Shared-Service-Organisationen als Möglichkeit wertorientierter Steuerung des IT-Bereichs

Zusammenfassungen: Um den IT-Bereich im Konzern wertorientiert zu steuern, scheinen Shared-Service-Organisationen (SSO) grundsätzlich gut geeignet. Eine SSO als konzerninterner Dienstleister übernimmt dabei die IT-seitige Unterstützung der Kernprozesse. Neben der Herausarbeitung des Begriffsverständnisses in der Literatur können mittels eines entwickelten Klassifizierungsrasters SSO anhand relevanter Kriterien eingeordnet werden. Dabei wird, je nach konkreter Merkmalsausprägung, auf die unterschiedlichen Anforderungen an ein Steuerungssystem für SSO eingegangen. Die Darstellung der Ausgestaltung der Geschäftsmodellmerkmale sowie der jeweiligen Auswirkungen auf das Steuerungssystem am Beispiel der Bayer Business Services (BBS) rundet den Beitrag ab. Dieses Forschungsprojekt beruht auf Erkenntnissen, gewonnen aus Literaturrecherche sowie einer Vielzahl von Experteninterview

Excellence-Modell der Industrialisierung des Informationsmanagements

Zusammenfassung: Die Akzeptanz der Dienstleistungen von IT-Einheiten in Industrie und Verwaltung ist trotz allen Fortschritts in Technik und Prozessen nicht zufriedenstellend. Das industrialisierte Informationsmanagement (IIM) will hier durch eine neue Ausrichtung der Methoden und Inhalte des IT-Managements helfen, die IT ihrer Bedeutung entsprechend zu managen. Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Entwicklung eines Excellence-Modells zur Bewertung und Einschätzung des Industrialisierungsgrades eines IT-Dienstleisters. Zur Strukturierung der Analyse gruppiert das Modell die Aufgaben eines IT-Dienstleisters in 12 Rollen, wie z. B. Produkt-Engineering, Sourcing, Delivery-Management, Controlling, und bildet drei Analyseebenen: die genannten Rollen, darüber Prozesse und schließlich das Gesamtunternehmen. Am Praxisbeispiel eines deutschen Unternehmens wird das Excellence-Modell für die Rolle Controlling beschrieben. Erste Erkenntnisse der Anwendung zeigen auf, zu welchen Anregungen die Nutzung des Modells im Beispielunternehmen geführt ha

A CLASSIFICATION OF SHARED SERVICE CENTERS: INSIGHTS FROM THE IT SERVICES INDUSTRY

Shared service centers are a common approach for organizing IT service provisioning. However, current research reveals little that both consultants and scientists maintain a fragmented understanding of the basic characteristics of SSCs and their different variations. From SSCs with free access to external markets, to SSCs with restricted access or no access to external markets, many facets of the SSC require further clarification. Other criteria such as legal form, organizational structure, and accounting approach vary across different departments. The general elements describing SSCs are extracted from literature and show a common understanding. Based on material gathered during focus groups and extensive case studies in 7 SSCs from Europe and North America, our study extracts typical SSC characteristics, as well as their distinctive attributes, and designs a classification grid. This framework is used to classify three typical profiles that have been identified

IT Shared Service Center and External Market Activities

In the last few years many corporate groups reorganized their IT-Services and established IT Shared Service Centers (IT SSC). These IT SSCs primarily delivered IT services internally; nevertheless some IT SSC provided IT services to external customers as well. These external market activities failed in most cases. In spite of the relevance to organizations, little research has been done investigating the reasons for such failures. In order to address this issue, we have conducted a qualitative study with eight IT SSC cases and five experts interviews. We have triangulated the results between the case studies and the expert interviews and we have identified two set of factors, one explaining IT SCC successes in internal markets and the other explaining IT SSC failures in external markets. The enabling factors for the successes of IT SSCs in internal markets include having the same corporate culture, knowledge of the parent organization and its processes, lower transactions cost, lower average cost, no dependence on external IT service providers, better data protection, improved IT opportunities and obligation to provide services. The factors explaining external market failures include the lack of experience with acquisition, no professional sales and marketing, lack of investment funds, weak unique features of IT services, reassessment of strategic group portfolio by the parent company, higher IT service costs, and inconsistent business models. These findings are relevant to managers of IT SSCs to make decisions on their corporate strategy, as well as to researchers to utilize these findings as a starting point for future research on IT SSCs

The Importance of the Hedgehog Signaling Pathway in Tumorigenesis of Spinal and Cranial Chordoma

Chordomas is rare malignant bone tumors thought to arise from remnants of embryonic notochord along the spine, frequently at the skull base and sacrum. Although chordoma is slow growing tumors, while are extremely recurrent, and aggressive, as well as the rate of prognosis remains poorly. Radical surgery and high-dose radiation are the most used treatments. Currently, there is no effective chemotherapeutic standard for chordomas. The Hedgehog (HH) pathway adjusts various processes included in expansion and differentiation of tissues and organs throughout the fetus’s life, furthermore cell growth and differentiation in the adult organism, of the cell in an adult organism, in which acute anesthesia is involved in multiple cancers. To study the role of signaling the hedgehog in the base of the skull and sacrum chordomas, the expression of SHH and GLI-1 levels were detected immuno histochemically, Additionally, PTCH-1 and GLI-1 expressions were distinguished by in- Situ- hybridization. Based on the findings presented herein, it is likely that the HH signal cascade was revealed even in cranial, where consecoently spinal chordoma and their recurrences play an important role. Our staining exhibited a canonical, ligand- dependent and autocrine Hedgehog signaling in skull base and sacrum chordomas including relapse. Due to the high levels of SHH and GLI-1 expression in all investigated chordoma samples, the study suggests a possible autocrine ligand-dependent activation of the canonical HH signaling cascade. A paracrine or non-canonical pathway cannot be excluded. Our results suggest that Hedgehog-inhibitors, like SHH-, GLI- and SMO- inhibitors, might serve as a potential and effective target for the treatment of chordomas

