Category Archives: Resource Based Economy

Introduction

COVID-19 pandemic has changed the image of our world with its circular impact on health, living tradition, economy, and politics. In particular, the tradition of the health industry has changed dramatically because of the unpredictable nature of the pandemic. Since the breakout of COVID-19, health care providers have faced multidimensional challenges in carrying out their professional duties and responsibilities. Studies have shown that frontline health professionals are challenged by a lack of pandemic preparedness, scarcity of clinical supplies, and implementation of social distancing.1,2

Amid the pandemic, health professionals were challenged to apply the four main principles of biomedical ethics in taking care of the clients, ie autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence. For instance, health workers who assigned on duty without personal protective equipment were at high risk of infection not only to themselves but also to their families and other clients. Thus, it violates no harm to others or non-maleficence ethical principle.3

Nurses are amongst the frontline health professionals in the health care setting, especially in taking care of COVID-19 patients. They were also actively involved in hospital leadership and management activities, such as in mobilizing hospital resources for the pandemic. Therefore, it is obvious that they are facing a lot of ethical challenges and difficulties as they are usually under the pressure of workloads. According to Turale et al, nurses have faced unpalatable and complex ethical challenges in practice, with moral conflicts, high levels of patient deaths, and long working hours.4

However, limited data are available on the ethical challenges that nurse professionals are facing through this time of global health crisis, ie COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this review will identify the ethical challenges of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An integrative review approach was adopted.5 This study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) checklist guidelines.6

The electronic databases searched were PubMed, Google Scholar, JURN, Cochrane Library E-Journals, MEDLINE, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL. Available resources were accessed through the University of Algarve EBSCO database. In addition, articles were also searched through a review of the grey literature available on local university shelves, and institutional repositories, and by reviewing the reference lists of already identified articles. Electronic database searches were conducted from November 1, 2020 to November 13, 2020.

The key terms used for the database searches were: ((((ethical issues) OR (ethical challenges)) OR (ethical barriers)) AND (nurse*)) AND (COVID-19 pandemic). These search terms were pre-defined to allow a comprehensive search strategy that included all fields within records and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH terms), to expand the search in an advanced PubMed search. An advanced PubMed search was run using the predefined search terms to allow a comprehensive and detailed search strategy. We combined keywords with the OR operator and then linked the search strategies for the two axes with the AND operator to search for studies.

All the studies that reported ethical challenges of nurses` during the COVID-19-pandemic from November 9, 2019 to November 9, 2020 were eligible for inclusion in the review. However, studies in languages other than English were excluded. Documents that were inaccessible after three email contacts with the principal investigator were also excluded. The eligibility criteria for each article were checked and decided on the consensus of two independent authors.

All database-search results were sent/exported to Mendeley reference manager software version 1.19.4. After putting all the search results in a single folder, duplicated articles were removed. Next, two independent reviewers screened the studies according to the preset inclusion criteria. Through title screening, the articles that clearly mentioned ethical issues, challenges, and/or barriers of nurses in COVID-19 were selected for abstract screening. Then, articles that fulfilled the eligibility criteria, based on their titles and abstracts, were retrieved for full-text screening. Eventually, fully eligible articles were selected for further analysis. The inclusion of articles was considered in the consensus of the reviewers (Figure 1).

Figure 1 PRISMA flow diagram showing study selection process. Adapted from Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med 6(7): e1000097.6

The primary outcome of this review was the ethical challenges faced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have classified them into three main themes of ethical challenges. The first category was focused on the main ethical issues of nurses safety, role, and moral distress. Second, the ethical challenges faced by nurse professionals on resources allocation and, third, the ethical aspects of the nurseclient relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data were extracted using an excel table. We extracted variables that were related to the ethical challenges of nurses during COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we recorded the study setting, author, year, aim/research question, and methods used in each article. Using content analysis technique, the ethical challenges of nurses were categorized into three areas, namely, nurses safety, role and moral distress, resource allocation, and the nurseclient relationship.

The methodological quality of the included articles was evaluated using the quality appraisal tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) 2020, namely the JBI quality appraisal checklists for analytical cross-sectional studies, the JBI quality appraisal checklists for text and opinion papers, and the JBI quality appraisal checklists for qualitative research.

The initial search for articles generated 2529 articles, of which 8 articles fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria set in this integrative review for further analysis and synthesis. Of these, seven articles4,712 has focused on the ethical issues of nurses working in hospitals while the remaining one13 have discussed school nurses ethical concerns. Six articles4,710,13 were discussion papers of authors whereas one was conducted in qualitative approach,12 and the other was employed in descriptive correlation design.11 The maximum sample size among the included articles was 231 registered nurses (Table 1).11

Table 1 Characteristics and Summary of the Articles Included in the Review

The JBI quality appraisal tools were used based on the consensus of two reviewers. We have included studies with explicitly stated objectives, clear source of opinion, pre-set eligibility criteria for inclusion in the sample, a detailed description of settings, reliable and valid measurement of exposure, and appropriate statistical analysis. Based on the consensus of reviewers, articles were classified into high, moderate, and low methodological quality. Accordingly, the one and only qualitative articles were scored 9/10 and classified as high-quality (810/10). The six opinion articles were also classified as high quality (56/6). The remaining, descriptive correlation study was also, similarly, scored 7/8 and lied within the range of high-quality paper (78/8).

A total of 8 articles have reported the ethical challenges faced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a full reading and conceptual understanding of the articles included in the review, a content analysis was carried out to figure out the ethical challenges of nurses during the pandemic. Accordingly, the ethical challenges of nurses were categorized into three areas, namely, nurses safety, role and moral distress, resource allocation, and the nurseclient relationship.

Under this theme, we have included five articles. Accordingly, in the fight against COVID-19, the safety of nurses is a pressing ethical issue, as they were asked to work under circumstances that put them at risk to their overall health and well-being. The lack of full protection for nurses across the health industry raises ethical questions about the extent of their duty, lack of personal protective equipment, and risk of failure of personal protective equipment.7,9,12 Significant numbers of nurses were also experiencing moral distress because they were under prolonged pressure to maintain the resources needed to provide safe and high-quality nursing care.4,8 Nurses were also subjected to run various roles in case such a question was raised, which duty belongs to whom.12

Another decision demanding concern is the fair allocation of scarce resources. Based on the findings from six articles, different views have been given on how resource allocation was an ethical issue during the outbreak. Health resources are limited, from the very beginning, let alone in COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, emergency nurses are usually engaged in prioritizing patients. They are passing through blurred decisions on issues, such as which patients are most likely to get into a scarce intensive care unit bed, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Similarly, the issue of scarce personnel protective equipment for nurses is another burning ethical topic as stated by different authors.4,811,13

Six articles have focused on the ethical challenges of the triangular relationship of nursepatient and family relationship. COVID-19 has also put the client-centred approach in question, which brings another ethical and professional crisis. During the pandemic, many people are dying in isolation and ICU separated from their families and even without getting the opportunities to have end-of-life-conversations. Unfortunately, families were also quarantined if they had any contact with the dying person.8,9 During the pandemic, in USA and Australia, some private hospital nurses were out of duty.4 Jia et al have also mentioned some ethical challenges including insufficient response to urgency requirements of the situation. Also, interviewees reported that some staff worked slowly while rescuing patients and delivering other nursing activities that reflected a low sense of moral responsibility.12

The devastating COVID-19 pandemic that has suffered the worldwide population resulted in an unprecedented admission of patients in ICU, sharpen ethical dilemma, and suffer of health-care professionals.

These elements are liable to shake up the ethical nursing principles and consequently raise ethical challenges for health professionals and, in our issue, nurses.14,15 To date, there are four basic principles of biomedical ethics in clinical practice: autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence.16 However, these basic biomedical ethical principles and other ethical guidelines used previously in managing infectious disease outbreaks do not fully apply to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

This integrative review has brought the findings of 8 articles, on ethical challenges of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, in three thematic areas. The ethical challenges were classified as nurses safety, role and moral distress, resource allocation, and the nurseclient relationship.

