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Course of studies
Today’s business and work environment has become increasingly exposed to the pressure of globalization and the steadily growing degree of virtuality. This is demonstrated by the rising number of global virtual teams (GVT) playing a crucial role in many internationally oriented organizations, with an ongoing upward trend. The purpose of this thesis is to promote a better understanding of how employees can be trained to collaborate successfully in a GVT, and whether this is possible at all. In this context, the paper primarily focuses on the social dimensions influencing successful virtual collaboration. A mixed methods approach of primary and secondary data was used in this thesis. Apart from a literature review providing a theoretical foundation of concepts concerning the key issues of the study, the paper examines two different perspectives. On the one hand, expert interviews with two European training companies and an active seminar participation enabled greater insight into the employee training industry. The objective was to discover the key sources of problems in GVTs leading companies to rely on professional help. A particular focus was laid on examining how trainers master the difficult task of preparing employees for global virtual teamwork as well as to collect information about the provided training services. As the interviews revealed, communication problems among the virtual team members (VTMs) display the main reason for a team’s low performance or failure. Concrete recommendations for actions have been described as a basis for optimizing the collaboration and to strengthen the social ties within a GVT. On the other hand, the main practical part of this thesis focuses on a GVT of a multinational business consultancy. An online survey and individual interviews with the team members have been conducted aiming at answering the following research questions: On the basis of which skills do present members of a GVT define successful virtual collaboration? How is the need for training services in general assessed? In addition, the empirical study examined the social dimensions among the VTMs and the team’s current work situation. On the basis of these insights, the team’s current need for training services has been analyzed and specific recommendations for actions have been proposed.
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.
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.
The start of the financial crisis in 2007 and the collapse of Lehman Brothers the end of 2008 led to a severe global economic crisis. To counter the negative shocks of the crisis, central banks pushed their conventional monetary policy tools to their limits. As policy rates reached their zero lower bound and no further stimulation of the economy was possible through the standard operating framework, additional measures were needed to improve the overall situation of dislocated financial markets and liquidity shortages. Therefore, central banks in advanced economies implemented unconventional monetary policy measures called quantitative easing (QE). Quantitative easing mainly works through an expansion of a central bank’s balance sheets and is aimed to reach a desired inflation target of 2%. This thesis examines detailed introduction, procedures, risks, and exit strategy of QE. The focus of this thesis is on design and operation of QE conducted by the Bank of Japan, the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, and the European Central Bank and on their achieved results regarding interest rates and broader economic effects. In addition, evidence for the effectiveness is analyzed with help of an event study. Key findings of this thesis demonstrate that by means of QE, positive development on economic indicators can be recorded but it also has limited impacts. If central banks conduct their stimulus for too long, it creates risks, and, for this reason, an appropriate exit strategy is required to avoid ineffectiveness of the monetary policy. To date, no country has completed their exit and, therefore, the future will illustrate the final consequences of QE.
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.
Purpose: The goal of this paper is to develop a technology acceptance model for digital anamnesis and explore the factors that influence individual adoption behavior.
Methods: Through a literature review we identified important factors that influence acceptance. We then conduct an empirical study among patients with 115 respondents. Subsequently, we test the model using partial least squares path modelling.
Results: We found that performance expectancy, social influence, and trust are the most have significant influence on behavioral intention. A group comparison reveals significant differences between young and old patients. The model explained 57.5 % of the variance of behavioral intention.
Conclusions: This study helps us understand the key determinants of patient acceptance behavior, and enables us to give advice to businesses in the early stages of development.
Increasing the Efficiency of Photovoltaic (PV) Batteries through Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring
(2017)
Challenges when Designing LED-Based Illumination Systems in Medical Applications and Diagnostics
(2017)
Digital Sales Excellence: Systematic implementation of new technologies in sales force management
(2017)
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.
The concept of Job Crafting was developed by Amy Wrzesniewski and Jane E. Dutton in 2001. It describes job alterations initiated by employees that can occur in three different ways: Task crafting, relational crafting and cognitive crafting. The aim of Job Crafting is the better alignment of employee needs and preferences to the job demands and rewards.
In this bachelor thesis, the concept of Job Crafting will be explained and will be put into the context of similar concepts. Both, positive and negative outcomes of Job Crafting behaviour will be explained and opposed. The outcomes can have the form of increased motivation, performance and person-job fit which are intended by the Job Crafting behaviour. But misalignments of Job Crafting with organisational goals and negative impacts on colleagues on the negative side can also occur and need to be considered. The bachelor thesis also illustrates important motivators for Job Crafting and the most important aspects that play a role in Job Crafting behaviour. In the end, the thesis provides an outlook of Job Crafting based on the information that was evaluated. The aim of this bachelor thesis is to provide an insight into the concept of Job Crafting and to inform about the recent state of research on the topic.
