Wildlife must be protected from crime and trade for the sake of public and planetary health.

COVID-19 most likely had its origins in wildlife, and hundreds of thousands of new viruses could spill over from wildlife to humans. We are struggling to combat climate change, and we are staring down the loss of a million species. It's time to change course.

Motivations, activities, timing, and employee engagement: three approaches to business involvement in disasters.

The alarming rise in occurrences of disasters, along with the positive development of corporate social responsibility (CSR), has led to the growing need for and involvement of businesses in disaster relief. However, this involvement differs greatly across organisations, and the fragmented research that exists has not offered an understanding of these differences and how they affect disaster relief. This study provides a comprehensive model of companies' involvement in disaster relief by integrating two disaster relief frameworks (activities and timing) into two CSR frameworks (motivation and employee engagement). The result is the MATE Model of four inextricably linked dimensions (motivation, activities, timing, and employee engagement), examined in a qualitative study with 57 interviewees across 34 organisations in Australia. The resulting Corporate Involvement in Disasters Model details the four MATE dimensions and categorises three approaches to corporate involvement in disaster relief: reactive, relational, and comprehensive. This model details a roadmap for effective business involvement in disaster relief.

Disability Inclusion in Corporate Supplier Diversity Initiatives.

PURPOSE: Since the 1960s, federal and state governments and private-sector companies have used supplier diversity initiatives to ensure their supply chains include businesses owned by traditionally economically disadvantaged or underrepresented groups. Originally concentrated on racial and ethnic minority groups, programs have expanded to include businesses owned by women, veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and, in some cases, people with disabilities. This study investigates the extent to which disability is included in supplier diversity initiatives of Fortune 500 companies. METHODS: This paper uses a novel data set created by the authors with information on supplier diversity initiatives and Disability, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statements in Fortune 500 companies extracted from public sources. This information is combined with data from Compustat, a corporate financial database published by Standard and Poor's and additional variables from other sources. RESULTS: 75% of the Fortune 500 companies have supplier diversity programs that express a commitment to diversity yet only 49% of those with such programs include disability-owned businesses (38% of all Fortune 500 companies). Among the largest 100 companies, 89% had supplier diversity programs that included disability, almost 6 times the rate Ball et al. reported in 2005. This study finds disability inclusion varies significantly by company size, industry, and whether the company is a government contractor. CONCLUSION: Despite the growth in disability inclusion, the absence of disability as a diversity category in regulations mandating supplier diversity initiatives for government contractors impacts disability inclusion. If we want to align our supplier diversity programs with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the first step is to address the issue in the Small Business Administration and federal contracting requirements.

Virtual barriers: unpacking the sustainability implications of online food spaces and the Yellowknife Farmers Market's response to COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Through their support of local agriculture, relationships, and healthy diets, farmers markets can contribute to a sustainable food system. Markets like the Yellowknife Farmers Market (YKFM) are social spaces that support local food, yet the COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes to their current model. We explore the potential of online marketplaces to contribute to a resilient, sustainable food system through a case study of the YKFM. METHODS: In 2019, a collaborative mixed-method evaluation was initiated by the YKFM and university partners in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. The evaluation included an in-person Rapid Market Assessment dot survey and questionnaire of market patrons from two YKFM dates prior to the pandemic. Due to COVID-19, a vendor survey and interviews were deferred. Data collected from the two patron surveys, alongside researcher observations, available literature, public announcements, and informal email and phone discussions, inform the discussion. RESULTS: For the patron surveys, 59 dot survey and 31 questionnaire participants were recruited. The top motivators for attendance were eating dinner, atmosphere, and supporting local businesses, and most patrons attended as couples and spent over half of their time talking to others. The YKFM did not move online; instead, they proposed and implemented a "Shop, don't stop" market. Informal conversations suggested the small scale of the market and technology challenges were perceived barriers to moving online. The physically-distanced market was well-attended and featured in local media. CONCLUSIONS: NWT food strategies rely on farmers markets to nurture a local food system. Data suggest a potential incongruence between an online model and important market characteristics such as the event-like atmosphere. Available literature suggests online markets can support local food by facilitating purchasing and knowledge-sharing, yet they do not replicate the open-air or social experience. The decision not to move online for the YKFM reflects market patron characteristics and current food context in Yellowknife and the NWT. While online adaptation does not fit into the YKFM plan today, online markets may prove useful as a complementary strategy for future emerging stressors to enhance the resiliency of local systems.