In this time of COVID-19 pandemic, nurses were not fully protected by personal protective equipment. Because of the contagious nature of the virus, failure in any personal protection does not only affect the nurses who are in charge but also clients being served by them. On top of this, they were subjected to work beyond their job description and duty that could induce moral distress.7,9,12 These incidences could lower the quality of care, and harm the clients and surrounding communities, which antagonizes one of the basic principles of bioethics, non-maleficence. Non-maleficence refers to the bioethical principles that any type of care harms neither the patient nor others in society.7

Another tangible ethical challenge for nurses during the pandemic was fair allocation of medical resources. The distribution of scarce resources and competing needs is a basic nursing ethical principle, justice, in the context of medical ethics that implies fairness in medical decisions.16 But, in reality, during the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses were making blurred decisions on various issues, such aswhich patients are most likely to get into a scarce intensive care unit bed and mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.4,811,13 In the middle of the pandemic, we were observing that COVID-19 patients lying on the floor and waiting for medical care and/or with substandard level of care because they were beyond the capacity of hospital resources.

Lastly, the tradition of nurseclient interaction was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses are the ones who support patients to have an even peaceful dying process and bereavement. On the contrary, many people were dying in isolation and ICU separated from their families and beloved others, even without getting the opportunities to have end-of-life-conversations.8,9 A patient would have the autonomy to decide who should be involved in taking care of him/her during a stay in the hospital. However, nurses were not capable of fulfilling patients will and wishes, which is against the biomedical ethical principle of autonomy. The overall consequences of such gaps have left a scar on the history of the modern nursing profession.

Limited research articles are available related to the ethical challenges of nurses in COVID-19 pandemic. Also, studies discussing under more general titles, such as healthcare professionals, providers, caregivers, and the like, were not included in this review.

Nurses have continued to experience the ethical challenges of COVID-19 pandemic. Primarily, the lack of full protection of nurses across the health industry has raised ethical questions such as the extent of their duty, scarce resources, and the failure of personal protective equipment. Second, a significant number of nurses were also facing moral distress because they were under prolonged pressure to keep up the resources needed to provide safe and high-quality nursing care. Furthermore, nurses were also challenged to restrict many COVID-19 patients from having end-of-life communication with their families.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

1. Nyashanu M, Pfende F, Ekpenyong M. Exploring the challenges faced by frontline workers in health and social care amid the COVID-19 pandemic: experiences of frontline workers in the English Midlands region, UK. J Interprof Care. 2020;34(5):655661. doi:10.1080/13561820.2020.1792425

2. Dudzinski DM, Hoisington BY, Brown CE. Ethics Lessons From Seattles Early Experience With COVID-19. Am J Bioeth. 2020;20(7):6774. doi:10.1080/15265161.2020.1764137

3. Shah A, Aacharya RP. Combating COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepal: ethical Challenges in an Outbreak. JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2020;58(224):276279. doi:10.31729/jnma.4959

4. Turale S, Meechamnan C, Kunaviktikul W. Challenging times: ethics, nursing and the COVID-19 pandemic. Int Nurs Rev. 2020;67(2):164167. doi:10.1111/inr.12598

5. Whittemore R, Knafl K. The integrative review: updated methodology. J Adv Nurs. 2005;52(5):546553. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005.03621.x

6. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-AnalysesThe PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med: 6(7): e1000097.

7. Zhu J, Stone T, Petrini M. The ethics of refusing to care for patients during the coronavirus pandemic: a Chinese perspective. Nurs Inq. 2020;28(1):e12380. doi:10.1111/nin.12380

8. Nasser I, Abu-El-Noor M, Khalil A-E-N. Ethical issues in caring for COVID-patients: a view from Gaza. Nurs Ethics. 2020;27(8). doi:10.1177/0969733020956733

9. Morley G, Grady C, McCarthy J, Ulrich CM. Covid-19: ethical Challenges for Nurses. Hastings Cent Rep. 2020;50(3):3539. doi:10.1002/hast.1110

10. McKenna H. Covid-19: ethical issues for nurses. Int J Nurs Stud. 2020;110:103673. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103673

11. Sperling D. Ethical dilemmas, perceived risk, and motivation among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurs Ethics. 2020;28(1):969733020956376. doi:10.1177/0969733020956376

12. Jia Y, Chen O, Xiao Z, Xiao J, Bian J, Jia H. Nurses ethical challenges caring for people with COVID-19: a qualitative study. Nurs Ethics. 2020;28(1):969733020944453. doi:10.1177/0969733020944453

13. Combe LG. Reopening Schools During COVID-19: school Nurse Ethical Conflicts and Moral Dilemmas. NASN Sch Nurse. 2020;35(6):308312. doi:10.1177/1942602X20963522

14. Robert R, Kentish-Barnes N, Boyer A, Laurent A, Azoulay E, Reignier J. Ethical dilemmas due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ann Intensive Care. 2020;10(1). doi:10.1186/s13613-020-00702-7

15. Druml C. COVID-19 and ethical preparedness? Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2020;132(1314):400402. doi:10.1007/s00508-020-01709-7

16. Principles of Biomedical Ethics - Tom L. Beauchamp, Professor of Philosophy and Senior Research Scholar Tom L Beauchamp, James F. Childress, University Professor and Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics James F Childress - Google Books. Available from: https://books.google.es/books?hl=en&id=_14H7MOw1o4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Beauchamp,+T.+I.,+%26+Childress,+J.+F.+(2001).+Principles+of+biomedical+ethics+(5th+ed.).+Oxford,+UK:+Oxford+University+Press.&ots=1xSl0JDi-r&sig=m3IvFhcGy0RQt_TDxwna7n9GB7U&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false. Accessed March 20, 2021.

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Ethical challenges of nurses in the COVID-19 pandemic | JMDH - Dove Medical Press

LUBBOCK, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) The following is a news release from Texas Tech University:

A COVID-19 diagnostic tool invented atTexas Tech Universityis getting a big push into global markets.

EviroTech LLCannounced Thursday (May 7) a $4 million investment into the company by 1701 Ventures GmbH of Gttingen, Germany, which will allow EviroTech to complete the final design, production startup and market introduction of its Ultra-Fast COVID-19 detection sensor.

The Ultra-Fast COVID-19 detection sensor is a rapid and portable tool for COVID-19 diagnosis with the ability to sense the presence or absence of the virus SARS-CoV-2 in a saliva sample within seconds. The portability and speed of results makes this sensor a transformational diagnostic tool for rapid initial screening and continuous monitoring of an individual.

This is a very exciting partnership that will accelerate access of the Ultra-Fast COVID-19 sensor worldwide, saidGerardine Gerri Botte, who invented the sensor and founded EviroTech to commercialize it. A professor and Whitacre Department Chair in theDepartment of Chemical Engineeringwithin theEdward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering, Botte also is EviroTechs chief technology officer.

She notes the presence of COVID-19 variants around the world will make the need for testing even more important going forward.

We are more than excited to accompany EviroTech on this amazing journey, said Felix Dossman, CEO of 1701 Ventures GmbH and a member of the EviroTech board of directors. It is a rare opportunity to not just invest but help bring a product to life that will have such a big, positive impact for so many people.

The entrepreneurial programs available through Texas TechsInnovation Hub at Research Parkaided in the early growth and development of EviroTech. An initial $13,000 awarded through thePrototype Fundhelped launch the startup. The company received $25,000 through thePresidents Innovation Awardthen became anInnovation Hub tenant. Participation in theNational Science Foundations I-Corps programprovided $50,000 and helped EviroTech focus on its market fit.

