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A lot of attention has recently been devoted to the notion of Trustworthy AI (TAI). However, the very applicability of the notions of trust and trustworthiness to AI systems has been called into question. A purely epistemic account of trust can hardly ground the distinction between trustworthy and merely reliable AI, while it has been argued that insisting on the importance of the trustee's motivations and goodwill makes the notion of TAI a categorical error. After providing an overview of the debate, we contend that the prevailing views on trust and AI fail to account for the ethically relevant and value-laden aspects of the design and use of AI systems, and we propose an understanding of the notion of TAI that explicitly aims at capturing these aspects. The problems involved in applying trust and trustworthiness to AI systems are overcome by keeping apart trust in AI systems and interpersonal trust. These notions share a conceptual core but should be treated as distinct ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-approval changes (PACs) to the control and manufacturing processes of medicines and vaccines are routinely undertaken and critical to enable both innovation and secure sustained supply. In a world of global supply chains, the existence of divergent national PAC requirements (with additional countries introducing new requirements with potential differences) and other factors including document preparation and response timelines, can lead to long delays in approval (of up to 3–5 years) increasing the risk of disruption and shortages. We undertook an Industry survey in 2023 to assess implementation of ICH Q12, PAC procedures (change categorisation and review timelines) and use of reliance mechanisms across different countries (9 selected ICH Members and 19 Observers). Although this survey revealed limited implementation of Q12 in ICH Member countries, when comparing the data collected with those of a previous survey performed in 2020, we observed a broader adoption of risk-based approaches to variation categorisation (in all countries). This, however, was not reflected in improved timelines for approval. With regards to ICH Q12 adoption, the uptake of Post-Approval Change Management Protocols (PACMPs) was unchanged (with only one country reporting in-use) and implementation gaps were evident for Established Conditions (EC) and the Product Life Cycle Management document (PLCM). The survey found greater awareness of ICH Q12 and its tools compared to 2020, potentially illustrating the positive impact of training efforts. This illustrates the challenges being faced to broaden its implementation and use globally. In the same Industry survey, we also assessed PAC processes across different international countries. Long unpredictable timelines were the major concern across the countries surveyed together with limited capacity of the regulators. Four different CMC changes were selected and categorized by the respondents according to current knowledge of national classifications and timelines in the selected countries and compared with a reference classification and timeline from the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organisation. This highlighted the lack of harmonisation of many countries with EU/WHO requirements, especially within the ICH Observer group. Last, this survey showed that some use of unilateral forms of reliance to Reference Authorities for PACs is starting. This is a mechanism all countries can employ, regardless of convergence of requirements and expertise, to enhance capacity building and reduce duplication of reviews, streamline variations approval, whilst accelerating patient access to innovation and securing supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-approval changes (PACs) to marketed products are routinely introduced to continuously enhance the product lifecycle management. However, bringing a chemistry, manufacturing and control (CMC) change through the global health authorities can be a complex and lengthy process taking up to several years, therefore negatively impacting supply continuity. In order to accelerate the review and approval of regulatory submissions and ensure continuous supply to patients, the World Health Organization (WHO) is strongly supporting the implementation of reliance among National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs). While some promising developments have been made with the use of reliance pathways for initial marketing authorizations, reliance is still not widely used for PACs. With the support of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and WHO, Roche launched a reliance pilot based on EMA approval to file a supply critical variation for a monoclonal antibody. The variation constitutes major changes to the approved manufacturing process. Sameness of the product is ensured by submitting to all participants the same variation package as in the EU. The objectives of the pilot are to ensure continuous supply of this critical medicine by targeting global approval in 6.5 months, to promote regulatory convergence by waiving country specific requirements, and enhance greater transparency by sharing EMA Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) final assessment report and Q&As to participating NRAs. Globally 48 NRAs have agreed to join the pilot. This article outlines the process of establishing the pilot project, including a planning phase and an engagement phase with the EMA, WHO and the participating NRAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractLevel 2 automated vehicles (AVs) have been commercially available for years, yet the extent to which drivers are cognizant of their capabilities and limitations remains largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the public’s mental model of Level 2 AVs and investigate the relationships between mental model, trust, and reliance. Moreover, it sought to explore driver heterogeneity through cluster analysis to identify typical driver classes. Employing Tesla Autopilot as a representative Level 2 automation system, we designed a questionnaire measuring mental model from three dimensions: functional condition, sensorimotor preparation, and automation monitoring. This questionnaire was administered to both Tesla Autopilot owners (N = 357) and non-owners (N = 357). The results showed that, on average, drivers possessed an inadequate mental model regarding Level 2 AVs, and those with a relatively better mental model exhibited lower levels of trust and reliance. Owning a Level 2 AV did not result in a better understanding of the system, but it led to a higher