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Gemeinsam Neues erarbeiten
(2019)
Kultur, Kapital, Kooperation
(2019)
Die Arbeit Digitale Markenentwicklung - Analyse des Markenauftritts der Bundeswehr anhand des identitätsbasierten Markenführungskonzepts beschäftigt sich mit der Bundeswehr als Markenkonstrukt. Als theoretische Grundlage dient das identitätsbasierte Markenführungskonzept von F.-R. Esch. Hierzu gilt es außerdem zu untersuchen, inwieweit sich Online-, Hybrid- und Offlinemarken voneinander abgrenzen und wie sich das identitätsbasierte Markenführungskonzept zu diesen verhält. Ziel ist es, die Marke Bundeswehr mit der Markenidentitätstheorie anhand eines ausgewählten Kanals praktisch zu beschreiben, sowie dessen Ergebnisse in Beziehung zur Theorie zu stellen. Kern des Ziels ist es auch festzustellen, wo die Bundeswehr der Theorie folgt und wo sie davon abweicht, woraus sich weiterführende Handlungsempfehlungen ergeben können.
Die Leitfrage der Bachelorarbeit lautet: „Wie reagieren Zulieferer von Verbrennungs-motorkomponenten auf die Veränderung der Automobilbranche durch den Trend der Elektrifizierung von Fahrzeugen?“. Aus dieser Leitfrage ergeben sich die folgenden Key Research Questions: „Was ist die Veränderung der Automobilbranche durch den Trend der Elektrifizierung von Fahrzeugen?“, „Wer sind die Zulieferer von Verbrennungsmotor-komponenten?“ und „Wie sind die untersuchten Unternehmen hinsichtlich externem Handlungsbedarf, internem Handlungsbedarf und Richtungsänderung zu bewerten?“. Durch die Beantwortung der Leitfrage und der Key Research Questions werden Beratungspotentiale identifiziert. Außerdem werden Zulieferer von Verbrennungsmotoren identifiziert, deren strategische Reaktion bereits Erfolg zeigt. Diese können bei einer Beratung als Benchmark dienen.
Effiziente Gestaltung und Anwendung von attributbasierter Zugriffskontrolle für RESTful Services
(2019)
In der vorliegenden Masterarbeit wurden verschiedene Ansteuerungsstrategien für den Betrieb von dreiphasigen Active-Neutral-Point-Clamped- (ANPC) Mittelspannungs-Netzumrichtern mit Siliziumkarbid (SiC) Halbleiterschaltelementen untersucht. Durch die Vielzahl an aktiven Schaltelementen können bei der ANPC-Topologie zur Modellierung des gewünschten Ausgangssignals zahlreiche unterschiedliche Ansteuerungsstrategien eingesetzt werden. Je nach gewählter Ansteuerungsstrategie können so unter anderem die Faktoren Schalt- und Durchlassverluste, Wirkungsgrad, Verlustverteilung, Schalter- und Ausgangsschaltfrequenz, der Oberschwingungsanteil des Ausgangssignals, sowie die maximale Spannungsbelastung der Halbleiter beeinflusst werden.
Neben der elektrotechnischen Beschreibung der aktuell eingesetzten Umrichter-Technologien wurden in dieser Arbeit primär aus aktuellen Veröffentlichungen und Dissertationen verschiedene Möglichkeiten für die Ansteuerung von ANPC-Umrichter zusammengetragen und insgesamt sieben Sinus-Pulsweiten-Modulationsstrategien (S-PWM) im Detail untersucht. Hierbei wurde für jede vorgestellte Modulationsstrategie das Grundfunktionsprinzip aufgezeigt und analysiert, sowie die sich daraus ergebenden Vor- und Nachteile herausgearbeitet.
Anschließend wurden alle vorgestellten S-PWM-Strategien in der Schaltungssimulationssoftware PLECS implementiert und diese in verschiedenen Betriebszuständen simuliert. Die Simulation ergab, dass sich bei der ANPC-ALD-Strategie eine bestmögliche Verlustverteilung zwischen den Halbleiterelementen einstellt, bei der ANPC-OOZS-Strategie die geringsten Durchlassverluste entstehen und bei den Strategien ANPC-DF, -12, -R2:1 und -SSLD im Bereich der Nulldurchgänge des Ausgangssignals an den inneren Halbleitern kurzzeitige kritische Überspannungen auftreten. Bei den Strategien ANPC-11-Sync, -ALD und -OOZS treten dagegen keine Überspannungen an den Halbleitern auf.
Ausgehend von diesen Simulationsergebnissen wurden die Strategien ANPC-DF, -ALD und -OOZS für den potentiellen Einsatz in Mittelspannungsumrichtern ausgewählt, auf einem FPGA-Board implementiert und damit eine geeignete Niederspannungstestplattform in Betrieb genommen. Durch praktische Messungen auf dieser Testplattform konnten die Simulationsergebnisse in einem ersten Schritt verifiziert werden. Sowohl das erstellte Simulationsmodell als auch die in Betrieb genommene Testplattform können somit zukünftig für weitere Untersuchungen im Bereich der ANPC-Umrichter-Ansteuerungsstrategien eingesetzt werden.
Due to the global increase in temperature, China has been dealing with severely increasing ecological disasters. The Chinese government has therefore increased its environmental protection measures in the past 15 years. This thesis delivers descriptive results of these measures, taken from the last three five-year plans as issued by the Chinese government. This is being done by applying the expected results of these measures into a so-called integrated assessment model. Furthermore, this thesis elaborates how integrated assessment models can be used in order to assess policies, such as these employed by the government of the PRC in order to compute their overall socio-economic impact on factors like welfare-maximization and technological advancement. This is rounded out by exploring the possibility of creating a holistic assessment model that combines the potential of backstop- and abatement technologies with a global or regionally disaggregated assessment model.