Commentary: mobile laboratories for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics: what Europe could learn from the East African Community to assure trade in times of border closures.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 mutants might lead to European border closures, which impact on trade and result in serious economic losses. In April 2020, similar border closures were observed during the first SARS-CoV-2 wave in East Africa. MAIN BODY: Since 2017 the East African Community EAC together with the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine BNITM established a mobile laboratory network integrated into the National Public Health Laboratories of the six Partner States for molecular diagnosis of viral haemorrhagic fevers and SARS-CoV-2. Since May 2020, the National Public Health Laboratories of Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan deployed these mobile laboratories to their respective borders, issuing a newly developed "Electronic EAC COVID-19 Digital Certificate" to SARS-CoV-2 PCR-negative truck drivers, thus assuring regional trade. CONCLUSION: Considering the large financial damages of border closures, such a mobile laboratory network as demonstrated in East Africa is cost-effective, easy to implement and feasible. The East African Community mobile laboratory network could serve as a blueprint for Europe and other countries around the globe.

Examining Associations Between Licensed and Unlicensed Outlet Density and Cannabis Outcomes From Preopening to Postopening of Recreational Cannabis Outlets.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To expand on epidemiologic studies examining associations between the legalization of recreational cannabis and use among young adults, we examined the associations between licensed and unlicensed cannabis outlet density and cannabis outcomes. METHODS: A total of 1097 young adults aged 21 and older living in Los Angeles County were surveyed before licensed recreational cannabis outlets opened (Time 1: July to December 2017) and after (Time 2: July 2018 to June 2019). Using a database of open licensed and unlicensed cannabis retailers to calculate individual-level cannabis outlet density measures, we examined associations between outlet density within a 4-mile radius of participants' residences with Time 2 outcomes of any past-month use, daily use, intentions to use, quantity used, consequences, and cannabis use disorder (CUD) symptoms. RESULTS: After controlling for demographic factors and cannabis outcomes at a time point prior to their opening (Time 1), licensed cannabis outlets were associated with young adults' cannabis use, heavy use, and intentions, and unlicensed outlets were associated with young adults' heavy cannabis use and CUD symptoms. CONCLUSION AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study expands beyond studies of outlet prevalence to find that, after controlling for outcomes 1 year prior, licensed and unlicensed outlets were associated with young adults' cannabis outcomes. The current study is among the first to find associations between cannabis use outcomes and density of cannabis outlets among young adults using data from two time points: preopening and postopening of recreational cannabis retailers. Findings can inform policies around the density and placement of cannabis outlets. (Am J Addict 2020;00:00-00).

Impact of a crime prevention ordinance for small retail establishments.

BACKGROUND: Ordinances requiring the implementation of robbery prevention measures have been enacted at the city level in many jurisdictions. We evaluated the impact of an ordinance requiring crime prevention measures on subsequent crime rates. METHODS: Crime reports for robbery and aggravated assault from January 2006 through December 2015 were linked to randomly-selected convenience stores and small retail grocers in Houston (n = 293). Store characteristics and compliance with a list of safety measures were collected by surveyors in 2011. Generalized linear mixed models were used to compare rates of crime before and after the implementation of the ordinance. RESULTS: Robberies decreased significantly after the ordinance went into effect (rate ratio = 0.38; 95% confidence interval 0.29-0.51). No individual safety measure was associated with decreased robbery rates. No similar decrease was observed for aggravated assault. CONCLUSIONS: City ordinances mandating crime prevention measures can be effective. We could not parse out the effectiveness of individual elements, suggesting a comprehensive approach may be more effective.

Reopening businesses after Hurricane Harvey: evidence from a duration model with spatial effects.

Post-disaster business return is key to restoring the local economy. This paper applies a duration model to analyse factors that explain the delay in reopening a business in south Texas, United States, after Hurricane Harvey struck the region in August 2017. Other than property damage, the duration of business closure depended on the type of business and the various characteristics of its owner. Reflecting the vital role that social capital plays in disaster resilience, local chamber of commerce members tended to reopen their businesses sooner than their non-member counterparts. Yet, there is evidence in support of the vulnerability of female chamber members. In addition to social networks, the finding of spatial interdependence implies that the decision of business owners to resume operations in the wake of a disaster is influenced by the decisions of their neighbours. Spatial interdependence also highlights the importance of providing disaster relief to businesses in a timely manner.

The continued operation of businesses after an earthquake: a case study from Lushan County, China.

This study performed a comparative analysis of changes in the operating status of initial surviving disaster-stricken businesses and non-disaster-stricken businesses in Lushan County, China, after a devastating earthquake on 20 April 2013. It used a logistic regression model to explore the key factors associated with 'post-disaster continued business operation' in the long term. Field data were collected from 1,078 businesses and questionnaire data from 263 small businesses between 2013 and 2017. The results indicate that a higher proportion of initial surviving disaster-stricken businesses than non-disaster-stricken businesses managed to remain operational in each observation period. The continued operation of disaster-stricken businesses after the earthquake was positively associated with the owner's age, previous disaster experience, pre-disaster financial conditions, closure duration, and borrowing money from family or friends. A negative association was found with the size of the business. The findings serve as a vital reference for strategies to promote post-disaster continued business operation.

