Refine
Year of publication
- 2018 (267) (remove)
Document type
- Conference Proceeding (84)
- Article (peer-reviewed) (75)
- Bachelor Thesis (69)
- Part of a Book (12)
- Other (9)
- Contribution to a Periodical (6)
- Book (4)
- Report (4)
- Doctoral Thesis (2)
- Master's Thesis (1)
Language
- English (267) (remove)
Keywords
- Online-Ressource (8)
- Electrical impedance tomography (6)
- Digitalization (4)
- Industry 4.0 (4)
- Classification (3)
- Machine learning (3)
- Porous silicon (3)
- Software engineering (3)
- Sustainable development (3)
- Artificial intelligence (2)
Course of studies
The thesis introduces a case study research presenting the transfer pricing problem of a selected MNE. Hereby, the researcher derives an appropriate method for the case and concludes with a comparison of theory and practice. The theoretical part of the thesis evaluates existing transfer pricing methods as explained by the OECD, Germany and the USA. The second part is about the choice of the research methodology, case study research and expert interview.
The third part first introduces the case study, analyzes a theoretical framework of the transfer pricing process and evaluates the existing transfer pricing methods, which allows for the derivation of the most appropriate transfer pricing method for the case. The fourth part concludes the research by applying the derived transfer pricing method, the Cost Plus Method, to the particular case study. By combining theoretical and practical approaches, a solution to the problem is determined.
Subject of the thesis at hand is the analysis of symmetric block ciphers with a block length of 32 bit. It is meant to give a comprising overview over the topic of 32 bit block ciphers. The topic is divided in the examination of three questions. It contains a list of state of the art block ciphers with a block length of 32 bit. The block ciphers are being described, focussing on the encryption function. An SPN-based cipher with 32 bit block length is being proposed by rescaling the AES cipher.
The 32 bit block length results in certain security issues. These so called risk factors are analysed and mitigating measures are proposed. The result of the thesis is, that 32 bit block ciphers can be implemented in a secure manner. The use of 32 bit ciphers should be limited to specific use-cases and with a profound risk analysis, to determine the protection class of the data to be encrypted.
Digitalization has made business virtual. As the current workforce is slowly adapting to it, the “digital natives” come into play.
We all know, that Millennials have a different approach to media and virtuality. They are practically born with it. But how would they perform if they had to use virtual media in a professional setting? Does the experience and the technology surrounded upbringing give them a clear advantage? Or will they struggle with this entirely new dimension of communication the same way older generations do? This Thesis focusses on the challenges of virtual teams, predominantly in cross cultural situations. But especially on how Millennials tackle virtual teams in a global setting, if they did not have extensive prior preparation.
The first part tries to identify the theoretical background of this paper – the classical challenges of cross-cultural communication in virtual teams but also the willingness of Millennials to use digital work tools for their future.
The main segment then introduces data and observations collected on the GVT project - a pilot project from the Hochschule Furtwangen University, where students from Spain, Finland and Germany took part in a simulation of virtual teamwork. In groups, these students had to develop a project about Erasmus at their university – but purely virtual to experience physical borders in teams.
A pre-survey and a post survey have been carried out on this group to analyze and investigate how perception and reality differ. Furthermore, the participants left testemonials and many virtual meetings were monitored.
This Thesis will conclude with chapter 3 to show if Millennials have a valid advantage in working with virtual teams. It will also show the necessity to train young people and change our education to a more digital approach, as business will inevitably become increasingly virtual.
Trends and Advances in the Characterization of Gas Sensing Materials Based on Semiconducting Oxides
(2018)
Today’s workplace is composed of three different generations, which are considered to be substantially different from each other. Popular press and academics defend that neglecting to address these differences can generate negative organizational outcomes. Therefore, there is a growing body of research recommending generational specific practices to minimize the effects of generational differences in organizations. Nevertheless, not every practice tends to be based on empirical evidence on generational differences, which raises doubts about its effectiveness. The goal of this paper is to propose reverse mentoring as a practice to help organizations understand and manage generational differences better. To achieve this goal, a summary of published secondary data on empirical evidence of generational differences in the workplace was gathered, and the findings were linked to the function/outcomes of reverse mentoring, which allowed for the practice to be recommended based on substantial empirical evidence. Moreover, primary qualitative research was gathered through interviews to support the findings. Despite the limitations encountered, reverse mentoring is proved to be a long-term beneficial tool to understand and manage generational differences in the workplace.
The MENA region workplace represents a strong glass ceiling for women who wish to climb the corporate ladder and reach higher managerial and leadership positions. To succeed, a woman must face deeply-embedded cultural and societal norms, which puts her in an inferior and dependent situation.
This issue is growing in importance and has only started to be covered by studies for the MENA Region, hence the purpose and contribution of this paper. This thesis will shed a light on the limitations encountered, as well as on success factors shaping the career development of these women. By recurring both to secondary and primary data, the discovery of unknown barriers will be possible. Moreover, it will discuss Entrepreneurship as an eventual alternative to independently overcoming the glass ceiling. The conclusion will look at modernization as a progress factor for the professional success of these leaders.
Globalisation and technological advancements over the last decade have changed the way that business organisations operate. In response to these developments many companies have opted for a global strategy which usually entails a form of standardisation. This thesis will focus on standardisation of human resources software. There are many articles and journals on the field of human resources management, the impact of technology of human resources and standardisation of processes in general but very little literature on standardisation of human resources software despite the huge role that it plays in supporting global HR strategy.
Using mainly qualitative research and primary first-hand experience this thesis will look into the factors affecting standardisation of human resources software. The assumption is that standardisation of HR software is the only option for global strategy and that it will increase efficiency, reduce costs and create other benefits for an organisation.