trust level. Moreover, the results suggested that drivers’ trust and reliance in AVs tended to increase within the initial 6 months of usage and then kept stabilized after that. Through cluster analysis, we identified three distinct driver classes that exhibited significant differences in their mental model levels and attitudes towards AVs: Class 1 (blurred positive), Class 2 (sober neutral), and Class 3 (cautiously positive). This further validates the presence of heterogeneity among drivers. The insights gained from this study can serve as a valuable resource for supporting and guiding the development and implementation of training programs aimed at enhancing drivers’ comprehension of Level 2 AVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contract negotiation is the phase before the conclusion of the main contract. Although contract performance consists in the fulfilment of obligation, and therefore mostly occurs after the conclusion of a contract, in practice, contract negotiators may provide instructions to perform before contract conclusion, particularly in the sectors of national defense, construction and consulting services. This paper examines the legal consequences of instructions to perform provided during negotiations and whether or not they lead to the conclusion of the main contract. According to the legal policy of protection of the weaker party that in law and economics is consistent with the cheapest cost avoider principle and the Gunderson decision in the USA, a conclusion is reached that if the stronger party imposes the instructions to perform on the weaker party, it should be accepted that the main contract is concluded, because the stronger party in these type of cases will mostly be the cheapest cost avoider and should take the risk of non-reliance or incomplete reliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I explore the concept of corrective trust as a pathway to mitigate biases, and potentially build or restore mutual trust in relationships characterized by power imbalances, particularly within the context of healthcare. Corrective trust takes place when we actively choose to trust others when our initial mistrust or hesitation to trust is due to biases. However, existing accounts of trust as a special form of reliance present challenges to practicing corrective trust. I propose a non-reductive account that construes trust as a basic (i.e. irreducible to more basic concepts such as reliance) but complex (i.e. consists of cognitive, affective, and normative components) attitude, disentangling it from reliance and thus addressing associated challenges. This redefinition enables a deeper understanding of trust and facilitates the application of corrective trust to mitigate biases in healthcare and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

That we may rely on our knowledge seems like a platitude. Yet, the view that knowledge is sufficient for permissible reliance faces a major challenge: when much hangs on whether we know, relying on our knowledge seems to license irrational action. Unfortunately, extant proposals to meet this challenge (Hawthorne & Stanley, 2008; Williamson, 2005a; Schulz, 2017, 2021b) either fail to make the correct predictions about high-stakes cases or, as I will argue, face a substantial objection. In this paper, I will offer two novel proposals for defending the sufficiency of knowledge for permissible reliance. My favoured proposal, which I call Flexible Fallibilism, is based on the idea that stakes can affect how we rely on our knowledge and how our knowledge determines what is rational for us to do. Besides making the correct predictions about high-stakes cases, I will argue that Flexible Fallibilism also provides us with a knowledge-based account of when to simplify our practical reasoning. Afterwards, I will present another proposal, which I call Dual Infallibilism, that combines two recent claims by Moss (2013, 2018) and Jackson (2019a) about credal knowledge and the metaphysics of doxastic states. While the offered proposals share various virtues, I will argue that we ultimately should prefer Flexible Fallibilism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundIncreased global access to safe, effective and quality-assured medical products remains a primary goal for the full realization of the World Health Assembly Resolution WHA 67.20 on regulatory systems strengthening for medical products as well as target 3.8 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). To promote the development of efficient regulatory systems, the WHO introduced the Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT) in 2016, upon which the WHO–Listed Authority (WLA) framework was later established. This study aimed to appraise the development of the WLA framework across various phases while highlighting its achievements, challenges, and areas for improvement.MethodsAn exploratory study design using a qualitative approach was used to gather information from relevant documents as well as views and experiences from purposefully selected participants from diverse backgrounds. Data was collected using a combination of desk reviews and In-depth one-to-one or small group interviews employing semi-structured interview guides with open-ended questions. Data was analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.ResultsThe leading role of the WHO was noted in developing and implementing essential documents and mediating consultative processes among stakeholders. The framework was revealed to bring an evidence-based, inclusive, and transparent approach to recognizing regulatory authorities (RAs) operating at the highest standards of performance. The framework was anticipated to promote regulatory reliance among all RAs, the WHO’s prequalification programme, and procurement agencies. Furthermore, remarkable progress towards WLA listing was noted among transitional WLAs including the Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRAs). Challenges related to the availability of resources, resistance to change, and complexity were associated with the framework.ConclusionThe study provides a well-rounded view with regard to the roles of the WHO, Member States and other stakeholders in establishing and operationalizing the WLA framework. Furthermore, evaluating the performance and possible WLA designation of RAs operating at international regulatory standards underscores its high relevance in contributing to public health globally. Maintenance along with timely addressing of highlighted next steps to improve the framework particularly in creating better understanding, more communication, and coordination are highly encouraged.

