The new academic health center hybrids: part business, part academic

Academic health centers have flourished since the 1960s and even managed to survive the shift toward prospective payment. But in their current quest to expand the number of managed care patients and compete with the private sector, they often must price services below cost and reduce the number of faculty members and other personnel. Unless their prices are competitive, managed care companies will not do business with them. AHCs that cannot compete find they are overbedded, underused, and in turmoil. This article explores what successful AHCs are doing to stay healthy in the managed care era.     

Gender differences in the effects of coping assistance on the reduction of burnout in academic staff

This study examined gender differences in the effectiveness of five sources of coping assistance to reduce dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion among 403 female and 664 male academic staff of a Dutch university. It was hypothesized that support at work ((1) socio-emotional aid from the supervisor and colleagues, (2) a supportive climate in the department, and (3) practical assistance in the department) and support at home ((4) socio-emotional aid from the spouse, and (5) practical assistance from the spouse) would reduce dissatisfaction and burnout, and that women especially would benefit from these coping assistance measures. Using moderated regression analyses, the results showed that coping assistance from a supervisor and colleagues is an important measure to reduce both dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Further, a supportive departmental climate and practical assistance in the department reduced emotional exhaustion and especially female academic staff benefited from these types of coping assistance at the aggregate level. However, contrary to expectations, such beneficial effects were not found for both socio-emotional aid and practical assistance from the spouse.     

Gender differences in the effects of coping assistance on the reduction of burnout in academic staff

This study examined gender differences in the effectiveness of five sources of coping assistance to reduce dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion among 403 female and 664 male academic staff of a Dutch university. It was hypothesized that support at work ((1) socio-emotional aid from the supervisor and colleagues, (2) a supportive climate in the department, and (3) practical assistance in the department) and support at home ((4) socio-emotional aid from the spouse, and (5) practical assistance from the spouse) would reduce dissatisfaction and burnout, and that women especially would benefit from these coping assistance measures. Using moderated regression analyses, the results showed that coping assistance from a supervisor and colleagues is an important measure to reduce both dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Further, a supportive departmental climate and practical assistance in the department reduced emotional exhaustion and especially female academic staff benefited from these types of coping assistance at the aggregate level. However, contrary to expectations, such beneficial effects were not found for both socio-emotional aid and practical assistance from the spouse.     

The angry physician-Part 1. The temper-tantruming physician

Angry physicians create problems--for the people they treat and work with, for their administrators, and for their loved ones. Addressing negative emotions is one of the most prevalent organizational and personal challenges facing physician leaders. Solving this problem starts with taking an honest look at the factors and processes that shape physicians' coping patterns. Learning effective emotional management skills is underscored by a simple fact: Emotions are contagious. The Type A behavior pattern (TYABP) refers to an aggressive coping mode. Cross-cultural research suggests that, compared to the general population, physicians show elevated scores on TYABP measures, and that women physicians are at particular risk of developing TYABP. In Part 2 of this series, interpersonal anger management strategies will be presented.     

Clinical information systems in the academic medical center

Introducing new clinical information systems at an academic medical center presents unique challenges related to: Academic infrastructure. Diversity. Communication. The purpose of this article is to describe these special challenges and strategies used at the University of Michigan Medical Center (UMMC) in response. After numerous discussions with colleagues at other academic institutions, we believe that these challenges are remarkably similar at many if not most academic medical centers across the country.     

Getting a firm grip on the realities for physician executives

Today, physician executives can be found in every health care setting-group practices, hospitals and academic medical centers, insurance companies, drug companies, airlines, the government, and more. But before physicians land these positions, they must negotiate the often difficult passage from clinician to manager to executive to business-minded leader. To manage this transition successfully, physicians must be aware of and understand some basic realities of management positions. The nature of these realities and how physicians interested in management can deal with them are the subject of this article.     

