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The interest in topics such as the environment, health and sustainability has increased dramatically in recent years, due to concerns about global warming and demographic change, giving way to the concept of “green branding”.
This bachelor thesis proposes the application of a green branding strategy in order to position Irish agri-food products in the German grocery retail market, and explores its potential effectiveness and current relevance. Firstly, this work intends to offer an overall understanding of the characteristics and implications of a green branding strategy. Secondly, it analyses the connection with Ireland as a country of origin for agri-food products, by putting forward the different arguments for its suitability for the respective products. Finally, the key learnings regarding the successful implementation of a green branding strategy are discussed, based on a real-life best-practice case.
This research employed previous academic and trade literature to develop a theoretical foundation for understanding the concept of green branding in a marketing context. Various forms of industry, consumer and retail insights were used to identify the extent of demand for green brands in Germany and to analyse strength and weaknesses of the Irish agri-food industry in this regard.
An expert interview with the Marketing Manager for Kerrygold in Germany was conducted to uncover points arising from the best-practice application of a green branding strategy.
The findings indicate that there is significant theoretical and practical evidence to suggest that the application of a green branding would be an effective positioning strategy for Irish agri-food in the German consumer market.
Die SICK STEGMANN GmbH verkauft ihre Motor-Feedback-Systeme als Komponenten zum Einbau in Servo-, Linear- und Torquemotoren verkauft. Die Motoren werden wiederrum in Maschinen und Anlagen verbaut. Vor allem Motoren mit Einkabeltechnologie, die durch die Schnittstelle HIPERFACE DSL® von SICK bereitgestellt wird, gelten als entscheidender Vorteil für den Maschinenbauer, der dadurch letztlich einen geringeren Verkabelungsaufwand hat. Das Problem entsteht dabei, dass der Maschinenbauer nur den fertigen Motor sieht und die Produkte von SICK als Komponenten für ihn nicht ersichtlich sind. Weiterhin gewinnen umfangreiche Servicestrukturen immer mehr an Bedeutung, diese hatten in der Vergangenheit in der Business Unit „Motor-Feedback-Systeme“ einen geringen Stellenwert. Die Thesis soll klären, inwieweit der Wandel vom Komponentenhersteller hin zum Service- und Solution Provider vollzogen werden kann und welche Positionierungsmaßnahmen dafür notwendig sind. Im Rahmen von Experteninterviews und einer internen Kundenbefragung mit Hilfe eines standardisierten Fragebogens wird der Ist-Zustand beschrieben und daraufhin eine Soll-Analyse zur Klärung der Forschungsfragen abgeleitet. Die Analysen zeigen, dass Veränderungen auf Produkt- und Serviceseite notwendig sind, um vermehrt Maschinenbauer anzusprechen und hier einen Kaufwunsch zu platzieren. Im Detail beschäftigt sich die Thesis mit der Ausarbeitung neuer Positionierungsstrategien für Motor-Feedback-Systeme und Services. Ferner werden Handlungsempfehlungen zu weiteren strategischen Überlegungen beschrieben. Die Evaluierung schließt die Bachelorthesis ab.
"Wie beim 'Weißen Hai'"
(2019)
The presented paper analyzes share repurchase announcements of currently DAX, MDAX and SDAX listed companies during the 20-year span of 1998 to 2018. The findings show a significantly lower average abnormal return on the announcement day (1.937%) and a lower cumulative average abnormal return around the announcement day (1.943%) than previous studies reported. Moreover, the medium-term cumulative abnormal returns are found to be significant and positive (2.70%). This study finds evidence for the signaling hypothesis, which states the intention behind the repurchase of a company being a perceived undervaluation.
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.
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 bachelor thesis deals with the use of the agile project management methodology in Enterprise Resource Planning implementations. With regards to the most recent trend of the use of the agile methodology for ERP Implementations, it will be examined if it plays a role as a critical factor for successful implementations.
The examination in the thesis will be divided into three steps.
Firstly, the theoretical foundations regarding the elements under examination will be laid by defining and analyzing the ERP Systems, the critical factors and the agile methodology.
Secondly, an empirical two-section examination will be held, with the aim of finding out which role the project management methodology plays for success in general, if the agile methodology proves to be more beneficial than other methods and if these advantages could be critical for success.
The last step involves the analysis and evaluation of the newly gained insights, their boundaries and a view on other potential research possibilities.
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.
Over the decades, several reasons like globalization, pressure from large counterparts (SMEs suppliers and customers), outstanding performances and advantages of competitors have driven SMEs to adopt standardized and integrated Enterprise resources planning (ERP) systems. However, implementing an ERP system is a very complex and risky project mainly for SMEs which can lead to ERP implementation ineffectiveness. There are many causes of ERP ineffectiveness, but important one mainly for SMEs is a lacking connection to organizational behavior (including structure and culture) during the ERP implementation, which may lead to misfits between existing organization behavior (structure and culture) and ERP systems because of two separate characters. The integration and standardization nature of ERP systems may not be compatible with all aspects of existing organizational behavior, and it is likely that some aspects or dimensions in organizational behavior influence the ERP implementation success or failure. Based on the theory of organizational structure and culture and the prior literature, this study examines which traditional organizational structure indicators (centralization and formalization), and on the other hand, culture indicators (team orientation and change orientation) affect the implementation of an ERP system. The finding ensures that a high degree of centralization and formalization dimensions of organizational structure has a positive, significant influence on ERP implementation effectiveness. Likewise, there is a positive and significant relationship between team orientation and change orientation of organizational culture with ERP project success. By analysing two firms of Estonia and Germany, this study declares that SMEs have a moderate attention towards their ERP implementation projects which shows that it is not always a problem of ERP implementation failure and proves that SMEs should be focusing not only on technical aspects of ERP system but on organizational aspects particularly on structure and culture as well that may increase the success chance of ERP implementation.
The aim of this study consists oftwo main objectives: First,to investigatethe penetration and preferences of fintech solutions from the payments sector within the studied population, as well as the elaboration of a forecast for the upcoming years.Second, to examinethe main elements that influence the intention of young customers when deciding to adopt fintech-basedpayment solutions. Existing research has tested several factorsfrom which the variables of trust, transaction efficiency and ease of use are included onthis paper. Additionally,the value-added propositionfrom this studyis represented by the incorporation of sustainability-related purposes into thisanalysiswith the intention of reflecting the increasing presence of efforts to integrate this component within thefinancial industryin recent years.A research model is proposed and tested by including elements based on theTechnology Adoption Model (TAM). By exploring the results of primary data through asurvey with 463 responses from university studentsandexamining secondary sourcesof information, the findings of this study demonstratethat all four tested variables have a positive impact on the intention of using fintech-based payment solutions.Sustainability-related purposes do not play a major role in the decision of using these apps, however, even with a minimal influence, theeffect on intention is positiveand statistically significant. The findings of this study pose important implications for stakeholders within the fintech spectrum whose purposes are related to increasing the intention of young consumers towards using these productsandto provide enoughevidence of the importance of designing incentives that fuel sustainability stewardshipwithin the financial sector.
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.
In einem ständig schneller werdenden Arbeitsumfeld, gewinnt heutzutage ein gutes Prozessmanagement immer mehr an Bedeutung um reibungslose, effiziente und schnelle Abläufe zu garantieren. Viele Unternehmen sind dazu angehalten, ihre Supply Chain und die dazugehörigen Prozesse zu optimieren um in den stark konkurrierenden Märkten eine gute Wettbewerbsposition zu besetzen (Becker, 2018).
