Digital transformation in financial sector

Cílem této kvalifikační práce je navrhnout zlepšení postupu zavedené společnosti v rámci digitalizace vlastních služeb. Pro identifikaci prostoru ke zlepšení byla využita metoda hodnocení, vycházející jak z teoretických znalostí, tak i z praktických zjištění. Teoretické poznatky, týkající se obecných postupů při rapidních změnách způsobu práce již existujících firem, posloužily jako základ kvalitativního a kvantitativního výzkumu současného stavu digitalizačních snah zkoumané společnosti. V rámci doporučení k dalším krokům, identifikovaným pomocí výzkumu, byly využity případové studie firem, které se s obdobnými kroky v rámci inovací již setkaly.Přínosem diplomové práce je specifická metoda hodnocení, zaměřená na několik klíčových oblastí digitalizačního postupu, v každé ze kterých dochází k separátnímu hodnocení. Model, uvedený v této kvalifikační práci, může být využit jako podklad pro výzkum i jiných zavedených společností.The goal of this thesis is to offer improvements to the service digitalization process of an existing company. A specific method of evaluation, based on a theoretical body of knowledge as well as practical findings, was used to identify improvement possibilities.Theoretical findings regarding general approaches to rapid changes of existing firms’ ways of work were used as basis for a qualitative and quantitative research of the current state of digitalization efforts of the researched company. Case studies of firms facing similar innovation steps were used as a part of next-step recommendations. The contribution of this thesis is the method of evaluation itself, aiming at several key parts of digitalization efforts with a separate evaluation in each of them. The model used in this Master’s Thesis can be applied as a basis for research in other existing companies as well

Marketing communication in employer brand building

Hlavním cílem této kvalifikační práce je v teoretické a praktické rovině popsat marketingovou komunikaci v procesu budování značky zaměstnavatele. Teoretická část je zaměřena na vysvětlení pojmů značka a značka zaměstnavatele, včetně metod budování značek a marketingových kanálů. Praktická část práce je zaměřena na komunikaci značky zaměstnavatele Pivovarů Staropramen a vnímání této značky mezi její stážisty a trainee, všichni ze kterých jsou studenty anebo absolventy vysokých škol. Pro zjištění těchto informací byla použita metoda standardizovaných otevřených hloubkových rozhovorů. Výsledky těchto rozhovorů byly použity pro zobrazení rozdílů mezi komunikací značky a její vnímáním, analýzu efektivity interních komunikačních kanálů, hledání prostoru pro zlepšení určitých částí komunikace, zaměřené na studenty a absolventy vysokých škol. Výsledky rozhovorů byly také porovnány s doporučením autorů, uvedených v teoretické části.The main goal of this thesis is to both theoretically and practically explain marketing communication in the process of employer brand building. The theoretical part focuses on defining brand and employer brand including brand building methods as well as marketing communication channels. The thesis then focuses in its practical part on the specific case of Pivovary Staropramen's employer brand communication and perception amongst its interns and trainees, all university students and graduates. A standardized, open-ended interview method was used to obtain this information. The findings of the interviews were then used to show the differences between the brand communication and perception, analyse internal communication channels effectivity, find possible improvements to certain parts of the communication focused on university students and graduates and compare the general findings to the theoretical theses

Präzise Redoxpotentiale von Übergangsmetallkomplexen berechnet mit Dichtefunktionaltheorie und Elektrostatik