Texas Tech supports innovation and entrepreneurship of its faculty, staff, students and community, saidKimberly Gramm, associate vice president for innovation and entrepreneurship. EviroTech is a perfect example of how our West Texas innovation ecosystem helped reduce risk, validate the technology and ensure product-market fit, which resulted in its ability to quickly raise the necessary capital to enter the market. We have seen this team accelerate its growth and development over the past year, and we are extremely excited to see its growth and impact in the years to come.

EviroTech is dedicated to the development of transformational technologies to combat infections and viral transmitted diseases. Electrochemistry is its core technical competency, with an approach that integrates electrochemical technology and biomedical engineering.

The Ultra-Fast COVID-19 sensor is an antigen-based electrochemical device, meaning it can detect SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins at an early stage of infection, unlike its antibody-based testing counterparts. The technology has been patented and EviroTech is seeking Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Dr. Bottes innovative technology is a wonderful example of the impact higher education research has on global societal issues, said Texas TechPresident Lawrence Schovanec. This valuable diagnostic tool was born in the research labs of Texas Tech University and raised in our very own entrepreneurial system. We are proud of the example Dr. Botte sets for our students and the manner in which she represents the institution through her groundbreaking research.

About Gerardine Gerri BotteGerardine Gerri Botte joined the Texas Tech Department of Chemical Engineering in 2019. She has more than two decades of experience in the development of electrochemical processes and advanced water treatment systems, and is a visionary and recognized leader in electrochemical science and technology.

She has served in leadership roles for the International Society of Electrochemistry and currently serves as the third Vice President of the Electrochemical Society. She also is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Applied Electrochemistry. In 2014, she was named a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society for her contributions and innovation in electrochemical processes and engineering. She became a Chapter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2012. In 2010, she was named a Fellow of the World Technology Network for her contributions on the development of sustainable and environmental technologies.

Prior to Texas Tech, Botte was a University Distinguished Professor and Russ Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Ohio University, the founder and director of Ohio Universitys Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research, and the founder and director of the Consortium for Electrochemical Processes and Technology, an industry university cooperative research center. Botte also is an entrepreneur; she has been involved in the commercialization of technologies and has founded and co-founded companies.

About the Innovation Hub at Research ParkThis 40,000-square-foot facility is designed to be a resource for the faculty and students of both Texas Tech and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center as well as community members interested in launching new ventures. Texas Tech is a national research university, and the Innovation Hub at Research Park is critical to building the knowledge-based economy of West Texas through the development of innovators and entrepreneurs who solve societys problems and develop innovations to make impact.

(News release from Texas Tech University)

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Ultra-fast COVID-19 sensor invented at Texas Tech gets boost into international markets - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com

New GEM Research: 43% of Survey Respondents Know Someone Who Stopped a Business Due to the Pandemic

There was a total of 135,942 respondents with highly varying participation rates between economies. Among many examples of this, 72% of adults in Indonesia knew someone who had stopped a business due to the pandemic, compared to just 16% of adults in Taiwan. In all of the Latin America & Caribbean GEM participating countries except Uruguay, more than half of adults knew someone who started a business as a result of the pandemic, as they did in Indonesia, Angola, Oman and India. In the United States, 22% know someone who started business due to pandemic, while 42% know someone who stopped a business.

"Due to COVID-19, both the markets and the rules of the game have changed and entrepreneurs will increasingly come up with new solutions for the challenges the world faces," said Niels Bosma, Chair of the GEM Board. "These findings underscore why it is crucial for governments to not just focus on keeping existing businesses alive, but also nurture a fertile ground for new entrepreneurship that can safeguard the jobs of the future."

The state of entrepreneurial activity

One key GEM measure is the level of Total early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA): the percentage of adults actively engaged in starting or running a new business.

Until August 2020, rates of early-stage entrepreneurial activity had not changed significantly, compared to 2019 in most economies.

However, relative to 2019, there was a marked decrease in established business (businesses in operation for more than 42 months), indicating the pains experienced during the first six months of the pandemic. This finding is indicative of the difficulties new businesses experienced in moving to their next level of development during the first six months of the pandemic.

"Falls in the rate of established business ownership are worrying, and indicate a downward shift in employment opportunities," said Professor Stephen Hill, lead author of the global report. "Established businesses provide stable long-term jobs. New businesses are essential, since they will create sustainable jobs, but mostly in the future. However, because of the pandemic, economies need more jobs right here and now, as well as an assurance of jobs for down the road."

Entrepreneurship opportunities

The pandemic is leading to massive layoffs and closures in many countries. GEM survey data overwhelmingly indicates that household income has taken a substantial hit around the world.

Entrepreneurs are by nature good at spotting opportunities, and in turn, resilient in riding out bad times. Of the 43 economies studied, there are nine where more than half of those starting or running a new business agree that the pandemic led to new opportunities they could pursue.

Separately, GEM investigates what motivates entrepreneurs.

"We observed that most of the entrepreneurial population from Europe, North America, Latin-America and the Caribbean were motivated to create a business for making a difference in the world," explained Maribel Guerrero, Professor at Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile. "Most of the entrepreneurial population from Central, East Asia, Middle East and Africa were motivated to create a business for building wealth or higher income."

National Entrepreneurship ContextIndex and Economy Profiles

The report also features GEM's National Entrepreneurship Context Index (GEM NECI). The index measures the 12 entrepreneurial environment conditions (EFCs) that make up the context in which entrepreneurial activity takes place in a country. In its latest ranking, Indonesia, Netherlands and Taiwan are the top three.

In total, the report findings are based on interviews and surveys with nearly 140,000 adults from 46 economies, including both the APS and the National Expert Survey.

From Central and East Asia, the economies are India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea and Taiwan.

From the Middle East and Africa, the economies are Angola, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Togo and United Arab Emirates.

From the Latin American and Caribbean, the economies are Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and Uruguay.

From Europe & North America the economies are: Austria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

Researchers from participating economies are available for media interviews.

In addition, the Global Report addresses questions like:

Call to action

GEM has been actively and consistently measuring and evaluating levels of entrepreneurial activity since 1999. Over that period, more than 120 economies have been involved in the research, collectively interviewing well over three million individuals. Never has this ongoing research been more relevant than today in the midst of the global pandemic. While it is evident from GEM research that entrepreneurship has been riding a very turbulent wave all over the world owing to the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, the true value of the research is at regional or national level.

"The 2020/2021 GEM Global Report not only holds a mirror up to the state of the art of entrepreneurship, but also to the state of economies and policymaking around the world," said Smaiyra Million, Director of the Butler Institute for Free Enterprise through Entrepreneurship at Babson College.

GEM Executive Director Aileen Ionescu-Somers added: "We thank GEM National Teams and our sponsors Babson College and the School of Management Fribourg at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland. This report reflects the start of an unprecedented story that will likely play out for some years to come. We invite our stakeholders, particularly policymakers, to accompany us in that journey by reflecting on our results and using them as a benchmark and/or robust source of data and information for their own policy decision-making or activities to boost entrepreneurship."

On that note, GEM invites you to join its report launch webinaron Monday, May 10 at 9 am US EST, 15:00 CET, 21:00 China Standard Time. Report authors Niels Bosma, Stephen Hill, Maribel Guerrero, Donna Kelley and Thomas Schtt will share insights and analysis and answer your questions. The session will be moderated by Aileen Ionescu-Somers,. Sign up for the webinar.

About GEM

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is a consortium of national country teams, primarily associated with top academic institutions, that carries out survey-based research on entrepreneurship around the world. GEM is the only global research source that collects data on entrepreneurship directly from individual entrepreneurs! GEM's Adult Population Survey (APS) provides analysis on the characteristics, motivations and ambitions of individuals starting businesses, as well as social attitudes towards entrepreneurship. The National Expert Survey (NES) looks at the national context in which individuals start businesses.www.gemconsortium.org

In numbers, GEM is:

- 22 years of data- 150,000+ interviews a year- 100+ economies- 500+ specialists in entrepreneurship research- 300+ academic and research institutions- 200+ funding institutions

GEM began in 1999 as a joint project between Babson College (USA) and London Business School (UK). The consortium has become the richest resource of information on entrepreneurship, publishing a range of global, national and 'special topic' reports on an annual basis.