管理学术与实践隔阂:和谐管理的桥梁作用

管理学术与实践各自自我循环的运作模式,使得二者之间存在较大的隔阂。从管理知识的形成与使用视角来看,原因包括两个方面:首先是管理知识的类型,目前学者们认为面向实际问题解决产生的模式2知识比传统学术研究产生的模式1知识更具实践价值,但分析发现模式1与模式2因其优劣互补而分别适应于不同的管理问题;其次是目前实践者对管理知识的消费偏好,据此给出了缩减管理学术与实践隔阂的整体思路及措施.和谐管理理论揭示了如何定位组织中核心问题以及解决问题的双规则机制,将其应用于上述措施,有助于促进管理学术与实践的有效对话。     

Assigning students to academic majors

We address here the problem of assigning undergraduate students to academic major areas at a Middle-Eastern business school, which is quite different from what one usually faces in the West. Our formulation considers the student's preference in the light of his/her performance in certain bellwether courses and various practical constraints in arriving at an initial solution. We present a linear program that maximizes the overall value of the assignments to the students as well as the academic units concerned. We show through a real example how this approach has been implemented as one step in the major-assignment process.     

Combined military training and academic instruction in Eritrea

ABSTRACT

The study explored public perceptions on the combined military training and academic instruction in Eritrea. The sample consisted of 100 school leavers, 10 parents, and 20 teachers. The research instruments were questionnaire and interview guide. The findings revealed that the combined military and academic instruction was perceived to be negative, since it is government imposed and puts more emphasis on military training and the harsh military environment in which academics is carried out. However, learning diverse skills, promoting national unity, and creating patriotic spirit were mentioned as some positive outcomes of the system. The study recommends that the government needs to carry out the military training and academic studies in separate locations, liberalize education, and enable parents to have a voice in school decisions.     

Professional networks,science ability,and gender determinants of three types of leadership in academic science and engineering

This paper examines the factors associated with holding leadership positions among men and women academic scientists. We develop hypotheses for three determinants of leadership: professional networks, science ability, and gender. We test the resulting model on the likelihood of holding three different types of academic science leadership—research center leadership, university administrative leadership, and discipline leadership. Findings show that while science productivity and reputation are strongly associated with having either a center or discipline leadership position, they are less strongly associated with administrative leadership. Also, larger and more dense collaboration networks predict having a center leadership position, but the opposite is true for holding an administrative leadership position. Women are more likely to be in discipline leadership positions and less likely to be a leader of a research center or have an administrative university leadership position. Finally, having more women in the network reduces the likelihood of holding discipline or center leadership positions. Interpretations of findings and conclusions explore the potential implications for theory, practice and policy.     

Employee performance management across borders: A review of relevant academic literature

The purpose of this paper is to survey the emerging academic literature on employee performance management (PM) from an international perspective. The primary information source was a search of electronic databases. Two criteria were used to determine which studies to include in the literature survey: (1) those published in an English-language blind refereed academic journal, and (2) those focused on employee PM or performance appraisal (PA) from an international/global perspective. Sixty-four articles, published between 1985 and 2005, met the criteria. A preliminary scheme was developed for classifying the existing academic research into conceptual and empirical articles. The empirical articles were further classified by their foci and themes. In addition to classifying the articles, the paper presents a summary of what can be learned from the major findings of the empirical studies. The major conclusion is that the academic literature on cross-border PM is relatively atheoretical and exploratory in nature and that the design and substance of the research studies are weak. With regard to themes, there are a number of foci in the literature with only scant attention paid to the central concern with the PM of expatriates as expressed by firms. The empirical articles look at the disparate components of PA and are interested mainly in cultural differences as an intervening variable. Several recommendations are presented for researchers to help focus future research on cross-border PM.     

The courageous follower

With the recent changes in the delivery of medical care in the United States, physicians are being thrust into new and unsettling roles. Many are finding themselves for the first time in the role of the follower, subject to myriad types of leadership. Leaders frequently complain that leading physicians is like "herding cats." What are the characteristics of followers? Do physicians make good followers? This article examines the role of the "cats"--what is effective followership, why physicians may fall short in followership skills, and how physicians might become better "followers."     

The impact of emotion on organizational learning

This paper addresses an aspect of organizational learning that has not been extensively developed - the impact of emotion on organizational learning. The study of emotion in organizations is seen as an important part of the development of organizational learning. The paper argues that attention to the emotional dynamics of organizing, and to the links between emotion and organizational politics, will increase the possibilities for understanding organizational learning. Awareness of the impact of emotion on organizational learning can be developed through an investigation of two areas. First, organizational learning is more than a product of organizational responses to individual learning. Emotion contributes to a broader understanding of systemic learning. Second, emotion is important to strategic aspects of organizational learning. There is a link between the emotional and the political within organizations. The paper contains a discussion of these themes using brief case examples to illustrate and develop the issues.     

