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Course of studies
Data Recording System for Anesthesiology, Patient Monitor and Surgical Devices in Operating Rooms
(2019)
Corporate debt volumes in emerging market economies have been increasing greatly post 2007-2008 financial crisis. Debt levels have increased across the globe however, the pace is faster in emerging markets than in advance markets. Major countries in emerging economies such as Brazil, Russian Federation, India and China (BRIC) have a large and concentrated share in growing corporate debts. Although, both company specific factors and macro level factors have impacted the corporate borrowings leading to depressed corporate earnings, financial strains and capital outflows in emerging markets the impact of company specific factors is highly pertinent and demands research. The rise in debt levels has affected the return on earnings (ROEs) of the corporate companies which in turn is adversely impacting emerging economy and its financial stability. This paper has empirically tested for the explaining effects of rising corporate debts and changing return on assets (ROAs) on ROEs of emerging market corporate by establishing a multiple regression model. A sample of 100 corporate companies from BRIC countries has been taken to test the model. The test results confirm the importance of corporate debts in predicting ROEs and possible financial strains. Finally, the regression model has been used to estimate ROEs of these corporate companies for the next 5 years with specific recommendation and policy implication to avoid financial crisis.
Globalisation has significantly shaped the way international organisations operate nowadays. The increased connectivity is continuously raising the number of global virtual teams, connecting employees across borders for project work. With cultural diversity, geographic dispersion and virtuality increasing the complexity of collaboration, the leadership of virtual teams constitutes a critical challenge. Consequently, the topic of leadership and its behavioural implications is progressively gaining businesses’ attention. However, due to limited research in this field, this thesis aims at identifying whether and how leadership behaviour affects virtual team collaboration, specifically between German leaders and Chinese team members.
After outlining behavioural characteristics of virtual leaders as presented by literature, the empirical research focuses on expert interviews with German virtual leaders. Here, a specific focus is put on their perceptions of their Chinese teams, the emerging challenges, their behaviours and the creation of a new virtual culture.
The results show the importance of leadership behaviour in this setting. They emphasise the effect it has on the virtual team members and provide recommendations with regards to behavioural adaptation to master this challenge.
The growth of Islamic banking is evident from its presence in over 60 countries and the establishment of Islamic branches by major conventional banks. Despite its small share in global financial assets, there is extensive literature examining the performance of Islamic banks. Some researchers claim that Islamic finance is imitating conventional banks and it has therefore become necessary to understand the business model of Islamic banks. This bachelor thesis reviews theoretical and empirical literature to identify differences between Islamic and conventional banks. The objective is to examine the stability of Islamic banking by comparing performance indicators on capitalization, stability, profitability and efficiency. The results indicate that competitive pressure leads Islamic banks to deviate from their principles which promote profit and loss sharing (PLS). The preference for PLS lies within the fact that profit is earned on actual performance. Deposits in Islamic banking may also be structured according to PLS and it is observed that Islamic banks distribute profits even if they earned a loss to prevent withdrawal. Although Islamic banks tend to be better capitalized and more profitable than conventional banks, the data on their stability and liquidity are inconclusive. Data gathered on efficiency indicate that Islamic banks are more profit efficient while conventional banks are more cost efficient. Islamic banks seem to spend more on remuneration and training which positively impacts managerial competence. The limitation of this paper is that the reviewed empirical studies are based on different sample sets. In addition, Islamic banks might not pursue the same practice everywhere as Shariah law is based on interpretation. This leads to differences in what is considered Shariah-compliant and therefore reduces the comparison’s reliability.
A Fog-Cloud Computing Infrastructure for Condition Monitoring and Distributing Industry 4.0 Services
(2019)
This paper explores the different techniques used by search engine optimizers to increase a website ́s ranking, thus visibility. The author focuses on modern methods from the areas of On-Page and Off-Page SEO. Findings, gathered through a literature review, conclude that SEO has become a more complex process, as search engines algorithm have advanced; transforming from a pure technical optimization to a more user-oriented optimization. Furthermore, the paper identifies several areas that a webmaster can use to collect data to monitor a website ́s performance. In addition, insights into what the data can have for a meaning, are given. The paper finales with a brief overview of various ways to monetize a website.
