Business Process Management in Transition Economies: Current Research Landscape and Future Opportunities

Business Process Management (BPM) is an approach of improving organizational performance by managing and optimizing business processes. While BPM is extremely popular in mature economies, reports are scarce about its use in transition economies, which are countries in the process of moving from a centrally planned economic system to a market-driven system. To assess the current research landscape on BPM in transition economies, we conduct a systematic literature review and use the six core elements of BPM framework for the analysis of 29 papers. Our review confirms the early stage of research on BPM in transition economies; two factors, People and Culture, are hardly examined. Furthermore, we propose to extend the six core elements of BPM framework by adding two key factors: External Environment and Ownership of Organization. The resulting eight core elements of BPM framework provides a robust theoretical foundation while pointing to multiple avenues for future research

Ordoliberalism and socio-economic dynamics

Cel – Celem artykułu jest polemika z poglądami o rzekomym statycznym charakterze ordoliberalizmu, na którego gruncie – zdaniem krytyków – nie podejmuje się kwestii związanych z dynamiką ładu społeczno-gospodarczego. Rozważania zmierzają do weryfikacji hipotezy, iż ordoliberalni myśliciele uwzględniali tę problematykę implicite w swych programach badawczych. Metoda badań – polega na krytycznej analizie prac najbardziej reprezentatywnego przedstawiciela myśli ordoliberalnej – W. Euckena – z perspektywy wyżej wymienionego celu opracowania. Wymaga to studiowania niemiecko- polsko- oraz anglojęzycznych publikacji autorów zaliczanych do głównego nurtu ordoliberalizmu. Wyniki uzyskane z przeprowadzonych badań literaturowych pozwoliły pozytywnie zweryfikować hipotezę o występowaniu w ordoliberalnej teorii konkurencyjnego ładu gospodarczego elementów dynamiki gospodarczej. Badania tego rodzaju implikują powrót myślenia w kategoriach ładu do ekonomii, a tym samym stanowią wkład do teorii, w ramach których poszukiwane są możliwości przezwyciężenia kryzysu zarówno w realnej sferze gospodarki, jak i teorii ekonomii.Purpose – The aim of the paper is to discuss the views concerning the alleged static nature of ordoliberalism, which, according to critics, does not address the idea of socio-economic development. The considerations are intended to verify the hypothesis that ordoliberal thinkers have taken this problem into account implicitly in research programs. Research method – The research methodology involves the critical analysis of the works of the most essential representative of the ordoliberal thought – W. Eucken – from the perspective of the abovementioned purpose of the study. This requires examining German, Polish and English publications of the authors included in the mainstream ordoliberalism. Results – As a result of the conducted analysis, the hypothesis about the existence of elements of economic dynamics in the ordoliberal theory of competitive economic order has been confirmed. Research of this kind implies a return of thinking in terms of economic order, and thus contributes to the theories that seek to overcome the crisis in both the real economy and the theory of economics.Piotr Pysz: [email protected] Jurczuk: [email protected]ł Moszyński: [email protected] Pysz - Wyższa Szkoła Finansów i Zarządzania w Białymstoku; Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Technik in Vechta, Diepholz OldenburgAnna Jurczuk - Wydział Historyczno-Socjologiczny, Uniwersytet w BiałymstokuMichał Moszyński - Wydział Nauk Ekonomicznych i Zarządzania, Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w ToruniuBöhm F., Eucken W., Großmann-Doerth H., 1936/2008, Unsere Aufgabe, [w:] Grundtexte zur Freiburger Tradition der Ordnungsökonomik, Goldschmidt N., Wohlgemuth M. (Hrsg.), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen.Eucken W., 1932, przedruk 1997, Staatliche Strukturwandlungen und die Krisis des Kapitalismus, „ORDO Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft”, Lucius§Lucius, Stuttgart, Bd. 