Qualitätsmanagement in Netzwerken der Integrierten Gesundheitsversorgung

Quality management in networks of the Integrated health care. Theory and practiceSelf evaluation is one of the most important sources for the quality management in ambulatory care of integrated health care systems. The quality testing of the survey instrument itself is of outstanding importance, since only a high quality instrument is able to supply high quality data, which can serve as a reliable base for improvement strategies. The paper shows the aspects of a quality management in organizational networks for integrated health care delivery systems. The technique allows the management and the single practioner on the one hand to identify the critical areas at a glance and on the other hand to focus — where necessary — on the single aspects in order to define detailed improvement actions.     

Wissensmanagement und Qualitätssicherung in der Organisationsentwicklung

Management of knowledge and securing in quality in organizational development What is to do, if permanently new counsellors have to be familiarized on a high quality standard, because of the fluctuation in the internal organizational development? if the individual methods of counsellors with different orientations have to be approachable to others? and if the desire for a maximum of individual procedure in counselling is as significant as the desire for a constant quality level of counselling? The authors present the answers of the department of organizational development in the public sanitation company of Berlin (Berliner Stadtreinigungsbetribe). The goal, the procedure, the present outcomes and the state of evaluation are delineated.     

Die Implementierung des Qualitätsmanagements in sozialen Einrichtungen

The implementation of quality management in social organizations. An evaluation of the results The article presents the results of an evaluation of the introduction prozess of the quality management in social organizations. In particular it illustrates the grounds of the specific features and differences of the participation procedures in this process. A prerequisite for a success is the bottom up procedere that recognizes and uses the resources, competencies and functions of the employees and managers. A formal optimizing of the operational processes will not induce a reorientation. If it does not succeed to internalize new approaches on the basis of a longterm learning process, the quality management will remain a paper and it will fail.     

Preis und Qualität als Dimensionen von Kompromissoptionen

This article deals with the question of how consumers cope with decision situations in which a compromise product exists. We examine how the compromise product's position influences choice probabilities. The products we test differ in price and overall quality rating. We present theories, which provide hypotheses on the influence of such types of compromise products and we conduct a new experiment to gain insights into the effects of a compromise product on choice probabilities. The results of the study show that even compromise products with a poor quality/price relation are frequently chosen. The loss in choice probability of the existing products depends on the price category the products belong to.     

Standardisierte Qualitätsinformationen und ihr Einfluss auf die Wahl von Leistungsanbietern – Ergebnisse einer empirischen Studie am Beispiel der Qualitätsberichte von Krankenhäusern

This study analyses the impact of standardized quality information of complex services on decisions, exemplified for Germany’s hospital quality reports. The presumed impact of quality information on decisions is based on theoretical considerations and hypotheses are developed accordingly. Though results of two experiments show that simplified quality indicators used in the quality reports for hospitals basically lead to consistent decisions, results also show that the impact of standardized quality information on decisions is not stable. It is disturbed and superimposed by the effects of additionally presented quality information. Implications for competition on hospital markets and for the effectiveness of standardized quality information as they are used in the hospitals’ quality reports are discussed as well as general conclusions about standardized information of complex services are drawn.     

Qualität in der Arbeit mit Freiwilligen Ein Management-Erfahrungsbericht

Developing quality in the co-operation with volunteers. A report on a management experience The contribution of volunteers has changed on a structural level in Germany during the last two decades. Treffpunkt Hilfsbereitschaft, the volunteer agency of Berlin, has developed and supported this phase through a new kind of quality policy and by taking over the role of a cultural change agent. As a kick off served the working out of criteria of quality following the perspective of clients to construct the co-operation with volunteers in a new way. Two components followed: focussed counselling for organisations co-operating with volunteers and the leading role in developing qualified networks on the county as well as the national level where volunteer agencies could qualify and gain competent profiles as partners in this process of change. Treffpunkt Hilfsbereitschaft finally offered a further education for volunteer management? and thereby aspires to establish new professional fields within the volunteer sector.     

Qualitätsmanagement — alles nur lauwarme Luft? Statt einer Buchbesprechung

Quality Management — idea and dysfunctional effectsThe author discusses the idea and the dysfunctional effects of Quality Management. By means of two books, an older and a newer one, the debate with its historical and its actual basis is delineated. In short, the author comes to the result: Quality Management is important, but you have to be very critical.     

Qualitätsmanagement: Entwicklung,Problemfelder und ein integrativer Lösungsvorschlag

Quality Management: History, problems and an integrative modelStarting with a critical examination of the history and the commonly known concepts and systems of Quality Management, the paper discusses a broader understanding of quality in a genuinely managerial perspective. This is shown by generating and applying five basic dimensions of the quality concept. An integrative concept of Quality Management is presented.     

