Imara to Present Data on IMR-687 in Sickle Cell Disease at the 25th Annual European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress – BioSpace

BOSTON, May 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imara Inc. (Nasdaq: IMRA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to treat patients suffering from rare inherited genetic disorders of hemoglobin, today announced that it will present interim data from the ongoing Phase 2a study of IMR-687 in patients with sickle cell disease at the 25th Annual European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress to be held virtually June 11-21, 2020.

The data will be presented by Biree Andemariam, M.D., Associate Professor at UConn School of Medicine and Director of the New England Sickle Cell Institute at UConn Health, and lead investigator for the trial. Dr. Andemariams presentation (Abstract #S290), titled IMR-687, A Highly Selective Phosphodiesterase 9 Inhibitor (PDE9I), Increases F-Cells and Fetal Hemoglobin in a Ph-2A Interim Analysis will be included in the oral abstract session, New Therapeutic Approaches for Sickle Cell Disease. The presentation will be available for on-demand viewing starting at 2:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. CEST on Friday, June 12, 2020, and will be accessible until October 15, 2020.

In January 2020, Imara completed enrollment in the IMR-687 Phase 2a clinical trial in sickle cell patients and the Company plans to report top-line data from the trial in the fourth quarter of 2020.

About IMR-687

IMR-687 is a highly selective and potent small molecule inhibitor of PDE9. PDE9 uniquely degrades cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), an active signaling molecule that plays a role in vascular biology. Lower levels of cGMP are often found in people with sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia and are associated with impaired blood flow, increased inflammation, greater cell adhesion and reduced nitric oxide mediated vasodilation.

Blocking PDE9 acts to increase cGMP levels, which are associated with reactivation of fetal hemoglobin, or HbF, a natural hemoglobin produced during fetal development. Increased levels of HbF in red blood cells have been demonstrated to improve symptomology and substantially lower disease burden in both patients with sickle cell disease and patients with beta-thalassemia.

About Imara

Imara Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to treat patients suffering from rare inherited genetic disorders of hemoglobin. Imara is currently advancing IMR-687, a highly selective, potent small molecule inhibitor of PDE9 that is an oral, once-a-day, potentially disease-modifying treatment for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. IMR-687 is being designed to have a multimodal mechanism of action that acts on red blood cells, white blood cells, adhesion mediators and other cell types. For more information, please visit http://www.imaratx.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the timing for reporting of data from the ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating IMR-687 in patients with sickle cell disease. The words anticipate, believe, continue, could, estimate, expect, intend, may, plan, potential, predict, project, should, target, will, would and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the impact of extraordinary external events, such as the risks and uncertainties resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys business, operations, strategy, goals and anticipated milestones, including its ability to conduct and readout data from its ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial of IMR-687 in sickle cell disease ; and other factors discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Companys most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in other filings that the Company makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the future. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Contact:Krystle GibbsTen Bridge Communications508-479-6358krystle@tenbridgecommunications.com

Investor Contact:Michael Gray617-835-4061mgray@imaratx.com

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Imara to Present Data on IMR-687 in Sickle Cell Disease at the 25th Annual European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress - BioSpace

Marketing Psychology: 5 Powerful Principles of Human Behavior

Successful marketers know that the key difference between strong and weak marketing lies in understanding how people behave and why they behave in certain ways.

Great marketing doesnt happen by chance.

Fortunately, human behavior falls into a series of predictable actions and those actions are defined by well-established principles.

Marketing psychology can give smart marketers and business owners a competitive advantage, by optimizing marketing strategies and tactics in ways that intentionally and proactively influence peoples behaviors and decisions.

Priming is the process of presenting someone with a word, image (or sentence) that prepares them to be more receptive to a particular point of view. Priming can influence action as well as thought.

Using subtle techniques, you can help people remember key information about your products and services, and about your brand.

And, you can influence their buying behavior.

In fact, its possible to prime someone to say Yes. This specific form of priming is often called the foot-in-doormethod.

Foot-in-door is the technique of priming consumers with small asks (such as signing up for a free email newsletter) to prepare them to be more receptive to larger asks (like buying a subscription to a paid newsletter).

Ask people to share comments on social media, read blog posts, attend free webinars, or download an e-book before you ask them to buy your products or services.

People feel an obligation to do something for you when youve done something for them. This is known as the principle of reciprocity.

Reciprocity is a powerful psychological principle that can help you to grow your business faster.

Giving something first can seem counter-intuitive, but offering a gift or service without the expectation of something in return can be profitable.

David Strohmetz of Monmouth University conducted anexperiment with his colleagues to test the principle of reciprocity. The experiment, set in a restaurant, showed that waitstaff could increase tips by 3% when they bring candy along with the bill.

Tips jumped up to a shocking 14% when customers were offered two pieces of candy and rose even further (21%) when the wait staff delivered a single piece of candy and returned a minute later to give another piece because it had been such a great table.

