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Exploring Employer Attractiveness: A Qualitative Study of Generation Z Business Students in Germany
(2024)
Employers are facing difficulties in attracting and recruiting employees due to the demographic change in Germany, the resulting retirement of Baby Boomers and the labor force shortage. The focus currently lies on Generation Z which is about to enter the labor market and which’s values, requirements and needs differ significantly from those of previous generations. This thesis aims to identify the requirements Generation Z has of employers by answering the research question: “What are the specific requirements that employers must meet in order to be considered attractive by Generation Z?”. The extensive literature review on employer attractiveness and the relevant generations, especially Generation Z, builds the foundation for the empirical research: qualitative interviews with business students of Generation Z in their final semester. This provides an in-depth insight on their current requirements and perspectives of attractive employers and therefore serves as a basis for the recommendations for companies. The findings revealed that a positive working climate, workplace proximity, above-average remuneration and transparent communication are essential requirements to be fulfilled. Above all, however, employers should focus on supporting the reconciliation of work and private life through offering working from home and flexible working hours.
Artificial intelligence is a disruptive technology, offering increasingly more opportunities to companies. However, the low digital maturity of the private banking sector, makes it hard for private banks to take advantage of this opportunity. Simultaneously, customers are expecting more digital solutions, forcing companies to adapt their services.
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview, drawing conclusions about whether the implementation of AI technologies is profitable in the private banking sector.
This thesis is based on recent research about current possible applications and the respective benefits, risks and costs. Two use cases will be thoroughly analysed: the application of automated credit risk management systems and AI powered indexes. In the first case, the software NOLA 2.0 will be evaluated and used as a benchmark to highlight the positive and negative aspects deriving from AI credit risk management software. In the second case, the AI powered index AiPEXAR will be presented and compared to the most common ETF S&P 500, analysing the differences in their computation and their performance over time.
The analysis concluded that, even though the benefits substantially depend on the individual company, AI chatbots, customers' engagement, credit risk management software and banking apps are advantageous for private banks. Yet, the implementation of AI powered indexes may be precocious and therefore not yet profitable. It can also be concluded that for private banks, whose core competitive advantage lies in the expertise of the relationship managers, the digitalization of advisory may lead to unsatisfied customers.
Influencer marketing has become one of the most popular marketing strategies in today’s ever changing digital scene. Despite being a popular technique of engaging customers, influencer marketing is still difficult for marketers and brands to understand the meaning behind of it and how to take advantage of influencer marketing. The research delves into the multifaceted landscape of influencer marketing. The research questions revolved around three key aspects of influencer marketing. Firstly, a profound exploration of influencer marketing was undertaken, delving into its evolution, benefits and underlying principles of influencer marketing was important to fully understand its dynamic role in modern marketing. Beyond this, an in-depth analysis scrutinized the impact of influencer marketing on consumer purchase behavior, peeling back layers to reveal the nuanced interplay of trust, and authenticity. To answer these questions a thorough analysis of influencer content and consumer interactions was done. To extract meaningful insights, to provide a holistic understanding of the symbiotic relationship between influencers and consumers. Trust emerged as a linchpin in the effectiveness of influencer marketing, profoundly influencing consumer perceptions and behaviors. Conclusively, the study highlights the indispensability of trust and authenticity in influencer marketing. Brands seeking success in influencer-driven consumer engagement must prioritize and harness these factors to navigate the complexities of contemporary marketing landscapes successfully.
Total Hip Arthroplasty is a highly effective procedure. Precise preoperative planning is crucial for a positive patient outcome. One approach to improve patient outcomes is preoperative planning of hip implants, which could replace the currently dominant 2D planning and improve processes in dealer markets by enabling more efficient delivery. The objective of this study is to survey and measure dealers’ acceptance of a patient-specific delivery and operating room setting. The evaluation is based on the Technology Acceptance Model. A recommendation for action will be derived from the evaluation.
This study examines the acceptance of new technologies through a systematic literature review utilizing the Technology Acceptance Model. Additionally, it presents the current state of 2D and 3D planning for hip implants and analyzes the Italian and Brazilian dealer markets. The target group was surveyed quantitatively, and their acceptance was analyzed and interpreted using descriptive statistical evaluation.
The two markets share similarities in their current requirements and conditions. In Italy and Brazil, planning is done intraoperatively by surgeons, which has been identified as an obstacle on several occasions. Acceptance of the new process is therefore mixed and requires supportive measures.
The similarities between the two markets allow for uniform comparability and interpretation. However, the acceptance can be traced back to the lack of preoperative planning among surgeons. It is clear that both markets are rather critical of a switch to preoperative planning, especially 3D planning. Therefore, some measures and further research on surgeons must first be taken before a successful implementation is possible.
Employee engagement is crucial for companies because of its positive influence on performance, retention, and profitability. However, the rising appearance of hybrid workplaces and generational changes have presented challenges in maintaining employee engagement. Leadership has been shown to play an important role in developing engaged employees. This paper examines the relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement and whether gender, presented as male, diverse and female, impacts this relationship.
A sample of 118 respondents, that have worked for over one year under a leader, has been analyzed through simple and multiple regressions. The relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement proved significantly positive, highlighting the key role leadership plays when fostering engaged employees. However, the moderating relationship of all three genders was not significant. These results suggest that companies should focus on training transformational leaders and engaging employees regardless of the employee's gender.
Hybrid work is an increasingly common model of work applied around the globe and is expected to be continuously gaining importance. This thesis is aimed at identifying what impacts hybrid work has on international companies. A literature review was conducted to provide findings of recent research to identify possible positive as well as negative impacts. Furthermore, a survey was distributed to 150 employees with leading positions in international companies, resulting in 16 responses, which were analysed using metrics of multiple regression. The qualitative part of the survey was assessed as well. The small sample size only allows for an indication that hybrid work might impact sick days of the workforce in a negative way and that less business trips are taken due to hybrid work. The other impacts that were identified through the survey suggest impacts on a larger scale than simply human resources, indicating that hybrid work can impact the entire profitability of a company and should therefore be properly assessed and managed with a broad view on all possible impacts on different levels in mind.
The dynamic and constantly changing global competitive environment requires the development of advanced technologies and new operating procedures for a company´s internal processes. Human Resource Management bears the responsibility of assisting the organization in overcoming these challenges and effectively reshaping its procedures. This bachelor's thesis investigates the detailed process of implementing a Global Job Catalogue (GJC) at a company. The purpose and goal of this study is to evaluate whether the implementation of a GJC offers advantages, using an automotive company as an example. It analyses the practical application of a GJC and its integration into the Human Resources Department. Furthermore, a focus on the challenges and benefits of the implementation and integration process will be provided, including the use of innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Skills Management. To achieve the stated goal, semi-structured interviews with HR personnel from the automotive company have been carried out. The results of the study identify the benefits of a comprehensive GJC for each stakeholder, such as increased transparency, efficiency, and consistency across the organization. However, it also highlights the challenges associated with the implementation process, including the strict timeframe and the simultaneous pursuance of multiple relevant project components. Based on these findings, recommendations for the use case are derived, and a thorough conclusion is provided.
The aim of this study is to investigate how cultural diversity is implemented and promoted in German startups and what best practices can be derived from these insights. The research question is: How is cultural diversity being implemented and promoted in German startups? Challenges and best practices.
As an empirical method to address the research question, expert interviews were conducted to gain precise insight into the strategies and initiatives of startups related to cultural diversity.
The results of the research have shown that cultural diversity has a significant impact on fostering innovation and creativity in startups. It also became clear that leadership within the company plays a crucial role in implementing cultural diversity and creating an inclusive environment. Research also showed that the implementation of formal initiatives in startups is limited due to company size and resource constraints.
Overall, the study has demonstrated that cultural diversity plays an important role in startups that should not be overlooked. Based on theoretical insights as well as findings from the study, best practices have been derived to serve as guidelines for startups aiming to efficiently and resourcefully implement cultural diversity.
This thesis examines Life Cycle Costing through a literature review and a fictional case study. It explores key challenges faced in implementing and utilizing Life Cycle Costing, proposes strategies for overcoming these challenges, and evaluates the potential impact of early integration of this technique on decision-making processes. Additionally, by use of the case study, the thesis exemplifies how Life Cycle Costing identifies trade-offs that would otherwise have remained unnoticed. The case study highlights how the implementation of the technique unveils that the option initially expected to be more costly turns out to be more economical. The findings underscore the superiority of the Life Cycle Costing methodology, questioning the narrow focus on immediate costs in traditional cost accounting, opening the door to a business model where long-term cost savings are recognized and valued.
The goal of this study is to answer if the corona pandemic changed the risk aversiveness and risk tolerance of young German adults and how it changed their decisions when investing in shares, by using the behavioral finance approach.
To answer this question, a literature recherche and a quantitative study were done. The quantitative study consists of a questionnaire, which was answered by 216 German adults with ages ranging from 18 to 35.
This Bachelor's thesis explores the impact of the EU Taxonomy on the Automobile in- dustry, focusing on, Mercedes Benz Group AG, BMW Group AG, Volkswagen AG, Por- sche AG, and Audi AG.
In the first part, relevant theoretical background information will be given to get an un- derstanding of the EU Taxonomy framework. It will explain the purpose of the EU Tax- onomy, relevant keywords, and the reporting obligations of companies including an ex- planation of the role of IFRS.
The second part will analyze the annual reports to evaluate the feasibility of the imple- mentation of the EU Taxonomy framework. This includes the analysis of the companies reporting as well as the comparison of the economic activities of the companies. There were discrepancies observed among the reporting practices of Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Audi. It has been determined, that all car manufacturers listed a varying number of economic activities that contributed to their eligible and aligned KPIs. The disclosure of the key performance indicators turnover, capital expenditure, and operational expenditure of the five companies was examined. All manufacturers classi- fied their entire vehicle portfolios, regardless of emission output, as eligible under the EU Taxonomy, leading to challenges in accurately assessing their environmental impact. Lastly, to determine the greenest company of the five car manufacturers the Taxonomy- aligned key performance indicators within the automobile industry were analyzed. How- ever, the determination of the greenest company proved inconclusive due to conflicting results from the analyzed KPIs.
In conclusion, the implementation of the EU Taxonomy in the automobile industry is found to be partially feasible, primarily due to inconsistencies in its application among the manufacturers.
This thesis explores the impact of culture and diversity on multicultural teams and the potential benefits of adopting a transcultural approach to enhance team collaboration and effectiveness. The study highlights that cultural differences can present challenges to team collaboration and communication, but a transcultural approach can promote appreciation and understanding of these differences, leading to stronger relationships and greater success in a global business environment.
Intercultural competences, such as an open mind and flexibility, are essential for overcoming challenges arising from cultural differences in teams, and experience and training are recommended to develop these competences. Effective diversity management and developing intercultural competences are essential to thrive in a multicultural environment. Transcultural learning provides a valuable framework for understanding cultural diversity and fostering mutual understanding and respect between cultures. Adopting a transcultural approach can create commonalities and value in terms of global unity and understanding, making it an essential component of international business in today's globalized society.
The German financial market is being disrupted by financial technology and the progression of AI.
This thesis will look at Sparkasse Deutschland as an industry leading firm in the German financial market and analyse the effect of there currently relevant disruptive technologies employed by FinTech companies on their business model. Following a qualitative, exploratory research approach, utilizing comparative analysis, literature review and exploratory interviews, disruptive effects and managerial implications are outlined.
Research showed that Sparkasse Deutschland is currently confronted with different, digitally operating, disruptive FinTech business models attacking different parts of the three main areas of Sparkasse’s value proposition. Besides through cheaper and technologically superior product solutions FinTechs employ the characteristics speed, specialized solutions and platforms, transparency, flexibility and connectivity, user experience, simplicity, interactive and intelligent systems and reliability and security to disrupt the Sparkasse business model.
While currently hedged by their wholistic business model and experience in navigating the German regulatory financial system, Sparkasse is challenged with developing along the by FinTech introduced characteristics to stay competitive in the digital banking industry. Challenged by the transformation to a more digital business model, Sparkasse is tasked with simultaneously retaining existing customers and investing into their digital future.
Further research could be conducted regarding a strategical implementation for Sparkasse Deutschland navigating the outlined challenges and planning action towards increasing competitive strength pertaining the digitally product environment.