In the present study 48 different mononuclear transition metal complexes (TMC) involving iron, manganese and nickel in protic and aprotic solvents has been considered. Those 58 measured redox potentials cover a range between -1000 and 2000 mV. The new B4(XQ3)LYP-approach yields absolute redox potentials of these TMCs with a root mean square deviation (RMSD) of 65 mV. Introducing an additional term in the DFT functional and simultaneously reducing the fraction of the exact exchange energy term from 20% to 12%, was crucial for this improvement. The increased accuracy of redox potential predictions renders this method suitable to compute redox potentials of TMCs involved in ET processes and redox reactions in proteins. Moreover, the B4(XQ3)LYP-approach is capable of correctly reproducing the ground-state spin multiplicities of the considered TMCs. For some TMCs it was necessary to account for the dielectric environment before agreement with the corresponding measured spin multiplicities was obtained. This finding emphasizes the importance of accounting for electrostatic energies of solvation in order to obtain reliably spin multiplicities. The developed electrostatic procedure is well tuned such that the atomic radii used in the present study in combination with atomic partial charges computed on the B3LYP/6-31g** level may generally be useful also in other applications.In der vorgelegten Studie wurden 48 verschiedene mononukleare Übergangsmetallkomplexe von Eisen, Mangan und Nickel in protischen und aprotischen Lösungsmitteln betrachtet, für die es 58 gemessene Redoxpotentiale im Intervall von -1000 bis 2000 mV gibt. Die dafür neuentwickelte B4(XQ3)LYP- Methode liefert für diese Übergangsmetallkomplexe absolute Redoxpotentiale mit einer Abweichung des quadratisches Mittelwertes von nur 65 mV. Dies wurde durch die Einführung eines zusätzlichen Terms in das DFT-Funktional erreicht, wobei gleichzeitig der Anteil von dem exakten Austauschterm von 20% auf 12% reduziert wurde. Durch die verbesserte Vorhersage der Redoxpotentiale eignet sich diese Methode für die Berechnung der Redoxpotentiale von Übergangsmetallkomplexen, die an den Elektronübergangs-Prozessen und Redoxreaktionen in Proteinen beteiligt sind. Darüber hinaus ist die B4(XQ3 )LYP-Methode imstande die Spinmultiplizität des Grundzustandes von allen betrachteten Übergangsmetallkomplexen richtig wiederzugeben. Damit Übereinstimmung mit den gemessenen Spinmultiplizitäten des Grundzustandes erreicht wird, war es für einige Übergangsmetallkomplexe notwendig die dielektrische Umgebung mit zu berücksichtigen. Diese Erkenntniss zeigt deutlich, wie wichtig es ist, die elektrostatische Solvatationsenergien mit zu berücksichtigen, um die richtigen Spinmultiplizitäten im Grundzustand zu erhalten. Unser elektrostatisches Verfahren ist so gut abgestimmt, dass die hier benutzten Atomradien und die auf B3LYP/6-31g** - Ebene berechneten atomaren Partialladungen auch in anderen Anwendungen erfolgreich eingesetzt werden können

Commentary: The Emergence of Pod Mods at Vape Shops.

The vape shop industry is a rapidly growing market sector with a constantly changing product landscape. The rapid evolution of nicotine delivery systems, most notably the emergence of salt nicotine e-juice and pod mod devices, have resulted in a sudden shift in the product market, suggesting new implications for the health professions in addressing electronic cigarette use

Oxygen-Evolving Mn Cluster in Photosystem II: The Protonation Pattern and Oxidation State in the High-Resolution Crystal Structure

Extensive quantum chemical DFT calculations were performed on the high-resolution (1.9 Å) crystal structure of photosystem II in order to determine the protonation pattern and the oxidation states of the oxygen-evolving Mn cluster. First, our data suggest that the experimental structure is not in the S₁-state. Second, a rather complete set of possible protonation patterns is studied, resulting in very few alternative protonation patterns whose relevance is discussed. Finally, we show that the experimental structure is a mixture of states containing highly reduced forms, with the largest contribution (almost 60%) from the S_–3-state, Mn­(II,II,III,III)

Exploring the Possible Role of Glu286 in C<i>c</i>O by Electrostatic Energy Computations Combined with Molecular Dynamics

Cytochrome <i>c</i> oxidase (C<i>c</i>O) is a central enzyme in aerobic life catalyzing the conversion of molecular oxygen to water and utilizing the chemical energy to pump protons and establish an electrochemical gradient. Despite intense research, it is not understood how C<i>c</i>O achieves unidirectional proton transport and avoids short circuiting the proton pump. Within this work, we analyzed the potential role of Glu286 as a proton valve. We performed unconstrained MD simulations of C<i>c</i>O with an explicit membrane for up to 80 ns. Those MD simulations revealed that deprotonated Glu286 (Glu286-) is repelled by the negatively charged propionic acid PRD of heme a₃. Thus, it destabilizes a potential linear chain of waters in the hydrophobic cavity connecting Glu286 with PRD and the binuclear center (BNC). Conversely, protonated Glu286 (Glu286H) may remain in an upward position (oriented toward PRD) and can stabilize the connecting linear water chain in the hydrophobic cavity. We calculated the p<i>K</i>_a of Glu286 under physiological conditions to be above 12, but this value decreases to about 9 under increased water accessibility of Glu286. The latter value is in accordance with experimental measurements. In the time course of MD simulation, we also observed conformations where Glu286 bridges between water molecules located on both sides (the D channel being connected to the N side and the hydrophobic cavity), which might lead to proton backflow