Social proof is a psychological and social phenomenon where people are unable to determine the proper behavior and instead, assume that people around them know more about the current situation and behave like the other people.

Simply put: we want to know what others are watching, buying, wearing, and experiencing which ultimately influences our decisions to do the same.

Consider these effective social proof strategies to boost sales.

We all want what we cant have.

And we flaunt when we have something others dont.

Thats why zealous Apple fans camp overnight at Apple stores around the world before major iPhone launches.

This is the principle of scarcity.

The psychology of scarcity was famously tested in 1975. ResearchersWorchel, Lee, and Adewolewanted to determine desire based on scarcity. Their experiment was simple: they placed two replica cookie jars side by side. They filled one jar with many cookies and the other with only two.

The question: Which cookie would people value more?

Ultimately, the cookie jar with only two cookies was rated as more desirable simply due to their scarcity.

Scarcity marketing thrives on a members-only attitude.

All Tesla owners drive a Tesla, but few drive the Performance versions of their Modely Y, Model 3, Model S, or Model X. The days of iPhones being only for the elite are gone, but only a small number of people have the highly coveted Red iPhone XR.

This is a form of exclusivity scarcity, which states that the item may not be short on supply, but instead only an elite few are able to acquire it.

It may seem counterproductive to limit supply, but the buzz created by a lack of supply can significantly boost long-term sales at the expense of lower short-term sales.

People frequently act illogically, making their behavior difficult to predict.

And, they rarely take the time to learn the full facts before taking action.

Instead, people tend to unconsciously latch onto the first fact they hear, basing their decision-making on that fact whether its accurate or not.

This phenomenon is called anchoring.

The anchoring effect can work for you or against you in marketing.

When anchoring works for you, it becomes easier to market your companys products or services. When anchoring works against you, its increasingly difficult to do so.

There are many ways you can use anchoring to drive sales.

When a prospective customer first learns about your brand, they hear your business name or see your business logo. Are both unique and strong? Its impossible to anchor and create an advantage if your prospective customer cant remember or spell the name of your business or if your logo is generic and looks like thousands of other businesses.

When it comes to website design, if you dont help people understand in a few seconds how you can solve their problem, theyll leave your site.

Anchoring has a deep impact on a persons perception of value which makes it an essential tool when considering a pricing strategy for your business.

The value you assign to a price gives it meaning and helps consumers decide if they are willing to pay it.

Heres an example: you walk into a convenience store on a hot day looking for a soda. The sign says you can get a 20 oz Coke for $1.79 or a 32oz Coke for $1.99. For just 20 more cents, you can get almost twice as much Coke!

Having anchored that a 20 oz Coke is worth $1.79, that 32 oz for $1.99 suddenly seems like an awesome deal. It doesnt matter that both are overpriced.

So, how can you apply the anchoring effect to how you price products or services for your business?

Here are a few options to consider

People do not make decisions in a vacuum.In order to build proper connections with customers and prospects, marketers must understand how people behave and what motivates them to make purchasing decisions. Use these principles to supercharge your marketing.

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Marketing Psychology: 5 Powerful Principles of Human Behavior

Master’s Degree in Human Behavior

You can enroll in a master's degree program in human behavior to learn how to assess and treat common behavioral issues and concerns at schools, workplaces or treatment facilities. With your master's degree, you can work as a behavioral specialist or consultant. Find out more about the curriculum and online availability of these programs, as well as career and salary info.Schools offeringApplied Behavioral Science degreescan also be found in these popularchoices.

You can earn either a Master of Arts or a Master of Science in Human Behavior or Behavioral Analysis. Some programs allow you to choose between a research and an applied track in human behavior. The research track prepares you to advance to a doctoral degree program after graduation, while the applied track helps you enter work in behavioral analysis and consulting upon receiving your master's degree. The applied human behavior track will show you how to use common behavioral patterns and principles to increase employee productivity in the workplace, improve student performance in school and modify potentially self-destructive behaviors.

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Human behavior classes often borrow from many disciplines, including behavioral science, sociology, anthropology, gender studies and ethics. You usually must conduct research on complex behavioral theories, such as addiction, and then apply them to real-life situations like alcoholic support groups and programs. Courses usually pay particular attention to developmental disorders like autism and learning disabilities. Common human behavior class topics include those listed below:

You can enroll in an online master's degree program in human behavior or behavioral analysis. You usually can complete all projects and tests entirely online. Master's degree programs often require that you perform a good deal of writing; assignments often consist of essays, journal entries and research papers.

To properly participate in an online program, you usually need to install an updated antivirus program as well as Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player. Many programs also require that you have a sound card, speakers and a microphone to communicate with instructors and other students.

After completing a master's degree program in human behavior, you can work as a behavioral specialist for schools, universities, government departments or businesses. PayScale.com reported in 2019 that applied behavioral specialists earned a median salary of about $42,914.

