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Die digitale Transformation verändert branchenübergreifend Geschäftsmodelle und ist damit ein Schlüssel für den langfristigen Unternehmenserfolg. In der Praxis scheitert sie jedoch häufig an der richtigen Umsetzung. Der Digital-Business-Excellence-Ansatz soll Unternehmen helfen, den digitalen Wandel erfolgreich zu gestalten.
Water jacket systems are routinely used to control the temperature of Petri dish cell culture chambers. Despite their widespread use, the thermal characteristics of such systems have not been fully investigated. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive set of theoretical, numerical and experimental analyses to investigate the thermal characteristics of Petri dish chambers under stable and transient conditions. In particular, we investigated the temperature gradient along the radial axis of the Petri dish under stable conditions, and the transition period under transient conditions. Our studies indicate a radial temperature gradient of 3.3 °C along with a transition period of 27.5 min when increasing the sample temperature from 37 to 45 °C for a standard 35 mm diameter Petri dish. We characterized the temperature gradient and transition period under various operational, geometric, and environmental conditions. Under stable conditions, reducing the diameter of the Petri dish and incorporating a heater underneath the Petri dish can effectively reduce the temperature gradient across the sample. In comparison, under transient conditions, reducing the diameter of the Petri dish, reducing sample volume, and using glass Petri dish chambers can reduce the transition period.
100 Jahre nach der Gründung des Bauhauses betrete ich die Bauhaus Universität Weimar und frage mich, wie das wohl damals war? Vor 100 Jahren haben Gropius, Muche, Mies van der Rohe, Schlemmer und Itten Vorlesungen hier gehalten und jetzt bin ich dran. Wir schreiben Geschichte! Deren Geist weht immer noch in den original erhaltenen Gebäuden und Räumen. Bei der genaueren Betrachtung des Bauhauses, das Weltruhm erlangt hat, kann man einiges lernen. Beispielsweise lohnt die Überlegung, was das Marketing vom Bauhaus lernen kann.
Private equity (PE) firms are investment firms that acquire equity shares in companies. The goal of PE firms is to exit the investment after few years with a substantial increase in value. PE firms often claim to outperform the market, i.e. to create alpha.
The overall aim of this paper is to unravel the mystery of value creation in the PE industry. First, the author presents a conceptual framework for value creation in the PE industry based on a multiple valuation model that breaks down value creation into different elements. Second, the paper evaluates whether PE firms really create value by analysing and combining results from prior empirical studies based on the conceptual framework.
The results show that existing empirical evidence is mixed but that there is indeed a tendency toward a positive evidence that PE firms create economic value in average. However, there are methodological difficulties in measuring the value creation and studies are often subject to bias. Finally, it is pointed out that the question whether PE firms really create value has to be viewed from different perspectives such as the perspective of the PE firm, the investors and the portfolio companies.
The desire to combine advanced user friendly interfaces with a product personality communicating environmental friendliness to customers poses new challenges for car interior designers, as little research has been carried out in this field to date. In this paper, the creation of three personas aimed at defining key German car users with pro environmental behaviour is presented. After collecting ethnographic data of potential drivers through literature review, information about generation and Euro car segment led to the definition of three key user groups. The resulting personas were applied to determine the most important interaction points in car interior. Finally, present design cues of eco-friendly product personality developed in the field of automotive design were explored. Our work presents three strategic directions for the design development of future in-car user interfaces named as a) foster multimodal mobility; b) emphasize the interlinkage economy - sustainable driving; and c) highlight new technological developments. The presented results are meant as an impulse for developers to fit the needs of green customers and drivers when designing user-friendly HMI components.
Digital light microscopy techniques are among the most widely used methods in cell biology and medical research. Despite that, the automated classification of objects such as cells or specific parts of tissues in images is difficult. We present an approach to classify confluent cell layers in microscopy images by learned deep correlation features using deep neural networks. These deep correlation features are generated through the use of gram-based correlation features and are input to a neural network for learning the correlation between them. In this work we wanted to prove if a representation of cell data based on this is suitable for its classification as has been done for artworks with respect to their artistic period. The method generates images that contain recognizable characteristics of a specific cell type, for example, the average size and the ordered pattern.
Software evolvability is an important quality attribute, yet one difficult to grasp. A certain base level of it is allegedly provided by service- and microservice-based systems, but many software professionals lack systematic understanding of the reasons and preconditions for this. We address this issue via the proxy of architectural modifiability tactics. By qualitatively mapping principles and patterns of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and microservices onto tactics and analyzing the results, we cannot only generate insights into service-oriented evolution qualities, but can also provide a modifiability comparison of the two popular service-based architectural styles. The results suggest that both SOA and microservices possess several inherent qualities beneficial for software evolution. While both focus strongly on loose coupling and encapsulation, there are also differences in the way they strive for modifiability (e.g. governance vs. evolutionary design). To leverage the insights of this research, however, it is necessary to find practical ways to incorporate the results as guidance into the software development process.