A study by the Bertelsmann Stiftung concludes that companies invested around €11.1 billion in training their employees in 2015. This is due to our evolution into a knowledge society, where knowledge represents the competitive advantage for companies. However, in order to be able to benefit from these training investments, a learning transfer must take place on the part of the employees. Constructivist learning theory aims to counteract the lack of learning transfer. Thus, constructivist design principles in the learning environment can make it possible to foster learning transfer. The latest developments in e-learning, such as the use of Web 2.0 instruments or mobile learning, increase the potential to support constructivist design principles and consequently learning transfer. Using qualitative data from 11 semi-structured interviews with professionals in the field of e-learning, this study explores the role of e-learning in transfer of training. The results indicated that e-learning plays an important role in supporting three of the five constructivist principles and this technological support is likely to become even more important in the future. However, regarding the two other constructivist principles, which both concern the social exchange, the results show that employees still prefer a personal instead of virtual exchange for learning purposes.
Digital twin as a service : Ressourcenmanagement mit Energiedaten aus cyber-physischen Systemen
(2019)
Die Energiewende führt zu einer Paradigmenänderung. Der Zeitpunkt der Energieabnahme wird sich zunehmend an dem der Energieerzeugung orientierten. Die Steuerung des Energiebedarfs kann durch energieorientierte Produktionsplanung gesteigert werden. Dies erfordert eine Vorhersage des Energiebedarfs. Hierfür wird ein System entwickelt, das eine Modellierung mittels maschinellen Lernens nutzt. Die Datenbasis wird durch eine Vorgehensweise zur Abstrahierung von Fertigungsmaschinen erzeugt. Das System besteht aus gruppierten Microservices, es berücksichtigt die unterschiedlichen Anforderungen der Modelle an die Infrastruktur. Die Modelle sind in digitalen Zwillingen integriert, die als Dienst genutzt werden. Hierdurch ist eine effiziente Adaption von ˜Äderungen an Fertigungsmaschine oder Modell-Methodik möglich. Eine exemplarische Anwendung der Abstraktionsmethode und der Modellierung mittels neuronalen Netzes demonstrieren die Umsetzbarkeit.
Obwohl es die Volatilität als Anlagemittel schon seit kurz nach der Jahrtausendwende
gibt, so ist diese für viele institutionelle Anleger immer noch ein Mysterium und beinhaltet
viele Ungewissheiten. Ziel der Bachelorarbeit war es, am Markt häufig verwendete
Volatilitätsstrategien auf ihre historische Performance zu untersuchen und diese bei
gegebener Eignung dem bestehenden Investment Portfolio der EnBW Energie BadenWürttemberg AG zuzufügen. Dazu wurden fünf verschiedene Volatilitätsstrategien,
welche durch qualitative Interviews ausfindig gemacht wurden, über mehrere Zeiträume
auf deren Verhalten untersucht. Zu den Beobachtungszeiträumen gehörten sowohl ein
Zeitraum einer ruhigen Marktphase, sowie ein Zeitraum einer Finanzkrise. Durch die
Untersuchungen konnte herausgefunden werden, dass Volatilitätsstrategien die
Merkmale einer eigenen Anlageklasse aufgrund ihres Diversifikationspotenzials erfüllen.
Des Weiteren konnte mit Hilfe der Ergebnisse festgestellt werden, dass mit
Volatilitätsstrategien Renditen im zweistelligen Bereich erzielt werden können, bei einer
geringen Volatilität im einstelligen Prozentbereich. Das zeigt, dass eine Investition in
bestimmte Strategien zur Einnahme der Volatilitätsrisikoprämie rentabel für Investoren
sein können.
Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit erforscht die Wichtigkeit von Produktrücknahmekonzepten in der Textilindustrie. Aufgrund der bestehenden Umweltproblematik, steigt das Bewusstsein für Nachhaltigkeit der Konsumenten und somit auch die Handlungsnotwendigkeit aus Unternehmenssicht. Eine Methode, um die Umweltauswirkungen der gesamten Branche zu reduzieren, ist die Einführung von Produktrücknahmeprozessen. In dieser Arbeit sollen spezielle Handlungsempfehlungen für das Produktrücknahmekonzept des schwedischen Unternehmens, Hennes & Mauritz, entwickelt werden. Hierfür werden entscheidende Anforderungen aus Konsumentensicht untersucht, die eine erhöhte Bereitschaft der Teilnahme am Textilrecycling fördern. Durch eine umfangreiche und kritische Analyse des gesamten Produktrücknahmeprozesses des Unternehmens, kann dieses von Grund auf bewertet werden, damit geeignete Strategien erarbeitet werden können.
Die Digitalisierung bezeichnet den partiellen Ersatz der analogen Leistungserbringung durch eine digitale Lösung. Der Leuchtenhersteller Waldmann hat diesen Wandlungsprozess erkannt und entwickelt hierfür ein neues Geschäftsmodell. Waldmann setzt sich zur Aufgabe den Arbeitsplatz der Zukunft mitzugestalten. Mithilfe der Erfassung von Daten zu Arbeitsplatzbelegung, Luftqualität, Temperatur und Lärmpegel, optimiert Waldmann den Arbeitsplatz ihrer Kunden. Neben einem Sensormodul mit Cloud Anbindung benötigt Waldmann sowohl eine App, als auch eine Benutzeroberfläche. Diese müssen durch ein weiteres Unternehmen erstellt werden. Aufgrund der substanziellen Differenzen in der Leistungserstellung von Produkt und Service, hat Waldmann das neue Unternehmen gegründet. Das Start-Up LIZ erschafft den Software-as-a-Service, welcher aus der Beratung für den Kunden und der Software Lösung besteht. Waldmann übernimmt im selben Prozess die Bereitstellung der Leuchte und die Entwicklung der Sensormodule, zur Aufnahme der Daten am Arbeitsplatz.
Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Weiterentwicklung der digitalen Geschäftsmodelle in dem produzierenden Unternehmen Waldmann. Mit den entwickelten Kriterien zu den relevanten Themenbereichen werden die Geschäftsmodelle bewertet und die Potenziale eingestuft. Betrachtungen der zukünftigen Veränderungen des Marktes können die Handlungsempfehlung modifizieren, wodurch eine stetige Beobachtung notwendig wird.
Zusätzlich benötigen die Unternehmen LIZ und Waldmann ein Instrument, um einen konstanten Informationsfluss zu garantieren. Mit der Entwicklung einer Excel Datei wird die Überwachung, Kontrolle und Überprüfung der aktuellen Situation im digitalen Unternehmen durchgeführt. Dieses Instrument gewährleistet ein vollwertiges Produkt-Service-Paket in den zukünftigen Entwicklungen des Geschäftsmodells.
How value is perceived has a large influence on the purchase decisions of customers. Previous studies have focused mainly on the value perception of customers, but which role does the value perception of a seller play and what impact does it have on a sales conversation? Is the value of a product or service perceived equally by the seller and the customer or is there a significant difference?
In this research we will specifically focus on the tourism industry and find out how sellers and customers perceive the value of a package holiday. A total of 50 sellers and 100 customers participated in our survey and the results show, that there is a significant difference in the perceived value of the offered package holiday between sellers and customers. The sellers tend to perceive value lower than the customers and in addition, the sellers’ value perception is characterized by a lower variability. Furthermore, when it comes to estimating how the other side perceives value, our results show the opposite of what the respondents expected.
This research has the potential to provide an insight into the mind of the sales person and lead to a better understanding of sales psychology.
Hygiene in der Küche
(2019)
Trade shows are a major marketing tool for B2B companies due to its effectiveness by reaching all key players in the industry at one place in one point of time. However, this is combined with a high cost factor making a cost justification crucial. For this purpose, an objective explanation on the results of the trade show performance is compulsively necessary. The following research focuses on a single multinational B2B company within the safety, security and communication industry. It aims to convey an understanding of how to evaluate the trade show participation of Bosch Building Technology. Hereby, theoretical deliverables will be compared to explain relevant success factors of the B2B market and the industry while identifying trade show dimensions. This research includes expert interviews to gather information from professionals in the field of trade show organization. Subsequently to an internal survey research, the example of a best practice measurement model is analysed in a case study.
Many articles claim that the successful management of organizational change is from utmost importance to ensure the survival and prosperity of the company in the fast moving and ever-changing business environment. There are various techniques, models and theories that were created to help companies to cope with organizational change.
This thesis aims to conduct secondary research to answer the following research questions:
1. Are change management models still relevant in the 21st century concerning their applicability and expected outcome?
2. How can the Change Management models be compared?
3. What role does leadership play in organizational change management?
Therefore, the following eight change management models are considered:
• Lewin’s Change Model
• ADKAR Model
• Kotter’s 8-Step Model
• Kübler-Ross Change Curve
• McKinsey’s 7s Model
• Nudge Theory
• Bridges Transition Model
• The Satir change management model
It can be concluded that the eight change management models are still relevant in the 21st century but the implementation must be well planned and precisely organized and implemented in a faster pace than in the past. The models can be divided into two categories - organizational and individual change management theories. Through an analysis of the findings it can be stated that good leadership of the ongoing organizational change is indispensable. There is no doubt in the fact that change management needs to be well managed but in order to be well comprehended by the employees and sustained, effective leadership is necessary. It can be summarized that effective leadership of organizational
3
change needs to combine the intellectual, spiritual, emotional and behavioral dimension with a strong focus on vision, values, corporate culture, strategy, empowerment of the employees, motivation as well as inspiration.
The relationship between health care practitioners and the pharmaceutical industry is increasingly drawing public attention due to misguided behaviour. Practices like gift giving, holding luxurious conferences or allowences for research are under scrutiny. With all these influences, how can practicioners stay neutral and have the interest of patients in mind? And what is the level of emotions and data used by the pharma industry when marketing drugs to a physician? In order to find out, we targeted pharmaceutical industry managers and directors to participate in an eleven question online questionnaire. For example, participants were asked to rate the best approach between data and emotions to persuade physicians. The results show tendencies in the data, but fail to show significant evidence for our hypotheses. Further research is needed in order to clarify which factors influence the decision for an emotional or data driven approach.
Decisions are made every day, every second of our lives, and are particularly important in a business context. Projects, from their objectives to their ending are a sum of organized and unorganized decisions where facts and data battle with human nature.
In this paper, we will analyse how those decisions are organized in project management, and in general.
After having defined extensively project Management, Decision-Making and their link, a new structure of decision-making will be presented. It is composed of seven steps:
1. Establishing the objectives
2. Identify and define the challenge
3. Analyse the challenge
4. Find solutions and alternatives
5. Evaluate alternatives
6. Choosing the best solution
7. Implementing the decision.
This structure is based on Simon, Drucker, Rolstadås and other researchers’ work. It completes and extends former models in order to go beyond classical schemes.
Everyone, from the CEO to the road sweeper goes through these steps, consciously or unconsciously. Of course, all responsibilities and stakes proportionally adapted.
According to the size of the project, the consequences of the decision, the risks and many other factors, this theoretical structure shifts to fit the needs and becomes less “heavy”, being reduced to its simple titles, becoming usable for simpler tasks.
