Marketing Decision Support Systemen bij Nederlandse bedrijven

Voor u liggen de uitkomsten van een onderzoek over marketing decision support systemen bij Nederlandse bedrijven. Bij marketing decision support systemen worden de mogelijkheden die de moderne informaticatechnologie biedt, aangewend ten behoeve van het marketing management. Door de toename en internationalisering van de concurrentie, door de snelle veranderingen in distributiekanalen en door het steeds hoger wordende tempo van produktvernieuwing (en veroudering) worden dergelijke marketing decision support systemen steeds meer een kritische succesfactor voor een onderneming. Door het snel toenemende aanbod van gegevens, bijvoorbeeld als gevolg van barcode-scanning, en door het steeds sneller beschikbaar komen van deze gegevens via systemen zoals Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) kunnen ook steeds betere marketing decision support systemen worden gebouwd. In deze studie is een momentopname gemaakt van de huidige stand van zaken met betrekking tot marketing decision support systemen in Nederland. Niet alleen is gekeken naar de mate waarin bedrijven over deze systemen beschikken, en de wijze waarop ze deze gebruiken, maar ook naar de factoren die aanschaf en gebruik bevorderen, zoals de wijze van implementatie en de attitude met betrekking tot marketing management. Verder is de intentie onderzocht om een marketing decision support systeem aan te schaffen c.q. te ontwikkelen bij bedrijven die op dit moment daar nog niet over beschikken. Wij spreken onze waardering uit jegens de Marketing Informatie Technologie (MIT) Groep en de Wetenschappelijke Kommissie van het NIMA die gezamenlijk het initiatief tot dit projekt hebben genomen. Onze waardering geldt ook voor degenen die binnen de VIFKA aan de totstandkoming van dit projekt hebben meegewerkt. Wij spreken verder onze dank uit aan de vier onderzoekers, die de studie in zijn definitieve vorm hebben opgezet en uitgevoerd. Door goed samenspel tussen praktijk en universiteiten is een voor marketing zeer relevant onderwerp, op indringende wijze geanalyseerd

Marketing Decision Support Systemen in kort bestek

Voor u liggen de uitkomsten van een onderzoek over marketing decision support systemen bij Nederlandse bedrijven. Bij marketing decision support systemen worden de mogelijkbeden die de moderne informaticatechnologie biedt, aangewend ten behoeve van het marketing management. Door de toename en internationalisering van de concurrentie, door de snelle veranderingen in distributiekanalen en door het steeds hoger wordende tempo van produktvernieuwing (en veroudering) worden dergelijke marketing decision support systemen steeds meer een kritische succesfactor voor een onderneming. Door het snel toenemende aanbod van gegevens, bijvoorbeeld als gevolg van barcode-scanning, en door het steeds sneller beschikbaar komen van deze gegevens via systemen zoals Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) kunnen ook steeds betere marketing decision support systemen worden gebouwd. In deze studie is een momentopname gemaakt van de huidige stand van zaken met betrekking tot marketing decision support systemen in Nederland. Niet alleen is gekeken naar de mate waarin bedrijven over deze systemen beschikken, en de wijze waarop ze deze gebruiken, maar ook naar de factoren die aanschaf en gebruik bevorderen, zoals de wijze van implementatie en de attitude met betrekking tot marketing management. Verder is de intentie onderzocht om een marketing decision support systeem aan te schaffen c.q. te ontwikkelen bij bedrijven die op dit moment daar nog niet over beschikken

From Monodisciplinary via Multidisciplinary to an Interdisciplinary Approach Investigating Air-Sea Interactions – a SOLAS Initiative

Understanding the physical and biogeochemical interactions and feedbacks between the ocean and atmosphere is a vital component of environmental and Earth system research. The ability to predict and respond to future environmental change relies on a detailed understanding of these processes. The Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) is an international research platform that focuses on the study of ocean-atmosphere interactions, for which Future Earth is a sponsor. SOLAS instigated a collaborative initiative process to connect efforts in the natural and social sciences related to these processes, as a contribution to the emerging Future Earth Ocean Knowledge-Action Network (Ocean KAN). This is imperative because many of the recent changes in the Earth system are anthropogenic. An understanding of adaptation and counteracting measures requires an alliance of scientists from both domains to bridge the gap between science and policy. To this end, three SOLAS research areas were targeted for a case study to determine a more effective method of interdisciplinary research: valuing carbon and the ocean’s role; air-sea interactions, policy and stewardship; and, air-sea interactions and the shipping industry

