Democracy for Profit?

2021 ◽  
pp. 137-176
Author(s):  
Jennifer Forestal
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Politics ◽  
For Profit ◽  
User Control ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
Digital Environments ◽  
Algorithmic Design ◽  
Democratic Communities ◽  
And Control

This chapter evaluates Facebook and Twitter’s algorithms using the framework of democratic space. Prominent critiques highlight their opacity and users’ lack of control; tools like Gobo “fix” these algorithms by increasing their flexibility. But while these solutions might cede more control to individual users, they are insufficient for building democratic communities; the more pressing concern for both Facebook and Twitter is their lack of clear boundaries, which undermines users’ ability to recognize their communities. The chapter concludes by showing how we might “democratize” these algorithms in ways that not only increase user control over their digital environments and the algorithms that structure them, but also help to generate and sustain the communities required to exert that control democratically. Ultimately, the chapter argues that questions of ownership and control must be placed alongside considerations about the communal effects of algorithmic design if we are to build environments supportive of democratic politics.

Experiences of job demand and control: A study of first line managers in for-profit psychiatric and addiction care

Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Linda Widar ◽  
Erika Wall ◽  
Sven Svensson
Keyword(s):  
First Line ◽  
Line Managers ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Job Demand ◽  
Organizational Position ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Line Manager ◽  
Addiction Care ◽  
And Control ◽  
Demand Control

BACKGROUND: The complex position of a first line manager is characterized by heavy workload and contradictory demands. Little is known about how first line managers experience demand and control in their work. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore experiences of demand and control among first line managers within psychiatric and addiction care. METHOD: In the present study, interviews with ten managers in for-profit psychiatric and addiction care in Sweden were analyzed with a phenomenographic approach. RESULTS: The managers experiences of demand and control implied varied and extensive responsibilities for a wide range of professions; regulation by organizational, economic, and political frameworks; creating balance in their work; and handling the emergence and consequences of acute crisis. These experiences of demand and control involved high and contradictory demands together with coexisting high and low levels of control. Many of their work characteristics could be described in terms of both demand and control. CONSLUSION: The first line managers experiences of demand and control are more complex than implied by the job demand control theory. Our results suggest that the organizational position and branch should be considered when identifying health hazards in the work environment of first line managers.

Defending the Case for Liberal Anationalism

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-118
Author(s):  
Theodora Kostakopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Human Dignity ◽  
Democratic Politics ◽  
Political Life ◽  
International Terrorism ◽  
Human Welfare ◽  
Liberal Nationalism ◽  
Democratic Communities ◽  
The Way

Nationalism appears to be so entrenched in political life and discourse, that its illiberal face is often deemed to be an exception and unfortunate coincidence triggered by international terrorism. Alternatively, it may be depicted as the result of ill-thought policies which can be reversible. In this paper, I argue that liberal nationalism is conceptually flawed and politically illiberal. Illiberal tendencies are an integral part of it and these cannot be corrected by ‘taming’ unruly nationalism or by articulating ‘benign’ adaptations of it. Because the liberal and illiberal faces are interwoven in complex ways, my suggestion is to look far ahead and beyond it. The territory may be uncharted, but a commitment to a pro-human welfare orientation could open the way for separating liberalism from nationalism and aligning the former with critical democratic politics. The challenge, as I see it, is to articulate a liberal anationalism which by affirming equal human dignity and the importance of non-domination could sustain inclusionary and democratic communities.

Privatisation and the death of public housing

2019 ◽  
pp. 19-55
Author(s):  
Stuart Hodkinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Housing ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
For Profit ◽  
The Social ◽  
Collective Resistance ◽  
Building Safety ◽  
Neoliberal Policies ◽  
And Control