Ethicisation refers to the tendency to frame issues in ethical terms and can be observed in different areas of society, particularly in relation to policy-making on emerging technologies. The turn to ethics implies increased use of ethics expertise, or at least an expectation that this is the case. Calling for experts on ethics when ethically complicated questions need to be handled helps us to uphold central virtues, but there are also problems connected with ethicisation. In policy-making processes, the turn to ethics may not always be a sign of a sincere aspiration to moral performance, but a strategic move to gain acceptance for controversial or sensitive activities, and ethicisation may depoliticise questions and constrain room for democratic participation. Nevertheless, ethicisation, and the ensuing call for ethics experts, suggests an expectation of confidence in ethics and ethics expertise, and that ethical guidance is an effective way of governing people's behaviour in a morally desirable way. The purpose of this article is to explore democratic and epistemic challenges of ethicisation in the context of emerging technologies, with a specific focus on how the notions of under-reliance and over-reliance of ethics expertise can unpack the processes at play. By using biotechnology and the EU process of bio-patents and the publication of ethical guidelines for AI development as illustrations, it is demonstrated how ethicisation may give rise to democratic and epistemic challenges that are not explicitly addressed in discussions on the political use of ethics expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study manipulates the presence and reliability of AI recommendations for risky decisions to measure the effect on task performance, behavioral consequences of trust, and deviation from a probability matching collaborative decision-making model. Background: Although AI decision support improves performance, people tend to underutilize AI recommendations, particularly when outcomes are uncertain. As AI reliability increases, task performance improves, largely due to higher rates of compliance (following action recommendations) and reliance (following no-action recommendations). Methods: In a between-subject design, participants were assigned to a high reliability AI, low reliability AI, or a control condition. Participants decided whether to bet that their team would win in a series of basketball games tying compensation to performance. We evaluated task performance (in accuracy and signal detection terms) and the behavioral consequences of trust (via compliance and reliance). Results: AI recommendations improved task performance, had limited impact on risk-taking behavior, and were under-valued by participants. Accuracy, sensitivity (d'), and reliance increased in the high reliability AI condition, but there was no effect on response bias (c) or compliance. Participant behavior was only consistent with a probability matching model for compliance in the low reliability condition. Conclusion: In a pay-off structure that incentivized risk-taking, the primary value of the AI recommendations was in determining when to perform no action (i.e., pass on bets). Application: In risky contexts, designers need to consider whether action or no-action recommendations will be more influential to design appropriate interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Katherine Hawley was skeptical about group trust. Her main reason for this skepticism was that the distinction between trust and reliance, central to many theories of interpersonal trust, does not apply to trust in groups. Hawley's skeptical arguments successfully shift the burden of proof to those who wish to continue with a concept of group trust. Nonetheless, I argue that a commitments account of the trust/reliance distinction can shoulder that burden. According to that commitments account, trust is a distinctive kind of reliance grounded in a positive appraisal of features of the trustee's practical rationality, foremost their commitments and their capacity to act on those commitments. This is one way we can make sense of the difference between trusting and relying on individual people. I argue it is also a way we can make sense of the difference between trusting and relying on groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Should we be worried that the concept of trust is increasingly used when we assess non-human agents and artefacts, say robots and AI systems? Whilst some authors have developed explanations of the concept of trust with a view to accounting for trust in AI systems and other non-agents, others have rejected the idea that we should extend trust in this way. The article advances this debate by bringing insights from conceptual engineering to bear on this issue. After setting up a target concept of trust in terms of four functional desiderata (trust-reliance distinction, explanatory strength, tracking affective responses, and accounting for distrust), I analyze how agential vs. non-agential accounts can satisfy these. A final section investigates how ‘non-ideal’ circumstances—that is, circumstances where the manifest and operative concept use diverge amongst concept users—affect our choice about which rendering of trust is to be preferred. I suggest that some prominent arguments against extending the language of trust to non-agents are not decisive and reflect on an important oversight in the current debate, namely a failure to address how narrower, agent-centred accounts curtail our ability to distrust non-agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appropriate use of regulatory agilities has the potential to accelerate regulatory