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- IBM - International Business Management (348) (remove)
Surge pricing is a dynamic pricing strategy which has been developed by the American ride-sharing platform Uber. Based on demand and supply, the surge pricing algorithm calculates a trip fare for both, riders and drivers. In times when demand outstrips supply in a certain geographic area, the algorithm applies a so-called “surge factor” which is multiplied by the basic trip fare. This way, the provider can calibrate demand and supply until they reach the market equilibrium again. This paper examines whether dynamic surge pricing can also be applied to the offline food retail market. Consequently, it starts by giving some theoretical background on dynamic and surge pricing, and with the aid of a PESTEL analysis, highlights all the factors presenting opportunities and limitations for the implementation of surge pricing in supermarkets. In addition to that, by conducting a SWOT analysis of dynamic surge pricing, this thesis investigates what the prerequisites are to a successful implementation strategy. In the end, it outlines possible consequences for consumers if surge pricing is used in grocery stores. It will be found that, from a theoretic point of view, a dynamic surge pricing strategy is feasible in the offline food retail market. However, it does not present the optimal pricing method for neither of the market participants.
Nowadays international businesses are exposed to a constant change of regulations, regularly altering organisational structures and the pressure to continuously improve efficiency to stay competitive. It is no longer a secret for international companies that the ability to adapt, is a key success factor in managing globally connected processes. Facing this challenge, MTU Friedrichshafen, one of the leading manufacturer of diesel engines in the world, set a target of optimising core processes of License Management due to the fast growing number of international projects and related international regulations. This optimisation can be achieved by analysing weak points at all stages of the working processes and developing standardised approaches throughout the partner management cycle. The main purpose of this thesis, therefore, is to analyse and standardise core processes of the MTU License Management with a completely new approach in steering international projects.
After spending ten months at the MTU License Management Department, including mandatory six months internship, I was involved in different working procedures in a form of “internal job rotation” in order to have clear understanding over main processes at License Management. With all this knowledge in mind, a deep research about core processes has been conducted and individual improvement measures for each process were defined. These improvement measures are in line with the Global Strategy Program “Shaping Our Future 2018” that has been determined by Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, MTU’s holding company. Also, during the research, it was obvious that combining several processes into one core tool was a major challenge. After brainstorming through various ideas with internal IT experts, a standardised approach by using Microsoft SharePoint has been identified as an effective way to enhance various processes.
Only with the proper implementation of the recommended optimisation process and continuous improvement, global organisations will succeed in responding to the increasing pace of changes in the business environment.
The study explores the factors relevant to enticing consumers to purchase goods online at German drugstores and the measures the drugstores can take to address these factors. Based on the Online Shopping Acceptance Model and sector characteristics, enticing factors are derived and corresponding measures relevant to B2C e-commerce are identified. Qualitative research to support the validity is done in the form of in-depth and expert interviews, and of a case study on a company successful in e-commerce, Zalando SE. Results show that currently few factors are enticing and measures to target these are limited, and that only certain aspects of Zalando’s success can be transferred to drugstores. Given the current situation drugstores are advised not to aim at shifting large parts of their business to online channel. Nevertheless, the study provides drugstores a number of measures to improve their online offering in the context of their multi-channel strategy.
The influence of quality labels on perceived product value - Marketing to the conscious consumer
(2018)
Quality labels are an important cue for customers in their search for indications of product quality. They provide consumers with valuable information about production standards. Whether the value-added by labels directly translates into price premiums is still an open question, as researchers could not reach consensus so far. Moreover, the use of multiple labels on one product is another topic discussed controversially in the research literature. Current research has further identified multiple factors affecting consumers’ willingness to pay for labelled food products. For this paper, a survey among 400 shoppers from the Villingen-Schwenningen area has been conducted, in an attempt to identify the significance of various influencing factors on willingness to pay for labelled products. Four distinct food products have been tested in this survey, each in four different labelling situations. Two labels were used on the products, one indicating social standards and another certifying ecological production standards. The study identified the following factors as influential on participants’ expressed willingness to pay: product type, information and label type. The influence of missing reference prices could not be proven to be significant. The marginal effect of a second label was found to decrease for only two of the products. As the effects of each of the factors varied between the products, no general conclusion about the effects of either of them could be drawn. Therefore, the paper concludes on the note, that a general assumption about label value should not be made.
The main goal of the study is to analyze students’ buying intention towards e-learning program by developing a structural model of e-learning acceptance by the students and analyzing perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes, subjective norms, motivations and buying intentions according to the developed model.
Digitalization is one of the global megatrends of the 21st century. With the increase of mobile technology, constant connectivity, and data analytics, organizations are forced to become more digital to keep up with the increasingly digital world.
This research addresses the changing role of leadership due to digitalization. It examines factors which need to be considered when driving digital transformation in organizations as well as leadership competencies necessary in the digital age. Finally, the research addresses the resistance to digital transformation in organizations.
To investigate how leadership is affected by digitalization, qualitative research is carried out. The research is based on published secondary data.
The findings of this research suggest the growing importance of leadership in the digital age. Leadership needs to approach digitalization actively, thus driving digital transformation in organizations to stay competitive in the increasingly digital world. Further, the research suggests six leadership competencies which are essential in times of digital transformation and identifies two leadership roles which have arisen in recent years due to digitalization. Finally, the research proposes ways to overcome resistance to digital transformation.
The changes between Taiwan and China since 1979 have closer both countries in many aspects. This study seeks for evidence proving the impact of cross-strait political events on Taiwan Stock Market. Major events from 1995 to 2017 are identified and examined with event study using market model and both parametric and non-parametric test. By defining 19 events into two groups- Good news and Bad news, the results present significant abnormal returns on event day [0] or after. This suggests that there is significant impact of cross-strait political events on Taiwan Stock Market. Moreover, due to the limited amount of events, this study can only weakly support that Taiwan Stock Market is semi-strong form.
Due to the globalization and talent shortage in Germany, companies are starting to recruit their new employees from abroad. These skilled professionals are relocating from abroad to Germany to live and work, leaving everything behind. Therefore, a successful integration into the company and into the community is essential.
This bachelor thesis is dealing with the different ways of how foreign professionals can be and should be integrated into the German workplace to be considered as successfully integrated. The aim of this thesis is to have a set of suggestions, a roadmap for companies to use as a guide to integrate foreign professionals in Germany.
To gain an inside into the current integration techniques of German companies, that are at the same time recruiting internationally, in-depth interviews have been conducted. On the other hand, to get an inside into the integrated employees minds and their experience with the German integration techniques, an online survey has been executed. Based on the findings, a set of recommendations have been made for companies.
The results of the empirical research have shown that there are already techniques and procedures that are more or less successfully used in integrating foreign professionals, but those techniques are general and not tailored towards the needs of an international. Hence, there is still a need for improvements. Furthermore, personnel and time, both two of the main reason for the missing structure, are scarce.
This research explores the efficiency or effectiveness of video interviewing. It checked the effectiveness of video interviewing in the assessment of skills and the prediction of future performances. The research was comparative, meaning that video interviewing was compared to the other media of interviewing. This was done in terms of their advantages, innovativeness, efficiency and practicality. It describes what video interviewing is all about, what qualities and benefits it possesses and what downsides does have. 6 Recruitment Specialists and HR experts [Industry experts] took part in a survey. Results show that video interviewing has many benefits that emulate the basic characteristics of a face to face interview. However, video interviewing has even more advantages that make it more practical than face to face interviews at some stages of the recruitment process. All these observations led to the conclusion that video interviewing is a very effective interviewing media.
The creation of a positive organizational culture has become of increasing interest during the past decades. Various studies have assessed the impact of organizational culture and employee satisfaction in relation to individual and organizational performance. A cross-comparison of these studies is difficult, as the results strongly depend on the definition of the investigated variables. Additionally, the concept of organizational culture remains a unique concept within the group and is influenced by the respective organizational structures and processes.
Therefore, this bachelor thesis attempts to investigate the concept of organizational culture and its determinants in general, as well as making the case of the critical im-portance of organizational culture, specifically for the company MS Plastic Welders, LLC (MSPW).
In this context, to form a comprehensive analysis and theoretical framework, secondary data was examined. In line with the qualitative findings, the application of a descriptive employee survey at MSPW intended to examine the employees’ perceptions towards their job satisfaction and the overall working environment. The aim of the study was to uncover the main areas for improvement, forming the basis of leading a positive culture change. Following the survey, conclusions about the organizational culture at MSPW were drawn and put into perspective in the form of recommendations for the company. The survey results indicated that the company needs to communicate a clear organizational mission and additionally needs to determine and communicate their organizational values, in order to clearly direct the employees’ mindsets, behavior and actions. After determining the organizational direction, the internal structures and processes need to be aligned to support the desired behavior patterns and in order to enhance the long-term organizational performance perspectives through positive culture change.
With the rise of the internet and the flood of information it provides at no cost, print is no longer the main source of information. The German magazine market has been highly affected by this change. Publishers are faced with declining sales volumes, loss of advertising income and increasing costs. The implementation of Augmented Reality technology could make print magazines less static by providing the opportunity to add extra content and create an interactive reading experience. However, so far the use cases of this technology in print magazines have been rare, which might be due to the deficiency of information publishers have about its likelihood of success. To reduce this information gap and provide some recommendations for publishers, a web survey and expert interviews were conducted to establish the consumer perspective on an implementation of AR technology and to provide a potential future outlook based on the opinions of German AR solution providers. It was concluded that an implementation of AR would lead to a value addition for consumers and would result in an increase in purchase intention. Despite also resulting in an improved perceived image of the magazine, it should only be implemented if it does not lead to an increase in price or the reduction of editorial content, to avoid losing readers, who will not access the additional content. The substantial costs involved in implementing AR as well as existing technological limitations, which affect the ease of use for consumers, will likely prevent many publishers from realising such an implementation. AR glasses will play a significant role in the decision if AR technology will have a future in German print magazines according to the interviewed experts, in case they are accepted by the general public.
Globalisation and technological advancements over the last decade have changed the way that business organisations operate. In response to these developments many companies have opted for a global strategy which usually entails a form of standardisation. This thesis will focus on standardisation of human resources software. There are many articles and journals on the field of human resources management, the impact of technology of human resources and standardisation of processes in general but very little literature on standardisation of human resources software despite the huge role that it plays in supporting global HR strategy.
Using mainly qualitative research and primary first-hand experience this thesis will look into the factors affecting standardisation of human resources software. The assumption is that standardisation of HR software is the only option for global strategy and that it will increase efficiency, reduce costs and create other benefits for an organisation.
The research shows that when technical and non-technical factors are not equally considered standardisation of HR software is likely to take longer than intended and according to the measurements put in place it may fail completely or the perceived benefits are not fully realised. Additionally, constant technological innovations could redefine standardisation and the role of HR software in an organisation.
The present study examines stock split announcements with regard to the semi-strong form of the efficient market hypothesis. Daily security price data and a sample of 262 stock split announcements observed on the New York Stock Exchange during the ten-year period from January 2006 to December 2015 are applied on parametric as well as nonparametric tests. The test results provide empirical evidence in favor of the semi-strong form of market efficiency. This implies that the marketplace immediately and efficiently reacts to stock split announcements by adjusting security prices. Therefore, it is not possible to generate significant abnormal returns by trading on the information content implicit in stock split announcements.
The thesis introduces a case study research presenting the transfer pricing problem of a selected MNE. Hereby, the researcher derives an appropriate method for the case and concludes with a comparison of theory and practice. The theoretical part of the thesis evaluates existing transfer pricing methods as explained by the OECD, Germany and the USA. The second part is about the choice of the research methodology, case study research and expert interview.
The third part first introduces the case study, analyzes a theoretical framework of the transfer pricing process and evaluates the existing transfer pricing methods, which allows for the derivation of the most appropriate transfer pricing method for the case. The fourth part concludes the research by applying the derived transfer pricing method, the Cost Plus Method, to the particular case study. By combining theoretical and practical approaches, a solution to the problem is determined.
For a long time, car sharing has been known as a niche market, not able to attract a significant number of people. The cause of this has not only been car sharing services being inflexible with their offers, but also the high societal value of owning a car. Today, car sharing is more flexible with its offers and enjoys a rising popularity within the Federal Republic of Germany. A steadily increasing number of citizens is registered with local car sharing providers. This trend represents one of the many sub-categories resulting from the sharing economy, which stands for community consumption. Instead of owning an object, the customer pursues the objective of temporary use. Using an online survey as well as expert interviews, this thesis investigates if car sharing has an impact on car ownership. In addition, this research aims to find out if and how the endowment effect, which describes the phenomenon of people valuing something higher that they own than something they do not own, impacts the connection between car sharing and car ownership. Results suggest that a low degree of psychological ownership potentially could lead to a higher tendency to select a car sharing vehicle over a private vehicle. Relevant factors, as suggested by research results, are price and convenience. This implies that the endowment effect and the related factors should be taken into consideration when trying to establish car sharing services and reach customer groups, which have not been reachable so far.