Advantest Company ("the company") is the world’s leading manufacturer of automatic test and measurement equipment used in the design and manufacturing of semiconductors. Because of the complexity of technologies and the supply chain of the semiconductor business segment, the company depends on both internal and external suppliers to manage some aspects of the supply chain of its main product, the System on Chip (“SoC”) test system. As a result, it is of ongoing interest to the company to have tools to continually strive for increased quality, reliability, capacity, and speed. Above all, these tools must enhance the relationships with the suppliers, and ensure the profitability and the company's position in the future.
The goal of this thesis is to understand the supply chain procedure at Advantest Company’s current state from the data-driven perspective by using the process mining technique. This technique is an emerging discipline, providing a comprehensive set of tools to provide fact-based insights and support process improvement. This new discipline is built on process model-driven approaches and data mining.
In this thesis, we discuss opportunities for process mining with an approach to analyse the process and how it can help the company enhance the procedure. This approach, which consists of data extraction from both third-party and internal software solutions, provides better visibility and faster disruptive event notification of the supply chain at the company.
Currently, inflation is rising again at a pace not observed since the decade of high inflation in the 1970s, and consumer sentiment is falling to record lows. This work seeks to understand the extent and potential differences of how inflation impacts consumer behavior in these two inflation periods. To this end, we employ an adaptive theory of consumer behavior using a variant of a stimuli-response model.
We analyze stimuli of behavioral changes along two dimensions. We describe consumers’ ability to buy by external factors and their willingness to buy by internal influences. Relevant quantities for each are determined, and their time series are investigated. We investigate responses to the stimuli in two categories. We assess adaptions in behavioral patterns by reviewing research studies and surveys. We analyze salient responses via times series.
The results of this work reveal that inflation does have a significant impact on consumer behavior. Many effects of inflation on consumer behavior are similar for both inflation periods. External and internal factors are needed to explain behavioral changes. This work also finds different responses for the two inflation periods, although internal influences are very similar. Qualitatively, we can explain these different responses by external factors that differ between the two time periods. For more quantitative conclusions, one would have to consider additional internal factors. Further longitudinal studies to identify internal stimuli and consumer responses would also be of great value.
This thesis examines the impact of the war in Ukraine on grain supply and food security in MENA countries, specifically Tunisia and Yemen. The war has resulted in a significant disruption to the global grain market, with Ukraine being a major exporter of wheat and maize prior to the Russian invasion. The blockade of Ukrainian exports has led to rising food prices and increased food insecurity in developing and emerging nations, which rely
heavily on imported grain. The study focuses on analyzing the structure of grain exports from Ukraine, the responses of international organizations such as the World Food Programme, and the long-lasting effects of the conflict on the global food market. The findings of this study may contribute to understanding the dynamics of the grain market and inform policies that address global hunger and food security issues.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks, one of the largest commercial vehicle manufacturers in Europe, will launch the eActros LongHaul, a zero-emission battery-electric commercial vehicle in 2024. As battery-electric commercial vehicles have not been on the market for long, manufacturers face many new challenges when launching new products. Therefore, this thesis investigates which factors influence the product introduction of the eActros LongHaul and how to address them. To this end, the following research questions were posed to evaluate which external factors influence the product introduction of the eActros LongHaul and what difficulties and challenges can be expected during the market launch of the Actros LongHaul and what measures could Daimler Truck take to circumvent these difficulties. Therefore, the external factors that have a potential influence on the market launch of the product were considered. For this purpose, current studies and legal requirements were analyzed. Furthermore, qualitative interviews were conducted with experts from Mercedes-Benz Trucks who are involved in the product launch.The factors that could hinder a successful market launch of the eActros LongHaul were analyzed and evaluated. In addition, measures were proposed to reduce the influence of
these factors.
This research examines the role of self-actualization at work. Following the theory of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-actualization is a goal that all human beings strive to achieve. Through the work field of VIŠE, which proves to be profound and consequently wants to build on current findings, self-actualization is an integral part of the company’s operations. For this reason, it is researched how self-actualization can be made tangible to employees using the reward system. In developing a method that uses the hierarchy of needs as a proceeding, reward types were assigned to each pyramid stage. The research was conducted both quantitative and qualitatively through a cross-industry questionnaire. The results present reward elements that make employees feel supported in their self- actualization at work. The quantitative results show a preference for extrinsic rewards, whereas the qualitative results present a great desire for intrinsic rewards. A balance can be achieved by involving each employee's perception, which has proven to be very important. Respectively, the inclusion of different rewards, both extrinsic and intrinsic, transmits important values into employees' lives and facilitates self-actualization at work.
This literature-based bachelor thesis analyzes the MoonSwatch project developed by Swatch X Omega with empirical findings. This bachelor thesis asks, "How does the MoonSwatch launch affect the watch industry, and will this impact affect Omegas luxury brand value through the cooperation with Swatch?" The goal is to determine the effects of luxury and non-luxury collaboration in the watch industry, analyzing the competitors and development in secondary markets.
The MoonSwatch is a co-branding strategy of two completely different positioned brands regarding price ranges and customer groups. The MoonSwatch currently targets the younger and price-sensitive customer group with a retail price of € 250 (~ CHF 248.24).
They created a watch collection that resembles the moon landing of Omega back in 1969. Since then, Omega has been the official watch for the NASA space program and is praised for its high quality, timeless design, accuracy and precision. The prices for Omega watches can range between € 6.000 to € 25.000 (~ CHF 5.957 – CHF 24.823).
On the other hand, Swatch was made for the mainstream customer with affordable prices between € 60 to € 200 (~ CHF 59:58 – CHF 198.59). Swatch is famous for its colorful, joyful and unique designs.
Both brands belong to the Swiss Swatch Group, which owns eighteen brands in total. Both are icons in their expressions. Omega wrote history for the first watch being on the moon. Swatch is an innovator that saved the Swiss watch industry during the economic crisis in the 1980s.
The brands created the MoonSwatch collection, consisting of eleven models inspired by the moon landing and the space planets. Each watch is designed in a specific color to the planet it represents. The project was released on the 26th of March 2022 and has caused a global sensation. The product creates a natural limitation. In contrast, demand far exceeds supply leading to exorbitant prices in the secondary markets.
This bachelor thesis uses English numerical notation.
This thesis will examine the impact of cashless payments on E-commerce industry in India. In November 2016 Indian government banned the use of 500 INR (Indian rupee note) and 1000 INR note. Since November 2016 Indian government is encouraging cashless transaction or digital payments. There are several modes of online payments. This study will put some light on the basics and facts to understand what demonetization is and on how it increases popularity of cashless payments, the benefits, and challenges it imposes. In the end this study answers the question that if digital transactions will keep growing in India and it effects on e-commerce industry
Automated ERP process for the provision of materials and semi-finished goods between two companies
(2023)
Competitive pricing policies in the industry are causing a surge of companies to explore ways to improve the efficiency of various processes. With the implementation of automated procurement and production processes in an enterprise resource planning system, a company could save cost and diminish time-consuming processes and therefore gain a competitive advantage. Data management is a key factor to be considered and analyzed before an implementation can be initiated.
In this thesis, current literature and concepts are used to create an automated procurement and production process between two companies which can be implemented in an enterprise resource planning system. These automated processes have been developed specifically for a medium-sized company operating in the insole and shoe care industry.
The German labour market today is shaped by demographic change and talent shortage. With the rise in competition, more attention has been brought to employer branding, which can help companies gain a competitive advantage by being perceived as a more attractive employer among employees and potential candidates.
Alongside demographic change, studies simultaneously reveal a shift in values. This shift is leading to a change in perceptions of work and organisational culture. These changes show particular evidence of an increased demand for work-life balance and flexibility. Additionally, it has been proven that the COVID-19 pandemic has put further emphasis on options for working from home. Hence, remote work becomes increasingly relevant for a candidate’s decision process when choosing an employer. Therefore, this thesis intends to conduct research aimed to yield clarity on how firms currently communicate working from home or working remotely as part of their employer branding strategy. Based on the findings of the study the thesis seeks to include recommendations for companies on how to approach communication of this matter. The research consists of a content analysis of career websites by companies listed in the DAX and MDAX. The results prove that the majority of DAX and MDAX companies have indeed reacted to the increased demand for working from home. In the study, four communication strategy types are identified, which help to understand how firms approach communicating their remote work options. Each communication strategy type shows a different degree of importance in communicating remote work options. The study further detects relationships between these communication strategy types and a company’s overall projected employer image. Based on this relationship, a recommendation is given. The recommendation seeks to assist companies in deciding how to incorporate the subject of working from home into their employer branding communication.
Hansgrohe SE will increasingly feel the consequences of the considerable decrease in the German labour force in the coming years. The company has therefore decided to approach the measure of recruiting labour from foreign countries to counteract the consequences already today. As a basis, information about the current situation in the German labour market and at Hansgrohe is provided. Moreover, this thesis proposes a way to analyse the potential of
highly skilled professionals in foreign labour markets and evaluate whether markets offer qualified professionals for specific occupations. The topic was initially approached by carrying out qualitative research within the company. By developing a funnel model that focuses on gathering an overview of a country’s stability and demographic patterns and analysing economic and educational variables, the groundwork for Hansgrohe in order to approach the process of international recruiting is established. The thesis outlines how an
assessment of foreign countries in terms of their availability of highly skilled professionals can happen by means of an example. The research results are used to derive recommendations for action, and an outlook on the future can act as a guide as the company continues to engage in this subject.
This thesis examines the relationship between environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores and portfolio returns using ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and statistical tests. ESG scores were collected from Refinitiv Datastream between January 2007 and February 2023 and consist primarily of companies listed in the Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) Index. The risk factors were calculated using data from Kenneth R. French’s data library. OLS regressions are used to estimate abnormal returns. The portfolios are created by dividing stocks into five equal quantiles and allocating them to five portfolios according to their ESG scores. The portfolios were then reconstructed each year based on the company's ESG rating. This analysis concludes that there is no significant evidence of abnormal returns for high-rated ESG portfolios. Instead, it shows that the portfolio with the lowest 20% ESG ratings outperformed all other portfolios, including the sample market, over the indicated period.
As the next generation, Generation Z, enters the workforce, companies face a new set of challenges. Companies will now be composed of four distinct generations, each with different beliefs, values, and ambitions. It is critical for companies to understand the motivations and aspirations of Generation Z in order to effectively attract and retain them as a workforce. This study focuses on exploring the career incentives and priorities of female Generation Z business students to gain unique insights into their goals and preferred incentives. First, an understanding of generational cohorts, specifically Generation Z, is established. A literature review is then conducted to provide an overview of existing research on Generation Z's popular career incentives. Using a qualitative research design, the study is designed and performed.
Through qualitative research, including interviews, key findings emerged. A competitive salary, career development, and growth opportunities are crucial. Meaningful work, workplace culture, and teamwork opportunities are of extremely high importance in the decision-making process. Additional financial benefits, retirement plans, and social and environmental responsibility are somewhat important; health and wellness, paid time off, and more vacation days are not considered decision-relevant. while other incentives in between.
This study has important implications for employers seeking to create a work environment that meets the dynamic career goals of Generation Z female business students. With this research contribution, companies can more effectively attract and keep the talent of this part of Generation Z.
This bachelor thesis deals with the topic of how companies can develop a successful marketing strategy in influencer marketing. Influencer marketing is coming under increasing criticism due to negative headlines from influencers. In the theoretical part of the paper, influencer marketing as well as marketing with opinion leaders is presented. Subsequently, the structure of an influencer marketing strategy is presented. In addition, the cooperation between the influencer Pamela Reif and the sports brand Puma is considered, as well as the cooperation between the influencer Anne Wünsche and the sports brand Oceans Apart. Due to the topicality of this subject, the work is particularly interesting for companies to develop an optimal marketing strategy and to achieve its marketing goals optimally.
This thesis explores the dynamics of digital marketing, brand positioning, and
branding strategies within the agri-food sector, and delves into the current efforts of Finca San Antonio, a Peruvian cacao farm that manufactures their own products. The rapid growth of digitalization in Peru, emphasize the changing landscape of consumer behavior and media channels. This creates a need for companies to enter the digital era and update their traditional marketing efforts, in order to cater to the new arisen needs.
The study further delves into the dimensions and strategies for brand positioning
in the agri-food industry, shedding light on the relevance of product differentiation
and market segmentation. The case of Finca San Antonio exemplifies the
incorporation of sustainability and eco-branding in building brand identity and value proposition, which is instrumental to establishing brand loyalty. Overall, this research serves as a comprehensive overview of the interplay between digital marketing and brand positioning, especially in the agri-food sector.