GEM Global Sponsor Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader ofEntrepreneurship of All Kinds. Thetop-rankedcollege for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advanceEntrepreneurial Thought & Action as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

GEM Report Sponsor TheSchool of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR)is a GEM Global Report sponsor.HEG-FR is a bilingual public business school located in Fribourg, Switzerland and member of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO). Its Institute of Small and Medium Enterprises houses the Swiss chapter of GEM research, which is headed by Professor Rico Baldegger, Ph.D, in collaboration with other colleagues from institutions such as SUPSI Manno in Ticino, Switzerland.

SOURCE Babson College

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New Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Research: 43% of Survey Respondents Know Someone Who Stopped a Business Due to the Pandemic - PRNewswire

May 6, 2021

Five vendors have signed agreements to offer high-speed internet access for up to 30,000 residents in 13 NYCHA developments, a major milestone in the Citys implementation of the Internet Master Plan for Universal Broadband

NEW YORKMayor Bill de Blasio today announcedamajor milestone in the Citys effort to bring new internet connectivity options to residents of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and to create a shift in the local broadband market.As part of New York Citys implementation of the Internet Master Plan for Universal Broadband, the City has executed license agreements with five internet service providers to offer high-speed internet access for up to 30,000 residents in 13 NYCHA developments. NYCHA is currently in the process of finalizing an agreement with a sixth internet service provider.

The five vendors with executed license agreements -- Starry, Sky Packets, Silicon Harlem, Flume, and NYC Mesh -- are finalists selected from the Citys Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) issued in partnership with the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in June 2020. Three developments selected through this process will receive free WiFi on public grounds, while the remaining 10 developments will be wired for affordable in-unit internet access. This effort is part of the Mayor's commitment to extend broadband to New Yorkers in the hardest-hit communities identified by the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity.

In this day and age, high-quality internet service is a necessity, not a luxury, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. By investing in broadband infrastructure, we drive forward a recovery for all of usboth by delivering much needed resources to NYCHA families and making significant progress on our commitment to close the citys digital divide.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way we work, learn and connect to resources, and universal broadband access is essential for communities of color that were hardest-hit by COVID-19 to build back stronger," said First Lady Chirlane McCray. "This historic investment will open the door for industry leaders to deliver innovative technology solutions that end the digital divide and ensure a fair recovery for all."

"Affordable broadband is critical for 21st century life," saidDeputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin. "The Internet connects millions of New Yorkers to work, education, healthcare, family and more. I'm thrilled these partnerships will bring high-speed connectivity to 30,000 NYCHA residents as we implement our nation-leading Internet Master Plan."

"A 21st century recovery for all of us means increasing access to critical infrastructure like broadband," said Deputy Mayor Vicki Been. "For too long, the digital divide has prevented many New Yorkersincluding families, students, and seniorsfrom accessing the Internet where they live. The Internet Master Plan is our boldest investment in universal broadband to date, and I'm thrilled we've partnered with these providers to speed up access to this vital resource for 30,000 NYCHA residents."

We have witnessed how transformational internet connectivity can be to the lives of New Yorkers. Now, 30,000 more NYCHA residents are gaining affordable broadband options through the Citys bold and innovative approach. The Internet Master Plan is changing lives for the better by making education, opportunity, and healthcare more accessible. In addition, broadband creates opportunities to strengthen bonds with family, friends, and community, said New York City Chief Technology Officer John Paul Farmer.Building on this notable progress, the City will continue to facilitate partnerships with internet service providers that share the goal of affordable, high-speed internet for all New Yorkers.

"New York City is closer to achieving its goal of becoming a fairer and equitable city with launching the Internet Master Plan for Universal Broadband," saidNYCEDC Acting President Rachel Loeb. "Through this Master Plan, five vendors will provide access to affordable, high-speed internet options for 30,000 NYCHA residents. We're thrilled the City has reached a milestone to close the digital divide, which for too long has had a disproportionate impact in communities that need it the most.

The Authority is committed to expanding the quality of internet service options available to our residents by leveraging emerging technologies and identifying innovative partnership opportunities, said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. We want to thank the City, MOCTO, and NYCEDC for working with us on this important milestone of making high-speed broadband service more accessible to public housing residents across New York City.

Digital equity must be a priority and this initiative demonstrates our commitment to ending the divide. Free and low cost broadband access is crucial for NYCHA residents and communities of color to have equitable access to work, learning, healthcare, government services and other essential resources, said Sideya Sherman, Executive Director of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity and EVP for Community Engagement and Partnerships, NYCHA. This gap existed before the pandemic and is even more critical now. This unprecedented investment, which accelerates the Internet Master Plan, demonstrates how the City can work creatively, across government, to meet the moment.

About the RFEI

This RFEI offered a unique opportunity for internet service providers, both large and small, to propose their plans and partnership ideas to use new access to NYCHA buildings and facilities to rapidly close the digital divide for this slice of New Yorkers. Respondents proved the Citys theory: that when the City offers new assets -- including building common areas, facades, rooftops, light poles, and other physical structures that can be used for broadband installation -- a diverse set of companies will enter the market with lower cost service options that present competition to the large companies offering limited high-quality service options to New Yorkers. These new companies prove that you can bring new connectivity options to public housing communities and to low-connectivity neighborhoods to close the digital divide.

In the target neighborhoods, internet service providers charge anywhere from $40/month to $110/month. With this RFEI, vendors will provide free or low-cost internet service residents can sign up for no more than $20/month.

"Today, broadband is an essential service. We at NYC Mesh are committed to working with the City and NYCHA to ensure universal and equitable internet access for all New Yorkers, said the NYC Mesh organizers. We believe every community should have the opportunity and resources to own and manage their connection online, and look forward to scaling this collaboration -- already benefiting NYCHA residents -- to ensure our citys digital future benefits all people."

Silicon Harlem applauds New York City for taking a bold Broadband commitment to ensure everyone is connected. We must continue to break down barriers to broadband access for lower income communities, knowing that doing so will enable multiple generations of all New Yorkers to become more fully engaged in the world," said Clayton Banks, Chief Executive Officer for Silicon Harlem. Silicon Harlem is thrilled to provide new and innovative ways to deliver the internet to every home without having cost being a barrier. The RFEI creates an unprecedented opportunity for New York City to be the gateway to greater opportunity for all.

Flume is honored to bring our fiber-to-the-home deployment to over 6,000 NYCHA homes as part of this RFEI, said Prashanth Vijay, CEO of Flume. We believe high quality, low cost fiber broadband should be a right enjoyed by all New Yorkers and our mission is to accelerate towards that goal. We hope this project serves as an inspiration to other private-public partnerships and connectivity investment in affordable housing.

Amid COVID-19, having broadband access that you can trust was a social determinant of good health and synonymous with economic stability, said Henry Quintin, CEO of Sky Packets. Sky Packets managed Wi-Fi solutions serve as a catalyst in closing the digital divide. From virtual learning, streaming, and remote work, we are proud to partner with local community advocates The Red Hook Initiative, NYCHA, NYCEDC, and the Mayor's Office of the Chief Technology Office to offer a much-needed utility to the residents of Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Starry is proud to partner with the City of New York and the Mayors Office of the Chief Technology Officer to bring our high-quality, affordable broadband service to NYCHA residents, said Virginia Lam Abrams, Head of Government Affairs and Strategic Advancement for Starry. Broadband is more essential than ever, and every New Yorker deserves the ability to fully participate and engage in digital life for work, for school and to connect with family and friends. But that cant happen if the cost of broadband access is out of reach. Were excited to bring our digital equity program, Starry Connect, to NYCHA and provide an ultra-low-cost broadband choice for residents, without credit checks or other eligibility strings attached. We thank Mayor de Blasio, CTO John Paul Farmer and the MOCTO staff for its work on this important pilot program and look forward to launching our service to NYCHA families.