48, s. 5-24.Eucken W., 1989, Die Grundlagen der Nationalökonomie, Aufl. 9., Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York-London.Eucken W., 2004, Grundsätze der Wirtschaftspolitik, Aufl. 7., Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen.Eucken W., 2005, Nationalökonomie wozu?, Aufl. 5., Klett-Cota, Stuttgart.Galbraith J.K., 2011, Ekonomia w perspektywie. Krytyka historyczna, Polskie Towarzystwo Ekonomiczne, Warszawa.Grabska A., Moszyński M., Pysz P., 2014, Stanowiony i spontaniczny ład gospodarczy w procesie transformacji systemowej Polski i byłej NRD, Polskie Towarzystwo Ekonomiczne Oddział w Toruniu, Instytut Badań Gospodarczych, Toruń.Hayek F.A., 1991, Der Weg zur Knechtschaft, Verlag Bonn Aktuell, München.Herder-Dorneich Ph., 1991, Ist eine Dynamisierung der Ordnungstheorie möglich? Der Beitrag der Neuen Politischen Ökonomie zur Weiterentwicklung der Ordnungstheorie, „ORDO: Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft”, Lucius§Lucius, Stuttgart, Bd. 42, s. 353-361.Heuss E., 1989, Die Grundlagen der Nationalökonomie vor 50 Jahren und heute, „ORDO: Jahrbuch für die Ordnung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft”, Bd. 40, Lucius§Lucius, Stuttgart.Hobsbawm E., 2007, Historiker und Ökonomen der prolongierte Methodenstreit, [w:] Wie viel Geschichte braucht die Ökonomie, Matis H. (Hrsg.), Gerhard Senft, Erhard Löcker, Wien.Klaus V., 1995, Tschechische Transformation und europäische Integration: Gemeinsamkeiten von Visionen und Strategien, Neue-Presse Verlags-GmBH, Passau.Moszyński M., 2012, Koncepcje ładu stanowionego Waltera Euckena i ładu spontanicznego Friedricha Augusta von Hayeka – próba analizy porównawczej, „Acta Universitatis Nicolai Copernici”, Ekonomia XLIII, nr 2, s. 121-133.Moszyński M., 2016, Niemiecki model Społecznej Gospodarki Rynkowej – perspektywa rynku pracy, Wydawnictwo Naukowe UMK, Toruń.Pysz P., 2008, Społeczna gospodarka rynkowa. Ordoliberalna koncepcja polityki gospodarczej, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa.Pysz P., 2014, Stanowiony i spontaniczny ład gospodarczy w procesie rynkowej transformacji systemowej – teoretyczny schemat analizy porównawczej, [w:] Ład gospodarczy a współczesna ekonomia, Pysz P., Grabska A., Moszyński M. (red.), Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa.Pysz P., Jurczuk A., Moszyński M., 2016, Relacja stanowionego i spontanicznego ładu gospodarczego – od ujęcia statycznego do ujęcia dynamicznego, „Ekonomista”, nr 6, s. 799-822.Röpke W., 1942, Die Gesellschaftskrisis der Gegenwart, Eugen Rentsch Verlag, Erlenbach, Zürich.Schumpeter J.A., 1993, Kapitalismus, Sozialismus und Demokratie, Aufl. 7., Francke Verlag, Tübingen Basel.Streissler E., 1989, Carl Menger (1840-1921), [w:] Klassiker des ökonomischen Denkens, Zweiter Band von Karl Marx bis John Maynard Keynes, Starbatty J. (Hrsg.), C.H. Beck, München.Vanberg V., 2002, F.A. Hayek und die Freiburger Schule, Freiburger Diskussionspapiere zur Ordnungsökonomik, 02/1.Wilkin J., 2016, Instytucjonalne i kulturowe podstawy gospodarowania, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar, Warszawa.2(96)31

Crystallization kinetics of polymer fibrous nanocomposites

Through applying both a probabilistic approach and a combination of probabilistic and the Avrami ‘extended volume’ approaches we have derived a theory of overall crystallization kinetics of polymers reinforced with nanofibers. The theory describes the crystallization kinetics in the presence of straight or curved nanofibers, with different nucleation ability and orientation, and allows to account for their variable length. The analytic results are supported by computer simulations of spherulitic structures. The derived mathematical formulas are in exponential forms suggesting the use of the Avrami logarithmic coordinates for detailed analysis of experimental data. Experimental data on crystallization of several nanocomposites, including polypropylene reinforced with poly(tetrafluoroethylene) nanofibers and polyamide 12 with carbon nanotubes, are in a good agreement with the theoretical predictions