This chapter charts the death of public housing from its emergence as part of a wider collective resistance to the social murder of unregulated capitalism to its planned demise under neoliberal policies of privatisation, demunicipalisation, deregulation, and austerity. A first section explains how public housing represented both the partial decommodification of shelter and the protection of residents’ health and safety through a wider system of building regulation and control. A second section argues that these qualities made public housing a target for privatisation and demunicipalisation policies that have recommodified and financialised housing and land for profit-seeking corporate interests. It was in this context that ‘outsourced regeneration’ featured in this book was born with the launch in 2000 of New Labour’s Decent Homes programme to bring all social housing in England up to a minimum decent standard by 2010. The chapter ends with an explanation of how the assault on public housing has been accompanied by the rolling back of building regulations and the rolling out of self-regulation that has weakened building safety and residents’ ability to hold their landlords to account.

scholarly journals 110 Participants and Volunteer Host Experiences of First Steps Course for Those Newly Diagnosed with Parkinson’s: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i37-i37
Author(s):  
E R Bodger ◽  
K Ibrahim ◽  
H C Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Information Support ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control

Abstract Introduction People with Parkinson’s (PwP) and their caregivers often report poor diagnosis experiences and a lack of information, support and control over Parkinson’s. First Steps is a two-day course delivered by volunteers with Parkinson’s, which aims to help those newly diagnosed and their caregivers face the future positively and take control of Parkinson’s. This study aimed to capture the views and experiences of participants and volunteer hosts of First Steps, and evaluate if it meets those aims. Methods Using purposive sampling, twelve participants comprising four PwP, five caregivers and three volunteer hosts were recruited. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results Course participants found First Steps informative, supportive, and helpful in feeling more positive about Parkinson’s. Participants were reassured by the hosts having Parkinson’s, despite prior concerns regarding seeing people who might have more advanced Parkinson’s. Some found First Steps more relatable than other support services and reported that the course complemented clinician-led courses as the content was aimed at caregivers as well as PwP, with variation in information delivery techniques. Among the PwP and caregivers, two thirds reported a lack of control over Parkinson’s and some felt First Steps had improved their control. Hosts felt they had control over Parkinson’s and perceived their role to be both challenging and rewarding. Conclusions First Steps was perceived as a helpful course, offering information and support for those newly diagnosed and their caregivers in a positive and non-clinical environment. Volunteer hosts felt more control over Parkinson’s than other participants, but there was evidence that the course helped some experience more control. Suggested course improvements included: additions to the presentation content with more emphasis on taking control, and offering group follow up sessions. This will inform current expansion across the UK.

scholarly journals Infection Prevention and Control Policies and Staffing: A National Survey of Home Health Agencies in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s301-s301
Author(s):  
Jingjing Shang ◽  
Ashley Chastain ◽  
U. Gayani Perera ◽  
Monika Pogorzelska-Maziarz ◽  
Patricia Stone
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Staff Member ◽  
Antibiotic Stewardship ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
And Control

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a national priority in all healthcare settings, and IPC staffing characteristics have been linked to patient safety outcomes. However, there is a lack of knowledge about IPC in home healthcare (HHC), the fastest growing healthcare sector. Our aim was to better understand the current state of IPC in HHC, as well as the HHC staff involved with IPC policy implementation. Methods: A national survey was conducted between October 2018 and November 2019. The participants included (1) agencies recruited from a national HHC conference and (2) a national random sample of 1,501 agencies stratified by census region, ownership status, and rural or urban location. Survey items included staff influenza vaccination policies, antibiotic stewardship, infection surveillance, and IPC staffing. Descriptive statistics were computed, and differences by ownership were calculated using 2 and Student t tests. Results: Of the 535 HHC agencies that responded to the survey (response rate, 33%), 64% were for-profit agencies. Overall, 30.8% of the agencies (17.9% for-profit, 57.6% nonprofit; P < .01) required staff influenza vaccination. Most nonprofit agencies (84.1%) and about half of the for-profit agencies (48.1%) offered free influenza vaccinations to staff (P < .01). During the past influenza season, 62.6% of agencies (81.5% nonprofit vs 51.6% for-profit; P < .01) had 75% of their employees vaccinated for influenza, and 9.3% (2% nonprofit vs 13.5% for-profit; P < .01) reported that they did not track this data. Only 17.9% of HHC agencies used antibiotic prescribing guidelines, and 33.3% reported that they reviewed cases to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic administration and/or indication. Most HHC agencies (86%) reported collecting and reviewing infection data to identify trends, which was often done quarterly or more frequently. Almost every responding agency reported that the staff member in charge of IPC had other responsibilities including administrative, education/training, or quality improvement, and 33.5% of those personnel had received no specific IPC training. Also, ~6% of agencies (12.5% of government-owned agencies) reported that they currently did not have a staff member in charge of IPC. Conclusions: This is the first national study of IPC in HHC, which can be used as a benchmark for quality improvement initiatives in the home care environment. Compared to other healthcare settings, HHC agencies have substantial challenges related to IPC. Most HHC agencies do not have a staff member exclusively dedicated to IPC, and staff training is inadequate. Furthermore, a significant number of agencies have no staff influenza vaccination or antibiotic stewardship policies in place. The situation is worse at for-profit agencies, which dominate the current US HHC industry.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals Surveillance Capitalism, Datafication, and Unwaged Labour: The Rise of Wearable Fitness Devices and Interactive Life Insurance

