Dynamic capabilities, value creation and value capture: Evidence from SMEs under Covid-19 lockdown in Poland.

Dynamic capabilities, resulting from activities that allow conscious and skillful modification of a firm's strategic potential, are seen as one of the key drivers of a firm's value creation, competitive advantage and above-average performance in changing environments. However, little is known about how dynamic capabilities can shape business survival and performance during crises. The research objective of this paper is twofold. First, through a literature review, we seek to identify which first-order dynamic capabilities-managerial decisions under uncertainty-are vital for rapid response to a crisis. Second, we present the results of research carried out among 151 small and medium-sized companies in Poland immediately after the beginning of the economic lockdown (April 2020). The survey that we developed identifies which dynamic capabilities were essential for businesses to survive during this unexpected black swan event. We also present dependence and regression analyses showing the links between the identified dynamic capabilities and value creation, understood as retaining employees and production levels, as well as value capture, understood as maintaining cash flow and current revenues.

Specialized Smartphone Intervention Apps: Review of 2014 to 2018 NIH Funded Grants.

BACKGROUND: The widespread adoption of smartphones provides researchers with expanded opportunities for developing, testing and implementing interventions. National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds competitive, investigator-initiated grant applications. Funded grants represent the state of the science and therefore are expected to anticipate the progression of research in the near future. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to provide an analysis of the kinds of smartphone-based intervention apps funded in NIH research grants during the five-year period between 2014 and 2018. METHODS: We queried NIH Reporter to identify candidate funded grants that addressed mHealth and the use of smartphones. From 1524 potential grants, we identified 397 that met the requisites of including an intervention app. Each grant's abstract was analyzed to understand the focus of intervention. The year of funding, type of activity (eg, R01, R34, and so on) and funding were noted. RESULTS: We identified 13 categories of strategies employed in funded smartphone intervention apps. Most grants included either one (35.0%) or two (39.0%) intervention approaches. These included artificial intelligence (57 apps), bionic adaptation (33 apps), cognitive and behavioral therapies (68 apps), contingency management (24 apps), education and information (85 apps), enhanced motivation (50 apps), facilitating, reminding and referring (60 apps), gaming and gamification (52 apps), mindfulness training (18 apps), monitoring and feedback (192 apps), norm setting (7 apps), skills training (85 apps) and social support and social networking (59 apps). The most frequently observed grant types included Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants (40.8%) and Research Project Grants (R01s) (26.2%). The number of grants funded increased through the five-year period from 60 in 2014 to 112 in 2018. CONCLUSIONS: Smartphone intervention apps are increasingly competitive for NIH funding. They reflect a wide diversity of approaches that have significant potential for use in applied settings.

The Affordable Care Act's Impact on Small Business.

Issue: Small-business owners have seen significant gains in health care coverage for themselves and their employees thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Though efforts to repeal the law failed in 2017, the current administration continues to take steps that undermine the law's progress. In recent months, new rules have been announced that allow more groups to establish association health plans and extend the length of short-term health insurance plans. These changes are likely to impact the stability of the marketplaces and coverage rates for the small-business community. Goal: Examine the Affordable Care Act's impact on small businesses, solo entrepreneurs, and small-business employees. Methods: Analysis of ACA small-business enrollment data from established sources, including federal agencies and nonpartisan health care research foundations, supplemented by analysis of U.S. Census data. Findings and Conclusions: Because of the creation of the individual marketplaces and the expansion of Medicaid, more entrepreneurs and small-business employees have health coverage than before the ACA was implemented. Indeed, the uninsured rate for small-business employees fell by almost 10 percentage points post-ACA. The ACA also has helped stabilize health costs for many small businesses that provide coverage, with the rate of small-business premium increases falling by half following implementation of the law.

The Health of the Small-Group Insurance Market.

Issue: There has been relatively little discussion about the small-group employer insurance market since the implementation of reforms under the Affordable Care Act. It is important to understand the condition of this market before the impact of recent regulatory changes from the Trump administration. Goal: To understand how the ACA's market reforms have affected prices, enrollment, and competition in the small-group market. Methods: Analysis of financial data filed by small-group insurers with the federal government, along with relevant published literature. Findings and Conclusions: Enrollment has declined in the small-group market, although this is largely a continuation of a trend in place prior to the ACA. Substantially more small-business owners and workers now have coverage than prior to the ACA because many have been able to take advantage of subsidized individual plans through the marketplaces. For those who remain in the small-group market, price increases have been similar to those in the large-group market. The ACA has not reduced the cost of small-group insurance, but has made it more accessible and comprehensive without harming the market. It will be important to continue monitoring the small-group market to ensure that recent regulatory changes do not worsen market conditions.