Die Bacherlorthesis wurde bei der CeramTec GmbH, einem führenden Unternehmen in der Hochleistungskeramik, durchgeführt. Das Unternehmen konnte 2018 einen Umsatz von 600 Mio. Euro vorweisen und ist momentan stark interessiert daran, seine Prozesse an den unterschiedlichen Standorten zu standardisieren.
Im Zuge dessen wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit der Wareneingangs- und Versandprozess an vier Standorten zunächst analysiert und sowohl textuell, als auch graphisch in einem funktionsübergreifenden Flussdiagramm transparent dargestellt. Hierbei wurde bereits die unterschiedliche Handhabung sowie die nicht einheitliche Verantwortungsverteilung deutlich.
Nachfolgend wurden eine Schwachstellenanalyse und eine Gegenüberstellung der verschiedenen Standorte vollzogen. Dies dient der Übersicht und bietet die Grundlage für die Ableitung der Verbesserungspotenziale und der Erarbeitung von Handlungsempfehlungen.
Neben dem Prozesslebenszyklus bildet der PDCA-Zyklus, das Toyota Produktionssystem und das dazugehörige 3M – Modell die Basis der Prozessanalyse sowie der Prozessoptimierung.
Angesichts der Modellierung und der Gegenüberstellung konnten Ergebnisse generiert werden, die seitens des Unternehmens als Grundlage genutzt werden können, Maßnahmen in Richtung Standardisierung und Optimierung einzuleiten.
Finanzkrisen sind Störungen im gesunden Ablauf eines Finanzmarktes. Diese können negative Konsequenzen auf alle darin integrierten Akteure, wie auch auf die gesamte Wirtschaft haben. Die davon Betroffenen sind private Haushalte, Unternehmen und sogar Regierungen. Dies dürfte Grund genug sein, dieses Thema zu erarbeiten und, um eine potenzielle Krise zu verstehen, neue Lösungsansätze zu suchen. Da gerade Ökonomen vor der Gefahr der aktuellen Situation warnen, könnte eine derartige Krise in naher Zukunft entstehen. Die Bereiche welche instabil sein können, sind oft bekannt, trotzdem ist es schwierig zu wissen, wann und woher eine potentielle Krise entstehen könnte. Heutzutage sind Teile der Welt wie Europa, die Schwellenländer oder auch die U.S.A. vermehrt in diesem Fokus. Interessanterweise ist letztere der Entstehungsort der letzten großen Finanzkrise. Aufgrund dessen ist das Ziel dieser Arbeit die Situation dieses Marktes zu analysieren. Faktoren wie Konsequenzen für davon Betroffene, Veränderungen der Angebots- und Nachfragemenge von Anleihen und Aktien werden in Ansätzen analysiert. Desweiteren wird über Schulden, Zinssätze und auch Handelsentscheidungen zwischen den U.S.A. und China gesprochen. Hierzu wird vorab ein Finanzmarkt und dessen Ablauf definiert. Verschiedene Faktoren, die zu einer Finanzkrise führen könnten, werden dann erörtert und im Weiteren frühere Finanzkrisen in Bezug zum aktuellen U.S. Finanzmarkt betrachtet. Hierzu gehört eine genauere Analyse der Schuldenhöhe, des Angebots und der Nachfrage von Aktien und Anleihen, der Zinssätze, der BIP/Schulden Ratio und der Inflation.
Das Resultat der Analyse ergibt, dass die momentan finanzielle Situation der U.S.A. instabil ist und ein unvorhergesehenes Ereignis dort eine nächste Krise verursachen könnte. Zur Vermeidung letzterer wird nach eingehender Analyse ein besseres ethisches Verhalten aller Finanzakteure sowie eine strengere Kontrolle des Finanzmarktes vorgeschlagen. Nichtdestotrotz wird eine wahrscheinlich auftretende Krise von Drittländern ausgehen, die sich an einem kritischen Punkt vor der Insolvenz befinden.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The automotive after-sales business’ emphasis is on customer retention which it accomplishes by providing services such as maintenance, reparation and spare parts supply. However, not only the rapid supply of spare parts impacts customer satisfaction, but also the service of providing customers with an accurate delivery date. In this context, the Critical Parts Management department at the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center plays a crucial role because their scope of responsibility is the management of parts bottlenecks in the Mercedes-Benz after-sales logistics chain for wholesalers and retailers located worldwide. This thesis aims on establishing a rating of improvement recommendations whose implementation can positively influence the delivery date accuracy. Hence, the scope of the analysis comprises an initial assessment of the current situation and the main driving factors that impact the delivery date accuracy. This study relies on qualitative and quantitative data collection via primary research. The examination of the collected data reveals that deliveries usually occur within the scheduled week but most often not on the scheduled day. The noncompliance of involved departments to target specifications and department internal factors were identified as sources of inaccurate delivery dates. Consequently, the analysis concludes with both, external and internal improvement recommendations which are ranked according to their feasibility and possible impact considering a customer and a business centric perspective. A conceptual design of improvements identifies the composition of a reporting team to be very beneficial for both, Critical Parts Management and its customers. This term paper creates value to the department by offering a foundation to a process optimization approach. If further recommendations are implemented and continuously tracked, an increased customer satisfaction and a reduction of waste of time and money is expected to be accomplished.
This paper analyzes the terms User Experience (UX) and Expatriate Experience (XX), and by conducting empirical research, explores the UX of an intercultural coaching app, its possible influence on XX and offers suggestions for further development. This research is not only relevant to the development of the digital coaching tool, The RockMeApp but also gives ideas for further research. By analyzing the findings of the literature review and the empirical research conducted, namely eleven interviews with clients of the RockMeApp, several conclusions were made. Firstly, both UX and XX can be regarded as highly subjective and dynamic topics that are difficult to define. Secondly, new insights on XX from the expat’s perspective are given as well as a practical example of UX research. While the RockMeApp is perceived to be very good in terms of utility and usability, recommendations have been made on how to enhance its UX, mainly regarding its structure, aesthetics and the inclusion of emotions and explanations.
Die digitale Transformation stellt das Supply Chain Management vor große Herausforderungen. Es muss Antworten und Lösungen finden, um in einem global vernetzten Marktumfeld die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Supply Chain sicherzustellen. Das Konzept der Blockchain und der Smart Contracts versprechen großes Potenzial. Gerade im Bereich der Prozessautomatisierung und der Kostensenkung, durch das Entfallen bisher notwendiger Clearingstellen. Allerdings stellt sich auch immer die Frage nach der Datensicherheit und Schutz vor unbefugter Manipulation. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es Anwendungsmöglichkeiten und Potenziale einer Blockchain und Smart Contracts im Supply Chain Management zu identifizieren und zu beschreiben
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.
Retail banking provides financial services for individuals and families, and one overlooked aspect has been on international students in Germany. This study aims to discover and rank what are important banking factors for international students at HFU. Building on existing work from other geographical areas, it asks: What are the key factors that international students at HFU consider when choosing a bank?
Based on reviews of past literature, an online survey was distributed to potential respondents via email and social media channels. Analysis of the responses demonstrated that the most important factor is in the following order: (Most important) Security -> Services -> Financial Factors -> Convenience -> Reputation (Least important).