You also can become a behavioral services consultant. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), consulting positions typically require applicants to hold at least a bachelor's degree and have strong communication and writing skills (www.bls.gov). The BLS also stated that graduates can become certified management consultants with the Institute of Management Consultants USA, Inc. The certification process requires that you hold consulting experience, complete an interview and pass multiple examinations. According to PayScale.com, management consultants made a median yearly wage of approximately $86,543

as of 2019.

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Master's Degree in Human Behavior

10 Top Psychology Books on Human Behavior – Blinkist

Our mind is our greatest weapon, but that isnt to say that we always know how to use it effectively. Much to the contrary: in the vast majority of cases, so much of its potential remains untapped. Or, even worse, we can turn it against ourselves, using it to our own detriment. Wouldnt it be great if we could change this regrettable state of affairs? Well, as it happens, we can!

A lot of very, very smart people have dedicated their lives to making sense of how the mind works and, best of all, theyve written down their findings for our benefit. Read on to discover ten fascinating and illuminating books that divulge the mysteries of the human brain, teaching us how to take full advantage of the amazing organ with which weve all been gifted.

by Michelle Tillis Lederman

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The axiom offered in the books subtitlepeople do business with people they likemay seem self-evident, and yet, people too often fail to treat business relationships as actual relationships. The 11 Laws of Likability outlines how to form meaningful interpersonal connections with others in a professional context in order to draw the greatest advantages from business interactions.

by Sally Hogshead

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Hell is other people, a French philosopher famously wrote. How the World Sees You challenges this long-standing maxim, exploring how your unique personality and the way people perceive you can be used to your own advantage. At the same time, the book also provides you with the tools necessary to better read those around you and make sure that social dynamics always work in your favor.

by Josh Waitzkin

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Hows this for credentials: Josh Waitzkin, the author of The Art of Learning, is a former child prodigy, a celebrated author, has won countless chess tournaments and holds a collection of martial arts titles! Its safe to say you can trust this man with teaching you the fundamentals of learning, which he does with marvelous cogency in The Art of Learning, showing you how to overcome even the toughest obstacles in pursuit of your goals.

by Joseph A. Annibali, M.D.

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Imbalances in our brains can give rise to such conditions as anxiety, depression and addiction, all of which are great hindrances to our success, not to mention significant sources of unhappiness in our lives. In Reclaim Your Brain, M.D. Joseph A. Annibali investigates the biological causes for such problems, coming up with effective strategies to prevent and combat them in order to keep ones life on the right track.

by Eric Berne, M.D.

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Whether consciously or not, people are constantly playing mind games with one another its a natural, even if often undesirable, trait of human psychology. However, the negative impact of these games can be mitigated by learning to recognize, sidestep and counteract them. Games People Play gives you the tools for doing so, allowing you to forge deeper and more meaningful relationships with those around you.

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In the majority of cases, its not about what you say, but about how you say it. This is especially true when youre hoping to motivate someone to do somethingone right or wrong word can make all the difference. In his persuasive and lucid book, Tim David teaches you seven magic words that, when used correctly, will be sure to win others over to your team.

by Chris Anderson

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Who hasnt watched a TED Talk and thought, Man, this guy sure knows how to give a killer speech!? For most people, public speaking is the ultimate phobia. And yet, theres an eloquent orator hiding inside each of us, just waiting to be unleashed. Dont just watch TED speakers enviously, learn their secrets and rise to the challengethis book will show you how.

by Keith Rollag

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Though it might be a long time ago, most of us will remember the feeling of being the new kid at school. As adults, its no different. Be it a new workplace, a conference, or a party, the social anxiety (or, in some cases, the full-blown terror) returns and we might as well be children all over again. Thankfully, its all a matter of changing your mindset and with the techniques laid out in What To Do When Youre New, youll never feel awkward amongst strangers again.

by Daniel L. Schacter

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Our memory is one of our greatest assets, yet, for some people, its a constant source of anguish. It shouldnt be! Even if you constantly lose your house keys or forget peoples birthdays, thats just a natural aspect of how memory works. By delving deep into the mechanisms of memory, The Seven Sins of Memory will not only appease your worries about being too forgetful, but also show you how to overcome your handicaps.

by Maria Konnikova

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How do con artists succeed? Everyone knows pyramid schemes are frauds, and yet so many people fall for them anyway. Thats because con artists know and exploit specific flaws in how all our minds work. This fascinating book will teach you all the tricks that are used to fool others so that youll never let yourself be fooled again. Or, perhaps, so that you can become the worlds next big con artist

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10 Top Psychology Books on Human Behavior - Blinkist

Human Behavior and the Designed Environment Qpractice

Interior design requires a deep knowledge of human behaviorphysical, psychological, and cultural. The ability to understand and communicate with clients is very important. Designed spaces must support the individual lifestyle and functional needs of our clients.

Any interior space directs human behavior. This is especially true for educational, medical, business facilities, or spaces where there is social interaction.

The designer's knowledge of the human factors relating to interior space affects even private spaces, such as residences.

Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye is the epitome of his design theory, Form follows function

Consider the sensory considerations of how the principles and elements of design work together withacoustics, lighting, visual stimuli, color theory, scent,and tactile qualities to create a design solution.Special populations including children and the elderly may experience these qualities differently.

Dont confuse design theory with a design style. Style is an aesthetic, such as French provincial. Design theory is a designers unique approach to a creative problem solving process based on one or more of the following:

Both the elements and principles of design theoryare visual building blocks common to all design practices.

This Japanese interior is an example of design regionalism

The design of the built environment relies not only on theory, but also the temperament of whats happening outside of the immediate confines of the project. While more subjective and ever-changing, some not so obviousinfluences include:

Economic conditions frequently resonate in interior and architectural design. In times of financial hardship, designs are often more streamlined and subdued.

A more stable, prosperouseconomy will oftensubstantiate more luxuriousdesigns.

Ergonomics studies the relationships between the human body and the physical environment. It uses anthropometric data as a base, but focuses more on the interaction with specific objects and tasks, such as a stove top for cooking or office workstations

Anthropometrics focuses on the size, proportion and range of motions of the body.

Findings are statistically grouped by sex, age and percentile ratios.

Social distance ranges from 4 to 12 feet and is the distance at which most impersonal business, work and interaction takes place between strangers or in formal situations.

Some behavioral components include proxemics and territoriality.

Describes how people use a space based on circumstance and cultural aspects. Four different distances are identified in the theory of proxemics:

A non-verbal communication in claiming ownership to a space. You've likely seen a person sitting at a six-person sized table at coffee shop with their belongings strewn about, letting others know this is their space and their unwillingness to share.

I passed the IDFX!!!!I am hoping to take the IDPX and Prac 2.0 in October.

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Human Behavior and the Designed Environment Qpractice

(PDF) Psychological patterns of human behavior.

seems to be immature to their surrounding but in turn it is suppose to be

the serious and then to these types of person, who know the reality and

make them see the things, what the person wants to show them.

At the same time there are quite a few sets of people who act as they are

fun loving and cool but they are the one who have their life style depending

upon the surrounding they are leaving in.

Their decision can be observed as they seem to be confused, at the same

time in a situation in which they face an unexpected result.

The person who seem to be very serious are the one, who are meant to be

serious not because the person had a rough night everyday or a rough past.

Mostly the reason to be like this is that they are the one who know the true

value of things around them. These kind of persons make their decision in a

calm way, mostly they have all the things sorted out and just they have to

do is, place them in order and it's done.

Their every decision is made upon a practical experience they have in their

life, for example a hardworking racer knows how important his every

decision is as his every small mistakes will pull him down the hill and also he

had paid the price of doing such mistakes in his past which is practical

experience as a reference for not doing the mistake again.

Facial expressions.

The face, the most important part of our human body that expresses all our

feeling, thinking and every sense that we have or feel. Just by seeing

someone's face some people are able to say about them specifically.

The expression that we have on our face is a different kind of language and

people among our surrounding understand them well and react to it. One

need to understand the person emotionally and sensitively to read and

understand one's facial expressions. The most broken person to the most

happiest person on the land can be understood for being the way they are

through their faces and their expressions.

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(PDF) Psychological patterns of human behavior.

Organizational Behavior Explained: Definition, Importance …

Organizational Behavior researchers study the behavior of individuals primarily in their organizational roles.

One of the main goals of organizational behavior is to revitalize organizational theory and develop a better conceptualization of organizational life.

As a multidisciplinary field, organizational behavior has been influenced by developments in a number of allied disciplines including sociology, psychology, economics, and engineering as well as by the experience of practitioners.

Origin of Organisational Behaviour can trace its roots back to Max Weber and earlier organizational studies.

The Industrial Revolution is the period from approximately 1760 when new technologies resulted in the adoption of new manufacturing techniques, including increased mechanization.

The industrial revolution led to significant social and cultural change, including new forms of organization.

Analyzing these new organizational forms, sociologist Max Weber described bureaucracy as an ideal type of organization that rested on rational-legal principles and maximized technical efficiency.

In the 1890s; with the arrival of scientific management andTaylorism, Organizational Behavior Studies was forming it as an academic discipline.

Failure of scientific management gave birth to the human relations movement which is characterized by a heavy emphasis on employee cooperation and morale.

Human Relations Movement from the 1930s to 1950s contributed to shaping the Organizational Behavior studies.

Works of scholars like Elton Mayo, Chester Barnard, Henri Fayol, Mary Parker Follett, Frederick Herzberg, Abraham Mas low, David Mc Cellan and Victor Vroom contributed to the growth of Organisational Behaviour as a discipline.

Works of scholars like Elton Mayo, Chester Barnard, Henri Fayol, Mary Parker Follett, Frederick Herzberg, Abraham Maslow, David Mc Cellan and Victor Vroom contributed to the growth of Organisational Behaviour as a discipline.