This Thesis analyses the difference in the impact of the issuance of a green bond on the stock prices of the issuing entity by country, using an event study approach of 135 green bonds, by comparing the actual daily returns of the event window with the expected returns calculated from the estimation window. With only a slight influence of the country found, further factors effecting the impact are considered. While we conclude that German issuers tend to see a stronger impact than most issuers from other European countries, factors such as the risk of greenwashing, time of issuance, industry, and firm fundamentals appear to skew this impact so that it is not possible to make a definitive statement about the impact of the country of origin on the effectiveness of green bond issuances at providing excess stock returns.
Climate change, commodity price volatility and scarcity of natural resources are some of the clear signals that indicate the unsustainability of the traditional linear economy.
Manufacturing companies in the European Union are becoming aware of playing a key role at the heart of these problems, as they are responsible of determining the impact that products have on the environment and on the economy, during their first lifecycle and after. Manufacturers therefore started to acknowledge the possibility of adapting their business model to circular strategies. The main objective of circular economy is the decoupling of economic growth from natural resources while providing economic and environmental prosperity. This study aims to determine whether circular economy can represent a viable alternative to the current linear economic system in the context of European manufacturing sector. To answer this question, a literature review was conducted to gather qualitative existing data that has been selected according to relevance and analyzed.
The results showed that circular economy has the potential to be successfully applied to the European manufacturing sector, representing a prosperous alternative to the traditional linear economy.
The goal of this bachelor thesis is to find out if Lidl is well prepared for the future challenges in the retail sector. Change management plays an important role, as implementing new aspects into a business requires change. As change management is a well-covered topic, the goal was to understand how change management works and what kind of problems might come up in theory. By interviewing experts within Lidl, it was aimed to find out where Lidl is positioned compared to the competition and what potential plans are ahead but also what kinds of challenges Lidl as a company is facing. It shows that implementing change requires good shareholder management, communication but also understanding the market to know which change makes sense or not. At the end the goal is to define risks and to assess if Lidl is well positioned to maintain the success.
By researching the influence of heuristics and biases on investment decisions and performance of investors in the exchange, this paper contributes to the field of behavioral finance. The paper adopts a generalized perspective on investors and markets in the exchange and provides insights into investors’ decision-making behavior that challenge the traditional assumption of perfectly rational market agents. Thus, it presents statistically significant evidence that investors may not resemble the concept of perfect rationality, as they use heuristics and comply with the prospect theory in investment decisions. Therefore, these decisions are shaped by systematic errors known as biases. The paper’s focus comprises the heuristics of availability, representativeness and anchoring and adjustment as well as the prospect theory. These psychological concepts are investigated for their impact on investment decisions and for subsequent effects on investors’ performances. The investment performance, for this purpose, is measured by investors’ returns. In addition, these psychological elements are studied comparatively to detect interrelations between them and to identify differences in the magnitude with which they influence investment decisions of distinct groups of investors. The paper involves an analysis of quantitative primary data collected by an international survey. Thus, a sample of 297 investors with different characteristics is analyzed. Although the study reveals that investors in the exchange behave according to the considered psychological elements in their investment decisions without differences between groups, it does not show that this entails performance-inhibiting consequences. However, a negative relationship between the investors’ age and their compliance with these elements is found.
Global collaborations are becoming increasingly relevant in product projects. Therefore it is necessary to understand the different project management approaches on how global projects are carried out and what the differences are.
This bachelor thesis is a review of two project management manuals, which were designed by the company itself, on how project management at an internationally operating commercial vehicle manufacturer works with the focus being on time and risk management.
The aim of this thesis is to give recommended actions which improve the project steering, collaboration and the general approach in regards of time and risk management.
To achieve this goal a review of both project management manuals as well as expert interviews were carried out. Qualitative expert interviews were conducted with German- and English-speaking colleagues from different plant locations all around the world. Specifically, 12 questions included background knowledge and project work knowledge and were related to the two manuals, with the focus being on time and risk. The interviewees were required to be actively involved in at least one project and therefore have project work experience and thus are using one of the own project management manuals.
The answers of the interviews, as well as the current manuals contribute to the findings and based on the findings, it is recommended to create an example project for training purposes, to create a list of projects in order to divide the work, to use sprints or detailed planning, to focus on five top risks, to create a social intranet page dedicated to project management and to create a clear meeting plan in advance.
Moving places in cars impacts human activity daily. Therefore, living in a world without cars is inconceivable. While demand for cars exists, supply experiences shortcomings. Customers receive their vehicles with only one key or must deal with long delivery times. There is a correlation between the car industry, supply shortfalls and the current state of the world regarding COVID-19. The objectives of this research are examining how the semiconductor chip shortage affected sales and production of German car manufacturers and what strategic conclusions can be drawn for the future. To reach the objectives a quantitative theory analysis of existing literature was applied. The chosen car manufacturers are Audi AG, BMW AG, and Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
The results show that all objects to the research topic experienced a decline in production and sales. Further, that the semiconductor shortage, mainly anticipated by the pandemic, revealed the fragility of supply networks of the automotive industry. Different strategic attempts may cure supply chain management issues as such; however, it depends on the evaluation of the automotive industry whether this crisis carries a sustainable effect with its presence or not.
Artificial Intelligence is becoming an increasingly important part of everyday life and is considered a matter of course by many people. Since it can be assumed that artificial intelligence will play an increasingly central role in business in the future, this paper aims to investigate the intersection between AI and Digital Sales Technologies through a systematic literature review. This thesis identified 32 relevant articles through an extensive literature search in the databases Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and SpringerLink. Through the detailed analysis of these 32 articles, the following four topic clusters could be identified: “Application Layer, Social Layer, Challenges, and Futuristic Layer”. Based on these layers, the developed research questions were answered successfully, and the following conclusions were drawn: AI is already being used in Digital Sales Technologies in numerous ways, for instance through voice assistants like Alexa. In addition, various changes for consumers and salespeople were identified, that accompany the adoption of AI in Digital Sales Technologies. Furthermore, this thesis provides an answer to which challenges this integration brings and how AI will influence Digital Sales Technologies in the future. Finally, research gaps for future research are identified based on the collected findings from the literature review.
With the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns, the relevance of remote working has increased dramatically. The goal of this thesis is to answer the key question of what remote leadership looks like in German companies while also offering an outlook at the future of remote working.
In the first part of the paper, a literature review introduces the reader to current findings on digital transformation, leadership, remote working, remote leadership and the digital readiness of Germany.
In the second part, an interview study with ten leaders in German companies reveals how they think about and what suggestions they have on the remote leadership role, leading remotely, remote work as a concept, Germany as a place for remote working, future flexible working models and the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The results of this study show that the most common remote leadership approaches in German organizations seem to be democratic and transformational. Furthermore, remote employees need more feedback and motivation than office-based employees. Working times of remote employees are controlled less strictly while results become even more important. Instead of being controllers and supervisors, remote leaders are often becoming team players. Lastly, hybrid remote working models are here to stay after the pandemic.
Future research on the topic could look at remote leadership from an employee perspective or survey larger participant groups about remote leadership to gain a broader view on the topic.
In the context of the global climate crisis, socially responsible investing has gained momentum in the financial market. One of its objectives is the achievement of a positive environmental impact. Among the instruments used for this purpose are green bonds. These are fixed-income instruments whose proceeds may only be used for green activities. To this point, market-based standards aimed at establishing uniform definitions of what constitutes “green” have strongly contributed to the development of the green bond market. In order to further promote the issuance and credibility of green bonds and exploiting their financing potential, the European Commission has proposed the introduction of a European Green Bond Standard.
This thesis examines how an introduction of the European Green Bond Standard could impact the existing German green bond market and lead to more private investments in green projects in the future. To address this question, information from an extensive literature review as well as quantitative data from Refinitiv EIKON's Green Bond Guide was used.
For the German green bond market to grow, in particular an increased involvement of the private sector is essential. This thesis finds that the current draft of the European Green Bond Standard offers great potential in this respect. Through increased transparency and assurance, increased demand as well as associated reputational benefits and the possibility to use targeted policy incentives it has the potential to increase the attractiveness of green bond issuance for the private sector and thus induce more issuances. An extension of the grandfather clause, which is currently under discussion, could underpin this even further.
Key factors sustainability and digitalization – an analysis of countries performance and actions
(2022)
Climate change is an extremely relevant topic nowadays in everyday life, politics and even economy. Therefore, it is important to understand the dimension of this topic and be conscious about how it is affecting everyone’s life. Many people’s base of living is fading through for example crop failure or natural disasters. Next, businesses must also adapt since many governments have implemented emission caps which force organizations to restructure business processes to meet those goals. Adapting to new circumstances or ways of working is crucial to fight back menacing environmental changes and without coherent enforcement, the goal of combating global warming and tackling climate change can’t be achieved.
But how can these challenges be fought against in a meaningful way and matter in a long-term perspective? There were already some attempts made like setting a maximum for global warming worldwide. On the other hand, there is no country which can meet those in the required period of time. Next to battle the problem of global warming every country in the world has to take part and work together, or else the goals can’t be fulfilled, which can occur to be difficult and hard to execute in reality. If there is no coherency in enforcement the aim of fighting the global warming and climate change can’t be attained.
The essential query I want to obtain with this thesis is what the possibilities for countries through sustainability and digitalization to live and operate in a more renewable way are. Part of this work will be assessing Sweden’s progress and development in this field since they are pioneers in both key areas. Afterwards there will be a comparison to Morocco and Singapore which at first glance differ completely from each other to work out differences and common ground.
In the end contrasting key factors like climate and geography, politics or economy etc. will give insights about opportunities and unused potential in making the world more sustainable with the help of digitalization.
The technique of acquiring the data is mainly focused on news articles, tech, and business publications as well as governmental proclamation and reporting of environmental portals. The reasoning for this is that the topic is very up to date and the source of information needs to be as recent as possible.
The intention of the project is to generate understanding and awareness about how sustainability and digitalization can be drivers and work together in a complex sphere like environmental change.
Since the occurrence of cybercrime rises every year, it has become increasingly important for companies to further secure their data and important information. It is not enough to just secure the data inside of the company, by now companies must go one step further.
This thesis focuses on a way to develop tools and methods to determine whether company data is secure in the hands of third-parties as well. To do so it is important to understand what different methods are available and reliable enough for the everyday usage.
The aim of this thesis is to present an evidence-based methodology to identify third-party risks. To achieve this goal, an analysis of international standards of technology knowledge is conducted. The market is searched for already existing service providers with the intend to find already existing information and templates on the topic. By conducting interviews information and expert knowledge is gathered.
The analysis and interviews contribute to the development of a generalized questionnaire which can be used to evaluate third-party risks. A generalized questionnaire that is fit for every third-party working with company data, that can be adjusted if necessary.
This paper analyses five different Cryptocurrencies, namely Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin and Litecoin, and studies their impact on traditional financial portfolios under different allocation strategies. The allocation strategies under consideration in this paper are the modern portfolio theory according to Markowitz, an extension of it such as the tangency portfolio, and the equally weighted portfolio. Further, this study explores the effect on the efficient frontier when Cryptocurrencies are added to the efficient portfolios. In addition to that, the paper aims to examine whether the mean – variance portfolio optimization according to Markowitz outperforms the naïve and tangency portfolio strategy. The portfolio performance is evaluated based on the Sharpe ratio. The quantitative analysis of this paper covers the time period from 2017 to 2022, in total five years. In accordance with the existing literature on portfolio optimization with Cryptocurrencies, the study reveals that besides some issues related with Cryptocurrencies such as cybercrime and a lack of regulations, Cryptocurrencies can be beneficial for portfolio diversification with traditional financial assets. Referring to the portfolio strategies, the study highlights that the optimal mean – variance portfolio and tangency portfolio do not differ significantly in terms of Sharpe ratio. However, both strategies outperform equally weighted portfolios.
University-Industry Collaboration (UIC) is considered by academics and industry as a vital factor that has the power to both positively and negatively impact the open innovation (OI). To contribute to the literature and to identify challenges as well as to conceptualize some recommendations to help industries, this thesis raised a question:
what are the challenges of UIC and what recommendations can be made to solve the challenges. The main research objective was to recognize the determinants of UIC challenges. An empirical study was conducted in order to give an answer to the research questions and to meet the research objective. This research explicitly focused on students/interns and internships to analyze and to discover the challenges and solutions since students or internships are the least researched area in the field of UIC research. Participants were personally contacted with the survey link that was created online to conduct explorative research with the help of close-ended (quantitative) and open-ended (qualitative) questions. The results reveal that there are numerous challenges students face during the internship and thus these most likely hinder the successful UIC and ultimately successful OI. According to the results obtained from both quantitative and qualitative sections obvious and major challenges lie in innovation mediators ‘organizational culture’. From the quantitative result perspective only, major challenges are in the area of absorptive capacity and supervisors' support, internalization, and trust. Similarly, from the qualitative results perspective only, major challenges are bad crisis management, communication, and hierarchical structure.
