The focus of the Journal of Business Chemistry: Good management practices in the chemical industry

The chemical industry is one of the major global industries with specific management challenges. It is an industry in transition. Compared with its economic importance and its role in providing solutions for grand societal challenges, this industry as well as companies from pharmaceutical and biotech sectors receive comparatively little attention from management literature. With the Journal of Business Chemistry, we intend to create an international platform for discussions between scholars and practitioners on good management practice in these sectors. We thereby promote an interdisciplinary and transboundary approach and encourage authors and readers to look at developments at the intersection of natural sciences and management

A new framework to assess industry convergence in high technology environments

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The process of convergence, from science and technology convergence to that of markets as well as entire industries can be witnessed in a range of different high technology environments such as IT and NanoBiotech. Although this phenomenon has been subject of analysis in an increasing number of studies, the notion of industry convergence – the final step of a full convergence process - still lacks a common definition. The missing conceptual definition of what industry convergence really is and how it can be assessed impedes both analyses and monitoring - let alone its anticipation. To address the missing conceptual definition of the final step in convergence, this paper seeks to develop a framework based on novel indicators that enable identifying and monitoring trends of industry convergence in high technology environments. Building on indicators in the domain of collaboration, a framework, which distinguishes different stages and types of industry convergence is developed. Subsequently, the newly developed framework is empirically illustrated in the area of stationary energy storage based on publicly available data. To this end, the full text database Nexis is used to conduct a search in news reports on collaborations in the domain of stationary energy storage. The study contributes to the growing body of convergence literature by providing a novel framework allowing the identification of not only industry convergence as the final step of the convergence process but also the classification of its type. Practical implications include an orientation for companies in converging environments on when and how to close the resulting technology and market competence gaps

Status quo und Entwicklungstendenzen interner Unternehmensberatungen:Ergebnisse einer empirischen Untersuchung

Das vorliegende Arbeitspapier gründet sich auf eine Befragung zum Thema "Funktion und Organisation interner Unternehmensberatungen" unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Bankensektors. Es verfolgt das Ziel, die momentane Bedeutung sowie die zukünftige Entwicklung der Beratungsleistungen, Funktionen und Organisation zu identifizieren. Daraus wird abgeleitet, auf welche Weise die besonderen Stärken von internen Beratungen wahrgenommen werden und welche Richtung die weitere Entwicklung nehmen könnte

Why are scientists not managers!?:the importance of interdisciplinary skills in business and science

Research is the translation from money to knowledge. Innovation is the metamorphosis of knowledge to money. Thus, business management and science are interdependent. That is no big news. But, in an ever faster changing economy, companies need a new type of scientist. Someone who knows not only science, but also business administration and management. Can the educational system satisfy those needs? In our opinion more work needs to be done – especially in the minds of scientists and managers alike

Neuroprotective properties of levosimendan in an in vitro model of traumatic brain injury

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We investigated the neuroprotective properties of levosimendan, a novel inodilator, in an in vitro model of traumatic brain injury.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Organotypic hippocampal brain slices from mouse pups were subjected to a focal mechanical trauma. Slices were treated after the injury with three different concentrations of levosimendan (0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 μM) and compared to vehicle-treated slices. After 72 hrs, the trauma was quantified using propidium iodide to mark the injured cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A significant dose-dependent reduction of both total and secondary tissue injury was observed in cells treated with either 0.01 or 0.1 μM levosimendan compared to vehicle-treated slices.</p> <p><b>Conclusion</b></p> <p>Levosimendan represents a promising new pharmacological tool for neuroprotection after brain injury and warrants further investigation in an in vivo model.</p