Impact of COVID - 19 Pandemic on Moral Disengagement Models Adopted by Hospitality Operations: A Case Study of Cairo, Egypt

COVID - 19 caused a lot of economic, political and social conflicts to all world populations and states. Many researches to explored the impacts of COVID - 19 on these perspectives. However, few if any were focused to measure the shift in moral models adopted due to this pandemic. This paper targets to explore the moral shifts in these models as a result of moral disengagement caused by the pandemic. The impacts on total performance, reputation, present and future image of operations and the role of accumulated experience to mitigate these impacts are also in focus. A questionnaire tool built in five -point Likert scale was distributed and 202 forms were validated via Survey Monkey. Online ANOVA, percentages and Pearson correlation were used. Conclusions indicate the importance of accumulated experience to limit immoral decisions resulting from disengagement. Findings also show strong correlations among disengagement and reputation and present and future image of the business.

Otoskills training during covid-19 pandemic: a before-after study

Background The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the surgical training of residents. There is a real concern that trainees will not be able to meet their training requirements. Low-fidelity surgical simulation appears to be an alternative for surgical training. The educational benefits of repeating ossiculoplasty simulations under a microscope have never been evaluated. With this study we aimed to evaluate the differences in performance scores and on a global rating scale before and after training on an ossiculoplasty simulator. Methods In this quasi-experimental, prospective, single-centre, before-after study with blinded rater evaluation, residents performed five microscopic ossiculoplasty tasks with a difficulty gradient (sliding beads onto rods, the insertion of a partial prosthesis, the insertion of a total prosthesis, and the insertion of a stapedotomy piston under microscopic or endoscopic surgery) before and after training on the same simulator. Performance scores were defined for each task, and total performance scores (score/min) were calculated. All data were collected prospectively. Results Six out of seven intermediate residents and 8/9 novices strongly agreed that the simulator was an effective training device and should be included in the ENT residency program. The mean effect of training was a significant increase in the total performance score (+ 0.52 points/min, [95 % CI, 0.40–0.64], p < 0.001), without a significant difference between novice and intermediate residents. Conclusions This preliminary study shows that techniques for middle-ear surgery can be acquired using a simulator, avoiding any risk for patients, even under lockdown measures.

Aggregating Multidimensional Criteria in Audit Decision Making

Measuring total performance of prospective alternatives in decision making (DM) needs aggregation of their noncomparable properties which often have different scales of measure. In order to address this, scale transformations and normalization are applied, but problems of validation of such additive models and interpretation of the physical sense of the result arise. In this paper, a multiplicative performance aggregation of properties' values is suggested for DM. Application of the approach enables consistent and unambiguous ranking of the alternatives allowing values of all their properties of interest. A realistic example of DM related to audit activity planning is considered where several competing control areas should be selected into an audit plan. Beyond audit planning, the approach is generalizable to other DM problems in corporate management and governance where one needs to rank alternatives compared in multiple dimensions.

Design of Corporate Performance Assessment Model using the Total Performance Scorecard at PT. Sawitto Indah Berkah

PT. Sawito Indah Berkah is a medium scale company engaged in the LPG Non-Public Service Obligation (NPSO). The company has not applied standard standards in performance assessment. This study aims to determine the performance appraisal model currently used and to design a performance appraisal model using the Total Performance Scorecard. This study uses a survey method with a qualitative approach and the type of research is descriptive modeling. The data collection technique used triangulation. The results showed that the company only applies a financial perspective in measuring performance. This research can provide useful information about the importance of designing corporate performance appraisals. Also, it is expected to be able to assist the company in evaluating its financial function, marketing function, operational function, and human resource function properly.

Stirling-powered solar dish collector with compressed air energy storage system

At present time, the SE applied to solar dish reflectors is not competitive compared to other concentrated solar power technologies because Stirling CSP equipment has complex and expensive engines and does not have a proper energy storage system. This paper introduces Stirling solar dish technology, proposes a layout of a simple SE with compressed air storage system, and examines the total performance of the equipment.