The present bachelor dissertation deals with the increasing popularity and attractiveness of fitness studios in the German market, the resulting competition and the possibility to differentiate oneself by adapting various marketing measures. The classical marketing mix and its existing instruments are explained in detail, and the possibility to use them in the area of sport and explicit fitness is reviewed. The effectiveness and application of the instruments are then explained using the example of McFIT, which has become the current market leader through their successful use. A competition analysis comparing McFIT and two competitors in the German market helps to identify existing strengths and weaknesses and compare the companies.
The main focus of this thesis will be to shed light on the existence of cognitive biases. As many researchers, such as Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, have proven in the last five decades, people are not always as rational as they would like to believe. It is important to understand the origin of this irrational behaviour as well as its implications on judgements and decisions. Furthermore, cognitive biases also have a significant influence on consumers’ buying behaviour and decision-making. Through extensive research in secondary as well as primary data it will be shown how much of an influence the cognitive biases anchoring, hyperbolic discounting, loss aversion, endowment effect and decoy effect have on consumer buying behaviour. Additionally, recommendations of how these influences can be used in marketing will be given.
An Analysis of the Recent Developments in the Competitive Situation of the German Airline Industry
(2019)
This study analyzes the competitive situation of the German airline industry for short-and medium-haul flights. Developments within the industry’s market structure and its concentration as well as its attractivity are assessed with the help of a supply-and demand-model as well as an H.H.I. Index calculation and the utilization of the Five Forces Model. This is followed by an evaluation of the operations of the largest carriers in the course of a value chain, to determine how the incumbent operator Lufthansa is affected by the developments within the industry also in regard to competitive positioning. The study is finalized with a SWOT analysis in order to give recommendations as to how Lufthansa can improve its positioning and to see how the industry will develop further in the future. The results indicate a development from a monopoly to a Bertrand oligopoly with intense competition based on price, a trend that is further confirmed by high market concentration indicating an increase in power for the top three airlines but also more fierce rivalry between those carriers. The current market environment is notparticularly attractive and therefore difficult to operate in, especially for Lufthansa as a premium full-service carrier. Lufthansa’s largest difficulties are created by its high operational and personnel cost compared to its low-cost competitors. These expenses can be reduced by strategic investments into digitization and automation along with a fleet modernization in order to benefit from technological trends and meet the demand of the future’s passenger.
With the constant changes in the workplace environment, Human Resources practitioners and organizations are facing work environment shifts never experienced before. The future workplace consists of four generations working simultaneously (Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z) and there is a significant increase in the presence of technology, that advances and increases its potential exponentially, causing conceptual changes on what work is and what will be required to optimally operate in such environment. Therefore, the topic of generational differences is in the center of companies and researches’ attention. The main purpose of this paper is to propose knowledge sharing practices that can optimize the inclusion process of the multigenerational workforce. To achieve this purpose, secondary empirical data on generational differences, especially focused on work attitudes, ethics, and values were used. In addition, an in-depth interview with a Human Resources practitioner was conducted. The outcome was the proposal of five knowledge sharing practices, that this paper believes to promote long-term optimal results in multigenerational inclusion.
Smart Condition Monitoring for Industry 4.0 Manufacturing Processes: An Ontology-Based Approach
(2019)
The topic of sexism in advertising has attracted the attention of many scholars for more than four decades now. It is 2019, and the topic remains current and open to debate.
This study explores the relationship between sexism in advertising and society’s views on the roles of men and women on the basis of German dwellers. The investigation has been conducted based on significant theories and current examples and reinforced with empirical data collected from a survey. The results showed that most of the participants surveyed thought that men and women were not being accurately pictured in advertising. In addition, those who have cataloged an ad as sexist disagreed with that content reflecting their opinion about the roles that men and women play within society. Moreover, it was observed that factors like age and occupation have an influence on both the recognition of sexism in advertising and the conception on gender roles.