The research shows that when technical and non-technical factors are not equally considered standardisation of HR software is likely to take longer than intended and according to the measurements put in place it may fail completely or the perceived benefits are not fully realised. Additionally, constant technological innovations could redefine standardisation and the role of HR software in an organisation.
The present study examines stock split announcements with regard to the semi-strong form of the efficient market hypothesis. Daily security price data and a sample of 262 stock split announcements observed on the New York Stock Exchange during the ten-year period from January 2006 to December 2015 are applied on parametric as well as nonparametric tests. The test results provide empirical evidence in favor of the semi-strong form of market efficiency. This implies that the marketplace immediately and efficiently reacts to stock split announcements by adjusting security prices. Therefore, it is not possible to generate significant abnormal returns by trading on the information content implicit in stock split announcements.
The creation of a positive organizational culture has become of increasing interest during the past decades. Various studies have assessed the impact of organizational culture and employee satisfaction in relation to individual and organizational performance. A cross-comparison of these studies is difficult, as the results strongly depend on the definition of the investigated variables. Additionally, the concept of organizational culture remains a unique concept within the group and is influenced by the respective organizational structures and processes.
Therefore, this bachelor thesis attempts to investigate the concept of organizational culture and its determinants in general, as well as making the case of the critical im-portance of organizational culture, specifically for the company MS Plastic Welders, LLC (MSPW).
In this context, to form a comprehensive analysis and theoretical framework, secondary data was examined. In line with the qualitative findings, the application of a descriptive employee survey at MSPW intended to examine the employees’ perceptions towards their job satisfaction and the overall working environment. The aim of the study was to uncover the main areas for improvement, forming the basis of leading a positive culture change. Following the survey, conclusions about the organizational culture at MSPW were drawn and put into perspective in the form of recommendations for the company. The survey results indicated that the company needs to communicate a clear organizational mission and additionally needs to determine and communicate their organizational values, in order to clearly direct the employees’ mindsets, behavior and actions. After determining the organizational direction, the internal structures and processes need to be aligned to support the desired behavior patterns and in order to enhance the long-term organizational performance perspectives through positive culture change.
For a long time, car sharing has been known as a niche market, not able to attract a significant number of people. The cause of this has not only been car sharing services being inflexible with their offers, but also the high societal value of owning a car. Today, car sharing is more flexible with its offers and enjoys a rising popularity within the Federal Republic of Germany. A steadily increasing number of citizens is registered with local car sharing providers. This trend represents one of the many sub-categories resulting from the sharing economy, which stands for community consumption. Instead of owning an object, the customer pursues the objective of temporary use. Using an online survey as well as expert interviews, this thesis investigates if car sharing has an impact on car ownership. In addition, this research aims to find out if and how the endowment effect, which describes the phenomenon of people valuing something higher that they own than something they do not own, impacts the connection between car sharing and car ownership. Results suggest that a low degree of psychological ownership potentially could lead to a higher tendency to select a car sharing vehicle over a private vehicle. Relevant factors, as suggested by research results, are price and convenience. This implies that the endowment effect and the related factors should be taken into consideration when trying to establish car sharing services and reach customer groups, which have not been reachable so far.
This bachelor thesis deals with the changing qualification requirements caused by In-dustry 4.0 and provides an overview of the current qualifications of employees and the accompanying future training measures to improve their qualifications, using Daimler and its strategies as an example. The results regarding necessary future qualifications are derived from an extensive literature research as well as an employee survey and qualitative expert interviews. Previous studies depict that due to Industry 4.0 and the transformation from internal combustion engines to electrical engines many current job positions are dissolving, but in return new fields of work are being created. Conse-quently, to see what challenges companies and employees will face in the future, the-oretical concepts were described and analyzed. As theoretical basis the resource-based, competence based and knowledge-based view as well as the strategic leader-ship approach were chosen, which explain how companies grant their competitive ad-vantage and future success. Afterwards, the theoretical foundations were applied to the resources, competences, knowledge and leadership styles relevant to Industry 4.0. In addition, the company, which served as the research object, was presented with its business units, departments and strategies. Conclusively, the results state that it is necessary and possible to invest primarily in basic knowledge using further training measures. Additionally, more intensive communication is required for the effi-cient implementation of the company's strategy. Lastly, recommendations regarding training measures to increase competences, limitations and further measures are dis-cussed.
The changes between Taiwan and China since 1979 have closer both countries in many aspects. This study seeks for evidence proving the impact of cross-strait political events on Taiwan Stock Market. Major events from 1995 to 2017 are identified and examined with event study using market model and both parametric and non-parametric test. By defining 19 events into two groups- Good news and Bad news, the results present significant abnormal returns on event day [0] or after. This suggests that there is significant impact of cross-strait political events on Taiwan Stock Market. Moreover, due to the limited amount of events, this study can only weakly support that Taiwan Stock Market is semi-strong form.
For investors, it is common to have a look at the annual reports of the company of interest, before making an investment decision. But looking at the numerical data in isolation is not sufficient to get an impression on how the firm will develop in the future and if the investment might generate an appropriate return.
In this bachelor thesis, an approach to incorporate industry factors in the traditional financial statement analysis is tested. The structure-conduct-performance paradigm is used to justify the importance of the industry for a company’s performance. By identifying the critical success factors of the industry via a 5-forces and PEST analysis, and measuring the firms’ performance on this basis, a more comprehensive picture of a company can be drawn.
This method will be applied on the tire manufacturing industry, with Michelin and Bridgestone as examples, and the IT-service industry with Atos and Adesso.
The results of the analysis have shown that by regarding the industry CSF in the analysis, varying aspects besides the financials were taken into account, adding significant value to the analysis. After having identified trends and developments in the industry, it was also possible to better evaluate the financial performance of a company in the light of challenges that all firms of the industry will face in the next periods. With this new perspective, the possible future performance can be predicted more reliably.
