Toward a Universal Social Impact Metric for Engineered Products That Alleviate Poverty

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip D. Stevenson ◽  
Christopher A. Mattson ◽  
Kenneth M. Bryden ◽  
Nordica A. MacCarty

One of the purposes of creating products for developing countries is to improve the consumer's quality of life. Currently, there is no standard method for measuring the social impact of these types of products. As a result, engineers have used their own metrics, if at all. Some of the common metrics used include products sold and revenue, which measure the financial success of a product without recognizing the social successes or failures it might have. In this paper, we introduce a potential universal metric, the product impact metric (PIM), which quantifies the impact a product has on impoverished individuals—especially those living in developing countries. It measures social impact broadly in five dimensions: health, education, standard of living, employment quality, and security. By measuring impact multidimensionally, it captures impacts both anticipated and unanticipated, thereby providing a broader assessment of the product's total impact than with other more specific metrics. The PIM is calculated based on 18 simple field measurements of the consumer. It is inspired by the UN's Multidimensional Poverty Index (UNMPI) created by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The UNMPI measures how level of poverty within a nation changes year after year, and the PIM measures how an individual's poverty level changes after being affected by an engineered product. The PIM can be used to measure social impact (using specific data from products introduced into the market) or predict social impact (using personas that represent real individuals).

Author(s):  
Phillip D. Stevenson ◽  
Christopher A. Mattson ◽  
Kenneth M. Bryden ◽  
Nordica A. MacCarty

More than ever before, engineers are creating products for developing countries. One of the purposes of these products is to improve the consumer’s quality of life. Currently, there is no established method of measuring the social impact of these types of products. As a result, engineers have used their own metrics to assess their product’s impact, if at all. Some of the common metrics used include products sold and revenue, which measure the financial success of a product without recognizing the social successes or failures it might have. In this paper we introduce a potential metric, the Product Impact Metric (PIM), which quantifies the impact a product has on impoverished individuals — especially those living in developing countries. It measures social impact broadly in five dimensions: health, education, standard of living, employment quality, and security. The PIM is inspired by the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) created by the United Nations Development Programme. The MPI measures how the depth of poverty within a nation changes year after year, and the PIM measures how an individual’s quality of life changes after being affected by an engineered product. The Product Impact Metric can be used to predict social impacts (using personas that represent real individuals) or measure social impacts (using specific data from products introduced into the market).


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 198-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliza Hixson

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the social impact that two events, the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Clipsal 500, have on young residents (16-19 years old) of Adelaide. The purpose of this paper is to examine how young people participate in these events and how this affects their sense of involvement in the event and contributes to their identity development. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods approach was adopted in which focus groups and questionnaires were conducted with secondary school students. As an exploratory study, focus groups (n=24) were conducted in the first stage of the research. The results of the focus groups were used to develop a questionnaire that resulted in 226 useable responses. The final stage of the research explored one event in further depth in order to determine the influence of different participation levels. Findings – This study found that young people demonstrated more involvement in the Adelaide Fringe Festival and their identities were more influenced by this event. Further investigation of the Adelaide Fringe Festival also indicated that level of participation affects the social outcomes gained, with those participating to a greater degree achieving higher involvement and increased identity awareness. This is demonstrated through a model which aims to illustrate how an event impact an individual based on their role during the event. Originality/value – This paper applies two leisure concepts in order to analyse the impact of events. Activity involvement is a concept which examines the importance of the activity in the participant's life. Also of importance to young people is how activities contribute to their identities, especially because they are in a transitional period of their lives.


Author(s):  
Hans Ottosson ◽  
Emma Hirschi ◽  
Christopher A. Mattson ◽  
Eric Dahlin

In this paper we present a starting point for designing for and/or assessing the social impact of engineered products. The starting point is a set of tables comprising products, their general functional characteristics, and the accompanying social impacts. We have constructed these tables by first extracting a set of social impact categories from the literature, then 65 products were qualitatively reviewed to find their social impact. The resulting product impact tables can be used at either the beginning of the product development process to decide what social impact to design for and discover product functions that lead to it, or later to qualitatively assess the social impact of a product being designed and/or to assess the impact of an existing product.


2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232110018
Author(s):  
Sarah O’Neill ◽  
Christina Pallitto

The health consequences of female genital mutilation (FGM) have been described previously; however, evidence of the social consequences is more intangible. To date, few systematic reviews have addressed the impact of the practice on psycho-social well-being, and there is limited understanding of what these consequences might consist. To complement knowledge on the known health consequences, this article systematically reviewed qualitative evidence of the psycho-social impact of FGM in countries where it is originally practiced (Africa, the Middle East, and Asia) and in countries of the diaspora. Twenty-three qualitative studies describing the psycho-social impact of FGM on women’s lives were selected after screening. This review provides a framework for understanding the less visible ways in which women and girls with FGM experience adverse effects that may affect their sense of identity, their self-esteem, and well-being as well as their participation in society.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-673
Author(s):  
Lulu Liu