Due to the recent political and economic events of the so called U.S.-China Trade War, the media broadcasted extensively about both parties placing tariffs on each other. This situation impacts heavily on global value chains and brings an increasing focus on GVCs in terms of an economic upgrading in China. A re-examination of the bilateral trade relationships of China and its value added on export products becomes an interesting topic which deserves to be analyzed. In order to understand how GVCs function in international trade and their impact on public and private sectors, an overview of GVCs is presented. Using one of the successful examples of GVCs, this paper focuses on China’s high-tech industry and aims to evaluate its role in GVCs. By reviewing the transformation and development of high-tech industry in China, this paper provides insights into the change of industrial structure and current challenges during the transitional phase. By analyzing statistical data from Input-Output Table for China’s most advanced sectors – computer, electronic and optical products – this paper found out that China’s role of GVCs has changed overtime. More precisely, there is a trend of moving towards knowledge- and service-intensive sectors.
In the economy, it is always important to respond adequately to the wants of customers in order to satisfy their needs. The fashion industry in particular is strongly affected by the fast pace of life, which is why it is particularly important for companies in this sector to adapt their brands and their products to the current market. In order to work successoriented, the companies have to align themselves with the existing generations, whereby the companies increasingly adapt their products to the generation Y. However, Generation Y will soon be outnumbered by Generation Z. Therefore, the aim of this work is to find a suitable future-oriented marketing strategy for the fashion industry in Germany that successfully targets Generation Z while taking social milieus into consideration for defining the target audience. The first part of the thesis comprises the presentation of different theories to elucidate Generation Z and to present various approaches to milieu research. In order to answer the research question, an empirical research was conducted with Generation Z as the target audience. The study relies on quantitative data collection via primary research. The analysis of the collected data shows the current perception of Generation Z towards fashion companies, their brands and the use of social media channels. As a result, an improved social media strategy combined with appropriate communication between companies and customers is needed to reach Generation Z more widely, create brand loyalty and strengthen the company's position in the market.
Companies operating in the grocery industry are facing low customer loyalty, resulting in strong customer switching behaviour. Additionally, the high similarity of the products predominantly prevents them from deriving benefits from switching barriers. As these issues represent decisive interfering factors for a sustainable and successful business, we intend to examine possible customer retention strategies, which target an increase in customer loyalty. We aim to identify the most appropriate reward strategy in the context of customer loyalty for direct sellers in the grocery industry.
In order to compare and evaluate different possibilities, we conducted an empirical study. Our study focuses on the concrete case of bofrost*, a representative of direct sellers. A total of about 430 bofrost* customer panel members participated in an online survey. With four different survey versions, four customer groups were influenced by different specific customer retention strategies. After being confronted with unfavourable situations, participants had to state how likely they would recommend the company, intend to stay loyal to the company and abstain from competitive offers.
The survey data reveals no significant differences among the four groups. Therewith, based on the study results, we cannot diagnose the best strategy. Nevertheless, based on the theory of cognitive dissonance, we highly recommend bofrost* and other direct sellers to surprise the customer with a present, namely with a T-shirt, discreetly embroidered with the company logo. Furthermore, this research highlights the specific potential of direct sellers - especially in the grocery industry - to reinforce relational switching costs by implementing this suggested customer retention strategy. Thereby, companies can strengthen customer loyalty in the long-term and are able to prevent customers from churning. Moreover, company-specific recommendations of action are provided to bofrost*.
This research creates value to direct sellers, specifically of the grocery industry, by offering a foundation for decisionmaking regarding the design of a sustainably effective customer retention strategy. This takes companies a step closer to the increase of customer loyalty, which is essential in the light of a highly competitive market in which own customers are likely to get attracted from competitors.