Plastic packaging and its waste are known to have a negative impact on the environment and on human health. This study aims to determine effective government measures for the management of plastic packaging in Germany. Specifically, the effectiveness and acceptance of possible environmental incentive and restriction policies are analyzed based on the objectives of reduction, reuse, and recycling. Therefore, the policies of a plastic packaging tax, tax differentiation, bans, and concentration limits of chemical additives, as well as restrictions on packaging design, are investigated.
In order to examine the consumer acceptance of the policies, an online survey was conducted with 272 students. This study further contributed to the analysis of effectiveness as consumption effects were measured. Accordingly, the expected policy effectiveness was examined based on literature research and quantitative insights from the field study.
The results - which are only representative for German consumers with an academic background between 18 and 29 years of age - revealed that most respondents accepted the policies, although acceptance was higher for restriction policies than for incentives. Furthermore, problem awareness was found to slightly correlate with policy acceptance in most cases. In terms of expected policy effectiveness, several factors indicate effectiveness for all policies. However, multiple prerequisites for the achievement of policy effectiveness were identified, whereas the requirements for restrictions on chemical additives were most complex.
When enterprises decide to expand operations to new foreign markets, they are encountered with the crucial decision of how to implement their marketing strategy in each market without losing consistency across their global brand image. This thesis will focus especially on the impact culture has on this decision and on its implementation. To do so, a qualitative analysis in form of expert interviews was performed in six multinational companies across different industries. Marketing managers from the headquarters were questioned about the implementation of their global marketing strategy in their local markets. The findings give new insights for managers in terms of future adaptations for efficient communication of marketing strategy across the multinational company.
The two strategic options standardisation and adaptation are examined in the literature to set a foundation to later discuss culture’s influence on this decision. Furthermore, a cultural framework will be given and the communication structure of the two main parties of a multinational company will be reviewed in the existing literature.
Abstract
The large-scale impact of the climate change on all regions and industries of the world underlines the need for action in the logistics sector. Despite literature in this field has matured fast since the last 5 years, it neglects the consideration of digital tools or measures to introduce sustainability in the sector. Consequently, precise recommendations on how to manage digital disruptions in order to reach sustainability goals in Logistics are lacking.
The objective of this thesis is to develop those recommendations and to facilitate their implementation for practitioners in the truck container transportation sector. To do so, the impact as well as the evolution of digitalization must be determined. Besides, factors for managing digital change successfully and measuring their impact in this sector shall be ascertained. Finally, a holistic framework to support the implementation process for becoming more sustainable by using digitalization should be presented.
A single-case study at the Logistics Start-Up “driveMybox” intends to fill the identified gap in knowledge. Particularly, it is studied how the organization manages to use digital tools to offer CO2-neutral truck container transports on their platform. Thereby, the different approaches are being looked at. Besides, data is gathered through qualitative interviews and other internal documents.
The first outcome of the thesis is an overview that illustrates the role of digitalization in Logistics. It increases the awareness of the digital impact and helps practitioners to take useful actions. Furthermore, a clear set of success factors to forward sustainability in the transportation sector was developed. Finally, a holistic result depicts which steps can lead to a more sustainable transportation process. Summarising, the thesis contributes to extant literature by combining digitalization with approaches to sustainability. The given recommendations consider the particularities of Start-Ups and support practitioners in this field with valuable guidelines and a holistic framework.
The sharing economy is a global phenomenon and an alternative consumption model based on granting access to owned surplus of resources to strangers through web-based platforms in exchange for money or for free. While this model quickly gained popularity in the transactions between individuals (C2C or P2P) and between individuals and companies (B2C), the potential of sharing between enterprises (B2B) is yet to be harnessed. Among the positive consequences the sharing economy claims to deliver, such as increased efficiency, waste-cut, and community-building, sustainability is the fundamental consequence this paper will focus on. Specifically, this thesis aims to determine if the sharing economy in the B2B market is a sustainable business model for the future. The obtained results show that, while the sharing economy in B2B, especially in small to medium-size companies, has the potential to bring more efficiency and sustainability for the future, this seems not to be the case in the present. This is the result of several external limitations, especially in the field of technology, legality and in society, but also of internal factors, such as conceptual and empirical unclearness that occasionally even lead to business misconduct and abuse of the positive connotation of the sharing economy model.
The aim of this paper is to analyse how technology has assisted in the stabilization of corporate labour markets in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Innovations in technology influencing the way work is currently done by most corporations, especially technology-oriented corporations, that realized the possibility and effectiveness of working remotely, and the sophistication of relevant technologies in enabling corporate employees to continue working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case study of how South Africa handled the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, compared to Germany, will be elaborated on. As medical technological innovations greatly improved in the shortest time possible, to have effective vaccines, the breakthrough in COVID-19 vaccines happened.
The paper tests the German stock market for excess volatility and stock price overvaluation with regard to the simple efficient markets model and the cyclically adjusted price-earnings ratio. Long-term historical stock market data of 49 years are used to calculate the detrended real price and ex-post value and data of 39 years to compute the cyclically adjusted price-earnings ratio, both from the sample of two German automotive stocks. The empirical evidence provided by the analysis points to excess market volatility and confirms the theory of overvalued stocks, which is linked to the bubble theory. This indicates that price fluctuations cannot be justified only by changes in fundamental values as claimed by the Efficient Market Hypothesis. The German stock market therefore shows inefficiency.
The current COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in a so called "people-crisis" changed the people work and forced businesses to re-locate teams to a virtual working environment.
Virtual and remote work became the only way for many firms to stay afloat, and it meant drastic and forced changes in the meaning of work for a large number of employees. Although this seemed to be impossible for many business organizations, the current reality proved the exact opposite. The pandemic put many teams on a test, which only the high-performers and the ones were ready to adapt, learn and grow could pass. Therefore, complex and well-developed organizations need effective team performance in order to survive. Even though technology makes collaboration possible in a virtual environment skills that make it successful. Employees who merely "perform their jobs" are no longer desired by many businesses. Instead, companies search for talent who own an agile mindset and have the required soft skills to work and adapt in a team.
The aim of this research is to provide general information on the importance of teamworking as well as to analyze the impact of the virtual working environment during COVID-19 crisis on the teamwork.
Companies are progressively implementing remote work models to handle the evolving changes in economic, social, and technological environments and facilitate their business operations amidst these. Meaning more teams including multicultural ones are deployed to function on a virtual basis, during the course of their employment, or for a specific project.
Therefore, this thesis focuses on presenting the main challenges that these global virtual teams typically face and the practices to implement as a way to resolve them.
Data were obtained from both a literature study and interviews run with a total of six experts. Four of them being managers and two, employees so that varying perspectives on different organizational levels could be covered.
The findings emphasize that the virtual element significantly impacted communication, coordination, collaboration, and the social aspect. Hence teams and/or management need to dedicate more time to collectively decide on and elaborate a set of common guidelines, best practices, and tools to address this. Whilst maintaining openness and a sense of trust throughout, as incidents or interactions can come up that normally prompt unintended assumptions. For reoccurring issues or generally to ensure the team’s performance and well-being though, companies and/or top management need to regularly follow up and be prepared to intervene.
The purpose of this thesis is to examine how process mining might enhance and benefit processes to increase the competitive advantage, while also examining the difficulties businesses are facing when implementing process mining and the purpose for which they have implemented it. Presentations of cases from various industries are backed up by in-person interviews with representatives of various businesses. The findings show that process mining is a tool that users highly recommend since it produces results that have never been seen before, regardless of the field in which it is used and regardless of their initial purpose for choosing such a concept. It also emphasizes the importance of the staff and people in putting a new idea into practice, as well as their obstacles embracing anything new.
Businesses that are competing for an advantage knock on many doors. The last ten years have seen many businesses of all kinds open their doors to process mining. A notion that identifies their shortcomings, provides them with room to grow and gives them transparency. One would assume that firms' focus is on keeping costs low in today's environment, where expenses climb enormously daily, therefore that's why they introduce innovative concepts. That may be true at first, but once the concept's genuine usefulness is realized, their focus is simple to change. Companies today recognize the need of process optimization if they wish to operate with a competitive edge and have a sound business plan. Until businesses decide to test the idea themselves, the network effect is important in such situations.
Since the concept hasn't been on the market for very long and not many companies have had experience with it thus far, it was observed that the results of the literature review with regard to the content of the interviews were practically comparable.
Finally, this paper provides recommendations for a transition from the conventional business models that firms are still using to more modern technical, data-based approaches. Only a broad analysis and conclusion are possible with the sample size of eleven companies and ten specialists.
The following study examines the influence selected variables have on the price of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin by utilizing a multiple linear regression model. Data of 267 observations for each variable during a five-year period from 13 August 2016 to 1 October 2021 are analyzed. The results present empirical evidence on the relationship of Bitcoin and external determinants such as traditional financial assets, in particular the stock market, the bond market, domestic currencies, the real estate market, gold, and the popularity of Bitcoin, represented by a Google Trends analysis. The findings imply that only the stock market and the real estate market proxies significantly influence the price of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
Private equity investors acquire companies, aim to increase the company’s corporate value and thus aim at selling the respective company at a profit after some time. To increase the value of their portfolio companies, private equity investors employ three main value creation strategies. Financial leverage, multiple expansion, and operational value creation. There has been a significant shift in importance between these three value drivers. While in the 1980s more than 50% of value creation was achieved by leveraging equity with the help of debt capital, this value driver only accounted for 15% in the 2010s. Instead, the value driver operational value creation has gained significantly in importance. It alone accounted for 55% of total value creation in the 2010s, more than financial leverage and multiple expansion combined. The aim of this thesis is to answer the question which operational value creation levers private equity investors use to increase the value of their portfolio companies during the holding phase. In addition, the thesis deals with the question of operational value creation drivers of the future. These are derived based on prevailing megatrends of the future. Research on the operational value drivers used by private equity investors revealed that these drivers can be assigned to three main aspects.
These aspects are, on the one hand, financial aspects, where private equity investors take measures to improve working capital. Moreover, within the framework of financial aspects private equity investors influence the cost structure as well as the cost of capital and the capital structure. Furthermore, private equity investors assert influence on the governance structures of their portfolio companies. For the aspect of governance, measures such as replacement of management/change of management structure, monitoring and controlling as well as incentive systems were identified to increase the value of the company. Another identified aspect for value creation are strategic aspects. In terms of strategic aspects, private equity investors use the levers of mergers and acquisitions, organic expansion, outsourcing/insourcing as well as product and pricing strategies.
The research on the value creation levers that private equity investors will have to apply in the future in order to ensure value creation of their portfolio companies is based on the megatrends of digitalization, demographic change and sustainability. The research revealed the implementation of digitalization measures, employee, and talent management as well as the implementation of ESG criteria.
This thesis has structurally outlined value drivers that contribute to value creation in private equity investments. The research also showed that value creation levers taken can directly and indirectly influence the value of the portfolio company. Value drivers II with a direct effect on the change in equity value affect either revenue, margin or net debt, while the indirect value drivers affect the valuation multiple.
The aim of this research is to explore social media platform TikTok and how it can be used as a marketing opportunity for brands but at the same time be a challenge for others. A qualitative study has been conducted due to the subjective nature of the topic, as well as a qualitative survey to get better insights of TikTok users’ behaviour. To analyse the data, a content analysis of 4 brands over the time frame of 3 months 01.06.2022 to 25.08.22 has been conducted. The findings can offer researchers and marketers better insights about if and how to implement TikTok into a marketing strategy of a company.
The aim of this paper is to examine the role of packaging design as a strategic marketing tool in the fast-moving consumer goods industry and how this can be done most effectively to appeal to multiple generations. The research question is: how could companies in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry design their packaging to appeal to different generations?
To answer the research question, a quantitative online survey was carried out targeting consumers of generations X, Y, and Z in order to find out what they expect from product packaging. In addition, qualitative expert interviews were conducted to gain a deeper insight into the FMCG market and the role of packaging.
Empirical research showed that packaging is an essential marketing tool when it considers certain conditions, such as general consumer demands and important megatrends. In addition, it was found that neither consumers nor brands place much value on different generational backgrounds in packaging but rather on common values across generations. However, the generational background of the consumers could serve as a guideline for concrete target group definitions.