Objectives: Starting from the tobacco economy, this paper studies the “surge phenomenon” of macro-economy in developing countries. Methods: This paper studies the impact of tobacco industry on Anhui economy by using the relevant theories of industrial economics, econometrics and regulatory economics, combined with the actual situation of tobacco industry. Based on the analysis of the overall development of tobacco industry, this paper empirically analyzes the relationship between tobacco industry and Anhui economic growth. This paper combs the relevant literature of the existing research results of this theory. Combined with the special fact that government investment accounts for a large proportion in China’s current economic construction, this paper redefines the hypothesis of the investor in the theory of principles. On this basis, the expected equilibrium results of enterprise investment decision-making under government led and market led modes are compared and analyzed by using incomplete information static game model. Results: When the output value of tobacco industry increases by 1%, it will drive the GDP to increase by 0.373%. Secondly, by comparing the economic benefits of tobacco with the social costs of tobacco, it is found that with the economic development, the social costs caused by tobacco increase year by year, but the economic benefits are slightly greater than the social costs. The difference between the two is also increasing year by year. Conclusion: In the context of tobacco control, we should fully consider the advantages and disadvantages of developing the tobacco industry. Under the excessive intervention of the government, the manifestation of the surge phenomenon is more intense, and the final consequence of overcapacity is more serious than that under the market-oriented mode..


2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Said JAOUADI ◽  
Lamia ARFAOUI ◽  
Azza ZIEDI

The paper attempted to examine the causal relationship between political instability and growth. Currently, the world continues to record huge number of popular revolutions in the region MENA, to improve the social environment and to consolidate implementing an effective governance. Although, the uprising has harmed the financial and economic situation in these countries, and became a threat for the stability of the countries, in overall.The manuscript accounts for the impact of political instability on the growth of the developing countries, in the shadow of the widespread of the revolutions since 2011. The paper attempted to illuminate the reality of the relationship between political environment and growth through the estimation of panel, comprising 69 developing countries 1985-2012.In the current paper, the authors conducted an empirical investigation, in which we bore out the claims raised in many surveys and the conclusions drawn by several authors about the harmful impact of political instability on the fundamental bases of the economy, in countries recording political instability.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongfeng Liu

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the social impact of major sports events perceived by host city residents using Shanghai as an example. Design/methodology/approach – Exploratory factor analysis based on 450 valid questionnaires. Findings – Research revealed six impact factors including four positive ones: “image and status,” “international exchange and cooperation,” “economic and tourism development,” and “infrastructure development.” In addition, two negative ones are also identified as “inconvenience of life” and “environment pollution and security concern.” Taken as a whole, the local residents in Shanghai have a relative positive perception of the impact of major sports events. Four out of six impact factors were significantly predictive of the attitude toward future bidding of major sports events. Originality/value – The existing literature mainly examined social impact of specific events through case study, and little is known about the overall perception of major sports events in general. Accordingly, this paper seeks to bridge the gap by taking an event portfolio approach using Shanghai as an example.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2145-2155
Author(s):  
Endin Mujahidin ◽  
Bahagia Bahagia ◽  
Fachruddin Majeri Mangunjaya ◽  
Rimun Wibowo

This study aims to find the social impact, morals, and strategies for dealing with COVID-19 among students. Another goal is to find out the social, religious and psychological impact of COVID-19 on students at Ibn Khaldun University, Bogor. The research method approach uses a descriptive qualitative approach. Data were collected by in-depth interviews with the head of the student class. The sample was selected through a purposive technique. The results were carefully examined through triangulation. The results showed that students could not establish social relations between students and did not participate in campus social organizations. Another finding, the Covid-19 outbreak has an impact on student morals because online meetings are more difficult to foster student morals because teachers do not meet students. In addition, students experience various stresses due to piling tasks and online learning does not face various obstacles such as difficulty communicating with lecturers and not understanding the material. Students take various ways to overcome stress such as listening to favourite music, watching YouTube, playing games, getting enough rest, eating favourite foods such as eating meatballs, straightening intentions, and also strengthening worship and getting closer to God.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Lilis Banowati ◽  
Cucu Herawati ◽  
Wiwiet Indriyani

Background: The increasing number of positive patients with Covid-19, the social impact in the form of stigma from being shunned by neighbors and even families and the impact of mental health, namely causing major psychosocial stresses that can trigger anxiety. Purpose  this study was to determine the stigma and level of public anxiety about Covid- 19. Methods: This type of research is descriptive quantitative, the study population is all people in the UPTD Haurgeulis Puskesmas, Indramayu Regency, as many as 88,468 people. The number of samples was 100 respondents using purposive sampling technique. Data were analyzed statistically using univariate analysis and data presentation in the form of frequency distributions. Results: This study shows that people have a low stigma as much as 1% and those who experience a high stigma are as much as 99%. As well as people who do not experience anxiety as much as 14% and most of them experience mild anxiety as much as 86%. Conclusion: The public should be wiser in sorting out information related to Covid-19 from various sources and can manage anxiety with good self-coping management, for example by relaxation and positive thinking related to Covid-19.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-39
Author(s):  
Afrizal Afrizal

Unemployment in developing countries such as Indonesia, the economic development of this country as a growing number of unemployment is a problem that is more complicated and more serious than the problem of changes in income distribution are less profitable low-income residents Unemployment in Jambi Province has reached tens of thousands of people is an urgent problem that must be solved because of the impact of unemployment it would be very dangerous to the social order of life. It is a fact that various social evils such as theft / muggings/robberies, prostitution, Jula buy children, street children and others merupakandampakdaripengangguran.


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