Value Statements Research Articles

Unleash the power of values: how to conduct better science and cultivate thriving research groups

AbstractIt is undesirable — and perhaps impossible — for scientific research to be value-free. In fact, scientists can enhance their research and build more engaged, motivated, and well-functioning research groups by reflecting on their values and intentionally embedding values into all aspects of their research (e.g., choice of research question, funding sources, methodology). Here, we posit that values shape the scientific process and interpersonal dynamics within research groups. We then provide concrete steps to embed values into research by using tools such as values statements, mentoring expectations agreements, and lab handbooks. Finally, we provide a framework for culture-building activities that can encourage productive and fulfilling interactions among all research group members.

Development of a Professional Identity Scale for Information Professionals

Professional identity is generally defined as one’s interpretation of self as a professional in connection with the personal and professional experiences, attitudes, and aspirations. The research used the framework developed by Pierson et al. (2019), value statements from major professional associations, library and information science (LIS) literature to revise a professional identity scale for counseling profession developed by Woo and Henfield (2015). The developed instrument will be reviewed by small number of experts (N≈20) for content validation. The instrument will be sent out to LIS professionals via mailing lists for construct validation. LIS professionals who have just transitioned from school to work (graduated from LIS programs in the last 5 years) will be invited to participate in the study. The final instrument will include demographic questions (e.g., age, gender), highest degree achieved, employment status, and LIS job experience. Exploratory factor analysis will be carried out to identify the factor structure of the scale and relevant tests (e.g., Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, Bartlett's test of sphericity) will be performed to investigate and assess the professional identity constructs that will emerge from the data. Confirmatory factor analysis will be conducted to obtain additional measures of fit and possibly explore additional changes. As the profession goes through a transformation and recalibrates itself to stay relevant and better address the needs and expectations of users, having a validated and reliable instrument to assess the professional identity of the professionals in the field will help address this gap.

Laying the Groundwork: Insights from Organisational Ethics for Humanitarian Innovation

Humanitarian innovation is occurring in a wide range of organisational contexts, from innovation labs and hubs, to specialised units within humanitarian organisations, to small social innovation startups and through intersectoral partnerships. Ethical considerations associated with innovation activities have been the source of increased discussion, including critiques around inclusion in the definition of problems, imposition of solutions, introduction of new risks for people in crisis situations and potential for exploitation. To promote ethical innovation, various initiatives have sought to articulate guiding values and to create resources and frameworks to integrate values in project design and implementation. A distinctive yet complementary line of ethical analysis is offered by the approach of positive organisational ethics, which considers the features of organisations that promote and sustain conditions supportive of ethical action. In this paper we examine three dimensions of an organisation’s ethical infrastructure: the resources that are established, such as policies and statements of organisational values; the practices that are enacted, such as methods of onboarding new staff; and the capacities that are fostered and accessed, including ethics knowledge and skills. Attention to these features constitutes an important means of laying the groundwork for organisational conditions that are supportive of ethical humanitarian innovation.

Towards making EIA more human-centric: Demonstration in Nepal of a values crystallization approach to capture local shared values for scoping use

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) are a critical component of planning and decision-making processes before projects are conducted, because they are used to forecast and inform mitigation of potential impacts on the local community, including its social, physical, and natural environments. Current EIA processes predominantly focus on issues that can be directly measured using objective methods, with mostly tokenistic inadequate use of suites of qualitative methodologies needed for identification and documentation of issues relating to community shared values. On the other hand, protests and tensions are known to easily arise which are related to such human values-based issues not being addressed. In this pragmatic study, a method is demonstrated which can bridge this gap, by capturing local community shared values in a well-defined manner and short time. The approach, called WeValue InSitu, enables local communities to construct their own bespoke group shared values statements in a specialized crystallization process, with outputs which are well-articulated proto-indicators. In this study we compare the outputs from two existing scoping reports of EIA in Nepal with the outputs from the values crystallization approach which we conducted with ten groups in a village in Nepal, and show that the latter brings out many more, and more localised, shared values of the community, and additionally reveals underlying interrelationships between values, producing conceptual maps for planning effective mitigations. Future studies can investigate whether the achievements of this method offer any advantages to existing qualitative methods in improving EIA-SIA scoping, and/or whether the hegemony of objectivism of institutions and proponents is an unsurmountable barrier.