Many Researches on values of IT investment have produced mixed results. There has never been a clear definition regarding what is the values of IT investment. Some researchers used productivity as an indicator for value, some other used financial figures to measure the value. However, the result is never consistent. This research investigates the value of Treasury Management System's implementation without limiting the definition of values. The findings show that IT investments are often followed by business process reengineering and have a role as decision support system. Furthermore, IT investments are most likely to improve the information quality produced from the system. Therefore, the evaluation of IT investments needs to consider the qualitative values as well
This research explores the meaning of inclusive behavior of team leaders and members in the context of GVTs. The author focuses on implicit biases underlying inclusive behaviors. By investigating biases, this bachelor thesis provides a collection of exemplary behavior and best practices to overcome them.
As inclusive behavior in GVTs is a field of expertise that has not been explored extensively in relation to implicit biases, this research aims to add to the existing research.
It is based on primary and secondary data. The literature review is used to develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges of GVTs, the leadership responsibilities, and building trust. It also investigates team effectiveness on the example of Project Aristotle as well as the impact of implicit biases on GVTs. Survey results and in-depth interviews with members of two GVTs uncover realistic examples for the aspects comprised in the literature review.
The results show that literature and reality correspond to a large extent. Furthermore, they reveal the impact of different levels of inclusive behaviors on teams’ ability to work together over a distance. While GVTs face many challenges, they see new opportunities in technology to extend beyond those.
The conclusion centers the importance of various communication channels and informal encounters as key to inclusive behaviors for GVT. Moreover, limitations to the research and a critical assessment for future research are discussed in the conclusion.
Where new players undermine long-established successful organizations, so-called “incumbents”, the power of disruptive innovations becomes visible. As disruptions affect each industry at a point in time, a phase of transition and restructuring threatens car manufacturers to lose shares of their after-sales business.
This bachelor thesis aims to recommend a strategic direction for OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and to address the following research questions: (1) how can disruptive innovations be identified, and to which extend is the automotive aftermarket susceptible for such? And (2) how can incumbents, in particular OEMs in the aftermarket, manage disruptions to remain successful in the long-term?
For answering these, a literature analysis was carried out, based on the Theory of Disruptive Innovations and high-quality scientific journals. Moreover, the aftermarket was analyzed primarily based on market studies conducted by consulting firms and its disruptive susceptibility was assessed by applying Klenner et al.’s theoretical framework.
Overall, this thesis identified that a balance between stability and disruptiveness is decisive to survive as an incumbent in the long-term. In order to manage disruptive innovations, scoring and analysis models are recommended for identification, whereby a response may include acquisition or cooperation with a disruptor and its technology. Furthermore, the study has revealed that above all adapting the organization, including mindset, culture and processes to the market, supports the creation of disruptions. The findings of the aftermarket analysis and thereof based assessment showed that its susceptibility for disruptive innovations is medium to high, whereby digital platforms have most potential. Furthermore, the market analysis indicated that car manufacturers should use their own advantages and build up an ecosystem while making use of customer and vehicle data.
The use of social media for marketing purposes has already begun replacing virtually all traditional marketing practices in order to cater to a generation of digital natives and young festival goers – a trend that can be especially observed in the music industry today. For all that, not all marketers of music festivals are fully informed about the necessity of a well-developed and multifaceted social media strategy. The goal of this study was to explore the topic of strategic social media in music festival organizations and to derive a model upon which music festival organizations can establish and form their social media strategy more effectively. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted and a combined social media model for assessing social media strategies of music festival organizations was proposed. Six prevailing themes pertaining to social media strategy that were identified constitute the model: 1. Channel selection and evaluation, 2. Audience analysis, 3. Communication style, 4. Social media content, 5. Social monitoring and risk management, and 6. Roles and responsibilities. In the second part of this study, a qualitative research design employing interviews and a case study was used in order to explore strategic social media use in leading festivals in Serbia, Croatia and North Macedonia. The findings of this study reveal about the impact of specific social media platforms, the use of analytics tools for gathering audience insights, the two-way interactive communication with the fans, the efficiency of content resulting from co-creation, the role and importance of PR in social media, as well as the position of social media in the organization and the staffing approach for social media marketing.