Welche Trends beeinflussen die Customer-Journey im B-to-B und wie wird sie in naher Zukunft aussehen? Dieser Beitrag wirft einen Blick auf zukünftige Trends, welche die Customer-Journey im B-to-B erheblich beeinflussen werden. Exemplarisch wird die Ausgestaltung und Optimierung der zukünftigen Customer-Journey mittels Lead-Profiling am Beispiel der Künstlichen Intelligenz aufgezeigt, bei der neue Technologien Daten nutzbringend verwenden. Darüber hinaus steht die Customer-Journey-Transformation im Mittelpunkt. Schließlich ist es doch gerade die komplexe Transformation der Customer-Journey, die aufgrund ihrer Komplexität häufig von den Unternehmen vernachlässigt wird.
Standardisation of breath sampling is important for application of breath analysis in clinical settings. By studying the effect of room airing on indoor and breath analytes and by generating time series of room air with different sampling intervals we sought to get further insights into room air metabolism, to detect the relevance of exogenous VOCs and to make conclusions about their consideration for the interpretation of exhaled breath. Room air and exhaled breath of a healthy subject were analysed before and after room airing. Furthermore a time series of room air with doors and windows closed was taken over 84 h by an automatic sampling every 180 min. A second times series studied room air analytes over 70 h with samples taken every 16.5 min. For breath and room air measurements an IMS coupled to a multi-capillary column (IMS/MCC) [Bio-Scout® - B&S Analytik GmbH, Dortmund, Germany] was used. The peaks were characterized using the Software Visual Now (B&S Analytik, Dortmund Germany) and identified using the software package MIMA (version 1.1, provided by the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarbrücken, Germany) and the database 20160426_SubstanzDbNIST_122 (B & S Analytik GmbH, Dortmund, Germany). In the morning 4 analytes (Decamethylcylopentasiloxane [541-02-6]; Pentan-2-one [107-87-9] – Dimer; Hexan-1-al [66-25-1]; Pentan-2-one [107-87-9]) – Monomer showed high intensities in the room air and exhaled breath. They were significantly but not equally reduced by room airing. The time series about 84 h showed a time dependent decrease of analytes (limonen-monomer and -dimer; Decamethylcylopentasiloxane, Butan-1-ol, Butan-1-ol) as well as increase (Pentan-2-one [107-87-9] – Dimer). Shorter sampling intervals exhibited circadian variations of analyte concentrations for many analytes. Breath sampling in the morning needs room airing before starting. Then the variation of the intensity of indoor analytes can be kept small. The time series of indoor analytes show, that their intensities have a different behaviour, with time dependent declines, constant increases and circadian variations, dependent on room airing. This has implications on the breath sampling procedure and the intrepretation of exhaled breath.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of psychological contract breach on the relationship between job insecurity and counterproductive workplace behavior (CWB) and the moderating effect of employment status in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 212 supervisor–subordinate dyads in a large Chinese state-owned air transportation group. AMOS 17.0 software was used to examine the hypothesized predictions and the theoretical model.
Findings – The results showed that psychological contract breach partially mediates the effect of job insecurity on CWB, including organizational counterproductive workplace behavior and interpersonal counterproductive workplace behavior. In addition, the relationships between job insecurity, psychological contract breach and CWB differ significantly between permanent workers and contract workers.
Originality/value – The present study provides a new insight into explaining the linkage between job insecurity and negative work behaviors as well as suggestions to managers on minimizing the harmful effects of job insecurity.
The paper describes a new stimulus using learning factories and an academic research programme - an M.Sc. in Digital Industrial Management and Engineering (DIME) comprising a double degree - to enhance international collaboration between four partner universities. The programme will be structured in such a way as to maintain or improve the level of innovation at the learning factories of each partner. The partners agreed to use Learning Factory focus areas along with DIME learning modules to stimulate international collaboration. Furthermore, they identified several research areas within the framework of the DIME program to encourage horizontal and vertical collaboration. Vertical collaboration connects faculty expertise across the Learning Factory network to advance knowledge in one of the focus areas, while Horizontal collaboration connects knowledge and expertise across multiple focus areas. Together they offer a platform for students to develop disciplinary and cross-disciplinary applied research skills necessary for addressing the complex challenges faced by industry. Hence, the university partners have the opportunity to develop the learning factory capabilities in alignment with the smart manufacturing concept. The learning factory is thus an important pillar in this venture. While postgraduate students/researchers in the DIME program are the enablers to ensure the success of entire projects, the learning factory provides a learning environment which is entirely conducive to fostering these successful collaborations. Ultimately, the partners are focussed on utilising smart technologies in line with the digitalization of the production process.
Ein Markenzeichen der Hochschule Reutlingen ist die enge Kooperation zwischen Forschern, Lehrenden, Praktikern und Studierenden. Professor*innen der Hochschule Reutlingen bieten neben dem so genannten „State-of-the-Art“- Managementwissen systemische Strukturaufstellungen als „komplementäre Medizin“ für Führungskräfte an.
