Recent Articles
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Applying cowboy ethics to today’s firefighters
David Cain Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityGrowing up in rural Wisconsin, I dreamed of being a cowboy someday. For whatever reason, my real fascination was horses. I have lived with horses and dogs most of my life, but I would never consider myself a cowboy. I was fortunate enough to know some real cowboys and even got to ride in a two-day round-up of 300 head of cattle. That was a blast.
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How can we apply democratic principles to risk management?
Rasoul Abdolmohammadi Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementFormer British Prime Minister Winston Churchill seemed to have a problem with democracy. He famously said, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried." Greek philosopher Plato agreed, putting democracy near the bottom of his list of five types of government (aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy and tyranny).
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Despite guidelines, antibiotic choice to treat pediatric pneumonia varies
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareA new study shows that outpatient clinicians prescribe macrolide antibiotics to treat community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in most pediatric patients — even though established guidelines recommend amoxicillin in the majority of cases.
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The first bite: Dealing with conflicts of interest
Robert C. Harris Association ManagementThe chairman of the board explained his perspective about directors benefiting from board service: "Because our board members are volunteers, the best way to ensure they receive payback is give them first bite at business opportunities in the association."
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Homes sales, aging propel remodeling industry
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesRising home prices and sales of existing homes have boosted recent remodeling activity, while major life-stage events for the nation's two largest demographic cohorts will continue to drive demand in the next decade. Those are the findings of two recent analyses by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University (JCHS).
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Do anti-inflammatory drugs really improve low back pain?
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareAcute back pain is one of the most common reasons for visits to primary care physicians, second only to colds and flu. The annual prevalence of low back pain in the United States is estimated at 15 to 20 percent, and the lifetime prevalence is over 60 percent. The first episode usually occurs between 20 and 40 years of age.
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Whoa! Here’s a huge church communication problem
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityWe say too much. Do you ever catch yourself talking to your child, spouse or friend, trying to get them to understand your perspective? The more you talk, the more they seem to disengage. So when you feel they're not listening, you talk more. And it becomes self-defeating.
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Improvements pay off in Skytrax 2017 World Airport Awards
Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & AutomotiveThis year's Skytrax World Airport Awards are in, naming the world's best airports as voted for by the passengers who use them. For some, little has changed, and others are seeing the effort of improving customer service and redeveloping infrastructure paying off. So, what can we learn from this year's rankings?
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2 fundamental reasons performance reviews fail
Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementPerformance reviews are awful. They are so difficult to get right, yet companies continue to cling to them as the only way to measure individual employee success. While many organizations have adjusted to account for newer, better tools, they still face problems with effectively measuring improvements or addressing behaviors. The reason is, regardless of the tool used, there are fundamental mistakes many organizations make that will doom the success of any evaluation method.
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Snow and floods: How cities can prepare roads and bridges
Ryan Clark Transportation Technology & AutomotiveWinter arrived late for the Northeast this year, as Winter Storm Stella dropped roughly 3 to 5 feet of snow on parts of the region last week. While many cities were spared the worst of the storm, others felt the full brunt, proving how preparation for major storms can make all the difference between a city that is still operable and one that is totally incapacitated.