Even though this structure identifies as instinctive and easy to use, it comes out managers rarely follow formal models or strict rules in projects and decision-making. Detailed models are more suited to strategic decisions and projects, as well as during the preparation of a project.
It is important to note that we are not looking for the way to take a “good” decision, but how to take a “right” decision, as the point is to analyse the process.
Search engines such as Google are an important information platform for international society. By actively applying Search Engine Optimization (SEO), website operators can influence their positioning in search engines and thus increase the visibility of their website. This thesis deals with search engine optimization in the context of digital marketing. The result of this work is the structural development of a search engine optimization strategy for international websites. This strategy is not limited to specific markets or industries, but its validity is tested by applying it to the practice-oriented case study of the Spanish website of sevDesk.
First of all, an overview of the search engine as a digital channel First of all, an overview is given and its functionality and significance for digital marketing is explained. The needs of search engine users are identified by analyzing the characteristics of search queries and search intentions and then classified according to the AIDA formula into different phases of the modelled purchasing process.
In addition to the analysis of the search engine users, a closer look is taken at the specific ranking algorithm of the search engine Google, a second important component of search engine optimization. Various studies are compared in order to work out influencing factors of the ranking algorithm. These are explained in more detail in the context of the disciplines of search engine optimization. The next step is a closer look at the international context and technical and cultural peculiarities of the optimization of international websites.
In the following, strategic process flows from the existing technical literature are considered and extended to the international market under appreciation and critical consideration of the literature search. The developed strategy will be implemented using the case study of a Spanish website. The data will be collected and first results will be presented and evaluated.
This paper explores the different techniques used by search engine optimizers to increase a website ́s ranking, thus visibility. The author focuses on modern methods from the areas of On-Page and Off-Page SEO. Findings, gathered through a literature review, conclude that SEO has become a more complex process, as search engines algorithm have advanced; transforming from a pure technical optimization to a more user-oriented optimization. Furthermore, the paper identifies several areas that a webmaster can use to collect data to monitor a website ́s performance. In addition, insights into what the data can have for a meaning, are given. The paper finales with a brief overview of various ways to monetize a website.
The present bachelor dissertation deals with the increasing popularity and attractiveness of fitness studios in the German market, the resulting competition and the possibility to differentiate oneself by adapting various marketing measures. The classical marketing mix and its existing instruments are explained in detail, and the possibility to use them in the area of sport and explicit fitness is reviewed. The effectiveness and application of the instruments are then explained using the example of McFIT, which has become the current market leader through their successful use. A competition analysis comparing McFIT and two competitors in the German market helps to identify existing strengths and weaknesses and compare the companies.
How will the future of business schools in Germany look like in 2035? Scenario Planning with INKA 4
(2019)
Business schools have been largely successful in attracting students and producing publications in the last few decades. Nevertheless, this success has raised several concerns. With many variables influencing business schools, it is useful to predict how the future of business schools might look like. Hence, this paper aims to detect current trends in order to forecast and examine the future of German business schools by the year 2035. With the help of the scenario software INKA 4, future scenarios were generated. In order to develop these scenarios, various areas of influence, e.g. Environment, Supply, Demand, Pedagogy, and Technology were identified and conceptualized with regard to current research and literature. The final result consists of four distinct scenarios, which reflect the potential pathway of German business schools in the future.
The notion of frugal innovation or how to do more with less becomes increasingly relevant in a world which faces many severe health care challenges. In general, frugal innovations have the potential to provide low-cost, simple, and valuable solutions to these challenges. Therefore, this research aims to shed light on key success factors and patterns of frugal innovations in the Indian health care sector. For this reason, the research analyzes a sample of nine selected frugal innovations. The frugal innovation examples are examined with respect to their innovation characteristics. Further, the examination of success patterns allows to investigate the potential of reversed innovation in developed countries in order to improve global health. To sum up, the research provides profound insights on the subject of frugal innovations and conclusions on the research questions. Finally, an outlook on future developments in the health care sector and future research are given.
Entrepreneurship is being characterized by innovation and change. An entrepreneurial mindset possesses the ability to simplify business operation processes and consumer products as well as improving service features. Furthermore, entrepreneurship does not only result in economic growth and prosperity, it also accelerates and promotes research and development.
The economy as well as individuals benefit from such innovative inventiveness. Many governmental departments recognize the positive and advantageous effects and therefore want to support and stimulate entrepreneurial activities right from the outset. Therefore, governmental authorities introduced a numerous of different funding pro-grams in recent years, specifically designed for young entrepreneurs.
To enhance start-up activities and to increase the overall entrepreneurial spirit in Ger-many, universities need to expand their educational framework by one component, namely the Third Mission. Hence, universities are not only responsible to promote ed-ucation and research, but also to create an entrepreneurial culture as well as anchoring it in the educational system. The objective is to support and expedite entrepreneurship from its very beginning.
This paper aims to analyze current entrepreneurial business activities, specifically at German universities. Moreover, key success factors, for instance, state subsidy pro-grams as well as business cooperation’s will be presented and analyzed. Hence, the essential objective of this paper is to find appropriate and successful entrepreneurial approaches which are feasible at the Hochschule Furtwangen University.
The phenomenon of social innovation is becoming an increasingly important topic with an increasing number of people implementing different types of social innovation projects. So far, little research has been carried out to understand the structure of the projects and the characteristics of the entrepreneurs and initiators behind. This study aims to close this gap by analyzing 80 social innovation projects in the fields of housing, poverty, immigration and environment as well as by examining 117 founders behind these projects. The main results suggest that the projects are clustered around the metropolitan areas of Berlin, Munich and Stuttgart and tend to be founded relatively recently. No clear tendencies and distinctive characteristics in terms of financing and organization could be observed. The social entrepreneurs tend to be of a younger age and most notably, an overwhelming majority are academics holding at least a bachelor’s degree and even more frequently a master’s degree. Generally, some field-specific differences could as well be observed, such as more engineers being active in the field of environment and more individuals with a social sciences background being active in the poverty sector. However, the findings of this study should not be generalized to the entire social innovation scene in Germany and to all its social entrepreneurs.