On this basis, it is recommended that banks consider taking into account the top important determinants (such as availability of online banking, cyber security, reliability, financial stability and responsiveness) and the least important determinants (word of mouth recommendation, popularity of the bank, tangibles, bank branches and parking facilities) when tailoring their strategies.
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.
This thesis is a study examining the potential of implementing automation solutions in the financial month-end close of TomTom Business Unit Automotive Finance. The aim of this study is to identify processes with potential for the implementation of Robotic Process Automation and/or Artificial Intelligence, to improve month-end close in the selected case company.
The theoretical framework delimits Digital Business Transformation from Digitalization and Digitization. It provides background knowledge on Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence and points out how digitalization impacts the finance function of the future. Furthermore, factors for successful implementation of automation are discussed.
The study applies the strategy of action research performed in a two-staged research examination, including the performance of interviews and the analysis of the interview results. The interview’s goal was to examine month-end close processes, gathering information about the process itself and its characteristics, to have a solid understanding on the processes for the subsequent analysis. The data analysis was conducted applying two different approaches, varying depending on which automation tool best suited the process.
The research result showed that half of the processes in month-end close of Automotive Finance have the automation potential. This automation is more related to the implementation of processes into SAP Analytics Cloud and the use of included Artificial Intelligence features than to the use of Robotic Process Automation.
This result confirms the theoretical findings on the high potential of automation in reporting and endorses the automation potential of month-end close in TomTom Business Unit Automotive Finance.
With information on corporate ethical behavior now more accessible than ever, consumers have become increasingly socially and environmentally aware, which has translated into a growing demand for ethically made products. For ethically minded consumers, certification labels such as fair trade or organic are simple indicators of whether a product meets their ethical standards. For companies that wish to become certified, which is a lengthy and sometimes expensive process, there are several pertinent questions to consider, such as how much customers really value particular labels and whether multiple labels yield significant added competitive benefits. One should also consider how best to collect this information, because simply asking customers via surveys isn’t guaranteed to return results that actually reflect or predict real-life behavior (Carrington et al. 2010). For this paper, we collected information on consumers’ willingness to pay for products with the organic and fair trade labels (both individually and in combination) using two different methods: a traditional questionnaire and a reaction-time based electronic research method designed to reveal subconscious value perceptions. The factors involved were product type and number of labels. We found little evidence to suggest that additional ethical labels significantly increase willingness to pay.
Bildungscontrolling - Optimierung der Weiterbildungsabläufe bei der Wilhelm Layher GmbH & Co KG
(2019)
Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit dem Bildungscontrolling in der heutigen Zeit und dem Weiterbildungsprozess der Wilhelm Layher GmbH & Co KG, einem mittelständischen Unternehmen. Die Arbeit versucht einen Überblick darüber zu geben, wie in solch einem Unternehmen Bildungscontrolling nachhaltig sein kann. Dabei werden die aktuelle Literatur zum Thema Bildungscontrolling und Best Practices analysiert um eine Empfehlung für die Wilhelm Layher GmbH & Co KG auszusprechen. Diese Empfehlung basiert zudem auf einer Soll-Ist-Analyse des Bildungscontrolling in der Wilhelm Layher GmbH & Co KG. Außerdem werden die Risiken und die Wirtschaftlichkeit dieser Empfehlung untersucht. Um die Nachhaltigkeit dieser Investition in einen neuen Weiterbildungsprozess zu garantieren, werden im Ausblick weitere mögliche Potenziale aufgezeigt, die in Zukunft genutzt werden können.
This research is exploring how companies can create the right brand image through marketing activities and brand management. We will determine all the components needed in luxury goods industry for a successful brand image establishment and how important this is in the luxury industry. We will start by discussing about the important aspects of brands, luxury and the luxury industry leading to a more practical chapter of the brand image creation methods in luxury goods industry with real life examples and finally concluding the brand image being a main ingredient in consumer-based brand equity creation. The conclusion is formulated with Aaker´s (1991) model of brand equity and Keller´s (2013) dimensions of brand knowledge and finally supported by Na et al. (1999) model of brand power.
Zu erkennen, ob ein Unternehmen auf dem Aktienmarkt überbewertet oder unterbewertet ist, beschäftigt Anleger seit vielen Jahrzehnten. Zwei Instrumente, die bei dieser Bewertung helfen, sind das Capital Asset Pricing Model und das Dividend Valuation Model. Inwieweit man auf diese Modelle vertrauen kann und wo die Schwächen und Stärken der Modelle liegen, wird in dieser Arbeit untersucht. Dabei stellt sich heraus, dass vor allem die erheblichen Auswirkungen von marginalen Änderungen einzelner Faktoren der Modelle auf das Ergebnis als kritisch zu bezeichnen sind. Besonders auffällig sind hier der Betafaktor beim CAPM sowie die Wachstumsrate beim DVM. Aus diesem Grund sollte man nicht zu sehr auf den errechneten Werten beharren, da die Berechnungen mithilfe der Modelle dafür zu unpräzise sind. Die Werte sollten daher vielmehr als Tendenz angesehen werden, um die Entwicklung der Kurse zu prognostizieren.
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.
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.
Open-plan office design is deemed to be a beneficial tool for facilitating communication and collaboration. However, its alleged advantages are not proven by the chosen contemporary research presented in this thesis. By means of comparative analysis of secondary data, the thesis provides evidence for detrimental influence of open-plan office design to the workforce. Consequently, the well-being model proposed by Chartered Institute of Personnel Development is employed, thus enabling placing the influence of open-plan design within well-being domains and determining that this workspace arrangement affects employee well-being detrimentally. Having established the interconnectedness of the subjects, the thesis concludes by providing suggestions for management and expressing the need for further research.
Islamic banking is the new trend emergent within the modern-day banking industry, yet minimal literature is written about it. Most of the literary content today is regarding conventional banking, especially in non-Muslim countries and continents, Europe and U.S. included. Lack of literature is a threat to the operationalization of both modes of banking, due to lack of information and market analysis data. One of the fields where minimal literature coverage exists is market regulation – which is basically information as to how these two types of banking are regulated according to legislative structures. In light of this literature gap, this study emerges to explore the market regulative structure of both Islamic and conventional banks. The methodology to collect primary data is through interviews of selected players in both Islamic and conventional banks, such as bank managers, consultants, and personnel in the IT and finance department. The results of the interviews demonstrate that Islamic banks are faced with shortage of market regulation structures while conventional banks, on the other hand, are overwhelmed with over-regulation. The study provides several feasible solutions for these challenges.
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.
The relationship between health care practitioners and the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly drawing public attention due to misguided behaviour. Practices like gift giving, holding luxurious conferences or allowences for research are under scrutiny. With all these influences, how can practicioners stay neutral and have the interest of patients in mind? And what is the level of emotions and data used by the pharma industry when marketing drugs to a physician? In order to find out, we targeted pharmaceutical industry managers and directors to participate in an eleven question online questionnaire. For example, participants were asked to rate the best approach between data and emotions to persuade physicians. The results show tendencies in the data, but fail to show significant evidence for our hypotheses. Further research is needed in order to clarify which factors influence the decision for an emotional or data driven approach.