review, utilize resources more efficiently and deliver medicines and vaccines more rapidly, all without compromising quality, safety and efficacy. This was clearly demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic where regulators and industry rapidly adapted to ensure continued supply of existing critical medicines and review and approve new innovative medicines. In this retrospective study, we analyze the impact of regulatory agilities on the review and approval of Pfizer/BioNTech’s BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine globally using regulatory approval data from 73 country/regional approvals. We report on the critical role of reliance and provide evidence that demonstrates reliance approaches and certain regulatory agilities reduced review times for the COVID-19 vaccine. These findings support the case for more widespread implementation of regulatory agilities and demonstrate the important role of such approaches to improve public health outcomes.

Recent scholarship on intergenerational female relationships in "Little Red Riding Hood" often stresses conflict. Examining such relationships from the perspective of adolescent daughtering through Julia Kristeva's idea of the feminine in three contemporary versions of the story, Angela Carter's "The Werewolf", Kiki Smith's "Bedlam", and Gillian Cross's Wolf, this study demonstrates that some friction is necessary for recreating the protagonists' grandmaternal relationship, which positively highlights female bonding and enhances the protagonists' maturity and feminine development to embrace new beginnings with an environmental twist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused considerable disruption to the development, regulatory evaluation, production, and distribution of medicinal products. Key healthcare stakeholders were under pressure to develop and review medicinal products to address the health emergency, while preserving the continuity of activities to ensure patient access to other medicinal products. In the light of this challenging situation, the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) and the biopharmaceutical industry applied and utilized product development and regulatory agilities to accelerate the development and authorization of safe, effective and quality COVID-19 vaccines and treatments as well as other non-COVID-19 medicinal products. On the basis of the literature review and primary research conducted, this review article gathered insights on experiences and challenges in the use of agilities related to regulatory assessment of initial marketing and post-approval change (PAC) applications, oversight of product manufacturing quality and supply chain continuity, and product development/clinical trial processes during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Agilities were thus implemented in an emergency context characterized by the lack of medicinal products to help tackle a disease that was devastating for the global public health. This review article concludes that useful lessons can be learned from these insights to improve product development practices and regulatory processes during both normal and health emergency times. Standard regulatory frameworks during normal times can be enhanced by leveraging digitalization, further simplifying and harmonizing requirements, and using reliance mechanisms which can help to increase efficiency in regulatory decision-making regarding medicinal products. During health emergencies, such as a pandemic, maximizing global coordination, collaboration, reliance, and harmonization of regulatory requirements and guidance are important to facilitate the rapid development and assessment of key medicinal products to address the health emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Teaching Note, the authors conclude their series in the study of the common law causes of action that were available to a plaintiff in cases of misrepresentation and fraud. In Part I of this article, Civil Fraud, the authors describe the prima facie elements of proof, as well as the exceptions that were recognized relating to opinions, commendations, the "duty to speak," and statements relating to a matter of law, citing several of the major cases important in understanding each issue. In Part II of the article, Securities Fraud, the authors provide a discussion of securities fraud, with examples taken from prominent "real-world" cases which students may readily recognize from their studies in finance, accounting, business ethics, or other business-related courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa has included in the Companies Act 71 of 2008 (the Act), provisions dealing with directors' delegation and reliance on the performance of others for their (the directors') own performance. In keeping with their role of managing the affairs of the company in terms of section 66(1) of the Act, directors must make decisions in the best interests of the company. Given the company board's strategic role in the company governance, as opposed to the day-to-day management done by the executive management, directors must rely on the performance of others to fulfil their role. These "others" include professional experts and company employees who can either provide guidance/specialist advice or to whom the board may delegate certain powers and authority to perform certain functions geared towards providing the board with a basis for decision-making. This article in the main interrogates the question whether South Africa has now established globally competitive legal standards of directors' delegation and reliance on the performance of others in line with company law reform objectives