This shows that packaging is essential for consumers and brands today. On this basis, it is advisable to follow a packaging strategy that combines generations and common consumer values in order to be as competitive as possible in the FMCG market.
The purpose of this thesis is to determine which factors of the German entrepreneurial attitude can ensure a successful transition onto the Mexican market, defining the values and characteristics of a German entrepreneur.
In this context, explanations of the characteristics of the German entrepreneur, his "entrepreneurial attitude", "entrepreneurial characteristics" and "entrepreneurial intention" are of importance for the further investigation.
Through the literature research, this content was composed and defined. The Mexican market was taken as the focus and considered in the context of culture, values, and characteristics. Subsequently, the findings were verified and discussed through several expert interviews. By that, the research questions were aimed to be answered.
The results show that the terms of achievement, sense of duty and time-dominated are relevant success factors of German entrepreneurial attitude. There is a need for adaption for those terms and especially for the terms of authoritarian leadership style and hierarchical.
The results of the literature review with regard to the content of the definition of German entrepreneurship were seen by some of the experts as outdated and not up to date.
Finally, this work provides recommendations for a successful transition of German entrepreneurs to the Mexican market to promote entrepreneurial activities. Here, reference is made to the values and characteristics that have found approval or rejection through the interviews.
The literature research was limited to the dimension model of Hofstede and is not including other cultural models. The sample amount of five experts permits only a general analysis and conclusion.
This thesis addresses the relationship between sustainability action and firm competitiveness. Through the analysis of literature and by conducting a survey on consumer demands and preferences, the question whether sustainability action can help companies in the consumer electronics sector gain a competitive advantage is answered.
This thesis comes to the conclusion, that sustainability action can yield many advantages for companies, when executed properly. In general, companies with a strong sustainability performance reduce their production cost, have easier access to capital and labor, show financial and stock performance on the same level or higher than less sustainable companies, reduce stakeholder risk and gain consumer goodwill which can materialize into a competitive advantage. Regarding the consumer electronics sector,
this thesis shows that most consumers would prefer more sustainable products over less sustainable ones and would be willing to pay a price premium. What seems to be a big issue in the consumer electronics market is, that even though companies like Apple already act on the issue of sustainability, they are either doing a bad job or having a hard
time communicating their sustainability initiatives to consumers.
This research paper explores consumer behaviour towards the purchase and usage of Electric Power Two Wheelers (EP2W) by German millennials, the target consumers of this paper. To evaluate the purchasing intentions of German millennials on EP2W, academic research has been conducted. Therefore, data from scientific studies have been collected with a focus on which aspects influence the target consumers’ opinions between electric P2W and fossil fuel P2W. The resulting data showed that millennials exhibit stronger purchase motives towards EP2W. It also states that the purchase price of the EP2W serves as a primary factor.
This thesis paper aimed to compare the marketing of wine in Germany and France. Though Germany and France are neighboring European countries, they are culturally, politically, socially, economically, geographically, and technologically different. These differences, directly and indirectly, affect the way both countries do business.
Three research questions helped to compare wine marketing in Germany and France. These questions are the following:
Factors that go into the wine production as well as certain indicators or characteristics inform the potential customers about the quality of the wine they have in their glasses. That is why the first question in this thesis focused on how the quality of wine is defined in Germany and France.
Wine Associations at different layers: regional, national, European, and international play an important role in wine promotion. So, the second re-search question was to investigate the contribution of these different wine co-operatives in wine marketing.
To market their wine, many countries put in place different marketing strategies to increase their wine image and customer base. That is why the Last part of this paper was to compare the different marketing strategies used in the wine sector in Germany and France.
This thesis ended up with a conclusion.
The necessity and efficiency of a well-designed onboarding program is undeniable. In addition to the individual design of an onboarding program, the presentation and marketing of the activities in this context differ, with potential indications of onboarding strategies. The thesis aims to investigate the communication of onboarding-relevant content by German companies to detect characteristic indications of two controversial onboarding strategies – the Cold water and the Babysitting approach. In this context, the following research question was established: How do German mid-sized companies present their onboarding activities?
The research is based on communication content, whereby the qualitative content analysis according to Mayring was applied which provides the basis for subsequent analyses investigating linguistic and industrial interrelationships. The study was performed on the 50 MDAX-listed companies as a representative of all German corporations.
The qualitative examination revealed a strong preference towards the Babysitting approach. Here, linkages were identified regarding a segmentation of the onboarding content by target groups based on entry and experience levels, supporting the detailed presentation and implementation of this approach. Also, the address towards potential candidates of these companies was increasingly characterized by a personal 'Du' address. These findings support the associated perception of the employer as employee- oriented and are thus coherent with the characteristics of this approach. Indications of the Cold water method were found more among innovative industries. The analysis also demonstrated the use of existing employees as transmitters regarding onboarding relevant content, with storytelling and blogs emerging as the primary channels of communication of Cold water corporations. Additionally, the communication of general rather than specific onboarding topics supports the characteristics of the Cold Water approach, as the onboarding phases are non-prestructured and the responsibility of a successful integration lies with the new employee.
The goal of the following paper is to examine if Corporate Architecture can be used as a tool for Employer Branding, as both concepts gained of importance over the last years, due to the war for talents. Therefore, specific aspects of each of the theories are focused on. The focus of Corporate Architecture lies on the interior design of offices, specifically in combination with the color association theory. This theory states, that colors are associated with specific values, things or emotions. The focus of Employer Branding is set on the values of cohesion and agility, as those are key characteristics of innovative teams and organizations.
Employers must have the necessary tools to engage in the fight for talent, which is growing increasingly competitive. The rising competitiveness of the recruiting industry today has further driven the development of the recruitment process, resulting in the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques.
In this thesis, a literature review of current applications of AI in recruitment is conducted to better understand AI’s present strengths and limitations as well as its future potential.
In particular, this thesis attempts to clarify, from a recruitment strategy perspective, how AI can be used to improve recruitment and facilitate recruiters’ daily work, with a focus on which guidelines should be in place to achieve these goals.
The results reveal a significant gap between the promise and current reality of AI applications in human resources. However, with a few adjustments and cautious implementation, AI can indeed provide recruiters with promising solutions primarily by taking over tasks such as sourcing, screening and possibly even interviewing applicants through video screening. This has the potential to improve the quality of hiring and eliminate bias in recruitment. The thesis also finds that, at present, a fully automated process without any supervision from recruiters is unrealistic, at least in the final stages of the decision-making process, due to the ongoing and crucial need for a human touch and the currently foreseen negative cultural reaction to AI in its present limited form.
Growing environmental awareness, especially among young generations, is reflected in the willingness to accept price premiums for sustainable and recyclable products. In recent years, marketers have focused on reinforcing consumers’ attention and interest in green goods by increasing the effectiveness of various sustainability information on product packaging.
In this thesis, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) investigated the effect of visual and verbal recycling claims on product packaging upon the willingness to pay (WTP). Although findings showed no changes in WTP related to a visual claim, the presence of a verbal claim positively impacted the WTP in two of four cases. Further, significant interactions between the two factors were detected. The results suggest that students considered an imagery seal irrelevant during product evaluation, whilst communicating recycling information with a textual message or with a conjunction of both claims showed a tendency to improve price-value perception. However, results for the verbal and interaction effects showed variations across products. Therefore, one may not draw unequivocal assumptions from the findings of this study without research replication on a larger scale.
In two experiments, this empirical research examines consumers’ willingness to pay and the likelihood of purchase decisions by thoroughly investigating the neural, behavioral, and psychological properties of packaging design. A general theory is tested by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a NeuroPricing online survey on consumer behavior using the example product Tassimo. Hypotheses are tested with 592 German consumers who evaluated the packaging of Tassimo coffee. A closer look at the neural data from the brain imaging experiment shows that uncertainty can arise among consumers with regard to sustainable packaging and this can have a negative impact on the purchase decision and willingness to pay. The results from both experiments show that it is not possible to make a holistic statement as to which sustainable or enjoyment-focused packaging design increases the likelihood of a purchase decision or the willingness to pay. Implications for future packaging design research and underlying complexities with sustainable packaging are discussed.
The project business in the packaging machine industry is highly volatile. Although the industry is steadily growing, firms face increasing financial constraints due to external, difficult to control, factors. This thesis examines the underlying concepts and processes of a Supply Chain Finance implementation, using the Syntegon Group as an empirical example. Due to the extended payment terms of customers and the currently undergoing refinancing measures, the analysis about potential liquidity increasing measures becomes extremely relevant for Syntegon. The research questions covered focus on cash liquidity increases, working capital improvement and alternatives to Supply Chain Finance solutions.
This research aims to provide an informed recommendation about the implementation of Supply Chain Finance. The research is divided into two major parts. The first part discusses the underlying theoretical frameworks to understand the concept of working capital and supply chain management. These concepts are of great importance for the understanding of Supply Chain Finance and its relevance in today’s globalized world. The second part focuses on a detailed empirical analysis of the Syntegon Group. Hereby, the qualitative research involves expert interviews with various departments of the Syntegon Group. The answers of the interviewees are evaluated based on the different categories. This allows for a direct comparison of the interviewee’s answers.
The quantitative analysis consists of the key figure analyses. These allow an informed statement about the current financial situation of the group. By calculating potential payment term extensions and the consequential cash flow opportunities, an estimation about the benefit of the implementation of Supply Chain Finance can be made. Lastly, the cost-benefit analysis of implementing such a solution versus receiving the money as a bank loan is determined.
The results of the calculation and analyses have shown that payment term extensions offer large cash flow opportunities for the Syntegon Group. Receiving a bank loan in the same amount as the unlocked working capital would result in a lower benefit.
Although further research beyond this thesis is needed, the clear benefits of implementing a Supply Chain Finance solution to increase liquidity are demonstrated.
The onset of COVID– 19 has accelerated digital trends facilitating the rise of social media and the financial technology industry. Especially in the private equity sector, investors are increasing their online presence and marketers need to define a tactical social media plan to improve its integrated marketing communications and facilitate lead generation.
The objective of this thesis is to develop a social media marketing proposal and action plan for the fintech company: Moonfare GmbH. The aim is to identify the most suitable content marketing, social networks and techniques to power sales growth, brand awareness and community engagement through its current social media channels.
In order to develop a deeper understanding, the literature review presents different digital marketing frameworks applied to social media marketing. Moreover, a careful study of the fintech private equity industry is developed through a Porter’s 5 forces model alongside an explanation of the case of Moonfare through a blue ocean canvas.
For the research, secondary data and internal desk research were performed including, statistical insights directly gathered from the company. The study was further designed with an internal and external situation analysis, concluding with a SWOT model and the establishment of objectives through a SMART goals framework. The final action plan is presented in an OGSM model.
Identifying the Core Competencies of European Low-Cost Airlines – An Exemplary Analysis of Ryanair
(2021)
This paper analyses the European industry for short- and medium-haul flights and determines the core competencies of the largest operating low-cost carrier, Ryanair. It further raises the question of whether the successful low-cost business model can be applied to long-haul sectors. The industry analysis utilises Porter’s five forces model and evaluates the factors of change along the PESTLE dimensions. Additionally, a thorough analysis of Ryanair is conducted, including a SWOT analysis and an identification of the airline’s core competencies. Finally, the viability of low-cost long-haul operations is discussed by assessing key low- cost carrier success factors' transferability. The results indicate that the European airline industry is fiercely competitive and largely unattractive to operate in. Ryanair’s core competencies, which are identified within the areas of operations, procurement and management, enable the airline to, nonetheless, operate profitably. This paper also finds that low-cost long-haul routes can be successful when learnings from previous mistakes are made. As the impact of the global pandemic will continue to disrupt long-haul flight operations, it is likely to take until the recovery of travel demand and the delivery of narrow-body long-range aircraft until a successful low-cost long-haul airline erupts. Given the less severe impact on short- to medium-haul flights in Europe, the large and financially strong low-cost carriers may benefit and find themselves in a stronger position relative to full-service airlines upon recovery of travel demand.