Problemfall Plastikmüll
(2019)
Population growth, urbanization and climate change are regarded as the megatrends of today's society. This goes hand in hand with a high consumption of resources and pollution. Indeed, these megatrends are mutually reinforcing. A significant part of this is due to mobility in daily life. Technological change such as digitalization, creates innovative concepts to improve mobility and to deal with these changing circumstances. A comprehensive concept in this respect is mobility as a service. This thesis focuses on the identification of the mobility ecosystem and thus on the various stakeholders. First of all, it deals with the definition of mobility as a service in order to identify the ecosystem in particular in the second step. Mobility is classified and analyzed by working on the basis of secondary literature and a quantitative as well as qualitative methodology in expert interviews. This allows conclusions about the relationships, prerequisites and obstacles within the ecosystem and stakeholders.
The results of the thesis suggest that collaboration within the ecosystem is a prerequisite for the implementation of mobility as a service. Furthermore, that mobility as a service should ensure adaptability, since local infrastructures differ between Germany, USA and China, but also within these countries. This adaption process is iterative. The obstacles are interoperability and the willingness to cooperate. Moreover, the results imply that mobility as a service will assert itself more quickly in urban areas due to factors such as the pressure to act and the availability of mobility services as well as the number of customers.
Global warming provokes our climate and the world how we know it today to change severely. The production of food together with its consumption is responsible for 19-29% of world’s greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities and further rises are
expected. As a response to this phenomenon, the assessment of a product’s carbon footprint has awaken huge interest with the purpose of controlling food’s environmental impact during its life-cycle. In order to involve individuals in the target of reducing harmful emissions, besides governmental and business efforts, CO2 labels have been developed to communicate a product’s carbon footprint and enabling consumers to make more climate-friendly purchase decisions. However, it has been shown that a successful
implementation of CO2 labels on grocery products still confronts barriers from the consumer side.
For a better understanding of the meaning of mentioned labels, this thesis deepens the theoretical backgrounds of greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint related to the food industry. In a second step, the acceptance and effectiveness of carbon labels on
groceries will be analysed critically by using contextual literature reviews and a case study on German purchase behaviour.
The rapid pace of change is posing a series of challenges both in industrialized and in emerging economies. Throughout history, one important measure to deal with change was to further develop technology, to find the right solution, to improve the current standard, in one word: to innovate. Over the past decades, different types of innovation have emerged. One fairly recent form is frugal innovation. The principle of frugal innovation is to build a strategic fit between affordability, quality and sustainability with the aim to create a greater value for customers while using fewer resources as capital, time or material. In view of contemporary developments like globalization, climate change, or increasing poverty which create issues across countries, industries and social classes, frugal innovation can offer solutions. Existing literature mainly reports about frugal innovation as an option to serve consumers from low income markets in developing countries. However, the concept might be already or might become in future equally crucial for industrialized economies. The purpose of this research is to investigate the future development of frugal innovation in industrialized economies. A critical question in this paper is to identify how much innovation concepts in industrialized economies differ from innovation concepts in emerging countries and in the following, to assess to what extend the frugal innovation concept would imply a reorientation for industrialized economies. The results indicate that innovators in industrialized economies still follow the typical “higher, faster, further strategy” and that different mind-sets might be necessary to introduce a frugal innovation approach. Moreover, the results show that frugal innovation offers a unique combination of principles that respond to a very high degree to present consumer, market or eco-political trends. A limitation of this paper is that in industrialized countries, hitherto there exist very few examples of frugal innovation concepts. Subsequently, the theoretical and empirical literature, which can be reviewed, is limited.
Zum Kaufen verführt
(2019)
The bachelor thesis 'Strategic Positioning and German market entry of ... ' deals with the development of a market entry strategy for a small start-up company in the wellness segment.....is a small but fastgrowing company that provides wood-fired wellness products for private customers.
Expansion policies and growth are important to survive in a changing competitive environment, so this work focusses on analysing the german hottub market and choosing an appropriate strategy.
The goal was to derive a good strategic position for the german market entry. Therefore the company was analysed internally and externally to find out the drivers of the industry, and which factors are critical for succeeding in the market. Different strategic approaches were compared to find out, which is the most appropritate for the company. All analysing led to a marketing mix and a milestoneplan how to implement the strategies for the german market entry. That means a well-grounded recommendation for a strategic concept can be communicated.
Keim und Handwerk
(2019)
Die Bedeutung preispsychologischer Effekte bei Events - Aktueller Forschungsstand und Perspektiven
(2019)
Die Preispsychologie trägt maßgeblich zur Erklärung des menschlichen Kaufverhaltens bei. Zahlreiche empirische Studien zur Wirkungsweise preispsychologischer Effekte zeigen, dass eine gezielte Beeinflussung der Preiswahrnehmung des Kunden möglich ist. Demzufolge liegt es nahe, dass diese auch bei Events Möglichkeiten zur Steigerung der Zahlungsbereitschaft und Verbesserung der Gewinne bieten können. Die Eventbranche kennzeichnet sich durch eine zunehmende Professionalisierung und Diversifizierung, daher nimmt auch der Preis sowohl aus Nachfrage- wie auch Anbietersicht eine zunehmend wichtige Rolle ein. Mittels einer Befragung von zwölf Eventmanagern untersuchen wir empirisch, welche Überlegungen zur Preisgestaltung von Events einfließen und inwieweit preispsychologische Effekte in der Bepreisung berücksichtigt werden. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen eine Lücke zwischen der theoretischen Kenntnis der Effekte einerseits und der praktischen Anwendung anderseits. Daraus ergeben sich konkrete Ansatzpunkte für eine verstärkt am Kundennutzen orientiere Preisgestaltung sämtlicher Einnahmequellen von Events.
