Assessment of the innovation system in SMEs using innovation taxonomy and pondering methods

ABSTRACT: In this bachelor thesis, the different types of innovation within a company are studied and analysed. The companies studied are SMEs i.e. from 10 to 250 employees. Smaller companies are mainly confronted with the problem of resources and larger companies with their strategic orientation. We have studied the ten types of innovations according to Doblin (Doblin 2014), and we realise that they have a rather marketing-oriented focus, so we analyse five groups of innovations that we consider to be the key (marketing, product, organisational, business model and technological innovation). Five groups of innovations have been weighed on a scale from 0 to 100 % according to their importance to contribute to the economic success of the company. All groups have been weighted and ranked in order of priority to initiate the innovation process in the SME, starting with marketing, followed by product, technological, organisational and business model innovations. We found innovation process needs to be implemented as a continuous cyclical process. If the company wants to be successful, it is a continuous cycle model, which should never stop. Once a particular innovation is chosen, it will be studied and tested whether the investment can be successful. If so investment process will be executed, if not, the cycling process will start again until gives a positive result. This way one of the innovation is recognized as most important according to circumstances in SME involved at a certain moment.POVZETEK: V predstavljeni diplomski nalogi preučujemo in analiziramo procese inoviranja v majhnih in srednjih podjetjih. Preučujemo majhna in srednja podjetja (MSP) to so podjetja, ki zaposlujejo od 10 do 250 ljudi. Podjetja na spodnji meji (manjša podjetja) se v glavnem soočajo s problemom virov, večja pa s svojo strateško usmeritvijo. Preučili smo deset vrst inovacij, ki jih je opredelil Doblin (Doblin 2014) in spoznali, da so usmerjene predvsem v marketinške aktivnosti. Tako smo analizirali še druge skupine inovacij, za katere menimo, da so ključne (marketinške, izdelčne, organizacijske, inovacije poslovnih modelov in tehnološke inovacije). Spoznanih pet skupin inovacij smo razvrstili po metodi tehtanja pomena na lestvici od 0 do 100 % glede na njihov pomen pri prispevanju k gospodarskem uspehu podjetja. Vse skupine so bile ponderirane in razvrščene po prednostnem vrstnem redu, da prikažejo potek procesa inoviranja v MSP, začenši s trženjem, sledijo inovacije izdelkov, tehnološke inovacije ter organizacijske in inovacije poslovnih modelov. Ugotovili smo, da je potrebno inovacijski postopek izvajati kot stalen ciklični proces, ki se ne sme ustaviti. V kolikor želi biti podjetje uspešno je potrebno model inoviranja neprekinjeno izvajati v smislu cikličnega vračanja ali povratne zanke takrat, ko smo preverili ali je ena od inovacij ovrednotena kot primerna za investiranje. Ko je določena inovacija izbrana, jo je potrebno preveriti kot investicijo ali obeta ugodne rezultate ali ne. V primeru pozitivnih rezultatov se lahko naložbeni postopek izvede, v nasprotnem primeru se ciklični proces vrne na začetek in pričnemo obravnavati inovacije znova. Cikliranje skozi inovacijske skupine se ponavlja dokler ne ugotovimo, da je določena inovacija tista, ki jo iščemo. Tako je ena od inovacij prepoznana kot najpomembnejša glede na okoliščine, ki vladajo v danem trenutku v MSP. Model cikličnega procesa je pregleden in nudi učinkovito metodo za pričetek izvajanja inovacijskega procesa v MSP.Grado en Ingeniería en Tecnologías Industriale

Methodology proposed for estimating biowaste generation using municipal rurality indexes

The separated collection and management of biowaste (BW) must be implemented in next years in the European countries. In order to define a proper BW strategy, it is necessary to estimate the generation at a municipal level, since depending on the amount to be treated, the strategy may notably vary. The aim of this study is to develop a methodology to estimate BW generation at municipal level taking into account the characteristics of the region, the Municipal Solid Waste management applied, and diferent socio-economic variables that defne the level of rurality of a municipality. A model to estimate the BW generation for each type of municipality has been developed using Multiple Linear Regression Analysis. As input data, results from a Waste Compositional Analysis executed by the regional government to samples collected on 38 municipalities and data related to infuential socio-economic variables have been used. Signifcant infuence of socio-economic variables on BW generation is observed for the rural municipalities. The evolution of these characteristics, as well as the greater awareness of society with food waste, have change the consumption patterns. Therefore, it is not recommended to use static ratios, but models that allow including socio-economic changes in the estimation of waste generation.This work has been financially supported by the Government of Cantabria R&D project entitled “Obtention, treatment and dissemination of data related to production and management of waste, and adjustment of the existing indicators system to the valid waste plan of Cantabria”. The public company MARE S.A. has provided the MSW generation data, as well as the WCA characterisations used to develop the statistical modellin

