Understanding shared services: an exploration of the IS literature

In a competitive environment, companies continuously innovate to offer superior services at lower costs. ‘Shared services’ have been extensively adopted in practice as one means for improving organisational performance. Shared services is considered most appropriate for support functions, and is widely adopted in Human Resource Management, Finance and Accounting; more recently being employed across the Information Systems function. IS applications and infrastructure are an important enabler and driver of shared services in all functional areas. As computer based corporate information systems have become de facto and the internet pervasive and increasingly the backbone of administrative systems, the technical impediments to sharing have come down dramatically. As this trend continues, CIOs and IT professionals will need a deeper understanding of the shared services phenomenon and its implications. The advent of shared services has consequential implications for the IS academic discipline. Yet, archival analysis of IS the academic literature reveals that shared services, though mentioned in more than 100 articles, has received little in depth attention. This paper is the first attempt to investigate and report on the current status of shared services in the IS literature. The paper presents detailed review of literature from main IS journals and conferences, findings evidencing a lack of focus and definitions and objectives lacking conceptual rigour. The paper concludes with a tentative operational definition, a list of perceived main objectives of shared services, and an agenda for related future research

Web 2.0 Tools in Biomedical Education: Limitations and Possibilities

The use of Web 2.0 technology is rapidly being integrated into undergraduate and graduate education, which dramatically influences the ways learners approach and use information. Knowledge transfer has become a two-way process. Users no longer simply consume and download information from the web; they create and interact with it. Several theoretical frameworks were developed in order to discuss the possibilities of integration of Web 2.0 tools in Pharmacy, Medicine, Allied Health, Nursing and many other biomedical areas. Other studies have started gathering qualitative and quantitative evidence of the importance of Web 2.0 tools in the learning process. By performing the integrative review, this paper will provide an overview of current research in biomedical education, and elaborate on some of the potential opportunities and challenges that these applications present. We hope to give our contribution to ongoing research in this promising area.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Implementation of Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy

WOS: 000471126300048Cancer is a wide group of diseases and generally characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of cells whose metabolic activities are disrupted. Conventionally, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery are used in the treatment of cancer. However, in theory, even a single cancer cell may trigger recurrence. Therefore, these treatments cannot provide high survival rate for deadly types. Identification of alternative methods in treatment of cancers is inevitable because of adverse effects of conventional methods. In the last few decades, nanotechnology developed by scientists working in different disciplines-physics, chemistry, and biology-offers great opportunities. It is providing elimination of both circulating tumor cells and solid cancer cells by targeting cancer cells. In this chapter, inadequate parts of conventional treatment methods, nanoparticle types used in new treatment methods of cancer, and targeting methods of nanoparticles are summarized; furthermore, recommendations of future are provided