The age of connectivity has come with maximum convenience, variety and transparency for shoppers. In light of an increasingly informed consumer with a trained eye for inauthentic marketing, traditional brick-and-mortar retail has recognised the need for differentiation from online competitors. As a consequence, retailers are progressively moving away from transaction-focused retailing to the creation of multi-sensory and emotionally engaging customer experiences through experiential retailing.
As a means of showcasing the brand, experiential retailing is particularly gaining popularity among consumer electronics brands. However, considering the high cost and non-transactional focus of experiential retailing, the question arises whether this approach creates long-term benefits for the brand. Therefore, this bachelor thesis aims to identify whether experiential retailing constitutes a viable branding tool for consumer electronics. Upon establishing a relationship between the concepts of experiential retailing and branding based on literature review, this paper uses qualitative research to investigate the implications of this relationship as perceived by a brand representative and consumers. The analysis of the conducted expert and focus group interviews, identifies experiential retailing as a means of increasing brand awareness, whilst addressing other brand constructs such as brand experience and brand loyalty. With respect to this, this paper substantiates the applicability of experiential retailing as a branding tool for consumer electronics.
Decisions are made every day, every second of our lives, and are particularly important in a business context. Projects, from their objectives to their ending are a sum of organized and unorganized decisions where facts and data battle with human nature.
In this paper, we will analyse how those decisions are organized in project management, and in general.
After having defined extensively project Management, Decision-Making and their link, a new structure of decision-making will be presented. It is composed of seven steps:
1. Establishing the objectives
2. Identify and define the challenge
3. Analyse the challenge
4. Find solutions and alternatives
5. Evaluate alternatives
6. Choosing the best solution
7. Implementing the decision.
This structure is based on Simon, Drucker, Rolstadås and other researchers’ work. It completes and extends former models in order to go beyond classical schemes.
Everyone, from the CEO to the road sweeper goes through these steps, consciously or unconsciously. Of course, all responsibilities and stakes proportionally adapted.
According to the size of the project, the consequences of the decision, the risks and many other factors, this theoretical structure shifts to fit the needs and becomes less “heavy”, being reduced to its simple titles, becoming usable for simpler tasks.
Even though this structure identifies as instinctive and easy to use, it comes out managers rarely follow formal models or strict rules in projects and decision-making. Detailed models are more suited to strategic decisions and projects, as well as during the preparation of a project.
It is important to note that we are not looking for the way to take a “good” decision, but how to take a “right” decision, as the point is to analyse the process.
This thesis is assigned by Carestream Dental in order to implement a launch plan of the Showpad (A Sales Enablement Platform) application in the EMEA region for the sales and marketing teams. To ensure successful implementation, a thorough analysis was conducted in order to review and established the necessity of the Showpad application. It was imperative to build an implementation plan before the launch. The application was structured and tested among the sales and marketing team to examine the benefits of the application before making any decisions about the Launch. The purpose of this thesis was:
To understand the full capabilities of the platform for sales and marketing.
To define and build a structure that fits the EMEA sales needs.
To this effect, build an implementation plan for a successful launch of the platform. Studying whether the application would add value to the sales and marketing team processes. This thesis was executed as quantitative research collecting data through primary research. A survey was conducted to find out whether the marketing and sales team found the platform useful for them and how they experienced the built-in structure and layout. The purpose of Showpad was to enable our sales and marketing work more efficiently when it comes to having materials for their working needs and the platform was intended to replace previous system, the decision to launch was based on their opinions and experiences. A workshop was organized with the sales and marketing representative as part of implementation plan to discuss internal and external processes of usage. The first step was to roll-out for internal marketing and sales and the second step to launch for external dealers. The overall look and feel of the platform was created in alignment with the Carestream Dental branding guidelines. The structure of the platform was built based on the sales needs and information collected during the workshop. The structure was clear, and content found easy to access in comparison to the platform already in place like Sharepoint. The platform improved the alignment and communication between the marketing and sales team to a good extent.