This bachelor thesis deals with the changing qualification requirements caused by In-dustry 4.0 and provides an overview of the current qualifications of employees and the accompanying future training measures to improve their qualifications, using Daimler and its strategies as an example. The results regarding necessary future qualifications are derived from an extensive literature research as well as an employee survey and qualitative expert interviews. Previous studies depict that due to Industry 4.0 and the transformation from internal combustion engines to electrical engines many current job positions are dissolving, but in return new fields of work are being created. Conse-quently, to see what challenges companies and employees will face in the future, the-oretical concepts were described and analyzed. As theoretical basis the resource-based, competence based and knowledge-based view as well as the strategic leader-ship approach were chosen, which explain how companies grant their competitive ad-vantage and future success. Afterwards, the theoretical foundations were applied to the resources, competences, knowledge and leadership styles relevant to Industry 4.0. In addition, the company, which served as the research object, was presented with its business units, departments and strategies. Conclusively, the results state that it is necessary and possible to invest primarily in basic knowledge using further training measures. Additionally, more intensive communication is required for the effi-cient implementation of the company's strategy. Lastly, recommendations regarding training measures to increase competences, limitations and further measures are dis-cussed.
The employee referral program and the relation of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to referrals
(2018)
The aim of this bachelor thesis is to give an overview of current practices in employee referral programs and to establish the link between motivation and propensity to refer on the basis of motivational theories in order to identify which methods a company can use to obtain the highest possible quality referrals from its employees. On the basis of relevant scientific literature, the employee referral program is described, related rewards explained and relevant motivational theories outlined. The factors of intrinsic, prosocial and extrinsic motivation, as well as the overjustification effect are evaluated, to understand their impact on an employee’s propensity to refer and to draw conclusions for practical implications.
This paper seeks to understand how the financing market for the technology sector has grown from the early 2000s until recently. It seeks to understand how the private equity firms and the venture capital firms view the technology market and what attracts the new entrants into this market. This paper will outline the market situation before the financial crisis and after the financial crisis. It will also seek to define what or how the financing firms view the current market and give a definition of the current market situation for any private equity firm or venture capital firm. This paper will also identify the risk associated and the latest trends of financing done by the Private Equity and Venture Capital Firms
Fort he past decades Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Cameroon and the world over has been growing. Despite the restructuring of the Cameroon Banking sector after the Bank crisis that erupted in the late 1980`s, MFIs in Cameroon continue to grow and offering financial products and services to the unbanked population not served by commercial banks. The main objective of this research is to critically examine and analyse the factors responsible for the growth of MFIs in Cameroon in comparable to commercial banks and a recommendation on what need to be done to improve on the financial sector of Cameroon. The research method is an explorative approach base on empirical literature review. The research will examine social and financial performance factors that have been responsible for the emerging growth of MFIs in other developing countries in Africa Asia, Latin America and apply them to MFIs in Cameroon in order to find out if these same factors can also be responsible for the emerging growth of MFIs in Cameroon. At the end of this research study it was revealed that social performance factors which includes total number of clients served that measured the breadth of outreach,the poverty level of the clients which measured the depth of outreach, the total number of branches and products and services which measured the scope of outreach has been responsible for the emerging growth of microfinance institutions in Cameroon.
Key words: performance factors, Microfinance institutions,Commercial banks, Cameroon
The objective of this piece of research was to find out; to what extent a Software Development Methodology be used in Finance and Controlling, if the perceived benefits of agile methodology (Scrum) are similar to those obtained in Software Development, to what extent the practice of agile scrum in Finance and Controlling deviates from the theory (Scrum Guide). The following was found out about the use of agile scrum in Finance and Controlling. It cannot work on all projects. It will only be effective for projects; with complex problems, with unknown solutions, in unstable environments, with motivated teams requiring input or feedback from end users. Moreover, the results of the conducted online survey helped in finding out that the benefits achieved from the use of agile scrum in Finance and Controlling are similar to those achieved in Software Development. Lastly, the use of scrum in an analysed example in Finance and Controlling was deviating from the theory (The Scrum Guide). For example, a team had three Product Owners responsible for decision making, whereas it is required by the scrum guide to have just one. This resulted to a slow decision making process.
The MENA region workplace represents a strong glass ceiling for women who wish to climb the corporate ladder and reach higher managerial and leadership positions. To succeed, a woman must face deeply-embedded cultural and societal norms, which puts her in an inferior and dependent situation.
This issue is growing in importance and has only started to be covered by studies for the MENA Region, hence the purpose and contribution of this paper. This thesis will shed a light on the limitations encountered, as well as on success factors shaping the career development of these women. By recurring both to secondary and primary data, the discovery of unknown barriers will be possible. Moreover, it will discuss Entrepreneurship as an eventual alternative to independently overcoming the glass ceiling. The conclusion will look at modernization as a progress factor for the professional success of these leaders.
Today’s workplace is composed of three different generations, which are considered to be substantially different from each other. Popular press and academics defend that neglecting to address these differences can generate negative organizational outcomes. Therefore, there is a growing body of research recommending generational specific practices to minimize the effects of generational differences in organizations. Nevertheless, not every practice tends to be based on empirical evidence on generational differences, which raises doubts about its effectiveness. The goal of this paper is to propose reverse mentoring as a practice to help organizations understand and manage generational differences better. To achieve this goal, a summary of published secondary data on empirical evidence of generational differences in the workplace was gathered, and the findings were linked to the function/outcomes of reverse mentoring, which allowed for the practice to be recommended based on substantial empirical evidence. Moreover, primary qualitative research was gathered through interviews to support the findings. Despite the limitations encountered, reverse mentoring is proved to be a long-term beneficial tool to understand and manage generational differences in the workplace.
In the era of digitalisation, mobile devices are supporting us throughout the day, in any situation, at any place and any time. We purchase goods and services through our phones, communicate with others and can get information about anything we want. The mobile technology is the fastest growing industry the world has ever seen. Mobile technology is the most influential driver of current social and economic change. Therefore mobile marketing is already a major factor in today’s marketing mix. Nevertheless adaption of mobile marketing progresses differently in different parts of the world. China took on a leading role in mobile marketing without many people outside China noticing. The purpose of this paper is to examine and display the major differences between China and Europe when it comes to mobile marketing. Especially, I will focus on WeChat, a relatively new communication application in China that has shaped mobile marketing significantly since 2011, the year of its launch.
However, due to significant differences in market scale, market complexity and adoption of technology in Europe and China it is important for European companies to understand the potential power of WeChat if they want to do successful business in China. Therefore I will give a comprehensive overview on how to use WeChat for business. Additionally I will connect the mobile marketing aspect with Chinese language learning. Chinese language learning represents a global current trend and is building a bridge between China and Europe both culturally and economically. For this paper I conducted practical research in a Chinese language school under European management in Beijing/China. This way I was able to gain first-hand insight in the obstacles a European company faces when it comes to WeChat mobile marketing in China. This paper will cover the theoretical foundation of mobile marketing and will connect it with real recommendations for successful WeChat mobile marketing.
All kind of human interaction such as conflict resolution or engaging in new business partnerships are essentially based on bargaining and negotiations. The following thesis examines the basic elements of negotiations especially in a global working environment. A special focus is set on the most prevalent characteristics of negotiation patterns used in the US as well as their way of navigating international negotiations successfully, corroborated by an example case of conflict resolution by the US-American company Apple in China. In essence, deep knowledge and intercultural sensitivity is the key to successful negotiations whereas strategy choices based on the negotiator’s inherited culture should not be depreciated.
Presently a lot of emphasis has been put on the need for brick-and-mortar stores to reinvent themselves, in light of increasing competition. Therefore, the topic of shopping experience has recently received special attention by retailers, as they increasingly endeavor to create pleasant store environments. Several studies have shown, that a positive shopping experience results in increased customer satisfaction, store loyalty and thus long-term success of a company.
While new technologies are on the rise, they have so far not been fully exploited in retail stores, neither extensively researched in the context of shopping experience.
Therefore, this bachelor thesis aims to provide a general understanding on the construct of shopping experience and explores how certain phases of the customer journey can be complemented by in-store technologies. Moreover, it provides valuable insights on the capabilities and limitations of in-store technologies. Particularly, RFID equipped tablet computers, as an in-store technology for fashion retailers, are researched in-depth.
Secondary data retrieved from academic journals, academic books, press articles and study reports are used to provide an overall understanding on the construct of shopping experience, certain customer journey phases, technologies in retail stores and on the changed buying behavior caused by digitalization.
Primary research is conducted to research RFID equipped tablet computers as a in-store technology for fashion retailers. It identifies which shopping experience determinants should be targeted, when considering the implementation of in-store technology in a fashion retail store. Moreover useful information regarding the perception towards chosen tablet functions are highlighted.
Findings are discussed with reference to available literature. Conclusions are drawn and presented as implications for fashion retailers.
The goal of this thesis is to give an overview of the carbon footprint of the commercial aviation industry and to introduce measures to mitigate emissions. This will be done by taking the German Lufthansa Group as an example.
In the first part, relevant theoretical background information will be given. It will be shown that the commercial aviation industry is subject to steady and relatively strong growth. Even though the global share of GHG emissions caused by air traffic is currently relatively low, it is projected to increase in accordance with overall industry growth.
In the second part, measures taken by the aviation industry to reduce its emissions are presented using the example of Lufthansa. The measures that are taken are various, reaching from fleet renewal over infrastructural improvements such as airspace management to alternative fuels. It is also shown that the efficiency of an airline depends on different things and hence leads to different performances in the industry.
Even though the reduction of emissions is typically related with a reduction of costs for the aviation industry, the progress in some areas is still relatively slow.
Climate change is one of the most challenging topics to the world and has been subject to international negotiations for more than 25 years, one of the main players being the USA.
Game theory, on the other hand, is a popular tool from economics, frequently used to analyze strategic situations such as international negotiations. Together, the insights from these topics can help understand why the USA’s president Donald Trump has announced to quit the Paris Agreement and which consequences this might have for the US, other countries and for the future of international climate change negotiations. In order to assess the different implications, this thesis gives some theoretical background and presents game theoretic findings on climate change negotiations. It will be found that, from a game theoretic point of view, different reasons might have caused the USA to take this decision and that there is a chance that a withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement could have some effect on the future of climate protection. However, a precise assessment would require further research on the topic.
“The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit” – Milton Friedman.
There has always been, across the history, a human side, an ideology, that people follow with the hope of finding justice and equity in the world. This concept has always been adapting to the culture, time, and situation it faces. In our actual economic system, this concept is known as social responsibility, and to adapt to the market necessities it has evolved to corporate social responsibility, but apparently, when the people want to see results this is not enough.
The markets are expanding, we live in a world where everything and everyone are connected, there is no more privacy, and therefore, no place to hide. Companies need to be honest with the information they share and should follow the international rules for environmental and social protection and development. People are demanding better quality, more innovation, and eco-friendly and socially responsible company. The people verify many factors before acquiring any product, starting with the quality, the suppliers, the factories conditions, the employee’s satisfaction levels, and the corporate responsibility of the company.
The central topic of this thesis is the so called “corporate volunteering” a concept that brings together the business necessities and ties them together with the social responsibility. In this concept, the company participates actively and directly to enhance the social and environmental situation, using their resources, and their human capital. There are many advantages of implementing the corporate volunteering, but also many factors to consider while changing the corporate culture, and transmitting values.
The idea of this text is to present the corporate volunteering as a new concept, highly efficient for the companies and communities, while analyzing its changes, objectives, implementations, benefits and challenges to face while implementing the corporate volunteering.
Changes are constantly accelerating. A major issue that companies are dealing with is how to communicate those changes in a way that is efficient and effective and therefore successful. Traditional models such as the ones by Lewin, Bridges or Kotter are reaching their limits due to the orientation on fixed vision, goals and processes. The time has come to change the way change is managed. New organizational structures are therefore required. An example of a new model to deal with the speed of change is agile management. Agility provides a platform for better communication, including the quantity and quality aspect. IMS Gear, an automotive supplier located in South Germany, is currently in the stage of a transition. Agile mindsets are anchored in their vision and strategy, yet the implementation of agile frameworks is still improvable. The PEP project is a first step into the direction of ensuring the future of the company despite all external and internal changes. Therefore, based on a model by Audi AG consultant Gergs, improvement approaches are developed.
Creating successful teams after an M&A is challenging enough when employees share the same location and the same cultural background, but when the team consists of people coming from different cultures and is working in different locations, social distance can cause misunderstandings, distrust and miscommunication which makes successful M&As even more challenging. After the acquisition of Letrika in Slovenia and Kokusan Denki in Japan, the workforce within MAHLEs mechatronic division became highly diverse. On the one hand, this diversification is regarded as added value, but on the other hand it bears numerous challenges in day-to day business.
This thesis aims to outline cultural differences between Japan, Slovenia and Germany that affect collaboration within this division. Using literature research and an online questionnaire, the author intends to compare theoretical concepts with actual data collected at MAHLE Mechatronics. The questionnaire also includes multiple open questions that allow examining the current situation and supports the findings with real-life examples.