Barriers to and Facilitators of Stocking Healthy Food Options: Viewpoints of Baltimore City Small Storeowners.

Receptivity to strategies to improve the food environment by increasing access to healthier foods in small food stores is underexplored. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with small storeowners of different ethnic backgrounds as part of a small-store intervention trial. Store owners perceived barriers and facilitators to purchase, stock, and promote healthy foods. Barriers mentioned included customer preferences for higher fat and sweeter taste and for lower prices; lower wholesaler availability of healthy food; and customers' lack of interest in health. Most store owners thought positively of taste tests, free samples, and communication interventions. However, they varied in terms of their expectations of the effect of these strategies on customers' healthy food purchases. The findings reported add to the limited data on motivating and working with small-store owners in low-income urban settings.

[Development of Human Health Discoveries. 10 years results of Young Innovative Company incubation]. / Le développement des découvertes en Santé Humaine. Résultats de 10 ans d'incubation de Jeunes Entreprises Innovantes.

Medicine is evolving every day in its operating procedures and the services offered to patients, emphasizing personalized medicine, safety and medical benefits. The individual patient is more than ever the hub of healthcare organization. Medical innovation is thus a public health priority. However it requires an accurate assessment of medical utility and risk-benefit ratios, and in-depth analysis of economic and organizational impacts. Ten years of experience in the Paris Biotech Santé company incubator has identified key actions for effective support of research projects and the success of innovative companies. Strong expertise is needed to prepare development plans, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and obtain research funding. During its first decade, this incubator has created 87 innovative companies employing 1500 people, raised more than 90 million euros of funding, and reached a cumulative company value of 1200 million euros. Key factors of success have been identified, but an analysis of the causes of failure shows that operational adjustments are mandatory, particularly a strong commitment from medical experts, in order to promote access to new and useful products for patients while at the same time assessing their social impact.

The Health IT Regional Extension Center Program: evolution and lessons for health care transformation.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the Regional Extension Center (REC) program's progress toward its goal of supporting over 100,000 providers in small, rural, and underserved practices to achieve meaningful use (MU) of an electronic health record (EHR). DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Data collected January 2010 through June 2013 via monitoring and evaluation of the 4-year REC program. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study of 62 REC programs. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Primary data collected from RECs were merged with nine other datasets, and descriptive statistics of progress by practice setting and penetration of targeted providers were calculated. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: RECs recruited almost 134,000 primary care providers (PCPs), or 44 percent of the nation's PCPs; 86 percent of these were using an EHR with advanced functionality and almost half (48 percent) have demonstrated MU. Eighty-three percent of Federally Qualified Health Centers and 78 percent of the nation's Critical Access Hospitals were participating with an REC. CONCLUSIONS: RECs have made substantial progress in assisting PCPs with adoption and MU of EHRs. This infrastructure supports small practices, community health centers, and rural and public hospitals to use technology for care delivery transformation and improvement.

Jobs without benefits: the health insurance crisis faced by small businesses and their workers.

The share of U.S. workers in small firms who were offered, eligible for, and covered by health insurance through their jobs has declined over the past decade. Less than half of workers in companies with fewer than 50 employees were both offered and eligible for health insurance through their jobs in 2010, down from 58 percent in 2003. In contrast, about 90 percent of workers in companies with 100 or more employees were offered and eligible for their employer's health plans in both 2003 and 2010. Workers in the smallest firms--and those with the lowest wages--continue to be less likely to get coverage from their employers and more likely to be uninsured than workers in larger firms or with higher wages. The Affordable Care Act includes new subsidies that will lower the cost of health insurance for small businesses and workers who must purchase coverage on their own.

Funding mechanisms and program management at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: confronting new challenges and exploring new opportunities.

Over the past 8 years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget appropriation has lost purchasing power, with erosion of the benefits of the doubling of the budget less than a decade ago. For the first time in 40 years, the NIH appropriation in fiscal year 2011 was 1% less than in the previous year. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has been closely managing its funds to protect its core functions: support and conduct of research, and training of biomedical research scientists. Rigorous evaluations of funding mechanisms, management of clinical studies, set-aside programs and funding guidelines are designed to help the Institute, in consultation with its advisory council, to minimize the long-term impact of extreme resource limitations on the advance and conduct of science. This report describes some recent actions taken by the NHLBI to maximize support for investigator-initiated research, maintain a balanced portfolio, and provide as much support as possible for established and early-stage investigators.