In vitro, hydrogel-based ECMs for functionalizing surfaces of various material have played an essential role in mimicking native tissue matrix. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is widely used to build microfluidic or organ-on-chip devices compatible with cells due to its easy handling in cast replication. Despite such advantages, the limitation of PDMS is its hydrophobic surface property. To improve wettability of PDMS-based devices, alginate, a naturally derived polysaccharide, was covalently bound to the PDMS surface. This alginate then crosslinked further hydrogel onto the PDMS surface in desired layer thickness. Hydrogel-modified PDMS was used for coating a topography chip system and in vitro investigation of cell growth on the surfaces. Moreover, such hydrophilic hydrogel-coated PDMS is utilized in a microfluidic device to prevent unspecific absorption of organic solutions. Hence, in both exemplary studies, PDMS surface properties were modified leading to improved devices.
Der Sondermaschinenbau ist durch eine hohe Variantenvielfalt und komplexe Materialflüsse charakterisiert (Reinhart, Bredow & Pohl, 2009, S. 131). Die vorliegende Publikation stellt die im Zuge eines Praxisprojekts angewendeten Vorgehensweisen zur Materialflussoptimierung im Sondermaschinenbau vor. Dabei werden Erfahrungswerte und Hindernisse herausgearbeitet.
The purpose of this paper is to assess if the strategy development of the fashion industry is oriented to the long or short term. Following the theory of dynamic capabilities, this paper argues that a long term strategic orientation can be observed in corporate foresight activities. A multi methodological research approach is chosen to answer the research question. The findings suggest that the fashion industry is lagging behind other industries in terms of future orientation and therefore long-term strategy development, even though the challenges in the business environment are not perceived as less relevant.
Die Auswirkungen der digitalen Revolution sind vielfältig. So gibt es inzwischen immer ausgefeiltere Möglichkeiten, um mit Kunden in den Dialog zu treten. Unternehmen stehen deshalb vor der Herausforderung, die verschiedenen Kanäle und Kontaktpunkte mit ihren Kunden systematisch zu managen. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei der Informations- und Entscheidungsprozess des Kunden - die Customer Journey. Sie gilt im Marketing als Königsdisziplin, bei der es darum geht, wie man am besten die "Reise des Kunden" erfasst, um Zielgruppen genau an der richtigen Stelle anzusprechen und Budgets gezielt in bestimmte Kanäle zu steuern. Marketing- und Vertriebsverantwortliche müssen sich daher Folgendes fragen: Was erwartet der Endkunde an den verschiedenen Touchpoints und wie sieht seine Customer Journey aus? Wie werden Unternehmen diesen Anforderungen gerecht?
Nach der Euro- und Wirtschaftskrise in den Jahren seit 2010 verzeichnet die Europäische Union (EU) derzeit einen soliden Wirtschaftsaufschwung in allen Mitgliedstaaten. Der Anteil Europas an der Weltwirtschaft beträgt rund 30 Prozent. Das europäische Wirtschaftswachstum ist 2018 mit 2,1 Prozent sogar größer als das in Deutschland mit 1,6 Prozent. Eine Analyse der Dauer von Aufschwungsphasen zeigt, dass Europa im Vergleich zur Weltwirtschaft sogar unerwarteter Spitzenreiter ist. Seit den 1970er-Jahren liegt die durchschnittliche Dauer eines europäischen Wirtschaftsaufschwungs bei über dreißig Quartalen; sie ist mithin deutlich höher als in den USA und Japan.
Social Selling – ein innovativer Vertriebsansatz, der die Prinzipien des digitalen Marketings auf den Vertrieb anwendet – findet in der Unternehmenspraxis zunehmend Beachtung. Die Forschung, insbesondere zur Ausgestaltung von Social Selling, steht allerdings noch am Anfang. Mit Hilfe der Daten der Social-Media-Kanäle Facebook und LinkedIn von zwei Industriegüterunternehmen wird in einer explorativen Studie herausgefunden, dass eine direkte Vernetzungsanfrage zur Erweiterung des Netzwerks effizient ist und dass Social-Selling-Beiträge, die zu Beginn und Ende einer Woche vor allem vormittags als visuelles Format (Fotos, Videos) veröffentlicht werden, am erfolgversprechendsten hinsichtlich Klicks, Likes, Shares und Comments sind.
The persistent development towards decreasing batch sizes due to an ongoing product individualization, as well as increasingly dynamic market and competitive conditions lead to new changeability requirements in production environments. Since each of the individualized products mgith require different base materials or components and manufacturing resources, the paths of the products giong through the factory as well as the required internal transport and material supply processes are going to differ for every product. Conventional planning and control systems, which rely on predifined processes and central decision-making, are not capable to deal with the arising system's complexity along the dimensions of changing goods, layouts and throughput requirements. The concepts of "self-organization" in combination with "autonomous ocntrol" provide promising solutions to solve these new requirements by using among other things the potential of autonomous, decentralized and target-optimized logistical objects (e.g. smart products, bins and conveyor systems) wich are able to communicate and interact with each other as well as with human wokers. To investigate the potential of automation and human-robot collaboration for intralogistics, a research project for the development of a collaborative tugger train has been started at the ESB Logistics Learning Factory in lin with various student projects in neighboring research areas. This collaboraive tugger train system in combination with other manual (e.g. handcarts) and (semi-) automated conveyoer systems (e.g. automated guided forklift) will be integrated into a dynamic, self-organized scenario with varying production batch sizes to develop a method for target-oriented sefl-organization and autonomous control of intralogistics systems. For a structured investigation of self-organized scenarios a generic intralogistics model as well as a criteria cataloghe has been developed. The ESB Logistics Learning will serve as a practice-oriented research, validation and demonstration environment for these purposes.