Job Crafting is considered to be a rather positive employee behaviour that mostly results in better outcomes for employees than before Job Crafting actions. As organisation in the current economic state need to be adaptive in order to stay competitive, Job Crafting offers a solution for organisations to provide their employees with enough freedom to stay flexible. Job Crafting is not to be considered as a substitute for common Job design but rather as a complement to it that can be used by employees to further enhance their behaviour and performance. Managers should be aware of its existence and even foster it into a direction that benefits the organisation.
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.
Economic growth in China is slowing down and China will no longer be the manufacturer of the world and consumers become more sophisticated. Therefore Chinese companies have to change strategies. This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the reasons for Chinese companies transitioning from equipment manufacturers to brand manufacturers, the phase of innovation in China, the internationalization of Chinese brands and accordingly the consumer behaviour. The change is fast and challenging and the Chinese companies have to overcome obstacles like culture, innovation and the country of origin effect. Chinese government is promoting innovation. The quality of Research & Development output lacks behind quantity and is often limited to technology improvements rather than basic research. Government is also pushing companies to go abroad. The biggest obstacle for Chinese consumer brands expanding internationally is the country of origin effect. To compete internationally and to be successful in the long run, Chinese companies have to deliver high product quality and use effective branding. After entering the market with low price products to gain market share, Chinese brands increase product quality and promote the consumer brand. By analyzing the smartphone market, this thesis evaluates the progress and sustainability of changing from low cost to high end manufacturing and branding.
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.
Prototype of an automated photobiomodulation treatment device for in vitro wound healing studies
(2017)
Ethnic Marketing Using Confectionery for Consumers of Turkish Origin Under the Age of 45 in Germany
(2017)
This bachelor thesis presents marketing strategies for the targeted address of consumers of Turkish origin between the age of 15 to under 45 by confectionery manufacturers in Germany. Both primary and secondary data are consulted to fulfill the objective of the thesis. This contribution combines the marketing instruments of ethnic marketing, the target group specifics and the product modification options for confectionery with the findings of an empirical study conducted by the author to examine the group’s consumer behavior for confectionery, to deliver an adjusted marketing mix for the forenamed target audience. This thesis determines the target group’s considerable potential for confectionery companies in Germany by confirming the group’s effectiveness for market segmentation through specific tests of Pires and Stanton (2005) and suitability for efficient ethnic marketing through the analysis method of Gerpott and Bicak (2015).
With the help of the culture-boundedness theory, the limited compliance of currently proffered confectionery items with the culture of the target group is evidenced, and solid product modification options are presented for the application by confectionery manufacturers in Germany. The findings of the previously mentioned empirical study reveal the high demand for special “Turkish” product variants and provide a broad range of valuable insights for an efficient implementation of strategies regarding the product, price, distribution, and promotion policy of confectionery companies in Germany.
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.
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 dimenSion concept - approaching service prototyping from a multi-aspect description perspective
(2017)
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.
The Sharing Economy: Bartering, Lending, Renting or Swapping peer-to-peer is an increasing phenomenon in Consumer Behaviour. As a result of overconsumption in society the past few decades and the financial crisis in 2008, consumers’ awareness towards consumption shifted to a more sustainable use of resources to prevent rising CO2 emission, climate change, global warming, pollution of oceans, massive interventions in ecosystems and to support global fairness.
Even though this Collaborative Consumption is still in its infancy, the participation of caring consumers is still rising.
But how sustainable is this new way of consumption, if it is a new phenomenon at all?
By describing the Sharing Economy as a rising business model, its history and the four major drivers for its success the topicality and brisance of this fast-changing appearance get illustrated. The Transportation Technology portrays, how intense Sharing, Bartering, Lending or Selling influences the daily consumer behaviour in twenty-first century.
Mostly, this Thesis evaluates advantages and disadvantages of the Sharing Economy, and finally concludes if Collaborative Consumption is as sustainable as it is proclaimed by its supporters and how influentially and environmentally-sustainable collaborative consumption might be for the future.
HomeMade, a Dutch producer of business-to-customer baking mixes established in 2004, belongs since July 2014 to the internationally operating company Royal Smilde bv with their business unit Smilde Bakery bv which is an industrial bakery for the business-to-business market. One of the countries HomeMade can introduce its products to is Germany as the mother company Smilde Bakery has a sales subsidiary in this country with an own sales force of which HomeMade can make use. One main research question and six underlying sub-questions are addressed in the research work. The main question is about “What marketing strategy should HomeMade adopt for their market introduction in Germany?” and the sub-questions are used to answer the main question by looking at macro-environmental factors, the performance of potential competitors, the market attractiveness, the characteristics of possible customers in Germany, the distribution channels available and the current performance of HomeMade on the Dutch market. To answer these questions, primary research (qualitative interviews and a survey) and secondary research (literature and desk) have been conducted. Each chapter of the research work is designed to answer one sub-question to make conclusions about the suitable marketing strategy of HomeMade in Germany. The strategy will be derived in the final part of the research work by comparing the identified strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats of all sub-questions and giving recommendations and plans for implementation as well as a cost estimation for the chosen marketing strategy of HomeMade’s market introduction to Germany.