The fight against global warming and the challenge of reducing CO2 output are critical issues for emitters, such as the fossil fuel sector. Many governments, acting in concert, will heavily regulate emissions in the future to not exceed a 2°C increase in temperature, as agreed on in the Paris Agreement in 2005. Heavy investments in renewables, research and development, and carbon storage are signs of the beginning of this progress to energy transition.
Due to the increases in CO2, measured in the atmosphere, many environmental organizations and scientists have studied the matter carefully. Their results show that if nations continue on their current path and do not decrease their CO2 output, it will take no longer than 26 years to exceed the 2°C limit.
The fossil fuel industry, as the main emitter of CO2, will have to depreciate many of their reserves, because CO2 containing fossil fuels listed on stock exchanges exceed the amount absorbable by the earth. This means, that if the content of CO2 recorded on worldwide stock exchanges would be extracted, an increase beyond 2°C is foreseeable. The bubble, similar to the Lehmann Brother case in 2008, will burst someday and cause high losses when extraction limits are implemented.
The impact of climate change related emission regulations on entities´ financial statements is identified as a research gap. This study focuses on the accounting standards and depreciation of minerals as it is an important matter for the current and future economic situation. Depending on current actions taken by extracting entities and governing power the future for the energy industry will look very different from today.
Diese Arbeit untersucht den Bullwhip-Effekt und dessen Einfluss auf die Supply Chain und der jeweiligen Teilnehmer. Da Unternehmen stetig nach Wachstum streben, ist ein reibungsloser Materialfluss entlang der Lieferkette Grundvoraussetzung. Aufgrund von globalen und immer komplexeren Lieferketten, ist die Zusammenarbeit zwischen den Unternehmen nicht immer einfach und optimal. Fehlerhafte Bestellpolitik und das Treffen von irrationalen Entscheidungen stellen für die Unternehmen Probleme dar. Genau diese Probleme spiegelt der Bullwhip-Effekt wider, indem durch mangelnde Kooperation letztendlich Entscheidungen, bezüglich des Bestellvorgangs autonom getroffen werden und diesen Effekt somit bestärken. Diese Arbeit untersucht die Entstehung und den Einfluss des Bullwhip-Effekts auf die Supply Chain. Des Weiteren werden Methoden, die den Bullwhip-Effekt reduzieren bzw. beseitigen können erläutert. Auf Grundlage dieser Erkenntnisse werden die theoretischen Ansätze anhand eines Simulationsbeispiels gestützt und erklärt.
Diese Bachelorarbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, inwieweit die unterschiedliche Nutzung von Formalität und Informalität Auswirkungen auf den Arbeitsplatz haben. Es wurden sowohl die Vor- als auch die Nachteile des Siezens und des Duzens untersucht, sowie auch welche anderen möglichen Einflüsse auf die Form der Anrede existieren. Eine erweiterte Untersuchung dieser Fragestellung erfolgte durch eine Befragung verschiedener Arbeitgeber und Arbeitnehmer zu dem ihrigen Verhaltung bei der Arbeit.
Diese Bachelorthesis diskutiert die Bedeutung eines nachhaltigen Produktmanagements, um langfristig die Kaufbereitschaft von Waschmittel bei Schweizer Konsumenten zu steigern. Aufgrund der derzeitigen Umweltthematik ist es notwendig, dass sowohl Unternehmen als auch Konsumenten nachhaltiges Verhalten annehmen können. Diese Arbeit erschließt Handlungsempfehlungen für den Waschmittelmarkt in der Schweiz. Bezogen auf die Unilever Schweiz GmbH, soll verstanden werden, welche Erfolgsfaktoren Konsumenten zu einem nachhaltigen Kauf animieren. Basierend auf einer Literaturrecherche, die sich auf gegenwärtige Theorien bezieht, werden Preisstrategien, Produktauslobungen, PoS Kommunikationen, das Markenmanagement sowie die Einschränkung von Entscheidungsfaktoren berücksichtigt. Durch eine Wettbewerbsanalyse sowie durch einen Konsumententest werden Erfolgsfaktoren verifiziert. Diese quantitative und qualitative Erhebung ermöglicht eine ganzheitliche Betrachtung des Waschmittelmarktes, wobei Strategien gezielt für die Unilever Schweiz GmbH implementiert werden können.
Digitalization is fundamentally changing business models, amongst others, the consumer purchase behavior. The changes in how people are gathering information and purchasing via the Internet nowadays is one of the major reasons why marketing is shifting to digital. Especially for B-to-B companies, whose purpose is to create customers and build long term relationships, it is crucial to set up digital touchpoints along the customer journey. Within this digital customer journey, the research focuses on the meaning of search engine marketing as an initial point for lead generation. The thesis aims to show how to take advantage of search engine marketing for lead generation from the example of the Grässlin company by examining theoretical framework and carrying out expert interviews such as a competitive analysis about search engine marketing in the industry. The findings of the research suggest recommendations for action regarding search engine optimization and search engine advertising in order to improve the digital presence of the company but also to enhance customer-centered communication according to Inbound Marketing.
Die Neukundenakquise ist für jedes Unternehmen unabdinglich. Unabhängig von Branche, Produkt oder Serviceleistung ist jedes Jahr eine bestimmte Anzahl an Neukunden zu akquirieren. Die Aktualität der telefonischen Kaltakquise zu hinterfragen ist endscheidend, da diese weit verbreitet und als Erstkontaktmethode maßgebend am Aufbau der Kundenbeziehung beteiligt ist. Mit dem Aufkommen der Nutzung der sozialen Medien im Business-to-Business-Bereich hat sich ein weiterer Zweig in der Neukundenakquise ergeben. Anhand der Betrachtung der literaturbasierenden Einflussfaktoren in der telefonischen Kaltakquise, wie beispielsweise die Kommunikationsfähigkeit, die Vertrauenswürdigkeit, die Erfahrung, das Unternehmensimage, etc., einer durchgeführten Expertenumfrage zur Gewichtung der Einflussfaktoren und Fragen zur Aktualität der telefonischen Kaltakquise und Social Selling, wurde ein Vergleich der beiden Erstkontaktmethoden ausgearbeitet. Aus diesem resultiert, dass das Social Selling die Durchführung der telefonischen Kaltakquise nicht ersetzten kann, jedoch eine Kombination der beiden Methoden sinnvoll erscheint.
Die Bedeutung preispsychologischer Effekte bei Events - Aktueller Forschungsstand und Perspektiven
(2019)
Die Preispsychologie trägt maßgeblich zur Erklärung des menschlichen Kaufverhaltens bei. Zahlreiche empirische Studien zur Wirkungsweise preispsychologischer Effekte zeigen, dass eine gezielte Beeinflussung der Preiswahrnehmung des Kunden möglich ist. Demzufolge liegt es nahe, dass diese auch bei Events Möglichkeiten zur Steigerung der Zahlungsbereitschaft und Verbesserung der Gewinne bieten können. Die Eventbranche kennzeichnet sich durch eine zunehmende Professionalisierung und Diversifizierung, daher nimmt auch der Preis sowohl aus Nachfrage- wie auch Anbietersicht eine zunehmend wichtige Rolle ein. Mittels einer Befragung von zwölf Eventmanagern untersuchen wir empirisch, welche Überlegungen zur Preisgestaltung von Events einfließen und inwieweit preispsychologische Effekte in der Bepreisung berücksichtigt werden. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen eine Lücke zwischen der theoretischen Kenntnis der Effekte einerseits und der praktischen Anwendung anderseits. Daraus ergeben sich konkrete Ansatzpunkte für eine verstärkt am Kundennutzen orientiere Preisgestaltung sämtlicher Einnahmequellen von Events.