Diese Arbeit untersucht den Bullwhip-Effekt und dessen Einfluss auf die Supply Chain und der jeweiligen Teilnehmer. Da Unternehmen stetig nach Wachstum streben, ist ein reibungsloser Materialfluss entlang der Lieferkette Grundvoraussetzung. Aufgrund von globalen und immer komplexeren Lieferketten, ist die Zusammenarbeit zwischen den Unternehmen nicht immer einfach und optimal. Fehlerhafte Bestellpolitik und das Treffen von irrationalen Entscheidungen stellen für die Unternehmen Probleme dar. Genau diese Probleme spiegelt der Bullwhip-Effekt wider, indem durch mangelnde Kooperation letztendlich Entscheidungen, bezüglich des Bestellvorgangs autonom getroffen werden und diesen Effekt somit bestärken. Diese Arbeit untersucht die Entstehung und den Einfluss des Bullwhip-Effekts auf die Supply Chain. Des Weiteren werden Methoden, die den Bullwhip-Effekt reduzieren bzw. beseitigen können erläutert. Auf Grundlage dieser Erkenntnisse werden die theoretischen Ansätze anhand eines Simulationsbeispiels gestützt und erklärt.
Open-plan office design is deemed to be a beneficial tool for facilitating communication and collaboration. However, its alleged advantages are not proven by the chosen contemporary research presented in this thesis. By means of comparative analysis of secondary data, the thesis provides evidence for detrimental influence of open-plan office design to the workforce. Consequently, the well-being model proposed by Chartered Institute of Personnel Development is employed, thus enabling placing the influence of open-plan design within well-being domains and determining that this workspace arrangement affects employee well-being detrimentally. Having established the interconnectedness of the subjects, the thesis concludes by providing suggestions for management and expressing the need for further research.
Online commerce is growing rapidly. With the wide accessibility of the internet, e-commerce is becoming the most important ways or medium for doing business globally. The growth of e-commerce business provides companies a great opportunity to invest online so as to position their brand.
This thesis observes the elements of online brand positioning. Furthermore, it analyses whether these elements can be applied to an online business. For this Zalando the online fashion retailer, will be taken as an example. It starts with a literature review on e-commerce definition, important factors for e-commerce business, advantages of e-commerce business, brand positioning, importance of brand positioning and online brand positioning elements. The chosen brand positioning elements are then applied to analyse the online brand positioning of Zalando. Furthermore, it observes the influence of brand positioning elements on their competitive advantages.
The brand positioning elements are benefits and feature, price and value statements, competitive advantages, information on product and services, processes, partnering and relationship, leadership claims and corporate power, corporate social responsibility and credibility. All these brand positioning elements are addressed by Zalando and these elements have played an important role for the positioning of Zalando`s brand.
In the economy, it is always important to respond adequately to the wants of customers in order to satisfy their needs. The fashion industry in particular is strongly affected by the fast pace of life, which is why it is particularly important for companies in this sector to adapt their brands and their products to the current market. In order to work successoriented, the companies have to align themselves with the existing generations, whereby the companies increasingly adapt their products to the generation Y. However, Generation Y will soon be outnumbered by Generation Z. Therefore, the aim of this work is to find a suitable future-oriented marketing strategy for the fashion industry in Germany that successfully targets Generation Z while taking social milieus into consideration for defining the target audience. The first part of the thesis comprises the presentation of different theories to elucidate Generation Z and to present various approaches to milieu research. In order to answer the research question, an empirical research was conducted with Generation Z as the target audience. The study relies on quantitative data collection via primary research. The analysis of the collected data shows the current perception of Generation Z towards fashion companies, their brands and the use of social media channels. As a result, an improved social media strategy combined with appropriate communication between companies and customers is needed to reach Generation Z more widely, create brand loyalty and strengthen the company's position in the market.
This paper analyzes the terms User Experience (UX) and Expatriate Experience (XX), and by conducting empirical research, explores the UX of an intercultural coaching app, its possible influence on XX and offers suggestions for further development. This research is not only relevant to the development of the digital coaching tool, The RockMeApp but also gives ideas for further research. By analyzing the findings of the literature review and the empirical research conducted, namely eleven interviews with clients of the RockMeApp, several conclusions were made. Firstly, both UX and XX can be regarded as highly subjective and dynamic topics that are difficult to define. Secondly, new insights on XX from the expat’s perspective are given as well as a practical example of UX research. While the RockMeApp is perceived to be very good in terms of utility and usability, recommendations have been made on how to enhance its UX, mainly regarding its structure, aesthetics and the inclusion of emotions and explanations.
Digitalization is one of the major challenges for companies today. Well-established “traditional” companies have to adapt and develop new business models to stay competitive. Digitalization, connected services and alternative drive technologies are identified as key trends in the automotive industry. New competitors from different industry segments, e.g. IT industry, enter the automotive industry. Therefore, the automotive industry faces new challenges due to digitalization. These challenges are identified in the scope of this thesis. One major is a transformation of the classic sales process of a vehicle. Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks developed a new certified partner program. Bodybuilders, who are working with the model series Econic, can apply for the partner status.
Furthermore, Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks will launch a product information platform. Bodybuilders have the opportunity to market themselves and their products on the platform. Therefore, this thesis aims to identify the theoretical factors of the success of a digital platform and to transfer these factors to the automotive industry. Qualitative research methods were conducted to examine the practical relevance of these factors. By analyzing already existing platforms in the automotive industry, it turned out that many industry-specific success factors are already implemented. Thereby a series of recommendations for actions, regarding the design and optimization of the EconicPartner Portal, were derived.