Herbert Simons Administrative Behavior introduced a number of important concepts to the study of organizational behavior, most notably decision making.

Simon along with Chester Barnard; argued that people make decisions differently in organizations than outside of them. Simon was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on organizational decision making.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the field became more quantitative and produced such ideas as the informal organization, and resource dependence. Contingency theory, institutional theory, and organizational ecology also enraged.

Starting in the 1980s, cultural explanations of organizations and organizational change became areas of study.

Informed by anthropology, psychology, and sociology, qualitative research became more acceptable in OB.

Organizational behavior is directly concerned with the understanding, prediction, and control of human behavior in organizations. Fred Luthans.

Organizational behavior is the study of both group and individual performance and activity within an organization.

This area of study examines human behavior in a work environment and determines its impact on job structure, performance, communication, motivation, leadership, etc.

It is the systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within the organizations where they work. OB draws from other disciplines to create a unique field.

For example, when we review topics such as personality and motivation, we will again review studies from the field of psychology. The topic of team processes relies heavily on the field of sociology.

When we study power and influence in organizations, we borrow heavily from political sciences.

Even medical science contributes to the field of Organizational Behavior, particularly in the study of stress and its effects on individuals.

There is increasing agreement as to the components or topics that constitute the subject area of OB.

Although there is still considerable debate as to the relative importance of change, there appears to be general agreement that OB includes the core topics of motivation, leader behavior, and power, interpersonal communication, group structure and processes, learning, attitude development, and perception, change processes, conflict, work design, and work stress.

Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. It does this by taking a system approach.

That is, it interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, the whole group, the whole organization, and the whole social system.

Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives.

Organizational Behavior is;

These 6 features or characteristics show the nature of Organizational Behavior that is the study of understanding and control behavior within the organization.

The organizations in which people work have an effect on their thoughts, feelings, and actions. These thoughts, feelings, and actions, in turn, affect the organization itself.

Organizational behavior studies the mechanisms governing these interactions, seeking to identify and foster behaviors conducive to the survival and effectiveness of the organization.

These 8 objectives of organizational behavior show thatOB is concerned with people within the organization, how they are interacting, what is the level of their satisfaction, the level of motivation, and find ways to improve it in a way the yields most productivity.

Organization Behavior is based on a few fundamental concepts which revolve around the nature of people and organizations.

Challenges and opportunities of organizational behavior are massive and rapidly changing for improving productivity and meeting business goals.

Read more about 13 Challenges and Opportunities of Organizational Behavior.

Recognize the limitations of organizational behavior. Organizational Behavior will not abolish conflict and frustration; it can only reduce them. It is a way to improve, not an absolute answer to problems.

Furthermore, it is but part of the whole cloth of an organization.

We can discuss organizational behavior as a separate subject, but to apply it, we must tie it to the whole reality. Improved organizational behavior will not solve unemployment.

Organizational Behavior will not make up for our deficiencies, cannot substitute for poor planning, inept organizing, or inadequate controls. It is only one of the many systems operating within a larger social system.

3major limitations of OB are;

Learn how these organizational behavior limitations work.

The OB model Shows the 3 levels, Individual-level, Group level, and Organization System-level and how they impact the elements of human output.

The above figure presents the skeleton on which constructed the OB model.

It proposes that there are three levels of analysis in OB and that, as we move from the individual level to the organization systems level, we add systematically to our understanding of behavior in organizations.

The three basic levels are analogous to building blocks; each level is constructed on the previous level.

Group concepts grow out of the foundation laid in the individual section; we overlay constraints on the individual and group in order to arrive at organizational behavior.

There is a complex set of key forces that affect organizational behavior today. These key forces are classified into four areas;

There is an interaction between people, structure, and technology and these elements are influenced by the environment. 4 key forces affecting Organizational Behavior and it is applied.

There are some important disciplines in the organizational behavior field which developed it extensively.

Due to the increase in organizational complexity, various types of knowledge are required and help in many ways.

The major disciplines are;

Learn more about theContributing Disciplines to the Organizational Behavior field.

Organizational behavior approaches are a result of the research done by experts in this field.

These experts studied and attempted to quantify research done about the actions and reactions of employees, with regard to their work environments.

Learn how the4 Approaches to Organizational Behavior studies work.

The understanding and effective application of organizational behavior depend on a rigorous research methodology.

The search for the truth of why people behave the way they do is a very delicate and complicated process.

In fact, the problems are so great that many scholars, Chiefly from the physical and engineering sciences, argue that there can be no precise science of behavior.

The research method of organizational behavior start with Theory, use of research designs, and checking the validity of studies

Organizational Behavioris concerned with the study of what people do in an organization and how that behavior affects the performance of the organization.

OB studies put the focus on motivation, leader behavior and power, interpersonal communication, group structure and processes, learning, attitude development and perception, change processes, conflict, work design, and work stress.

OB draws heavily from behavioral and social sciences, most importantly from psychology.