How value is perceived has a large influence on the purchase decisions of customers. Previous studies have focused mainly on the value perception of customers, but which role does the value perception of a seller play and what impact does it have on a sales conversation? Is the value of a product or service perceived equally by the seller and the customer or is there a significant difference?
In this research we will specifically focus on the tourism industry and find out how sellers and customers perceive the value of a package holiday. A total of 50 sellers and 100 customers participated in our survey and the results show, that there is a significant difference in the perceived value of the offered package holiday between sellers and customers. The sellers tend to perceive value lower than the customers and in addition, the sellers’ value perception is characterized by a lower variability. Furthermore, when it comes to estimating how the other side perceives value, our results show the opposite of what the respondents expected.
This research has the potential to provide an insight into the mind of the sales person and lead to a better understanding of sales psychology.
Knowledge Sharing in Enterprise Social Networks - Exploring the use of the Aesculap GMS Magazine
(2019)
This study assesses the usage of the Aesculap GMS Magazine, an Enterprise Social Network dedicated to the employees of the Global Marketing and Sales area at the Aesculap division of the B. Braun Melsungen AG, with particular focus on knowledge sharing. To address this issue, the purpose of this study is to explore the users’ perceptions, as well as the strengths and weaknesses and usage enablers and barriers of the Aesculap GMS Magazine via a group discussion with four potential users, semi-structured interviews with two experts and an employee survey. The interviews and the group discussion were recorded and analyzed and the survey was assessed with descriptive statistics. Results show that the vast majority is satisfied with the Aesculap GMS Magazine and does not perceive any barrier that hinder them from engaging in knowledge sharing. This data was further processed in a Scoring Model which finally resulted in a prioritization of various alternative measures that will be useful for the future of the Aesculap GMS Magazine.
In this work we will study this field with a very concrete example, which is the large American multinational Amazon. We will talk more particularly about customer centric supply chain, which is still different from supply chain management. While analyzing this special form of supply chain management, we will also look at its potential impact on today's society with the international distribution market. First, we will define the main aspects of the work such as supply chain management, Amazon, e-commerce and customer experience. Then we will analyze the company's customer centric supply chain. Finally, we will study the possible consequences of the company on the international distribution market.
Many articles claim that the structure of a self-organizing team achieves the highest level of agility. Therefore, this paper examines the assumption about the agility of self-organizing teams. This is done through a qualitative secondary research which answers the following questions:
1. What are the required attributes for a workforce to be agile?
2. What are the characteristics and attributes of self-organizing teams?
3. Do self-organizing teams fulfill the requirements of an agile workforce? If yes, how?
Through literature reviews the requirements that make a workforce agile and the characteristics of self-organizing teams are observed. It is considered that if the characteristics (which makes up the structure) of self-organizing teams fulfill the requirements of an agile workforce, this claim is then believed to be valid.
The results of such an examination shows that an agile workforce needs to be empowered, capable and competent, adaptive and flexible, team oriented, cooperative and collaborative and continuously given feedback and trained. Similarly, the observed characteristics of self-organizing teams describe them to be autonomous, communicative and collaborative, redundant and reconfigurable, cross-functional, team oriented and capable of learning.
Through an analysis of the findings, it is confirmed that self-organizing teams fulfill the basic requirements of an agile workforce. Therefore, self-organizing teams are considered to be agile. Finally, companies that seek agility are advised to adopt the structure of self-organizing teams.