This paper studies option pricing based on a reverse engineering (RE) approach. We utilize artificial intelligence in order to numerically compute the prices of options. The data consist of more than 5000 call- and put-options from the German stock market. First, we find that option pricing under reverse engineering obtains a smaller root mean square error to market prices. Second, we show that the reverse engineering model is reliant on training data. In general, the novel idea of reverse engineering is a rewarding direction for future research. It circumvents the limitations of finance theory, among others strong assumptions and numerical approximations under the Black–Scholes model.
Most antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and their synthetic mimics (SMAMPs) are thought to act by permeabilizing cell membranes. For antimicrobial therapy, selectivity for pathogens over mammalian cells is a key requirement. Understanding membrane selectivity is thus essential for designing AMPs and SMAMPs to complement classical antibiotics in the future. This study focuses on membrane permeabilization induced by SMAMPs and their selectivity for membranes with different lipid compositions. We measure release and fluorescence lifetime of a self-quenching dye in lipid vesicles. Apart from the dose-response, we quantify the strength of individual leakage events, and, employing cumulative kinetics, categorize permeabilization behavior. We propose that differing selectivities in a series of SMAMPs arise from a combination of the effect of the antimicrobial agent and the susceptibility of the membrane (with a given lipid composition) for certain types of leakage behavior. The unselective and hemolytic SMAMP is found to act mainly by the asymmetry stress mechanism, mediated by hydrophobic insertion of SMAMPs into lipid layers. The more selective SMAMPs induced leakage events occurring stochastically over several hours. Lipid intrinsic properties might additionally amplify the efficiency of leakage events. Leakage behavior changes with both the design of the SMAMP and the lipid composition of the membrane. Understanding how leakage behavior contributes to the selectivity and activity of antimicrobial agents will aid the design and screening of antimicrobials. An understanding of the underlying processes facilitates the comparison of membrane permeabilization across in vitro and in vivo assays.
Vitamin E (VitE) additives are important in treating osteoarthritis inclusive cartilage regeneration due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The present research study focuses on the ability of biological antioxidant VitE (alpha-tocopherol isoform) to reduce or minimize oxidative degradation of soft implantable polyurethane (PU) elastomers after extended periods of time (5 months) in vitro. The effect of the oxidation storage media on the morphology of the segmented PUs was evaluated by mechanical softening, crystallization and melting behavior of both soft and hard segments (SS, HS) using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Bulk mechanical properties of the potential implant materials during ageing were predicted from comprehensive mechanical testing of the biomaterials under tension and compression cyclic loads. 5-months in vitro data suggest that the prepared siloxane-poly(carbonate urethane) formulations have sufficient resistance against degradation to be suitable materials for chondral long term bio-stable implants. Most importantly, the positive effect of incorporating VitE (0.5 or 1.0% w/w) as bio-antioxidant and lubricant on the bio-stability was observed for all PU types. VitE-additives protected the surface layer from erosion and cracking during chemical oxidation in vitro as well as from thermal oxidation during extrusion re-processing.
Der vorliegende Artikel untersucht die Möglichkeiten des Trendthemas Chatbots und bietet gleichzeitig einen Orientierungsrahmen für Unternehmen. Um die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit im digitalen Zeitalter weiterhin gewährleisten zu können, müssen Unternehmen auf die wachsenden Ansprüche der Kunden reagieren. Hierfür sind Chatbots eine ideale Variante, die Kundenkommunikation effizienter, individueller und kostengünstiger zu gestalten. Chatbots könnten sich in Zukunft zur wichtigsten Schnittstelle zwischen dem Unternehmen und seinen Kunden entwickeln. Die durchgeführten Expertenbefragungen und Tests kommen allerdings zu dem Ergebnis, dass die Potenziale der Chatbots noch nicht voll ausgeschöpft werden. Insbesondere in den Bereichen Natural Language Processing, Intelligenz und Automatisierung stoßen aktuelle CHatbots an ihre Grenzen und finden somit in der Gesellschaft nur bedingt Akzeptanz.
We report on the reflectance, transmittance and fluorescence spectra (λ=200–1200nm) of four types of chicken eggshells (white, brown, light green, dark green) measured in situ without pretreatment and after ablation of 20–100 μm of the outer shell regions. The color pigment protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) is embedded in the protein phase of all four shell types as highly fluorescent monomers, in the white and light green shells additionally as non-fluorescent dimers, and in the brown and dark green shells mainly as non-fluorescent poly-aggregates. The green shell colors are formed from an approximately equimolar mixture of PPIX and biliverdin. The axial distribution of protein and color pigments were evaluated from the combined reflectances of both the outer and inner shell surfaces, as well as from the transmittances. For the data generation we used the radiative transfer model in the random walk and Kubelka-Munk approaches.
