How can SMEs benefit from big data? Challenges and a path forward

Big data is big news, and large companies in all sectors are making significant advances in their customer relations, product selection and development and consequent profitability through using this valuable commodity. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have proved themselves to be slow adopters of the new technology of big data analytics and are in danger of being left behind. In Europe, SMEs are a vital part of the economy, and the challenges they encounter need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. This paper identifies barriers to SME uptake of big data analytics and recognises their complex challenge to all stakeholders, including national and international policy makers, IT, business management and data science communities. The paper proposes a big data maturity model for SMEs as a first step towards an SME roadmap to data analytics. It considers the ‘state-of-the-art’ of IT with respect to usability and usefulness for SMEs and discusses how SMEs can overcome the barriers preventing them from adopting existing solutions. The paper then considers management perspectives and the role of maturity models in enhancing and structuring the adoption of data analytics in an organisation. The history of total quality management is reviewed to inform the core aspects of implanting a new paradigm. The paper concludes with recommendations to help SMEs develop their big data capability and enable them to continue as the engines of European industrial and business success. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

New Ventures in Amidine-Based Catalyst Design

Two new cascade transformations of α,β-unsaturated thioesters catalyzed by amidine-based catalysts have been developed. First, a reagent-free transformation of o-formylaryl cinnamoyl thioesters catalyzed by HBTM-2 to produce 2-substituted thiochromenes achieved high enantioselectivities and yields while forming carbon dioxide as the only byproduct. Second, a highly diastereo- and enantioselective tandem rearrangement of less reactive enone thioesters into tricyclic thiochromanes in the presence of electron-rich amidine-based catalysts was developed. These catalysts were designed with the help of DFT calculations. H-PIP, the first chiral amidine-based catalyst synthesized in our group, performed the best overall in the thiochromane synthesis. The second chapter of this thesis describes the design of chiral ligands using the Cl-PIQ structure as a building block. A new class of fused imidazoline ligands was synthesized from 2-chloro-3-quinolinecarboxaldehyde, and their efficacy was demonstrated by their performance in the asymmetric Henry reaction

Monetizing Industry 4.0 and IoT data for Marketing and Sales - Data Collected from Smart Homes and Wearables

In the new age of Industry 4.0, sensors measure and communicate all aspects of our everyday life. Smart companies are well aware of the importance of data arising from these sensors. They are able to develop new business models, initiate disruptive innovations, and open up new sources of revenue. At the same time, society is becoming more and more familiar with data from the so‐called IoT, the Internet of Things. The less‐technical areas of marketing and sales can also benefit from this mass of data, and it is this vital part of the business chain upon which this article focuses. This article discusses concrete examples from the area of smart homes and wearables. It describes the data which is generated and shows value creation opportunities for marketing and sales, both in large companies and small or medium enterprises ( SMEs)

Praktische Polykontextualität: soziologische Theoriebausteine in der systemischen Prozessberatung

Der Autor diskutiert anhand eines Fallbeispiels Kooperationsprobleme innerhalb einer Organisation - speziell innerhalb des Vorstands einer Aktiengesellschaft - um zu zeigen, wie im Kontext eines Auftraggeber-Auftragnehmer-Verhältnisses Theoriebestände der Soziologie im Handeln von Organisationen problemlösend eingesetzt und fruchtbar gemacht werden können. Er legt dabei ein Verständnis von systemischer Prozessberatung zugrunde, das von drei sozialen Systemen bestimmt wird: dem Klientensystem (KS), dem Beratersystem (BS) und dem Beratungssystem (BKS). Organisationen werden in der systemischen Prozessberatung als Kommunikationssysteme verstanden, die ihre Elemente im Sinne Luhmanns autopoietisch erzeugen. Der Autor berichtet in seinem Fallbeispiel aus den Coaching-Sitzungen mit zwei Vorstandsmitgliedern eines mittelständischen Unternehmens, zwischen denen Konflikte um die Zusammenarbeit und Arbeitsteilung im Vorstand aufgetreten waren. Durch den Hinweis der Berater auf die Funktion und Wirkungsweise der 'polykontexturalen Organisation' ist es gelungen, den Erkenntnisstand der Soziologie für praktische Problemlösungen fruchtbar zu machen. (ICI

Mehr des Neuen statt mehr desselben? Vom Umgang mit Innovation in organisierten Sozialsystemen ; Niklas Luhmann zum 70. Geburtstag

Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird auf der Grundlage von Luhmanns Systemtheorie der Frage nachgegangen, wie organisierte Sozialsysteme mit Innovationen umgehen. Beharrungsvermögen und Wandlungsfähigkeit von Organisationen und 'Auswege aus der rigiden Schleife zwischen hysterischer Neuerung und einem Furor des Bewahrens' werden diskutiert. Organisationen werden einerseits als stabile Systeme beschrieben, bei denen Veränderungen auf Abwehr stoßen, weil sich laufende Entscheidungsarbeit an Strukturen orientiert, die vorgängig entschieden wurden, und weil die Orientierung an diesen Strukturen in sozialer Hinsicht Konsens und Sicherheit gewährleistet. Auf der anderen Seite legt die rasche und weitreichende Umstrukturierung von Unternehmen (Geschäftsfelder, Hierarchien, Produktpaletten) nahe, daß sich soziale Systeme mit Innovationen sehr leicht tun. In Organisationen, in denen diese beiden gegenläufigen Tendenzen aufeinandertreffen, kommt es zu sozialen Verwerfungen, zu Differenzen zwischen 'aktiven Protagonisten' und 'passiven Erleidern', die bei der Organisationsentwicklung berücksichtigt werden müssen. (prg

