Disease-Management Programs Can Improve Quality of Care for the Chronically Ill, Even in a Weak Primary Care System: A Case Study From Germany

Examines how Germany's disease management programs featuring information technology support, designated ambulatory care doctors, focus on self-management, quality assurance, and financial incentives raised quality and satisfaction. Outlines implications

Influence of internal factors on the use of equity- and mezzanine-based financing in family firms

The paper analyzes internal factors which influence the use of equity - and mezzanine-based financing instruments in German privately held family firms. Based on a sample of 195 surveys of family firms, we investigate the impact of family specific goals and corporate governance structures on the use of financial instruments such as retained earnings, private equity and silent partnerships. We find that family goals have a complex impact on the decision to use or not to use these instruments and parallel existing goals can result in diverging financing preferences. Furthermore, we find that the impact of corporate governance structures on financing decisions is mainly driven by the existence of an advisory board and the involvement of external managers in the management board. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of financing decisions in family firms and demonstrate the necessity to include family firm specific characteristics such as family goals and corporate governance structures in the analysis of financing decisions. --entrepreneurial finance,family firms,equity,mezzanine,retained earnings,private equity,silent partnership

Loss of control vs. risk reduction: decision factors for hiring non-family CFOs in family firms

Objectives: We examine decision factors of family firm owners for hiring a non-family Chief Financial Officer (CFO). We explore the perceptions of family firm owners towards external managers by analyzing how their family-specific and company-specific goals relate to the employment of a non-family CFO. Furthermore, we analyze the consequences of hiring a non-family CFO on financial policies such as the use of strategic financial plans and initiatives to improve relationships with external capital providers. Prior work: Prior research has acknowledged that the attitude to external managers is a major concern for family firms because of potential problems due to a separation of ownership and management. However, it was shown that non-family CFOs positively influence the operational performance of privately-held family firms. Little knowledge exists to date to explicitly link the decision to hire an external CFO to the goals of family firm owners. Approach: Our study is based on a survey of 237 small- and medium-sized privately-held German family firms in 2007. We use logistic regression analysis to test our theory-driven hypotheses on the relationship between family-specific as well as company-specific goals of the family and the employment of a non-family CFO. Furthermore, we use OLS and logistic regression analysis to analyze hypotheses on how non-family CFOs influence financial policies. Results: The results suggest that family firm owners are reluctant to hire non-family CFOs because of agency type of problems. They decide against an external CFO when their goal of independence and control is high. Furthermore, they do not seem to trust external managers to act in accordance to their goal of enterprise value growth. However, they seem to realize that non-family CFOs are likely to decrease financial risk through the provision of additional capabilities. Non-family CFOs are shown to influence financial policies and, thereby, to bring in value creating resources. Implications: Family firm owners can use the results to understand the relevant factors they should consider when employing an external CFO. In particular, they should focus on establishing incentive structures for external managers to follow goals of the family. Candidates for non-family CFOs are able to better comprehend the underlying objectives of family firm owners in the hiring decision. Value: Our findings are relevant to further disentangle the relationship between external managers and family firm owners. By applying both the agency theory and the resource based view, we are able to offer explanations for and against the decision to hire non-family CFOs in family firms. --CFO,family firms,financial policy,entrepreneurial finance,corporate governance

Mathematical Skills of Students With Special Educational Needs in the Area of Learning (SEN-L) in Pre-Vocational Programs in Germany

Context: Students with special educational needs in the area of learning (SEN-L) attend vocational trainings to be provided with qualifications for the labor market. Competences in arithmetic operations and comparing quantities such as weights and lengths are indispensable for obtaining a vocational qualification. Therefore, the study investigates whether students with SEN-L in Germany convert job-relevant quantities and master arithmetic operations accurately and with a certain speed before beginning vocational training. Methods: 152 students with SEN-L in pre-vocational training programs in southern Germany were examined using curriculum-related computer tests for formative assessment. Three skill-based tests were constructed as progress monitoring tests comparing weights and lengths and arithmetic operations including a speed component. Results: All newly developed tests meet the requirements of the Rasch model. Students' performance on the lengths test and the weights test correlates with a significant linear relationship (r = 0.64). Only weak correlations (r > 0.29 < 0.45) are found between the performance in the arithmetic operations and the weights and lengths tests. For items in the weights and lengths tests, participants show on average significantly higher probability of solving than in the arithmetic operations test. Furthermore, students with SEN-L show slow processing speed (median processing speed weights test 6.37 seconds, lengths test 6.26 seconds, arithmetic operations test 33.97 seconds on average per item). The students solve more items of the weights and lengths tests correctly than of the operation test (median for weights 25 items, for lengths 24 items, for arithmetic operations 7 items). Conclusion: The majority of the students with SEN-L were not able to solve the expected number of items correctly and show that the participants' accuracy in dealing with arithmetic operations and quantity comparison is low. It can be assumed that this might lead to difficulties in mastering mathematical items in the context of vocational training. This is the case, in particular, where a certain speed is required (fluency). Math instruction in pre-vocational programs needs a stronger focus on building up and expanding arithmetic operations and quantities and has to be complemented by monitoring the learning process of students with SEN-L.