There are several practical reasons, why we study Organizational Behavior;

Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. It does this by taking a system approach.

That is, it interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, the whole group, the whole organization, and the whole social system.

Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives.OB encompasses a wide range of topics, such as human behavior, change, leadership, teams, etc.

Organizational behavior has a great impact on individuals and also in organizations that cannot be ignored. In order to run the businesses effectively and efficiently, the study of organizational behavior is very essential.

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Organizational Behavior Explained: Definition, Importance ...

Every Volvo model now comes with a 180 km/h speed limit and Care Key – Green Car Congress

Every new Volvo car now comes with a limited top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph), as Volvo Cars delivers on its promise made last year to introduce such a limitation and goes beyond regulation and legislation to help close the remaining gap to zero serious injuries and fatalities in traffic.

Apart from the speed cap, every Volvo car will now also come with a Care Key, which allows Volvo drivers to set additional limitations on the cars top speed, for example before lending their car to other family members or to younger and inexperienced drivers.

Volvo Cars introduces Care Key as standard on all cars for safe car sharing.

Together, the 180 km/h speed limitation and Care Key send a strong signal about the dangers of speeding, underlining Volvo Cars position as a worldwide leader in safety. Both features illustrate how car makers can take active responsibility for striving to achieve zero traffic fatalities by supporting better driver behavior.

We believe that a car maker has a responsibility to help improve traffic safety. Our speed limiting technology, and the dialogue that it initiated, fits that thinking. The speed cap and Care Key help people reflect and realise that speeding is dangerous, while also providing extra peace of mind and supporting better driver behavior.

Malin Ekholm, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Center

The top speed limit has proven to be controversial since it was announced, with some observers questioning the rights of car makers to impose such limitations through available technology.

Volvo Cars says it believes it has an obligation to continue its tradition of being a pioneer in the discussion around the rights and obligations of car makers to take action that can ultimately save lives, even if this means losing potential customers.

Above certain speeds, in-car safety technology and smart infrastructure design are no longer enough to avoid severe injuries and fatalities in the event of an accident. This is why speed limits are in place in most western countries, yet speeding remains ubiquitous and one of the most common reasons for fatalities in traffic. Millions of people still get speeding tickets every year.

Research shows that on average, people have poor understanding of the dangers around speeding. As a result, many people often drive too fast and have poor speed adaption in relation to the traffic situation.

Apart from speeding, intoxication and distraction are two other primary areas of concern for traffic safety and that constitue the remaining gap towards Volvo Cars vision of a future with zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries. It is taking action to address all three elements of human behavior in its safety work, with more features to be introduced in future cars.

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Every Volvo model now comes with a 180 km/h speed limit and Care Key - Green Car Congress

How the humanities can be part of the front-line response to the pandemic (opinion) – Inside Higher Ed

In times of crisis, when we face complex challenges like global pandemics, we need a collaborative response that transcends disciplinary boundaries and offers novel approaches to vexing problems. In the current moment, biologists, engineers and others in fields with established pipelines for translational research have sprung into action, working together to create life-saving diagnostics and therapeutics to help with the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet it isnt always so obvious how scholars in the humanities can contribute to the front-line response.

But Ive seen firsthand the valuable role that the humanities can play in public health. More than a decade after finishing my Ph.D. in American studies, I went back to school to pursue a master of public health degree. I was motivated by something I had observed through my own research: a huge gap between public health as an applied practice and public health as an object of historical and theoretical work in the humanities. Public health fieldworkers, for the most part, werent reading humanities research, and humanities scholars werent focused on the current demands of health communication. As a result, neither side was benefiting from the expertise of the other, and common causes were going unrecognized.

But something unexpected happened during my training. When I took the required epidemiology course, all of the students had to select and give presentations on a book that provided historical context for an important disease outbreak of the past. The professors explained that data without context is meaningless, and therefore, as students of epidemiology, we must learn how to construct meaningful narratives that link human behavior to data about disease. The list of books we could choose was full of humanities scholarship, including my own first book, much to my surprise. The professors did not know in advance that the author would be in the class, and I certainly had not written the book as an epidemiology textbook, or even as a history of a specific disease. Full disclosure: no one picked my book for their presentation. But the incident still convinced me that the connection between the humanities and public health was real. In this case, humanities scholarship was literally part of public health training.

That example points to one of the ways that humanities scholars can contribute to the current pandemic: by engaging in long-term, big-picture research that brings humanities questions to bear on public health. This kind of work provides critical historical and cultural context and can broaden the perspectives of public health and medical trainees.

A current open-source coronavirus syllabus contains a substantial bibliography of resources from the humanities and interpretive social sciences, demonstrating the relevant work that already exists in these fields. The list includes literary analysis of the stories that communities and governments tell in epidemics, explaining why their narrative form matters. It includes research showing how and why panics about contagion infect financial markets, as well as global health histories that illuminate the role of racism and xenophobia in making different parts of the world seem to be more or less vulnerable to outbreaks of infectious disease.