prior to 2008. One such objective is ensuring compatibility and harmonisation of the new company law with the best practice jurisdictions internationally as a way of promoting the global competitiveness of the South African economy. In this respect this article examines relevant laws in two foreign jurisdictions to provide a comparative aspect to the relevant South African company law aspects. First the article very briefly examines English law, which provides South Africa with its common law heritage of the duty of care, and it is argued that reliance and delegation relate to the irreducible minimum standard of care and the standard to exercise independent judgment. An examination of Australian statutory provisions on reliance and delegation is followed by a critical evaluation of reliance and delegation in section 76(4)(b)-(5) of the Companies Act 2008. It is concluded that South Africa has established globally competitive principles of reliance and delegation. Nonetheless, there are gaps in statutory reliance and delegation provisions under the Act, and lessons can be drawn from the best practices in Australian statutory and case law. Firm suggestions are made on how the gaps can be plugged and how the legal standards can be further tightened to enhance the global competitiveness of South African company law.

Regulatory harmonization and convergence have been identified as the key driver in promoting efficient evaluation of medicines, reducing workload, and supporting earlier access to medicines on the African continent. There has been great progress to date in enhancing regulatory harmonization and convergence on the African continent via the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and with the establishment of the Africa Medicines Agency (AMA). In this article, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) Africa Regulatory Network (ARN) presents its perspective based on the available literature review and results from a survey conducted with innovative biopharmaceutical companies to gather experiences using regional joint assessment procedures (JAPs) in Africa, such as the East African Community Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (EAC-MRH), the West African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (WA-MRH), and the Southern African Development Community Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (SADC-MRH) initiative through the ZAZIBONA Collaborative Procedure for Medicines Registration (ZaZiBoNa), and provides best practices in this evolving landscape. The article also assesses other collaborative registration pathways available to facilitating registration of pharmaceutical products in African countries, such as WHO Collaborative Registration Procedures (CRP), Swissmedic’s Marketing Authorisation for Global Health Products (MAGHP) and EU Medicines for All (EU-M4ALL). Benefits and challenges of each of the existing pathways are discussed in this article. Main benefits include building more expert capacity and improved collaboration amongst experts, as well as shorter review timelines in some cases. Key challenges include the lack of predictability in the adherence to procedural timelines as defined per guidelines, lengthy timeline to achieve national marketing authorization following joint assessment, the lack of dedicated personnel, administrative issues during the submission process as well as additional country-specific requirements on top of JAP-specific requirements. Our recommendations for improvements include harmonization of requirements across countries and regions and with international standards, appropriate resource allocation for JAP activities to ensure adherence to timelines, use of JAPs throughout the entire product lifecycle and all product categories, adequate use of digital technologies, and improved communication and transparency with applicants. These improvements will allow industry to better plan their filing strategies for the region which will lead to overall improved usability of the JAPs in Africa and enable faster patient access.

Social media has become popular for communication, interaction and knowledge sharing on the internet. Most of the industry uses social media as a medium of communication to interact with people in order to fulfil number of purposes such as work and personal matter; including the workplace as well. Reliance on social media has played an important role from the moment it been introduced, allowing connections to be made throughout the world, given the increasing level of interaction and socialization in the lives of various groups. This study aims to describe social media as popular medium among employees to communicate among themselves. Social media now is changing the methods of social connectivity and also a part of important aspect to improve employees job performance. It also highlighted how organization adapted social media in their workplace as the right medium to communicate in helping them with their daily routine in organization and working environment. This study also looked into the reason why some individual depends on social media as their channel to communicate among the colleagues within the organization. Study found that WhatsApp is the most chosen medium as a platform to increase job performance in organisation. The dependence of social media in organization related to the usage as medium to communicate. It has also identified the factors that encourage users to choose it as medium in organization. It is important to identify the reasons of choosing the right tools, as it is important in order for the organisation to get benefit from the usage or choosing the selected channel or medium to communicate.