Background: Design patterns are supposed to improve various quality attributes of software systems. However, there is controversial quantitative evidence of this impact. Especially for younger paradigms such as service- and microservice-based systems, there is a lack of empirical studies.
Objective: In this study, we focused on the effect of four service-based patterns - namely process abstraction, service façade, decomposed capability, and event-driven messaging - on the evolvability of a system from the viewpoint of inexperienced developers.
Method: We conducted a controlled experiment with Bachelor students (N = 69). Two functionally equivalent versions of a service-based web shop - one with patterns (treatment group), one without (control group) - had to be changed and extended in three tasks. We measured evolvability by the effectiveness and efficiency of the participants in these tasks. Additionally, we compared both system versions with nine structural maintainability metrics for size, granularity, complexity, cohesion, and coupling.
Results: Both experiment groups were able to complete a similar number of tasks within the allowed 90 min. Median effectiveness was 1/3. Mean efficiency was 12% higher in the treatment group, but this difference was not statistically significant. Only for the third task, we found statistical support for accepting the alternative hypothesis that the pattern version led to higher efficiency. In the metric analysis, the pattern version had worse measurements for size and granularity while simultaneously having slightly better values for coupling metrics. Complexity and cohesion were not impacted.
Interpretation: For the experiment, our analysis suggests that the difference in efficiency is stronger with more experienced participants and increased from task to task. With respect to the metrics, the patterns introduce additional volume in the system, but also seem to decrease coupling in some areas.
Conclusions: Overall, there was no clear evidence for a decisive positive effect of using service-based patterns, neither for the student experiment nor for the metric analysis. This effect might only be visible in an experiment setting with higher initial effort to understand the system or with more experienced developers.
Model-based hearing diagnosis based on wideband tympanometry measurements utilizing fuzzy arithmetic
(2019)
Today's audiometric methods for the diagnosis of middle ear disease are often based on a comparison of measurements with standard curves that represent the statistical range of normal hearing responses. Because of large inter-individual variances in the middle ear, especially in wideband tympanometry (WBT), specificity and quantitative evaluation are greatly restricted. A new model-based approach could transform today's predominantly qualitative hearing diganostics into a quantitative and tailored, patient-specific diagnosis, by evaluating WBT measurements with the aid of a middle-ear model. For this particular investigation, a finite element model of a human ear was used. It consisted of an acoustic ear canal and a tympanic cavity model, a middle-ear with detailed nonlinear models of the tympanic membrane and annular ligament, and a simplified inner-ear model. This model has made it possible to identify pathologies from measurements, by analyzing the parameters through senstivity studies and parameter clustering. Uncertainties due to the lack of knowledge, subjectivity in numerical implementation and model simplification are taken into account by the application of fuzzy arithmetic. The most confident parameter set can be determined by applying an inverse fuzzy method on the measurement data. The principle and the benefits of this model-based approach are illustrated by the example of a two-mass oscillator, and also by the simulation of the energy absorbance of an ear with malleus fixation, where the parameter changes that are introduced can be determined quantitatively through the system identification.
Parallel applications are the computational backbone of major industry trends and grand challenges in science. Whereas these applications are typically constructed for dedicated High Performance Computing clusters and supercomputers, the cloud emerges as attractive execution environment, which provides on-demand resource provisioning and a pay-per-use model. However, cloud environments require specific application properties that may restrict parallel application design. As a result, design trade-offs are required to simultaneously maximize parallel performance and benefit from cloud-specific characteristics.
In this paper, we present a novel approach to assess the cloud readiness of parallel applications based on the design decisions made. By discovering and understanding the implications of these parallel design decisions on an application’s cloud readiness, our approach supports the migration of parallel applications to the cloud.We introduce an assessment procedure, its underlying meta model, and a corresponding instantiation to structure this multi-dimensional design space. For evaluation purposes, we present an extensive case study comprising three parallel applications and discuss their cloud readiness based on our approach.
Contemporary public enterprises differ from their forebears. Today, they are more similar to private enterprises, receiving far more attention than previously, when privatization processes all over the world were in the spotlight. Furthermore, the broad research stream of entrepreneurship has so far neglected the consideration of public enterprises. To set a future research agenda, the author examines the dispersed literature using an integrative and organizing framework to identify major topics and research findings. This paper reviews articles that investigate the entrepreneurship in contemporary public enterprises. Despite the growing scholarly interest globally, this systematic literature review indicates there is no more than a loose connection between the literature streams of public entrepreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship. Specifically, the review shows that the multidimensional concept of entrepreneurial orientation has thus far been ignored, although autonomy plays a significant role in the literature review, namely in the context of the interference of the public owner. It also reveals other essential research gaps, such as the development of a modern theory of public enterprises. The linked research stream of public-sector corporate entrepreneurship offers a broad area of scholarly research and should encourage further investigation.