Primary sector waste indicators for regional planning

Decisions are made based on information of different kinds and several tools have been developed to facilite the inclusion of environmental aspects in decision-making. One of these tools is the indicators that have become a vital component of environmental impact assessments and "state of the environmental" reporting. In Cantabria, a northern Spanish region, a specific set of indicators has been developed to monitor the degree of implementation of waste policies recently adopted in the region, identified in the Cantabria Regional Waste Plan 2010- 2014. This Regional Planning covers all waste streams generated: There is a Regional Waste Plan developed through four Sectorial Waste Plans on: (i) Primary Sector and Sanitary Waste; (ii) Industrial, Construction and Demolition, and Mining Waste; (iii) Special Waste, and (iv) Municipal Waste. At the present time, the primary sector waste flows in Cantabria are outstanding, since it is a region where the primary sector is one of the driving forces of the economy together with the tourism. The 86% of municipalities are classified as rural or semirural, and there, it is producing a large rural development from traditional craft production to intensive farms in which waste management is becoming a problem. In this work the methodology developed by European Environmental Agency has been used as a starting point in developing a set of Specific Indicators on the primary sector waste. Eleven indicators have been developed to evaluate the generation and management of forest, agricultural, livestock and food industry waste. These indicators allow not only monitoring the primary sector waste management, but also they highlight the precarious situation in relation to knowledge of actions undertaken in the sector in relation to their waste and with the information flows. Therefore, in this paper the analysis of difficulties for management the available information has been carried out

Waste indicators of primary sector and health & veterinary services for regional planning

When there is a need to move smoothly and effectively from an abundance of detailed field data to summarized information, indicators and indices are used. Indicators are important tools that assist decision-makers in formulating and implementing plans for the management of waste at different geographic levels. In Cantabria, a northern Spanish region, all waste streams generated are covered through four specific Waste Plans recently adopted. The present study is focused on the Primary Sector, Health & Veterinary Services Waste Plan (PHWP), which is the framework to the decision-making processes related to the generation and management of forest, agricultural, livestock, food industry and health & veterinary wastes. In this work, 16 indicators have been proposed to track the evolution over time of the management of these waste streams in the region and the degree of achievement of the policy objectives. This article discusses the way to obtain, analyse and evaluate valuable information to build the indicators, finding that only eight indicators can be applied at short term. In addition, a summary of these indicators is included, showing in general, a good trend of the evolution of primary sector, health & veterinary waste management. Finally, different actions to improve the quality of data used for the indicators development are proposed in order to obtain more useful waste indicators to the stakeholders

Nursing workforce characteristics and control of diabetes mellitus in primary care: A multilevel analysis. Spain

