Vielfalt als Wettbewerbsfaktor nutzen: Diversity Management in Hamburg; Ergebnisse einer Unternehmensbefragung

The study analyses the application of Diversity Management among companies of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and elaborates differences between small and medium-sized as well as large companies. The results indicate that Hamburg companies are not extensively familiar with the concept Diversity Management and that practical application is only limited so far. In addition, large companies seem to be ahead of small and medium-sized companies in conceptual design and implementation of Diversity Management. Nearly all companies participating in the study have introduced first measures supporting Diversity among employees. However, the measures' strategic impact and adequacy to build competitive advantage are questionable, as companies rarely engage in Diversity Management controlling. Capitalizing on employee diversity will often require a long-term cultural transformation process. As an integrative approach the study suggests the 3-S-Diversity Management Model. It offers a conceptual framework to trategically implement Diversity Management and therefore to cope with the concept's practical weaknesses identified in the study. --Diversity Management,Competitive Advantage,Small and Medium-sized Companies

Vielfalt als Wettbewerbsfaktor nutzen: Diversity Management in Hamburg; Ergebnisse einer Unternehmensbefragung

The study analyses the application of Diversity Management among companies of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and elaborates differences between small and medium-sized as well as large companies. The results indicate that Hamburg companies are not extensively familiar with the concept Diversity Management and that practical application is only limited so far. In addition, large companies seem to be ahead of small and medium-sized companies in conceptual design and implementation of Diversity Management. Nearly all companies participating in the study have introduced first measures supporting Diversity among employees. However, the measures' strategic impact and adequacy to build competitive advantage are questionable, as companies rarely engage in Diversity Management controlling. Capitalizing on employee diversity will often require a long-term cultural transformation process. As an integrative approach the study suggests the 3-S-Diversity Management Model. It offers a conceptual framework to trategically implement Diversity Management and therefore to cope with the concept's practical weaknesses identified in the study

Sundown Syndrome in Persons with Dementia: An Update

"Sundowning" in demented individuals, as distinct clinical phenomena, is still open to debate in terms of clear definition, etiology, operationalized parameters, validity of clinical construct, and interventions. In general, sundown syndrome is characterized by the emergence or increment of neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation, confusion, anxiety, and aggressiveness in late afternoon, in the evening, or at night. Sundowning is highly prevalent among individuals with dementia. It is thought to be associated with impaired circadian rhythmicity, environmental and social factors, and impaired cognition. Neurophysiologically, it appears to be mediated by degeneration of the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus and decreased production of melatonin. A variety of treatment options have been found to be helpful to ameliorate the neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with this phenomenon: bright light therapy, melatonin, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists, antipsychotics, and behavioral modifications. To decrease the morbidity from this specific condition, improve patient's well being, lessen caregiver burden, and delay institutionalization, further attention needs to be given to development of clinically operational definition of sundown syndrome and investigations on etiology, risk factors, and effective treatment options

Managing the multigenerational workforce: Lessons German companies can learn from Silicon Valley

Germany is undergoing a dramatic demographic change that requires its organizations to make workforce talent of all ages a strategic priority. Practitioners in Germany focus largely on Generation Y employees, because this young employee cohort expresses new and different work-related values. However, diverse attitudes and behaviours of employees of different age groups can poten­tially lead to conflict and have an overall negative impact on orga­nizational performance. Given US labour legislation and media pressure, managing workforce diversity has been on the agenda of U.S. organizations for many years. Consequently, it can be assumed that there are areas in which German organizations can learn best practices from the U.S. experience. Although data collected from Silicon Valley organizations suggest that taking specific action for managing the multi-generational workforce is currently not a pressing issue in the tech industry, setting up innovative workplaces is an action field in which Germany can learn from its U.S. counterparts

E-learning Development Plan of the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)

Aus den Grundsätzen für das Lehren und Lernen an der TUHH verbunden mit der didaktischen, technischen, organisatorischen, ökonomischen und sozio-kulturellen Dimension des eLearning ergeben sich die Ziele der eLearning Aktivitäten an der TUHH