Due to the globalization and talent shortage in Germany, companies are starting to recruit their new employees from abroad. These skilled professionals are relocating from abroad to Germany to live and work, leaving everything behind. Therefore, a successful integration into the company and into the community is essential.
This bachelor thesis is dealing with the different ways of how foreign professionals can be and should be integrated into the German workplace to be considered as successfully integrated. The aim of this thesis is to have a set of suggestions, a roadmap for companies to use as a guide to integrate foreign professionals in Germany.
To gain an inside into the current integration techniques of German companies, that are at the same time recruiting internationally, in-depth interviews have been conducted. On the other hand, to get an inside into the integrated employees minds and their experience with the German integration techniques, an online survey has been executed. Based on the findings, a set of recommendations have been made for companies.
The results of the empirical research have shown that there are already techniques and procedures that are more or less successfully used in integrating foreign professionals, but those techniques are general and not tailored towards the needs of an international. Hence, there is still a need for improvements. Furthermore, personnel and time, both two of the main reason for the missing structure, are scarce.
There was an increased in the number of high-skilled Spaniards that decided to leave their home country. The economic situation and the high unemployment rate have complicated the chances to find a well-paid job and responsibilities according to their level of education. Therefore, Spaniards with a tertiary education find new opportunities in foreign countries like Germany with a robust and stable labour market.
This issue is gaining importance and must be deeply analysed. Thus, the purpose of this thesis is, by the use of secondary and primary data, to describe what are the push and pull factors, and what are the consequences of the Spanish brain drain for Germany and Spain. The conclusion, will confirm and give possible recommendations that the Spanish government may apply in the future.
Fort he past decades Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Cameroon and the world over has been growing. Despite the restructuring of the Cameroon Banking sector after the Bank crisis that erupted in the late 1980`s, MFIs in Cameroon continue to grow and offering financial products and services to the unbanked population not served by commercial banks. The main objective of this research is to critically examine and analyse the factors responsible for the growth of MFIs in Cameroon in comparable to commercial banks and a recommendation on what need to be done to improve on the financial sector of Cameroon. The research method is an explorative approach base on empirical literature review. The research will examine social and financial performance factors that have been responsible for the emerging growth of MFIs in other developing countries in Africa Asia, Latin America and apply them to MFIs in Cameroon in order to find out if these same factors can also be responsible for the emerging growth of MFIs in Cameroon. At the end of this research study it was revealed that social performance factors which includes total number of clients served that measured the breadth of outreach,the poverty level of the clients which measured the depth of outreach, the total number of branches and products and services which measured the scope of outreach has been responsible for the emerging growth of microfinance institutions in Cameroon.
Key words: performance factors, Microfinance institutions,Commercial banks, Cameroon
This paper seeks to understand how the financing market for the technology sector has grown from the early 2000s until recently. It seeks to understand how the private equity firms and the venture capital firms view the technology market and what attracts the new entrants into this market. This paper will outline the market situation before the financial crisis and after the financial crisis. It will also seek to define what or how the financing firms view the current market and give a definition of the current market situation for any private equity firm or venture capital firm. This paper will also identify the risk associated and the latest trends of financing done by the Private Equity and Venture Capital Firms
The study explores the factors relevant to enticing consumers to purchase goods online at German drugstores and the measures the drugstores can take to address these factors. Based on the Online Shopping Acceptance Model and sector characteristics, enticing factors are derived and corresponding measures relevant to B2C e-commerce are identified. Qualitative research to support the validity is done in the form of in-depth and expert interviews, and of a case study on a company successful in e-commerce, Zalando SE. Results show that currently few factors are enticing and measures to target these are limited, and that only certain aspects of Zalando’s success can be transferred to drugstores. Given the current situation drugstores are advised not to aim at shifting large parts of their business to online channel. Nevertheless, the study provides drugstores a number of measures to improve their online offering in the context of their multi-channel strategy.
The development of social media platforms like YouTube gave marketers a possibility to share advertising content among hundreds of thousands of users globally. Many companies are searching for techniques and tools, which could help to create promotion that would “go viral”, and let the advertisement to be shared actively with low costs. Digital, storytelling advertisement is considered as one of these tools. Storytelling ads are broadly used for increasing brand awareness and establishing connections with the customers. However, the ability of “viral ads” to cross the borders of the countries, forces marketers to consider possible risks, which could occur when the same advertising content is perceived by people from different cultures.
This research represents the first attempt to define differences in the narrative composition of advertising videos from different countries and to determine whether or not these differences can influence the attitudes of international viewers. For the purposes of the research, a set of 34 advertising videos from India, Russia, Thailand and the United States was analyzed.
The results shows, that that the most significant differences in the narrative structures refer to the number and type of main characters, to the choice between single and multiple stories, and to the amount of brand appearance during the video.
Results of the semi-structured interviews shows, that frequency of the brand appearance can significantly influence the perception of the viewers, awake critics of the story flow and impact the desire to share the video.
Considering these research findings, it is recommended to pay particular attention on the structure as well as onto the content of the storytelling advertising.
Experts who acquired extensive knowledge and skills through practising and studying over many years, are becoming increasingly important for companies. As in today’s world the products are getting ever more complex and technical driven. Therefore, it is important for Quality functions to have the best experts and develop them that they can actively shape the new product requirements.
The aim of this study is to investigate how to develop and design a Dual Career Ladder in the Q&R organisation in making the case for the HealthTech company Philips. The research intend is to explore the present state of the Dual Career Ladder in the HealthTech industry and recommending how to develop and design a Dual Career Ladder for the Q&R organization at Philips to increase the organisational effectiveness through winning, retain and develop Q&R experts.