Zur Beantwortung der zentralen Leitfragen, „Wie motiviert sind die Mitarbeiter der International Church?“; „Wie kann die Motivation der International Church durch Führungsinstrumente erhöht werden?“ und „Wie kann eine positive Wirkung auf die Motivation auch in Zukunft gesichert werden?“ wurde ein analytischer Zusammenhang zwischen dem Führungsstil der International Church und der Motivation ihrer Mitarbeiter hergestellt.
Durch die Untersuchung mittels Befragung auf Basis des theoretischen Rahmens wurden Schwächen in der organisatorischen Strategie und bereits etablierter Führungsinstrumente der International Church entdeckt.
Zur Steigerung der gesunkenen Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit werden der International Church eine verbesserte Kommunikation, effektive Personalgespräche anhand des „Performance and Development Review“ und eine konsequentere Umsetzung der 6 Principles der International Church empfohlen.
Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es zu erforschen inwiefern Führungskräfte den gesundheitlichen Zustand ihrer Mitarbeiter beeinflussen können. Macht falsche Führung krank? Wie kann man gesunde Führung umsetzen und warum ist das wichtig? Hierbei wird negativer Stress am Arbeitsplatz als Hauptfaktor für Burnout und psychische Erkrankungen näher analysiert. Traditionelles Führungsverhalten wird kritisch betrachtet und begründet folglich wichtige Ansätze gesundheitsförderlichen Führens. Die Bedeutung gesunder Führung und der Einfluss des direkten Vorgesetzten auf die eigene Zufriedenheit werden anhand aktueller Studien gezeigt. Gesundheitsmaßnahmen der leitenden Organisation und Personalentwicklung bilden zusätzlich wichtige Komponenten.
Jene Erwartungen, die heutzutage an die Führungspositionen gestellt sind, werden im weiteren Verlauf der Thesis hinterfragt. Welche Herausforderungen entstehen für Führungskräfte und Geschäftsleitung? Die Bedeutung von Führungskompetenzen und Führungskräfteentwicklung nimmt seit Jahren zu.
Als praktisches Beispiel dafür wurden zu den Forschungsfragen Interviews mit der jeweiligen Leitung des betrieblichen Gesundheitsmanagements zweier Unternehmen aus der Region Südschwarzwald geführt. Die qualitative Befragung ergab einen eindeutigen Bedarf an psychischem Gesundheitsmanagement. Die Rolle von Führungskräften wird in beiden Fällen als höchst bedeutend angesehen und in der Studienanalyse näher erläutert.
Die Videospieleindustrie zählt bis heute zu einem der dynamischsten und schnellst wachsenden Märkte und ist der stärkste Teilmarkt der Unterhaltungsindustrie, noch wichtiger und größer als die Musik- und Filmbranche. Insbesondere der Konsolenmarkt verändert sich seit einigen Jahren, vor allem aufgrund der wachsenden Popularität von Smartphones und Tablets als Spielemedien. Immer mehr Menschen, besonders die der älteren Generation, spielen auf diesen Plattformen Casual Games und Social Games, welche auf einer Konsole nicht gespielt werden können. Des Weiteren verändert sich die Generierung von Umsatz vom klassischen Verkauf hin zum kostenlosen Spielen mit kostenpflichtigen Zusatzinhalten.
Aufgrund dieser Veränderungen im Markt muss untersucht werden, wie sich das Wettbewerbsumfeld des Konsolenmarktes aus heutiger Sicht charakterisiert und welche Kräfte auf die Branche wirken, um potenzielle Gefahren und Wirkungen zu identifizieren. Verschiedene Theorien und Modelle zur Wettbewerbsanalyse und Untersuchung der Wettbewerbssituation werden aus der Literatur erarbeitet und später angewandt. Zu den vorgestellten Modellen gehören der Herfindahl-Hirschmann-Index, Netzwerkeffekte und der damit verbundene zweiseitige Markt, sowie das Porter´s Five Forces Modell. Diese werden auf den Konsolenmarkt bezogen und angewandt. Dabei wird auch der Einfluss von Videospielen erklärt, da sie Komplementärprodukte zu den Konsolen darstellen. Die umfassende Analyse des Wettbewerbsumfelds ergibt, dass vor allem der Einfluss von technischen Neuerungen wie onlinebasierte Spieleplattformen, eine deutliche Gefahr für den Konsolenmarkt darstellt. Außerdem haben Videospiele als Komplementärprodukt einen wichtigen Einfluss auf den Erfolg von Konsolen, unteranderem spielen sie aufgrund von indirekten Netzwerkeffekten bei der Preisstrategie eine bedeutsame Rolle.
Die zehn schmutzigsten Orte
(2019)
Durch die Babyboomer-Generation wurde die Altersstruktur der deutschen Bevölkerung verjüngt und die Wirtschaft profitiert seit Jahrzehnten von der demografischen Dividende. Der demografische Wandel aufgrund des seit Jahrzehnten konstant niedrigen Geburtenniveaus gemeinsam mit einer stetig steigenden Lebenserwartung macht sich nun in Form einer alternden Gesellschaft bemerkbar. Der kritische Höhepunkt wird im kommenden Jahrzehnt erreicht, wenn die geburtenstarken Jahrgänge der Babyboomer nach und nach in Rente gehen und sich der relative Anteil an Rentenbeziehern zu den Erwerbstätigen stark erhöhen wird. Was passiert dann mit einem Rentensystem, welches auf einer sozialen Rendite basiert?
Diese Arbeit analysiert anhand verschiedener Modellrechnungen zur Bevölkerungsentwicklung, des Rentensystems und der privaten Altersvorsorge die Veränderung der Erwerbspersonenanzahl in Deutschland bis 2060 und inwieweit diese zu einer Versorgungslücke im Rentensystem führen wird. Abschließend wird untersucht, ob diese Lücke durch private Altersvorsorge geschlossen werden kann. Die Ergebnisse werden anhand einer zu Beginn durchgeführten Analyse wissenschaftlicher Literatur zur Bevölkerungsentwicklung und ihrer volkswirtschaftlichen Einflüsse bewertet.
Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass 2030 der Rückgang der Erwerbspersonenanzahl bereits knapp 10 % betragen wird und bis 2060 auf ein Viertel ansteigt. Der Altenquotient steigt hingegen um ca. 35 % bis 2030 an und bis 2060 um insgesamt 70 %. Diese Veränderung führt zu einer Versorgungslücke in der Rentenversicherung von bis zu 4 % bis 2030 und steigt bis 2060 auf 6 % an. Durch die Rendite auf private Altersvorsorge, die aktuell schon recht gering ist, wird diese Versorgungslücke mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit nicht zu schließen sein. Die demografischen Entwicklungen werden in Zukunft die Rendite noch weiter negativ beeinflussen.