Fundamentos: La actividad de enfermería está condicionada por las características de la plantilla. El objetivo fue determinar cómo afectan las características de la plantilla de enfermería de atención primaria (AP) al control de la diabetes mellitus (DM) en personas adultas. Método: Estudio analítico transversal. Instrumentos para la recogida de datos: sistemas de información de AP y cuestionario PES-Nursing Work Index. Participantes: 44.214 pacientes diabéticos en dos zonas de salud de la Comunidad de Madrid: Zona Noroeste (ZNO) con mejor situación socioeconómica y Zona Suroeste (ZSO) con peor situación socioeconómica y los 507 profesionales de enfermería de referencia. Se realizaron análisis multivariantes multinivel de regresión logística. La variable dependiente fue la DM estaba mal controlada (cuando los valores de Hb1Ac eran ≥ a 7%) Resultados: La prevalencia DM mal controlada fue de 40,1% (IC95%:38,2-42,1). Existía un riesgo de un 25% más de peor control si el paciente cambiaba de centro de salud y de un 27% si cambiaba de pareja médico de cabaecera y enfermera. En los modelos de regresión logística multivariante multinivel: para la ZSO a mayor ratio de pacientes mayores de 65 años aumentaba el riesgo de mal control (OR=1,00008 [IC95%:1,00006-1,001]); a mayor proporción de pacientes sin seguimiento por centro de salud peor control (OR=5,1 [IC95%:1,6-15,6]). En los dos modelos por zona de salud, la condición de ser inmigrante económico aumentó el riesgo de mal control, ZSO (OR=1,3 [IC95%:1,03-1,7]); y ZNO (OR=1,29 [IC95%:1,03-1,6]). Conclusiones: Son factores de riesgo de tener mal controlada la diabetes mellitus la mayor proporción de pacientes mayores de 65 años por enfermera, ser inmigrante y la proporción de pacientes sin seguimientoBackground: Nurse activity is determined by the characteristics of nursing staff. The objective was to determine the impact of Primary Health Care (PHC) nursing workforce characteristics on the control of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in adults. Method: Cross-sectional analytical study. Administrative and clinical registries and questionnaire PES-Nursing Work Index from PHC nurses. Participants 44.214 diabetic patients in two health zones within the Community of Madrid, North-West Zone (NWZ) with higher socioeconomic situation and South-West Zone (SWZ) with lower socioeconomic situation, and their 507 reference nurses. Analyses were performed to multivariate multilevel logistic regression models. Primary outcome measure: Poor DM control (figures ≥ 7% HbA1c) Results: The prevalence of poor DM control was 40.1% [CI95%: 38.2-42.1]. There was a risk of 25% more of poor control if the patient changed centre and of 27% if changed of doctor-nurse pair. In the multilevel multivariate regression models: in SWZ increasing the ratio of patients over 65 years per nurse increased the poor control (OR=1.00008 [CI95%:1.00006-1.001]); and higher proportion of patients whose Hb1Ac was not measured at the centre contributed to poor DM control (OR=5.1 [CI95%:1.6-15.6]). In two models for health zone, the economic immigration condition increased poor control, in SWZ (OR=1.3 [CI95%:1.03-1.7]); and in NWZ (OR=1.29 [CI95%:1.03-1.6]). Conclusions: Higher 65 years old patients ratio per nurse, economic immigration condition and a higher proportion of patients whose Hb1Ac was not measured contribute to worse DM controlLos resultados presentados en este manuscrito forman parte de un proyecto financiado parcialmente por el Premio Nacional Marqués de Valdecilla (Santander) 2010 (12ª edición

The patient with Austrian syndrome: regarding a case

En la actualidad, la endocarditis infecciosa es una enfermedad poco frecuente, con una incidencia estimada entre 3,1 y 3,7 episodios cada 100.000 habitantes/año. Pese a los progresos en el tratamiento médico-quirúrgico, la mortalidad hospitalaria de los pacientes con endocarditis es alta. La endocarditis infecciosa es un proceso que se debe a una infección microbiana localizada en el endocardio. La zona afectada con más frecuencia es la superficie de las válvulas y, en la mayor parte de los casos, es de origen bacteriano. Un tipo de endocarditis es el denominado síndrome de Austrian, esta afección tiene un mecanismo diferente a otros tipos de endocarditis y destaca por la agresividad con la que se destruye la región valvular izquierda del corazón. El nombre que da título al caso se debe al médico que publicó la triada de neumonía, endocarditis y meningitis neumocócica. Se presenta el caso clínico de una mujer de 68 años diagnosticada de síndrome de Austrian que ingresó en una Unidad de Cuidados Críticos Cardiológicos con gran inestabilidad hemodinámica, sedoanalgesiada y en tratamiento con ventilación mecánica por una insuficiencia respiratoria. Dada la gravedad del caso está justificado establecer un plan de cuidados basado en el modelo bifocal de Carpenito para resolver las necesidades de salud reales y potenciales en un paciente diagnosticado de síndrome de Austrian, apoyándonos en la taxonomía North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, así como en la Nursing Outcomes Classification y Nursing Interventions Classification para delimitar objetivos e intervenciones enfermeras, respectivamente.Infective endocarditis is currently an uncommon disease, with an estimated incidence of between 3.1 and 3.7 episodes per 100,000 inhabitants/year. Despite the progress in medical-surgical treatment, hospital mortality of patients with endocarditis is high. Infective endocarditis is a process that is due to a microbial infection localized in the endocardium. The area most often affected is the surface of the valves and in most cases it has a bacterial origin. A type of endocarditis is the so-called Austrian syndrome; this condition has a different mechanism from other types of endocarditis and stands out for the aggressiveness with which the left valvular region of the heart is destroyed. The name that entitles the case is due to the doctor who published the triad of pneumonia, endocarditis and pneumococcal meningitis. We present the case of a 68-year-old woman, diagnosed with Austrian syndrome, who was admitted into a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit with a serious hemodynamic instability, under sedation and analgesia and on treatment with mechanical ventilation due to respiratory failure. Considering the seriousness of the case, there is a justification for establishing a care plan based on Carpenito?s bifocal model so as to meet the real and potential health needs in a patient diagnosed with Austrian Syndrome, relying on the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association taxonomy, as well as on the Nursing Outcomes Classification and the Nursing Interventions Classification, in order to define objectives and nursing interventions, respectively

