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Soziale Arbeit als utopische Profession? Reflexionen über den Anspruch auf Ganzheitlichkeit
No full textDas Thema "Soziale Arbeit und gesellschaftliche Transformation: Utopien Sozialer Arbeit" wirft nicht nur die Frage auf, welche Beiträge Soziale Arbeit an einer gesellschaftlichen Transformation leistet oder leisten kann, sondern auch, ob und wie Soziale Arbeit sich selbst heraus ins Utopische greift und greifen muss, und dies vielleicht auch eine ihrer Eigenarten ausmacht. Nach einem Aufriss zur Sozialen Arbeit und Utopie soll anhand des Anspruchs Sozialer Arbeit auf "Ganzheitlichkeit" deren Bedeutung und Umsetzbarkeit in der Sozialen Arbeit kursorisch nachgegangen werden. Zum Schluss wird die Ausgangsfrage: "Ist Soziale Arbeit eine utopische Profession" nochmals aufgenommen und mit einem Fazit abgeschlossen
China in Africa: companies as enablers and beneficiaries? An empirical evaluation of state-business relations in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
No full textChina’s strong economic presence in Africa has resulted in an increased interdisciplinary debate. Our contribution is the incorporation of a business perspective by uncovering the prominence and role of business in China’s diplomatic Africa engagement. Our theoretical contribution by applying the state-business relations (SBR) literature is to examine whether established frameworks can be expanded by an international dimension through intergovernmental initiatives like the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The paper conducts a document analysis of all declarations and Action Plans of all FOCAC conferences in the period 2000–2021, combining both a content and a thematic analysis based on an explorative and iterative coding process. Our data suggests that the prominence of businesses has increased while the scope of their activities and the number of focus sectors (especially infrastructure) has risen particularly since 2012. Companies are considered as enablers for political and economic goals in the state-driven FOCAC. We find that SBR frameworks are applicable to international contexts and propose an expanded SBR approach integrating transnational intermediary institutions like the intergovernmental FOCAC and transnational business platforms which facilitate positive state-business relations across countries and a conducive business environment
Scaling at scale: how Repsol realized €800 million from digital innovations
No full textThis case study describes how in five years the global multi-energy company Repsol realized 20 percent greater profit—specifically, €800 million in cash flow from operations—by launching 505 digital innovation initiatives and building shared resources that systematically helped over seventy-six percent of the initiatives scale their innovation and realize value from it. Rather than simply empowering initiative teams, Repsol executives designed a holistic approach coordinated across initiatives to scale innovations. This case study describes how they identified and addressed a variety of barriers that would keep initiatives from scaling and realizing value
Breaking old habits : on success factors in software process improvement
No full textOver the years, a substantial body of knowledge of software process improvement (SPI) was accumulated that, among other things, includes numerous success factors that companies should consider when conducting improvement activities. The number of success factors is large and quite often, multiple success factors with similar names and descriptions are available to address a specific phenomenon. This raises the question whether all the success factors are unique and, if not, which ones are actually the same. In this paper, we aim to structure the body of knowledge on success factors in SPI. We conducted a systematic literature review on 103 publications that mention 1.320 success factors. A multi-staged manual and AI-supported analysis reduced the number of success factors to 124, which we categorize into 42 general success factor classes. For 20 of these general success factor classes, we observed a stable number of publications over a period of almost 30 years that, however, show only few success factors constantly studied and re-discovered. A high number of synonyms shows that this area of SPI needs consolidation for which we lay the foundation by providing a big picture and identifying the most relevant success factors as a starting point
Investigation of microwave imaging scanning compared to conventional 3D laser scanning for capturing body dimensions through clothing
Get PDFCapturing accurate body dimensions is crucial for the apparel industry, particularly in the creation of customized garments and ensuring an optimal fit. The current standard methods include using measuring tapes on key body areas or employing 3D scanners. Both techniques require the individual to wear tightly fitted clothing or no clothing at all to ensure accurate measurements. These inconveniences may be alleviated with so-called Microwave Imaging (MI), a lesser known imaging technology typically employed in security scanning. MI offers an alternative approach as it is capable of capturing body dimensions accurately and rapidly even under clothing. In this inital work, MI is thoroughly investigated and compared both visually and quantitatively to established measurement techniques. For a quantitative assessment, approximate methods for determining human body dimensions based on MI are presented and compared to aforementioned conventional measurements methods. All scanning procedures were conducted on a static mannequin, being tested in two distinct configurations: unclothed and wearing a jacket. The experimental setup is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of capturing body dimensions in general, and in particular through clothing, with a specific focus on exploring the potential applications of MI data in the context of body measurement. To this end, MI demonstrates to be a fast, comfortable and feasible method for measuring body circumferences, rendering it a viable option for use in the clothing industry. The technology shows promise, especially in its ability to capture body dimensions even through thick clothing