The first part focuses on the theoretical framework for this thesis. In chapter two an understanding for the concept of culture is given. Different models and explanations provide fundamental knowledge to grasp the construct of culture. Chapter 2.1. depicts the Lewis model, a model developed in 1996 categorizing cultures into three groups. In chapter 2.2., the paper continues with the GLOBE model which forms the basis of the empirical research conducted at MAHLE. Afterwards, culture specific characteristics of Japan, Germany and Slovenia are portrayed and compared in order to predict possible clashes that might emerge in work-related encounters (chapter 3). The illustration of the concept of intercultural competence, a skill to manage, understand, decode and interpret behaviors and mindsets of people from different cultures, will conclude the first part of this thesis (chapter 4).
Chapter five describes the methodology used in this paper. The findings of this study are presented in chapter six and are followed by the discussion and reflection (chapter 7). The paper concludes with an analysis and interpretation (chapter 7.1.), recommendations for future action (chapter 7.2.) and limitations of the study (chapter 7.3.) highlighting the main findings of the study and emphasizing the development of intercultural competence at MAHLEs mechatronic division.
In 2008 a white paper called “Bitcoin: A Peer-To-Peer Electronic Cash System” was published by Satoshi Nakamoto. This paper describes an electronic payment system that succeeds where many have failed before. The system is called Bitcoin and it deals with the double spending problem. Also, it is a peer-to-peer decentralized system meaning that it works separately from any government or any financial institution. Bitcoin relies on cryptographic proof-of-work blocks any chance of protocol disruption. Satoshi Nakamoto called Bitcoin an electronic payment system but the public now calls it a cryptocurrency because of its similarities to a currency.
Many pessimists thought that Bitcoin could never be successful and that this technology will not have any value in the future. Despite that, a considerable amount of people believe in the possibilities of cryptocurrencies and in the possible developments that this futuristic technology could inspire, especially in the financial service sector.
This purpose of this thesis is to investigate cryptocurrencies and the financial service industry in order to examine the challenges and opportunities that cryptocurrencies deliver. Section I of the paper will look into cryptocurrencies and their mechanism. Afterwards, an analysis of whether cryptocurrencies are actual currency will be given. The next section of the thesis will cover government regulations on cryptocurrencies. Then, the paper will analyze public perception and why it is important. Section II of this thesis evaluates the current financial service system and the potential benefits of the blockchain. Central banks and moral hazards in the finance sector are examined afterwards. Then, analysis on inflation and wealth is provided. After that, a summary of the advantages and drawbacks of both the cryptocurrency system and the traditional finance service system are given, followed by a section that estimates the utilities and effects of cryptocurrencies in the future. Finally, a conclusion is derived.
Managing employee engagement in high-growth companies: The case of Red Hat in high-growth companies
(2017)
Purpose
This thesis aims to analyze employee engagement in high growth companies with the case of Red Hat.
Methodology
Primary research involved the gathering of a mix of qualitative data in the open- source IT company Red Hat in the United Kingdom. Both an interview and a focus group methodology was applied. Literature from the research fields of employee engagement was reviewed and integrated into the primary research design.
Findings
The findings showed that fast-growing companies encounter many challenges in the fields of employee impact and purpose, recruiting and retaining, career development, leadership and management, and organizational culture. Best practices on how to scale culture were worked out. The findings concluded that actionable solutions such as modifying the recruiting process for cultural fit and giving more autonomy to regional leaders and teams, can help cope with the challenges of employee engagement in a fast-paced environment.
Limitations and implications for further research
One of the main limitations of this study is the lack of literature available to link organizational growth and employee engagement. Contrasting more stable environments with change environments or using a larger sample size may potentially add to this field with further reliable and insightful findings. This issue may be re-investigated in the future as well, as the nature of change environments can affect the findings. Red Hat is a very people-focused company with a flat hierarchy. Thus, investigating this issue in more hierarchical companies could lead to different findings with different challenges and would further complete this research field.
Although sustainability reporting in China receives more attention in the past ten years, effective studies and literature of sustainability reporting are still in urgent need. A good sustainability reporting will provide stakeholders with needed information and guidance in the activities, and it also minimises the potential harm while creating economic, social and environmental values (Schaltegger & Wagner, 2006, 5). The main objectives of this research are not only to have an overall view of Chinese sustainability reporting situation but also to look into how Chinese companies will develop or what needs to be changed for a better development. To achieve this goal, sustainability reporting issued by top 10 manufacturing companies will be studied concerning GRI. During the analysis, the GRI Specific Standard Disclosures and Principle of Defining Report will be adopted to view how Chinese companies perform in sustainability reporting both in content and quality. Further, the possible elements of influencing companies development will be illustrated. Then make an attempt of what will future SR focus. The result obtained from the analysis is that Chinese sustainability reporting still have many problems in both quality and content. Most of them share the similar preference on how and what to disclose, such as focusing on resource saving. After making an explanation of what will affect future development of the companies in China, it is concluded that in the future the focus of SR will be concentrated on adoption of new energy, technology innovation, application of greener supply chain and consumption of green products.
The vegan trend has experienced continuous growth in recent years, influencing companies inside and outside of the market due to shifts in consumer behaviour. This thesis investigates the perceptible success factors for entry into the healthy vegan snacks market and delivers promising implementation strategies. To identify and understand the market situation, current food trends are identified and described and detailed insights into the terminology of healthy vegan snacks are given. Subsequently, qualitative interviews with established companies and dieticians are conducted to better understand current food trends and to determine the most relevant success factors. Based on the findings, the author provides concrete strategy recommendations for established companies and newcomers in the market segment. The findings of the study show that the healthy vegan snacks market is very attractive and therefore offers several strategic options for successful market entry. However, newcomers have to face several challenges that should be considered and ideally overcome when planning market entry. Most successful entrepreneurs truly identify with their products and represent the customer groups themselves, enabling them to optimally understand and apply customer needs.
The corporate culture of South Korea influences the profitability of Korean companies to a great extent. Traditional Korean values are based on Confucianism which emphasizes collectivism and hard work. This created a foundation on which successful companies emerged. However due to economic reasons Korean values are forced to change as it is questionable if Korean companies can remain profitable with the traditional culture within their systems. With the exposure to western culture Korean managers are trying to adopt beneficial methods that western companies have proven to be favorable. As a consequence Korea’s corporate culture is gradually changing while still retaining some of its unique features. As western companies seek to collaborate with or acquire Korean companies, culture clashes are inevitable. Despite the large differences between cultures it can be observed however, that with thoughtful management high synergies can be achieved in such collaborations and that Korean companies are becoming more and more competitive in the global market.
Due to fierce competition in the recent decades, focus on customer service is becoming increasingly important in all industries including grocery retail. The purpose of this study is to discover the different services offered by grocery stores in Egypt and Germany, to examine the reasons behind offering different services in the different countries and to learn the effect of the same services being offered in different countries.
The data was collected by conducting an online survey and then analyzed with reference to available literature. Findings and conclusions are presented in the form of lessons learned and suggestions for grocery stores in both countries to improve their consumer’s future shopping experience.
In an ever smaller and connected world, the need for instant access and communication is becoming more and more necessary. This is especially true in business, and no one understands this better than the people working at the Global Success Club. This is why they have decided to develop a mobile application specially catered to serve busy executives of innovative manufacturing companies, and help them find the right business partners for their next business venture or innovative collaboration. This thesis was written on the behalf of the Global Success Club to help them determine the optimal way to develop a mobile application that aims to connect innovative manufacturing companies in a global setting by looking at two research questions:
1. How to win B2B users/customers for a mobile application by focusing on smart user interface; and
2. Which method of marketing communication, direct marketing (emails & follow-up calls) or social media marketing, is more successful in winning over users in the internet affinitive US market.
This paper will accomplish its task by first looking over past research done by authors and researchers about how mobile applications are changing the way of the world and the way we communicate. The paper will also explore why businesses are now deciding to adopt new technologies to help them with business processes that were traditionally done offline. In order to answer the questions posed by this thesis, research was conducted on previous studies and what they have suggested pertaining to the research questions. Based on the research, hypotheses were made and those ideas implemented into the final plans by the company for the design and marketing communication strategy. Conclusions were made about the most effective user interface designs based on the hypotheses, and a study will be carried out at a later to judge their effectiveness. A study on the marketing strategy taken by the company was able to show that a more direct marketing message is optimal to win users and would be more effective if combined with wide spread and cost-effective online marketing.
This bachelor thesis is designed to develop a segmented sales approach using the target costing method. Herby it is important to note that this thesis is a practical one, on behalf of a German high-tech company. The assignment was to create feasible action points, which will later assist during the company's sales approach improvements.
The theoretical part of this thesis deals with the basics of product segmentation, process analysis and sales channel analysis. Afterwards, the theoretical background for the sales cost analysis, target costing method and sales scenarios is elaborated. The aim was to define major elements later applied in this thesis.
The second part of this thesis applies the theoretical knowledge established in the first chapter to the situation at the company. The results of the project show an importance to focus on one specific product, due to a high level of competition. Currently, the sales scenario consists of the direct and the indirect sales channel. As a consequence, sales costs are very high. The third chapter gives recommendations for each chapter. Results show the need for simplicity and less reporting as well as one maintained document archive system. The third part shows the importance of establishing an online channel. Furthermore, it is advised to establish one strategy for the sales channels and to communicate this to coordinate different sales channels effectively. The fourth and fifth parts deal with the sales cost and target costing recommendations, highlighting marketing and HR costs as the main cost driver. One solution to reduce the sales cost is to establish the online channel, saving travel costs and to reevaluate marketing activities. That way, the target of limiting the sales cost to 15% of the revenue could be met.
The aim of this piece of work is to elaborate a conceptual approach for supporting market development in Asia Pacific. It includes the investigation of relevant criteria for an objective analysis in terms of market attractiveness for eight markets. The first part of this research project describes the theoretical framework and concepts used in international market selection as well as international market development strategies. The second part of the study consists of defining relevant criteria in order to evaluate market attractiveness and competitive strength. In conjunction with this, the level of significance of each criterion is determined by the conception of an appropriate classification model. The results reveal that the levels of market attractiveness and competitive strength differ significantly in each market. Additionally, the country with the highest score in market attractiveness and competitive strength is being investigated in further depth with the aim to understand the market dynamics. The study then concentrates on determining strategic objectives and key performance indicators in order to improve the corporate’s strategy. Finally, research findings are discussed critically and several recommendations are formulated. To conclude the study, a conclusion is made followed by limitations and recommendations for further analysis.
This research paper is about Mobile Banking. Mobile banking is rapidly growing in emerging countries as compared to emerged countries. The research conducted here will help us to understand as to why mobile banking is so successful in emerging countries and the factors that contribute to its success, the regulations behind it and to see if the Technology Acceptance Mobile (TAM) theory can be proved or linked to the success of mobile banking in the countries used for analysis. The analysis was conducted using a qualitative research method of document analysis
Country risk affects cross-border investments significantly. Therefore, this paper aims to understand the concept of country risk and the available country risk assessments (models), by comparing and evaluating them. Secondly, the effectiveness of these assessments in predicting an economic downturn will be analysed. Lastly, this paper investigates the determinants behind the country risk models, using country credit ratings as a proxy.
The effectiveness analysis is based on the comparison of the credit ratings with the respective real GDP growth of Malaysia, Mexico, Japan and Portugal in a case study approach. Thereafter, Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient analysis will be performed to investigate the determinants of the country risk models.
Results from the case study approach show that country risk assessments generally could not predict an impending economic slowdown. In addition, the correlation coefficient analysis illustrates that some variables have in general weak correlations to the credit ratings. For instance, the real GDP growth has mostly weak relationships with the ratings and tends to be statistically insignificant. On the other hand, lending and deposit interest rates have relatively strong correlations to the credit ratings and are significant at 0.01 level for some of the ratings. In addition, Mexico and Japan have the tendency to produce opposite results with the same set of indicators.
Even though investors should not rely on these country risk assessments to forecast a major crisis, the models could act as the basis of risk management. This is because these assessments do provide investors with some useful information.
The B. Braun Aesculap AG division “Degenerative Spinal Disorders” will be launching a new Spinal System mid 2017. A Spinal System is a combination of implants and instruments used to treat spinal disorders caused by deformity, tumors, trauma or via degenerative conditions.
The current industry standard is that manufacturers sell the implants necessary for these surgeries in non-sterile packs, which require sterilization by the client organizations. This is different in other orthopedic sectors such as hip or knee, where the use of sterile packed implants is the industry benchmark. As this is not the standard case for spinal surgery so far, all processes within the majority of client organizations are accustomed to using non-sterile packed spinal implants in their operating room processes and logistics.
The new Spinal System, being offered by Aesculap AG in the near future, is challenging this status quo, as it will be offering a system solution in which the implants will be sold in sterile packaging.
This new business model entails changes in the processes within the manufacturing and client organization. These changes need to be implemented and communicated correctly.
In this thesis both business models based on sterile and non-sterile packed implants and their respective processes are compared. Strategic and operative relevant aspects are analyzed to define strategic criteria necessary to appropriately implement and communicate the new system.
Products and services do not have infinite lives. At some point, objects are not accepted by consumers anymore.