Transparency is widely regarded as crucial for the responsible real-world deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) and is considered an essential prerequisite to establishing trust in AI. There are several approaches to enabling transparency, with one promising attempt being human-centered explanations. However, there is little research into the effectiveness of human-centered explanations on end-users' trust. What complicates the comparison of existing empirical work is that trust is measured in different ways. Some researchers measure subjective trust using questionnaires, while others measure objective trust-related behavior such as reliance. To bridge these gaps, we investigated the effects of two promising human-centered post-hoc explanations, feature importance and counterfactuals, on trust and reliance. We compared these two explanations with a control condition in a decision-making experiment (N = 380). Results showed that human-centered explanations can significantly increase reliance but the type of decision-making (increasing a price vs. decreasing a price) had an even greater influence. This challenges the presumed importance of transparency over other factors in human decision-making involving AI, such as potential heuristics and biases. We conclude that trust does not necessarily equate to reliance and emphasize the importance of appropriate, validated, and agreed-upon metrics to design and evaluate human-centered AI.

Understanding how people trust autonomous systems is crucial to achieving better performance and safety in human-autonomy teaming. Trust in automation is a rich and complex process that has given rise to numerous measures and approaches aimed at comprehending and examining it. Although researchers have been developing models for understanding the dynamics of trust in automation for several decades, these models are primarily conceptual and often involve components that are difficult to measure. Mathematical models have emerged as powerful tools for gaining insightful knowledge about the dynamic processes of trust in automation. This paper provides an overview of various mathematical modeling approaches, their limitations, feasibility, and generalizability for trust dynamics in human-automation interaction contexts. Furthermore, this study proposes a novel and dynamic approach to model trust in automation, emphasizing the importance of incorporating different timescales into measurable components. Due to the complex nature of trust in automation, it is also suggested to combine machine learning and dynamic modeling approaches, as well as incorporating physiological data.

Purpose: The study aims to explore the role of reliance and brand image (goods-based and service-based) in risk perceptions related to business-to-business (B2B) purchases. In particular, time risk (TR), performance risk (PR) and financial risk (FR) has been explored in this paper. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire-based survey data has been collected from 152 respondents from different industries, and the model was validated using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings: The study highlights the importance of reliance and brand image for reducing the effects of perceived risk. While reliance is negatively related to all the risk dimensions, the relationship between reliance and FR is serially mediated by service-based brand image (SBBI) and TR. The same is also mediated by PR. Furthermore, PR and TR are positively related to FR. Research limitations/implications: The findings of this study highlight the importance of reliance and brand image for reducing the effects of risk dimensions. Reliance plays an important role in reducing all risk perceptions. Findings also highlight the importance of SBBI in reducing TR. Practical implications: The findings provide managers with key insights for reducing risk perceptions by creating a strong reliance and B2B brand image, leading to long-term relationship strategies. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the few papers in B2B marketing that focuses on the importance of reliance and brand image in reducing the effects of perceived risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) globally are facing the challenge of evaluating pharmaceutical products in a speedy manner, whilst simultaneously ensuring adequate efficacy, safety and quality of approved products. Additionally, common expectations include that the evaluation process is competent, flexible, commensurate with risk, efficient and rapid. In 2014, the Australian regulatory system was out of step with global regulatory developments which led to a comprehensive regulatory review and reform process. As part of the reforms, two Facilitated Regulatory Pathways (FRP) were developed for prescription medicines: Priority Review (PR) and Provisional Approval (PA). Furthermore, regulatory reliance and recognition arrangements have been expanded with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) making increased use of evaluation reports by trusted NRAs. The new pathways have been utilised by the pharmaceutical industry in Australia since 2017, with the number of medicines going through these pathways gradually increasing. Additional facilitated pathways have been developed following the review, providing alternatives to the standard pathway for registration of prescription medicines in Australia. The reform is timely, helping to position Australia well in the current global regulatory climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An implausible sentence begins the narrative of David's census in 2 Samuel 24.1–17. There is no information that indicates that David and Israel had made a fatal mistake, but God suddenly became angry with them. Moreover, consequences