Social Selling gewinnt im B-to-B-Vertrieb immer mehr an Bedeutung. Um auf dem globalen Wettbewerbsfeld mithalten zu können, genügt es nicht mehr, seine Kunden über die traditionellen Verkaufskanäle zu identifizieren und zu erreichen. Für diesen Zweck bietet LinkedIn das Vertriebstool Sales Navigator an. Doch wo ist dieses Tool im Social Selling einzuordnen? Können dadurch Mehrwerte im Vertriebsprozess generiert werden? Mithilfe von Experteninterviews werden diese Fragen im Folgenden erörtert.
In der zunehmenden Individualisierung von Produkten zeigt sich, dass Kundennähe und digital vernetzte Zusammenarbeit aller Partner wertvolle Erfolgspotenziale darstellen. Für komplexe Kundenauftragsprozesse gilt es, zu vernetzen und die Prozesse und Systeme in Form eines ganzheitlichen Ansatzes zukunftsfähig zu gestalten. Dabei wird der Herausforderung begegnet, Daten und Dokumente zu digitalisieren und den manuellen Aufwand zu reduzieren. Der Untersuchungsgegenstand ist der Abwicklungsprozess, ausgehend von einer Online-Konfiguration durch den Kunden bis zur Bestellabwicklung. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Vorgehensmodell aufgezeigt, das Unternehmen in die Lage versetzt, ihren Kundenauftragsprozess durch ein digitales Geschäftsmodell zukunftsfähig auszugestalten. Nutzenpotenziale sind eine verstärkte Kundenbindung durch eng verzahnte digitale Kollaboration, verstärkte Wirtschaftlichkeit durch Reduktion der Prozesskosten sowie eine Optimierung der Customer Experience durch effiziente Abläufe.
Als einer der ersten Wissenschaftler hat der Strategieprofessor Michael Porter die aus der Volkswirtschaftslehre stammenden Erkenntnisse der Industrieökonomik mit Konzepten der Unternehmensstrategie kombiniert, um ein genaueres Verständnis vom Einfluss des Branchenwettbewerbs auf den Unternehmenserfolg sowie von Wettbewerbsentscheidungen zu erlangen. In all seinen Arbeiten steckt der Kerngedanke, durch die Wahl einer geeigneten Strategie, Wert zu generieren und somit eine hohe Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und Profitabilität zu erzielen. Porters Themen weisen dabei eine große inhaltliche Vielfalt auf: von der Digitalisierung, über Wettbewerb in der Politik bis hin zum gesellschaftlichen Fortschritt. Typisch für Porter ist ein ganzheitlicher Forschungsansatz, der sich anstelle einzelner Bestandteile eines Systems der umfassenden Betrachtung komplexer Systeme widmet. Hieraus leitet er anhand zahlreicher Fallstudien und Praxisbeispiele Modelle ab, die Managern als Spielregeln für den Wettbewerb dienen. Mit seinen Werken liefert er nicht nur Impulse für die Wissenschaft, sondern er versucht vor allem, das Denken und Handeln von Unternehmenspraxis, Politik und Gesellschaft nachhaltig zu beeinflussen. Seine Modelle, wie beispielsweise das Fünf-Kräfte-Modell, sind im Hinblick auf die Entwicklung von Organisationen dafür bekannt, dass Manager die marktseitigen Einflüsse auf die Wettbewerbssituation ihres Unternehmens besser verstehen und entsprechend ihre strategischen Entscheidungen treffen können.
Theory predicts that market‐timing activities bias Jensen's alpha (JA). However, empirical studies have failed to find consistent evidence of this bias. We tackle this puzzle in a nested model analysis and show that the bias contains an exogenous market component that is unrelated to market‐timing skill. In a comprehensive empirical analysis of US mutual funds, we find that the timing‐induced bias in JA is mainly driven by this market component, which is uncorrelated with measured timing activities. Measures of total performance that allow for timing activities are virtually identical to JA, even if timing activities are present in the evaluated fund. Hence, we conclude that JA is a sufficient measure of total performance.
Melamine–formaldehyde (MF) resins are widely used as adhesives and finishing materials in the wood industry. During resin cure, either methylene ether or methylene bridges are formed, leading to the formation of a three‐dimensional resin network. Not only the curing degree, but also the chemical species present in the cured resin determine the quality of the final product. Analytical methods allowing a detailed investigation of network formation are of great benefit to manufacturers. In the present work, resin cure of an MF precondensate is studied at different temperatures (100–200 °C) without considering the initial pH as a factor. Isoconversional kinetic analysis based on exothermal curing enthalpies enables calculation of the crosslinking degree at a given time/temperature regime. A semiquantitative determination of the chemical groups present is performed based on solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance data. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has shown to be a fast and reliable analytical tool with high sensitivity toward functional groups and with great potential for at‐line process control.