Due to changes in the labour market, the share of atypical employment in Germany has risen substantially. This has implications on the old-age provision of the persons concerned, since the German pension framework has been primarily developed for persons under standard employment. The analysis shows that the statutory pension insurance discriminates against the self employed, since their entry into the system is only provided in an atypical manner. Marginally and part time employed often fail to accumulate entitlements and thus their risk of old-age poverty is high. Moreover, the quantitative assessment of the statutory pension framework unveils that independent retirement planning is in conflict with the statutory basic income provision as it undermines individual efforts. In the light of a changing work environment and the rise of the digital economy, future trends are posing challenge on the German system. Those require reforms, in order to ensure a higher accessibility of more flexible employment forms into the statutory pension insurance as well as other types of state-subsidised retirement plans.
Time – Made in Germany
(2019)
This paper describes current issues regarding regulatory requirements in medical devices with a focus on data-driven / AI based approaches. It shows that the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) sets high requirements to assess product performance based on systematically collected data, whereas the collection of data is difficult in the EU. Contrary, it demonstrates that the FDA is currently very active in supporting the development of software based systems in the US with dedicated regulatory programs. In particular, it pursues more dynamic approaches for releasing software devices. The overall situation favors developments in the US. Thus, the paper surveys a program to support local entities on adapting AI technologies.
After the Second World War and especially in the early 70s a new phenomenon arose – today widely known as globalization. It eliminated barriers and thus increased international competition. Companies such as Siemens, General Electrics and Procter & Gamble were forced to act globally in order to stay competitive and therefore they had to redefine their businesses in a strategic and internationally oriented manner. As one of a company’s most essential departments, human resources was tremendously forced to adapt to the changed business environment. Language skills, cultural awareness and global mobility were only a few new requirements in human resources.
Early in the beginning of globalization, large companies recognized the opportunity to outsource specific departments with the goal of cost-saving and resource bundling. Manufacturing was and still is a predestined department to make use of outsourcing, whereas the situation for other departments including IT, procurement and human resources is more complex. The main fear is losing control to the outsourcing partner. Main departments with a strategic importance for the overall success are therefore only conditionally suitable for outsourcing. Companies need to ask themselves, how much control over their human capital they are willing to sacrifice for saving costs and staying competitive. With the purpose to evade this conflict of objectives, companies seek for a hybrid model, which allowed them maintaining control and cutting costs at the same time.
In the early 70s, first companies found the solution in the Shared Service Center model, which then rapidly spread throughout a number of countries and industries. Human Resources Shared Service Centers can be defined as a hybrid model, combining advantages and avoiding disadvantages of outsourcing and decentralization of Human Resources. The Shared Service Center model is expected to lower costs, improve efficiency and service quality, and enable organizations to better focus on core functions. Although the strategy seems only having advantages, there are many aspects to consider in the pre-implementation phase. Moving to the Shared Service Center model represents an immense strategic project, including high risk, costs and impact on the overall success. For this reason, the project needs to be well planned, designed, implemented, monitored
and evaluated from the right people, at the right time and at the right place. Any small mistakes made during the project might have an unpredictable and irreversible impact and prevent the company from benefiting of the Shared Service Center model or might even force the organization to stop the project completely. Before deciding to implement Shared Service Centers, companies need to accept that there is neither guarantee for success nor a universally valid success strategy. Best and worst practices will be discovered during the transition at the earliest and a success evaluation can only happen in the post-transition phase. Although the Shared Service Center model is not a recent trend as it found first-time application many decades ago, the topic remains relevant as many companies still hesitate implementing this risky strategy. Some organizations succeeded, others failed and returned to their old approach while some are currently in the transition phase.
Before deciding to move to the Shared Service Center model, one of the top pharma company’s was facing the same issues as other companies on such a scale. The management increasingly felt the pressure to offer the same or an even better service quality at a lower price. Changing the strategy and implementing Shared Service Centers across the globe was seen as the most promising solution. The large pharma company with employees of many nationalities worldwide offers a huge variety of cultures, which can be seen as a chance, but also as an obstacle on the way to a successful Shared Service Center implementation. Primarily, the company has to consider that the project might not work in the same pace, quality and method for all countries. Finding best practices for all countries is a desirable goal, yet not easy to achieve.