The research adopted secondary data from academic journals, books, press articles and study reports. As well as primary data, interviews were undertaken with experts of companies that are operating in industries related to the health-technology industry. Through these succeeding interviews best practice examples could be evaluated. Afterwards the findings were translated into a Dual Career Ladder design for the Q&R function in Philips primary data was analysed and compared with secondary data.
A successful development and design of a Dual Career Ladder is based on a a diverse project team, clear requirements of the different levels of the Dual Career Ladder, definition of the new created roles and how the differentiate. Furthermore, it is important to have clear nomination and promotion procedure that are transparent. A well thought concept can help organizations attracting critical talents and keeping them by offering them development perspectives and attractive jobs.
The conclusion drawn describes possible outcomes for employee’s development and the organisations effectiveness to reach their desired business results. Followed by a recommendation on further action and closing with the limitation of this study
The demand for talents especially in technical jobs such as Software developers or IT experts has significantly increased within the last few years. Many companies try to face both, the challenges on the German labor market and the so called “War for Talents” for these professions through becoming more active in Recruitment.
The theoretical part shows some of the issues companies have to deal with and presents possible Active Recruiting approaches which could be implemented. In order to do so, it is necessary to gain job-specific insights directly from this target group. For this matter, data was collected from 41 IT and Software experts by means of an executed employee survey at IDS. This survey should, inter alia, find out which incentives are valued the most for selecting an employer. Furthermore it should give an overview about the activity of each respondent in Social Media and business-related platforms and whether the employees would be willing to help recruiting talents.
The objective of this empirical research is to develop recommendations for actions for IDS in order to make the Recruitment of IT and Software experts more efficient.
On the basis of the above it was identified, that the Recruiting requires the inclusion of the specialist departments. The expansion of relations- and recommendation Management from employees to potential applicants could represent a supportive tool. Furthermore, Active Sourcing applied as a strategic component should find a more intense use since many of the respondents are actively using business platforms.
Keywords:
The car business is confronting huge change, with expanding challenges in shopper requests, innovation advancement, globalization, incorporation, and joint effort. A new future is rapidly coming in which automotive industry is moving towards more digitalized & mobility world. Multimodular transportation will turn out to be progressively normal, and shrewd vehicles will oblige various customer requirements for data, ecological obligation, and security. Automotive organizations need to create new and advanced business models to maintain and gain sales growth. In this unique new age, I trust, an emphasis on the advancement of convincing individual versatility arrangements, retail change, worldwide execution and broad banding together will be the keys to accomplishment in 2020
The practical applications of the PMBOK Guide for the events industry - an analysis and case study
(2018)
The goal of this thesis is the investigation and analysis of the PMBOK Guide for its feasibility in the development, planning and executing processes of events and the implications of its employment on the overall project success. The analysis includes findings on which guidelines are most applicable, which require modifications, and which are not or only limited useful for event planning. The different processes and their usefulness in the events context are outlined and recommendations for their use are made. For illustration purposes a case study based on a trade show launch was developed and appropriate guidelines were applied, resulting in specific recommendations to the project team. Additionally, key performance indicators and other success measurements were developed in the course of this work. Since events need to pivot and are set in an agile environment, it is challenging to apply a waterfall method such as the PMBOK Guide to the project procedures making it advisable to ultimately employ a hybrid or selective approach. The results of this research can enable project managers in the events industry to more easily apply a waterfall methodology as a whole or in parts to their projects and provides a variety of indicators and measurements for performance evaluation.
Optimization of an omni-channel strategy in fashion retail – the case of Hunkemöller International
(2018)
In fashion retail, omni-channel management has become an important strategy to offer the customer a seamless shopping experience across various channels. Customers want to shop from anywhere and at any time. Therefore, retailers integrate their operations among all channels and manage them simultaneously. The customer´s interaction with the brand along various touchpoints is thereby an important factor, since the number of touchpoints along a customer´s journey is increasing. This work analyzes a fashion retailer that is already executing an omni-channel strategy, to find challenges that the company is facing and thus an approach for optimization. This is done for the example of Hunkemöller International B.V., a Dutch lingerie retailer, which is dedicated to consistently improve its omni-channel strategy.
The following work examines current literature of omni-channel management in fashion retail and sets up a framework of success factors. These are compared to the current state of the company´s omni-channel strategy through qualitative research in form of an expert interview. This research is followed by more inter-views, which give insights to the challenges that stores are facing while execut-ing omni-channel activities. In addition, the work focuses on the purchasing phase of a customer´s journey and builds a framework to investigate customer touchpoints in the respective phase. Quantitative research is carried out through an in-store customer survey that gives insights on challenges from customer´s side and on customer´s attitude towards omni-channel. Thereby a customer touchpoint analysis is conducted. The conclusion presents recommendations for Hunkemöller on how to face the challenges and optimize the current omni-channel strategy. Limitations of the research and points for future research are discussed in the end.
Renewable energies play an increasingly significant role both in politics in Germany and especially in the energy market. The latter meanwhile is determined by the prices of the different energy sources in the mix of the German market. The goal of the present work is to analyse the influence of renewables on energy prices on the Spot and the Futures market and to find indicators, that help to better predict energy prices and therefore could be decisive for the time of purchase. Due to the limited scale of this thesis and because of the leading role of wind and solar energy, the main focus is on these two energy sources. Therefore, a quantitative data analysis by means of Pearson’s correlation coefficient is performed. The results are analysed to find main influencing factors on energy prices. Using the results, it can be concluded by what kind of event the resulting price changes are caused and how these events can be forecasted.
This bachelor thesis explores the opportunities of Talent Scouting at ZF Friedrichshafen AG in terms of a cross-divisional internal talent management measure in line with future requirements and the frame of a CoE function. It deals with the definition of talent within the scope of Talent Scouting, ZF specific demands with regard to matching internal talents with key positions and the general framework that must exist in order for Talent Scouting to be successful.