Who is Biking for? Urban Bikeshare Networks' Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Disparities in Bikeshare Access, and a Way Forward.

Black, Latinx, and Indigenous people have contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus and died of COVID-19 at higher rates than White people. Individuals rated public transit, taxis, and ride-hailing as the modes of transportation putting them at greatest risk of COVID-19 infection. Cycling may thus be an attractive alternative for commuting. Amid the increase in bikeshare usage during the early months of the pandemic, bikeshare companies made changes to membership requirements to increase accessibility, targeting especially essential workers. Essential workers in the United States are disproportionately Black and Latinx, underpaid, and reliant on public transit to commute to work. We document changes made by bikeshare companies, including benefits to various groups of essential workers, and we discuss such changes in the context of longstanding racial disparities in bikeshare access. While well intended, the arbitrary delineation in eligibility for such benefits by class of essential workers unwittingly curtailed access for many who may have benefited most. Given that equity in bikeshare is an important tool to improve access to safe transportation, critical changes in the distribution, accessibility, and usability of bikeshare networks is essential. Bikeshare companies, city planners, and policy makers should collaborate with community-based bike advocates to implement changes, as vocalized by those most in need of alternative forms of transportation.

Globalisation in the time of COVID-19: repositioning Africa to meet the immediate and remote challenges.

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new climate of uncertainty which is fuelling protectionism and playing into nationalist narratives. Globalisation is under significant threat as governments scramble to reduce their vulnerability to the virus by limiting global trade and flows of people. With the imposition of border closures and strict migration measures, there have been major disruptions in Africa's global supply chains with adverse impacts on employment and poverty. The African economies overly reliant on single export-orientated industries, such as oil and gas, are expected to be severely hit. This situation is further aggravated by tumbling oil prices and a lowered global demand for African non-oil products. The agricultural sector, which should buffer these shocks, is also being affected by the enforcement of lockdowns which threaten people's livelihoods and food security. Lockdowns may not be the answer in Africa and the issue of public health pandemic response will need to be addressed by enacting context-specific policies which should be implemented in a humane way. In addressing the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on African nations, we argue that governments should prioritize social protection programmes to provide people with resources to maintain economic productivity while limiting job losses. International funders are committing assistance to Africa for this purpose, but generally as loans (adding to debt burdens) rather than as grants. G20 agreement so suspend debt payments for a year will help, but is insufficient to fiscal need. Maintaining cross-border trade and cooperation to continue generating public revenues is desirable. New strategies for diversifying African economies and limiting their dependence on external funding by promoting trade with a more regionalised (continental) focus as promoted by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, while not without limitations, should be explored. While it is premature to judge the final economic and death toll of COVID-19, African leaders' response to the pandemic, and the support they receive from wealthier nations, will determine its eventual outcomes.

Challenges associated with business communications in English via e-mail in a medium-sized South African organisation during the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Concise and effective business English communication underpins successful organisations. During the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) much of the working day is spent in some form of communication, usually e-mails. This paper examines the effectiveness of English communication between integral parts of a business operation during the 4IR. A mixed methods approach utilising a non-experimental design was used to investigate effective business communication using e-mails in English in a medium sized organisation in South Africa. A questionnaire consisting of 10 Likert type scale questions and 5 open ended questions was used. Purposive sampling was utilised as the population was small (150 employees, final sample 55) thus results cannot be generalised. Certain barriers to communication were identified which were considered important. For instance, many staff members were second language English speakers and often misunderstand e-mails. As a result, they reported that they felt frustrated in their working life and were demotivated. It was concluded that many e-mails were challenging to staff and needed to be written in everyday English not business language. The authors recommended that workshops and initial training in business language skills when people enter the organisation should be undertaken. Human Resources could also audit the use of appropriate English.

From achievement to power: David C. McClelland, McBer & Company, and the business of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), 1962-1985.

During the 1960s, Harvard psychologist David McClelland focused his research and business endeavors on increasing the need for achievement in small businesspeople, with the goal of fostering economic success in the developing world. However, by the early 1970s, McClelland would focus almost entirely on developing executives' need for power in the United States. In this paper, I argue that underlying this shift was McClelland's dedication to the project of behavioral engineering and a newfound belief that training individuals in the responsible exercise of leadership and managerial power had become the most effective path to achieving his liberal political aims.

A Framework for Evaluating Vendor Procurement in a Digital Health Project.