The aim of this study was to predefine the pore structure of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds with different macro pore sizes (500, 750, and 1000 µm), to characterize β-TCP scaffolds, and to investigate the growth behavior of cells within these scaffolds. The lead structures for directional bone growth (sacrificial structures) were produced from polylactide (PLA) using the fused deposition modeling techniques. The molds were then filled with β-TCP slurry and sintered at 1250° C, whereby the lead structures (voids) were burnt out. The scaffolds were mechanically characterized (native and after incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 28 d). In addition, biocompatibility was investigated by live/dead, cell proliferation and lactate dehydrogenase assays.
New business opportunities appeared using the potential of the Internet and related digital technologies, like the Internet of Things, services computing, artificial intelligence, cloud, edge, and fog computing, social networks, big data with analytics, mobile systems, collaboration networks, and cyber-physical systems. Companies are transforming their strategy and product base, as well as their culture, processes and information systems to adopt digital transformation or to approach for digital leadership. Digitalization fosters the development of IT environments with many rather small and distributed structures, like the Internet of Things, Microservices, or other micro-granular elements. Digitalization has a substantial impact for architecting the open and complex world of highly distributed digital servcies and products, as part of a new digital enterprise architecture, which structure and direct service-dominant digital products and services. The present research paper investigates mechanisms for supporting the evolution of digital enterprise architectures with user-friendly methods and instruments of interaction, visualization, and intelligent decision management during the exploration of multiple and interconnected perspectives by an architecture management cockpit.
The flexible and easy-to-use integration of production equipment and IT systems on the shop floor becomes more and more a success factor for manufacturing to adapt rapidly to changing situations. The approach of the Manufacturing Integration Assistant (MIALinx) is to simplify this challenge. The integration steps range from integrating sensors over collecting and rule-based processing of sensor information to the execution of required actions. This paper presents the implementation of MIALinx to retrofit legacy machines for Industry 4.0 in a manufacturing environment and focus on the concept and implementation of the easy-to-use user interface as a key element.
Manufacturing has to adapt to changing situations in order to stay competitive.It demands a flexible and easy-to-use integration of production equipment and ICT systems. The contribution of this paper is the presentation of the implementation of the Manufacturing Integration Assistant (MIALinx). The integration steps range from integrating sensors over collecting and rule-based processing of sensor information to the execution of required actions. Furthermore, we describe the implementation of MIALinx by commissioning it in a manufacturing environment to retrofit legacy machines for Industrie 4.0. Finally, we validate the suitability of our approach by applying our solution in a medium-size company.
Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (Ad-MSCs) have great potential for bone tissue engineering. Cryogels, mimicking the three-dimensional structure of spongy bone, represent ideal carriers for these cells. We developed poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) cryogels, containing hydroxyapatite to mimic inorganic bone matrix. Cryogels were additionally supplemented with different types of proteins, namely collagen (Coll), platelet rich plasma (PRP), immune cells-conditioned medium (CM), and RGD peptides (RGD). The different protein components did not affect scaffolds’ porosity or water-uptake capacity, but altered pore size and stiffness. Stiffness was highest in scaffolds with PRP (82.3 kPa), followed by Coll (55.3 kPa), CM (45.6 kPa), and RGD (32.8 kPa). Scaffolds with PRP, CM, and Coll had the largest pore diameters (~60 µm). Ad MSCs were osteogenically differentiated on these scafffolds for 14 days. Cell attachment and survival rates were comparable for all four scaffolds. Runx2 and osteocalcin levels only increased in Ad-MSCs on Coll, PRP and CM cryogels. Osterix levels increased slightly in Ad-MSCs differentiated on Coll and PRP cryogels. With differentiation alkaline phosphatase activity decreased under all four conditions. In summary, besides Coll cryogel our PRP cryogel constitutes as an especially suitable carrier for bone tissue engineering. This is of special interest, as this scaffold can be generated with patients’ PRP.
The emergence of agile methods and practices has not only changed the development processes but might also have affected how companies conduct software process improvement (SPI). Through a set of complementary studies, we aim to understand how SPI has changed in times of agile software development. Specifically, we aim (a) to identify and characterize the set of publications that connect elements of agility to SPI, (b) to explore to which extent agile methods/practices have been used in the context of SPI, and (c) to understand whether the topics addressed in the literature are relevant and useful for industry professionals. To study these questions, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the literature identified in a previous mapping study, an interview study, and an analysis of the responses given by industry professionals to SPI related questions stemming from an independently conducted survey study. Regarding the first question, we identified 55 publications that focus on both SPI and agility of which 48 present and discuss how agile methods/practices are used to steer SPI initiatives. Regarding the second question, we found that the two most frequently mentioned agile methods in the context of SPI are Scrum and Extreme Programming (XP), while the most frequently mentioned agile practices are integrate often, test-first, daily meeting, pair programming, retrospective, on-site customer, and product backlog. Regarding the third question, we found that a majority of the interviewed and surveyed industry professionals see SPI as a continuous activity. They agree with the agile SPI literature that agile methods/practices play an important role in SPI activities but that the importance given to specific agile methods/practices does not always coincide with the frequency with which these methods/practices are mentioned in the literature.