In response to the global financial crisis, some of the major central banks in the world have implemented so-called unconventional monetary policy tools, in particular Quantitative Easing. These tools were aimed to improve conditions in financial markets, to provide liquidity and later on, in response to the European sovereign debt crisis, also to stimulate the economies. At the height of the European sovereign debt crisis Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, said that “…the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro” on 26 July 2012. How much will it take? What could be the negative side effects? And in particular, what are the implications for financial stability? These questions become increasingly important, as the balance between benefits and costs of such tools tends to worsen the longer QE is in place.
This paper wants to answer whether QE could have negative impacts on financial stability and if so, whether it could lead to another episode of financial instability, i.e. a financial crisis. First, it will explain what monetary policy is, which goals it has and what the conventional and unconventional monetary policy tools are, that central banks can use, e.g. QE. The next part will explain what financial stability is and which factors can lead to a financial crisis by using the most recent episode, the global recession.
This thesis will mainly focus on the negative impacts, the QE programme of the European Central Bank has on financial markets and the banking sector. Only in the analysis of the financial markets, it will make an exception and also include the programmes of the Bank of England, Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve. The analysis of the financial markets will include results of other research papers, studies and journal articles as well as a self-conducted event study, by analyzing QE announcements and their impact on bond yields and stock indices. The analysis of the banking sector will focus on financial stability indicators, their response to QE announcements and their development in the time QE was implemented incorporating results found by other researchers. In the final part, all results found here will be brought together to answer whether or not QE negatively affects financial stability.
The paper focuses on the complexity of effective cross-cultural communication and trust building (chapter 2). In chapter 2.1 the cultural and medial impact on communication is discussed. Different tools, their capability of transferring a message and culturally-based preferences are examined. In chapter 2.2 the paper continues with analyzing the importance of trust. High-Trust and Low-Trust Teams are analyzed, outlining the differences that lead to success. Furthermore, cultural implications on the trust behavior and relationship building capabilities are described. The theoretical part of the thesis concludes with chapter 2.3 by connecting effective cross-cultural communication and trust building, pointing out their interdependence.
The second part of the paper is based on the theoretical part one of the thesis. After introducing a focus group in chapter 3.1 from a German automotive company where team members are based across Europe, the virtuality of this HR team is analyzed. In order to derive best practices from the team, structured interviews are carried out in chapter 3.2. The online survey and the subsequent expert interviews with each of the 11 team members analyze their communication and trust behavior. The findings from the survey point out commonalities and differences with what can be found in literature.
The paper concludes with chapter 4, highlighting the importance of the topic and the relevance for today’s companies. Working virtuality becomes increasingly important and, therefore, understanding the communication and trust behavior in a VT is essential for both management and each member in the team. Ensuring accessibility of various tools, encouraging the members to share best practices and provide the team with cultural training, not only to raise awareness but also to strengthen the ties, is highly relevant in making a difference in today’s global and ever changing economy.
Outsourcing as a remedy to current challenges and profitability issues within the banking sector
(2017)
In addition to current market fluctuations, the Banking Sector continues to face emerging challenges such as low profitability, increasing cybercrime, more regulations to comply with, high-rocketing cost and a huge reliance on information technology. In tackling these challenges, several banks have come to realize that,this can no longer be a one man’s fight. Outsourcing a few functions such as Customer Management, Information Technology, Human Resources Management, Application Management, Payroll Operations, Marketing Activities, Research and Data Processing could help individual banks mitigate risks and solve current demanding problems resulting from complications and challenges within the entire banking sector.
This piece of work will examine the current situation and challenges within the Banking Sector. And with the help of a case study within the German Banking Sector, demonstrates how Outsourcing could serve as a solution to problems resulting from these challenges and complications. Such problems may include: increasing costs, low net-revenues/profitability and shareholder dissatisfaction.
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.
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.
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.
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 influence of gluten free diet on the enteric nervous system and intestinal microbiota of mice
(2017)
Activating People with Dementia using Natural User Interface interaction on a Surface Computer
(2017)
Most Western countries have very low percentages of women who study in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. These fields are of economic
importance as they are essential for innovation - the key to the creation of new products,
ideas and processes. Especially in developed countries, the STEM sector is one of the
largest growth factors. Having mainly men studying in STEM fields limits the available
talent and thus the quality of human resources; therefore, it is important that more
women study in STEM fields for more efficiency and increased economic development.