About the Internet Master Plan

In January 2020, the City announced the New York City Internet Master Plan, a first-in-nation plan that provides the roadmap to universal broadband in New York City, and the steps the City will take to close the digital divide. Providing equitable broadband is vital to ensuring economic prosperity, digital inclusion, and full participation of all New Yorkers in the digital economy. Universal broadband will also pave the way for next generation technologies such as 5G to be fully accessible to all New Yorkers.

Ensuring high speed and affordable Internet access is a critical component in our ability to fully reopening our city and helping families and communities build back stronger than before, said Congressman Adriano Espaillat. I commend Mayor de Blasio and city leaders who worked to make this effort a reality to ensure free and affordable access for more than 30,000 NYCHA residents, and thus ensure that no child, senior or family has to forego reliable Internet access because of their economic situation or background.

In the 21st century economy, having access to high-speed broadband internet isnt frivolous: its an imperative. Delivering reliable internet service ensures that our children can access educational resources, that families and friends can stay connected to one another, that New Yorkers can receive healthcare resources and much more, said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. Without broadband access, New Yorkers are deprived of the tools they need to succeed. Thats why the investment promised by the Internet Master Planwhich will deliver that access to tens of thousands of NYCHA residentshas the potential to change lives. Im thrilled for the many New Yorkers who will receive high-quality internet service and equally excited for the benefits our city will reap as we take this bold step to end the digital divide.

I applaud the Administration for expanding broadband to more NYCHA residents. As the pandemic has shown in stark terms, access to the Internet is critical for learning, working, socializing, and so much more. A 21st century city deserves a 21st century infrastructure, and we must be laser-focused on delivering universal broadband to all five boroughs and closing the digital divide as soon as possible, saidBrooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

Broadband has been a significant lifeline for so many as we have seen during the pandemic, providing opportunities for education and job training and access to lifesaving information. While we have more to do to ensure universal broadband access, this is a big step and a significant investment towards filling the digital divide for NYCHA residents, making the Internet more accessible for all, and leading the way towards becoming a more connected city, said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer.

I am excited to see the city make progress to close the digital divide and advocate for digital inclusion with the Internet Master Plan for Universal Broadband. The pandemic has exposed many inequitiesone of them being access to a reliable internet connection. The Bronx has the lowest broadband adoption rate in the city with 38% of residents without a home internet connection. These disparities are especially evident in low-income areas where many people are still struggling with internet connectivity for work, school, or just to access important documents and applications often found online. I applaud the Mayor for this effort that will help many of my constituents in the Bronx and throughout New York City, said Senator Luis Sepulveda.

"Connectivity is required to fully participate in modern society. Especially during this COVID-19 crisis, education and life-saving information were best accessed via the internet. It is not too late to close the divide in this critical infrastructure and 30,000 residents is an exemplary start," said Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Chair of the Public Housing Committee.

"This is welcomed news, as the first tangible step in bridging the digital divide in the City of New York," said Council Member Robert Holden, Chair of the Council's Committee on Technology. "Connecting NYCHA residents to high-speed internet will help make many New Yorkers' lives easier and more productive, especially our children. Every student's potential should be based on how hard they work, not where they live. Our young people are our city's most precious resource, and they need all the help we can give them as we recover from this pandemic."

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New York City Announces Free and Low-Cost Broadband Access for 13 NYCHA Developments - nyc.gov

While plastic demand continues to rise around the world, the problems caused by plastic waste are becoming more and more apparent driving stronger calls than ever for society to shift to a recycling-based economy. Yet to make practical use of recycled raw materials, those involved need to be able to ensure traceability, such as by being able to specify the materials in use.Considering that the world produces381 million tonnes of plastic waste yearly, a statistic that is expected to double by 2034 if nothing changes, promoting circular economic models, is becoming more urgent.

With the resource circulation platform being planned by Mitsui Chemicals and IBM Japan, the aim is to ensure traceability throughout the resource life cycle, from raw materials like monomers and polymers through to the manufacturing, sales and use of products. This aim applies also to the recycling process thereafter, in which used products are recovered, dismantled, shredded and sorted into raw materials that can be reused to manufacture new products. Additionally, the platform is intended to visualize matters such as the manufacturing processes for recycled raw materials, examination methods, physical properties and quality-related data, thereby facilitating the smooth flow of goods.

Utilizing blockchain technology for this traceability system will aid in making supply chains more transparent. It will also allow various stakeholders to guarantee the neutrality and fairness of operations, make it possible to optimize business transactions and inspections, and help those involved go paperless.

Mitsui Chemicals sees climate change and plastic waste as important issues that need to be focused on, said SAMBE Masao, Executive Officer in charge of Mitsui Chemicals Digital Transformation Division. If we want to solve these issues as a society, we can no longer stick to a one-way economy in which we simply consume resources and dispose of them. Instead, well need to work on building a circular economy that recovers, recycles and reuses its resources.

Here at Mitsui Chemicals, we plan to leverage the wealth of expertise and skill weve built up through our work with monomers and polymers, as well as the eco-friendly technologies and expertise were currently working on, including for recycling. By combining this all with digital transformation technologies, most notably blockchain technology, we will go about building a resource circulation platform that acts as a materials traceability system, helping in turn to bring about a circular economy.

For this project, IBM Japan will take the wide-ranging expertise and skill it has built up in assisting various companies in their digital transformation endeavors and utilize these to verify the setup of new blockchain-based digital platform. Capitalizing on blockchain technology will allow companies to guarantee neutrality and fairness here, as well as ensure an advanced level of security. Further, with cloud technology to offer speedy setup and flexibility, the use of AI, as well as the construction of a hybrid cloud that can link up with its existing systems will be considered. The products set to be used for all this are the IBM Blockchain Platform, as well as IBM Cloud, a public cloud service that serves as the foundation for this platform.

Upon building the resource circulation platform for plastic material traceability, Mitsui Chemicals and IBM Japan will work together toward demonstration testing.

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Mitsui Chemicals and IBM Japan to explore the use of blockchain to recycle plastics resources - Waste Management World

ByDarci Henderson, Secretary,Tabor 100; Co-Founder,Alltrus

Small business owners, many of whom have taken a devastating blow this past year, will be the engine that drives our economic recovery once the vaccination rate picks up and things begin kicking back into gear again. To nurture a more robust and resilient small business community, collaboration at all levels of government and the economy will be essential.

Policymakers, larger technology industry stakeholders, and community leaders must come together to broaden access to the tools available to small business owners today. This should encompass greater familiarity with digital advertising platforms, online payment processing capability through services such as Square, and third-party delivery options that are becoming increasingly digitized like USPS, FedEx, or UPS.

As a Tukwila-based small business owner working with my business partner and co-founder Denise Ransom, and Secretary of Tabor 100, the regional chamber association that serves as a resource for minority-owned businesses, Ive seen first-hand the obstacles our community has faced on every step of our countrys response to the pandemic.

Ive seen our business owners face challenges in accessing emergency assistance loans provided by the government while trying to pivot into an economy refocused on e-commerce. Sadly, minority-and-women-owned small businesses too often found themselves a day late or a dollar short on accessing resources needed to persist after COVID-19 turned our whole world upside down. To remedy this imbalance, greater collaboration is needed between organizations like Tabor 100, the government, and local industry leaders who are well-versed in the digital tools that provide access to online market share.

Like most businesses across Washington State, digital tools have been very important to my own pivots in response to the pandemic. But as we know, not all small business owners have familiarity with the online market landscape. The digital tools and services available to small business owners today can be game-changing often the difference between survival and closure. A robust outreach and education effort will be needed to further close the divide.