Couplage d'un modèle vasculaire bi-niveau et d'un modèle d'acquisition d'images : application à la simulation d'IRM dynamique du Carcinome Hépatocellulaire

La modélisation physiologique permet de mieux comprendre les images médicales et de mettre en évidence, dans l'image, des marqueurs de la pathologie. Dans cet article, nous proposons de coupler un modèle de la vascularisation hépatique à un modèle d'acquisition d'Images de - Résonance Magnétique (IRM), et d'appliquer ces modèles à la simulation d'IRM dynamique du Carcinome Hépatocellulaire (CHC). Le modèle vasculaire intègre les propriétés anatomiques et fonctionnelles clos vaisseaux, modifiées au cours du développement tumoral (densité vasculaire, débits, perméabilité, etc). Il permet de simuler la propagation de différents produits de contraste, ou tenant compte de leurs principales propriétés physiques et magnétiques, aux niveaux macro- et micro-vasculaire. Les images simulées à clos temps d'acquisition différents (phase artérielle, phase portale) présentent clos contrastes proches de ceux observés sur clos images réelles

Design and management considerations for control groups in hybrid effectiveness-implementation trials: Narrative review & case studies.

Hybrid effectiveness-implementation studies allow researchers to combine study of a clinical intervention's effectiveness with study of its implementation with the aim of accelerating the translation of evidence into practice. However, there currently exists limited guidance on how to design and manage such hybrid studies. This is particularly true for studies that include a comparison/control arm that, by design, receives less implementation support than the intervention arm. Lack of such guidance can present a challenge for researchers both in setting up but also in effectively managing participating sites in such trials. This paper uses a narrative review of the literature (Phase 1 of the research) and comparative case study of three studies (Phase 2 of the research) to identify common themes related to study design and management. Based on these, we comment and reflect on: (1) the balance that needs to be struck between fidelity to the study design and tailoring to emerging requests from participating sites as part of the research process, and (2) the modifications to the implementation strategies being evaluated. Hybrid trial teams should carefully consider the impact of design selection, trial management decisions, and any modifications to implementation processes and/or support on the delivery of a controlled evaluation. The rationale for these choices should be systematically reported to fill the gap in the literature

The OASI care bundle quality improvement project: lessons learned and future direction.

Rising rates of obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) led to a collaborative effort by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) to develop and evaluate the OASI Care Bundle (OASI-CB). The OASI-CB comprises four practices (antenatal discussion about OASI, manual perineal protection, mediolateral episiotomy at 60° from the midline, and systematic examination of the perineum, vagina and ano-rectum after vaginal birth) and was initially implemented as part of a quality improvement (QI) project-"OASI1"-in 16 maternity units across Great Britain. Evaluation of the OASI1 project found that the care bundle reduced OASI rates and identified several barriers and enablers to implementation. This paper summarises the key findings, including strengths, limitations and lessons learned from the OASI1 QI project, and provides rationale for further evaluation of the OASI-CB

OASI2: a cluster randomised hybrid evaluation of strategies for sustainable implementation of the Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury Care Bundle in maternity units in Great Britain.