In contrast to Western countries, Muslim countries exhibit large numbers of women in
STEM majors. This thesis analyses different aspects of Muslim countries to determine
reasons for more women in these countries to study in STEM fields. The current study
is based on literature such as journal articles, textbooks and online sources. The
following factors are studied to answer the first research question: social reasons
(including religion, history, perception of women, wealth and social status, and
educational system), legal framework, technological reasons and economic reasons.
The findings indicate that a combination of aspects and circumstances leads to the large
numbers of women in Muslim countries in STEM majors. Among the analysed factors
the educational system and economic situation of Muslim countries seem to be the root
cause.
Furthermore, the current study analyses consequences of the high number of women in
STEM fields in Muslim countries in the labour market, to answer the following
questions: (1) Do educational opportunities lead to equal opportunities in the labour
market? (2) Is it respectable for women in Muslim countries to work? (This question
addresses factors such as Islam, tradition, a woman’s role as a mother, mixed-gender
workplaces, demography and legal restrictions) (3) In which sectors do women work?
(sectors and leadership positions) (4) What is the relation of female labour to the
economy? (impact of economic situation, economic landscape, globalisation, and
importance of female employment for the economy).
The result is that educational opportunities for women in Muslim countries do not
translate into equal chances in the labour market. Regarding STEM fields the
employment of women ranges from gender equality to nearly no opportunities at all,
depending on the country. The small numbers are most likely due to the lower position
of women in society, the generally less opportunities for women in the labour market
and women’s rights issues.
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 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.
Corporate Culture is more and more becoming an important factor to be competitive in the constantly changing environment. Technology as well as generation (in this case generation Y/millennials) and organizational structures are influencing the organizational performance and culture. The shift from hierarchical to networked structured organizations has an impact on the collaboration within and outside the company. Organizations need to find new ways to transmit theirs corporate culture, reach their employees and support collaboration.
Enterprise 2.0 tools are one of the newest tools of this century. Facebook and other social media platforms are already celebrating great success. So why shouldn’t it be able to reach this success in terms of internal use of social tools? And how does Enterprise 2.0 tools influence others aspects of the organizations which may as well have an impact on the corporate culture?
Testing applications for SmartHome environments is quite complicated, since a real environment is not accessible or the conditions are not controllable during development time. The need to set up the whole hardware environment, increase the complexity of these systems enormously. Therefore, it is helpful to simulate the SmartHome hardware components and environment conditions (e.g. rain, heat, etc.). This paper contains an approach to improve the test and demonstration process of Internet of Things scenarios. A prototype (ScnSim: Scenario Simulator) was developed to set up scenarios. The user of the ScnSim can create her/his own scenario using items (sensors/actuators) and rules, which control the sensors and actors building the IoT enviornment. This simulator is supposed to support the user testing IoT applications or configurations of SmartHome platforms like openHAB. In addition, the ScnSim is supposed to help demonstrating showcases, for example, often demonstrated on a trade fair or as a proof of concept for a customer.
The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how small and medium enterprises in Germany are dealing with the increasing importance of the cultural diversity within a company which is caused by the complex growth of the external economic factors through the rising internationalization as well as the demographical change, whereby the integration of international skilled employees is seen as a key role.
The first part of the thesis focuses on the framework between the basic component of the topic, the value of the company’s culture which is based on Hofstede´s theoretical approach, and diversity management. The following part indicates on one hand the opportunities as well as the threats which can arise when implementing an intercultural integration approach. This comparison should give the possibility to get a better overview of how complex the topic is and how many influencing factors are to be considered for a successful integration. The thesis then covers strategic aspects of how to proceed. Thereby it refers to the acculturation model of Berry and his four acculturation strategies. Furthermore, the comparison of the assimilation and segregation approaches are mentioned and analysed as well as their golden mean. The method to underline the theoretical part is supported by interviews. These interviews, which were held with two “best-practice” companies as well as one independent diversityexpert, give the possibility to get a real overview of how companies deal with this approach and which problems as well as advantages they are facing. The interviews which are not only held with the manager rather than German and foreign employees are important to get a feeling how companies handle the intercultural integration on different hierarchical levels which might prove useful in discovering potential in their own company.
The conclusion of the thesis is that cultural homogenous societies rarely exist today, which means that the cultural diversity shouldn’t be seen as a trend rather than a constant conditionality. Small and medium enterprises should also stop seeing the downside to their size rather than their advantages which also come with their size. Companies have to build a true understanding and consciousness in order to create a cultural diverse friendly environment. Nevertheless, in an ideal case a company does not see the cultural diversity as something special, but more likely as something normal, regardless from which cultural background an employee is, he or she is a member of the company.
To warn or not to warn? Towards an assistance strategy that reduces unnecessary collision alerts
(2017)
Software Defined Privacy
(2017)