of God's wrath even included three days of plague for the people of Israel. In sum, God was the one who incited David to record the number of fighting men of Israel, but the Israelites grievously bore the divine punishment. This passage seems hard to understand. In fact, one of the possible solutions comes from Joab's response to David's order, which David should have anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has demonstrated experience with a forecasting algorithm decreases reliance behaviors (i.e., the action of relying on the algorithm). However, the influence of model experience on reliance intentions (i.e., an intention or willingness to rely on the algorithm) has not been explored. Additionally, other factors such as self-confidence and domain knowledge are posited to influence algorithm reliance. The objective of this research was to examine how experience with a statistical model, task domain (used car sales, college grade point average (GPA), GitHub pull requests), and self-confidence influence reliance intentions, reliance behaviors, and perceived accuracy of one's own estimates and the model's estimates. Participants (N = 347) were recruited online and completed a forecasting task. Results indicate that there was a statistically significant effect of self-confidence and task domain on reliance intentions, reliance behaviors, and perceived accuracy. However, unlike previous findings, model experience did not significantly influence reliance behavior, nor did it lead to significant changes in reliance intentions or perceived accuracy of oneself or the model. Our data suggest that factors such as task domain and self-confidence influence algorithm use more so than model experience. Individual differences and situational factors should be considered important aspects that influence forecasters' decisions to rely on predictions from a model or to instead use their own estimates, which can lead to sub-optimal performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reform of social work training at the level of the universities of applied sciences in French-speaking Switzerland tends to erode the specificities of the historical social work professions. Therefore, it raises the question of a professional identity no longer linked to the profession but to a field characterized by its heterogeneity. On the basis of practical training reports and student testimonies from practice analysis, we propose, in this contribution, to analyze the rhetorical scope of "bonds" in the constitution of a community of practice and, thus, of a professional identity linked to a sense of belonging in social work as a professional field. How can the narratives on "bonds" create a « reliance »? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa has included in the Companies Act 71 of 2008 (the Act), provisions dealing with directors' delegation and reliance on the performance of others for their (the directors') own performance. In keeping with their role of managing the affairs of the company in terms of section 66(1) of the Act, directors must make decisions in the best interests of the company. Given the company board's strategic role in the company governance, as opposed to the day-to-day management done by the executive management, directors must rely on the performance of others to fulfil their role. These "others" include professional experts and company employees who can either provide guidance/specialist advice or to whom the board may delegate certain powers and authority to perform certain functions geared towards providing the board with a basis for decision-making. This article in the main interrogates the question whether South Africa has now established globally competitive legal standards of directors' delegation and reliance on the performance of others in line with company law reform objectives prior to 2008. One such objective is ensuring compatibility and harmonisation of the new company law with the best practice jurisdictions internationally as a way of promoting the global competitiveness of the South African economy. In this respect this article examines relevant laws in two foreign jurisdictions to provide a comparative aspect to the relevant South African company law aspects. First the article very briefly examines English law, which provides South Africa with its common law heritage of the duty of care, and it is argued that reliance and delegation relate to the irreducible minimum standard of care and the standard to exercise independent judgment. An examination of Australian statutory provisions on reliance and delegation is followed by a critical evaluation of reliance and delegation in section 76(4)(b)-(5) of the Companies Act 2008. It is concluded that South Africa has established globally competitive principles of reliance and delegation. Nonetheless, there are gaps in statutory reliance and delegation provisions under the Act, and lessons can be drawn from the best practices in Australian statutory and case law. Firm suggestions are made on how the gaps can be plugged and how the legal standards can be further tightened to enhance the global competitiveness of South African company law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With special reference to chapters 119 and 558 of the Meccan Revelations , the article draws out Ibn ʿ⁠Arabī's (d. 638/1240) understanding of the divine Name al-Wakīl ("The Trustee") and the nature of trusteeship (wakāla). In the process, it demonstrates how for our mystic trusteeship forms a circle that begins with the human being entrusting his affairs to God, and returns to its point of origin with God entrusting him to be His vicegerent (khalīfa). Trusteeship, which finds its archetypical perfection in the divine Wakīl , descends through various degrees