The interest in topics such as consumer behavior, consumer psychology, and decision-making in the context of marketing has increased in recent years, due to the rise in marketing spending, ineffective marketing campaigns, and product failures, giving way to the growing scientific field of neuromarketing.
This bachelor thesis proposes the implementation of a neuroscientific foundation in order to improve conventional marketing mix models. Firstly, this work intends to offer an overall understanding of the characteristics and techniques of conventional marketing and neuromarketing. Secondly, it explores the for marketing relevant brain areas in association with the importance of emotions. In addition, it analyses the connection between marketing activities and consumer behavior by putting forward the different arguments for its effectiveness of a neuromarketing foundation. Finally, the key learnings regarding the successful implementation of neuromarketing are discussed, based on the application of neuromarketing techniques as well as based on the Limbic® model from Hans Georg Häusel. The application of these two approaches is illustrated based on the 4Cs.
This thesis employed academic literature from several scientific fields and findings from brain research to develop a theoretical foundation for understanding the concept of neuromarketing in a business context. Various examples were used to identify the potential of neuromarketing and to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of conventional marketing methods and those of neuromarketing. The vivid examples and discoveries from brain research and the problems of conventional marketing support the statement that there is a need for something innovative to face the current issues. The thesis proposes the implementation of a neuromarketing foundation with the Limbic® model or with neuromarketing techniques such as eye-tracking to obtain greater insights into the consumer in order to improve marketing performance. The findings from brain research and consumer neuroscience indicate that there is significant scientific evidence to suggest that the application of neuromarketing would be an effective complement for conventional marketing methods and can create a competitive advantage.
Companies operating in the grocery industry are facing low customer loyalty, resulting in strong customer switching behaviour. Additionally, the high similarity of the products predominantly prevents them from deriving benefits from switching barriers. As these issues represent decisive interfering factors for a sustainable and successful business, we intend to examine possible customer retention strategies, which target an increase in customer loyalty. We aim to identify the most appropriate reward strategy in the context of customer loyalty for direct sellers in the grocery industry.
In order to compare and evaluate different possibilities, we conducted an empirical study. Our study focuses on the concrete case of bofrost*, a representative of direct sellers. A total of about 430 bofrost* customer panel members participated in an online survey. With four different survey versions, four customer groups were influenced by different specific customer retention strategies. After being confronted with unfavourable situations, participants had to state how likely they would recommend the company, intend to stay loyal to the company and abstain from competitive offers.
The survey data reveals no significant differences among the four groups. Therewith, based on the study results, we cannot diagnose the best strategy. Nevertheless, based on the theory of cognitive dissonance, we highly recommend bofrost* and other direct sellers to surprise the customer with a present, namely with a T-shirt, discreetly embroidered with the company logo. Furthermore, this research highlights the specific potential of direct sellers - especially in the grocery industry - to reinforce relational switching costs by implementing this suggested customer retention strategy. Thereby, companies can strengthen customer loyalty in the long-term and are able to prevent customers from churning. Moreover, company-specific recommendations of action are provided to bofrost*.
This research creates value to direct sellers, specifically of the grocery industry, by offering a foundation for decisionmaking regarding the design of a sustainably effective customer retention strategy. This takes companies a step closer to the increase of customer loyalty, which is essential in the light of a highly competitive market in which own customers are likely to get attracted from competitors.
Due to changes in the labour market, the share of atypical employment in Germany has risen substantially. This has implications on the old-age provision of the persons concerned, since the German pension framework has been primarily developed for persons under standard employment. The analysis shows that the statutory pension insurance discriminates against the self employed, since their entry into the system is only provided in an atypical manner. Marginally and part time employed often fail to accumulate entitlements and thus their risk of old-age poverty is high. Moreover, the quantitative assessment of the statutory pension framework unveils that independent retirement planning is in conflict with the statutory basic income provision as it undermines individual efforts. In the light of a changing work environment and the rise of the digital economy, future trends are posing challenge on the German system. Those require reforms, in order to ensure a higher accessibility of more flexible employment forms into the statutory pension insurance as well as other types of state-subsidised retirement plans.
Während Global Value Chains (GVCs) durch ihre weltweite Ausbreitung der Produktion schnelle Entwicklungschancen für den globalen Süden bedeuten, sorgt der demografische Wandel für alternde Bevölkerungsstrukturen im globalen Norden. Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen demografischem Wandel und GVCs und ob eine mögliche Beziehung dieser beiden Themen Chancen für Lateinamerika bereithält, sich in Zukunft noch mehr an GVCs zu beteiligen. Sie bietet einen Überblick über die einzelnen Themen und untersucht potenzielle gemeinsame Faktoren. Einer der wichtigsten Faktoren, die demografischen Wandel und GVCs verbinden, ist dabei das Lohnniveau, welches zur Ausbreitung von GVCs entscheidend ist und zum Beispiel durch Lateinamerikas momentan demografisch große Erwerbsbevölkerung möglicherweise regional sinkt.