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 132-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantine Gidaris
Keyword(s):  
Life Insurance ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
Health And Fitness ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
And Control ◽  
Fitness Trackers ◽  
The Relationship

This paper examines the relationship between interactive life insurance companies and their policyholders and the way in which wearable fitness devices are deployed by these companies as data-generating surveillance technologies instead of personal health and fitness devices. Working within an expanded framework of “surveillance capitalism” (Zuboff 2015), I argue that while the notion of self-care generally associated with wearable fitness devices is underpinned by neoliberal constructs, the incentivization of interactive life insurance programs works to obscure the immense value placed on information capital. This paper briefly considers the legal loopholes involved in the harvesting of sensitive health and fitness information from consumer wearables and suggests that the push toward fitness trackers has little to do with any real concerns for the health and fitness of consumers and policyholders. Lastly, I consider different forms of unwaged labour in the relationship between policyholders and interactive life insurance programs. I contend that policyholders do not recognise the free and immaterial labour that goes into sustaining the data-based business model that interactive life insurance companies and social media platforms use and rely on for profit. In so doing, they relinquish power and control over the data they work to produce, only so that the information can be commodified and used against them.

scholarly journals The Role of Gender in Potato Production and Marketing: Case of Sheka Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Feyere Bekele ◽  
Benyam Tadesse
Keyword(s):  
Potato Production ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Southwest Ethiopia ◽  
Seed Collection ◽  
Land Preparation ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
And Control

The objective of the study was assessing gender roles in potato production and marketing in the study area. Relevant information was gathered from 193 potato producers by using primary and secondary sources of data. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. The result indicated that in seed collection (46.3%), land preparation (60.3%), planting (96.8%), weeding (50.3%), cultivation (32.6%), Harvesting (38%), transporting (39.9%) and marketing (68.9%) of women respondents participate. Decisions about production and marketing of potato in the study area was mainly taken by men and in some cases, women participates. The main challenges that hinder gender participation in potato production and marketing was lack of access and control over assets(19.2%), lack of control of income(30.6%), Lack of land (6.7%) and lack of decision making on potato production(39.9%). Therefore, increasing opportunities for women, giving recognition, encouraging, documenting and disseminating their role can have a positive influence on productivity of potato.

Task-Allocation and Control of a Ground Robots Collective for Warehouse Automation

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Ali Guney ◽  
Ioannis Raptis
Keyword(s):  
System Architecture ◽  
Task Allocation ◽  
Arbitrary Number ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Automation System ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Allocation Algorithm ◽  
Automation Systems ◽  
Algorithmic Design ◽  
And Control

In the last years, there have been several attempts to deploy Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to automate the operation of warehouse environments. The implementation of AGVs has numerous advantages over conventional warehouse automation systems in terms of cost and scalability. In this work, we present the development of a test-bed platform for the utilization of an AGV collective to a warehouse automation system. The system architecture has plug-and-play algorithmic design which makes it extremely modular. In this system, small-scale robotic forklifts are used to transport an arbitrary number of circular pallets to predefined locations. The forklift robots are able to move in the arena without colliding each other due to the implementation of a centralized deconfliction algorithm. A task allocation algorithm prevents the forklift drives from being trapped by a fence of pallets. The performance of the proposed system is validated by both simulation and experimental results.