The thesis is supported with primary and secondary research data. A theoretical framework is set up through a comprehensive literature review and used as a foundation for a qualitative data research approach. The literature review comprises the talent definition within the business scope, the frameworks of TM and a first look at Talent Scouting. Furthermore, relevant internal TM measures at ZF are examined. The research includes expert interviews conducted with ZF internal employees. The gained insights are then discussed and concluded into recommended actions for a Talent Scouting process at ZF.
Major findings include a new understanding of talent and the need for a transparent process to encourage and enforce internal mobility division-wide. Additionally, the requirement for an overall coherent TM strategy is accentuated. This is emphasized with demands for a cultural and organizational mindset change. Additionally, a talent life cycle is established and the concept of a Talent Conference is considered. Further topics discussed include the use of big data, staffing rules in placement processes and possibilities on increasing visibility of talents.
Finally, the thesis provides a brief outlook on the potential of people analytics and system-aided processes for HRM in the future.
This thesis analyzes reverse logistics exemplified by Kärcher, a manufacturer of cleaning devices, and elaborates a conceptual framework for developing a business model for reverse logistics. A literature review is undertaken for theoretical infor-mation; expert interviews and a quantitative study are carried out. The aim of the lit-erature research is to investigate the importance of reverse logistics and its future viability. Reverse logistics can be divided into two parts, the entry channel and the value-adding part, whereas this thesis focuses on the value adding part. Previous studies mention that reverse logistics is ignored and underestimated by companies; nevertheless it is important for a functioning returns process as return quantities are increasing in the future inter alia because of online retailing. Furthermore, the re-verse logistics process of Kärcher is compared to the industry-wide standards. For understanding the process at Kärcher, exploratory interviews with several SDCs and a census are conducted. To compare the Kärcher reverse logistics process with the industry, a benchmark is performed. The benchmark is carried out with competitors based on short expert interviews and two international companies are analyzed from the literature. The outcome of the benchmark is that until now, there are no industry-wide standards to be found and therefore Kärcher cannot adhere to standards. Last-ly the business model concept Canvas is investigated in theory and applied to the reverse logistics process at Kärcher with the objective to explore, to what extent Canvas can be implemented. In addition, the Canvas is used to define a conceptual framework for further elaboration with the aim to possibly regain value from returns in the future. Finally a recommended course of action for Kärcher concerning reverse logistics is derived.
The present work illustrates the challenges non-profit organizations are facing, especially in regard to marketing measures. Rapid technical advancements and the continuous development of digital assets opens new creative possibilities, which organizations must recognize in order to operate successfully.
Future philanthropists’ charitable contributions are shaped by generational characteristics. The new generation forces organizations to implement new strategies and to revise its approach in order to address given needs and to satisfy all participants. Social platforms, permanent internet access and specifically mobile phones influence promotional activities which emphasizes the great importance of a digital marketing concept. Furthermore, charity organizations need to adapt new ways of engaging with their donor base in order to build a sustainable and lasting relationship.
This paper aims to reveal generational impacts on charitable contributions. It focuses mainly on marketing measures and the upcoming challenges and specifically aims to examine existing evidence for the effectiveness of Video Marketing. Hence, the key question to be answered is if video illustrates the new sales tool to approach future philanthropists. Therefore, an interview with the expert Dennis van Dijk, the COO of MSSG B.V., is being conducted to support the possible result.
Through the worldwide changing world where the availability and accessibility of data becomes more and more important, companies have to take advantage of these new trends and embrace the change. The thesis aims to explore the evolution of the human resources department in organizations especially focusing on people analytics.
The objective of the presented study is to analyze the development of the human resources organization towards a more data-driven function. In addition to that, a practical study in cooperation with the corporate people analytics team at Nestlé was conducted. As the HR function of Nestlé goes through its global transformation between 2018 and 2020, one result is the changing role of the HR business partner. In the future, they will have to apply analytical skills such as sourcing data and analyzing data, and generating people and organization insights to enable high quality decision making. In order develop and train the HR business partner in these additional competencies, a training program on people analytics has been elaborated through this study. The research concludes with strategic recommendations how to incorporate the training within Nestlé.
Matured markets and rising global competition lead to new challenges for the
manufacturing industry. Lean Production provides an approach to meet those challenges,
even more, to gain competitive advantage by improving the efficiency of processes. As
implementation of Lean Production is associated with high investments in form of time
and money, there is a high demand to measure these improvements. But standardized
Balanced Scorecards (BSCs) and classical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are not
designed to show those occurring changes.
This thesis reviews current literature researches and elaborates possible indicators to make
Lean efforts measurable. This approach is further analyzed based on the example of the
implementation of Shop Floor Management in a medium-sized, international automotive
supplier. The thesis results in a proposal of a concrete set of indicators.
Global mobility in academia
(2018)
The influence of working mobility on perceived job satisfaction of academics stays incredibly unknown. This research paper has centred on the effect of traits of mobility at the perceived professional achievements of academics. External factors at the level of receiving high education institution, as well as internal factors at family and socio-cultural level were studied. Records had been gathered with the help of a web questionnaire from 10 academics from different countries at different stages of their career. Using data analyses, results have confirmed that successful socio-cultural integration is crucial for a positive perceived career success of academics.
Fast and flexible – today's two most desired traits within the business environment. The quickly rising technological advancement makes it difficult for organizations to keep up with their productivity. Owing to the digitalization, organizations have to rethink their structures and processes to be able to adjust to the constantly changing environment and ultimately continue to stay a successful force. A “one-size-fits-all” solution does not exist, which makes the initiatives time-consuming and difficult.
Since digitalization comes with major challenges that have to be tackled to decrease the gap in potential business productivity, the first objective of this paper is to identify relevant action points for organizations, together with the examination of the best practice of agility and its structural and cultural traits.
