Internationalisierung der FuE-Tätigkeit von Unternehmen der Chemischen Industrie in Deutschland

Der Artikel untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen Organisationsform und Produktivität der unternehmensinternen Forschung und Entwicklung bei den Unternehmen Hoechst (Aventis), Bayer, BASF und Schering. Die vorgenommene Erfolgsmessung der FuE-Systeme dieser Unternehmen erfolgte auf der Basis einer Innovationszählung, die 1312 Innovationen aus den Geschäftsberichten der Jahre 1984 - 1997 umfaßte.This paper analyzes the relationship between organizational structure and the productivity of internal R&D in the companies Hoechst (Aventis), Bayer, BASF, and Schering. The performance measurement for their R&D-systems is based on the number of innovations (1,312), counted from their annual reports in the period 1984 to 1997

Internationalisierung der FuE-Tätigkeit von Unternehmen der Chemischen Industrie in Deutschland

Der Artikel untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen Organisationsform und Produktivität der unternehmensinternen Forschung und Entwicklung bei den Unternehmen Hoechst (Aventis), Bayer, BASF und Schering. Die vorgenommene Erfolgsmessung der FuE-Systeme dieser Unternehmen erfolgte auf der Basis einer Innovationszählung, die 1312 Innovationen aus den Geschäftsberichten der Jahre 1984 - 1997 umfaßte. -- This paper analyzes the relationship between organizational structure and the productivity of internal R&D in the companies Hoechst (Aventis), Bayer, BASF, and Schering. The performance measurement for their R&D-systems is based on the number of innovations (1,312), counted from their annual reports in the period 1984 to 1997.

Internationalisierung der FuE-Tätigkeit von Unternehmen der Chemischen Industrie in Deutschland

"Die Organisation der unternehmensinternen FuE steht im Spannungsfeld zwischen Zentralisation und Dezentralisation: Einerseits sollen die Vorteile eines internationalen FuE-Systems genutzt, andererseits die Koordinations- und Kontrollkosten gesenkt werden. Der Artikel untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen Organisationsform und Produktivität der unternehmensinternen Forschung und Entwicklung bei den Unternehmen Hoechst (Aventis), Bayer, BASF und Schering. Die vorgenommene Erfolgsmessung der FuE-Systeme dieser Unternehmen erfolgte auf der Basis einer Innovationszählung, die 1312 Innovationen aus den Geschäftsberichten der Jahre 1984-1997 umfaßte. Die höchsten FuE-Produktivitäten werden von denjenigen Unternehmen erzielt, deren Forschung und Entwicklung weitgehend zentral organisiert sind. Für europäische Unternehmen, die in den Hochtechnologiesparten engagiert und auf direkten Zugang zu den Wissensquellen im Ausland angewiesen sind, ist diese Zentralisierung nicht möglich. Deshalb gehen diese Unternehmen dazu über, ihre FuE-Systeme nach dem Kompetenzzentrumsprinzip aufzubauen. Diese Kompetenzzentren bündeln das gesamte Wissen eines Unternehmens in einem bestimmten Technologiegebiet und sind damit Ausdruck der transaktionskostensparenden central-for-global-Strategie. Diese Strategie muß allerdings neu interpretiert werden: Die Entwicklung neuer Produkte und Verfahren erfolgt innerhalb eines Technologiegebiets zentral an einem Ort. Dieser Ort muß sich nicht unbedingt im Stammland bzw. in der Nähe der Unternehmenszentrale befinden, sondern dort, wo sich neues Wissen zur Produktentwicklung am effektivsten generieren läßt. Daraus wird eine weitere Rekonzentration der unternehmensinternen FuE-Netzwerke auf wenige international führende Standorte als zukünftige FuE-Strategie abgeleitet." (Autorenreferat)"Changes in the organizational structure of corporate research and development (R&D) are taking place along the centralization-decentralization dimension: The advantages of an international R&D-system are to be used - but the coordination and controlling costs are to be reduced. This paper analyzes the relationship between organizational structure and the productivity of internal R&D in the companies Hoechst (Aventis), Bayer, BASF, and Schering. The performance measurement for their R&D-systems is based on the number of innovations (1,312), counted from their annual reports in the period 1984 to 1997. The highest R&D productivity is achieved in companies whose R&D is largely centrally organized. But such centralization is not possible for European companies engaged in high technology areas and dependent on access to knowledge bases in other countries. Therefore, these companies tend to format their R&D-systems as competence centers. The competence center concentrates the entire knowledge base of a company in a special technological area and can be seen as a result of transaction costs being reduced by centralization in a globalization strategy. But this strategy has to be reinterpreted: new products and procedures in a technological area are developed centrally at one location. The location doesn't need to be placed near the headquarters, but should be placed where new knowledge for product development can be most effectively generated. The consequence is that a further reconcentration of a companyżs internal R&D networks at a few internationally important locations is expected as the future of R&D strategy." (author's abstract