DNA damage triggers squamous metaplasia in human lung and mammary cells via mitotic checkpoints

Epithelial transdifferentiation is frequent in tissue hyperplasia and contributes to disease in various degrees. Squamous metaplasia (SQM) precedes epidermoid lung cancer, an aggressive and frequent malignancy, but it is rare in the epithelium of the mammary gland. The mechanisms leading to SQM in the lung have been very poorly investigated. We have studied this issue on human freshly isolated cells and organoids. Here we show that human lung or mammary cells strikingly undergo SQM with polyploidisation when they are exposed to genotoxic or mitotic drugs, such as Doxorubicin or the cigarette carcinogen DMBA, Nocodazole, Taxol or inhibitors of Aurora-B kinase or Polo-like kinase. To note, the epidermoid response was attenuated when DNA repair was enhanced by Enoxacin or when mitotic checkpoints where abrogated by inhibition of Chk1 and Chk2. The results show that DNA damage has the potential to drive SQM via mitotic checkpoints, thus providing novel molecular candidate targets to tackle lung SCC. Our findings might also explain why SCC is frequent in the lung, but not in the mammary gland and why chemotherapy often causes complicating skin toxicity

Gender, school and academic year differences among Spanish university students at high-risk for developing an eating disorder: An epidemiologic study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of the university population at high-risk of developing an eating disorder and the prevalence of unhealthy eating attitudes and behaviours amongst groups at risk; gender, school or academic year differences were also explored.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study based on self-report was used to screen university students at high-risk for an eating disorder. The sample size was of 2551 university students enrolled in 13 schools between the ages of 18 and 26 years. The instruments included: a social-demographic questionnaire, the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI), the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), the Symptom Check List 90-R (SCL-90-R), and the Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). The sample design is a non-proportional stratified sample by academic year and school. The prevalence rate was estimated controlling academic year and school. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate adjusted associations between gender, school and academic year.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Female students presented unhealthy weight-control behaviours as dieting, laxatives use or self-induced vomiting to lose weight than males. A total of 6% of the females had a BMI of 17.5 or less or 2.5% had amenorrhea for 3 or more months. In contrast, a higher proportion of males (11.6%) reported binge eating behaviour. The prevalence rate of students at high-risk for an eating disorder was 14.9% (11.6–18) for males and 20.8% (18.7–22.8) for females, according to an overall cut-off point on the EDI questionnaire. Prevalence rates presented statistically significant differences by gender (p < 0.001) but not by school or academic year.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The prevalence of eating disorder risk in university students is high and is associated with unhealthy weight-control practices, similar results have been found in previous studies using cut-off points in questionnaires. These results may be taken into account to encourage early detection and a greater awareness for seeking treatment in order to improve the diagnosis, among students on university campuses.</p

Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in small areas of 33 Spanish cities