Clinical use of amyloid-positron emission tomography neuroimaging: Practical and bioethical considerations

Until recently, estimation of β-amyloid plaque density as a key element for identifying Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology as the cause of cognitive impairment was only possible at autopsy. Now with amyloid-positron emission tomography (amyloid-PET) neuroimaging, this AD hallmark can be detected antemortem. Practitioners and patients need to better understand potential diagnostic benefits and limitations of amyloid-PET and the complex practical, ethical, and social implications surrounding this new technology. To complement the practical considerations, Eli Lilly and Company sponsored a Bioethics Advisory Board to discuss ethical issues that might arise from clinical use of amyloid-PET neuroimaging with patients being evaluated for causes of cognitive decline. To best address the multifaceted issues associated with amyloid-PET neuroimaging, we recommend this technology be used only by experienced imaging and treating physicians in appropriately selected patients and only in the context of a comprehensive clinical evaluation with adequate explanations before and after the scan

Patients' experiences with quality of hospital care: the Consumer Quality Index Cataract Questionnaire

Background. Patients' feedback is of great importance in health care policy decisions. The Consumer Quality Index Cataract Questionnaire (CQI Cataract) was used to measure patients' experiences with quality of care after a cataract operation. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and the dimensional structure of this questionnaire and assesses its ability to measure differences between hospitals in patients' experiences with quality of care. Methods. Survey data of 4,635 respondents were available. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to evaluate the construct validity of the questionnaire and item-correlations and inter-factor correlations were calculated. Secondly, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated to assess the internal consistency of the scales. Thirdly, to evaluate the ability of the questionnaire to discriminate between hospitals, multilevel analyses were performed with patients hierarchically nested within hospitals. Results. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in 14 quality of care items subdivided over three factors (i.e. communication with ophthalmologist, communication with nurses, and communication about medication). Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.89, 0.76 and 0.79 indicated good internal consistency. Multilevel analyses showed that the questionnaire was able to measure differences in patients' experiences with hospital care regarding communication with ophthalmologist and communication about medication. In addition, there was variation between hospitals regarding ophthalmologist ratings, hospital ratings and one dichotomous information item. Conclusion. These findings suggest that the CQI Cataract is a reliable and valid instrument. This instrument can be used to measure patients' experiences with three domains of hospital care after a cataract operation and is able to assess differences in evaluated care between hospitals

Home care in Europe: a systematic literature review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health and social services provided at home are becoming increasingly important. Hence, there is a need for information on home care in Europe. The objective of this literature review was to respond to this need by systematically describing what has been reported on home care in Europe in the scientific literature over the past decade.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic literature search was performed for papers on home care published in English, using the following data bases: Cinahl, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, and Social Care Online. Studies were only included if they complied with the definition of home care, were published between January 1998 and October 2009, and dealt with at least one of the 31 specified countries. Clinical interventions, instrument developments, local projects and reviews were excluded. The data extracted included: the characteristics of the study and aspects of home care 'policy & regulation', 'financing', 'organisation & service delivery', and 'clients & informal carers'.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventy-four out of 5,133 potentially relevant studies met the inclusion criteria, providing information on 18 countries. Many focused on the characteristics of home care recipients and on the organisation of home care. Geographical inequalities, market forces, quality and integration of services were also among the issues frequently discussed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Home care systems appeared to differ both between and within countries. The papers included, however, provided only a limited picture of home care. Many studies only focused on one aspect of the home care system and international comparative studies were rare. Furthermore, little information emerged on home care financing and on home care in general in Eastern Europe. This review clearly shows the need for more scientific publications on home care, especially studies comparing countries. A comprehensive and more complete insight into the state of home care in Europe requires the gathering of information using a uniform framework and methodology.</p