world bytes

Excessive Medication

by Terrance Malkinson

A Thought to Chew On

Considerable media attention has recently focused on the cost, risk and side effects of medication. New knowledge has yielded many miracle drugs that have saved lives and improved the quality of life for many. Regrettably, many are taking medications for innocuous ills when simple lifestyle changes of diet and exercise are more effective and considerably less expensive. Many are experiencing toxic side-effects of medications and drug interactions, which in some cases, have resulted in death. In: “Just Say No!” (Forbes; 174(11):102-112, 2004; www.forbes.com), Robert Langreth examines the issue and describes how, for many, drugs may be the wrong choice. He discusses drug avoidance in seven categories: high cholesterol, hypertension, thinning bones, anxiety and depression, chronic pain, insomnia, and heartburn.

The cost of providing health care as an employee benefit is of increasing concern to employers ("A Health Care Agenda for Business" MIT Sloan Management Review; 45(4): 56-64, 2004; www.web.mit.edu/smr). The costs associated with providing prescriptions as an employee benefit are increasing to a point where many employers can no longer afford it. In "Dispensing New Alternatives" (BenefitsCanada; 28(12): 71-74, 2004; www.benefitscanada.com), Jim Norton discusses options that employers and plan sponsors have for controlling usage of new drugs, particularly biologics as they reach the market.

Exercise is the best "medication":

• "Effects of Exercise and Diet on Chronic Disease"; Journal of Applied Physiology; 98(1): 3-30, 2004

• "Waging War on Modern Chronic Diseases: Primary Prevention Through Exercise Biology"; Journal of Applied Physiology; 88(2): 774-787, 2004

• "Physical Activity and Health Related Quality of Life"; Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews; 24(3): 71-108, 1996.

Clearly, discussion of social and corporate policy will continue to increase as we need to balance risks, benefits and costs of pharmaceuticals.

Other Bytes

Here are some of the things going on in and around the engineering community:

• IEEE Engineering Management Review, published since 1973, reprints from other publications significant articles related to the practice of engineering management. Each quarterly issue has a specific focus. In 2004, these topics included: “Transitions”; “Anticipating the Future”; “Customers, Clients and Users — or Guests?”; and “It Takes a Team.” A recent issue (32(4):2004) contains articles that emphasize aspects of teamwork and collaboration. Other articles in this issue reprint the best published on a variety of topics, including “Your First Year on the Job” (53-56, reprinted from Public Management, 2004); “How to Succeed in the Hyper-Human Economy” (91-96 reprinted from The Futurist, 2004); and “Setting Up as a Consultant” (122-125 reprinted from Chemical Engineering, 2004). IEEE Engineering Management Review (www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/ems/emr/emronline.html) is available to IEEE members and Society Affiliates Pub ID# 500-3011.

• IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/ems/Transactions/transactions-home.html) recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Volume 1 was published in 1954, and today each issue of the journal is read by more than 10,000 scholars and managers. The journal consistently ranks at or near the top in reviewed measures of quality and impact. To celebrate, Volume 51(4):2004 contains, in addition to its regular features, seven short essays (pp. 391-413) written by major contributors to the field of engineering management. These authoritative and provocative essays comment on the past 50 years of research and practice, and speculate on the next 50 years.

• On 4 October 2004, SpaceShipOne achieved a milestone in flight when it became the first privately funded aircraft to carry a human into space and back again. Receiving the Ansari X-prize for the first non-government funded flight to reach an altitude of 100 kilometers, and then repeat it within a week, was businessman Burt Rutan. He also received Inc. Magazines’ 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year Award. David Freedman tells the survey in Inc. Magazine: (27(1): 59-66, 2004; www.inc.com). The article's primary focus is the business model Rutan used. His 125-employee, Mojave, California company achieved success the same way a fast-growth software of biotech company develops products — a small team, angel funding, free-wheeling management, and a willingness to take risks.

• One factor critical to project success is an inspiring vision of what the project is meant to achieve and its impact. In: “Understanding the Role of Vision in Project Success” (Project Management Journal; 35(3): 39-52, 2004; www.pmi.org), Dale Christenson and Derek Walker discuss through a case study how a complex information technology project achieved success. This success was attributed to the project leadership, and the group’s use of an inspiring project vision.  Christenson and Walker examine the concept of vision from a number of perspectives, and then how vision applies to a project — its characteristics and how it is linked to a transformational leadership style. The authors explore and analyze four case studies to identify best practices in vision development.

• The economy of the United States is in many ways based on systems that nurture high-impact entrepreneurship. This approach creates value and stimulates growth by bringing new and better ideas to the market-place. In “Building Entrepreneurial Economies” (Foreign Affairs; 83(4): 104-115, 2004; www.foreignaffairs.org/), Carl Schramm discusses how, with the right development policies, entrepreneurship might be cultivated in other countries, where entrepreneurship “is considered only as an afterthought and in a piecemeal fashion.” The author believes that real opportunities emerge when a nation develops new firms based on new ideas that add unique value. Schramm discusses the four-sector U.S. economic model as a potential framework for policy promoting entrepreneurship in the developing world.

• Student feedback can enhance teaching effectiveness. William Faranda and Irvine Clarke discuss their research in “Student Observations of Outstanding Teaching: Implications for Marketing Educators” (Journal of Marketing Education; 26(3): 271-281, 2004; www.sagepub.com/journal.aspx?pid=117). Faranda and Clarke identified five predominant themes of teaching excellence as perceived by students. Their findings highlight the need for educators to maintain interactivity with students, and offer other useful suggestions for improving the education process. These insights extend well beyond marketing education.

• Many factors come into play when designing organizational policies and benefits that help female employees optimize their contributions to an organization. In “A Flexible Combination” (BenefitsCanada; 28(11): 99-101, 2004; www.benefitscanada.com), Tom Buller discusses some of the benefits that reflect on women’s needs in the workplace. By understanding these needs, organizations are then able to provide a flexible approach to benefits and human resource policies that will attract, motivate and retain female employees, optimizing their work/life balance, while achieving organizational objectives.

• Today, more than ever, business ethics are being questioned and examined. Both managers and employees face ethical dilemmas daily. Business, as well as our society at large, is exploring this issue not only to provide guidance to the current workforce, but most importantly to the next generation of workers who are currently in the classroom. Ethical behavior in management is the special topic of the May 2004 issue of the Academy of Management Executive (18(2): 37-91, 2004; http://aom.pace.edu/AME/). Three papers were selected for publication from a total of 36 submitted. The guest editor, John Veiga, eagerly hopes that the article will be adopted for classroom use, as he believes it bears a clear and important message for students at all levels.

Terrance Malkinson is a proposal manager/documentation specialist; an elected Senator of the University of Calgary; an elected Governor of the Engineering Management Society; international correspondent for IEEE-USA Today's Engineer online; editor-in-chief of IEEE-USA Today's Engineer quarterly print digest; and editor of the IEEE Engineering Management Society Newsletter. He can be reached at todaysengineer@ieee.org. Views expressed in this article are the author's.