A swift and equitable recovery will also require a recognition of the disproportionate challenges faced by minority-and-women-owned small businesses. Countless studies show that Black and Brown business owners faced considerable barriers to accessing emergency relief through the Small Business Administrations Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was meant encourage small business owners to keep workers on their payroll through the pandemic. I had difficulty accessing the PPP funds personally, and saw others across the Tabor 100 community struggle to get connected to emergency resources when we needed them most. These challenges underscore the need for a more deliberate approach to government relief, to supplement greater access to free and affordable digital platforms.

Zooming out, Washington State remains a leader nationally on economic opportunity stimulated by e-commerce, as was confirmed by arecent study from the Progressive Policy Institute. Ensuring that every small business owner can participate equitably to get the most value from these platforms will be essential to our collective journey to recovery.

If theres some good that can come from COVID-19, perhaps its the opportunity to create an economy that is more locally-focused, accessible to communities with fewer resources, and compassionate towards small business owners who have been left behind during the pandemic.

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Meeting The Needs Of Black-Owned Small Businesses In The Digital Economy - Seattle Medium

Resource Fair (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)

With the announcement Friday of a $155 million investment in small businesses, including $5.5 million for workforce development programming, Mayor Bill de Blasio staked a foothold along a critical frontier in New York City's pandemic recovery: preparing workers for the changing economy.

The city's economy was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the unemployment rate jumping fivefold to a high of over 20% last June. In-person jobs have contracted significantly, especially in hospitality, nightlife, retail, and transportation, many of which were already in decline. At the same time, health and technology sectors have emerged from the pandemic ready for a boom. Nearly half a million city residents are unemployed and seeking new ventures in the molten industrial landscape.

Much is uncertain about what the post-pandemic economy will look like. Tourism and restaurants are already starting to return but it is unclear how quickly those industries will grow and to what level.

The conditions are ripe for public and private sectors to retool the workforce and leverage the vast human capital of the five boroughs. Economists and workforce development organizations say that, while de Blasio has taken some steps in his executive budget, released Monday, this mayoral administration -- and the next, due in January -- need to do much more to strike while the iron is hot.

"We need ways to get people back to work, to stabilize businesses more, and to retrain those workers whose jobs they won't be returning to for good paying jobs that they have a prospect of getting in the next couple of years," said New School economist James Parrott in an interview last month. "That should be obligatory for the city."

New York City's labor force has suffered greater than the states or nations, with an 11.7% unemployment rate in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared with 8.5% for New York State and 6% nationwide. Experts say the city's recovery could be slowed because of the decline in face-to-face business, such as tourism and nightlife, which makes up a significant portion of New York's economy. The pandemic has been particularly hard for young job-seekers. The number of young people -- ages 16 to 24 -- who are both out of school and unemployed likely doubled during the pandemic, from one in eight pre-pandemic to nearly one in four, according to a report from the city's Disconnected Youth Task Force.

Workforce development organizations say the city needs to invest more in training models and "upskilling" in addition to infrastructure that supports jobs, like child- and health-care, internet access, and financial services. For example, programs aimed at teaching digital literacy tools that have become increasingly essential. Another example is bridge programming, like high school equivalency and English tutoring, that includes work on basic skills needed to enter the training programs that can advance careers or launch workers in burgeoning sectors like green jobs, tech, and care.

"Its critical that we recognize workers as our cornerstone for prosperity and growth for communities across the city, said Jose Ortiz, Jr., CEO of New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC), an association of workforce development organizations.

"Our leaders must fundamentally shift and align systems, investments, and decision-making processes that fuel our economy toward a talent-driven economic development model," he said in an interview. Such a model would be based on creating high-quality jobs, which offer better pay and upward mobility, but for many New Yorkers will require training and connections -- the latter, which can be facilitated by apprenticeship and network-building programs.

Ortiz said local hiring and skill-building programs should be part of any economic development project. The city could allocate 10% of funding for such initiatives on building community-based hiring pipelines, he suggested, which could include local recruitment and job training, and agreements with private developers.

In March, de Blasio proposed state lawmakers pass legislation to allow the city to require contractors to hire from low-income communities and NYCHA developments and mandate apprenticeships in building and construction. The proposal was supported in a letter to legislators by 133 organizations.

Another suggestion from Ortiz, is to create a workforce development committee within the City Council to strengthen oversight over jobs programs.

With the scale of unemployment and the potential recovery, NYCETC believes lawmakers need to better connect and streamline education, job training, and hiring systems.

NYCETC is working to influence the next mayor and City Council. The group is also partnering with the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development and Regional Plan Association on an effort called "NYC Inclusive Growth Initiative" to develop an agenda that combines job creation, affordable housing retention and expansion, and reducing structural inequities in the economy.

On Wednesday evening, NYCETC will be hosting a forum, "Role of Workers in a Resilient & Inclusive Recovery," with several leading candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor in the June primary. The forum will be about the part workforce development will play in New York's recovery and how candidates plan to create high-quality jobs. Several Democratic mayoral candidates have released workforce development planks in their policy platforms.

Kathryn Garcia, a former city sanitation commissioner, among other government roles, has proposed the city partner with CUNY and trade schools to recruit employees directly from college. Comptroller Scott Stringer has said he wants to create a workforce development program at CUNY and expand access by making community colleges tuition-free. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams wants more incentives for employers who hire a majority city-based employees. Platforms of both former federal housing secretary Shaun Donovan and former nonprofit executive Dianne Morales include job training for climate resiliency projects. Maya Wiley, former counsel to the mayor, wants to open more jobs training sites in underserved areas and partner with community-based organizations to operate them.

According to a recent report from NYCETC and The New School's Center for New York City Affairs, unemployment in the city has not been experienced equally. In the second half of 2020, the report showed, unemployment for men of color was about twice that of white men, 18% to 9%.

The New Yorkers most impacted by pandemic-induced unemployment are also those most at risk of losing work to automation, disproportionately Hispanic, male, and young. According to a recent study from Center for an Urban Future, "[a]mong occupations that are the most highly automatable using technology that exists today, 76 percent of jobs are held by Black, Hispanic, and Asian New Yorkers, even though they make up just 57 percent of the citys total workforce."

"While we continue to evaluate the pandemics impact on jobs in the city, we already know we need to respond to the crisis through a lens of equity so we can rebuild a more inclusive economy," Ortiz said.

Since the onset of the pandemic, much of the de Blasio administration's workforce development effort has been undertaken by the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development, the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Projects have focused on skill-building in growing industries and salves like rapid employment efforts that will not necessarily lead to long-term jobs or job mobility.

Small businesses account for two-thirds of private sector jobs, according to EDC, making them central to any labor recovery endeavor. The new $155 million allocation for small businesses, included in the mayor's executive budget for upcoming fiscal year 2022, which starts July 1 of this year, contains over $100 million in grants, loans, and other assistance and $5.5 million in job training and apprenticeships. Last October, EDC set up a Small Business Resource Center in partnership with the Peterson Foundation and Partnership for New York City.

"Small businesses knit New York City together and they were hit hard last year, even as Wall Street made record profits. But help is on the way," de Blasio said in a statement Friday. "These investments will keep New York City the most vibrant city in the world and help build a recovery for all of us."

Part of the small business allocation is a $1.5 million investment in HireNYC, a construction jobs recruitment and training program for development projects using city funds.

In the first year of the pandemic, close to 80,000 individuals went to Workforce1 career centers run by SBS, according to a spokesperson. Roughly 14,700 were connected to jobs, just over half of the more than 26,000 hires or promotions connected in pre-pandemic fiscal year 2020, according to the citys data. The 18 centers have been operating virtually since last spring, allowing services to continue. But many job-seekers, especially from underserved communities, continue to face technological barriers to accessing online services.

SBS and EDC have been making efforts to expand training in high-growth sectors like life sciences, cybersecurity, and care services. EDC has continued to push its LifeSci NYC Internship, which has received 1,700 applicants since it launched in 2018 and has a 40% hiring rate upon completion. This month, EDC launched a cybersecurity training program with Fullstack Academy for 28 low-income New Yorkers. SBS rolled out a new temporary training program for home health aides to meet a growing demand at the height of the pandemic, in a sector likely to have opportunities in the future.