A Technology-Based Intervention Impacts Quality of Life for Low-Income Older Adults by Reducing Loneliness and Improving Healthcare Self-Efficacy and Self-Rated Health.

This paper describes a technology program aimed at developing technical skills and confidence, reducing social isolation and loneliness, and increasing healthcare self-management and self-efficacy among older adults. We conducted a mixed-methods study using surveys collected at baseline and 12months from 90 older adults. Focus group data (n = 7) collected at 12months were examined for convergence with key quantitative outcomes, emergent value-related themes, and evaluation of program structure and staff. Outcome data showed improvements in loneliness (Cohen's d = -0.24, p = .004) (validated by qualitative data), self-rated health (d = 0.23, p = .011), and healthcare self-efficacy (d = 0.31, p = .004). Participants with higher healthcare self-efficacy (β = 0.24, p = .03) and higher negative emotions (β = 0.28, p = .01) had greater frequency of internet use to search for health information. Qualitative findings described program mechanisms supporting increases in self-efficacy, including increased technology use and confidence, and values statements demonstrating the meaningfulness of learning technology and its impact on multiple domains of quality of life.

The legacy of Erich Mendelsohn – expression and context in the architecture of Modern Movement.

In 2021, the international community of architectural and art historians started the so called “Erich Mendelsohn Initiative”, with the goal of inscribing the architectural legacy of Erich Mendelsohn on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Despite some efforts, the final list of nominated buildings, along with the Statement of their Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and the title of the nomination has not yet been established. This article presents a new, authorial look at Erich Mendelsohn’s legacy in view of the UNESCO World Heritage. It analyses the global significance of Erich Mendelsohn’s legacy in the opinions of leading architectural historians of the 20th century. The article puts forward the preliminary list of Mendelsohn’s realisations which should embody his legacy, the criteria for assessment their historical value and the proposed title of the nomination. The main part of the article is defining the first two sections of the “Statement of Outstanding Universal Value”, to be presented in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. According to the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention they are: the “Brief synthesis”, and the “Justification for Criteria”. In conclusion, the author argues, that the most significant qualities of Erich Mendelsohn’s architectural works are their strong expression and their dialog with the local context. Therefore, these features should be the main subjects of the Outstanding Universal Value Statement, the title and in the main narrative points of the nomination dossier for the inscription of Erich Mendelsohn’s legacy on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

S2164 Analysis of Cost and Value Statements of Advanced Endoscopy Guidelines From 2011-2023: A Scoping Review

S2164 Analysis of Cost and Value Statements of Advanced Endoscopy Guidelines From 2011-2023: A Scoping Review

Nature's value and biodiversity ethics in a changing world: Insights from a special issue and questions for the future

Motivated by philosophical quandaries arising from environmental ethics and the moral philosophy of biodiversity, we convened a special issue of Biological Conservation entitled “Ethics and practice of biodiversity science: how hidden moral assumptions impact conservation research and policy,” inviting a range of expert voices to examine these questions from a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and traditions. We sought to discover how many of the founding value statements of conservation biology were still current, and if new any ones had supplemented or replaced them. Broad initial momentum from a wide range of contributors soon met with the headwinds of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we eventually emerged with 34 global contributors representing a diverse array of viewpoints. The contributed pieces range from philosophical investigations of value in Nature, applied conservation ethics for endangered species, the rights and roles of Indigenous peoples, macroevolutionary processes of mass extinction, human well-being and social justice, the history of colonialism in conservation, and subtle cultural differences between global powers with respect to Nature. All speak to often unstated values in conservation science. Finally, we offer some questions of our own stemming from these contributions that might provide new or expanded avenues for investigation.

Sensibility Modes: Working Through Value Contradictions with Value Statement as Practice

Sensibility Modes: Working Through Value Contradictions with Value Statement as Practice

Organizational Value Statements: A Symbolic Action Used by New CEOs to Align Employee’s Attitudes

Organizational Value Statements: A Symbolic Action Used by New CEOs to Align Employee’s Attitudes

The Heroes Descent: How Value Statements Threaten the Wellbeing of Essential Workers

The Heroes Descent: How Value Statements Threaten the Wellbeing of Essential Workers

Investment, integration, and innovation: Fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion across the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study consortium