In order to hold up to ever increasing competition, many companies aim to introduce innovative technologies and products in ever decreasing intervals. However, companies cannot possess an infinite number of products in their product portfolio. Therefore, old products need to be eliminated to release capacity for newer ones. However, for many companies, phasing-out products does not count to core competencies and is perceived as unattractive. It is a common belief that only new product introductions have direct influence on turnover and profitability of a company. So at first, it seems reasonable to invest more resources in products that aim to make profits in the future rather than spending on outdated products. However, uncoordinated product phase-outs can as well have major negative impacts on the overall success of a company. Especially excess inventory and lack of communication during the whole process are seen as major issues. Literature conveys serious need of action concerning the subject.
The primary aim of this thesis is the evaluation and elaboration of the current state of the phase-out process of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, detect weaknesses and improvement potentials, and give improvement recommendations. These improvement recommendations aim to eliminate the detected weaknesses and realize unused potential.
The weaknesses and potentials are identified through face-to-face and telephone/Skype interviews and workshops. These interviews and workshops are conducted with a sample of employees from different departments, who are involved in the process.
The topic of simplicity has drastically increased in branding in recent years, as it allows companies to conquer a competitive world dominated by growth and complexity. There are studies explaining the benefits and power of simplicity in business in general. Nevertheless, simplicity is a field that has not been explored extensively for single industries.
The bachelor thesis attempts to investigate the critical importance and power of simplicity in the customer journey of the car rental business and to provide an overview of possible improvements for the customer experience on the example of car rental company Hertz. Secondary data adopted from academic books, academic journals, study reports and press articles are used to develop a comprehensive analysis and a theoretical framework on the topic of customer experience, customer loyalty in connection with simplicity. The car rental company Hertz and its customer journey are being investigated through the lens of simplicity. Qualitative and quantitative research is adapted to cover insufficient information on Hertz and to uncover the pain points in Hertz’s customer journey. An expert interview with a Hertz executive is conducted to gather first-hand insights on Hertz's viewpoint of simplification and to what extent the company aims to use simplicity as a tool for its customer journey. A succeeding customer survey is executed to gain a better understanding of Hertz customers' perceptions and towards Hertz and to collect a broader picture of Hertz's customer journey. The conclusion drawn is used to derive possible simplification enhancements for Hertz in order to achieve various desired business results. A critical assessment for future research on the topic and limiting conditions are discussed in the conclusion.
The purpose of the following bachelor thesis is to provide a strategic marketing concept for PTC’s Augmented Reality software in the life science industry.
The first part deals with an introduction into the underlying process of strategic marketing planning.
The thesis then investigates the internal and external environment from a PTC perspective to draw conclusions on sources of competitive advantage. The market for Augmented Reality software is analyzed and provides a profound picture regarding industry structure and size. The life science industry is then narrowed down through segmentation and targeting based on potential buyer personas. Product positioning is followed by the definition of marketing objectives and key performance indicators to measure the success of the developed marketing actions according to the technology adoption lifecycle.
Research was gathered from secondary sources like industry analyst and technology reports, complemented with thoughts of potential target customers and experts.
To conclude, the thesis argues that the life science industry disposes of a high potential for Augmented Reality use cases with a strong ability to address industry trends. Combined with the attractiveness of a fast growing Augmented Reality software market and strong internal competencies, PTC seems to be in a favorable position for successful market entry. However, results also suggest that a high degree of industry adaptation is required for a better addressability of customer requirements and to gain trust among target customers.
Internationally standardized POS layout considering success factors - the example of Würth Group
(2017)
This work is part of the project “International expansion – Standards”. The overall objective of this thesis is to develop an internationally standardized POS layout which ensures a uniform international appearance. The situation in Germany as the headquarters and development center and the surrounding countries Austria, Switzerland and France has been taken into consideration. An analysis of the current layouts regarding shelving system, arrangement of the product groups, guidance system and design factors has been carried out in selected pick-up shops in these countries. In addition, a customer survey has been conducted whereby orientation, overview and legibility of the store have been focal points. As a third analysis the assortments of the respective countries have been analyzed and compared. It was found that some areas at the POS vary from country to country. Major differences exist in the assortments of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. Among the areas of arrangement of the shelves and product groups, size of the sales area, guidance system and coloring scheme, differences have been revealed as well. Taking into consideration the differences and similarities in the layouts and assortment optimization possibilities have been worked out. As a result an ideal layout has been developed on the basis of the conducted analyses. The layout itself can be implemented cross-nationally. Due to limitations in the analysis of the assortment, it must be analyzed in more detail in order to implement it for the new shop concept. However, a cross-national uniform appearance can only be reached if in addition to the new stores all existing pick-up shops are adapted to the ideal layout.
The objective of this thesis is to examine the recent rollout of Commercial Excellence, a sales-process standardization and improvement project within the currently ongoing integration of TRW Automotive Holding Corporation into ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Focusing on change management and the challenges posed by resistance to change, the aim is to derive recommendations for action during future rollout phases. Based on leading theories regarding change management, expert interviews delivered mixed results. While it is indicated that resistance to change was only a minor issue throughout the rollout the careful analysis of the collected responses still offered the potential for improvements. Therefore the author was able to identify the inclusion of sales support functions into the project as a solution for resistance to change caused by restrictive data release policies. Additionally, it was found that the diversification of the communication mix as well as centrally offering individualized training programs can further facilitate future rollouts of Commercial Excellence.
The purpose of this paper has been to find out if the reengineering project at Daimler Trucks has been successful. In order to eloquently do so, the field of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) has been researched with regard to performance measurement. The theoretical part of the thesis concluded with choosing one methodology out of the findings.
The second part is about the consequences of Daimler AG top management’s decision, reacting to changes in business environment, to restructure the Finance organization of all its divisions. Daimler Trucks used that change which included office relocation of the accountants to where their controlling colleagues have been seated and the newly gained local proximity to execute the project Integration Accounting & Controlling (IAC). The goal has been to reengineer the closing process by eliminating redundancies and defining clear responsibilities.
The third part of the thesis is presenting the result of measuring process performance before and after reengineering according to the derived research methodology of part 1. Quantitative as well as qualitative evaluation shows an increase in efficiency and effectiveness. A conducted online survey, asking all involved employees, aligns with this result and names key success factors such as communication and transparency. Despite the undeniable success of IAC, maintaining a continuous improvement process is recommended.
Life cycle management of key products (franchises) offered by a company is one of its most strategically important tasks. As their overall ability to capture and use sales data improves, companies have been able to investigate and manage their franchises better than ever before.
This thesis explored the franchise management framework of Nike Inc., a global leader within the sporting goods retail industry. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part explored the current franchise management framework of Nike and its effectiveness. The second part applies this framework to one of Nike’s biggest franchises and prime sources of revenue for the ‘Running’ category. ‘Nike Free’, the franchise in question, suffered a big decline in sales and surgical franchise management had to be applied in order to revive it. The results indicated that this framework delivered positive results and helped improve the performance of this franchise.
Fact based decision making, enabled by effective gathering and processing of sales data was used during this study. Overall, the goal of the thesis is to help understand and lay a foundation for effective franchise management for a sales organization.
The aim of this thesis is to elaborate and evaluate the current employer branding concept at a subsidiary of a globally represented organization. This enables the author to draw conclusions and give improvement recommendations.
The first part is based on scientific literature and data. It outlines the concept of employer branding and shows which areas of a company are affected hereby. Next, it is explained why a successful employer branding concept can be advantageous for companies and how to communicate it. To conclude the first part, challenges that come with employer branding in a global company context are elaborated.
The following part of the thesis, is developed from internal data and information. It focuses on the current employer branding concept at the subsidiary. Moreover, it is revealed why an employer brand is necessary and which challenges and opportunities, for this concept, exist at that subsidiary. It is also reflected on the effects, set corporate guidelines and conditions, have on the local employer branding concept.
The last part, attempts to measure the success of the current employer branding concept at the subsidiary. This is conducted by assessing three different sources with regard to their influence and significance on the employer brand. At first, the company’s key performance indicators are evaluated. Secondly, results of two surveys, which were conducted for this thesis, are analyzed and interpreted. Both give insight on people’s expectations and experiences with employers: One survey investigated an external target group while the other questioned the employees at the subsidiary. As a third source, results of a recent internal survey, which evaluated the employee’s perspective on their workplace, are included and assessed.
To conclude the thesis, improvement suggestions on how to have a successful employer brand, according to demographic region, operating business sector and global context are given. The recommendations include content-related adjustments, proposals for the inclusion of corporate standards, ideas on how to raise the employer brand’s awareness and finally suggestions for improved communication of the local employer brand.
In a time, where supply increases and thus distinguishing oneself from the competition becomes increasingly important, different neuroscientific methods are being used in order to find out what consumers want, how they react to stimuli and how they make a decision. The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to find out how neuroscience can help understand what happens in the human brain, and how neuromarketing influences the consumer behaviour, answering the question whether the drugstore chain ‘dm-drogerie markt’ has the key to the brain of their consumers. By clarifying the neuroeconomic foundations like the structure of the human brain and the human senses, and by explaining the modern measuring techniques which are being used nowadays, the foundation is laid which is needed in order to be able to understand the insights of neuromarketing, its prospects and limitations, as well as Limbic®. By understanding the influence of emotions and motives with regard to decision making, the four ways into the brain of a consumer, as well as the prospects and limitations of neuromarketing, the relevance and importance of neuromarketing becomes clear. Taking a closer look at Limbic® (Limbic® map, emotional systems and the Limbic® types) offers theoretical support, which is being combined with the results obtained from an online survey as well as a store analysis, allowing a clear idea of why ‘dm-drogerie markt’ is this successful and to what extend neuromarketing plays a role with regards to the success. In the end the conclusion is being drawn that ‘dm-drogerie markt’ has the key to the brain of their customers, and that using neuromarketing elements is one of the major reasons for the success.
This bachelor thesis focusses on the elaboration of a list of requirements for external warehousing including IT services (installation, repair and disposal) in the direct proximity of key customers of Bechtle.
In order to consider all relevant aspects, five affiliates of Bechtle AG based in Germany have been taken into account. Different scientific approaches have been used for the current state analysis and the elaboration of the list of requirements. The product of this thesis is a decision template for Bechtle Logistik & Service GmbH Management whether the concept is to be developed further, or if the approach of a standardized concept contradicts the company’s character. In any case, the taken decision will have significant impact on the company’s strategy as it will send clear signals to all stakeholders. Under the consideration of all findings a recommendation for action is presented.
The Influence of Macroeconomic Indicators Towards Sovereign Credit Rating and Sovereign Bond Spread
(2017)
The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate and to identify the macroeconomic indicators, as the determinants that could impact the sovereign risk. The sovereign risk here is represented by sovereign credit rating and sovereign bond spread. The world economy nowadays has become more globalized. It is becoming essential for all stakeholders in the global economy to become aware of the economic and the financial situation of a country. Sovereign risk interestingly represents not only the economic and financial situation of a country, but also the ability of a country to meet its financial obligation. This indicator plays an important role in attracting capital inflow and investment in a country. By using panel-data
framework, the estimations were built and analyzed to investigate the impact and the influence of the macroeconomic indicators towards the sovereign risk. The sample data of the research consists of 9 macroeconomic indicators as the explanatory variables, each of them includes 50 countries and 10 years of time period. Two separate panel data estimations with fixed effects model were created for each of the dependent variable, sovereign credit rating and sovereign bond spread. The results indicated that central bank rate, government debt level, total government reserves and unemployment rate have significant effects on the sovereign credit rating. Moreover, the results also indicated that current account balance, GDP growth rate, government debt level and unemployment rate have significant influence on sovereign bond spread. As both estimation share 3 significant explanatory variables, this implies that they are closely related.
Analysis of the scrum implementation and establishment at Mercedes-Benz Cars 2020 Best Finance
(2017)
In an increasingly complex and dynamic world organizations must be able to be adaptive and act more flexible to remain competitive and sustainable. This also applies for the implementation of long-term projects which is the focus of this thesis. Project organizations increasingly tend towards agile process models (scrum) in project management as an alternative to traditional process models (waterfall) in order to increase the project efficiency through greater flexibility and transparency.
This bachelor thesis deals with an analysis of the scrum implementation and establishment in the project Best Finance at Mercedes-Benz Cars. After the theoretical foundations of the traditional process model are explained another part reviews the implementation of it in Best Finance. In this context, the challenges with this approach based on theory and experienced in Best Finance are identified to justify the transition to agile methods. Main object for the practical part constitutes a research concept to analyze and evaluate Best Finance based on scrum. The basis of the concept constitutes the generally valid project management success factors which are complemented by questions of the agile theory.
The interrogation with the representatives of Best Finance by means of quantitative and qualitative data collection serves as an information source for the research concept. The project management success factors are evaluated and analyzed. Main results show that the agile process model is still at the beginning regarding its operational application, though, the project organization of Best Finance made first positive experiences with this approach. However, the analysis also reveals that there is still potential for improvement regarding the project procedure based on scrum. The practical recommendations suggested at the end of the thesis aim at creating a better understanding of scrum and the promotion of the establishment in Best Finance.