Cultural considerations for Germans working with Japanese in virtual teams for project management
(2019)
In today’s globalized and multinational working world, being part of a team that uses technology in order to cross distance, time zones and even organizations, a so-called virtual team is becoming increasingly common. While extensive research on this topic is available, most of the current research is very theoretical and only in part useful for a member of a virtual team in order to enhance performance. A clear guideline on how to effectively work in an intercultural virtual team is not existent at this point.
This research, aims to produce a clear guideline for Germans working in virtual teams with Japanese in the style of the Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide. Identifying the key challenges of virtual teams and the specific cultural differences of Germans and Japanese, based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model are the starting point for this research. Due to the specificity and the novelty of this research a grounded theory approach has been taken and in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 Japanese employees, who regularly work in virtual teams with Germans. Grounded in the experiences and challenges of the participants, the findings help construct a guideline for Germans working with Japanese in virtual teams.
Results are structured according to 4 of the key challenges virtual teams face: trust, communication, leadership and technology/knowledge sharing. The guideline addresses the different communication styles of Japanese and Germans, differences in hierarchical thinking as well as the more collectivistic point of view of many Japanese. The guideline, that has been produced, is intended as a quick guide including recommendations for Germans to enhance their virtual team work with Japanese.
Purpose – To empirically examine the impact of a set of influencing factors on B-to-B sales call success from a buyer, salesperson and neuroscientific perspective
Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was conducted to find potential non-economic influencing factors and a set of hypotheses was generated. Subsequently, findings were verified through an expert interview. Then two surveys examining the buyer and sales perspective were carried out and hypotheses were tested. Lastly, results were aimed to be explained from a neuroscientific perspective.
Findings – The results show that trust, emotion and empathy are positively correlated to sales call success. However, communication, listening skills, empathy, appearance and personality variables were on average still perceived as somewhat important for sales call success by both survey groups. Neuroscientific literature could provide insights into the effects of trust, emotion, appearance and extroversion on sales call outcome.
Research limitations – The sample size permits only a general analysis and conclusions. Buyers participating in the survey tended to evaluate sales calls as rather successful, leading to an underrepresentation of “unsuccessful” sales calls in the data set. Neuroscientific literature provided insights but could not fully explain the suggested model.
Practical implications – Emotional and non-economic factors including trust, positive emotion and empathy should be part of a successful sales methodology so that the effects of these factors are considered to improve the outcome of sales calls
Many articles claim that the successful management of organizational change is from utmost importance to ensure the survival and prosperity of the company in the fast moving and ever-changing business environment. There are various techniques, models and theories that were created to help companies to cope with organizational change.
This thesis aims to conduct secondary research to answer the following research questions:
1. Are change management models still relevant in the 21st century concerning their applicability and expected outcome?
2. How can the Change Management models be compared?
3. What role does leadership play in organizational change management?
Therefore, the following eight change management models are considered:
• Lewin’s Change Model
• ADKAR Model
• Kotter’s 8-Step Model
• Kübler-Ross Change Curve
• McKinsey’s 7s Model
• Nudge Theory
• Bridges Transition Model
• The Satir change management model
It can be concluded that the eight change management models are still relevant in the 21st century but the implementation must be well planned and precisely organized and implemented in a faster pace than in the past. The models can be divided into two categories - organizational and individual change management theories. Through an analysis of the findings it can be stated that good leadership of the ongoing organizational change is indispensable. There is no doubt in the fact that change management needs to be well managed but in order to be well comprehended by the employees and sustained, effective leadership is necessary. It can be summarized that effective leadership of organizational
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change needs to combine the intellectual, spiritual, emotional and behavioral dimension with a strong focus on vision, values, corporate culture, strategy, empowerment of the employees, motivation as well as inspiration.