Augmenter of liver regeneration: An important intracellular survival factor for hepatocytes

Background/Aims: Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR), a protein synthesized and stored in hepatocytes, is associated with mitochondria, and possesses sulfhydryl oxidase and cytochrome c reductase activities. We sought to determine the effects of ALR depletion in hepatocytes by antisense oligonucleotide transfection. Methods: Rat hepatocytes in primary culture were transfected with antisense oligonucleotide for ALR mRNA (ALR-AS) or scrambled oligonucleotide. Various analyses were performed at times up to 24 h after transfection. Results: Treatment with ALR-AS caused a decrease in ALR mRNA, cellular depletion of ALR protein primarily from mitochondria, and decreased viability. Flow cytometric analysis of ALR-AS-transfected hepatocytes stained with annexin-Vcy3 and 7-aminoactinomycin D revealed apoptosis as the predominant cause of death up to 6 h; incubation beyond this time resulted in necrosis in addition to apoptosis. ALR-AS-transfection caused release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, activation of caspase-3, profound reduction in the ATP content, and cellular release of LDH. Inhibition of caspase-3 inhibited the early phase of ALR-AS-induced death but not the late phase that included ALR and LDH release. Conclusions: These results suggest that ALR is critically important for the survival of hepatocytes by its association with mitochondria and regulation of ATP synthesis. © 2008 European Association for the Study of the Liver

Sesquiterpenoids lactones: benefits to plants and people

Sesquiterpenoids, and specifically sesquiterpene lactones from Asteraceae, may play a highly significant role in human health, both as part of a balanced diet and as pharmaceutical agents, due to their potential for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer. This review highlights the role of sesquiterpene lactones endogenously in the plants that produce them, and explores mechanisms by which they interact in animal and human consumers of these plants. Several mechanisms are proposed for the reduction of inflammation and tumorigenesis at potentially achievable levels in humans. Plants can be classified by their specific array of produced sesquiterpene lactones, showing high levels of translational control. Studies of folk medicines implicate sesquiterpene lactones as the active ingredient in many treatments for other ailments such as diarrhea, burns, influenza, and neurodegradation. In addition to the anti-inflammatory response, sesquiterpene lactones have been found to sensitize tumor cells to conventional drug treatments. This review explores the varied ecological roles of sesquiterpenes in the plant producer, depending upon the plant and the compound. These include allelopathy with other plants, insects, and microbes, thereby causing behavioural or developmental modification to these secondary organisms to the benefit of the sesquiterpenoid producer. Some sesquiterpenoid lactones are antimicrobial, disrupting the cell wall of fungi and invasive bacteria, whereas others protect the plant from environmental stresses that would otherwise cause oxidative damage. Many of the compounds are effective due to their bitter flavor, which has obvious implications for human consumers. The implications of sesquiterpenoid lactone qualitiesfor future crop production are discussed

Species-specific differences in peroxisome proliferation, catalase, and SOD2 upregulation as well as toxicity in human, mouse, and rat hepatoma cells induced by the explosive and environmental pollutant 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene

© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) has been widely used as an explosive substance and its toxicity is still of interest as it persisted in polluted areas. TNT is metabolized in hepatocytes which are prone to its toxicity. Since analysis of the human liver or hepatocytes is restricted due to ethical reasons, we investigated the effects of TNT on cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, peroxisome proliferation, and antioxidative enzymes in human (HepG2), mouse (Hepa 1-6), and rat (H4IIEC3) hepatoma cell lines. Under control conditions, hepatoma cells of all three species were highly comparable exhibiting identical proliferation rates and distribution of their cell cycle phases. However, we found strong differences in TNT toxicity with the lowest IC50 values (highest cell death rate) for rat cells, whereas human and mouse cells were three to sevenfold less sensitive. Moreover, a strong decrease in cellular dehydrogenase activity (MTT assay) and increased ROS levels were noted. TNT caused peroxisome proliferation with rat hepatoma cells being most responsive followed by those from mouse and human. Under control conditions, rat cells contained fivefold higher peroxisomal catalase and mitochondrial SOD2 activities and a twofold higher capacity to reduce MTT than human and mouse cells. TNT treatment caused an increase in catalase and SOD2 mRNA and protein levels in human and mouse, but not in rat cells. Similarly, human and mouse cells upregulated SOD2 activity, whereas rat cells failed therein. We conclude that TNT induced oxidative stress, peroxisome proliferation and mitochondrial damage which are highest in rat cells rendering them most susceptible toward TNT. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 989–1006, 2017