"The pandemic has created a new economy, putting sectors like healthcare and technology at the forefront of our recovery," said SBS Commissioner Jonnel Doris, in a statement. "In addition to helping nearly 80,000 jobseekers through our Workforce1 Centers, SBS is continuing to fulfill the goals of the City's Career Pathways initiative by making sure our job training programs meet the needs of the City's high-growth sectors," he said, referring to de Blasio's marquee workforce development plan, developed in his first year as mayor in 2014. Career Pathways was lauded by the workforce development community when first announced but has been criticized for severe underfunding and limited implementation.

"That's why were investing $6 million in our most precious resource the workers who keep the City growing and our businesses running," Doris said.

New York City is uniquely positioned as a leader in diverse industries and talent. Over the past year, weve seen the adverse effects the pandemic has had on our workforce," said an EDC spokesperson, in a statement to Gotham Gazette. "Thats why were still committed to building an inclusive economy so that all New Yorkers have access to the good-paying jobs that arise from new economic opportunities. Our continued investments in growing industries will aid the recovery for New Yorkers of all backgrounds, especially among underserved communities.

The mayor's executive budget also includes a $234 million plan to hire 10,000 New Yorkers to $15-per-hour positions as part of the City Cleanup Corp, a "New Deal-style" sanitation and beautification program that will run through the end of the year.

"The goal here is hire as many people as possible, as quickly as possible for employment in 2021 and only 2021, and then as we get to later in the year, we'll assess what makes sense to do going forward," de Blasio told reporters when he announced the City Cleanup Corp earlier this month.

Last week, the mayor announced a partnership with the Ali Forney Center to enroll up to 90 LGBTQ young adults who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in a jobs program with basic credentialing like high school equivalency, advance job skills training, mental health support, and career opportunities.

According to the mayor's office, the city added 100,000 jobs to the workforce between December and March and administration officials expect 400,000 thousand more to come on by the end of 2021. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, that would put New York at 4.5 million jobs, about 200,000 short of pre-pandemic levels.

"The unfortunate issue with the city's strategy with regards to some of these initiatives is that they are aligned to individuals who for the most part are ready to reenter or enter the workforce; they are not necessarily aligned to individuals that require significant wrap-around services," said Ortiz, referring to the estimated hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who need additional support to combat things like food, housing, and transportation insecurity in order to successfully enter the job market -- needs traditionally covered by human services providers, which have also been hit hard by the pandemic.

"Many of the [workforce development] programs, unfortunately, that [the city is] are partnering with, while quality programs, tend to be for-profit organizations, making it cost prohibitive for the individuals we tend to serve who are coming from the most marginalized communities in the city," Ortiz said. According to the NYCETC-New School report, 96% of workforce development provider organizations saw a reduction in revenue this fiscal year compared to last, due largely to drops in city and state contracting, or in private funding.

"The city's inability to partner with these organizations and provide them the funding that's required for them to successfully train individuals is a major shortfall in their strategy," Ortiz said.

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What is New York City Doing to Prepare Its Workforce for the Post-Pandemic Economy? - Gotham Gazette

By Mary Page Bailey | April 26, 2021

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo) and IBM Japan, Ltd. (Tokyo) announced plans to start working together on a resource circulation platform that utilizes blockchain technology. The aim through this is to ensure the traceability of materials a hurdle to clear on the way to achieving a circular economy.

While plastic demand continues to rise around the world, the problems caused by plastic waste are becoming more and more apparent driving stronger calls than ever for society to shift to a recycling-based economy. Yet to make practical use of recycled raw materials, those involved need to be able to ensure traceability, such as by being able to specify the materials in use.

Mitsui and IBM are collaborating on a blockchain scheme to advance the circularity of plastic materials and feedstocks

(Source: Mitsui Chemicals)

With the resource circulation platform being planned by Mitsui Chemicals and IBM Japan, the aim is to ensure traceability throughout the resource life cycle, from raw materials like monomers and polymers through to the manufacturing, sales and use of products. This aim applies also to the recycling process thereafter, in which used products are recovered, dismantled, shredded and sorted into raw materials that can be reused to manufacture new products. Additionally, the platform is intended to visualize matters such as the manufacturing processes for recycled raw materials, examination methods, physical properties and quality-related data, thereby facilitating the smooth flow of goods.

Utilizing blockchain technology for this traceability system will aid in making supply chains more transparent. It will also allow various stakeholders to guarantee the neutrality and fairness of operations, make it possible to optimize business transactions and inspections, and help those involved go paperless.

Mitsui Chemicals sees climate change and plastic waste as important issues that need to be focused on, said SAMBE Masao, Executive Officer in charge of Mitsui Chemicals Digital Transformation Division. If we want to solve these issues as a society, we can no longer stick to a one-way economy in which we simply consume resources and dispose of them. Instead, well need to work on building a circular economy that recovers, recycles and reuses its resources.

Here at Mitsui Chemicals, we plan to leverage the wealth of expertise and skill weve built up through our work with monomers and polymers, as well as the eco-friendly technologies and expertise were currently working on, including for recycling. By combining this all with digital transformation technologies, most notably blockchain technology, we will go about building a resource circulation platform that acts as a materials traceability system, helping in turn to bring about a circular economy.

For this project, IBM Japan will take the wide-ranging expertise and skill it has built up in assisting various companies in their digital transformation endeavors and utilize these to verify the setup of new blockchain-based digital platform. Capitalizing on blockchain technology will allow companies to guarantee neutrality and fairness here, as well as ensure an advanced level of security. Further, with cloud technology to offer speedy setup and flexibility, the use of AI, as well as the construction of a hybrid cloud that can link up with its existing systems will be considered. The products set to be used for all this are the IBM Blockchain Platform, as well as IBM Cloud, a public cloud service that serves as the foundation for this platform.

Upon building the resource circulation platform for plastic material traceability, Mitsui Chemicals and IBM Japan will work together toward demonstration testing.

See the article here:

Mitsui Chemicals and IBM working on blockchain-based platform for plastics circularity - ChemEngOnline

Take a look around you. Chances are you see items made from wood. Your desk, parts of the building youre in, maybe a fruit bowl. Wood is so commonplace we take it for granted. But it also has some surprising uses and crops up in everyday items you might not know contained wood products. Here are some examples.

The typical supercar buyer might have titanium, carbon fibre and kevlar on the checklist. Wood? Not likely, unless it forms the expensive trim around the dashboard.

The Nano Cellulose Vehicle is a prototype supercar made from wood products.

Image: Japanese Ministry of Environment

But now theres a supercar made from cellulose nanofiber a wood-derived material that is stronger than steel. It was commissioned by the Japanese government as part of a project to explore cutting emissions in car manufacturing. It weighs 50% less than traditional supercars.

While modern-day chewing gum relies on synthetic sap substitutes, it was traditionally made from chicle a milky latex from the sapodilla tree. Ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs enjoyed chewing it.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers used xylem tissue from sapwood to create filters that can purify water. Prototypes tested in India showed that xylem filters could potentially be used to filter bacteria and viruses from contaminated drinking water.

The carnauba wax found in many car wax brands comes from the leaves of the Copernicia prunifera, a palm tree that grows exclusively in Brazil. Its harvested by drying and beating the leaves.

Timber skyscrapers can be built faster, more cheaply and with less of an environmental impact than traditional concrete and steel structures.

The Brock Commons Tower in Vancouver has a smaller carbon footprint than a comparable traditional building

Image: University of British Columbia

Construction of Vancouvers 18-story Brock Commons tower offset an estimated 2,432 tonnes of carbon. It houses students in what is currently the tallest timber building in the world.

Environmentally friendly ink based on cellulose nanocrystals has been created by scientists at Swiss materials science lab Empa. The technology could be used for the 3D printing of implants and other biomedical applications, they say.