The promotion of Fruits and Vegetables (F&V) is challenging, especially in the past
centuries. The difficulties in branding or advertising arise from traits of the produce,
making it less presentable than manufactured products. Modern farming technologies
ensure better produce appearance, therefore, need to re-examine the possibilities of its
promotion. The technology changed, so had the dietary trend. In contrary to modernised
farming, F&V advertising that appeared to be a carry-on from the 40s had seemingly
dissociated itself from consumers. This paper collected results from empirical studies.
Most of the works, however, conducted experiments with manufactured products, might
not apply to fresh produce. Discussions on the relevance of the sources are, therefore,
necessary. This research identifies a lack of branding of fresh produce, which could be a
direct causal for inactive promotion. Further examinations suggest deeper market
segmentation, which helps the marketer to create a better advertisement. The research
also notices many researchers regard promoting nutritional value as equivalent to
effective advertising, which leads to higher consumption. Promoting nutritional value,
however, appears to be merely attractive to the certain consumer. In many cases, other
mechanisms, for instance, originality, health, fun and other emotional tags, could attract
more attentions.
The study attempts to analyze the short-term effects of merger and acquisition bids of German acquirers on the stock prices of two involved companies. On the announcement day, a statistically significant average abnormal return of 11.5% is found for the target firms compared to an insignificant negative abnormal return of -0.28% for bidding firms, and the synergistic gain for involved firms is 5.72% on average. The strategy of specialization or diversification shows strong evidence that it has a large impact on the short-term stock returns with specialization triggering stronger abnormal returns than diversification bids for bidding firms and substantially smaller price reaction for target firms. The outcome also suggests that higher target cash-to-market-value ratio leads to significantly lower abnormal returns for target firms during the announcement period.
The importance of lean management in indirect areas has drastically increased in recent years, as it allows companies to remain competitive. At Bosch Gasoline Systems, lean management has been practiced in indirect areas for some two years now, but the project team responsible still attempts to improve tools and processes wherever possible.
This bachelor’s thesis therefore provides an overview of the possible improvements that might be made to the Lean Management System (LMS) in order to facilitate its introduction in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, the US, Japan and Korea.
After an extensive literature review, an “ideal” lean culture profile is developed, which is then compared to the cultural profiles of the countries of interest. The basis of the “ideal” lean culture profile is derived from the study of Liker (2014) and Zollondz (2013) where they present 14 lean principles and then the significance of these principles is analysed using Hofstede’s cultural model.
Thereafter, interviews are conducted with experts from the lean team as well as with locals from the various countries of interest in order to find out about the cultural differences between the countries of interest and Germany, as well as to find out about the applicability of the current version of the lean management system in these countries.
Since there are differences between the developed “ideal” lean culture profile and those of the other countries discussed in this thesis, these differences are then analysed. The conclusions drawn, which are also supported by statements from the interviewees, are used to derive countermeasures and possible ideas for facilitating the introduction of the LMS abroad.
In the conclusion, limitations and further research questions are discussed.
This research provides a comprehensive analysis on the relationship between reputation and brands image through a better understanding of the effect of corporate scandals on brand image. Secondary data taken from academic journals, academic books and press articles were used to develop this research. While some corporate scandals are the result of misbehaviour from inside the corporate, some are the result of external factors the corporate had nothing to do with and some are due to technological failures. However, irrespective from the source of the scandal, all types of scandals will change the consumer’s perception on the corporate’s brand. For example, a certain degree of brand distrust or brand hate might develop after the scandal. Nevertheless, a corporate can recover from any scandal through several appropriate strategies. While these strategies might differ in detail, they all must include addressing the public about the issues truthfully and adopting relevant corrective actions depending on the scandal’s type and scale. The main purpose of this thesis is to explore these concepts further in detail, to understand how a corporate can recover from a scandal and restore their pre-scandal brand position. Finally, a case study about Samsung’s recent exploding devices scandal will provide a current example on the topic. While this research will provide a summary on how will a scandal affect consumer’s perception and how could a corporate recover from a scandal, it is important to note that each scandal is unique and therefore will have unique effects on perception and will require a unique strategy to recover from it.
The aim of this bachelor thesis is to research a way to implement mobile work successfully into the department of IDS Sales Service at Roche Diabetes Care Germany GmbH. To achieve this objective, a literature review was done that identifies the most expected threats and determines strategies to overcome them. In the practical part, the tasks in the department in question are categorized and it is analyzed which threats are most significant in this case. Further, using the outcomes of a department survey and pilot days, policies are formulated to reduce these probable threats and to define the terms and conditions of the arrangement. Due to the findings in this thesis, mobile work was successfully implemented into the department of IDS Sales Service.
Digitalisation has great impact on employee-employer relationships. With Web 2.0 modern features like flexibility and mobility influence the organisational structure. Crowdsourcing is a new form of remote employment which will be analysed in this work. This system consists of several anonymous freelancers taking part in task collaboration via the internet. It is a process of connecting with a large group of unknown people in order to find solutions for a certain problem. This phenomenon describes several possibilities and challenges for Human Resources Management.
Based on the main literature two hypotheses were stated: The first one assumed that this certain success is dependent on participation and the second hypothesis proposes the dependence of the digital community itself. This bachelor thesis tries to investigate the influential factors contributing to a successful crowdsourcing initiative in the context of HR. The essence of this lies in motivational aspects therefore first crucial features were determined that lead to and result from motivation. Next, desirable characteristics of the crowd itself were identified such as diversity and autonomy. This all was concluded with the assumption that HR’s responsibility is developing novel possible practices in order to cope with the new challenges crowdsourcing presents. How those mentioned processes and suggestions might be put into practice maintains a suspect matter which requires more investigation in the future.
A shortage of skilled workers is a problem which many organizations face when expanding their plants abroad. In Germany, for many organizations it is comparatively easy to prevent this problem by constantly training their own employees in the apprenticeship system but in their plants abroad this option is commonly not available. The only way to achieve the same option abroad is to implement the apprenticeship program in the plants independently. That bears many challenges but also many opportunities. This thesis focuses on the implementation of the apprenticeship in Mexico and seeks to examine the main challenges which arise before, during and after the implementation. After the examination of these and explaining their root cause, various solution approaches are analyzed and recommended based on the case of IMS Gear SE & Co. KGaA.
Due to OMEN by HP's status as a fairly new gaming brand, this paper focuses on evaluating the company's definition of their target segments, as well as actions regarding current trends. In addition, it aims at identifying further opportunities in the German gaming market concerning untargeted segments and emerging trends.
Research relies on books and scientific publications, as well as websites, newspaper articles and forum discussions. HP's target segments are examined using behavioural and profile based segmentation variables; the results of this re-segmentation are summarized graphically. An analysis of major trends includes a SWOT analysis for each trend in order to identify the course of their development.
Research has shown that families and silver gamers will become increasingly important in the future. Additionally, further studies should be conducted concerning HP's target segments and mobile gaming. HP performs quite strong in terms of identifying the overall needs of its target segments, as well as regarding technological trends. The company should, however, increase its efforts concerning trends that go beyond technology, such as eSports.
A good piece of research should be simple to understand, inspiring and encourage further researchers to keep developing the topic in focus. An unexplored field such as the motivational drivers and traits of social entrepreneurs involved in the arising opportunities from the refugee crisis in Germany is a research piece that has never been done before. Breaches and insufficient information in this topic was meant to be coped with qualitative research methods. In-depth interviews allow gaining first-hand insights into what factors drive a social entrepreneur to create, develop and sustain a venture directly involved in the refugee crisis sector. The tools used in this research were meant to understand a variety of social entrepreneur’s meanings and perspectives to generate a conceptual framework and a theoretical contribution. Due to the fact that no studies had been carried to enhance the understanding of what traits and characteristics do social entrepreneurs involved in the refugee crisis possess. This research found more than 15 traits and 20 motivational drivers that society’s heroes possess and conceive a new type of entrepreneur, the “Type S” entrepreneur. This study navigates through the differences and overlaps between for-profit’s and social entrepreneur’s motivations. Followed by an exploration of a social entrepreneur’s motivational drivers and traits using the refugee crisis in Germany as mean and lens. Concluding with a suggestion of a new breed of entrepreneurs.
E‐Collaboration and what it means for the modern business world is attracting more and more the attention of today’s leaders and professionals. Especially organizations whose products and services are interactively created and used by global teams consisting of customers and suppliers have every reason to understand E‐Collaboration for its many benefits and opportunities. This bachelor thesis investigates how E‐Collaboration can scale the information processing capacity of international sales organizations using the example of va‐Q‐tec Ltd ECollaboration tool requirements are defined taking the circumstances of va‐Q‐tec Ltd into consideration. The findings of the study show that an E‐Collaboration tool with resource management, workflow and dashboard tool features are most needed to scale va‐Q‐tec’s information processing capacity. Furthermore, this paper explores different aspects of ECollaboration including the basic components of collaboration, the incremental scaling of information processing capacity and the circumstances of today’s international sales organizations. Empirical findings reveal that scaling information processing capacity requires central storage and processor systems supported by information technology. Scaling information processing capacity by increasing the workforces is found to be inefficient. Selfservice interfaces allowing 24/7 information access and exchange are the new benchmark for sales organizations.
A Successful introduction of E-learning for Bosch Car Service and Auto Crew Workshops Worldwide.
(2016)
The purpose of this study is to determine how to introduce E-learning successfully for Bosch soft franchise workshops to maintain quality in services and a high level of customer satisfaction. The study focuses on two research question A) Should Bosch continue to invest in producing elearning course for workshops. B) How to increase workshop’s participation for e-learning. Regional Concept Managers from 14 countries evaluated the existing e-learning courses to define exclusively “E-learnings” pro and cons as per their marketplace to see if investing in elearning is beneficial. Secondly, the emphasis was placed on Regional Managers to brainstorm on what are the new strategies can be used to motivate the workshop to take part in e-learning. Broadly speaking, learning is an expensive and time-consuming activity that can be a disadvantage when it comes to teaching people. Bosch was one of the pioneer company after Daimler that uses e-learning platform to train their workshops- Bosch car Service and Auto Crew. The vision for e-learning was very innovative and useful for the workshops to teach the structured way of showing all the works that carried out in a workshop. However, low participation from the workshop in e-learning courses has been a challenge.
The first part of the thesis provides a theoretical understanding of the Automotive Aftermarket. It also gives detail introduction and usage of “E-learning” in 21st century. The second part explains the workshop concepts “Bosch Car Service” and “Auto Crew.” It also provides an overview of “how e-learning course is produced and used for workshops” and the final part consists of an “Empirical Research” that includes the findings from Expert Interview and survey with Regional Managers. The findings from empirical part reveal that E-learning courses are useful for the workshop. Therefore, Bosch should continue to invest in producing E-learning Courses. However, study shows the different areas that need improvement, therefore findings from the empirical research need to be considered by the Headquarter as well as the Regional Organization to successfully introduce “E-learning” for the workshops.
This thesis investigates what measures a third-party logistics (3PL) provider has to take in order to be able to acquire contracts in foreign countries for further growth of its business. This study is being carried out on behalf of a German medium-sized 3PL provider whose strategic objective is to acquire especially those contracts which have not been outsourced to other 3PL providers by the customer before. This is due to the fact that it is difficult to replace another 3PL provider owing to a customer’s high switching costs. A general global marketing process is being applied for investigation. This process is adapted to the specific case of a 3PL provider by results of expert interviews conducted with different employees at the headquarters as well as two foreign subsidiaries of the company. Based on this process, the author derives general recommendations for the company. The conclusion of this thesis is threefold. First, general recommendations including early market entry, preparation through intense market research and the creation of a competitive advantage are given. Second, a plan of action is proposed on what measures have to be taken when participating in a foreign tender. Finally, a decision tree on how foreign tenders can be evaluated with respect to the company’s strategic objective is suggested.
The recruitment and selection process in the mining sector in Zimbabwe has proven to be a challenge to both the management and the prospective employees. The mining sector is one industry that is of interest to the author as it contributes over half of the country’s Gross Domestic product. Employment in Zimbabwe is very high in the world due to the poor performance of the economy which is a result of mismanagement of the country. This paper seeks to examine the challenges that are faced by the prospective employees when seeking for jobs in the mining sector and also the challenges that the management faces in the recruitment and selection process. After the examination of those challenges, the author will provide a detailed analysis of the root causes of these challenges and then at the end provide recommendations in order to fix the challenges. This paper will also serve as one of the basis of further study of the recruitment and selection process in the mining sector in Zimbabwe
The main purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate the customers’ motivation to participate in SAP‘s Influencing Programs and to subsequently generate suggestions for possible improvements.
The framework for the domains of interview design, analysis of conducted interviews, as well as the analysis of secondary sources is presented by theoretical analysis of both the involvement of business-to-business customers in the innovation process as well as the nature of motivation.
Empirical findings show that customers’ motivation to participate in SAP IPs consists of, in descending order of importance, the following motives: Influencing functionality, understanding functionality, learning about future functionality, contact to SAP, and contact to other companies. The design of SAP’s Influencing Programs is generally in line with the motivation of participating customers. Still, improvements could be realized in terms of customer involvement during the selection process, internal alignment between different Influencing Program teams, and mandatory training of Influencing Program moderators.