The eHealth Centre of Excellence, a Waterloo, Ontario-based organization that advances and promotes digital health initiatives in clinical care, developed and assessed an innovative evaluation procurement framework. The purpose of the framework was to assess and support long-term vendor-organization procurement partnerships to develop, improve and expand electronic referral (eReferral) solutions. The framework focused on six criteria: the quality of the eReferral solution, its implementation, the service provided, the extent of training and knowledge transfer, the quality of the vendor's team and the vendor's project experience. These domains were further defined by components and key performance indicators unique to the eReferral solution to accommodate the stakeholders' specified needs as well as change management challenges to create value for users and organizations in long-term relationships. The evaluation used both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The framework used data from three sources: (1) the System Coordinated Access program and vendor team experience surveys that focused on the six criteria mentioned earlier; (2) key stakeholder interviews that focused on system quality, user satisfaction and perception of net benefits; and (3) a vendor scorecard that focused on deliverables and efficiencies. Vendor procurement should be viewed not as a process that ends when a vendor is selected but rather as a continuing and evolving relationship. Evaluation should assess the ability and willingness of vendors to support stakeholders and meet their needs, stimulate new ideas and adapt to changing environments and expanding systems. The model enabled recording of factors necessary for successful outcomes and provided a strategy to help select vendors for successful long-term partnerships.

A perspective on global access to insulin: a descriptive study of the market, trade flows and prices.

AIM: To describe the global insulin market. METHODS: Market intelligence data, United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics for insulin trade, the International Medical Products Price Guide for prices of human insulin and additional web searches were used as data sources. These sources were combined to gain further insight into possible links among market, trade flows and prices. Descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank order correlation were used for the analysis. RESULTS: A total of 34 insulin manufacturers were identified. Most countries and territories are reliant on a limited number of supplying countries. The overall median (interquartile range) government procurement price for a 10-ml, 100-IU/ml vial during the period 1996-2013 equivalent was US$4.3 (US$ 3.8-4.8), with median prices in Africa (US$ 4.7) and low- (US$ 6.9) and low- to middle- (US$ 4.7) income countries being higher over this period. The relationships between price and quantity of insulin (Spearman's r=0.046; P>0.1) and number of import links (Spearman's r=0.032; P>0.1) were weak. The links between price and percentage of total insulin from a country where a 'big three' manufacturer produces insulin (Spearman's r=0.294; P<0.05) and total insulin from the main import link (Spearman's r=-0.392; P<0.05) were stronger. CONCLUSIONS: This research shows the high variability of insulin prices and the reliance on a few sources, both companies and countries, for global supply. In addressing access to insulin, countries need to use existing price data to negotiate prices, and mechanisms need to be developed to foster competition and security of supply of insulin, given the limited number of truly global producers.

A multidisciplinary review of the policy, intellectual property rights, and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medications.

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee approved the addition of 16 cancer medicines to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML), bringing the total number of cancer medicines on the list to 46. This change represented the first major revision to the EML oncology section in recent history and reinforces international recognition of the need to ensure access and affordability for cancer treatments. Importantly, many low and middle-income countries rely on the EML, as well as the children's EML, as a guide to establish national formularies, and moreover use these lists as tools to negotiate medicine pricing. However, EML inclusion is only one component that impacts cancer treatment access. More specifically, factors such as intellectual property rights and international trade agreements can interact with EML inclusion, drug pricing, and accessibility. To better understand this dynamic, we conducted an interdisciplinary review of the patent status of EML cancer medicines compared to other EML noncommunicable disease medicines using the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st editions of the list. We also explored the interaction of intellectual property rights with the international trade regime and how trade agreements can and do impact cancer treatment access and affordability. Based on this analysis, we conclude that patent status is simply one factor in the complex international environment of health systems, IPR policies, and trade regimes and that aligning these oftentimes disparate interests will require shared global governance across the cancer care continuum.

Assessing Data Sources for Medicine Price Studies.

OBJECTIVES: There is no established methodology to assess the feasibility of medicine price data sources. Against this backdrop, a framework to guide the selection of most appropriate price data sources for pharmacoeconomic research has been developed. METHODS: A targeted literature review was carried out. Dimensions discussed in literature as relevant for medicine price comparisons and practical experience of the authors in medicine price studies informed the conceptional work of the framework development. A draft version of the framework was reviewed by peer pricing experts. The feasibility of the framework was tested in case studies. RESULTS: According to the developed framework (called Re-ADAPT), a medicine price data source should meet the following criteria: reliability and sustainability; accessibility at a cost that users can afford; provision of medicine price information at the date(s) required; information for the defined geographic area, or at least in a representative way; coverage of the pharmaceuticals and at the price type(s) required. Easy handling and provision of additional information were defined as supportive assets of candidate data sources (secondary criteria). The case studies confirmed the feasibility of the Re-ADAPT framework. In some cases, however, it can be difficult to disentangle assessment criteria (particularly geographic area, scope of pharmaceuticals and price types) for separate consideration, given their interlinkage. CONCLUSIONS: While selection of the most appropriate data sources will remain a challenge, the Re-ADAPT framework aims to provide practical guidance and thus contribute to a more careful, balanced, and evidence-based selection of data sources for medicine price studies.