Search

Competency development is important in any MBA program, perhaps the most in the capstone course. Aggregating replies from 167 MBA graduates who completed a client-oriented, team project-based MBA capstone course within a nine-year study period, two new reliable and distinct scales reflecting career competencies learned were developed, Business Project Competency (6 items) and Opportunity Discovery Competency (8 items). MBA graduates who reported their capstone experience had helped with four career advancing behaviors, i.e., in a job interview; to move to a new position or get a raise; change of careers; or expanding their professional network, had higher perceptions on both scales, versus MBA graduates not reporting these career advancing behaviors.

In April 2022, flooding and associated geohazards caused major loss of life and extensive damage in the greater Durban region and large areas of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coastal zone. Heavy rainfall that triggered the flooding and mass movement events was reported in national and international media as having 'smashed weather records'. However, no systematic and up-to-date flood record exists for KZN to allow the April 2022 floods to be viewed within their full historical context. This study presents an historical geographic account of flooding in KZN, with a particular focus on the greater Durban region. The flood record expands upon available databases held by the South African Weather Service, drawing on missionary accounts, newspapers and personal diaries to identify all significant flood events in KZN since the mid-nineteenth century. We document 53 significant flood events from 1850-1899 (average ~1.1 per annum) and 210 from 1900-2022 (average ~1.7 per annum). Within the limits of our data, we suggest that the frequency of flooding in Durban has likely doubled over the last century. Our research confirms that the April 2022 floods were likely the most catastrophic natural disaster yet recorded in KZN, in collective terms of lives lost and overall economic impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social determinants of health (SDOH) have been insufficiently addressed by payers and providers despite increased prioritization at the national level. This led to the development of a separate, for-profit "SDOH industry" found to have a valuation of $18.5 billion (all dollar amounts in U.S. dollars) with $2.4 billion in funding as of July 2021. The purpose of this article is to determine the growth of the industry from 2021 to 2023 and provide a multifaceted explanation for this development. The authors conducted an analysis of 57 SDOH industry companies using a third-party market research platform. Over the previous two-year period, 10 out of 57 (18%) companies were acquired, and the industry gained an additional $1.1 billion (46% increase) in funding and $13.7 billion (74% increase) in valuation. The authors propose four contributing factors to explain the nature of this industry's evolution. They include developments in national health care policy favoring SDOH, standardization of SDOH information as actionable claims data, multi-source investment in SDOH, and improved methods of industry intervention measurement. These trends appear likely to continue, requiring additional scrutiny by all relevant stakeholders to ensure maximum improvement of rampant SDOH disparities that impact millions of individuals daily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]