This kind of work is familiar to scholars in the humanities -- it is what many of us already do, and it can help improve our collective preparedness for the inevitable pandemics of the future. For public health officials who are out on the front lines telling governments and citizens what to do, this kind of research is invaluable, but it needs to be more readily accessible. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx cannot read a 200-page book before their next press briefing; they need concise, concrete guidance that is available right now.

Needed: Translational Humanities

This brings us to a second way that the humanities can be part of a pandemic response: through front-line, immediate translational work. The current outbreak has revealed some alarming weaknesses in our public health infrastructure, and we desperately need research to develop fast, cheap field test kits, ventilators and vaccines. But research in the medical humanities has long shown that health cannot be attained and illness cannot be vanquished through biomedical or technical interventions alone. This pandemic has made the human fragility of our response infrastructure abundantly clear, and we need to understand how our decisions about whose life matters will shape the future to come. Vaccines wont help if huge sections of the population believe they are part of a government or corporate conspiracy. Ventilators wont save the lives of patients who are unable to access health care due to systemic racism. We need translational humanities now to complete our technological and biomedical response.

What role can the humanities play in addressing such issues right now? Scholars in Asian American studies can identify and document xenophobia, and they can disseminate those findings in real time to legal advocates. Media scholars can draw on their knowledge of contagion films to alert health organizations to harmful visual iconographies and suggest alternatives. Literary scholars can identify how narratives are being used to spread misinformation, and they can advise health communicators how to create compelling counternarratives to challenge the fictions of conspiracy theorists. Creative writers can draw on their narrative expertise to craft compelling stories that help us imagine a path forward and the steps we could take to get there -- a science fiction prototyping for pandemic response.

Similarly, researchers in African American studies can bring their knowledge of community-based resistance and survival to the attention of city governments so as to intervene in racially discriminatory approaches to testing and referral for care. Artists can respond to the United Nations call for creatives to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Historians of medicine can distill their findings to inform public health practice, as participants in the World Health Organizations Global Health Histories translational seminars have done since 2004. The government of Germany has recognized the value of humanities' contributions to the pandemic, enlisting philosophers, historians, theologians and jurists to provide guidance during and after the crisis.

If humanities scholars want to be part of the response to the pandemic, we must also consider the needs of the front-line workers who could benefit from our research. This may require stylistic adaptation. By translating our scholarly work for broader publics, humanities authors can influence debates, right now, about what to do. When the governor of Louisiana formed a Health Equity Task Force in early April to investigate health disparities resulting from COVID-19 in his state, none of the participants were from humanities disciplines. Yet researchers working on the intersections of gender, race and class could have advised state leadership months earlier that women of color would be disproportionately affected by the crisis. Persistent, targeted op-eds and proactive engagement with government could direct policy makers to consider the needs of vulnerable communities at the outset of the next outbreak, not four months into the disaster.

Becoming part of the front-line response may also require expanding the scope of our research projects, as we reimagine the audience for the work. We should be training our students to do the same. Participating in the pandemic response requires robust, sustained, long-term dialogue with intended publics beyond the academy, and most critically, it demands that we incorporate their needs into the formulation of research topics. Humanities-trained scholars have shown the value of clinical engagement with visual art and literature for fostering empathy and tolerance for ambiguity in medical students. But many physicians working on COVID-19 wards feel unprepared for the human toll of so much suffering and uncertainty. Humanities researchers should reframe their interventions based on the accounts of health-care workers during this pandemic. Moreover, this effort should be extended to address other hard-hit workplaces, such as nursing homes, meatpacking plants and prisons. This shift in orientation may be the hardest but also the most impactful one we can make. Being of service does not require being subservient, but it does demand a realignment of priorities.

This effort must extend into our classrooms, so that undergraduate and graduate students learn to establish transdisciplinary collaborative relationships, frame their research questions and disseminate their findings in forms that will serve the needs of front-line responders when the next crisis breaks. This is true for many fields of humanities research, not just those related to health. The climate crisis poses similar challenges and must be met with adaptations to the ways we train future scholars to imagine the purpose of their research. Now and in the future, the humanities can help save lives, if we bring our work to the front lines, where it belongs.

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How the humanities can be part of the front-line response to the pandemic (opinion) - Inside Higher Ed

As summer driving season kicks off, it’s unclear just how many people will take to the road – CNBC

A customer gets ready to fill his car with gasoline at a Shell gas station in San Francisco, California.

Getty Images

This weekend's Memorial Day holiday could be a test for the gasoline market, depending on whether drivers in reopening states hit the road and then keep on driving.

Gasoline demand is about 30% below where it was before states shut down in March. As the economy reopens, analysts are looking at traditional measures of supply and demand, but also some newer metrics like Apple mobility data and GPS-generated traffic congestion data.

"After many of these states opened up in early May, we saw a pretty big surge or improvement in the congestion data. By mid that next week, we actually saw a regression in many cities U.S.-wide," said Michael Tran, global energy analyst at RBC. "When we look at the numbers, we saw a big surge then we saw a regression."