Innovation in the European chemical industry

Firms in the European chemical industry have been among the most successful firms world wide. However, they have had to undertake severe restucturing in order to maintain their market position. These efforts focused in particular on strengthening their innovative capability as product and process innovation have become the most decisive factors in global competition. In order to improve the innovative conditions, the European Commission has supported the Community Innovation Survey (CIS). 1992/1993 was the first time that large-scale harmonised innovation surveys were carried out in all Member States of the European Union. This study uses the CIS micro data from nearly 2000 European chemical firms. This study focuses on the identification of innovative trends within the chemical industry between 1984 and 1993. Using data from annual reports of nine selected European stock companies, the study identifies those areas of the chemical industry currently having the highest innovative potential. Three speciality categories are identified as having the highest number of innovations during this ten year period: chemicals, paints/varnishes, and plastics. -- Obwohl viele europäische Unternehmen der chemischen Industrie in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten zu den erfolgreichsten in der Welt zählten, mußten sie sich Anfang der neunziger Jahre einem gravierenden Strukturwandel unterziehen, um ihre Position behaupten zu können. Die Fähigkeit der Unternehmen, Innovationen hervorzubringen, stand und steht dabei im Mittelpunkt. Mit dem Ziel, die Rahmenbedingungen für Innovationen zu verbessern, führte die EU-Kommission 1993 eine europaweite Innovationserhebung, den Community Innovation Survey (CIS) durch. In dieser Studie wurden die anonymisierten Antworten von nahezu 2000 Unternehmen der chemischen Industrie analysiert. Um Innovationstrends aufzuzeigen zu können, wurden darüber hinaus Geschäftsberichte von neun großen europäischen Chemieunternehmen ausgewertet. So wurden die Sparten Spezialitäten, Farben/Lacke und Kunststoffe als diejenigen Sparten identifiziert, die im Untersuchungszeitraum (1984-1993) die meisten Innovationen aufwiesen.

Geology of the Fire Clay Coal in Part of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field

Coal beds mined in Kentucky often are not laterally continuous in thickness, quality, or roof condition. Regional and local variation is common. Because thickness, quality, and roof conditions are the result of geologic processes that were active when the coal was deposited as a peat swamp, a better understanding of the relationships between geology and major coal resources can aid in identifying geologic trends, which can be extrapolated beyond areas of present mining. The focus of this study is on the Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal, one of the leading producers in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field with 20 million short tons of annual production. More than 3,800 thickness measurements, highwall and outcrop descriptions, borehole and geophysical-log descriptions, and proximate analyses from 97 localities were used in conjunction with previous palynologic and petrographic studies to investigate the geology of the Fire Clay coal in a 15-quadrangle area of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. The Fire Clay coal is commonly separated into two distinct layers or benches by a flint-clay and shale parting called the “jackrock parting” by miners. Maps of coal benches above and below the parting show that the lower bench is limited in extent and variable in thickness. In contrast, the coal above the jackrock parting occurs across most of the study area and is characterized by rectangular patterns of coal thickness. Multiple coal benches resulted from the accumulation of multiple peat deposits, each with different characteristics. The lower bench of the coal was deposited when a peat accumulated above an irregular topographic surface. Because the peat was being deposited at or below the water table, it was often flooded by sediment from lateral sources, resulting in moderate to locally high ash yields. This peat was drowned and then covered by volcanic ash, which formed the flint clay in the jackrock parting. The upper coal bench accumulated above the ash deposit, after irregularities in the topography had been filled. The relatively flat surface allowed the swamps to spread outward and dome upward above the water table in some areas. Doming of the peat resulted in areas of coal with generally low ash yields and sulfur contents. Sharp, angular changes in the upper coal bench are inferred to represent subtle fault influence on upper peat accumulation. The upper peat was buried by a series of river channels, which were bounded by levees, flood plains, and elongate bays. Several of the rivers eroded through the Fire Clay peats, forming cutouts in the coal. These cutouts often follow orientations similar to the angular trends of coal thinning, suggesting a relationship that can be extended beyond the present limits of mining. Also, additional peat swamps accumulated above the levees and flood plains bounding the channels. Along the thinning margins of these deposits, the peats came near or merged with the top of the Fire Clay coal, resulting in local areas of increased coal thickness. Rider coal benches exhibit high to moderate sulfur contents and ash yields, so that although they may increase coal thickness, total coal quality generally decreases where riders combine with the Fire Clay coal

Available Resources of the Fire Clay Coal in Part of the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field

Available resources for the Fire Clay coal were calculated for a 15-quadrangle area in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. Original coal resources were estimated to be 1.8 billion tons (BT). Coal mined or lost in mining was estimated at 449 million tons (MT), leaving 1.3 BT of remaining Fire Clay resources in the study area. Of the remaining resources, 400 MT is restricted from mining, primarily because the coal is less than 28 in. thick, normally considered too thin to mine underground using present technology. The total coal available for mining in the study area is 911 MT, or 52 percent of the original resource. Of the 911 MT, 14.9 percent is thicker than 42 in., and only 6.1 percent is accessible by surface-mining methods. The largest block of available coal is in the Leatherwood quadrangle, is less than 42 in. thick, and mostly occurs below drainage