BACKGROUND: The Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury (OASI) Care Bundle comprises four primary and secondary prevention practices that target the rising rates of severe perineal tearing during childbirth, which can have severe debilitating consequences for women. The OASI Care Bundle was implemented in 16 maternity units in Britain in the OASI1 project (2017-2018), which demonstrated the care bundle's effectiveness in reducing OASI rates. In OASI2, the care bundle will be scaled up to 20 additional National Health Service (NHS) maternity units in a hybrid effectiveness-implementation study that will examine the effectiveness of strategies used to introduce, implement and sustain the care bundle. METHODS: OASI2 is a two-arm cluster-randomised control trial (C-RCT) of maternity units in England, Scotland and Wales, with an additional non-randomised study arm. C-RCT arm 1 (peer support, n = 10 units) will be supported by 'buddy' units to implement the OASI Care Bundle. C-RCT arm 2 (lean implementation, n = 10 units) will implement without external support. The additional study arm (sustainability, n = 10 units) will include some original OASI1 units to evaluate the care bundle's sustainability and OASI rates over time, from before OASI1 and through the end of OASI2. Units in all three study arms will receive an Implementation Toolkit with training resources and implementation support. The C-RCT arms will be compared in terms of OASI rate reduction (primary effectiveness outcome) and clinicians' adoption of the care bundle (primary implementation outcome). Clinical data will be collated from maternity information systems; implementation data will be collected through validated surveys with women and clinicians, supplemented by qualitative methods. Descriptive statistics and regression modelling will be used for analysis. Emergent themes from the qualitative data will be assessed using framework analysis. DISCUSSION: OASI2 will study the impact of various implementation strategies used to introduce and sustain the OASI Care Bundle, and how these strategies affect the bundle's clinical effectiveness. The study will generate insights into how to effectively scale-up and sustain uptake and coverage of similar interventions in maternity units. A locally adaptable 'implementation blueprint' will be produced to inform development of future guidelines to prevent perineal trauma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN26523605

Hepatoprotective Activity of Licorice Water Extract against Cadmium-induced Toxicity in Rats

Licorice is commonly used as a cure for digestive disorders and as a detoxification agent in East Asia. This study investigated the protective effect of licorice water extract against cadmium (CdCl2, Cd)-induced liver toxicity in rats. To induce acute toxicity, Cd (4 mg/kg body weight) was dissolved in normal saline and intravenously (i.v.) injected into rats. The rats then received either a vehicle or licorice water extract (50, 100 mg/kg/day) for 3 days, and were subsequently exposed to a single injection of Cd 24 h after the last licorice/vehicle treatment. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were significantly increased by Cd treatment. In contrast, pretreatment with licorice reduced ALT, AST and LDH. In histopathological analysis, licorice decreased the central necrosis around central veins, the peripheral hemorrhage around portal triads, the percentage of degenerative hepatic regions (%/mm2 hepatic parenchyma) and the number of degenerative hepatic cells (N/100 hepatic cells). Licorice also inhibited the increment of Bad (a BH3 domain-containing protein) translocation by Cd in liver cells. These results demonstrate that licorice could have a hepatoprotective effect by inhibiting the translocation of Bad to the mitochondria in Cd-intoxificated rats

Inhibitory effect of cadmium on estrogen signaling in zebrafish brain and protection by zinc

International audienceThe present study was conducted to assess the effects of Cd exposure on estrogen signaling in the zebrafish brain, as well as the potential protective role of Zn against Cd-induced toxicity. For this purpose, the effects on transcriptional activation of the estrogen receptors (ERs), aromatase B (Aro-B) protein expression and molecular expression of related genes were examined in vivo using wild-type and transgenic zebrafish embryos. For in vitro studies, an ER-negative glial cell line (U251MG) transfected with different zebrafish ER subtypes (ERα, ERβ1 and ERβ2) was also used. Embryos were exposed either to estradiol (E2), Cd, E2+Cd or E2+Cd+Zn for 72 h and cells were exposed to the same treatments for 30 h. Our results show that E2 treatment promoted the transcriptional activation of ERs and increased Aro-B expression, at both the protein and mRNA levels. Although exposure to Cd, does not affect the studied parameters when administered alone, it significantly abolished the E2-stimulated transcriptional response of the reporter gene for the three ER subtypes in U251-MG cells, and clearly inhibited the E2 induction of Aro-B in radial glial cells of zebrafish embryos. These inhibitory effects were accompanied by a significant downregulation of the expression of esr1, esr2a, esr2b and cyp19a1b genes compared to the E2-treated group used as a positive control. Zn administration during simultaneous exposure to E2 and Cd strongly stimulated zebrafish ERs transactivation and increased Aro-B protein expression, whereas mRNA levels of the three ERs as well as the cyp19a1b remained unchanged in comparison with Cd-treated embryos. In conclusion, our results clearly demonstrate that Cd acts as a potent anti-estrogen in vivo and in vitro, and that Cd-induced E2 antagonism can be reversed, at the protein level, by Zn supplement