Digital twin as a service : Ressourcenmanagement mit Energiedaten aus cyber-physischen Systemen
(2019)
Die Energiewende führt zu einer Paradigmenänderung. Der Zeitpunkt der Energieabnahme wird sich zunehmend an dem der Energieerzeugung orientierten. Die Steuerung des Energiebedarfs kann durch energieorientierte Produktionsplanung gesteigert werden. Dies erfordert eine Vorhersage des Energiebedarfs. Hierfür wird ein System entwickelt, das eine Modellierung mittels maschinellen Lernens nutzt. Die Datenbasis wird durch eine Vorgehensweise zur Abstrahierung von Fertigungsmaschinen erzeugt. Das System besteht aus gruppierten Microservices, es berücksichtigt die unterschiedlichen Anforderungen der Modelle an die Infrastruktur. Die Modelle sind in digitalen Zwillingen integriert, die als Dienst genutzt werden. Hierdurch ist eine effiziente Adaption von ˜Äderungen an Fertigungsmaschine oder Modell-Methodik möglich. Eine exemplarische Anwendung der Abstraktionsmethode und der Modellierung mittels neuronalen Netzes demonstrieren die Umsetzbarkeit.
Die Arbeit Digitale Markenentwicklung - Analyse des Markenauftritts der Bundeswehr anhand des identitätsbasierten Markenführungskonzepts beschäftigt sich mit der Bundeswehr als Markenkonstrukt. Als theoretische Grundlage dient das identitätsbasierte Markenführungskonzept von F.-R. Esch. Hierzu gilt es außerdem zu untersuchen, inwieweit sich Online-, Hybrid- und Offlinemarken voneinander abgrenzen und wie sich das identitätsbasierte Markenführungskonzept zu diesen verhält. Ziel ist es, die Marke Bundeswehr mit der Markenidentitätstheorie anhand eines ausgewählten Kanals praktisch zu beschreiben, sowie dessen Ergebnisse in Beziehung zur Theorie zu stellen. Kern des Ziels ist es auch festzustellen, wo die Bundeswehr der Theorie folgt und wo sie davon abweicht, woraus sich weiterführende Handlungsempfehlungen ergeben können.
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.
Effiziente Gestaltung und Anwendung von attributbasierter Zugriffskontrolle für RESTful Services
(2019)
Die Textilbranche befindet sich im Umbruch: Der moderne Kunde sieht alles, weiß alles und konsumiert alles. Aufgrund der steigenden Übersättigung des Marktes bieten Unternehmen ihren Kunden heutzutage vermehrt ein emotionales Marken- und Einkaufserlebnis in Form einer ausgeklügelten Trademarketing Strategie.
Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit beschreibt die Entwicklung und Implementierung einer Trademarketing Strategie für den russischen Markt. In Kooperation mit der Firma Marc Cain wird ein zur Initiierung der Strategie entworfenes Pilotprojekt geplant, entwickelt und organisiert. Die Bachelorarbeit basiert auf den konkreten Ausarbeitungen des Unternehmens zur Hinführung auf den strategischen Rollout. Es stellt sich heraus, dass eine termingerechte Implementierung der Strategie aufgrund personeller Umstrukturierungen in der russischen Tochtergesellschaft im Zuge dieser Arbeit nicht möglich ist. Dennoch werden alle Rahmenbedingungen für eine Strategieimplementierung im April 2019 geschaffen.
Die Digitalisierung bezeichnet den partiellen Ersatz der analogen Leistungserbringung durch eine digitale Lösung. Der Leuchtenhersteller Waldmann hat diesen Wandlungsprozess erkannt und entwickelt hierfür ein neues Geschäftsmodell. Waldmann setzt sich zur Aufgabe den Arbeitsplatz der Zukunft mitzugestalten. Mithilfe der Erfassung von Daten zu Arbeitsplatzbelegung, Luftqualität, Temperatur und Lärmpegel, optimiert Waldmann den Arbeitsplatz ihrer Kunden. Neben einem Sensormodul mit Cloud Anbindung benötigt Waldmann sowohl eine App, als auch eine Benutzeroberfläche. Diese müssen durch ein weiteres Unternehmen erstellt werden. Aufgrund der substanziellen Differenzen in der Leistungserstellung von Produkt und Service, hat Waldmann das neue Unternehmen gegründet. Das Start-Up LIZ erschafft den Software-as-a-Service, welcher aus der Beratung für den Kunden und der Software Lösung besteht. Waldmann übernimmt im selben Prozess die Bereitstellung der Leuchte und die Entwicklung der Sensormodule, zur Aufnahme der Daten am Arbeitsplatz.
Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Weiterentwicklung der digitalen Geschäftsmodelle in dem produzierenden Unternehmen Waldmann. Mit den entwickelten Kriterien zu den relevanten Themenbereichen werden die Geschäftsmodelle bewertet und die Potenziale eingestuft. Betrachtungen der zukünftigen Veränderungen des Marktes können die Handlungsempfehlung modifizieren, wodurch eine stetige Beobachtung notwendig wird.
Zusätzlich benötigen die Unternehmen LIZ und Waldmann ein Instrument, um einen konstanten Informationsfluss zu garantieren. Mit der Entwicklung einer Excel Datei wird die Überwachung, Kontrolle und Überprüfung der aktuellen Situation im digitalen Unternehmen durchgeführt. Dieses Instrument gewährleistet ein vollwertiges Produkt-Service-Paket in den zukünftigen Entwicklungen des Geschäftsmodells.
Das Humankapital eines Unternehmens steigt mit der Qualifikation und Kompetenz seiner Mitarbeiter. Betriebliche Aus- und Weiterbildungen sind unerlässliche Instrumente der Personalentwicklung, um Wissen, als ökonomische Ressource zu verbreiten. Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit befasst sich mit der Ermittlung von abteilungsübergreifenden Kompetenzlücken der ebm-papst St. Georgen GmbH & Co. KG. Das asymmetrisch verteilte betriebswirtschaftliche Fachwissen spiegelt sich in den Konfliktaufkommen zwischen dem Finanzbereich und technisch orientierten Führungskräften wider. Im Rahmen einer Bildungsbedarfsanalyse liefert ein Mixed-Method-Ansatz eine qualitative und quantitative Datengrundlage. Die Datenanalyse zeigt, dass Defizite bei der Zusammensetzung der Herstellkosten, Wirtschaftlichkeitsberechnungen und der Aussagekraft von Kennzahlen vorhanden sind. Basierend auf der qualitativen Datenerhebung wurden weitere Defizite in überfachlichen Kompetenzen ermittelt. Nach der Betrachtung der Datenbasis konnten Handlungsempfehlungen erarbeitet werden. Die Querschnittstudie bietet der Personalentwicklung eine Datengrundlage, um Gegenmaßnahmen zur Schließung der Kompetenzlücken, einzuleiten.
This thesis aims to fill gaps in academic literature about the eSports-industry, as it examines the structure of the eSports-industry with regards to the position in which the industry is currently situated, to the industries’ essential stakeholders, as well as the implications that are derived from an analysis of the eSports-market. The subject is regarded from a business-related point of view with respect to socio-cultural and demographic aspects which are imperative for conveying a complete image of the industry.
The depiction of the eSports-industry is realized by means of qualitative research in the form of expert-interviews, as well as by the concept of grounded theory based on available data.
The results show that the eSports-industry exhibits a lack of infrastructure surrounding it, representing one of many challenges the industry has to face in the near future.
Simultaneously, various growth-rates and further market developments suggest a trajectory which is headed towards a continuous market-growth, an upsurge of awareness about the industry and of individuals and organizations perceiving the industry as an investment- and leisure opportunity.
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.