Tran said though he believes gas prices are eventually headed higher, and the market should show improvement in fits and starts as economic activity picks up across the U.S.

Retail gasoline data is showing that demand has been varying greatly by region, depending on state shutdown rules, or more normal factors like weather. The GasBuddy tracking firm, for instance, found that demand nationally last Friday was up 11.8% from the previous Friday, and in some states it was way higher.

Gasoline demand is important for a couple of reasons. For one, it is an economic indicator linked closely to employment. Second, U.S. gasoline demand is a factor in the calculation of global oil prices, since U.S. gas consumption equals about 10% of daily oil demand.

The summer driving season traditionally kicks off on Memorial Day weekend, but this year it will be far from normal. AAA said it will not issue a travel forecast for the first time in 20 years because of the impact of the coronavirus. Normally it estimates the number of people who would be traveling over the holiday weekend. Last year, 43 million people traveled, and the lowest point was during the financial crisis in 2009, when just 31 million traveled.

"I think Memorial Day is going to be the future litmus test for human behavior," said Tran. He said if people who have been at home go out and take part in activities, they may feel emboldened to go out more, if they are still healthy two weeks later, the period of incubation.

"There's improvement but over the past 10 days, 15 days, we've really flatlined. it's really societal behavior, not state level policies that are driving gasoline demand. After many of these states opened up, you go out for dinner that first weekend but you don't need to go out for dinner four nights in a week," he said.Commuting to and from work had accounted for as much as 28% of gasoline demand prior to the shutdowns.

Gasoline prices have been rising as more drivers leave their homes. The average price at the pump was $1.90 per gallon of unleaded nationally, up from $1.81 per gallon a month ago, according to AAA. AAA said gasoline hasn't been this cheap on Memorial Day since 2003.

Gasoline futures were nearly 2% higher Thursday, as oil rallied.

In Wednesday trading, gasoline futures surged early with oil prices. Traders have also been talking about how Apple mobility data this week showed a big jump in the U.S., back to just 5% under the baseline from before the shutdowns. It had been down as much as 60%. Apple data is based on the use of its maps.

But then gasoline futures plunged when government data showed the drop in demand for gasoline last week and an unexpected rise in supplies of 2.8 million barrels. RBOB futures erased all early gains and then traded lower on the day, ending down0.1% lower at $1.0438 a gallon.

Tom Kloza, head of global energy analysis at Oil Price Information Service, said the government data matches what he is seeing in terms of demand at the retail stations his service monitors. But the week earlier surge over 7 million barrels a day may have been overstated and included some numbers that should have been categorized differently.

He said demand is improving but the pace has slowed, and that demand is now down about 30% from pre-shutdown levels. "It was pretty quick to go from [down] 50% to 35%. ... I just don't think we're going to get the numbers we've become accustomed to," he said. "There's a lot of excitement about how the economy is kicking open and people are going to be traveling around more because of avoidance of air travel and mass transit. There's too many people out of jobs, and [Treasury Secretary Steven] Mnuchin said we haven't seen the peak in terms of job losses."

John Kilduff, partner with Again Capital, said he saw the same when he looked deeper into the Apple data, which showed a weekend spike in activity in some places and then a decline.

"I think there was pent up demand. People were cooped up and took those drives to nowhere, but as we looked at the mobility you see how it drops off during the week," he said. Kilduff said the jump in government demand data two weeks ago may be reflecting the same thing, a spike from pent up demand as drivers finally left their homes.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said he's been seeing a gradual national pickup in retail sales every week since early April. He said drivers often fill up on Fridays, but the jump last week was big at 11.8%.

"So far, this week through the first three days, national demand is up 3.3%," De Haan said. But he said demand was up 6.2% Sunday from the previous week, then up just 1.6% on Monday.

"We're still running about 30% off normal," said De Haan. He said there are big differences between the states. In New Jersey, which has just opened up parks and beaches, gasoline demand last Friday rose 15.5%. In Pennsylvania, demand was up 24%. In Georgia, which began to reopen in late April, saw a jump of 16.7%, but Texas, which was reopened then, saw a drop in demand of 0.7%. Demand in Florida last Friday was only up 1.8% over the week earlier, and California was up 0.6%.

Tran said traffic congestion showed something similar in Texas. Activity there surged initially when the state reopened but has not kept up the pace.

Source: RBC

He said longer term, the U.S. may imitate some of the behavior in China, as it reopened. "Cleary China has rounded the corner," he said. In China, traffic congestion has risen in 12 of the 20 cities he monitors to levels above pre-virus shutdowns, as people appear to be abandoning public transportation.

"We're headed in a trajectory with the reopening of the economy," Tran added. "People are going to drive more as we go deeper into the summer. I think given a lot of work-at-home policies are going to remain in place."

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As summer driving season kicks off, it's unclear just how many people will take to the road - CNBC