Of the 66 (48%) programs that responded to the survey, 16 (24%) offered a virtual away rotation. Programs with a higher Doximity ranking were more likely than lower-ranked programs to offer a virtual away rotation (OR = 6.75, 95% CI 1.95-23.4, p = 0.003). Home match rates did not differ significantly between programs that offered a virtual away rotation and those that did not (26% vs. 32%, p = 0.271).Conclusions:A higher proportion of orthopaedic surgery residency applicants matched at their home program in 2021 compared with previous years. Limitations on in-person activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to this rise.Level of Evidence:N/A.

Коммуникационный аспект оценки репутации вуза (на примере Российского университета дружбы народов)

This article is concerned with the communicative study of the issue of assessing the reputation of universities. The article presents the concept of "reputation" and its characteristics such as a long-term period of creation, the multiple nature of reputation, the relationship with the values that the audience gives to the company etc. Reputation is seen as the result of communicative interaction with the audience, which allows to create trust and inspire confidence in stakeholders. The authors review the characteristics of the three leading world university rankings: Times Higher Education World University Rankings; Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings; The Academic Ranking of World Universities. And also, the article describes the criteria by which these rankings are built. It either observes the indicators that are taken into account in the compilation of reputational ratings for companies and brands. It turns out during the comparing of the criteria for assessing the ratings of universities and the ratings of companies and brands, that emotional components are completely dismissed from the ratings of universities. While compilers of the company’s reputation rankings RepTrak ™ Pulse and the brand’s reputation rankings Interbrand always include them. The article presents the data from a study of the reputation of RUDN University, which the authors conducted by methods of survey and interview in November 2019. They show that an emotional assessment of a university's reputation is more important for an internal audience than a rational one.

Competition in american social work education during times of COVID-19: a midwestern case study

ABSTRACT Competition to attract students for enrollment in American social work degree programs is intense. Program attributes (e.g. minimum grade point average, maximum transfer credits permitted, institutional tuition rate, and rankings) distinguish social work education programs in the United States. Determining which program attributes appeal to potential students could help increase a program’s competitiveness in a crowded education marketplace. The COVID-19 pandemic is further intensifying recruitment of students to BSW programs. This research used a case study approach to compare admission attributes of 21 bachelor of social work programs (BSW) offered at 11 public and 10 private institutions located in one state that could be viewed as representative of American BSW programs. This paper compared attributes that differentiated these undergraduate social work programs, while exploring the potential impact of the pandemic on BSW student recruitment. Implications for social work education are discussed, including lessons learned that may be helpful to BSW faculty and staff responsible for student recruitment activities and related operations. Social work education program administrators and faculty could use this information to review recruitment and application processes and raise awareness of the burgeoning influence of reputational ranking services.

A Influência da Reputação Corporativa no Custo de Capital

This research verifies if there is a relation between the cost of capital and the reputation of the companies measured by the Corporate Monitor of Corporate Reputation (MERCO) ranking . It contributes to the literature, bringing a new proxy for measuring the reputation of companies (MERCO ranking ). In addition, no other study was found in the Brazilian environment that directly relates corporate reputation to the cost of capital. The contribution of this study takes place in a context in which, due to the scarce and costly sources of financing, knowing the cost of capital and exercising an effective management of the available resources, are preponderant factors for the survival of companies in a competitive market .The research used the multiple linear regression method estimated by Fixed Effects with robust errors. The sample is made up of B3 listed companies in the periods of 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, with the final number of observations equal to 897. The year 2015 was out of the sample because this year the MERCO ranking was not published. The results indicate that companies listed on B3 ranked by MERCO have a lower cost of capital than the others, regardless of the position in which the company is in the MERCO ranking .

The Impact of COVID-19 on Plastic Surgery Home Program Match Rates.