Organizational learning
No full textThis article reviews foundational literature in the field of organizational learning, delving into its understanding and various subcategories. We introduce fundamental perspectives on learning within organizations and then explore related concepts like organizational learning capabilities, knowledge acquisition, and innovation
ESG-Kennzahlen : Gefährlich unverzichtbare Helfer ; Anforderungen an Nachhaltigkeits-KPIs für die wirkungsvolle Unterstützung des Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements
No full textEs gibt Top-Nachhaltigkeitskennzahlen (KPIs), die Unternehmen zur Steuerung nutzen. Dabei ist deren Nutzung häufig trügerisch, weil Definitionen inkonsistent sind, der Nachhaltigkeitskontext und Erläuterungen fehlen oder keine bzw. nicht erklärte Zielwerte formuliert werden. Zudem werden ESG-Kennzahlen erst dann zu wertstiftenden und unverzichtbaren Helfern des Nachhaltigkeitsmanagements, wenn auch die jeweiligen Ambitionen klar sind
Deployment of artificial intelligence models for sleep apnea recognition in the sleep laboratory
Get PDFThere are a large number of scientific publications that focus on the development and evaluation of artificial intelligence (AI) models for the detection of various pathologies in the field of sleep medicine. However, most of these publications do not show the process or methodology to be followed for the final deployment of these models in a complete diagnostic system (in terms of software and hardware). This is a major drawback when translating from the development or research environment to the real clinical setting. This work focuses on a methodology for deploying an AI model for sleep apnea detection with the end user in mind: the clinician. For the deployment, the transmission of data between the device, the cloud platform and the machine learning server, as well as the protocols used, were considered. In addition, the storage and visualization of the data has been taken into account so that it can be analyzed accurately by experts
The effects of remote work on employee satisfaction: an Eastern-Western cross-cultural analysis
Get PDFEnriching the cross-cultural employee satisfaction literature in the remote work context, our qualitative study develops a cross-cultural and multi-dimensional model illuminating how four dimensions affect employee satisfaction. Our analysis is based on a complex qualitative research design comprising in total 53 semi-structured interviews of individual contributors and leaders from Germany and Japan. Findings reveal that employee satisfaction and the underlying cultural, contextual and personal factors and ramifications extensively vary across these countries. As part of our model, we identified a series of national, organizational, managerial, and individual dimensions that influence employee satisfaction in multiple ways. The data gathered confirm that cultural aspects have a significant impact on employee satisfaction on three of the dimensions which emerged from our data (organizational, national, and individual). Based on our findings we formulate specific propositions, guiding future research and practice
Key learnings for business success in Africa
No full textWe identify five overarching topics: First, a recurring key success factor is the cooperation with local partners across all functions. Local partners usually have a close network in politics and business, are familiar with the bureaucratic requirements and the local culture, and have the know-how to position high-quality European products in African markets. It is crucial to carefully select partners based on prioritized and industry-specific search criteria to ensure long-term business success. Second, investment in local resources is a key success factor. Investing in an African country carries various advantages and shows commitment to the market. It can take many forms, e.g., investing in local production, a storage facility, a sales office, training of partners, customers, and own staff. Investment in knowledge and technology transfer to local employees, partners, and customers through training and other capacity-building programs not only improves the competitive situation but also enhances skills that will benefit German and African firms and will eventually contribute in the long run to the development of African countries. Third, a careful analysis and approach to business in Africa is recommended, given the heterogeneity of African markets. Neither a one-size-fits-all strategy is a suitable approach nor is the transfer of existing business models from industrial markets. Specific challenges and differing business environments across African countries must be examined, and all relevant aspects affected need to be adjusted accordingly, sometimes leading to business model innovation. Fourth, a particularly promising trend for improving Africa business is digital transformation. Digitalization enables innovative and customized business models for African markets. It also has the potential to significantly raise the transparency and efficiency of bureaucratic procedures. Also, companies can improve many of their operational processes using new technologies, e.g., for marketing, logistics, and distribution