The relationship between wellness participation and health care benefit utilization

To examine the relationship between participation in a wellness program and the amount of absenteeism and medical claims, seven years of retrospective absenteeism and medical claims records were collected for 207 employees (pre- and postwellness intervention) and entered into a database. A proportional stratified random sample of workers by wellness participation was selected. While there was no significant change in the amount of sick leave taken over time, a log transformation revealed a significant increase in the dollar amount of medical claims over time, particularly for the middle-aged group of employees. This confirms that wellness intervention slowed the rate of increasing claims among middle-aged participants after just three years of wellness intervention.     

The value of birth control

The attempt was made to obtain an improved estimate of the economic value of birth control programs in developing countries. A medium sized econometric simulation model -- based on data covering a cross-section of 67 countries -- was constructed to investigate the implications to a developing economy of birth prevention. Fertility measures were included in the model as important endogenous variables in the economic process, and parameter values were supplied by formal estimation rather than expert judgment. A matrix of age-specific birth and survival rates was used. The model has sufficient detail to generate a complete age distribution for the population, yielding improved estimates of the value of birth control and other growth policies. Initial focus is on the construction of the model. This is followed by simulation of the system with simulated paths compared to observed paths for a few countries. Projections of real per capita output and other variables with and without the presence of a birth control program are presented. The size of the differential economic effect associated with lower fertility is examined for 17 sets of initial conditions corresponding to a selection of 17 developing countries. Comparisons of birth control with other forms of investment are made.     

质量新观点集锦

ＢｊｏｒｎＡｎｄｅｒｓｅｎ(挪威科学技术大学副教授 ) :对质量专家的挑战是掌握更多的现代化全面质量管理手段 ,并把他们融入管理方法。我们应该通晓更多的先进技术 ,以便深谙他们怎样互相依从 ,又怎样互相协调。 ＡｌｅｘａｎｄｅｒＣｈｏｎｇ(美国明尼苏达州圣保罗Ｐｌｅｘｕｓ公司首席执行官 ) :仅仅依赖于质量工具的质量专家会由于误入歧途而失败。那些洞悉优质来源于有效管理系统的人将是新世纪的领导者。你知道有多少首席执行官 (ＣＥＯｓ)出自质量行业 ?即是有 ,也微乎其微。我相信 ,明天的企业领导会深深扎根于质量 ,洞察质量怎样…     

Make your values mean something

Take a look at this list of corporate values: Communication. Respect. Integrity. Excellence. They sound pretty good, don't they? Maybe they even resemble your own company's values. If so, you should be nervous. These are the corporate values of Enron, as claimed in its 2000 annual report. And they're absolutely meaningless. Indeed, most values statements, says the author, are bland, toothless, or just plain dishonest. And far from being harmless, as some executives assume, they're often highly destructive. Empty values statements create cynical and dispirited employees and undermine managerial credibility. But coming up with strong values--and sticking to them--isn't easy. Organizations that want their values statements to really mean something should follow four imperatives. First, understand the different types of values: core, aspirational, permission-to-play, and accidental. Confusing them with one another can bewilder employees and make management seem out of touch. Second, be aggressively authentic. Too many companies view a values initiative in the same way they view a marketing launch: a onetime event measured by the initial attention it receives, not by its content. Third, own the process. Values initiatives are about imposing a set of fundamental, strategically sound beliefs on a broad group of people. That's why the best values efforts are driven by small teams. Finally, weave core values into everything. It's not enough to hang your values statement on the wall; it must be integrated into every employee-related process--hiring methods, performance management systems, even dismissal policies. Living by stated corporate values is difficult. But the benefits of doing so can be profound; so can the damage from adopting a hollow set of corporate values.