The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, will examine human brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development beginning prenatally and planned through early childhood. From the outset, the HBCD Study integrated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into its core mission, with key elements like an Associate Director for DEI, a DEI values statement, and establishing a DEI committee to help ensure sustainable progress for the future. The DEI Coordinating Committee supports DEI efforts impacting members of the HBCD consortium, study participants, and the analysis and dissemination of HBCD data. Committee members include representatives from every study site and workgroup which contributes to DEI integration throughout the study. Committee activities include reviewing all measures and protocols, creating accountability metrics, and supporting training opportunities for consortium members. Several successes and lessons have been learned through the Committee’s activities like implementing consortium-wide unconscious bias training and changing the DEI leadership and committee structure. This article presents an overview of HBCD’s DEI components within HBCD and provides examples of collaborative efforts between the DEI Coordinating Committee and other workgroups. The article concludes with plans for future activities and recommendations for other large consortia considering formal DEI structures.

The Silver Lining in the Clouds: A Commentary on Stephen Turner’s “Mad Hazard, a Life in Social Theory”

AbstractWhile it is true that to do social theory is to become an observer of life and its development from an outside perspective, it is also true that, in Weberian terms, ethical neutrality cannot disregard experience itself and values as necessary tools for making sense of reality. Indeed, according to Weber, there is no research or social theory without being aware of one’s own values and experience. In this sense, Stephen Turner’s autobiographical book Mad Hazard is great evidence that a scholar’s understanding of social theory is inevitably enriched by an understanding of the life events to which it is related, whereby life experience enhances the ability to grasp the attempt at theorizing in intellectual life, offering the perspective of how that theory observes social reality. Intellectual life and everyday life are necessarily connected. One cannot be fully grasped without the other, but in Weberian terms the autobiography of Stephen Turner can represent precisely the big frame, or statement of values, through which all experiences, bad and good, become the little pieces of the grand picture of this interweaving of practical life and intellectual life, always in continuous reference and making sense from one another.

Sustainability dimensions in the mission, vision and value statements of the largest corporations in Ghana: a sectoral analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare how the various sectors among the largest companies in Ghana have incorporated sustainability into their mission, vision and value statements.Design/methodology/approachThe mission, vision and value statements of the 100 largest corporations in Ghana, known as Ghana Club 100 (GC100), were extracted from the firms’ official websites. These firms were grouped into nine sectors, and the sustainability components in the mission, vision and value statements were subjected to cross tabulation and thematic contents analysis to establish the sectoral variations.FindingsIn formulating their mission, vision and value statements, GC100 firms were more than six times likely to include economic sustainability themes than environmental sustainability themes. Even though three out of every five GC100 firms are financial institutions, the manufacturing and the extractive sectors and firms ranked 1st−20th are three times likely to incorporate all the sustainability dimensions (i.e. economic, social and environmental) into their mission, vision and value statements. Firms in the financial sector and those ranked 80th−100th were more likely not to publish either a mission, vision or value statements online.Practical implicationsThis study reveals the magnitude of the strategic pronouncements such as mission, vision and value statements of large firms in emerging economies and how they are aligned with sustainability. This could serve as a basis for formulating guidelines to reinforce efforts that contribute to corporate sustainability.Originality/valueResearch on how large firms align sustainability into their mission, vision and value statements is not a new agenda, but fragmented in the context of the emerging economies. The novelty is that this study addresses this gap and contributes to this topic from a sectoral comparative perspective of largest organization in Ghana, an emerging economy.

Ethical Considerations in AI Simulations for Designing Assistive Technologies

Current ethical debates on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare approach AI technology in three primary ways. First, they assess the risks and potential benefits of current AI-enabled products using ethical checklists. Second, they propose ex ante lists of ethical values relevant to the design and development of assistive technologies. Third, they advocate for incorporating moral reasoning into AI's automation processes. These three perspectives dominate the discourse, as evidenced by a brief literature summary. We propose a fourth approach: viewing AI as a methodological tool to aid ethical reflection. This involves an AI simulation concept informed by three elements: 1) stochastic human behavior models based on behavioral data for simulating realistic scenarios, 2) qualitative empirical data on value statements regarding internal policy, and 3) visualization components to illustrate the impact of variable changes. This approach aims to inform an interdisciplinary field about anticipated ethical challenges or trade-offs in specific settings, prompting a re-evaluation of design and implementation plans. This is particularly useful for applications involving complex values and behaviors or limited communication resources, such as dementia care or care for individuals with cognitive impairments. While simulation does not replace ethical reflection, it allows for detailed, context-sensitive analysis during the design process and before implementation.Finally, we discuss the quantitative analysis methods enabled by stochastic simulations and the potential for these simulations to enhance traditional thought experiments and future-oriented technology assessments.