A Novel 110-kDa Receptor Protein is Involved in Endocytic Uptake of Decorin by Human Skin Fibroblasts

The small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) decorin is efficiently internalized by a variety of cultured cells. A 51-kDa protein has previously been described as a receptor mediating endocytosis of decorin and of the structurally related SLRP biglycan. Recent findings suggest that endocytosis of SLRPs may also be mediated by additional receptors. The class-A scavenger receptor, the endocytic mannose receptor, the epidermal growth factor receptor, and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor have emerged as candidates. We used a combined approach of immunoprecipitation and photoactivated cross-linking to identify endocytosis receptors for decorin in human skin fibroblasts. Decorin was purified by HPLC-DEAE-ion exchange chromatography from the secretions of human skin fibroblasts under nondenaturing conditions. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that both biotinylated decorin and decorin conjugated to the heterobifunctional cross-linker sulfosuccinimidyl 2-(p-azidosalicylamido)ethyl-1-3'-dithiopropionate (SASD) were endocytosed with equal efficiency. SASD-conjugated decorin was added to [35S]-methionine-labeled fibroblasts and cross-linked intracellularly to receptor molecules by photoactivation on endocytic uptake. Cross-linked decorin-receptor complexes were purified from the extracts of trypsin-treated fibroblasts by anion exchange chromatography and immunoprecipitation with a decorin-specific antiserum. Analysis by 2D electrophoresis and autoradiography revealed that decorin was specifically cross-linked to a protein of 110 kDa, which exhibited an isoelectric point of 5.5. In a second approach, unlabeled fibroblasts were subjected to decorin endocytosis and photoactivated cross-linking followed by Western blotting of DEAE-purified cell extracts. A shift of biotinylated decorin immunoreactivity from 165 kDa (decorin-receptor complex) to 54 kDa (SASD-conjugated biotinylated decorin) was noted on reductive cleavage of the cross-linker, representing a difference in molecular weight of approximately 110 kDa. The identification of a 110-kDa protein as a novel endocytosis receptor for decorin provides further support for the emerging concept of a redundancy of receptor molecules in the endocytosis of SLRP

Incentive payments are not related to expected health gain in the pay for performance scheme for UK primary care: cross-sectional analysis

Background: The General Medical Services primary care contract for the United Kingdom financially rewards performance in 19 clinical areas, through the Quality and Outcomes Framework. Little is known about how best to determine the size of financial incentives in pay for performance schemes. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that performance indicators with larger population health benefits receive larger financial incentives. Methods: We performed cross sectional analyses to quantify associations between the size of financial incentives and expected health gain in the 2004 and 2006 versions of the Quality and Outcomes Framework. We used non-parametric two-sided Spearman rank correlation tests. Health gain was measured in expected lives saved in one year and in quality adjusted life years. For each quality indicator in an average sized general practice we tested for associations first, between the marginal increase in payment and the health gain resulting from a one percent point improvement in performance and second, between total payment and the health gain at the performance threshold for maximum payment. Results: Evidence for lives saved or quality adjusted life years gained was found for 28 indicators accounting for 41% of the total incentive payments. No statistically significant associations were found between the expected health gain and incentive gained from a marginal 1% increase in performance in either the 2004 or 2006 version of the Quality and Outcomes Framework. In addition no associations were found between the size of financial payment for achievement of an indicator and the expected health gain at the performance threshold for maximum payment measured in lives saved or quality adjusted life years. Conclusions: In this subgroup of indicators the financial incentives were not aligned to maximise health gain. This disconnection between incentive and expected health gain risks supporting clinical activities that are only marginally effective, at the expense of more effective activities receiving lower incentives. When designing pay for performance programmes decisions about the size of the financial incentive attached to an indicator should be informed by information on the health gain to be expected from that indicator

The role of thermal energy accommodation and atomic recombination probabilities in low pressure oxygen plasmas

International audienceSurface interaction probabilities are critical parameters that determine the behaviour of low pressure plasmas and so are crucial input parameters for plasma simulations that play a key role in determining their accuracy. However, these parameters are difficult to estimate without in situ measurements. In this work, the role of two prominent surface interaction probabilities, the atomic oxygen recombination coefficient ? O and the thermal energy accommodation coefficient ? E in determining the plasma properties of low pressure inductively coupled oxygen plasmas are investigated using two-dimensional fluid-kinetic simulations. These plasmas are the type used for semiconductor processing. It was found that ? E plays a crucial role in determining the neutral gas temperature and neutral gas density. Through this dependency, the value of ? E also determines a range of other plasma properties such as the atomic oxygen density, the plasma potential, the electron temperature, and ion bombardment energy and neutral-to-ion flux ratio at the wafer holder. The main role of ? O is in determining the atomic oxygen density and flux to the wafer holder along with the neutral-to-ion flux ratio. It was found that the plasma properties are most sensitive to each coefficient when the value of the coefficient is small causing the losses of atomic oxygen and thermal energy to be surface interaction limited rather than transport limited