XXXXXXXX, according to XXXXXXXX is a disruptive technology. This technology offers producers several advantages, such as more efficient and sustainable production, as well as cost savings and process optimization. Many producers are under increasing pressure to adapt their production in the long run tothe fast-growing technological standards andincreasing worldwide environmental consciousness. They are now facing the challenge of maintaining their competitive advantage in the medium to long run. Unfortunately, mostcompanies are not familiar with the new XXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX might encounter rejection. Therefore, it is necessary to understand what actions need to be taken to convince a potential customer in the B2B relationship of the new technology. For this purpose, the following research question is posed: Which strategy supports the market entry of XXXXXXXX printing applications?-The impact of XXXXXXXX on technology introduction. To answer the research question, results were compiled on the basis of a literature research and an online survey on customer needs in décor baseboards and in vehicle interior design.
The research and the survey show, that decisions are always based on an emotional basis. In addition, information which is communicated several times and on different sensory levels, is better absorbed. The aspects sustainability, cost savings, individualization, waiting times and competent consultation play a central role for customers. Moreover, an economic challenge is crystallizing due to the Covid-19 crisis. As a result, the focus should be on emotionalizing and dramatizing the content when presenting the new XXXXXXXX technology. Here, the customer’s wishes should be included, and a personal connection should be built up as well as strong emotions evoked. This enables the creation of a very good customer experience, which is essential for decision-taking. In addition, the communication should take place on all sensory levels to provide the potential customer a multisensory experience. In order to better implement the proposed actions, it is recommended to meet the customer at a trade fair or in the XXXXXXXX building.The correct use of the proposed actions will help XXXXXXXX to successfully convince the potential customer of XXXXXXXX.
The number of companies around the globe that are utilizing budgets to cut their costs is rising, especially in times of crisis. However, there seems to be an abundance of budgeting methods. Two of the most well-known methods are Traditional Incremental Budgeting and Zero-Based Budgeting. These two methods will be compared in this research paper on ‘How does Zero-Based Budgeting affect a company’s performance as compared to Traditional Incremental Budgeting?’. In order to give a satisfactory answer to this question annual reports and figures of Mondelez International, Inc. were utilized as the snack and food company has used both budgeting methods in the past.
The research showed that there is a measurable effect on which budgeting method is used by a company. However, the favourable option for one specific company depends on a variety of reasons.
This study aims to ascertain whether share-repurchasing companies in Germany observe long-term abnormal returns, a phenomenon that has been extensively discussed in literature over the past decades. Germany is an especially interesting market for this analysis, as share-repurchases were only legalized in 1998 and are subject to sterner regulations compared to markets where repurchasing has had a long tradition. The event sample consists of 169 announcements made between June 2008 and May 2013. Each event is observed for three years following the announcement. To calculate abnormal returns, this study employs the Return Across Time and Securities, Calendar-Time Portfolio, and Buy-and-Hold Abnormal Return approaches, which yield statistically significant abnormal returns after three years of 23.72%, 22.81%, and 57.77%, respectively. The results further indicate most of the price adjustment occurs in the 15 months following the announcement, with only minor corrections thereafter. Overall, the findings of this study suggest the existence of long-term abnormal returns for German repurchasing companies.
This paper studies the progressivity of a proposed indirect consumption tax on greenhouse gas emissions: the Carbon Added Tax. To evaluate its progressivity, a microsimulation was created assigning estimated tax burdens to individuals from the Spanish Household Budget Surveys from 2016 to 2019. These were then aggregated to calculate average effective tax rates across income and expenditure deciles as well as a series of progressivity and inequality indices. The resulting statistics and measures showed a strong regressivity of the Carbon Added Tax when measured against income but only a very mild regressivity when measured against expenditures. This study finds that with its mild regressiveness when measured against expenditures, the Carbon Added Tax has the potential to become a viable long-term solution to carbon taxation if adequately designed.
In 2020 a pandemic caused the universities in Germany to close their doors for their
students. For the Hochschule Furtwangen University, it was the first time that online
classes were introduced on a large-scale. The objective of this thesis paper is to
investigate how international students at HFU Business School cope with having online
classes due to COVID-19 and to derive based on those findings a recommended course
of action.
The researcher conducted 32 semi-structured in-depth interviews with international
students, local students, professors, and university employees to examine the status quo.
A thorough literature review on studying and working from home formed the interview
questions' foundation. The interview covered several aspects of students' life, such as
studying, language development, or social factors.
Based on the findings, a recommended course of action was derived. Those 14
recommendations include practical suggestions covering different facets for the
university to implement to improve international students' ability to cope with the
restrictions caused by the pandemic and the resulting online classes successfully.
Customer Relationship Management has focused on numerous data privacy practices in the current information and big data era. The present study focuses exclusively on the declaration of consent (DoC) in the context of the automotive industry, particularly in the sector of premium car manufacturing. A DoC is an individual's authorization to an organization for data processing; within the context of this study, a DoC is referred to as the authorization of an individual for processing its personal data in order to receive personalized marketing communications. Not much is known about the factors that influence individuals to grant such permission. Relevant literature on consumer behavior, permissions marketing, and psychology is reviewed from a marketing perspective to develop a framework based on the privacy calculus, which distinguishes individuals' costs and benefits based on assessing selected cost and benefit drivers. The influence of perceived benefits, incentives, both monetary and non-monetary, consumer control, trust, information protection, and transparency is identified as benefit-associated factors, whereas the influence of opportunity costs entitled to the providing the consent, privacy concerns, intrusiveness, and the quantity of the information supplied by the organizations during the consent collection is identified as costs-associated factors. In accordance with the literature, several hypotheses were formulated to estimate the consumers' intention to consent. This study supports Mercedes-Benz AG to improve its consent capturing management and related processes.
This thesis is written based on secondary research to understand the main determinants of purchase intention of Generation Y women towards Fast Fashion products and how important is sustainability among those determinants. There are many different studies dedicated to Generation X and Z, however, when it comes to Generation Y there are not many sources available. I decided to put them together in this study.
This thesis consists of secondary researches, mostly journal articles and case studies from different countries, with detailed specific information.
The gathered information is categorized into 3 small hypotheses, which include theoretical and practical approaches.
More research can be made conducting primary research in different countries using physical stores and online stores.
Marketing strategy remains a critical driver of customer satisfaction and competitiveness in the banking industry globally. Despite this, private and government banks in Germany are yet to attain required customer satisfaction levels. Studies on the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction revealed both positive and negative results. The main purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of service quality on customer satisfaction in the German Banking sector. Deutsche bank offenbach am main branch was used as a case. The target population was 2000 customers; holders of either a savings account, current account or both. 120 questionnaires were administered using a non- probability sampling technique known as the convenience sampling. 100 out of the 120 questionnaires came back complete. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. The results revealed that service quality significantly contributed to customer satisfaction at (Adjusted R2 = 0.733, p<.05). It was concluded that service quality contributes to customer satisfaction. From the survey, other factors that influence customer satisfaction in the German banking sector include, account security, proximity, customer expectations and perceived valued of service quality, employee’s behavior and management. The study recommends a more emphasis on improving and maintaining high service quality levels translating to customer satisfaction. Therefore, the research provides a validated service quality model that can be used to clearly measure levels of service quality in relation to levels of customer satisfaction
Zoom fatigue - a phenomenon that has been occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing regulations forced numerous companies into home office, which shifted the internal communication to video conferencing platforms. Nevertheless, these solutions do not offer the same interactive atmosphere and social factor as face-to-face meetings. That is the reason why some people experienced a sense of distance and a lack of motivation and concentration.
Virtual reality collaboration platforms are a digital solution resembling a serious game situation that could solve the problem of impersonal teamwork. With this application users could meet in the virtual space, giving them enhanced possibilities to interact with their team members and work together on projects regardless of the distances in location.
As the platform is an innovation that is new to the market, the awareness about this product is not yet widely spread. With the help of an effective marketing mix and a market launch strategy, potential users should therefore be informed about this possibility, leading to a successful implementation of the platform in various institutions. To gain insights into the market and gather information about the target group an analysis through literature research as well as a survey has been carried out. The results showed that the market shows a general interest in virtual reality collaboration platforms. Nevertheless, several respondents expressed their lack of understanding and imagination to use the platform constructively in their professional environment. Additionally, expected high expenses and the lack of technical equipment could be an obstacle to implementing virtual reality collaboration platforms in traditional work processes. Therefore, the mission for the market launch strategy will be to develop a marketing mix that responds effectively to all questions and inspires organisations to discover their possibilities and benefits with this digital solution.
The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clubs of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga
(2021)
The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the entire world in every aspect of life. The global economy is experiencing enormous setbacks in every economic sector. Specifically, the sports industry is facing a massive revenue loss since the outbreak of the virus, resulting from the implementation of pandemic containment measures. Every professional sports league has to adapt to the given circumstances and create solutions to keep the operational business alive. This study focuses on the clubs of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Due to the novelty of the topic, previous literature has hardly mentioned the economic consequences and long-lasting effects on the organizations and their ecosystem. In addition, the pandemic is a continuous process, leading to new results and insights consistently. To this end, the present research highlights the economic consequences of the pandemic and exhibits the conditions under which the league operation can be executed.
Following a qualitative research design to answer the research questions, a detailed literature review and analysis was carried out to provide theoretical delineations. Subsequently, primary data was collected through six semi-structured interviews with managers of a sample of DEL clubs to explore the problems, concerns and attitudes towards the pandemic’s effects.
The results demonstrate that the main source of income of the clubs are partly or completely eliminated because of the pandemic. In particular, ticketing and sponsorship, which are the main sources of income for the clubs, were affected. Overall, the outbreak of the virus led to a chain reaction of events, ultimately impacting the league operation. Consequently, the clubs need to rethink their business model and implement tactics to conquer this situation. Furthermore, the league operation of the 2020-2021 season can only be guaranteed if risk minimization actions and crisis management strategies are applied.
In sum this research provides a clear and transparent overview of the operational business of the DEL clubs under the effects of the pandemic. In addition, this research represents a starting point for future comparison and functions as a guidepost and support for a post pandemic economic analysis.
The current mechanisms and information sources for international students in Germany are insufficient. This thesis aims to evaluate the need for potential substitutes of preexisting information sources. Specifically, it analyzes if a commercial service provider can operate as a successful alternative. To investigate current mechanisms and their shortcoming, former information sources were assessed and evaluated. Additionally, five expert interviews were conducted gaining a time accurate evaluation of the present situation. The results show that current information sources are too bureaucratic and restricted in their actions. Nonetheless, the findings also display that there is a great need for optimal and effective access points. This thesis concludes with an analysis of a likely business model, and how it would successfully operate within the Chinese market. Conclusively, a commercial service provider has the optimal prerequisites to fulfill the current demands of international students.
This thesis should serve as a model to plan an efficient and smart solution when handling the phase-out process of products by XXXXXXXXXX in form of a 10-year life cycle plan. A deeper look into the product life cycle of three absolute rotary encoder families will be taken: A3M, ARS and ATM. These families are subdivided into different sizes, mechanics and electrical interfaces. By means of a status quo analysis, future trends and tendencies, regarding interface usage, technological changes or industries, will be identified. A survey is being executed to get a clearer perspective and to find out why customers bought a particular encoder: What types of machines are the products being used in? What requirements do the customers need for the future? The outcome of the survey will help to develop successor or alternative products that meet customer needs. The affected encoders are up to 20 years old and have reached the decline phase of their product life cycles. In addition to that, the production of some components of the encoder types mentioned above are being discontinued. In order to identify how much stock of the terminated parts is available, a last time buy range analysis will be conducted. Thereby, a range can be calculated which states how many more years the product can be sold. However, this is a linear calculation which means it is based on the consumption of the previous years. It is very much likely that by considering the insights of the survey regarding future tendencies, the consumptions will develop on an irregular basis, which means that it will decline more and more every year and not stay constant. This is crucial for planning the phase-out of the encoder families. Some of the discontinued parts are not only used for ATM, ARS and A3M but also for other encoders. Building on this knowledge, different phase-out scenarios for the three encoder families will be created. The strategically most fitting one for the respective encoders will be identified by means of a utility value analysis. After concluding the final strategy, a communication strategy will be elaborated to complete this academic paper.
In light of the rising commoditization of products, manufacturers worldwide are adopting the strategy of offering value-added services to remain competitive. With the emergence of the new single-use technology, it is becoming increasingly difficult for traditional endoscope manufacturers to create competitive advantage by enhancing the product quality.
The aim of this paper is to investigate how value-added services can effectively differentiate the company KARL STORZ in the single-use endoscope market. In this
regard, insights into the decision-making process of customers in the medical technology industry are provided.
Qualitative exploratory research in form of in-depth expert interviews with KARL STORZ sales & marketing managers and physicians were conducted to gather new ideas and perspectives about the research topics.