Evolution of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) in oncology over three decades

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6515-6515 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Booth ◽  
D. W. Cescon ◽  
L. Wang ◽  
I. F. Tannock ◽  
M. K. Krzyzanowska
Keyword(s):  
Primary Endpoint ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Survival Endpoints ◽  
Trends Over Time ◽  
And Control ◽  
Median Rate ◽  
Over Time

6515 Background: The RCT is the gold standard for establishing new therapies in oncology. Here we document changes with time in design, results, author conclusions and sponsorship. Methods: Reports of RCTs evaluating systemic therapy for breast, colorectal (CRC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) published 1975–2004 in 6 major journals were reviewed. Two authors independently abstracted data regarding trial design, effect size and author conclusions. Author conclusions were assigned a score from 1 to 7: 4/7 for a neutral statement, 7/7 and 1/7 for strong endorsement of experimental and control arm respectively. For each study the effect size for the primary endpoint was converted to a summary measure: hazard ratio [HR] for survival endpoints and relative risk [RR] for response rate. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze trends over time. Results: 326 eligible RCTs were included (48% breast, 24% CRC, 28% NSCLC). There was a significant increase in the number and size of RCTs (see Table ). Median rate of accrual increased from 7 patients/month in 1975–84 to 14 patients/month in 1995–2004 (p<0.001). There was an increase in multicenter (55 to 95%, p<0.001), international trials (26 to 52%, p<0.001) and for-profit sponsorship over time (6 to 57%, p<0.001). There was increasing use of survival (13 to 48%,) and decreasing use of response rate (32 to 14%) as primary endpoint (p<0.001). Authors have become more likely to strongly endorse the experimental arm despite no change in effect size over time (p=0.005). Studies sponsored by for-profit organizations were more likely to strongly endorse the experimental agent than studies not sponsored by for-profit groups (median author score 6/7 vs. 4/7, p<0.001). Conclusions: RCTs in oncology have become more common, larger, and are more likely to be sponsored by industry. Authors of modern RCTs are more likely to strongly endorse novel therapies despite no increase in the relative benefit of interventions. For-profit sponsorship is associated with stronger endorsement of the experimental arm. No significant financial relationships to disclose. [Table: see text]

Conceptualising integrated thinking in practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Oliver ◽  
Gillian Vesty ◽  
Albie Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
And Control ◽  
Measurement And Control ◽  
Health And Well Being

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer theoretical and practical insights on the ways in which integrated thinking is observed in practice. Integrated thinking is linked to integrated reporting, and described as an attribute or capacity for senior management to constructively manage tensions between the multiple capitals (manufactured, intellectual, human, natural, social and relationship as well as financial capital) in strategy, resource allocation, performance measurement and control. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical framework is developed from the accounting and systems thinking literature, linking integrated thinking to sustainability. Soft versus hard integrated thinking approaches are applied to contrast the siloed management of sustainability with a model that focuses on relationships and broader indicators of societal health and well-being. Practical illustrations of the conceptualised framework are presented for discussion and for further empirical research. Findings – The illustrative examples offer a diversity of corporate, government and not-for-profit viewpoints, providing evidence of both hard and soft integrated thinking in practice. Valuable insights are provided into innovative approaches that foster and make explicit the soft integrated thinking skills and map them to broader societal outcomes. Research limitations/implications – Potential problems can arise if hard integrated thinking dominates over the soft, and data required for internal management accounting purposes become narrow, linear and segregated. Routines and practices will then be based on quasi-standards, further concealing the soft integrated thinking that might be occurring within the organisation. Originality/value – With theoretical roots in systems thinking, this paper contributes to the relatively underexplored area of integrated thinking in accounting for sustainability.

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