Das Schlechte-Nachrichten-Gespräch

The bad-news-dialogue. Adequate communication in view of hopelessnessFrom the refusal of a request for advanced training up to the dismissal without notice thousands of bad messages are to be delivered in the professional context every day. In the most cases superiors are responsible for it. Many persons concerned seize on inadequate means of communication for reasons of self protection and helplessness. The presented four-phase model defines clarity and bearableness as most important dialogue goals and brings them with one another in agreement. Special attention obtains the behaviour of the employee immediately after the bad-news-dialogue.     

Abschlussprüferhaftung bei unpräzisen Sorgfaltsstandards und Ambiguitätsaversion

The Ellsberg-paradox suggests that individuals are subject to ambiguity aversion. When the standard of due care is not precisely defined, the context of auditor’s liability can be considered as an ambiguity situation. The paper shows that compared to an Expected Utility framework an ambiguity-averse auditor will exert less care with low damage payments but higher care with high damage payments. Hence, it might be advisable to put a liability cap. With strict liability there is no ambiguity situation and thus, there are no distortions from ambiguity aversion.     

Zu den Auswirkungen von Arbeitszeitmodellen im ärztlichen Dienst von Krankenhäusern

In 2004 a new working time law for physicians in hospitals was introduced, which has up until now been rarely researched in theory and is implemented in practice partially in form of new working time models, partially by relying on allowed variation rules within the law. Meanwhile, there are new discussions about changes of working time directives on the European level. This article aims to analyze the desired effects of the new working time law to decrease the workload, improve the possibilities of patient care and increase the working time satisfaction of physicians. To this end, a primary data collection is conducted in 15 hospitals and 35 hospital departments, generating 261 questionnaires, in order to empirically assess the theoretical model with the constructs working time model, workload, working time satisfaction, and possibilities of patient care using regression analyses. It can be shown that the new working time models decrease workload and enhance working time satisfaction of hospital physicians, but have no significant influence on the possibilities of patient care. These results are consistent for different ownerships and sizes of hospitals as well as for most services. No significant differences in the answers between various physician groups exist either.     

Spiritualität im Coaching

There is only poor research and psychological orientated application of spirituality in the field of coaching in Germany. Addressing the sacred in coaching or counseling is a kind of taboo in Germany. We need to define the term of spirituality and we have to find ways how spirituality could be integrated even in coaching training and coaching practice—not in a popular way but in way that is psychological orientated and evidence based. There is a lot of research that shows clear benefits of integrating a spiritual perspective in psychotherapy and medicine. Could we assume the same benefits for coaching clients?     

Coaching als Befähigung

Coaching as an instrument of staff development is becoming increasingly popular. The different coaching concepts comprehend praxeological and methodological orientations, and their metatheoretical base often remains largely unreflected. This paper situates coaching as a distinct profession with a stand-alone approach within the sciences. In the sense that coaching processes transcend conflicts and presented topics on underlying needs attributed to significant connection points to the theories Johan Galtung and the “capability approach” resulting in the tradition of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. This is preceded by a meta-theoretical localization of the process of a praxeology of coaching.     

Kompatibilität von Softwareplattformen

In the software industry, as well as in numerous other technology industries, products are often offered as systems consisting of complementary components. In such systems, specific components take on the role of software platforms. This development can be observed as well in the Business-to-Consumer (e.g. Apple with the AppStore) as in the Business-to-Business context (e.g. salesforce.com with AppExchange). This article analyzes the optimal degree of compatibility of a vendor’s platform with the complementary components of competitors. Based on a simulation study it is shown that an increase in compatibility of the platform implies a higher diffusion of the platform, but on the other hand, reduces the effect of an implemented platform on the user’s choice regarding complementary components. In sum a slightly increased—but not complete—compatibility maximizes the degree of diffusion of the acting vendor.     

Kulturelle Diversität und Realitätsdeutungen – Zur Reichweite von Beratungskonzeptionen

This article views theoretical and practical conceptions of counseling as social constructions of reality. A counseling process is a discourse on such different constructions and—especially in culturally diverse constellations—confronts different ideas e.g. about anthropology, personality, disease/wellness and interpersonal relations which is significant for the range of value of counseling conceptions.     

Die Bewertung von Verlustvorträgen und Tax Shields auf arbitragefreien Märkten

In this paper, the value of tax loss carryforwards is calculated using a modified arithmetic brownian motion for the taxable base. A formula for valuing tax loss carryforwards within a one period context is derived. A Monte-Carlos Simulation based on our findings leads to a valuation of tax loss carryforwards in a multiperiod setting and yields reasonable results. The methodology can also be used to value tax shields in a situation with an interest barrier as it is the case in the German tax system.