Agriculture in Tanzania is not only the biggest employer, but also it is the highest contributor of the GDP. Apart from being an important sector in the country, it is characterized by small scale subsistence farming which is not mainly profitable. In order to transform the agriculture from traditional to commercial, young people, who make 35% of the entire population, are the main driver however they are facing many challenges. Having that in mind, Tanzanian government has enacted several policies whose main aim is to make it easy for young people to engage in agriculture.
In this bachelor thesis, the agricultural policies which have been enacted by the government to attract young people will be discussed and it will be analyzed if they have brought the impacts desired by the government. In order to do that, a survey was conducted in a district called Bukombe in Tanzania and in one agricultural university which is found in Eastern Tanzania.
The results of the above mentioned studies show that majority of youth policies which have been enacted in Tanzania do not involve youth from the beginning of the preparation. Also, there the general studies found that not many young people are aware of the policies which have been enacted to protect them or make their farming activities easier.
The limitation for this study is that the study sample which is used is from only one district and one university so it may be difficult to compare that the results represent the whole country. Also another limitation is that there are still not many studies which have been conducted in Tanzania for this matter so it is difficult to find the up to date resources. This leads to the resources used to be a bit older and in most of the time to depend on only resources from the websites of government institutions.
The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to provide an overview on the development, acceptance and the current status quo in the application of the concept of Lean Administration in Germany. In this context, based on an extensive literary and quantitative research, the Japanese concept of Lean Management, its history, principles, related approaches and the according criticisms will be explained. Of particular importance is hereby the concept of Lean Administration, which is intended to transfer the Lean Principles from the direct business divisions to the indirect business divisions of a company. Through the execution of the literary research, it became apparent that the Lean Principles are already well established and acknowledged in many parts of the world. Particularly, manufacturing companies in Japan and Germany create their production systems in accordance to the Lean Approach. In addition to this, the principles of Lean Management are increasingly applied in indirect business areas, predominantly in Japan. But also in Germany, the awareness of the principle of Lean Administration is increasing, although the implementation of the Lean Principles in administrative areas in German companies still appears to be very restrained.
In order to investigate this circumstance in more detail, a quantitative study was subsequently conducted on the topic of "Lean Administration in Germany: Demographic and cultural factors impacting the success of the implementation of the concept“. Therefore, various factors that could have an influence on the acceptance towards the concept of Lean Administration were examined. Particular weight was given to the analysis of the cohesion between age and the level of professional experience of the respective subjects, and the openness towards the application of the concept of Lean Administration. Contrary to the initial hypothesis that both, a young age and a low level of professional experience would have a positive impact on the acceptance towards Lean Administration, the main finding of the statistical analysis is that there is no identifiable relationship between the three variables.
Nevertheless, even though no statistical evidence could be found for the initial hypothesis, the following significant findings could be identified. Accordingly, it seems that particularly subconscious factors have an influence on the acceptance of the concept of Lean Administration in Germany. Due to the habits of common approaches for processing administrative tasks and the fear of uncertainty about Lean Administration in practice, employees often feel insecure or not sufficiently encouraged to try out a new concept in administration. In this context, this bachelor thesis represents an overview and a guideline - especially for managers, department heads and employees in human resources - on the approaches, which can be used to promote Lean Administration in an adequate environment for increasing the resource efficiency in indirect areas in the long term. Consequently, through a well-structured approach and the usage of visual graphics in an appealing design, this thesis explains, what is required to be considered or could be investigated in the future in order to sustainably establish the concept of Lean Administration in German companies.
Many entrepreneurs are still conducting business today according to the principle "the purpose of business is business". The focus here is primarily placed on the corporation’s profits while human relations within the enterprise are almost completely ignored. Humanity and business are, after all, seen as two mutually exclusive concepts. However, results of studies undertaken by well-known research institutes, such as Gallup, indicate this management style to be inefficient for businesses in the long run as the resulting low emotional bond of employees with their companies generates high costs for organizations.
For this reason, the present paper examines the extent to which humanity and business are really two mutually exclusive ideas and provides an answer to the research question of whether taking a human approach in a business is a crucial factor for its success. In addition, the possible effects resulting through the integration of humanity in business are analyzed.
To provide an answer to the research question, the currently most recent working challenges in organizations as well as their corresponding demands were first worked out. Subsequently, the human being - with a specific focus on human emotions and emotional needs – was closer examined due to its significance in the company. Finally, the possible effects achieved by taking a human approach in a business were presented on the basis of two already human-oriented corporations. All researches were predominantly based on primary sources as well as on the results of a self-conducted qualitative interview.
The results of all investigations clearly suggest that taking a human approach in an organization is a decisive factor for its success. In addition, it was established that human interactions even help enterprises in achieving astonishingly quick and long-lasting financial successes.
It is therefore plain that it is necessary for companies pursuing the goal to be successful in the long-term to break free from the common principle of "the purpose of business is business" and instead be more open to new forms of management, such as "Humanity and Business".
The impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has driven companies towards an ongoing digital transformation. This creates a considerable market push and pull from consumers for innovative technologies given the benefits they convey. In the corporate world this translates to the objectives of companies for gaining competitive advantages, created by the integration of new digital solutions, for the creation of value.
The advantages of a continuous integration of technologies within all areas of an organizations conveys the need for more adaptive resources. A major player in charge of leading said transformation for the obtention of unprecedented benefits is the Information Technology Department (IT). Therefore, the ongoing accelerated demand for digital solutions requires an accelerated delivery as well from the IT.
The limited resources, particularly from employees capable of continuously developing digital solutions, represents an unsustainable approach given the gap between growing demand and supply for new technological advancements.
Employees within the organizational context of MHP Management- und IT Beratung GmbH, who are addressed in this thesis as the customers of the MHP-IT, are presented with an alternative approach to fulfil the current demand for digital solutions through their integration in the process; this would empower them to contribute in the companies digital transformation journey. The proposed way of doing so is through the introduction of the Power Platform tools in corporate MHP.
The objective of this thesis focuses on the fundamental change that the incorporation of the Power Platform conveys on individuals within their work environment. This is aimed at the identification of possible approaches that can foment organizational acceptance, for the abovementioned platform, as an alternative way of creating value. This is achieved through the evaluation of individual values for their successful incorporation as citizen developers empowered to create.
The Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument has been chosen as a methodology for answering the research objectives of identifying the current values that employees have in their work environment, as well as to bring forward tailored recommendations as adequate measures to drive the incorporation of the Power Platform. Complementing this is the identification of predispositions from potential users via qualitative and quantitative methods.
Given the benefits that the Power Platform creates in different operational fields, results indicate a premature acceptance for the introduction of the same as a suitable alternative for creating digital solutions. Furthermore, the conducted organizational environment study, also referred to as culture, highlights the dominant values present among the workers of MHP. This delineates a tailored approach of different measures that can be taken for introducing the Power Platform, as a digital transformation tool, and empowerment of citizen developers.
Emphasise is given to the identified inclinations from employees, as these constitutes the prioritization of procedures according to their values, through which the implementation of change can be coped with and the acceptance of the Power Platform tools increased.
Starting from the direct exchange of goods and services to the first traces of money almost 3,000 years ago to contactless payments with our smartphones and bank cards in the 21st century. Along the way we have recorded a lot of innovation in the field of payments like the invention of the credit card in the 1940s or the implementation of a debit system for debit cards in the 1980s.
Each of those innovations was greeted with skepticism at the time of their introduction. The concerns of the people are understandable since the innovation in this field touches a very important topic to most humans: money.
At first people did not trust physical money when they did not exchange goods and services directly anymore since it did not feel like it is a fair exchange. Then people were not believing that plastic cards will one day substitute cash. Now people are pessimistic about contactless payment methods that don’t even require those plastic cards anymore.
Yet experts agree on the idea that the future of payment is contactless.
In my thesis I am focusing one of the technologies used for contactless payments called NFC.
The goal of this thesis is to give an overview over the usage, chances, risks and the competitors of this contactless technology, highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and answer the following question based on empirical data:
“Is NFC the best method to handle contactless payments?”
In 2013 China's President Xi Jinping announced a new project. In his vision, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) creates and opens trade routes between China and western countries, mostly the Middle East, Central Asia, Afrika, and Europe, via maritime and land routes. These trade corridors should establish and improve trade relationships often by high investments in the infrastructure.
The motivation behind the initiative is manifold. On the one hand, China wants to become more independent from the Western industrialized countries by building a new economic system. On the other hand, it wants to consolidate and expand its geopolitical influence.
China's state-owned banks have been the largest investors in the Belt and Road Initiative so far, but China has also been able to attract major EU countries such as Germany, France, the UK, and others to jointly establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and invest in BRI projects through it.
Although German companies are hoping to participate in the Belt and Road because they expect significant economic benefits, the German government is refraining from concluding an agreement with China for the time being. The EU is somewhat skeptical about the initiative, but no sanctions or interventions have been taken from its side so far. Yet, the EU is split, and countries such as Greece or Italy have already signed an agreement with China and thus received financial support for their infrastructure.
This bachelor thesis explains the Belt and Road Initiative in detail, tries to highlight the motives behind it and illustrates the impact the Belt and Road Initiative has on Germany and the EU and which implications this has for the German economy.
Advancements in digital technologies, such as the Industrial Internet of Things, enabled machinery manufacturers to develop software products that complement and enhance existing products, such as production systems. Some of these software products aim to improve industrial production by assisting users, primarily machine operators, with their work. Although it is essential for a successful market launch that the software product meets users' needs, some manufacturers have difficulties identifying them. This situation is because the interface of their software products to users, especially user input mechanisms, encounters shortcomings. Typically, user input mechanisms enable user input, such as feature requests, to occur, which ultimately can assist in identifying users' needs.
This thesis investigates Syntegon Packaging Systems AG and their software product myShopfloor as an exemplary machinery manufacturer within a case study. The case study's findings exemplify that the contextual conditions in the business-to-business domain, particularly the food industry, and internal shortcomings present challenges in gathering user input to identify and meet users' needs. Therefore, this case study proposed and conducted a solution for improving the interface of myShopfloor.
The solution started by conducting market research to identify user input mechanisms and tools used in the software industry. Afterward, the identified user input mechanisms were evaluated in a survey with Syntegon Packaging Systems AG employees based on their usefulness for myShopfloor. The evaluation of the survey resulted in selecting user input mechanisms rated as very useful by these employees. In contrast, a subsequent evaluation of the identified tools resulted in an appropriate combination of tools covering the selected user input mechanisms.
Finally, an implementation strategy for myShopfloor was outlined as the last part of the solution. First, use cases resulting from each user input mechanism were described to illustrate how specific user flows could lead to user input.
Afterward, an adjustment of the Scrum software development process of myShopfloor suggested how to handle and convert the emerging user input into implementable product backlog items. Thereby, this thesis exemplified how to improve the interface of software products by investigating and recommending a solution to myShopfloor. This example was then used for generalizing the results for other companies.
This thesis aims to investigate the presence of herding behaviour in the German DAX40 market during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Herding behaviour is a phenomenon in behavioural finance where investors ignore their own information and base their decisions on fellow market participants. This behaviour most often presents during times of high market volatility. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a critical effect on the German financial markets, making it an appropriate time period to detect herding behaviour among investors of the DAX40.To begin this investigation, a literature review is used to build a good understanding of the causes and effects of herding behaviour. The literature review also presents some of the most influential models which aim to explain herding behaviour in financial markets. This is followed by using the methodology of the Cross-sectional standard deviation (CSSD) and the cross-sectional absolute deviation (CSAD), two empirical models to detect herding in financial markets. For the investigation, daily stock data of the DAX40 performance index and the DAX40 companies was collected for two years surrounding the pandemic's beginning in March 2020. No significant evidence of herding was detected in the DAX40 market during the sampling period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This research paper aims to provide an overview of companies listed in the German DAX, MDAX and SDAX indices that have been involved in prosecution procedures directly contradicting their Corporate Social Responsibility strategies and how they present themselves as a Corporate Citizen. The terms Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Social Responsibility will be further defined and the reasons companies implement them elaborated. The results will be structured according to the stock index they belong to and whether they had any active prosecution procedures by government organizations against them during the last ten years that would go against their Corporate Citizenship strategy. The end result will be judged in terms of how a company can propagate certain values while being investigated for actions that directly contradict them and whether it could be considered hypocritical for companies to be involved in them while claiming to be a “good” Corporate Citizen.