How companies use digital technologies to enhance customer offerings - summary of survey findings
(2019)
Digital technologies are transforming how companies do business. Social, mobile, analytics, cloud, and the Internet of Things - which together we refer to as SMACIT - along with artificial intelligence, blockchain, and an ongoing procession of new technologies create new capabilities : specifically, ubiquitous data, unlimited connectivity, and massive, affordable processing power.
Problem: In der Praxis kann eine gewisse „Balanced Scorecard (BSC)-Müdigkeit“ beobachtet werden. Damit fehlt es an alternativen Instrumenten, mit denen die Unternehmensstrategie operationalisiert werden kann.
Ziel: Auf der Suche nach Alternativen wird das Hoshin Kanri (HK) diskutiert. Hat HK das Potenzial, die BSC abzulösen? Worin unterscheidet sich Hoshin Kanri (HK) von der BSC und wo sind die Gemeinsamkeiten? Methode: Vergleich wesentlicher Grundzüge von BSC und HK.
Beim Guerilla Marketing handelt es sich um die Auswahl untypischer und undogmatischer Marketingaktivitäten, die mit einem oftmals vergleichsweise geringen Mitteleinsatz eine möglichst große Wirkung erzielen sollen. Im Kern zielt Guerilla Marketing darauf ab, anders zu sein und aufzufallen. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über Methoden und Instrumente des Guerilla Marketing-Mix, die sich insbesondere (aber nicht nur) für Startups im Wettbewerb gegen etablierte, mit entsprechenden finanziellen Ressourcen ausgestattete Unternehmen eignen.
Natural extracellular matrix (ECM) represents an ideal biomaterial for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches. For further functionalization, there is a need for specific addressable functional groups within this biomaterial. Metabolic glycoengineering (MGE) provides a technique to incorporate modified monosaccharide derivatives into the ECM during their assembly, which was shown by us earlier for the production of a modified fibroblast-derived dermal ECM.
Due to the lack of sophisticated component libraries for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), highly optimized MEMS sensors are currently designed using a polygon driven design flow. The advantage of this design flow is its accurate mechanical simulation, but it lacks a method for an efficient and accurate electrostatic analysis of parasitic effects of MEMS. In order to close this gap in the polygon-driven design flow, we present a customized electrostatic analysis flow for such MEMS devices. Our flow features a 2.5D fabrication-process simulation, which simulates the three typical MEMS fabrication steps (namely deposition of materials including topography, deep reactive-ion etching, and the release etch by vapor-phase etching) very fast and on an acceptable abstraction level. Our new 2.5D fabrication-process simulation can be combined with commercial field-solvers such as they are commonly used in the design of integrated circuits. The new process simulation enables a faster but nevertheless satisfactory analysis of the electrostatic parasitic effects, and hence simplifies the electrical optimization of MEMS.
Frost reduction in mechanical balanced ventilation by efficient means of preheating cold supply air
(2019)
This study has focused on evaluating the financial potential of wastewater and geothermal heat recovery systems in a multi-family building. The recovered heat was used to improve the performance of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system during the coldest days in central Sweden. The main issue, which was targeted with these solutions, was to reduce frost formation in the system and hence increase its thermal efficiency. By looking at the life cycle cost over a lifespan of 20 years, the observed systems were being evaluated economically. Furthermore, statistical analyses were carried-out to counter the uncertainty that comes with the calculation. It was found that the studied wastewater systems have a high possibility of generating savings in this period, while the one fed by geothermal energy is less likely to compensate for its high initial cost. All designed systems however, managed to reduce operational cost by 35-45% due to lower energy usage.
The promise of immutable documents to make it easier and less expensive for consumers and producers to collaborate in a verifiable way would represent an enormous progress, especially as companies strive for establish service contracts which are based on the flow of many small transactions using machine-to-machine communication. The blockchain technology logs these data, verifies the authenticity and make them available for service offers. This work deals with an architecture enabling to setup order processing between consumers and produceers using blockchain. In this way, the technical feasibility is shown and the special characteristics of blockchain production networks will be discussed.
»Flexible Arbeitspraktiken: Eine Analyse aus pragmatischer Perspektive«. Traditional human resource management (HRM) research can hardly relate to today's developments in the world of work. Organizational boundaries are blurred because of the complexity due to globalization, digitalization, and demographic changes. In practice, new ways of organizing work can be found that depend on the specifics of the work situation. In this paper, we build on the economics of convention (EC) to elaborate on the current challenges HRM scholarship is confronted with and provide a theoretical lens that goes beyond the tension between market and bureaucracy principles in actual employment settings. We apply EC’s situationalist methodology to examples of the challenging coordination of flexibility in the workplace. We explain two hybrid forms of coordination – compromises and local arrangements – and highlight the dynamics of employment practices in organizations related to these forms. Thereby, we show that different modes of coordination in employment are applied in a fluctuating manner that depends on the specific situations. In doing so, we further seek to remind HRM scholars of the fruitfulness of the pragmatist perspective in analyzing work practices, as well as extending its conceptual toolkit for future analysis.