Digital Transformation Success Through Aligning the Organizational Structure: Case Study of Swedish Public Organizations

A Digital Transformation fundamentally involves the implementation of one or more digital tools, which is a process often burdened with challenges. It is estimated that approximately 66 to 84 percent of the taken Digital Transformation initiatives are unsuccessful, which can be attributed to organizational shortcomings, more specifically structural ones. While public organizations regularly do not achieve the same success as those in the private sector, it was of interest to investigate the Swedish ones. Where 86 percent of residents use the internet to interact with public authorities. Previous research has singled out the IT organization to be the appointed leader of Digital Transformations, further research on that relationship is limited. Therefore, this study examines how the IT organization, in an agile environment, can align its structure for a successful Digital Transformation. To answer the discovered research problem, the following research question has been formulated: “How should an IT organization’s structure be aligned in an agile environment in order to achieve a successful Digital Transformation?”. This is research in progress and will be continued by conducting case studies in four public organizations. Data will be collected through semi0structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Finally, a presentation of different aspect of organizational structure alignment through digital transformation based on these cases will be provided

The Role of Age in Predicting the Outcome of Caustic Ingestion in Adults: A Retrospective Analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the outcomes of caustic ingestion differ between children and adults, it is unclear whether such outcomes differ among adults as a function of their age. This retrospective study was performed to ascertain whether the clinical outcomes of caustic ingestion differ significantly between elderly and non-elderly adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Medical records of patients hospitalized for caustic ingestion between June 1999 and July 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. Three hundred eighty nine patients between the ages of 17 and 107 years were divided into two groups: non-elderly (< 65 years) and elderly (≥ 65 years). Mucosal damage was graded using esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Parameters examined in this study included gender, intent of ingestion, substance ingested, systemic and gastrointestinal complications, psychological and systemic comorbidities, severity of mucosal injury, and time to expiration.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The incidence of psychological comorbidities was higher for the non-elderly group. By contrast, the incidence of systemic comorbidities, the grade of severity of mucosal damage, and the incidence of systemic complications were higher for the elderly group. The percentages of ICU admissions and deaths in the ICU were higher and the cumulative survival rate was lower for the elderly group. Elderly subjects, those with systemic complications had the greatest mortality risk due to caustic ingestion.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Caustic ingestion by subjects ≥65 years of age is associated with poorer clinical outcomes as compared to subjects < 65 years of age; elderly subjects with systemic complications have the poorest clinical outcomes. The severity of gastrointestinal tract injury appears to have no impact on the survival of elderly subjects.</p

Current Trends in Pediatric Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery

Over the past two decades, laparoscopic and robotic surgery in children has been described as a viable minimally invasive alternative to open surgery for many pediatric urologic conditions. With the goal of reducing the morbidity associated with open surgery, minimally invasive surgery in children is increasingly being performed as laparoscopic and robotic patients appear to be experiencing shorter hospital stays, decreased pain medication requirements, and the potential for improved cosmesis. This article provides an overview of the existing literature in laparoscopic and robotic-assisted laparoscopic urologic surgery in children. Laparoscopic and robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery appears to be safe and effective in children for a wide range of ablative and reconstructive procedures. Conventional laparoscopic surgery is effective for ablative procedures, while robotic surgery may be ideally suited for reconstructive cases requiring advanced suturing and dissection. Overall, more prospective studies are needed to study the long-term outcomes of minimally invasive surgery in pediatric patients, and the appropriate use of the available technology

Surgical Techniques to Optimize Early Urinary Continence Recovery Post Robot Assisted Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A variety of different surgical techniques are thought to impact on urinary continence (UC) recovery in patients undergoing robot assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for prostate cancer. Herein, we review current evidence and propose a composite evidence-based technique to optimize UC recovery after RARP. RECENT FINDINGS: A literature search on studies reporting on surgical techniques to improve early continence recovery post robotic prostatectomy was conducted on PubMed and EMBASE. The available data from studies ranging from randomized control trials to retrospective cohort studies suggest that minimizing damage to the internal and external urinary sphincters and their neural supply, maximal sparing of urethral length, creating a secure vesicourethral anastomosis, and providing anterior and posterior myo- fascio-ligamentous support to the anastomosis can improve early UC recovery post RARP. A composite evidence-based surgical technique incorporating the above principles could optimize early UC recovery post RARP. Evidence from randomized studies is required to prove benefit

Representation of gender in "Friends" and "How I met your mother"

Die vorliegende Diplomarbeit betrachtet die Entwicklung von Gender Repräsentationen in zwei TV-Sitcoms: Friends (1994-2004) und How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014). Da Fernsehproduzenten viele verschiedene Zuseher erreichen wollen, und auch überzeugen müssen um erfolgreich zu sein, werden polysemische Fernsehprogramme produziert, die sich jedoch innerhalb von ideologischen Grenzen bewegen. Die Repräsentation von Gender im Fernsehen wird oft von patriarchalen Machtverhältnissen beeinflusst, die ein von Männern dominiertes Umfeld bevorzugen. Deshalb bedienen sich Sitcoms an kulturellen Gender Stereotypen, die weitverbreitet als Alltagsverstand wahrgenommen werden und Männer als z.B. intelligenter oder stärker als Frauen darstellen. In Anbetracht von Judith Butlers Gender-Theorie, in der sie argumentiert, dass Gender eine Performanz ist, die durch Gesten, Verhalten und Sprachverhalten aufrechterhalten wird, werden in dieser Diplomarbeit stereotypische Verhaltens- und Sprachmuster untersucht. Die Repräsentation von Gender wird aufgrund von Stereotypen auf drei Ebenen analysiert: Erstens, stereotypisches Verhalten von Charakteren; zweitens, die Anwendung von spezifischen Sprachelementen, wie zum Beispiel sogenannte Heckenausdrücke, Kraftausdrücke, und die Regeln des Sprecherwechsels, und drittens, eine audiovisuelle Analyse. Diese Analyse zeigt die Entwicklung von Gender-Repräsentationen in Sitcoms über einen Zeitraum von fast 20 Jahren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich das Verhalten von einigen Charakteren ändert, während das Verhalten von anderen Charakteren eher fixiert ist. Weiters konnte ein Zusammenhang zwischen stereotypischem Verhalten und Sprachgebrauch festgestellt werden.This diploma thesis focuses on the development of gender representations in two American TV series: Friends (1994-2004) and How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014). Television producers need to reach and convince wide audiences in order to be successful. Therefore, programs are written in polysemous ways and produced within ideological boundaries. Gender representations in TV are often influenced by patriarchal power structures, in which men dominate over women. Therefore, sitcoms make use of cultural gender stereotypes, which are perceived as common sense and represent men as, e.g. more intelligent or stronger than women. Considering Judith Butler’s argument that gender is a performance, which is maintained through performative acts, such as gestures, behavior and language, stereotypical behavior and language use were included as analytical factors. This diploma thesis examines the representation of gender on the basis of stereotypes on three levels: firstly, the stereotypical behavior of characters; secondly, the use of specific language features, such as hedges, swearing and turn-taking; and lastly, an audiovisual analysis. By means of this analysis, the development in the representation of gender in TV sitcoms over nearly twenty years becomes visible. The results have shown that some characters’ behavior changes over the seasons, whereas others’ behavior does not develop. Furthermore, a connection between language use and stereotypical behavior could be discerned