Physician resiliency?

The profound changes in the health care industry have led to the anger, frustration, and unhappiness that physicians are feeling. It is important to examine physicians' responses to the threats to their professional autonomy, image, lifestyles, and relationships with their patients. The "learned helplessness" behavior exhibited by physicians is astounding, considering the education, status, and reputation of physicians as healers for those in need. This article explores the concept of resiliency among physicians and describes why physicians as a group may be less resilient than other individuals. In fact, the structure and training of the medical profession stacks the deck against those who want to change or to be resilient in the face of the changing environment.     

Knowledge dissemination in operations management: Published perceptions versus academic reality

The channels for knowledge generation and dissemination in the business disciplines are many: presenting research at conferences, writing books, distributing working papers, offering insights in society newsletters, giving invited talks, publishing studies in academic journals, and many other venues, including even blogs and perhaps Facebook^®. But the most important venue is probably published research in “top-level” academic journals. In the discipline of Operations Management, many studies and lists have been published that attempt to determine which of these journals are supposedly the “top” according to either citation analyses, the opinion of recognized experts, author affiliations, bibliometric studies, and other approaches. These lists may then, in turn, be used in different degrees to evaluate research. However, what really counts is what the academic institutions actually use for guidance in evaluating faculty research. Based on a new source of ranking data from AACSB-accredited schools, we compare published journal-ranking studies against that of academe to determine the degree to which the studies reflect academic “reality”. We present rankings of OM journals based on this new source of data and on an aggregate of the stream of published studies, and evaluate their consistency.     

The role of the coordinator of care

Regardless of the specific outcome of the current health reform debate in Washington, it is likely that major changes to the health care system are in the offering. These changes, many of which are already in place or imminent in some locations, will have a major impact on the evolving relationships between physicians and hospitals. Most expect that these changes will accelerate the development of integrated health care delivery systems that will compete in the marketplace for a mixture of public and private health insurance dollars. In this system of "managed competition," health care dollars will flow to those systems that can ensure the best clinical outcomes while using the least economic resources. In this scenario, competing collaborative health networks that can manage the continuum of care will be central to the health care delivery system. The economic and political ties between physicians and hospitals will become more closely linked as government and private payers of health care services foster the development of these integrated, value-based health care delivery systems.     

The times, they are a changin'

Significant changes are taking place and will continue to take place in U.S. health care and medicine. Many of these changes are not, and will not be, to the benefit of physicians. Reduced personal autonomy, probably lower compensation than expected, fewer and less adequate resources, and overall significantly reduced power are some of the likely outcomes of the changes underway. Perhaps of greatest personal interest is the high likelihood of lack of employment in medicine for upwards of 200,000 physicians over the next 20 years.     

The physician's alternative career transition model: a stepwise approach

The recent intense focus on marketplace reform has stimulated a reassessment of career planning options for some physicians. These socioeconomic changes have created unique opportunities beyond the traditional arenas of clinical practice and medical management for physicians to leverage their medical degrees and experiences in the business world. This paper presents three case reports of physician executives who have successfully pursued medically related business career options, each following different motivations at various stages of their medical careers. It then discusses the Physicians' Alternative Career Transition (PACT) model developed by the authors to assist other physicians who are considering making transitions into business-related careers. The PACT model is based on four critical steps for practicing physicians to make these transitions successfully: an internal self-evaluation process, an external environmental evaluation process, seeking the best "career match," and securing the career match.     

异常情况下基于VARX模型的中国投资者行为研究

内容本文基于市场数据和宏观经济变量,通过引入虚拟变量代表作为大牛市和大熊市的异常情况,利用VARX模型研究了中国证券投资者在异常情况下的行为决策,同时,利用Cholesky正交分解的脉冲响应和方差分解分析了投资者行为变化的主要影响源。结论显示：中国资本市场存在大量的非理性因素和投机因素;与大牛市相比,中国投资者在大熊市的情绪变化更加剧烈;宏观经济对中国投资者行为变化作用不大,债券市场和国际股票市场是影响投资者行为变化的主要因素。