Unraveling the Sustainability Components of Organizational Value Statements: A Q-Sort Methodology Approach

Many corporations have now revised their value statements to showcase their commitment to sustainable development and green business due to the pressing issues of climate and environmental damage. Despite the importance of value statements that can direct companies to achieve sustainable goals, which kind of values can be perceived as organizational orientations towards sustainability remains unknown. This study explores how the general public views the inclusion of sustainable components in value statements from listed companies in Hong Kong by using Q-sort methodology (n = 30). Analyzing the final sample of 40 value statements extracted from 27 listed companies, we identified three factors related to sustainability, namely, Empowering business process management, Empowering customer-centric excellence, and Empowering sustainable progress. This study provides an additional component to the traditional triple bottom line by suggesting that the internal operation of a company is an emerging idea in understanding corporate sustainability.

An Effective Program to Reduce Malpractice Claims and Payments in a Large Orthopaedic Practice.

High reliability in health care requires a balance between intentionally designed systems and individual professional accountability. One element of accountability includes a process for addressing clinicians whose practices are associated with a disproportionate share of patient complaints. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the Patient Advocacy Reporting System (PARS), a tiered intervention model to reduce patient complaints about clinicians. A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving a southeastern U.S. orthopaedic group practice. The study assessed the implementation of the PARS program and subsequent malpractice claims from 2004 to 2020. The implementation of PARS was associated with an 83% reduction in malpractice claims cost per high-risk clinician after intervention (p = 0.05; Wilcoxon rank sum test). The overall practice group experienced an 87% reduction in mean annual claims cost per clinician (p = 0.007; segmented regression). The successful adoption required essential elements such as PARS champions, peer messengers, an Office of Patient Affairs, and a clear statement of practice values and professionalism expectations at the time of onboarding. The PARS program was successfully adopted within a surgical specialty group as a part of ongoing risk prevention and management efforts. The period following PARS was associated with a retrospectively measured reduction in malpractice claim costs. The PARS program can be effectively implemented in a large, single-specialty orthopaedic practice setting and, although not necessarily causal, was, in our case, associated with a period of reduced malpractice claim costs. We have learned in previous research that there are clear links between professionalism and patient outcomes (e.g., surgical complications), but agree that the focus here on medical malpractice is not directly clinical.

The effect of incentive types and organizational value statements on corporate social responsibility decisions

The effect of incentive types and organizational value statements on corporate social responsibility decisions

HPNA Value Statement: Hospice and Palliative Nursing.

HPNA Value Statement: Hospice and Palliative Nursing.

Pengembangan Bahan Ajar E-Handout Berbasis Kodular untuk Sekolah Dasar Fase C pada Mata Pelajaran Bahasa Indonesia

<p><em>This study aims to determine the validity and feasibility of products in the form of codular-based e-handouts that are usable, valid, practical, and effective in understanding Indonesian language subjects in phase C. This research is included in the Research and Development (R&D) development model in the form of ADDIE which consists of five stages of development namely analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The subjects in this study were instrument validators. All results of data analysis using the validity index assessment aspects of Aiken. With the results of data analysis in the aspect of validity obtained from the material expert test of 3 statements with a validity index value status of 0.5, 3 statements with a validity index status of 0.75, and 1 statement with a validity index value status of 1.00. Based on the validity index criteria from Aiken's validity of the design expert's score, the 3 value statements are included in the revision criteria, and 4 statements are in the valid criteria. According to the accumulation of assessments from design expert validators, it shows that this Kodular-based e-handout teaching material is suitable for use in learning with some notes that must be revised. The calculation results obtained from design experts based on the validity index from Aiken are 2 statements with a validity index value status of 0.5, and 5 statements with a validity index status of 0.75. Based on the validity index criteria from Aiken, the validity of the linguist's score, the 2 statements are included in the revision criteria, and 5 statements are in the valid criteria. It can be concluded that the development of codular-based e-handot teaching materials is valid and feasible to use for Indonesian language subjects in phase C.</em></p><p><em><br /></em></p><p><strong><em>Keyword:</em></strong><em> teaching materials, codular, indonesian language</em></p>