Purpose: This research aims to analyze Generation Y, also known as Millennials in order to understand how companies can successfully address the members of the Generation, when introducing new technology. As Generation Ys influence on the market will be tremendously increasing it is important for marketing to understand the trends and behaviors that drive the Millennials buying decisions. The aim is to create understanding about changing trends and dependants that play a role in the Millennials behaviors and determine their values and attitudes towards new technology products.
Method: Best practices were elaborated from secondary data in form of scientific literature, primary data in form of research though a survey on Uber and case studies on Apples iWatch as well as Googles "Google Glass"
Conclusion: Millennials are a very complex generation. Therefore there is a lot to consider when marketing to Millennials should be effective. As Millennial cohorts change rapidly, marketers need to address its members in the right way to ensure sustainable results and effectiveness. In a changing environment they need to be one step ahead of trends and act as peers rather than treating Millennials as their target group. Millennials like experiences, therefore a good brand communication is essential to create trust and brand commitment.
Many employees use the internet for non-work related activities nowadays. This cyberslacking behaviour is put into connection with flexible work arrangements, in which the employee also completes work tasks outside of the workplace in a sort of balancing act between work and non-work. Many companies perceive cyberslacking to be deviant and counterproductive and battle it with internet monitoring systems. Other companies perceive cyberslacking to be beneficial for learning, creativity and productivity. This thesis will use Douglas McGregor’s ‘Theory X and Theory Y’ and the concepts of the Psychological Contract and Corporate Culture in order to understand the psychological background these of opposing opinions on cyberslacking and its effects on company and employee attitudes and behaviours following monitoring or acceptance of cyberslacking in a company. The results show a considerable fit to the three concepts presented in this thesis. The results suggest that the acceptance of cyberslacking has the effect of increased motivation and productivity and that monitoring and control reduce trust and productivity in total which is the opposite of the goal of monitoring systems. Future research should be conducted on the discrepancy of the positive effects of permitting cyberslacking and the increasing number of companies which use control and monitoring systems to fight it and on the underlying reasons why productivity is reduced through cyberslacking (the effect of perceived mistrust etc.).
In the time of a globalizing economy where the costs of production and the closeness to customers, due to transportation cost, become more and more important. More and more medium-sized companies seek for the advantages of production facilities abroad either to cut cost and stay competitive or to follow other companies using their products. For several years Freilacke has been active in the Russian Federation via a subsidiary company (sales office in Moscow). This paper will analyze chances and risks for a possible production facility inside Russia. After tremendous changes in the situation in Ukraine, the production location Russian Federation has lost a bit of attractiveness. Nevertheless Russia is largest country in the world and with more than 146.3 million inhabitants on the ninth rank due to population worldwide and therefore remains an interesting destination. Follow-up analysis and numbers will show that even if the western world will close the borders to east Eurasia, the domestic market bares a high potential and attractiveness for investors.
Strategic Responses of Premium-Segment German Autos to The Global Climate Change for Thai market
(2016)
The global climate change has become an important challenge in automotive industry because CO2 emissions from the fossil fuel combustion of vehicles contribute very much to climate change, especially global warming. Consequently, the world automotive trend is moving to environmental friendly cars. Thailand has faced various catastrophes caused by climate change, especially hazard drought, floods and heat waves, so environmental friendly cars are also needed in Thailand. Since Thailand is one of the major markets of the German luxury automakers in Southeast Asia, this study investigates the competitive environments of Thailand automotive industry and forecasts the implementation of environmental friendly cars, especially flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs), hybrid cars and electric vehicles (EVs). The analysis is based on the integration of valid secondary sources and expert interviews. It is found out that Thailand automobile industry is significantly attractive for the German luxury automakers in both production and domestic sales because of the availability of skilled labour, the rise of middle and upper middle class income earners, the integration of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), better developed infrastructure than other ASEAN countries, the government supports and the increasing demand of autos in Thailand and other ASEAN countries. Furthermore, Thailand can be further developed to be a production centre to export cars to other ASEAN countries and to be a market leader to align other ASEAN markets for a better and effective management as one big market. In order to respond to the force of new tax policy based on CO2 emissions, issues of climate changes and not to lose their competitive position to those Japanese automakers, within the next 5 years, the German luxury automakers should increase their product portfolio of hybrid cars in Thailand, especially plug in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Simultaneously, flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) should be also launched because of the already existing flexible fuel products of the German luxury automakers as well as the high capability of ethanol production and the increasing use of E85 in Thailand. After 2020, some EV models should be launched in Thailand. The demand for EVs in Thailand will rise because people will be willing to adopt EV technology after the launch of PHEVs in 2016 and the number of charging stations will be increased. Moreover, the use of solar cells to produce electricity for EV charging will increase because Thailand is a hot country and it is very environmental friendly.
The aim of this thesis is to gain an understanding of why and how electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is influencing consumers buying decisions, and to furthermore describe the opportunities and limitations, which using electronic word of mouth on YouTube as marketing tool represent. This thesis is a compilation of the most important studies and finding conducted in this field. It discusses the concept of word of mouth and some dimensions in which eWOM differs from its traditional counterpart and describes the most important criteria related to the influence of eWOM on consumers buying behaviours. It provides an overview of relevant studies regarding the impact of eWOM on the buying behaviour and discusses YouTube as a marketing platform. Finally, it identifies opportunities and limitations based on the previous findings related to using eWOM on YouTube as part of the marketing mix. The findings suggest that eWOM differs from its traditional counterpart mainly due to its wide and fast spread and is therefore perceived as more influential. Its influence was furthermore found to depend on factors related to the eWOM valence, the product or service addressed, the eWOM source and sender, as well as the platform used. Further, using eWOM shared on YouTube as marketing tool was identified to offer companies the opportunity to reach a wide and also usually hard-to-reach audience, increase awareness, interest and influence on consumers buying behaviour. Limitations were identified to be the uncontrollable spread, the target audience, the constant availability and uncertain credibility, risking authenticity as well as the interdependent influence.
The present study was conducted in the International Purchasing Department at the Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG which is the headquarters of the international grocery retail discounter Lidl. The subject was defined by the author in cooperation with Mr. Robert Maier, executive manager for non-food and brand, and Ms. Silvia Carazo Soto, manager for the product range development in the Lidl non-food sector. The present study has two major purposes: Firstly, to investigate how customers perceive the non-food products and sector at Lidl and secondly, to identify what characteristics they value and would like to see improved in the Lidl stores.
The goal of this present study is to determine various proposals to optimize the non-food sector of Lidl stores in order to increase customer satisfaction and sales. Data and information material for this research were gathered through the author’s mentors, colleagues, meetings, an empirical survey, internal company presentations, the company homepage, the university’s EBSCO online research database, various business press as well as scientific publications.
In the first part, a theoretical background on the subject as well as company insights into the non-food division is provided. These show that the spending power of consumers has increased, consumers are becoming progressively demanding and that Lidl is faced by strong competitors on the food retail market.
The thesis then presents the empirical study conducted by the author from 30 November 2015 until 12 December 2015. Three hundred customers in ten different Lidl stores in four German federal states were interviewed face-to-face. The survey included fifteen questions regarding the customer’s shopping behavior at Lidl, the customer’s satisfaction with regards to a non-food purchase as well as customer expectations, experience and improvement proposals of the non-food sector.
The survey results show that 77% of all participants had bought non-food products at Lidl during the six months before the survey date. Of all these participants, 75% were either very satisfied or satisfied with their non-food purchase. Furthermore, it was concluded that Lidl lives from its price-performance ratio and promotion via the Lidl leaflet in-store or distributed to home. Inferential, the survey results suggest that the product presentation and the store atmosphere need to be optimized as well as the product availability. Moreover, the results indicated that customers think that up-to-date Lidl leaflets, information boards, product brochures and a mirror need to be available at the non-food sector.
In conclusion, on the basis of the results of this research, the author recommends optimizing the non-food sector in the Lidl stores by means of five different proposals. First of all, to improve the customer experience in a Lidl store by providing a “five senses experience” and secondly to optimize in-store promotion by integrating speed-bumps and optimizing the creation and presentation of product posters, banners and product paper models. Thirdly, the author recommends introducing a digital terminal as an operation tool to order and purchase non-food products that are sold out or not available in a Lidl store with the possibility to choose a home or store delivery, to search products on the Lidl homepage and to watch non-food product videos. Furthermore, the terminal includes a built-in shelf to collect paper product brochures. Fourthly, in order to optimize the product presentation of non-food products, two proposals for a sample product presentation are made. Primarily by means of a non-food module which is attachable to a non-food table in order to present a sample either on a coat hanger or a built-in shelf or by means of a hallstand with an integrated mirror. In addition, the author presents the option of a digital mirror. The fifth proposal is a category management LED lighting module installed above the non-food tables to facilitate the customer orientation in the non-food sector. In addition, the author presents three further proposals including executing customer satisfaction survey periodically, optimizing employee training and improving the Online Shop.
In conclusion, the thesis argues that Lidl is prepared to optimize the non-food sector in the interest of increasing customer satisfaction, attracting new customers, staying competitive and trendy and increasing sales. The author recommends focusing on providing an optimized customer experience in the Lidl stores, thereby primarily focusing on the most important sense, sight. For this, an optimized sample product presentation is primarily of highest interest followed by a better in-store promotion. The present thesis hopes to offer the Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG useful ideas on how to optimize the non-food sector and thus contribute to Lidl’s company success.
The topic of the thesis is ‘‘Identification of success patterns of the most successful SAP SFSF VARs as a base to recruit new high-potential partners. A way to achieve time to revenue efficiency for new partners joining the SAP ecosystem.’’. The whole approach is based on SAP SE, an international company providing enterprise application software with a focus on cloud solutions. The objective of the thesis is to help SAP SE to expand their cloud partner ecosystem and achieve time to revenue efficiency for new partners joining SAP ecosystem. The research question explores what are the success patterns of SAP TOP 20 SuccessFactors (SFSF) value-added resellers (VARs). The aim is to use the insights as a template to recruit new partners who show high potential for future success in reselling SAP SFSF (cloud) solutions. Currently, SAP is facing a challenge to recruit partners who are successful as VARs for cloud solutions in the small and medium size enterprises (SME) market. So far, SAP focused on increasing its market coverage by continuously expanding its Ecosystem, while the quality of the recruited partners was neglected. As a result, SAP invested a lot of resources in terms of time and money trying to onboard partners who could not deliver the expected impact. Recruiting partners who have the right patterns will decrease the resources that SAP spends on onboarding and training process while at the same time the partners will generate the revenue faster. However, SAP needs to have a clear view what a high-potential partner looks like. Therefore, it could be said, that the topic of the thesis is crucial for SAP further channel development and expansion, invested resources and indirect revenue. In order to answer the research question, the whole study is divided into seven chapters. The theoretical framework provides a general idea about the importance of partners for reselling cloud services to SMEs and what are the factors and practices that make partners successful. The empirical research explores the common success patterns of the Top 20 most successful SAP SuccessFactors value-added resellers. The author came to the conclusion that in order to be achieved time to revenue efficiency, the company should recruit only those partners who are representing the following set of success patterns: international presence, quality webpage, human capital management as a core line of business, strong digital and event marketing.
Automated Advisory Services. An investigation of Efficiency on Using the Black-Litterman Model
(2016)
This thesis seeks to investigate efficiency of current portfolio theory, using the Black-Litterman Model, for creating portfolio recommendations as offered by Automated Advisory Services. These services have recently appeared, offering wealth management through a digital store front. As the human component has been removed from the equation, algorithms based on portfolio theory provide portfolio recommendations upon profiling the user of such services. Tests on parameters of the Black-Litterman Model will be run between September 2007 and December 2009, the financial crisis. The aim is to understand how efficient the parameters are able to steer the model to reflect the investor preferences, and how Black Litterman portfolios would have performed during turbulent economic times to test the efficiency claim by providers of automated advisory services.
This study explores the attitudes and perceptions of consumers of the baby boomer generation (age 50-62) concerning contents on the social media channels of Facebook and YouTube. Ten in-depth interviews are conducted in which representatives of the target group perform tasks on the two platforms such as gathering information about a firm or comparing advertisements. The main finding of the empirical research conducted is a set of preferences and attitudes about social media contents classified in following categories: 1) company profiles on Facebook 2) company channels on YouTube 3) sponsored posts on Facebook 4) sponsored search results on YouTube and 5) navigation on the two platforms. The obtained results significantly complement existing research on firm-supplied contents on social media for several reasons. Firstly, baby boomers represent a highly valuable target group as they possess immense consumption power and demonstrate high willingness to try new products and services, as well. Moreover, they increasingly join social networks, first of all Facebook,and they browse other social media channels, but they have been mostly neglected in research about social media in Germany. Secondly, this study links inbound marketing via social media to small and medium-sized enterprises. For the latter, this holds substantial benefits to facilitate being found by consumers on social media platforms in order to compete against larger firms. Therefore, implications for small business managers and marketing representatives are given. Thirdly, the study focuses on the attitudes and perceptions of consumers in order to replenish data on consumer behavior on Facebook and YouTube obtained by the algorithms of the platform providers. Therefore, it complements extensive existing studies focusing on analyzing the latter. Furthermore, the distinct advertising and targeting functions of Facebook and YouTube have been considered in the creation of the interview in pursuance of pertinent practically oriented results.