Further, this work aims to comprehend the structural and cultural traits of the case of [company name]. This is approached by a mixed method empirical analysis. First, by qualitative in-depth interviews with the first and second level managers based on the preceding theoretical framework of Spiral Dynamics and a concept of organizational culture analysis. Second, by a quantitative online survey with the remaining workforce based on the model of Competing Values Framework, assessing not only the current but also the by the workforce desired structural and cultural traits.
The model of Spiral Dynamics defines differing predominant core value systems of mankind, whereas challenges that cannot be accomplished with current behaviors initiate the evolution to another core value system – just like digitalization does with the case of [company name]. The Competing Values Framework is a scientifically justified concept to analyze organizational culture.
The last objective of this paper is to develop a set of tailored recommendations towards agile work approaches for the case of [company name] based on the preceding analysis and the theoretical framework of a scientifically justified change management process.
The conducted research reveals that the organization’s culture mainly shows traits of a traditional organization, with top-down decision-making and task assignments, selective transparency, silo-communication and a lack of interdisciplinary collaboration, which results in the predominant core value system of Success. Additionally, the analysis of the desired traits reveals a congruency with agile organizational traits, or in other words, the predominant value system of Synergy. With respect to the results, the study makes seven recommendations, incorporating the theory of a successful change initiative. Together with specified action examples, the way towards the desired predominant value system is paved.
The demand and supply for clean label trend have been growing continuously during the last years. Consumers are increasingly choosing to buy products that contain health and sustainability information. The negative perception of additives, colorants, palm oil, gluten and Monosodium Glutamate has been discussed and has put the food industry for challenging and expensive product adaptations such as recipe changes and design rejuvenation. A literature review based on academic journals and books provides an understanding of the consumer action’s and the food industry’s reactions related to the clean label trend. Furthermore, factors that influence the rise of the clean label trend are discussed. Health and nutritional claims are defined. Additionally, the motivators of a food choice for German consumers are examined. Lastly, an eye-tracking study was conducted to gain insights into consumers visual attention to areas of interest on a stimulus.
Coworking spaces are known for providing the opportunity to network with the members of a coworking space and with the outside world. In order for this networking to happen, there must be a third person facilitating the relationship creation, which in this case is a Community Manager. As a result of this, this study aims to apply the concept of being a superconnector to the Community Managers in coworking spaces.
In order to prove this theory, the author of this paper carried out a qualitative research with eleven in-depth interviews. Seven of them were addressed to coworking members, while the other four to the Community Managers of four different coworking spaces. The coworking members were chosen through referral or through snowball sampling in order to acquire diverse results. Amongst these coworking members there were freelancers, start-up builders and employees from bigger companies. This variety provided the researcher with valuable information to understand how the different types of coworkers may benefit differently from the role of a Community Manager whilst networking. This research might also be helpful for other researchers since it provides information about the different sizes and populations of the coworking spaces.
The results of this study demonstrate the importance of the presence of a Community Manager in coworking spaces. This impacts mostly coworking spaces that focus on freelancers and start-up entrepreneurs that place a high value on networking.
In 2016, Germany’s population consisted of 22.5% of individuals with a migration background and the share is expected to further grow in the future. Therefore, how to successfully integrate migrants is a recurring topic. This paper examines the labour market integration and identificative integration among one of Germany’s largest minorities, migrants from the former Soviet Union. Due to a lack of data on the second-generation migrants and outdated findings on older migrants, secondary research and primary research in form of an online survey is conducted to disclose the current integration status and how it is affected by the cultural background of both generations. Furthermore, possible differences in the integration process of migrants of different ages are investigated.
The results show that the integration of the target population is characterized by a relatively high employment rate, a positive attitude towards Germany and pursuit of the most rewarding acculturation strategy. However, the lack of interethnic networks and the strong presence in blue-collar jobs leave room for improvement. Through the deployment of migrant networks, the target group benefits from its cultural background but also feels discriminated because of it. Only a few significant differences between the integration of migrants of different ages are discovered, including the command and use of German as well as the role of migrant networks.
The growing desire of firms to engage in international business, is the continuous need for growth. This paper is focus on designing an international market entry strategy for KARL OTTO BRAUN GmbH Co. & KG an OEM company, a producer of medical textile products. A prerequisite is market selection and entry, should only be possible with own branded products. As an OEM, KOB produces and packages medical textile products for other companies, who market and distribute the products under their own brand names. In this paper, qualitative and quantitative research methods are used. Expert interviews, desk research and questionnaires are employed, to gather evident data that will assisst in identifying a suitable market for KOB and determine an adequate market entry mode. Since KOB produces for other companies, caution is exercise not to enter markets, where existing key customers are present. This paper also studies market development strategies and in addition to questionnaire feedbacks, will support in elaborating a suitable market development strategy for KOB own branded products in a chosen market. The goal of the paper is to use the results of the empirical study to recommend KOB an international market entry strategy.
With today’s trends of higher flexibility in production processes and Industry 4.0, there is a heightened demand for flexible sensor solutions. SICK IVP is catering to this demand by providing highly customizable vision sensor systems. However, in the past, customization was mainly done by experts in the vision market and so, vision sensors were primarily sold in a B2B market. Recent development
towards easier to use micro-software solutions, so called apps, enable the end user to develop his own solutions. This allows SICK to market their vision products more directly to the end user, or in other words
in a B2C market.
These trends necessitate new marketing strategies and User Experience Design. Accordingly, this thesis evaluates the current marketing approach for the SICK vision apps, namely, the SICK AppPool and sick.com by mapping customer experience for a specific given task. In-depth empirical research on
customer experience was conducted. Finally, recommendations on a marketing approach for the SICK vision apps, including training, a pricing model and a UX Design concept are given.
While Africa presents huge markets for foreign software, sales in these markets have been decreasing over the years. This downward movement in sales can be attributed to the challenges software companies are facing in these markets.