Willow bark has been used in traditional medicine to relieve pain and treat fevers for thousands of years. But it wasnt until the 1800s that the active ingredient salicin was discovered, which would later form the basis of aspirin.

Eco-friendly domestic sponges are often made from wood-derived cellulose. However, scientists have also used balsa wood to create an oil-absorbing sponge that absorbs up to 41 times its weight. It could prove invaluable in cleaning up oil spills.

Why the world needs to protect trees

Wood will be a key material in creating a circular bioeconomy a conceptual framework that relies on natural capital to manage food, land and industrial systems. The aim is to achieve sustainable wellbeing in harmony with nature.

The World Economic Forum has created a series of initiatives to promote circularity.

1. Scale360 Playbook was designed to build lasting ecosystems for the circular economy and help solutions scale.

Scale360 Playbook Journey

Image: Scale360 Playbook

Its unique hub-based approach - launched this September - is designed to prioritize circular innovation while fostering communities that allow innovators from around the world to share ideas and solutions. Emerging innovators from around the world can connect and work together ideas and solutions through the UpLink, the Forum's open innovation platform.

Discover how the Scale360 Playbook can drive circular innovation in your community.

2. A new Circular Cars Initiative (CCI) embodies an ambition for a more circular automotive industry. It represents a coalition of more than 60 automakers, suppliers, research institutions, NGOs and international organizations committed to realizing this near-term ambition.

CCI has recently released a new series of circularity roadmaps, developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), McKinsey & Co. and Accenture Strategy. These reports explain the specifics of this new circular transition.

Connect to Learn More

3. The World Economic Forums Accelerating Digital Traceability for Sustainable Production initiative brings together manufacturers, suppliers, consumers and regulators to jointly establish solutions and provide a supporting ecosystem to increase supply chain visibility and accelerate sustainability and circularity across manufacturing and production sectors.

Connect to Learn More

However, the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that, despite a slowing of the rate of deforestation in the last decade, some 10 million hectares of forest cover is still lost each year through conversion to agriculture and other land uses.

Responsible forestry and land management will be vital in managing this invaluable, renewable resource.

And while wooden, eco-friendly supercars are likely to remain a novelty, they show the potential for creating new products from ancient materials that could lead us into a more sustainable future.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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These items have all been derived from wood - World Economic Forum

The decision to pause and then restart the Johnson & Johnson vaccine underscores how hard it is even for experts to gauge health risks. Its been still harder for everyday people, most of whom have no medical background and little experience analyzing risks and benefits.

People have experienced confusion about mask-wearing, physical distancing, travel, remote work, financial assistance measures and more. Now people are weighing uncertainty about vaccines. Further, some members of historically marginalized groups are skeptical of vaccine safety, as retired NFL star Marshawn Lynch detailed in a recent interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden.

We are informatics and regulation researchers who study intersections among information, policy and human behavior. We have recently studied the intensive risk work individuals are doing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research, which is scheduled to be published next month, provides insight into how people in the U.S. perceive pandemic-related risks and how they draw on information to assess and manage them.

To understand peoples perceptions of risk, we conducted interviews that allowed people to explain their beliefs and experiences in detail. We recruited this sample using nationwide group email lists and social media. Based on an initial short intake form, we selected participants to create a sample that was diverse in terms of age, geographic location and self-reported difficulties that people were facing during the pandemic. We conducted interviews with 40 people, and we paid them for their time.

These interviews revealed that people conceive of COVID-19 risks as more diverse and complex than popular narratives about managing health versus the economy suggest.

Though illness and economic risks were dominant concerns of our interviewees, people also spoke about risks from secondary illness, threats to social and behavioral well-being and the erosion of key institutions.

Risk of COVID-19 illness included apprehension about the prospect of being unwell, suffering with a severe disease and dying. Participants worried about becoming severely sick with COVID-19, but they differed in their perceptions of who was more likely to become gravely ill. There was general agreement that elderly people and people who had underlying medical conditions were at higher risk.

Wanting to know which groups were especially at risk was very important for many people we interviewed. They talked about dangers of illness for society, everyone, elderly people, and people in a certain socioeconomic group. They also discussed risks to themselves or their close social contacts, such as references to my dad who is elderly and sick and my son-in-law who is a deputy sheriff and encounters homeless people with COVID symptoms.

Participants associated secondary illness risks with health care resource shortages. Many described the increased likelihood of death from other serious conditions if the health care system became overrun with COVID-19 patients. They understood that an overstretched system would not be able to provide normal levels of care and that it also meant that patients would be more likely to suffer or die.

They described multiple interrelated threats to social and behavioral well-being. Social and behavioral risks included things like anxiety, depression, stress, damaged relationships and career setbacks. Mental illness, for example, emerged as a potential risk from widespread and personal social isolation, which could lead to loneliness and depression.

Interviewees understood estrangement in personal relationships as a risk for themselves and others. A grandmother who used to take care of her grandchild two days a week thought her personal relationship with her young granddaughter could fray through the lack of in-person contact during the pandemic. Other participants felt there was a risk in terms of delays in life trajectories for example, careers derailed or set back years and developmental delays among children whose schooling was canceled or altered.

Economic risks spanned concerns about job and income loss, recession and the inability to find work. As with illness risks, participants framed economic risk both broadly in terms of society and specifically in relation to certain populations they perceived as being at-risk, such as recent graduates, millennials, business owners and poor people.

Many participants characterized the wider economic implications as potentially disastrous, explaining the risks as similar to or greater than the virus itself. Some even described an economic threat that could dwarf the Great Depression of the 1930s or the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. They also mentioned specific threats, such as business closures, sweeping losses to retirement income and declines in home values.

Another identified risk was crumbling institutions. Participants saw the pandemic as a threat to public health, the health care system, educational systems, the arts, the federal government and business. They believed that if these systems fell apart there would be long-term ramifications. As a 22-year-old resident of Arizona said, I was more worried about the societal changes than the actual virus, if that makes sense.

Many interviewees reflected on institutional failures. For example, one participant, interviewed in 2020, explained how the pandemic had led to a crisis of leadership for the country, with states left to fend for themselves to manage the effects of COVID-19 without adequate federal support. Others felt that institutions being at risk meant core rights and privileges that Americans typically enjoyed such as privacy were also at risk.

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Our participants reported that most of the information about COVID-19 risks available to them addressed only COVID-19 illness and not other types of risks associated with the pandemic, and often contained conflicting recommendations. As a result, our participants said they received little helpful information about how to manage the multiple forms of risk they were perceiving.

According to our research, not having information to validate these other perceived risks had a spillover effect: It fueled a sense that authorities were not addressing urgent threats. Advice on managing COVID-19 illness that fails to acknowledge other risks contributes to a loss of trust and, in turn, may undermine compliance with guidelines.

Studies show that people perceive messaging about COVID-19 to be fragmented and conflicted. This is dangerous, because past studies show that exposure to health massages that are conflicting leads to decreased trust in authoritative sources of information. Our findings led us to the same conclusion. They made clear that the issue is even broader, because people are receiving inadequate information about multiple pandemic risks, not just COVID-19 illness.

In addition, our participants said that authoritative sources of risk information tend to be too general. People said that they often turned to individuals in their social networks to help them obtain relevant information and better understand risk for example, a cousin who is a nurse working on the front lines.

We found that these informal communications with experts are important but often overlooked. Acknowledging the informal work that these experts do and developing strategies to support this labor could inform individuals risk management. It could also alleviate anxiety during this uncertain time.

For example, clinicians receive information updates from local, state and national health agencies and the organizations where they practice. Clinicians often translate this information for their social contacts through informal communications. Alongside clinical updates, they could receive information sheets describing COVID-19 risks and risk management strategies that they could distribute via social media and other channels to their networks. Picture an easily understandable breakdown of the risks and benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that clinicians could share broadly with the click of a button to group chats and social media accounts.

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People have had a hard time weighing pandemic risks because they haven't gotten information they needed when they needed it - The Conversation US