The primary purpose of this bachelor thesis is to explore the impact of information and communication technologies on the work-life boundary and to find out whether this impact constitutes a negative spillover. At the beginning of this paper, an examination of the general impacts, with an emphasis on flexibility and permanent connectivity, is conducted. In a second stage, these two major effects are assessed to find out in what way they influence the boundary between work and life. In a third stage, the finding is evaluated by analyzing the extent to which stress level, physical and mental health as well as work-life conflict and satisfaction are increased or decreased. Finally, the question concerning whether information and communication technologies are the only reason behind the change is addressed. The results of this thesis show that information and communication technologies indeed seem to lead to an increase in flexibility and permanent connectivity and therefore to a blurring of the boundary between work and life. This blurring is evaluated as being neither entirely good nor bad, as a dissolving boundary can have both positive and negative effects on stress, health, satisfaction and conflict. Furthermore, it is argued that technologies only enable change but cannot enforce it on their own. Instead, personal preference, institutional rules and culture play an important role in the determination of the extent to which individuals allow a blurring of their roles. Accordance between these factors is crucial to the health, productivity and motivation of employees.
Thus, it is recommended that employers analyze the preferences and cultural backgrounds of their employees in order to be able to provide tools and resources to blur or maintain boundaries depending on what is required
This thesis is concerned with the analysis and the improvement design of the Disposal Structure Optimization Process (DSOP) which is used by Global Flow GmbH (GF) within the waste consulting services conducted for its clients. The study is elaborated on behalf of GF that desires formalizing its procedure in order to identify deficiencies and yet unrecognized potentials to be leveraged. Thus, a process analysis according to Harrington was applied to the DSOP, in which the process was first documented through description and visualization and then evaluated in order to eventually come up with suggestions for improvement. The process-related data was drawn from interviews with GF management and evaluated from the author’s perspective. The subsequent design of an advanced DSOP was based on the previous evaluation and focused on the enhancement of the process’ value creation by providing improvement measures concerning knowledge-creation for customers, work organization for consultants and decision-making support for management. Hence, four measures were elaborated for purposeful process improvement and designed into the advanced process model: knowledge management, software support, performance measurement and a process infrastructure of standardized information flows. If implemented, the advanced process could enhance GF’s performance and support proactive consideration of strategic stakes.
The access to the Internet has enabled various peer-to-peer marketplaces to develop with fast pace and complete with traditional businesses by offering broader range of goods and services. In some cases peer-to-peer markets offer a solution to a problem, going beyond the capabilities of a traditional business. This thesis studies a particular peer-to-peer market called crowdfunding that offers a solution to individuals who require funds and has been a subject of experts’, regulators’ and media attention. In particular, the paper studies the way crowdfunding websites Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Crowdfunder match buyers and sellers and discovers that some websites might have an incentive to manipulate matching. Furthermore, the paper analyzes the pricing structure these websites use and learns that price discrimination is present in crowdfunding. Additionally, the paper investigates the most fundamental mechanism that allows Internet platforms to function, which is reputation. In particular it uncovers that the way trust is built in crowdfunding differs to certain extant to other peer-to-platforms and that this questions requires further research. Finally, after looking at the arising regulatory issues, it becomes clear that there are opposing opinions of experts and regulators about regulation of crowdfunding that create both fear and hope. Privacy and data usage by the crowdfunding websites seems to be an issue that also requires further attention.
The following bachelor thesis was written in cooperation with the company GF Automotive AG located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. It is a worldwide recognized development and serial production partner of the automotive industry. The thesis covers the topic ‘The potential of gaining competitive advantage through Green Marketing’. The purpose of this thesis is to research if sustainability within the automotive supply industry is of high importance and can be used to gain competitive advantage. The thesis offers possible measures to implement successful practices that were detected in the conducted benchmark. It points out that green marketing in the B2B business can support companies to differentiate and it illustrates how marketing communication of the company GF Automotive AG can be adapted in order to succeed and remain leader in the highly competitive automotive supply market
Advanced sales approach to increase professional fairs participation: international experience
(2016)
The following bachelor thesis was written in cooperation with Hannover Fairs USA, Inc. (HFUSA), which is the Deutsche Messe AG’s (DMAG) U.S. subsidiary. DMAG in Hannover, Germany, is one of the biggest and most active event organizers in the world. The target region of the HFUSA office is North America. Their function is to host industrial trade shows in Chicago and to sell exhibit space at their parent company’s shows in Germany to American companies. The focus of the thesis will be on the DMAG’s CeMAT show which serves the intralogistic and material handling industry. The topic of the thesis is ‘Evolving a structured and advanced sales approach to enhance the number of American companies, participating at the Deutsche Messe’s CeMAT show.’ The research focus is on the intralogistic and material handling industry, the meaningfulness of trade shows and various skills and processes of sales theory. Furthermore, it places emphasis on corporate and sales strategy. The thesis offers possible measures which should serve c-level employees of the company as a basis for creating a more standardized corporate, marketing, and sales strategy to streamline the process amongst employees, to enhance sales processes, improve efficiency and therefore increase revenue in the long run. This will also positively influence the process of achieving their goal of enhancing the number of participating U.S. companies at the CeMAT show in Hannover.
Crowdfunding is one of the greatest financial innovations in finance today, which acts as a financing alternative for start-ups. The advantages provided in this financial structure not only enable entrepreneurs to realise their dream of raising capital but it also enables them to learn more about their product, establish a pre-customer base, pre-sales as well as build their brand though leveraging the internet as a marketing platform for their projects. Start-ups that have succeeded in raising their target funds, acknowledge the benefits they received. Even those that did not achieve their goal still appreciate the experience because through the feedback they receive from the public, they are able to enhance their product and make better decisions for their next projects. Also backers benefit significantly depending on their position; for instance, upon success startups acquire funds, donors on reward- and support-based platforms receive small gifts such as Tshirts, acknowledgements, on pre-purchase platforms backers receive discounts on pre-purchases and in a special case of crowdinvesting, investors receive dividends or equity from the start-up. Also, crowdfunding platform-administrators benefit from it when start-ups accomplish their goal. Start-ups may approach investors, business angels and banks for capital; however, the probability of acquiring funds is subsided and they also do not provides them additional benefits like those crowdfunding delivers. The crowdfunding process is one of the easiest means of funding startups’projects in comparison to that involved whilst seeking funds from banks and venture capitalists as well as business angels.
The major aim of this paper is to analyse how crowdfunding has simplified the means of raising capital for start-ups and how this modern financial instrument is anticipated to develop in the next five years. Withal, the paper seeks to show how crowdfunding has enabled startups to curb their financial predicaments. The paper will firstly, provide the foundation of crowdfunding, including success factors of start-ups. Next the author will analyse how crowdfunding platform operate, then its significance to start-ups including the risks involved. The author will investigate crowdfunding in Europe, America and Australia. Results from the Interviews conducted with start-up founder Dominick Solenick and platform CEOs from Switzerland will be illustrated. Finally, a conclusion based on this research will be provided.
In the current difficult climate for international aviation especially in Europe and the USA, one sector is performing extremely well, the so-called low cost carriers. While the flagcarriers are experiencing severe difficulties, withdrawing from routes and cutting staff, the low cost sector continues to expand at a tremendous pace. Since their entry in various countries in the late 90’s, low cost carriers have grown to even become dominant players on a significant number of intra-national short haul routes. Although the severe competition of low-cost airlines is observable in many industrialized countries nowadays, our focus in this paper will be restricted to the US market which at many levels appear to be interesting and the perfect case to illustrate the impact of low-cost carriers on the domestic aviation market. The extent to which this expansion affects the traditional airline networks in other terms the so-called legacy or network carriers, poses interesting questions for the US airline industry and policy makers. As a pre-requisite to analyze the current situation of the US airline market with regards to the impact low-cost carriers, it is crucial to have a historical background on the domestic US aviation and to understand the role of antitrust policies. First of all, until 1978 the US airline industry was regulated by the US government, allowing only few carriers, the network carriers. Those carriers are therefore the historical carriers. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was the economic regulatory body for airlines that controlled airline schedules, fares, and routes, which essentially allowed U.S. airlines to exercise monopoly power. In 1975, the CAB’s Special Staff did a self-study of the organization and concluded that the amending federal law to eliminate “protective entry, exit, and price control” would be beneficial for the airline market. It was believed that the industry was naturally competitive and there did not appear to be any significant barriers to entry nor substantial economies of scale that would limit the number of efficient and profitable firms. Therefore, the Airline deregulation Act of 1978 eliminated economic regulation of the airline industry. The deregulation allowed many carriers to enter the industry, existing carriers to expand their operations, competition to flourish and air fares to
fall. Monopoly markets were now only present on the smallest city-pair markets which lacked enough traffic to support more than one airline. After deregulation, Southwest Airlines initiated the budget flight in Dallas, Texas.
With flights turning profitable in 1973 and remaining so ever since, former lawyer Herb Kelleher proved the viability of low cost flights. In terms of passengers carried each year, Southwest is now the biggest airline in the USA and the second biggest airline in the world. Although entering the airline industry was relatively easy, successfully overcoming the advantages of larger incumbents proved to be more difficult. The deregulation greatly illustrated the relevance of Paul Gerdoski’s arguments about the effect of market entry. Firstly, market entries increased industry competition and forced the traditional network carriers to increase their efficiency leading to lower fares and better service on many routes. Secondly it fostered industry innovation with the appearance and growth of low cost carriers.
The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the need and prospects of implementing a Social Media advertising strategy in order to increase customer awareness in the United States for an innovative scuba diving product called “Buddy-Watcher”. This product was introduced to the German market in November 2014 by Free-Linked GmbH, which specializes in scuba diving communication and comfort equipment.
The employed investigation approach includes a quantitative research conducted by means of an online survey among a nonprobability sample via self-administered questionnaires. By collecting and analyzing primary data, this exploratory study aims to provide first insights on the value and the perception of potential customers towards Social Media advertising activities. Furthermore, a SWOT analysis was carried out based on the theoretical research as well as the findings of the survey to deliver a specific recommended course of action for businesses like Free-Linked GmbH. The results provide indications for the effectiveness of Social Media advertising regarding the creation of awareness for a product, yet not necessarily its purchase. Small and medium sized businesses have the opportunity to benefit from this type of advertising, if the preferences of the target group can be identified and taken into consideration. Hence, this work serves as a basis for further decision-making, whereas future research could consider the effect of various advertisement options or other Social Media alternatives for targeting US customers by employing a combination of quantitative and qualitative research designs.
Low organizational commitment of employees is a well-known challenge for organizations nowadays. In order to actively manage and promote organizational commitment, organizations need to be aware of its most important influencing factors. This thesis focuses on the exploration of the potential of human resource development to improve employee commitment. An empirical study has been conducted at the shop floor area of the project partner thyssenkrupp Aufzugsweke GmbH in order to investigate the negative influences on organizational commitment, identify the potential positive impacts of human resources development practices and provide the organization with a recommendation about suitable measures to retain and develop organizational commitment.
The goal of this thesis is to provide information on how the music distribution has evolved throughout the years since the internet and computers have brought a
new digital ear to the music industry. This gave unlimited access to vast amount of information, creating new methods of communication and connecting to thousands of music lovers with only one mouse click. Technological and social changes have
followed ever since the beginning of the 20th century with significant impact on different business aspects like Marketing, Communication and Pricing. In the following years illegal downloading has brought the music industry to a crash with sales dropping
almost double in only one year. This, however, led to the idea of legal downloading and later in 2008 to the birth of the most used music streaming service Spotify. The bundle paying method of this new service has not only put the industry back on its feet
but it has also brought the interest in the consumers back. A monthly “flat rate” in exchange of a vast music catalogue of more than 30,000 songs, albums and artists with the ability to listen to it offline turned out to be the better alternative.
The purpose of this paper is to conduct an explorative research on the current situation of the music business and the business models of the new trend “music streaming” by using different analytical methods. The research results show a significant change in the way Marketing and Communication are being done by labels, brands and the streaming services due to the rapid technological progress and the new social habits born with it. Using the experience of listening to music, data and audience intelligence provided by the services, brands are now able to communicate their exact message in front of the right person and in the right time. Pricing of music has also gone through a big transition
since music streaming has become the preferred way of listening to and exploring new music. The effect of the bundles provides users with unlimited usage of the music streaming service and its catalogue in exchange of a monthly fee also called “flat rate”.
Each service decides on the price and the subscription method to be offered. To give a more comprehensive picture on what the future of music streaming
is, this paper is using not only secondary data but primary data as well. In order to generate free discussion, the study refers to the media and an expert to give answer on what are the signs pointing the direction the music business is headed towards.