Background: In Spain, several ecological studies have analyzed trends in socioeconomic inequalities in mortality from all causes in urban areas over time. However, the results of these studies are quite heterogeneous finding, in general, that inequalities decreased, or remained stable. Therefore, the objectives of this study are: (1) to identify trends in geographical inequalities in all-cause mortality in the census tracts of 33 Spanish cities between the two periods 1996–1998 and 2005–2007; (2) to analyse trends in the relationship between these geographical inequalities and socioeconomic deprivation; and (3) to obtain an overall measure which summarises the relationship found in each one of the cities and to analyse its variation over time. Methods: Ecological study of trends with 2 cross-sectional cuts, corresponding to two periods of analysis: 1996–1998 and 2005–2007. Units of analysis were census tracts of the 33 Spanish cities. A deprivation index calculated for each census tracts in all cities was included as a covariate. A Bayesian hierarchical model was used to estimate smoothed Standardized Mortality Ratios (sSMR) by each census tract and period. The geographical distribution of these sSMR was represented using maps of septiles. In addition, two different Bayesian hierarchical models were used to measure the association between all-cause mortality and the deprivation index in each city and period, and by sex: (1) including the association as a fixed effect for each city; (2) including the association as random effects. In both models the data spatial structure can be controlled within each city. The association in each city was measured using relative risks (RR) and their 95 % credible intervals (95 % CI). Results: For most cities and in both sexes, mortality rates decline over time. For women, the mortality and deprivation patterns are similar in the first period, while in the second they are different for most cities. For men, RRs remain stable over time in 29 cities, in 3 diminish and in 1 increase. For women, in 30 cities, a non-significant change over time in RR is observed. However, in 4 cities RR diminishes. In overall terms, inequalities decrease (with a probability of 0.9) in both men (RR = 1.13, 95 % CI = 1.12–1.15 in the 1st period; RR = 1.11, 95 % CI = 1.09–1.13 in the 2nd period) and women (RR = 1.07, 95 % CI = 1.05–1.08 in the 1st period; RR = 1.04, 95 % CI = 1.02–1.06 in the 2nd period). Conclusions: In the future, it is important to conduct further trend studies, allowing to monitoring trends in socioeconomic inequalities in mortality and to identify (among other things) temporal factors that may influence these inequalities.This article was partially funded by Plan Nacional de I + D + I 2008–2011 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) –Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación- (Award numbers: PI081488, PI081978, PI080367, PI08/1017, PI080330, P08/0142, PI081785, PI080662, PI081713, PI081058, PI081340, PI080803, PI126/08), Fundación Canaria de Investigación Sanitaria FUNCIS 84/07 and by CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)

Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in preventable mortality in urban areas of 33 Spanish cities, 1996–2007 (MEDEA project)

Background: Preventable mortality is a good indicator of possible problems to be investigated in the primary prevention chain, making it also a useful tool with which to evaluate health policies particularly public health policies. This study describes inequalities in preventable avoidable mortality in relation to socioeconomic status in small urban areas of thirty three Spanish cities, and analyses their evolution over the course of the periods 1996–2001 and 2002–2007. Methods: We analysed census tracts and all deaths occurring in the population residing in these cities from 1996 to 2007 were taken into account. The causes included in the study were lung cancer, cirrhosis, AIDS/HIV, motor vehicle traffic accidents injuries, suicide and homicide. The census tracts were classified into three groups, according their socioeconomic level. To analyse inequalities in mortality risks between the highest and lowest socioeconomic levels and over different periods, for each city and separating by sex, Poisson regression were used. Results: Preventable avoidable mortality made a significant contribution to general mortality (around 7.5%, higher among men), having decreased over time in men (12.7 in 1996–2001 and 10.9 in 2002–2007), though not so clearly among women (3.3% in 1996–2001 and 2.9% in 2002–2007). It has been observed in men that the risks of death are higher in areas of greater deprivation, and that these excesses have not modified over time. The result in women is different and differences in mortality risks by socioeconomic level could not be established in many cities. Conclusions: Preventable mortality decreased between the 1996–2001 and 2002–2007 periods, more markedly in men than in women. There were socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in most cities analysed, associating a higher risk of death with higher levels of deprivation. Inequalities have remained over the two periods analysed. This study makes it possible to identify those areas where excess preventable mortality was associated with more deprived zones. It is in these deprived zones where actions to reduce and monitor health inequalities should be put into place. Primary healthcare may play an important role in this process.This work was partly supported by the FIS-FEDER projects PI080330, PI081713, PI081978, PI0463/2010, PI081017, PI081785, PI081058, PI080142, and the FUNDACIÓN CAJAMURCIA project FFIS/CM10/27