User Story: Besuchernachweis im Covid-19-Kontext

Die Corona-Pandemie führte in Bibliotheken nicht nur zu massiven Umstellungen hinsichtlich digitaler Angebote, auch der Publikumsverkehr ist im Zuge der Wiedereröffnung durch Regelungen neugestaltet. In diesem Zusammenhang müssen einerseits ministerielle Vorgaben zur Nachverfolgung von potentiellen Kontakten beachtet werden und andererseits datenschutzrechtliche Belange. Auch die unkomplizierte Nutzung und zugleich schnelle Erfassung spielen eine hohe Priorität im Kontext eines kontaktarmen, aber durchsatzstarken Betriebes. An der Universitätsbibliothek Magdeburg wurde hier eine Lösung entwickelt, die viele Anforderungen ohne zusätzlichen Ressourceneinsatz abdeckt und zugleich zur Nachnutzung in anderen Einrichtungen zur Verfügung steht. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden die Anforderungen kurz dargestellt, die im agilen Projektmanagement entwickelte Software beschrieben und Potentiale für eine Nach- und Weiternutzung aufgrund der ersten Betriebserfahrungen aufgezeigt.The corona pandemic not only led to massive changes in libraries with regard to digital services, but also in the public business, which has been reorganized by regulations for the reopening. On the one hand, ministerial guidelines for tracking potential contacts must be observed and, on the other hand, data protection issues have to be considered. Furthermore, an uncomplicated use and at the same time fast data registration play a high priority in the context of a low-contact but high-throughput operation. At the Magdeburg University Library, a solution was developed that covers many requirements without the need for additional resources and is also available for subsequent use in other institutions. In this paper, the requirements are briefly described, the software, developed in agile project management, is presented and potentials for a subsequent use based on the first operational experiences are shown

The role of neuronavigation in intracranial endoscopic procedures

In occlusive hydrocephalus, cysts and some ventricular tumours, neuroendoscopy has replaced shunt operations and microsurgery. There is an ongoing discussion if neuronavigation should routinely accompany neuroendoscopy or if its use should be limited to selected cases. In this prospective clinical series, the role of neuronavigation during intracranial endoscopic procedures was investigated. In 126 consecutive endoscopic procedures (endoscopic third ventriculostomy, ETV, n = 65; tumour biopsy/resection, n = 36; non-tumourous cyst fenestration, n = 23; abscess aspiration and hematoma removal, n = 1 each), performed in 121 patients, neuronavigation was made available. After operation and videotape review, the surgeon had to categorize the role of neuronavigation: not beneficial; beneficial, but not essential; essential. Overall, neuronavigation was of value in more than 50% of the operations, but its value depended on the type of the procedure. Neuronavigation was beneficial, but not essential in 16 ETVs (24.6%), 19 tumour biopsies/resections (52.7%) and 14 cyst fenestrations (60.9%). Neuronavigation was essential in 1 ETV (2%), 11 tumour biopsies/resections (30.6%) and 8 cyst fenestrations (34.8%). Neuronavigation was not needed/not used in 48 ETVs (73.9%), 6 endoscopic tumour operations (16.7%) and 1 cyst fenestration (4.3%). For ETV, neuronavigation mostly is not required. In the majority of the remaining endoscopic procedures, however, neuronavigation is at least beneficial. This finding suggests integrating neuronavigation into the operative routine in endoscopic tumour operations and cyst fenestrations

Specific Visualization of Glioma Cells in Living Low-Grade Tumor Tissue

BACKGROUND: The current therapy of malignant gliomas is based on surgical resection, radio-chemotherapy and chemotherapy. Recent retrospective case-series have highlighted the significance of the extent of resection as a prognostic factor predicting the course of the disease. Complete resection in low-grade gliomas that show no MRI-enhanced images are especially difficult. The aim in this study was to develop a robust, specific, new fluorescent probe for glioma cells that is easy to apply to live tumor biopsies and could identify tumor cells from normal brain cells at all levels of magnification. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this investigation we employed brightly fluorescent, photostable quantum dots (QDs) to specifically target epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that is upregulated in many gliomas. Living glioma and normal cells or tissue biopsies were incubated with QDs coupled to EGF and/or monoclonal antibodies against EGFR for 30 minutes, washed and imaged. The data include results from cell-culture, animal model and ex vivo human tumor biopsies of both low-grade and high-grade gliomas and show high probe specificity. Tumor cells could be visualized from the macroscopic to single cell level with contrast ratios as high as 1000: 1 compared to normal brain tissue. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The ability of the targeted probes to clearly distinguish tumor cells in low-grade tumor biopsies, where no enhanced MRI image was obtained, demonstrates the great potential of the method. We propose that future application of specifically targeted fluorescent particles during surgery could allow intraoperative guidance for the removal of residual tumor cells from the resection cavity and thus increase patient survival

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.