The present paper identifies appropriate communication strategies to support the implementation of Cross Selling (CS) in the sales organization illustrated on the example of Robert Bosch GmbH. Therefore the focus is on the analysis of internally applied communication media in order to determine strong and weak points. In the first instance, an extensive literature research with respect to CS is conducted and a theoretical framework of effective communication provided. Subsequently, an empirical study is being carried out. Surveys are sent worldwide to the CS Coordinators at Bosch in order to analyse currently applied communication media and identify possible communication gaps. Furthermore, an expert interview with CS project leader Paulo Ferreira is conducted in order to gain additional insights into the CS field within Bosch. In the process, it results that the CS project team already makes an adequate use of communication means; but nevertheless there is still potential for improvement with respect to certain communication activities. The results indicate that the most effective communication techniques are based on face-to-face interaction with a high degree of social presence and information richness. By the application of theoretical foundations combined with knowledge obtained through primary research, a recommended course of action is issued on how to further optimize the communication within the central CS project team. On this basis, the recommendation is given to develop an internal integrated marketing communication program which takes a number of additional measures into consideration. In addition, limitations of this study as well as future perspectives are being discussed.
The purpose for researching the topic of the globalization of sport, is to examine the extent to which baseball is a global sport. While many writers in the fields of sociology, anthropology, and the history of baseball have studied countries around the world on an individual basis; little to no research on globalization has been pursued. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of baseball around the world is the focal point of this paper. This study is based on the work of Roland Robertson in the field of globalization and Richard Giulianotti in the field of soccer. Robertson, a professor of sociology at
Aberdeen University, developed a Five-Phase model of globalization which identifies key turning points in the evolution of globalization around the world. Giulianotti applied the Five-Phase model to the game of soccer to determine which factors played an essential role in the globalization of the sport.
The author has derived a list of critical research statements to guide the hypothesis that baseball is a global sport. This study considered literature of baseball around the world. Topics included the significance of Spalding’s Great Baseball World Tour,
examples of countries where baseball has been played, international baseball governing bodies and events, and baseball celebrities that have influenced the
game. Also, the author interviewed Nate Fish, Co-Director of the Israeli National Baseball team, and Tom Gillespie, International Baseball Scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates, to supplement the analysis.
The evidence of the global significance of baseball includes the prominence of an international governing body World Baseball Softball Confederation, international baseball events World Baseball Classic / Premier 12, and a large body of membership in internationally sanctioned events. Interest in the game is growing internationally, evidenced by the fact that 72% of the world recognizes the game of
baseball, online subscriptions for premium content are trending up, and records in attendance, viewership, sponsorship, and social media activity were achieved during the 2013 World Baseball Classic. The findings of this research suggest that there is an emerging market for international baseball.
This bachelor thesis aims at investigating relevant factors in performance management at the logistics service provider Kuehne + Nagel (AG & Co. KG) in Altenwerder, Hamburg. A shop floor management approach is developed and adjusted to specific requisites of the contract logistics warehousing environment.
Key performance indicators are identified and adapted to the requirements of shop floor employees. Thereby, shop floor management ought to serve as process optimization and establishment of regular communication structures involving operative personnel as well as local management. The literature research examines the shop floor management approach in line with lean and Kuehne + Nagel Production System principles. Corporate communication types as well as change management processes for the operative level in the warehousing industry are pointed out.
Furthermore, two surveys with operative employees of the pilot project are conducted, researching their perceptions before and after project implementation. Due to the nature of the qualitative analysis with Kuehne + Nagel employees, findings of this thesis are subjective. This work attempts to provide Kuehne + Nagel with project guidelines for an adjusted shop floor management approach as well as underline required procedures within human resource and change management.
Stakeholder analysis as an instrument for a successful development for a departmental strategy
(2016)
Functional strategy development is a vital key lever for any manager to provide direction, and to define the purpose and the value contribution of his organization. In this context, the increasing usage of stakeholder analysis in today's business world confirms the realization that stakeholders' input is an essential tool to shape and influence the decision making process. To that effect, obtaining input on their perceptions, beliefs, intentions and interests represents a valuable instrument for managers to furthermore facilitate the implementation of organizational objectives and the development of a functional strategy.
This paper reviews the fundamental aspects of functional strategies and stakeholder analysis, followed by theoretical approaches of research design and data collection methods, as well as organizational change. In relation to these concepts, it introduces a business area of concern and explains the research framework. A thorough investigation of the research outcomes, their potential origins and boundary conditions will lead to recommendations of corrective measures.
The paper proposes the business area concerned to face a major root problem, which suggests being the main cause for multiple related problems that were all detected in the course of the research.
"Social Business Concept" is a concept of blending innovation in the field of social media in Business. This thesis aims in establishing an opinion that the "Social Business Concept" is very much relevant for the HFU just like for other business organizations. In this thesis, one can get the basic understanding of the concept, its origin and development as well as some case studies about the successful implementation. This thesis further shows the initiatives that the HFU has taken in the direction and the progresses made so far. Furthermore, it suggests some steps that are to be taken to make further improvements in the direction of establishing the HFU as a well-connected organization. The theories presented in the thesis and conclusion drawn by this thesis is based on the various literature reviews, e-mail correspondences with the HFU staffs and online survey where the students studying at the HFU in different faculties participated.
In this paper the author will look at the development of industrial parks with case study of Ethiopia and Kenya since this are the developing countries and with a blue print to industrial parks in which the authors main objective is to establish the industrial park planning and development of Industrial Parks in Africa, establish the importance of ICT as a response to the sustainable planning of industrial areas in Africa and to establish the issue of environment sustainability in Africa. The problems in implementing the industrial parks the mismanagement of funds, challenges faced by foreign investors, not usage of ICT knowledge, threats from the terrorist groups and the recess in support by the government. Hence the need to address these issues in this research work. Threat analysis will be addressed in consideration to Kenyan economy that brings in a recession to the country such as Al-Shabaab. Finally conclusion and recommendation are made in which in the author’s findings is that the governments are eagerly working to put their country modernized and with high security. Revenue made by the government is set to put security measures to make more revenue from tax in by implementing the police reforms. Hence the conclusion that investing in industrial parks are of great benefit for foreign investors, the governments and will aid in poverty eradication in Kenya and Ethiopia.
In the context of dynamic and unstable business environment companies tend to more flexible performance management system. Being a central element in a performance management framework, forecasting practice becomes a major concern for business organizations. The practitioners claim that there is a significant gap existing between the development and the application of forecasting activities. In this respect strong bridges are required to connect theory and practice. Through an expert interview method author investigates how forecasting activities contribute to business performance. The main purpose of this research paper is to investigate the problem statement by answering the questions concerning how planning activities have changed in the last few years and what is the current attitude and commitment to forecasting tool. Furthermore, this study explores how forecasting is integrated in the decision-making process and how it affects business decisions. Finally research investigates whether companies apply a rolling forecast as well as the reasons for and against using a rolling approach are also considered. The main findings of the research show that companies have altered their planning activities to improve forecast effectiveness, to reduce uncertainty and risks, to enable a more flexible resource allocation. Interviewed companies expressed growing interest and commitment to forecasting as an instrument of control. Moreover, results demonstrate that forecasting plays a crucial role for the business organization by facilitating business decisions and providing assumptions for business plans. Also different practices show, the more complex and larger organization is the more scrutinized and granular the forecast process should be. Regarding a rolling forecast, only two interviewed companies use this approach. All respondents found a rolling forecast beneficial for the business, however, in order to be successful companies are required to put more efforts and gain more experience with this method.
This paper analyzes automated advisory services, a new business model developed by Fintech start-ups in the USA. The markets for automated advisory services (AAS) in the USA, where it is most established, and in Germany, where the market is still in the infancy stage, are examined and compared. The aim of the paper is to identify the market conditions determining user acceptance of automated advisory services in the USA and comparing the German market conditions to the US market in order to predict consumer acceptance in Germany. The markets are examined using the PEST analysis and Porter´s five forces framework. Recent market data, mainly from online media like online newspapers and studies, is collected and applied to the models. The data reveals that the market conditions for AAS are similar in both markets but in Germany there are some negative factors restraining growth. The second part of the paper is a technology acceptance analysis of automated advisory services using the UTAUT2 model. The UTAUT2 model is first applied to and extended for the automated advisory services market. Afterwards, the market data is applied to the model, confirming that the market data and theoretical framework of the model are conform. Finally, an outlook into the future of AAS in Germany and the USA is given, showing that the German market has the potential to develop similar to the US market once the negative influences on technology acceptance are diminished Further research into the aspects individualization of automated advisory services, web 3.0 applications and security of the algorithms and user data should be conducted.
This study belongs to the field of innovation research and is based on the application of a theoretical concept of a technology acceptance. The theoretical concept developed in the context of this research work is investigating the connection between efficiency, quality, security and business process re-engineering and the intention to adopt mobile payments technologies by merchants within the retail industry. Mobile payments is an emerging topic which is currently experiencing a rise. Although there are significant differences in a level of mobile payments acceptance around the world, the widespread adoption of the technology has not prevailed yet. Moreover, more research is needed to investigate and explain retailers’ prospective on the mobile payments adoption. The growing scientific interest in this topic is relevant in terms of innovation development, theories of global competition platforms and evolving landscape of global payment systems.
From this holistic prospective the fundamental hypotheses and crucial questions in terms of mobile payments adoption by merchants were derived. The analysis of the data sample of 90 companies of various sizes and operating in different industries obtained by means of a survey conducted at one of the largest trade fairs in Munich, Germany in autumn 2015. The data was analyzed using descriptive univariate and multivariate methods and the significance of the conceptual framework was validated. A major positive trend in mobile payments adoption was indicated. The findings of this research suggest that efficiency had a significant positive influence on the intention to adopt mobile payments by merchants. Banks and credit card companies were recognized as the most preferred mobile payments providers among retailers with an increasing interest towards independent companies. Based on the findings, the scientific guidelines for the future research were outlined and the concrete recommendations from the managerial prospective for achieving a successful adoption of mobile payments among merchants were suggested.
Entrepreneurs are the people who start their own businesses, who take risk, find solution of problems and come up with idea which gives them financial benefits. The purpose of writing this thesis to find out the value business schools are providing to the entrepreneurs. Do the entrepreneurs get the right skills from the business schools? To find out the reason, which skills business schools are lacking to provide to the entrepreneurs. Why still now a day’s world leading companies are invented by the entrepreneurs who dropped out of college or who quite from their education which was not important for them for example Microsoft, Apple, McDonald, Facebook and many other successful brands in the world are being led by the people who has no good education. To find out the reasons and opinion from students a questionnaire was prepared to get results from people belong to different background, different nationalities and different cultures. 84% participants were students from business schools. The outcome of survey shows that business schools are not transferring value to the entrepreneurial mind students; many students also supported idea to start your own business during your studies. It lead to the pathway which had chosen by the successful entrepreneurs, in the other words if you find opportunity to start your own business then leave your studies behind and go for it. 69% respondents vote in favor that the universities should start degree in entrepreneurship; moreover 52% respondents want to become entrepreneurs. Furthermore, least important entrepreneurial characteristic is Good Education as well as good education is also least important to start your own business. It indicates that there is serious need to start entrepreneurial education in the schools and universities. The curriculum of business schools need to be review according to the needs of entrepreneurial mind students.
The primary objective of this study is to determine the direction of Bosch
workshop service concepts in India. The approach is based on Classic Bosch Car
Service, one of the world’s largest independent workshop concept owned by
Robert Bosch GmbH. In the era of high competition where the mindset of
customers is rapidly changing and technology is evolving; therefore, Bosch is
continuously working on developing new workshop service concepts such as
Franchise Bosch Car Service and Digital Bosch Car Service. Therefore, this study
examine two research question a) on which workshop service concept Bosch
should focus in India b) how to increase the number of franchisees for the future
concept. This study focuses on India because it is an emerging market where car
repair industry is growing rapidly.
The first part of the thesis explains the concept of workshop service and
franchising. The second part provides a complete overview (franchise model,
value proposition, etc.) of three concepts. The final part consists of empirical
research which includes the findings from end customer and franchisee surveys.
The findings from practical and empirical part revealed that Franchise Bosch Car
Service (FRC BCS) is ideal for the Indian market and end customer. Therefore,
Bosch should focus on developing its network of FRC BCS in the short term. The
usage of different marketing tools, partnership with financial institutes, individual
onboarding program and approaching private investors will help to increase the
number of franchisees.
In the long-term, Bosch should consider going in the direction of Digital Bosch
Car to increase market share and maintain its competitiveness.
The neuromerchandising group GmbH & Co KG, creates holistic experiences for
customers at the point of sale by leveraging the latest findings of research in
neuroscience and evolutionary biology. In order to find an appropriate research tool
to analyze customers` attitudes at the POS three survey methods are tested,
evaluated, and compared against each other at the example of an attitude survey for
the MyMuesli GmbH. A traditional attitude survey method is less reliable due to
issues with bias compared to the other two methods. Possible reasons for bias are
explained in this work. The projective technique survey, which uses indirect
questions, is rather ambiguous and long, and the third method, which uses a card
game for the responses, is inappropriate for detailed statistical analysis. A
combination of the methods is recommended and suggestions for improvement are
made throughout this work.