The objective of this thesis is it to find out which factors are influencing the interpersonal
communication between two leaders in job sharing. With the help of a literature review,
a communication model including three relevant factors for the area of application could
be developed. Those factors are the relationship between the partners, the choice of an
adequate communication medium and contextual factors. It could be shown that those
factors have an influence on the communication frequency and mode. Recommendations
what needs to be considered regarding each factor to ensure an effective communication
are given.
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.
The rapid pace of change is posing a series of challenges both in industrialized and in emerging economies. Throughout history, one important measure to deal with change was to further develop technology, to find the right solution, to improve the current standard, in one word: to innovate. Over the past decades, different types of innovation have emerged. One fairly recent form is frugal innovation. The principle of frugal innovation is to build a strategic fit between affordability, quality and sustainability with the aim to create a greater value for customers while using fewer resources as capital, time or material. In view of contemporary developments like globalization, climate change, or increasing poverty which create issues across countries, industries and social classes, frugal innovation can offer solutions. Existing literature mainly reports about frugal innovation as an option to serve consumers from low income markets in developing countries. However, the concept might be already or might become in future equally crucial for industrialized economies. The purpose of this research is to investigate the future development of frugal innovation in industrialized economies. A critical question in this paper is to identify how much innovation concepts in industrialized economies differ from innovation concepts in emerging countries and in the following, to assess to what extend the frugal innovation concept would imply a reorientation for industrialized economies. The results indicate that innovators in industrialized economies still follow the typical “higher, faster, further strategy” and that different mind-sets might be necessary to introduce a frugal innovation approach. Moreover, the results show that frugal innovation offers a unique combination of principles that respond to a very high degree to present consumer, market or eco-political trends. A limitation of this paper is that in industrialized countries, hitherto there exist very few examples of frugal innovation concepts. Subsequently, the theoretical and empirical literature, which can be reviewed, is limited.
The notion of frugal innovation or how to do more with less becomes increasingly relevant in a world which faces many severe health care challenges. In general, frugal innovations have the potential to provide low-cost, simple, and valuable solutions to these challenges. Therefore, this research aims to shed light on key success factors and patterns of frugal innovations in the Indian health care sector. For this reason, the research analyzes a sample of nine selected frugal innovations. The frugal innovation examples are examined with respect to their innovation characteristics. Further, the examination of success patterns allows to investigate the potential of reversed innovation in developed countries in order to improve global health. To sum up, the research provides profound insights on the subject of frugal innovations and conclusions on the research questions. Finally, an outlook on future developments in the health care sector and future research are given.
Gemeinsam Neues erarbeiten
(2019)
Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht, ob und wie Gender-Marketing in der deutschen Automobilindustrie angewandt wird. Es wird der Zusammenhang zwischen biologischen Erkenntnissen und deren Implikationen für das Marketing hergestellt und untersucht, ob große deutsche Automobilhersteller diese auch in der Praxis anwenden.
Schließlich sind Frauen eine Käufergruppe mit noch viel ungenutztem Potenzial, die allerdings nicht unbedingt mit denselben, auf Männer ausgerichtete Marketingmaßnahmen begeistert werden können. Mit dem Einsatz von sozialen Bindungen und Emotionalisierung können bei vielen Frauen positive Reaktionen hervorgerufen werden.
Des Weiteren wird auch klar, dass Gender-Marketing ein komplexes Thema ist, dessen Erfolg schwer messbar ist, da es in Verbindung mit anderen Marketingaspekten steht.
Die vorliegende Bachelorthesis „Geschäftsprozessanalyse des Order-to-Cash-Prozesses eines Automobilzulieferers“ befasst sich mit der Thematik der Prozessoptimierung bei der ElringKlinger AG. Die Optimierung von Geschäftsprozessen gewinnt aufgrund einer sich ständig verändernden Geschäftswelt mit steigenden Anforderungen mehr und mehr an Bedeutung. Dementsprechend müssen Unternehmensprozesse regelmäßig analysiert werden, um Optimierungspotenziale nutzen und Fehler innerhalb des Prozesses beseitigen zu können.
Die in dieser Bachelorthesis vorgestellte Prozessanalyse des Order-to-Cash-Prozesses stellt sich der Aufgabe Fehler innerhalb dieses Prozesses, welche sich in fehlerhaft ausgestellten Rechnungen äußern, zu analysieren und Maßnahmen zur Vermeidung zu erarbeiten. In einer umfangreichen IST-Analyse zum Thema Order-to-Cash-Prozess wird der Grundstein für das Auffinden von Fehlergründen gelegt. Die theoretische Aufarbeitung des Themas wird aus der Fachliteratur des Prozessmanagements und des Projektmanagements gebildet. Des Weiteren werden wichtige Grundsätze für das Erstellen und Durchführen von leitfadengestützten Experteninterviews beschrieben. Ausgehend von diesen gewonnenen Informationen werden im Rahmen der IST-Analyse zunächst Auswertungen aus dem Datenbestand von SAP durchgeführt. Anschließend erfolgt die Durchführung von Experteninterviews, welche als Basis der Ursachenfindung dienen.
Die Generierung von Maßnahmen zur Fehlervermeidung bildet den Abschluss der vorliegenden Bachelorthesis. In einer Handlungsempfehlung wird ein Ausblick geboten, welche Maßnahmen im Rahmen des Order-to-Cash-Prozesses implementiert werden könnten.
Während Global Value Chains (GVCs) durch ihre weltweite Ausbreitung der Produktion schnelle Entwicklungschancen für den globalen Süden bedeuten, sorgt der demografische Wandel für alternde Bevölkerungsstrukturen im globalen Norden. Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen demografischem Wandel und GVCs und ob eine mögliche Beziehung dieser beiden Themen Chancen für Lateinamerika bereithält, sich in Zukunft noch mehr an GVCs zu beteiligen. Sie bietet einen Überblick über die einzelnen Themen und untersucht potenzielle gemeinsame Faktoren. Einer der wichtigsten Faktoren, die demografischen Wandel und GVCs verbinden, ist dabei das Lohnniveau, welches zur Ausbreitung von GVCs entscheidend ist und zum Beispiel durch Lateinamerikas momentan demografisch große Erwerbsbevölkerung möglicherweise regional sinkt.
As well as the global economy, the economy of football and more specifically that of the
professional football clubs has grown considerably in recent years.
The amount of money in circulation makes many people dream, but the source of this
money and the reasons that have led investors to take an interest in football are often
unknown to the general public, which is why I made this thesis.
This thesis therefore aims to explain these developments by detailing and quantifying the
different sources of income for professional football clubs.
We will see that the evolution and especially the multiplication of the sources of income
that make up the income mix of football clubs is representative of the evolution of the
football economy.
This thesis will also help to understand why external investors have an interest in
investing in the football economy and how they help to develop the football economy.
Finally, we will develop the collateral effects of the development of this economy, both
positive for the global economy and negative within the football world itself in terms of
inequality and corruption.
How will the future of business schools in Germany look like in 2035? Scenario Planning with INKA 4
(2019)
Business schools have been largely successful in attracting students and producing publications in the last few decades. Nevertheless, this success has raised several concerns. With many variables influencing business schools, it is useful to predict how the future of business schools might look like. Hence, this paper aims to detect current trends in order to forecast and examine the future of German business schools by the year 2035. With the help of the scenario software INKA 4, future scenarios were generated. In order to develop these scenarios, various areas of influence, e.g. Environment, Supply, Demand, Pedagogy, and Technology were identified and conceptualized with regard to current research and literature. The final result consists of four distinct scenarios, which reflect the potential pathway of German business schools in the future.