Using the case of TeamViewer GmbH in South Africa and Nigeria, this paper seeks to examine these challenges and give possible recommendations on how to improve sale. It also would analyze the opportunities present in these markets for foreign software.
Through an interview with customers and re-sellers in the South African and Nigerian markets, we uncover that, high prices, competition, unawareness of subscription, to name a few, are some of the challenges resulting in poor sales. Also, using the political, economical, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) model of analysis, an overview of the socio-economic and political situation in these markets were examined. The findings from this paper would serve as a spring board for further research on this topic.
Digitalization is one of the global megatrends of the 21st century. With the increase of mobile technology, constant connectivity, and data analytics, organizations are forced to become more digital to keep up with the increasingly digital world.
This research addresses the changing role of leadership due to digitalization. It examines factors which need to be considered when driving digital transformation in organizations as well as leadership competencies necessary in the digital age. Finally, the research addresses the resistance to digital transformation in organizations.
To investigate how leadership is affected by digitalization, qualitative research is carried out. The research is based on published secondary data.
The findings of this research suggest the growing importance of leadership in the digital age. Leadership needs to approach digitalization actively, thus driving digital transformation in organizations to stay competitive in the increasingly digital world. Further, the research suggests six leadership competencies which are essential in times of digital transformation and identifies two leadership roles which have arisen in recent years due to digitalization. Finally, the research proposes ways to overcome resistance to digital transformation.
The real-world possibilities for blockchain applications are endless, yet few real-world use cases exist in early 2018 beyond cryptocurrency. Among the many newly initiated and emerging proposals for applications of this unique technology, the area of vehicle emissions provides an opportunity to bring the advantages of cryptography and decentralized databases to the collection and storage of scientific research data. The reporting of vehicle emissions has been a publicly acknowledged area of deceit and scandal, while the cornerstones of blockchain are transparency and consensus. There is, perhaps, a way for this newly expanding technology to provide a disruption to the automotive industry by efficiently and reliably reporting vehicle emissions.
This paper seeks to analyze: the capabilities of an emerging technology when applied to an existing older technology and its utilized environment as well as propose a system for efficiently and reliably collecting and reporting internal combustion engine based vehicle emissions data using blockchain; also, finally, theorize the impact of such a system on the automotive industry.
By combining multiple technologies which already exist in practice, as well as some which are expected to be massively implemented in the near future, it is theoretically possible to establish a blockchain based system for not only recording emissions from every participating vehicle, but also electronically executing a check against local emissions restrictions via smart contracts defined by geo-locational range and GPS referencing. The data can be processed and stored in a way that protects the identity and location history of the driver by assigning responsibility of compliance to the identity of the vehicle. The network can be protected from malicious actors by way of an emissions application specific protocol which involves unique GPS data.
While the short run effects of such a system may be met with pushback from the automotive industry because of increased regulation and impact on sales of internal combustion engine vehicle inventory, the long run effects parallel and may even supplement the future effects of the global trends which make the system possible.
In a worldwide accessible marketplace with numerous competitors who try to beat prices and quality of services and products, it is vital for online businesses to strive for strategies to be able to survive in a competitive environment and to sustain growth. The company Usbstick-Producer has gained numerous customers in the German market, but nevertheless competes against many businesses which offer similar products to similar prices. Therefore, it is highly important to defend gained market share. Appropriate strategies and investments are necessary to implement in order to attract and retain customers.
The bachelor thesis aims to explore the nature of customer retention and to give the company Usbstick-Producer recommendations regarding possible improvements and customer retention strategies for the German market. The company’s goal is to retain more customers and to ensure customer satisfaction in order to guarantee profitability for the business.
In order to attain the objective of the thesis, a multi-method approach is being used. A literature review is carried out in order to develop a comprehensive analysis and theoretical framework on the topic of customer retention and related concepts. An internal and external analysis are conducted which help to understand the key drivers and most important influencing factors for the business using the PEST analysis, Porter’s five forces analysis and SWOT analysis.
Qualitative research is utilised in order to investigate the practical aspects of the topic in direct relation to the company. Valuable insights and expert opinions as well as experiences are collected during expert interviews in order to develop appropriate strategic recommendations.
The research concludes with strategic recommendations for the company Usbstick-Producer using the collected and analysed data of the literature review and expert interviews. In the conclusion, possible further research topics are assessed and limitations of the research are discussed.
As banks have to close branches in the current low-interest environment and as customers show an increasing preference for online channels, existing channels of branch-centric banks no longer can guarantee to suffice the needs of the omni-channel consumer. Online consultation through video chat, called video banking, is a possible solution for these issues. In order to keep marketing activities effective and cost-efficient, it is of interest for the banking sector to define a socio-demographic target group for video banking.
Thus, the objective of this thesis is to find socio-demographic characteristics which influence the willingness to use video banking. The characteristics deemed as plausible predictors are then tested for their suitability as such through bivariate and multivariate analysis of an empirical study conducted among U.S. bank customers with internet access. The goal of the multivariate analysis is to find the regression model that best predicts the willingness to use video banking. Depending on the outcome, recommendations will be made about the definition of a target group for video banking.
Organized, competitive computer gaming, also referred to as eSports, are emerging sports within the sports entertainment industry. The industry generated almost 700 million U.S. Dollar in revenue and leading eSport titles attract millions of viewers to their events. This study aims to explore eSport live broadcasts of four leading titles and their appeal to be used as a communication media for marketers. It adopted secondary data from academic and scientific studies, journals and books from the fields of eSports, business and sports management to examine commercials, product placements, sponsorships and celebrity endorsements in regards of their applicability and effectiveness within eSports. Quantitative research in form of a survey among eSports viewership was carried out to gather data on viewership consumption patterns and perceptions towards said communication instruments and their effectiveness.