Ice Flavor–Related Discussions on Twitter: Content Analysis

BackgroundThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently restricted characterizing flavors in tobacco products. As a result, ice hybrid–flavored e-cigarettes, which combine a cooling flavor with fruit or other flavors (eg, banana ice), emerged on the market. Like menthol, ice-flavored e-cigarettes produce a cooling sensory experience. It is unclear if ice hybrid–flavored e-cigarettes should be considered characterizing flavors or menthol, limiting regulatory action. Monitoring the public’s conversations about ice-flavored e-cigarettes on Twitter may help inform the tobacco control community about these products and contribute to the US FDA policy targets in the future. ObjectiveThis study documented the themes pertaining to vaping and ice flavor–related conversations on Twitter. Our goal was to identify key conversation trends and ascertain users’ recent experiences with ice-flavored e-cigarette products. MethodsPosts containing vaping-related (eg, “vape,” “ecig,” “e-juice,” or “e-cigarette”) and ice-related (ie, “Ice,” “Cool,” “Frost,” and “Arctic”) terms were collected from Twitter’s streaming application programming interface from January 1 to July 21, 2021. After removing retweets, a random sample of posts (N=2001) was selected, with 590 posts included in the content analysis. Themes were developed through an inductive approach. Theme co-occurrence was also examined. ResultsMany of the 590 posts were marked as (or consisted of) marketing material (n=306, 51.9%), contained positive personal testimonials (n=180, 30.5%), and mentioned disposable pods (n=117, 19.8%). Other themes had relatively low prevalence in the sample: neutral personal testimonials (n=45, 7.6%), cannabidiol products (n=41, 7%), negative personal testimonials (n=41, 7%), “official” flavor description (n=37, 6.3%), ice-flavored JUUL (n=19, 3.2%), information seeking (n=14, 2.4%), and comparison to combustible tobacco (n=10, 1.7%). The most common co-occurring themes in a single tweet were related to marketing and disposable pods (n=73, 12.4%). ConclusionsOur findings offer insight into the public’s experience with and understanding of ice-flavored e-cigarette products. Ice-flavored e-cigarette products are actively marketed on Twitter, and the messages about them are positive. Public health education campaigns on the harms of flavored e-cigarettes may help to reduce positive social norms about ice-flavored products. Future studies should evaluate the relationship between exposure to personal testimonials of ice-flavored vaping products and curiosity, harm perceptions, and experimentation with these products among priority populations

Association between federal and California state policy violation among vape shops and neighbourhood composition in Southern California.

IntroductionPast studies have documented disparities in regulation compliance among tobacco retailers with respect to ethnic diversity in neighbourhoods. This study investigated the association between compliance with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and California state rules and neighbourhood ethnic composition of a vape shop location.MethodsWe recruited 122 vape shops located in 'ethnic enclave' neighbourhoods in Southern California. Trained teams of data collectors visited each of the consented vape shops and coded items in the shops that were visible and on display. Location data for the percentages of ethnic composition for a given city were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder. Multilevel logistic regression models examined the relationship between the city-level neighbourhood ethnic composition and vape shop rule violation status: not displaying Ask4ID sign and offering free samples.ResultsVape shops located in neighbourhoods/communities with more white residents were significantly less likely to not display Ask4ID sign (p=0.03) and less likely to offer free sampling (p=0.009), controlling for other neighbourhood ethnic characteristics.DiscussionGreater enforcement for proper signage display is needed for vape shops located in racial/ethnic minority locations to ensure that minors are discouraged from purchasing e-products