Einzelfallraster für pädagogische Diagnostik

Das Einzelfallraster für pädagogische Diagnostik wurde entwickelt, um strukturiert protektive und Risikofaktoren in Bezug auf Kinder und Jugendliche und deren Umfeld darzustellen. Es ist als zusätzliches Instrument zum Fallbuch zum sonderpädagogischen Schwerpunkt Lernen (Lutz & Gebhardt, 2023) entstanden und u. a. zur Bearbeitung der darin enthaltenen Fallbeispielen geeignet. Es kann gleichermaßen von Praktiker:innen in schulischen und außerschulischen Kontexten eingesetzt werden. Dabei muss es sich nicht um spezielle sonderpädagogische Settings handeln, da das Einzelfallraster nicht auf Kinder und Jugendliche mit sonderpädagogischem Unterstützungsbedarf beschränkt ist. Es besitzt auch in inklusiven und sozialpädagogischen sowie in schulischen und außerschulischen Kontexten eine hohe Relevanz und kann für die Erstellung eines Kompetenzprofils eines Kindes bzw. einer/einem Jugendlichen, für die Analyse einer Unterrichtssituation oder des sozialen Umfelds eines Kindes bzw. einer/einem Jugendlichen verwendet werden. Bei der Erstellung eines (sonderpädagogischen) (Förder-)Gutachtens kann es als Informationsgrundlage dienen und spätere Förderentscheidungen unterstützen. Das Einzelfallraster ist als veränderbares Werk mit Open Access angelegt und steht in einer ausführlichen oder Kurzversion zur Verfügung

Die Bedeutung von Strafe aus pädagogischer Sicht und das Phänomen der kaschierten Dominanz

In der Erziehungswissenschaft geschieht es immer häufiger, dass dominante Begriffe und Techniken angezweifelt, hinterfragt und schlussendlich verworfen werden. Doch nur weil etwa der Begriff „Disziplin“ aus dem pädagogischen Sprachgebrauch gelöscht wird, heißt es nicht, dass diese in der Erziehung nicht mehr von Kindern gefordert wird. Genauso verhält es sich mit Traditionen und Techniken der Erziehungswirklichkeit. Seit einigen Jahren geht der Trend dahin, dass etwa das Erziehungsmittel „Strafe“ aus dem pädagogischen Alltag immer mehr verdrängt wird. Und auch in der Theorie spricht sich niemand mehr für den Einsatz von Strafen aus. Folglich nehmen scheinbar neue Techniken und Begriffe den Platz der zuvor abgelehnten ein. Das Konzept der „kaschierten Dominanz“ besagt jedoch, dass Begriffe, Traditionen und Techniken eben nicht verschwinden. Sie werden höchstens kaschiert, ihre Dominanz wird sozusagen verwischt. Und so kann es sein, dass eine angeblich gleichberechtigte pädagogische Beziehung noch immer von ungleichen Abhängigkeiten geprägt ist. Oder dass eine natürliche Folge genauso eine Strafe für das Kind darstellt. Aufgrund der Annahme der „kaschierten Dominanz“ werden sogenannte Strafalternativen zur Überprüfung herangezogen. Ob diese tatsächliche Weiterentwicklungen darstellen oder als rein kaschierte Strafe identifiziert werden, wird anhand der vorliegenden Arbeit aufgeklärt

Spillover effects of information leakages in buyer–supplier–supplier triads

Information leakages—the unauthorized sharing of an organization's information with another organization—are a growing concern in today's supply chains, but remain relatively underexplored. Drawing on attribution theory and observational learning, our research investigates inter-organizational information leakages from a network perspective. We assess the spillover effects of opportunistic and inadvertent information leakages between an OFFENDER organization and a VICTIM organization on the relationship between the OFFENDER and a nonpartisan OBSERVER. We consider the roles of integrity- and ability-based trust, as well as operational similarity between the organizations. We conducted scenario-based experiments with 181 sales practitioners recruited via MTurk and supplemented those results with post hoc interviews. Our results show clear spillover effects: The OBSERVER's willingness to share information with the OFFENDER decreases significantly after any type of information leakage between the OFFENDER and the VICTIM, but more so for opportunistic leakages. Integrity-based trust mediates the relationship between intentionality and information sharing willingness. We also find indications of an unexpected collateral damage effect in that to some extent, both trust dimensions decrease in both forms of information leakage. Further, for opportunistic information leakages, the OBSERVER's willingness to share information with the OFFENDER decreases more when OBSERVER and VICTIM are operationally similar.</p

Essential Management of Pediatric Brain Tumors.

Brain tumors are the most common solid tumors in children and are associated with high mortality. The most common childhood brain tumors are grouped as low-grade gliomas (LGG), high grade gliomas (HGG), ependymomas, and embryonal tumors, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Advances in molecular genetics have led to a shift from pure histopathological diagnosis to integrated diagnosis. For the first time, these new criteria were included in the WHO classification published in 2016 and has been further updated in the 2021 edition. Integrated diagnosis is based on molecular genomic similarities of the tumor subclasses, and it can better explain the differences in clinical courses of previously histopathologically identical entities. Important advances have also been made in pediatric neuro-oncology. A growing understanding of the molecular-genetic background of tumorigenesis has improved the diagnostic accuracy. Re-stratification of treatment protocols and the development of targeted therapies will significantly affect overall survival and quality of life. For some pediatric tumors, these advances have significantly improved therapeutic management and prognosis in certain tumor subgroups. Some therapeutic approaches also have serious long-term consequences. Therefore, optimized treatments are greatly needed. Here, we discuss the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and the role of (pediatric) neurosurgery by briefly describing the most common childhood brain tumors and their currently recognized molecular subgroups