Findings suggest that the effectiveness of commercials rely on the timing shown during broadcasts. Product placements can be applied in many ways and show high effectiveness in terms of brand recognition in any form. Celebrity endorsements are highly ambiguous in terms of their applicability and effectiveness.
Even though women and men have entered the managerial ranks of organizations
to the almost same numbers, women still remain drastically underrepresented. Of
the Fortune 500 CEO positions only 5.2% and about 21.2% (Catalyst 2018) of the
board seats are held by female leaders. For women of color the numbers are
shockingly low. These women are almost absent on most Fortune 500 companies
and only hold 3.1% of board seats in this category (Catalyst 2015). In Europe
however, the percentage of female director at STOXX 600 companies has
increased constantly over the past years and therefore resulted in slightly better
numbers. By 2015 almost 25% of directors were female and the average
percentage of female holding board seats made 2.8% (EWoB 2015). Research of
Carter, N.M. and Silva, C. (2010) shows, that even if women are graduating from
global leading business schools their career progress lags in comparison to their
male counterparts. This means that despite the organizations efforts of
implementing gender discrimination policies and focusing on gender equality, they
have not been able to fuel women´s career development (Ely et al. 2011).
But why do organizations still struggle to increase the number of female leaders
today? This report will elaborate possible factors that are causing failing attempts
of organizations in general to then conclude a strategic solution for Philips to
successfully change their people strategy towards gender equality. Research
shifted from the assumption of intentional gender discrimination within companies
towards invisible barriers that cause thriving women not to reach the top (Ely et al.
2011). Those barriers are deeply rooted assumptions about gender that have a
long history in the evolution of our society. Starting with how society is influencing
how people think about women being leaders and the assumptions they make
about the ability one being a leader based on gender (Anderson et al. 2006; Eagly,
Carli 2003). The key to success might be a shift in people´s mindset. Here fore, this report will introduce the reader to the problematic of the unconscious bias
(Cheryl Staats 2014). Speaking of invisible barriers this theory might be the most
important factor for organizations to make a difference. However, the question of
why so many women get stuck in the c-suite remains unanswered. One answer to
this question repeatedly pops up in research reports and papers which is “Glass
Ceiling” (Susan Chira 2017).
Because gender equality becomes more and more important for organizations in
order to stay competitive, Philips decided to shift its people strategy towards
“Inclusion & Diversity” in 2017 (Jong, de 2017). The reason for this shift also lies
within the innovative aspect. Diversity fosters creativity and therefor innovation
which is a differentiator for Philips. However, this report tries to answer the
question on how Philips can actually increase the number of senior female leaders.
It will identify possible barriers that need to be removed in order to support the
development of female employees to the top ranks of management.
The structure or this report is as followed. Chapter 1 will introduce the reader to the
research structure to set expectations and give an overview about how the content
has been created. Chapter 2 will introduce Philips as an organization after the split
of Philips Lighting in 2012. Showing how the function of Human Resource
Management is structured and what parts of it are directly influenced by the set
KPI. To give an overview on the literature that has been conducted and therefore
methodology, chapter 3 will offer explanation on basic concepts that have a direct
impact on women in leadership. Here the report will start to focus on gender
diversity and two major obstacles women have to overcome in today’s workplace in
order to be successful. Chapter 4 will provide a deep dive into the internal talent
management processes of Philips and identify possible improvement areas.
Chapter 5 will then analyze common concepts on how to support the development
senior female leaders and show opportunities as well as limitations for Philips.
Moreover it will be discussed how to best merge external concepts with internal processes in order to build a framework for the organization and its workforce.
Finally, the importance of engaging men into the discussion of gender diversity will
be underlined. Analyzing possible barriers men experience to determine what
prevented them in the past to join the gender discussion. Possible solutions will be
identified on how to remove those barriers. Chapter 6 will summarize the findings
of this report. It will be discussed how the new approach can be realized for Philips
as an organization.
This research presents a cross-country comparison between China and Germany to examine the differences in mobile payment adoption. Past developments indicated that mobile payment penetration varies across countries, where some countries successfully adopted mobile payment, whereas others are still in a development phase. Lerner (2013) indicated that the difference in mobile payment adoption can be attributed to the difference between developed and developing countries. Therefore, a theoretical model was developed, on which basis the adoption in Germany (a developed country) and China (a developing country) was compared and tested for differences. Based on the technology acceptance model (TAM), the model was extended by Perceived Trust, Perceived Risk and Value Added Services. Furthermore, the model was tested in each country and compared through structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS. As a result, a significant difference in adoption of mobile payment between China and Germany was found. Perceived Risk showed a significantly stronger impact on the adoption of mobile payment in China than in Germany. These findings have managerial implications on the design and promotion of mobile payment to increase penetration.
It is a fundamental right of every natural person to control which personal information is collected, stored and processed by whom, for what purposes and how long. In fact, many (cloud based) services can only be used if the user allows them broad data collection and analysis. Often, users can only decide to either give their data or not to participate in communities. The refusal to provide personal data results in significant drawbacks for social interaction. That is why we believe that there is a need for tools to control one's own data in an easy and effective way as protection against economic interest of global companies and their cloud computing systems (as data collector from apps, mobiles and services). Especially, as nowadays everybody is permanently online using different services and devices, users are often lacking the means to effectively control the access to their private data. Therefore, we present an approach to manage and distribute privacy settings: PRIVACY-AVARE is intended to enable users to centrally determine their data protection preferences and to apply them on different devices. Thus, users gain control over their data when using cloud based services. In this paper, we present the main idea of PRIVACY-AVARE.
Digital Transformation, Smart Factories, and Virtual Design: Contributions of Subject Orientation
(2018)
Influence of tidal volume on ventilation distribution and oxygenation during one-lung ventilation
(2018)