Hygiene in der Küche
(2019)
Within the 21st century data are the new raw material, is what Ms. Angela Merkel said at the CEBIT conference in 2016. Digitization, what means data-analysis in real-time as well as fast and steady changes in the technological environment, is a key factor nowadays. New processes, new daily tasks and new know-how are needed to survive in a steadily changing world. In succession, companies and private households need to adapt. Otherwise, these will be selected according to Darwin’s theory of evolution. “Survival of the smartest” – as the mantra of today. While some companies are already familiar with the changes introduced by industry 4.0, others are still challenged with catching up industry 3.0. In a smart world it is important to know in which digital maturity status the company is staying and where the company sees itself in the future. But especially for smaller companies the obstacles of realizing industry 4.0 or digitization are defined by high investment costs, a lack of human resources and high requirements in data protection. Therefore, the following thesis is handling this topic specifically within procurement and gives answers to the following questions: What is procurement 4.0? Do the massive changes mean the procurement-endgame? What are the new challenges that procurement has to face and what are the new competencies a purchaser has to adopt? On the basis of a survey the procurement department of the Sto SE & Co. KGaA is classifying the own digital Status quo in the digital capability maturity model. On the basis of the current project “Implementing a Supplier-Relationship-Management and Collaboration system (SRM)” the thesis is answering to the research question: “What approach is suitable to introduce an SRM-and Collaboration tool and how to implement this tool specifically in procurement?”
Online commerce is growing rapidly. With the wide accessibility of the internet, e-commerce is becoming the most important ways or medium for doing business globally. The growth of e-commerce business provides companies a great opportunity to invest online so as to position their brand.
This thesis observes the elements of online brand positioning. Furthermore, it analyses whether these elements can be applied to an online business. For this Zalando the online fashion retailer, will be taken as an example. It starts with a literature review on e-commerce definition, important factors for e-commerce business, advantages of e-commerce business, brand positioning, importance of brand positioning and online brand positioning elements. The chosen brand positioning elements are then applied to analyse the online brand positioning of Zalando. Furthermore, it observes the influence of brand positioning elements on their competitive advantages.
The brand positioning elements are benefits and feature, price and value statements, competitive advantages, information on product and services, processes, partnering and relationship, leadership claims and corporate power, corporate social responsibility and credibility. All these brand positioning elements are addressed by Zalando and these elements have played an important role for the positioning of Zalando`s brand.
Social media and social networks are terms which appear daily in all sort of different contexts. The importance of such online platforms is growing day by day. People spend an immense time of their everyday life in such networks. Therefore, it is not surprising that marketers have encountered the great opportunity coming along with this. This paper contributes to the little research on follower demographics and delivers an insight into the hotel industry in the Black Forest. It attempts to close the knowledge gap of comparing social media followers of hotels to actual hotel guests, shows how hotels can integrate social media in their marketing strategy and why it is relevant for different market participants. Moreover, a comparison of possible target groups was made.
For analysing social media followers of hotels, own primary data was collected in form of an email survey of hotels in the Black Forest. The findings were afterwards compared to actual tourist demographics derived from a former hotel guest survey in the Black Forest. According to responses of 85 hotels, the study found that hotel guests are usually from older generations (60+) and mainly male, whereas hotel social media follower tend to be younger (around 30) and female. This shows the possibility for hotels to target customers, different from their loyal customer base, via social media. Secondary data helped drawing further conclusions. Instagram clearly supports hotels to attract new customers. It has high relevance for hotels, as well as individuals, and can be integrated in each step of a marketing planning process. Target group analysis of current guests and potential new clients, who are present on social media, has made clear that both are coming with advantages and disadvantages. Hotels should enter new markets to enlarge their customer group, however, not at the dispense of loyal guests. Loyalty and customer relation management in the accommodation industry will always be an essential point.
This bachelor’s thesis examines the potential of integrating Global People Transitions GmbH’s RockMe! App in Global Mobility platforms and partner networks by means of a market analysis.
The theoretical background consists of giving insights on the basics of Global Mobility like policies, processes and challenges. It also provides knowledge on international assignment challenges and the impact of intercultural coaching on expatriates. Furthermore, the concept of the RockMe! App is explained and potential collaborators as well as competitors are presented.
The empirical part is based on qualitative data research through expert interviews with professionals who are working within the Global Mobility industry. The results of these interviews have been used for a market analysis to assess the business opportunity of integrating the RockMe! App in Global Mobility platforms and partner networks.
The research results show that a general interest in digital coaching and also for collaborations regarding an integration of the RockMe! App exists. Nevertheless, company-internal structures and bureaucratic hurdles need to be overcome beforehand and a possible integration needs to be discussed individually.
In the digital age, companies are increasingly asking themselves how to reach their customers. In recent years, chatbots and language assistants have opened up an innovative form of communication and provide an opportunity to interactively expand touchpoints. Their integration can take place on different communication channels and thus, directly address the users.
This paper discusses how chatbots and language assistants work and how they can be used. Expert interviews have been conducted for qualitative analysis. Based on the theoretical analysis and the expert interviews, the added value for companies when using bots and language assistants is determined. Subsequently, an assessment of the bots and language assistants is made and a recommendation for further research is given.
Die Fachkräftenachfrage auf dem deutschen Arbeitsmarkt hat sich in den vergangenen Jahren verstärkt. Der Wandel zur Wissensgesellschaft sowie ein demografisch bedingter Rückgang der erwerbstätigen Bevölkerung haben bei Unternehmen den War for Talents entfacht. Die Rekrutierung der einheimischen Bevölkerung allein reicht nicht mehr aus, um den Bedarf an Fachkräften zu stillen und treibt Unternehmen deshalb vermehrt zur Personalrekrutierung aus dem Ausland. Die E-Recruiting-Plattform Campusjäger GmbH hat den Trend der internationalen Rekrutierung erkannt. Für sie wird im Rahmen dieser Arbeit der Frage nachgegangen, wie eine Rekrutierung ausländischer Fachkräfte den Personalbedarf der Unternehmenskunden verringern und somit das Umsatzpotenzial
der Campusjäger GmbH steigern kann. Dafür ist eine Internationalisierung der Campusjäger GmbH geplant. Im ersten Schritt wird die Fachkräftesituation auf dem deutschen Arbeitsmarkt analysiert. Da der Fachkräftemangel bisher kein flächendeckendes Problem
darstellt, wird der Bedarf an Fachkraftpersonal abhängig von Berufen, Regionen und Unternehmensgrößen ermittelt. Anhand von Sekundärquellen werden anschließend internationale Ländermärkte mittels einer dreistufigen Filtermethode untersucht, um dadurch Märkte mit Potenzial für die Rekrutierung detaillierter prüfen zu können. Eine Online-Umfrage an Studenten aus den attraktivsten Märkten Frankreich, Polen und Italien soll das Interesse und die Nachfrage dieser Studenten für eine Erwerbstätigkeit in Deutschland ermitteln. Die Arbeit schließt mit Handlungsempfehlungen für den internationalen Markteintritt der Campusjäger GmbH ab.
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.
Keim und Handwerk
(2019)
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.
Kultur, Kapital, Kooperation
(2019)
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.