Die Konstituierung von Interkulturalität in der deutsch-schwedischen Wirtschaftskommunikation

This article is a contribution to the investigation of intercultural communication. On the basis of a concrete corpus of German-Swedish business communication, it looks into the question of the manifestation of cultural self- and other-ascription in natural data. The article shows which verbal means interactants use to present cultural knowledge, anticipate different cultural knowledge and orient themselves to an intercultural participation that is implicitly or explicitly apparent. This article also shows what the participants consider to be culture resp. cultural in this professional setting and how the constitution of interculturality is used functionally. At the same time, the article can be read as a plea for an endogenous investigation of intercultural communication

Von Mr Classic zu Mr Nerd: Wie Forschende soziale Medien nutzen

Unter Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern lassen sich vier Typen differenzieren, die ein signifikant unterschiedliches Verhalten in ihrer Nutzung und ihrer Einstellung gegenüber Social-Web-Anwendungen zeigen: Ms Maker, Mr Tech, Mr Classic und Mr Nerd. Grundlage für die Identifizierung dieser Social-Media-Typen ist die Auswertung von 778 Online-Fragebögen, die von Anfang September bis Mitte Oktober 2013 erhoben wurden. Erfragt wurde die Nutzung von Social-Media-Instrumenten für die tägliche Arbeit in Forschung, Lehre, Administration und Wissenschaftskommunikation. Neben Intensität und Kontext der Nutzung von Web-2.0-Diensten wurden auch die Gründe für Nutzung bzw. Nicht-Nutzung einzelner Kanäle sowie generelle Einstellungen gegenüber Social-Media-Werkzeugen erfragt.Among scientists, four types of personality can be identified whose usage and attitude towards social web applications show significant variations: Ms Maker, Mr Tech, Mr Classic and Mr Nerd. This typification is based on 778 online questionnaires received between September and October 2013. The survey sampled the usage of social media tools for daily routines in research, teaching, administrative work and scholarly communication. The survey asked questions about the intensity and the context in which Web 2.0 services are used, about the reasons for (not) using certain channels, and about general attitudes towards social media tools.

Nutzerbezogene Marktforschung für Bibliotheken: eine Praxiseinführung

Das Buch vermittelt anhand praxisbezogener Beispiele grundlegende Kenntnisse für den Einsatz von Marktforschungsinstrumenten in der bibliothekarischen Arbeitspraxis. Im Mittelpunkt stehen dabei solche Methoden und Anwendungsszenarien, die auf die Optimierung bzw. Erweiterung nutzerbezogener Dienstleistungen abzielen. Das Spektrum reicht von Umfragen zur Kundenzufriedenheit über befragungsbasierte Untersuchungen zum Informationsverhalten der Bibliotheksnutzer und Mystery Shopping als Baustein systematischen Qualitätsmanagements bis hin zu Usability-Untersuchungen für Webpräsenzen von Bibliotheken und Online-Rechercheinstrumente (z.B. Katalog, lokales Portal)

Effectiveness and safety of opicapone in Parkinson’s disease patients with motor fluctuations: the OPTIPARK open-label study

Background The efficacy and safety of opicapone, a once-daily catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor, have been established in two large randomized, placebo-controlled, multinational pivotal trials. Still, clinical evidence from routine practice is needed to complement the data from the pivotal trials. Methods OPTIPARK (NCT02847442) was a prospective, open-label, single-arm trial conducted in Germany and the UK under clinical practice conditions. Patients with Parkinson’s disease and motor fluctuations were treated with opicapone 50 mg for 3 (Germany) or 6 (UK) months in addition to their current levodopa and other antiparkinsonian treatments. The primary endpoint was the Clinician’s Global Impression of Change (CGI-C) after 3 months. Secondary assessments included Patient Global Impressions of Change (PGI-C), the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8), and the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS). Safety assessments included evaluation of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs). Results Of the 506 patients enrolled, 495 (97.8%) took at least one dose of opicapone. Of these, 393 (79.4%) patients completed 3 months of treatment. Overall, 71.3 and 76.9% of patients experienced any improvement on CGI-C and PGI-C after 3 months, respectively (full analysis set). At 6 months, for UK subgroup only (n = 95), 85.3% of patients were judged by investigators as improved since commencing treatment. UPDRS scores at 3 months showed statistically significant improvements in activities of daily living during OFF (mean ± SD change from baseline: − 3.0 ± 4.6, p < 0.0001) and motor scores during ON (− 4.6 ± 8.1, p < 0.0001). The mean ± SD improvements of − 3.4 ± 12.8 points for PDQ-8 and -6.8 ± 19.7 points for NMSS were statistically significant versus baseline (both p < 0.0001). Most of TEAEs (94.8% of events) were of mild or moderate intensity. TEAEs considered to be at least possibly related to opicapone were reported for 45.1% of patients, with dyskinesia (11.5%) and dry mouth (6.5%) being the most frequently reported. Serious TEAEs considered at least possibly related to opicapone were reported for 1.4% of patients. Conclusions Opicapone 50 mg was effective and generally well-tolerated in PD patients with motor fluctuations treated in clinical practice. Trial registration Registered in July 2016 at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02847442)

Public Relations for Academic Libraries in the Digital Age

The digitization of science has significantly widened the range of tasks and services of science libraries such as the German National Library of Economics (ZBW). Primary materials are now digital, and research data management is an important new field of activity. This development may appear logical to libraries, but it is not so to scientists, who have been socialized to see the library as an analog space. Against this backdrop, ZBW designed a campaign to change this outdated perception among German economists. An evaluation of the campaign’s results showed quantitative and qualitative improvements. German economists now know ZBW as a library that conducts its own research, that is committed to science policy, and that builds new technical infrastructure

Classification of Mobile App Users in Multi-Channel Retail—an Exploratory Analysis

The retail industry is facing the challenge of digitization. On the one hand, the share of online shopping in total retail sales is increasing. On the other hand, consumers increasingly expect digital services. At the same time, the spread of smartphones and therefore also mobile apps has been growing for years. More and more retailers are therefore offering mobile apps, which as multi-channel apps combine aspects of online shopping and stationary retail. While the acceptance and use of mobile apps has already been extensively researched, there is little knowledge about the users themselves and user-types. This explorative research classifies users of mobile apps in multi-channel retail. Based on a survey of 101 consumers who were asked to assess the personal relevance of various app functions in a multi-channel retail context, four user types can be identified with the help of a cluster analysis. The results provide practitioners with important information for the future development of mobile apps in retail

How females think about themselves and how they assume that significant others think about them: The influence of perspective taking on self-referential processing

People maintain a positive self-concept through positive self-appraisals (Self-Serving Bias Effect, SSBE) and a diminished memory for self-threatening information (Mnemic-Neglect Effect, MNE). Other people also influence a person's self-concept. This study investigated SSBE and MNE in 60 females by using a trait-judgment paradigm applying two perspectives (self- and third-person appraisals) and a recall task. Additionally, self-esteem was assessed as an associated factor. SSBE and MNE were found in both kinds of appraisal perspectives. Interestingly, participants saw themselves as even more positive in reflected appraisals. SSBE and self-esteem were associated only in self-appraisals, indicating a larger SSBE on self-appraisals with raising self-esteem. In conclusion, both what females think about themselves and how they assume that others think about them preserve their overall positive self-concept