Historically, integrated plastic surgery is one of the most competitive specialties in the residency match. In the 2020-2021 residency application cycle, plastic surgery programs were forced to adjust how they select applicants because of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting visiting subinternships. We hypothesize that a higher proportion of plastic surgery applicants matched at their home institution during the 2020-2021 application cycle secondary to the implementation of COVID-19-related restrictions. Between March 24 and 27, 2021, we used publicly available, online plastic surgery-specific spreadsheets to analyze plastic surgery applicant information over the course of 3 application cycles (2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021) for the top 50 plastic surgery programs. We collected data corresponding to the matched plastic surgery applicants' medical school, the institution at which they matched, and whether they had previous communication with their matched program. Our search yielded information on 128 applicants from the 2019 match cycle, 129 applicants from the 2020 match cycle, and 133 applicants from the 2021 application cycle. In 2019 and 2020, 15 (11.7%) and 22 (17.1%) plastic surgery applicants matched at their home program, respectively. In 2021, 32 (24.1%) of plastic surgery applicants matched at their home program (P = 0.032). When stratified by reputation rank, home program match rates among programs ranked 1-25 in 2021 had a large increase over the 2020 match cycle (28.4% vs 16.7%), whereas the home match rates of programs ranked 26-50 in 2021 (17.3%) held level with that of 2020 (17.6%). Conversely, for those not matched to their home programs, only 20 (19.8%) in 2021 reported having had any prior contact with their matched programs compared with 54 (50.5%) in 2020 (P < 0.001). The 2020-2021 plastic surgery application cycle matched a significantly higher proportion of applicants at their home institution. With the temporary discontinuation of visiting subinternships during the 2020-2021 application cycle, it is likely that both plastic surgery programs and applicants compensate for this loss of in-person exposure by turning to home applicants and home institutions, respectively.

Substantiality: A Construct Indicating Research Excellence to Measure University Research Performance

Abstract Purpose The adequacy of research performance of universities or research institutes have often been evaluated and understood in two axes: “quantity” (i.e. size or volume) and “quality” (i.e. what we define here as a measure of excellence that is considered theoretically independent of size or volume, such as clarity in diamond grading). The purpose of this article is, however, to introduce a third construct named “substantiality” (“ATSUMI” in Japanese) of research performance and to demonstrate its importance in evaluating/understanding research universities. Design/methodology/approach We take a two-step approach to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed construct by showing that (1) some characteristics of research universities are not well captured by the conventional constructs (“quantity” and “quality”)-based indicators, and (2) the “substantiality” indicators can capture them. Furthermore, by suggesting that “substantiality” indicators appear linked to the reputation that appeared in university reputation rankings by simple statistical analysis, we reveal additional benefits of the construct. Findings We propose a new construct named “substantiality” for measuring research performance. We show that indicators based on “substantiality” can capture important characteristics of research institutes. “Substantiality” indicators demonstrate their “predictive powers” on research reputation. Research limitations The concept of “substantiality” originated from IGO game; therefore the ease/difficulty of accepting the concept is culturally dependent. In other words, while it is easily accepted by people from Japan and other East Asian countries and regions, it might be difficult for researchers from other cultural regions to accept it. Practical implications There is no simple solution to the challenge of evaluating research universities’ research performance. It is vital to combine different types of indicators to understand the excellence of research institutes. Substantiality indicators could be part of such a combination of indicators. Originality/value The authors propose a new construct named substantiality for measuring research performance. They show that indicators based on this construct can capture the important characteristics of research institutes.

Can Firm Performance and Corporate Reputation Be Improved by Communicating CSR in Social Media?

As stakeholders make their decisions based on corporate reputation, it is vital for the companies to ensure that their CSR activities are communicated effectively via social media (SM) channels. It can be argued that by leveraging CSR in SM channels, firms have the possibility in strengthening trust and loyalty of their stakeholders and thereby enhancing corporate reputation and firm performances. Hence, the study aims to examine how CSR communication has an impact on firm performances and reputation. Top 50 and bottom 50 companies that are ranked in the Social Media Sustainability Index (2016) are collected along with four reputation ranking indices and Twitter data for this study. Although there is no significant relationship between Twitter and corporate reputation, there is a significant relationship between Twitter and firm performances.

Evaluating user reputation of online rating systems by rating statistical patterns

Numerous complex systems such as rating systems are highly affected by a small number of spamming attackers. How to design a fast and effective ranking method under the threat of spamming attacks is significant in practice. In this paper, we extract the user’s rating characteristics from personal historical ratings to determine whether the user is normal. It is discovered that reliable users have little bias and their rating scores follow the pattern of peak distribution. On the opposite, malicious users usually have biased ratings and their rating scores scarcely follow a known pattern. A new reputation ranking method IOR (Iterative Optimization Ranking) is proposed based on user rating deviation and rating characteristics. The experimental results on three real datasets show that this method is more efficient than existing states of art methods. This new fundamental idea can be contributed to a new way to solve spammer attacking problem. It can also be applied in large and sparse bipartite rating networks in a short time.