of perfection, to all levels and strata of human society. The capacity to embody and manifest the Name al-Wakīl is, for Ibn ʿ⁠Arabī, itself made possible by the theomorphic nature of the human being, a child of the primordial Adam fashioned in the image of God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited availability of in-person health care services and fear of contracting COVID-19 during the pandemic promoted an increased reliance on telemedicine. However, long-standing inequities in telemedicine due to unequal levels of digital literacy and internet connectivity among different age groups raise concerns about whether the uptake of telemedicine has exacerbated or alleviated those inequities. Objective: The aim of this study is to examine changes in telemedicine and in-person health service use during the COVID-19 pandemic across age groups for Medicaid beneficiaries in the state of Louisiana. Methods: Interrupted time series models were used on Louisiana Medicaid claims data to estimate trends in total, in-person, and telemedicine monthly office visit claims per 1000 Medicaid beneficiaries between January 2018 and December 2020. Changes in care pattern trends and levels were estimated around the infection peaks (April 2020 and July 2020) and for an end-of-year infection leveling off period (December 2020). Four mutually exclusive age categories (0 to 17, 18 to 34, 35 to 49, and 50 to 64 years) were used to compare the differences. Results: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine services accounted for less than 1% of total office visit claim volume across the age groups. Each age group followed similar patterns of sharp increases in April 2020, downward trends until sharp increases again in July 2020, followed by flat trends thereafter until December 2020. These sharp increases were most pronounced for older patients, with those aged 50 to 64 years seeing increases of 184.09 telemedicine claims per 1000 Medicaid beneficiaries in April 2020 (95% CI 172.19 to 195.99) and 120.81 in July 2020 (95% CI 101.32 to 140.31) compared with those aged 18 to 34 years, seeing increases of 84.47 (95% CI 78.64 to 90.31) and 57.00 (95% CI 48.21 to 65.79), respectively. This resulted in overall changes from baseline to December 2020 levels of 123.65 (95% CI 112.79 to 134.51) for those aged 50 to 64 years compared with 59.07 (95% CI 53.89 to 64.24) for those aged 18 to 34 years. Conclusions: Older Medicaid beneficiaries in Louisiana had higher rates of telemedicine claim volume during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with younger beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-approval changes (PACs) to the registered information of authorised medicinal products are introduced routinely worldwide to enhance the robustness and efficiency of the manufacturing process, ensure timely supply in case of increased demand, improve quality control techniques, respond to changes in regulatory requirements and upgrade to state-of-the-art facilities. These are critical to prevent supply disruption and continuously improve existing medicines and vaccines. Due to the complexity of current PAC systems across markets, a change can take 3 to 5 years to approval globally (Hoath et al in BioProcess Int, 2016) thus hindering innovation and increasing the risk of shortages. The key messages are as follows: 1. Industry believes that global regulatory convergence of post-approval changes to Marketing Authorisations (MAs) using science- and risk-based approaches will enable a more efficient management of quality and supply improvements and will facilitate patients' access to innovative medicines and vaccines of the highest quality. 2. National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) should establish national or regional guidelines in line with international standards (regarding a risk-based classification of changes and standardisation of requirements) (Guidelines on procedures and data requirements for changes to approved biotherapeutic products, in WHO Technical Report Series, 2018, Guidelines on procedures and data requirements for changes to approved vaccines, in WHO Technical Report Series, 2015), have clear procedural guidance including timelines and implement reliance pathways to accelerate the approval of changes. This paper briefly outlines the challenges for PACs and provides solutions for a more flexible and aligned global system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does God trust human persons? Very little in philosophy of religion has been written about God's trust, which seems striking for two joint considerations. First, many of the Abrahamic faith traditions posit that union and close personal relationship with God is the telos of human life. Second, trust seems to be an essential element in ideal, close relationships between persons. While there is much in the faith literature that emphasizes the role of trust on the human side of the divine–human relationship, there is very little on divine trust. To fill this lacuna, this article addresses the conceptual issue of how divine trust could be understood within the Abrahamic faith traditions (particularly in Christianity and Judaism). I begin by examining whether an account of divine trust can be developed alongside divine attributes like divine foreknowledge. After identifying some plausible conditions of trust within the philosophical literature, I present a couple of trust scenarios as a means of demonstrating that divine trust is not only conceptually plausible (i.e. compatible with divine foreknowledge), but that divine trust is best construed as a particular trust type – therapeutic trust. That is, I argue that divine trust aims at inspiring humanity's trustworthiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]