New product development is essential for a company to grow and sustain itself. Usability testing is a crucial part of the new product development process, and it helps reduce product uncertainty and market failure. There are many methods available and they vary depending on the product development phase. This thesis focuses on methods used in the deployment phase, which is the final stage before mass production. The methods used differ subjecting to different customers.
A number of studies have suggested that marketing and sales should vary when the nature of customer differs. However, only a few studies focus on how the nature of customer influences new product testing. This research compares the involvement of B2B and B2C customers during the product innovation testing phase.
The comparison has been subcategorised into four smaller hypotheses. First, the methodologies used, such as virtual prototype testing, field testing, lab usability testing, and more, are discussed whether companies use them differently according to customers' nature. Second, the process of identifying and recruiting testers is examined. Third, testers' qualification is analysed, whether participants are ordinary users or professionals or companies prefer a mixture of both. Last, the sample size, which is simply the amount of testers who participated in the usability test.
The currently ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting recession in the economy offers opportunities for start-ups and times of hardship are a driver for entrepreneurship. Although the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers is high, and financing becomes increasingly difficult, many start-ups managed to report a strong fiscal year through innovative processes, especially in the finance and insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and education sector. To combat the crisis, governments across the EU implemented state aid schemes to support businesses, which however, SMEs often do not receive. The coronavirus pandemic potentially sparks a rethinking process and with an increasing share of start-ups in the economies across the EU, the recognition and funding opportunities will improve, with InvestEU being a step into the right direction.
Recent years have shown a shift in consumer demand in favor of environmentally and consumer-friendly products. These dynamics can be observed in the market through the rapid growth of the natural cosmetics segment. To highlight the ecological products, producers increasingly use ecolabels. The objective is to facilitate vertical product differentiation and to attract the environmentally aware consumer. This research aims at analyzing whether the natural cosmetics user is aware of the implications of the different ecolabels and whether the knowledge depends on demographical factors. The overall result indicates that the consumer possesses a superficial knowledge about ecolabels, which is not correlated to the purchasing behavior or demographic factors. The profusion of ecolabels hinders consumers from taking advantage of the information provided by the ecolabels. In the future, efforts should be made to improve the knowledge of the consumer, which will boost purchasing behavior.
This thesis deals with the CO2 footprint of the Porsche Taycan. Porsche aims to become a carbon neutral company by 2030 and is therefore looking for potentials of improvement. This thesis intends to find solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of the Porsche Taycan over its entire life cycle.
First, the thesis deals with the theoretical framework of conducting a Life Cycle Assessment based on the DIN EN ISO 14040 and DIN EN ISO 14044 standards. Then, the Porsche Taycan and its battery system are introduced.
A CO2 hotspot analysis is carried out for the entire life cycle of the battery of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and thus potential for improvement is identified. The main CO2 hotspots are… [DELTED FOR CONFIDENTIALITY REASONS].
Furthermore, an Excel tool is built to model the entire life cycle of the Taycan. This tool is used to carry out a sensitivity analysis for selected parameters. The analysis shows how sensitive the carbon footprint reacts to changes and thus helps making decisions upon where improvements can be made.
Based on the two analyses it is, among other things, recommended that Porsche… [DELTED FOR CONFIDENTIALITY REASONS].
The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of potential change in consumer behaviour on the carbon footprint in the beverage industry.
This research comprises two fundamental components. The first component establishes a scientific basis through an in-depth literature review by referring to the main concepts. The second component comprises a research study based on the hypothesis of whether consumers who engage in climate-neutral behaviours also demonstrate conscious beverage consumption. The findings of the literature review illustrate that the beverage industry contributes to high levels of emissions and global plastic pollution. Not only does this endanger marine and terrestrial ecosystems, but also humans. For example, through microplastics that enter organisms and contribute to illnesses. The results imply that the impact of human activities will influence environmental development. The nature of consumer behaviour is considered to be the key to society's impact on the environment. Findings obtained through the research study emphasise that environmental awareness exists among the respondents. Furthermore, it is indicated that a statistical relationship exists between climate neutral consumption patterns and conscious beverage consumption. By fundamentally changing the way beverages are consumed, emissions can be mitigated and consequently the goal of achieving climate neutrality in the beverage industry can be achieved. This furthermore contributes to the achievement of global climate neutrality and supports sustainable development.
Over many decades, greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity have been increasing and negatively impacting the environment and promoting climate change. One sector that contributes heavily to these emissions is the food industry.
With the aim of reducing these environmental impacts, climate labeling has been introduced as one possible approach to target emissions related to consumer purchasing behavior. This thesis investigates consumer responses to the possible introduction of climate labeling of food products. Moreover, necessary criteria for such an implementation and the potential consequences in terms of increasing sustainability in the food industry are evaluated.
Findings indicate that a label can be effective and change consumer behavior if food labels meet specific label criteria such as an attractive design and little but comprehensible information. Moreover, other factors such as pricing of products can influence the success of food labels.
Regarding the overall food industry, a label could have positive effects but is dependent on changes on both consumer and producer sides following the label introduction. However, it is difficult to exactly evaluate the impact of a label on an entire industry, as green-house gas reductions caused by a label would be hard to measure specifically. Due to the lack of data, it is impossible to predict the actual impact of a climate label on the food industry, but it is possible to assume a positive tendency towards more sustainability.
The aim of this bachelor thesis is to answer the question of what a new world currency system based on a cryptocurrency could look like. For this purpose, the following research questions were posed:
1. What could be the design of an international digital currency?
2. How would a revived gold standard using an international digital currency be designed?
3. How would a revived Bretton Woods System using the Special Drawing Rights from the International Monetary Fund fixed to an international digital currency look like?
To answer these research questions, a comparison was made with the world currency systems that already existed. Here, the problems of the gold standard and Bretton Woods system were deductively crystallised through a literature review and then inductively applied to the possible system.
The study shows that this system is economically feasible and can solve most of the problems of the past world monetary systems. However, as it requires governments and central banks to cede their sovereignty it is unlikely to be actually adopted. Nevertheless, there are advantages of a digital currency issued by the central bank, such as the detachment from interest and money supply, which would also be politically feasible and sensible in the long term.
Many companies are facing a talent shortage and are not able to fill vacancies with qualified candidates. With the supply and demand of skilled labour being out of equilibrium, companies have realised the necessity to recruit external talent more strategically. One way to transition the mindset to a “talent-focused” approach is to consider students entering the labour market as a source of talent.
The present research aims to define the organisational prerequisites companies require to successfully engage with universities as part of their talent acquisition strategy. While the literature review gives insights into the theories and common practices, the empirical work is dedicated to capturing how companies internally orchestrate their university recruitment. Based on interviews, hypotheses on the ownership of university recruitment, management of talent pools, selection of partner universities, the way talents are attracted, and the motivation of company ambassadors were tested.
The analysis of the interviews yielded that companies can succeed in university recruitment when they can clearly articulate the type of vacancies that should be filled with graduates. Using TRM software to manage Talent Pools can help companies to channel their recruiting activities. However, only one interviewed company used software for talent management. Furthermore, the research has shown that companies tend to rely on partner universities in close proximity to their office first, before aligning the selection of the target universities to the overall business strategy. Also, companies are most successful in attracting candidates when they involve the business line in university events such as career fairs or lectures. That goes along with the finding that the employees are generally intrinsically motivated to support HR in such activities, and no further incentives are needed.
Pricing is an essential element when it comes to marketing and selling goods and different price promotions are widely used tools to attract and retain consumers. However, the expected positive impacts of such price promotions on consumer perceptions have been increasingly questioned in recent years. In particular, with regard to quality perceptions and internal reference prices, a number of past research findings suggest that monetary price promotions might be more likely to result in unfavourable consumer perceptions than non-monetary promotions (Diamond & Campbell, 1989; Darke & Chung, 2005). Instead of only focusing on the short-term effects of different promotion methods, the aim of this study is to examine the long-term effects of the use as well as the choice of price promotions on consumers’ value perceptions. Using an internet-based survey, subjects’ long-term willingness to pay for three non-durable consumer goods (a pack of pasta, a toothpaste and a basic t-shirt) was investigated under the following three conditions: the post-promotional phase of a "buy one, get one free" offer, the post-promotional phase of an economically equivalent 50% discount and a situation in which no price promotion was applied at all. For the consumer non-durable pasta, the results suggested that consumers’ value perceptions would be significantly influenced by whether or not a price promotion was previously applied and if so, which one. Furthermore, for the noodles, the findings seemed to corroborate the hypothesis that consumers' willingness to pay is highest in the absence of any previous promotion. Surprisingly, no significant difference was found between the post-promotion phase of the discount offer and the post-promotion phase of the BOGOF offer for any of the three products. All in all, this research provides some meaningful insights on the potential long-term impacts of price promotions on consumers’ value perceptions and willingness to pay. Moreover, our findings could be of particular relevance for managerial decisions regarding the marketing of non-durables in the grocery sector.
An Analysis of Group Context Effects on Perceptions of Characteristics Relevant to Mate Choice
(2021)
Research on the perception of faces proposes a significant influence of social context on trait judgements. For instance, the “cheerleader effect” suggests an increase in the attractiveness of an individual based on the presence of additional faces. Further extensions to other trait characteristics have resulted inter alia in the awareness of the “banker effect”, which indicates that individuals in a group setting as opposed to in isolation are perceived to earn a higher salary. In light of recent findings in evolutionary psychology respective mate preferences, it is of interest to investigate potential nodes to social context effects. In addition to the replication of the cheerleader and banker effect, our study aimed to examine the effects of group context for characteristics relevant to mate choice. Besides the significance for attractiveness and salary, we were able to observe statistical significance for health and intelligence on both a subject and stimulus basis in a within-subjects design. However, we were not able to find significant differences in the isolated and group ratings for vanity, emotional stability, pleasing disposition, and unreliability. Furthermore, the evolutionary significance and the results of our study prompted us to address commonalities between the effects of social context on cognition and the social brain hypothesis and to reflect on possible underlying mechanisms and consequences.
An Empirical Investigation of the Effect of Packaging Design on Consumers' Willingness to Pay
(2021)
This study sheds light on the extent to which high-quality aesthetic packaging can positively influence consumer choice and raise willingness to pay at the point of sale. In two separate parts, we measure purchasing decisions and willingness to pay by contrasting high- and low-quality packaging of a pullover and a vodka bottle.
Findings show that, compared to cheap and standardized designs, visually appealing packages can significantly raise willingness to pay for a product. Besides, packaging design is crucial when consumers buy the product as a gift rather than for self-consumption. This research provides evidence that beautifully designed packages can positively influence consumer choice at the point of purchase. However, packaging can only influence purchase decisions within a specific price range. If prices are too high and above the individual’s accepted price limit, packaging cannot convince consumers to buy the product. Further, our investigation shows that consumers’ age, gender, educational level, and occupational status can be related to their package choices. The late adulthood, men, and individuals with higher education and professional status are likely to spend more on attractively packaged products than other demographic groups.
Prior research agrees that consumer choice is heavily influenced by the choice context.
According to the compromise effect, the middle alternative in attribute space is preferred over more extreme options. However, the role of the spatial order of alternatives seems to be neglected by most compromise effect studies. Usually, alternatives are ordered by attributes, meaning that the compromise option is placed in the spatial middle of the choice set, despite the fact that research indicates a consumer preference for the spatial middle of a choice set. To investigate this issue, we hypothesized that an alternative would be chosen more frequently when positioned in the spatial middle of a choice set versus at the edge of a choice set. We assumed that this effect would be stronger when consumers are unfamiliar with a product category. Therefore, we expected to observe a negative correlation between decision-makers’ familiarity with a product category and their tendency to choose an alternative more frequently when positioned in the spatial middle of a choice. To find out, we conducted an online survey targeting 907 university students. The results support our hypothesis and the notion that the compromise effect might be partly driven by a preference for the spatial middle position of a choice set rather than only by a preference for the compromise option.
The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the impact the choice of registered cooperatives as legal form for start-ups can have on the success of crowdfunding campaigns regarding information asymmetry and agency costs. The theoretical analysis argues that due to the reduction of information asymmetry between founders and contributors, agency costs should be reduced,and success of their crowdfunding campaigns should be more likely. This result is confirmed with some caveats with the help of expert interviews. In conclusion, only companies that aim for additional benefits of registered cooperatives are eligible to be founded as registered cooperatives in order to decrease information asymmetry and increase chances of success in crowdfunding.
Throughout the paper, the different concepts are applied to the practical example of the founding process of a social start-up, the Zeitcafé Freiburg, which results in the recommendation of registered cooperatives as legal form and crowdfunding as one source of capital.