The aim of this study consists oftwo main objectives: First,to investigatethe penetration and preferences of fintech solutions from the payments sector within the studied population, as well as the elaboration of a forecast for the upcoming years.Second, to examinethe main elements that influence the intention of young customers when deciding to adopt fintech-basedpayment solutions. Existing research has tested several factorsfrom which the variables of trust, transaction efficiency and ease of use are included onthis paper. Additionally,the value-added propositionfrom this studyis represented by the incorporation of sustainability-related purposes into thisanalysiswith the intention of reflecting the increasing presence of efforts to integrate this component within thefinancial industryin recent years.A research model is proposed and tested by including elements based on theTechnology Adoption Model (TAM). By exploring the results of primary data through asurvey with 463 responses from university studentsandexamining secondary sourcesof information, the findings of this study demonstratethat all four tested variables have a positive impact on the intention of using fintech-based payment solutions.Sustainability-related purposes do not play a major role in the decision of using these apps, however, even with a minimal influence, theeffect on intention is positiveand statistically significant. The findings of this study pose important implications for stakeholders within the fintech spectrum whose purposes are related to increasing the intention of young consumers towards using these productsandto provide enoughevidence of the importance of designing incentives that fuel sustainability stewardshipwithin the financial sector.
Das Humankapital eines Unternehmens steigt mit der Qualifikation und Kompetenz seiner Mitarbeiter. Betriebliche Aus- und Weiterbildungen sind unerlässliche Instrumente der Personalentwicklung, um Wissen, als ökonomische Ressource zu verbreiten. Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit befasst sich mit der Ermittlung von abteilungsübergreifenden Kompetenzlücken der ebm-papst St. Georgen GmbH & Co. KG. Das asymmetrisch verteilte betriebswirtschaftliche Fachwissen spiegelt sich in den Konfliktaufkommen zwischen dem Finanzbereich und technisch orientierten Führungskräften wider. Im Rahmen einer Bildungsbedarfsanalyse liefert ein Mixed-Method-Ansatz eine qualitative und quantitative Datengrundlage. Die Datenanalyse zeigt, dass Defizite bei der Zusammensetzung der Herstellkosten, Wirtschaftlichkeitsberechnungen und der Aussagekraft von Kennzahlen vorhanden sind. Basierend auf der qualitativen Datenerhebung wurden weitere Defizite in überfachlichen Kompetenzen ermittelt. Nach der Betrachtung der Datenbasis konnten Handlungsempfehlungen erarbeitet werden. Die Querschnittstudie bietet der Personalentwicklung eine Datengrundlage, um Gegenmaßnahmen zur Schließung der Kompetenzlücken, einzuleiten.
The topic of sexism in advertising has attracted the attention of many scholars for more than four decades now. It is 2019, and the topic remains current and open to debate.
This study explores the relationship between sexism in advertising and society’s views on the roles of men and women on the basis of German dwellers. The investigation has been conducted based on significant theories and current examples and reinforced with empirical data collected from a survey. The results showed that most of the participants surveyed thought that men and women were not being accurately pictured in advertising. In addition, those who have cataloged an ad as sexist disagreed with that content reflecting their opinion about the roles that men and women play within society. Moreover, it was observed that factors like age and occupation have an influence on both the recognition of sexism in advertising and the conception on gender roles.
Islamic banking is the new trend emergent within the modern-day banking industry, yet minimal literature is written about it. Most of the literary content today is regarding conventional banking, especially in non-Muslim countries and continents, Europe and U.S. included. Lack of literature is a threat to the operationalization of both modes of banking, due to lack of information and market analysis data. One of the fields where minimal literature coverage exists is market regulation – which is basically information as to how these two types of banking are regulated according to legislative structures. In light of this literature gap, this study emerges to explore the market regulative structure of both Islamic and conventional banks. The methodology to collect primary data is through interviews of selected players in both Islamic and conventional banks, such as bank managers, consultants, and personnel in the IT and finance department. The results of the interviews demonstrate that Islamic banks are faced with shortage of market regulation structures while conventional banks, on the other hand, are overwhelmed with over-regulation. The study provides several feasible solutions for these challenges.
Finanzkrisen sind Störungen im gesunden Ablauf eines Finanzmarktes. Diese können negative Konsequenzen auf alle darin integrierten Akteure, wie auch auf die gesamte Wirtschaft haben. Die davon Betroffenen sind private Haushalte, Unternehmen und sogar Regierungen. Dies dürfte Grund genug sein, dieses Thema zu erarbeiten und, um eine potenzielle Krise zu verstehen, neue Lösungsansätze zu suchen. Da gerade Ökonomen vor der Gefahr der aktuellen Situation warnen, könnte eine derartige Krise in naher Zukunft entstehen. Die Bereiche welche instabil sein können, sind oft bekannt, trotzdem ist es schwierig zu wissen, wann und woher eine potentielle Krise entstehen könnte. Heutzutage sind Teile der Welt wie Europa, die Schwellenländer oder auch die U.S.A. vermehrt in diesem Fokus. Interessanterweise ist letztere der Entstehungsort der letzten großen Finanzkrise. Aufgrund dessen ist das Ziel dieser Arbeit die Situation dieses Marktes zu analysieren. Faktoren wie Konsequenzen für davon Betroffene, Veränderungen der Angebots- und Nachfragemenge von Anleihen und Aktien werden in Ansätzen analysiert. Desweiteren wird über Schulden, Zinssätze und auch Handelsentscheidungen zwischen den U.S.A. und China gesprochen. Hierzu wird vorab ein Finanzmarkt und dessen Ablauf definiert. Verschiedene Faktoren, die zu einer Finanzkrise führen könnten, werden dann erörtert und im Weiteren frühere Finanzkrisen in Bezug zum aktuellen U.S. Finanzmarkt betrachtet. Hierzu gehört eine genauere Analyse der Schuldenhöhe, des Angebots und der Nachfrage von Aktien und Anleihen, der Zinssätze, der BIP/Schulden Ratio und der Inflation.
Das Resultat der Analyse ergibt, dass die momentan finanzielle Situation der U.S.A. instabil ist und ein unvorhergesehenes Ereignis dort eine nächste Krise verursachen könnte. Zur Vermeidung letzterer wird nach eingehender Analyse ein besseres ethisches Verhalten aller Finanzakteure sowie eine strengere Kontrolle des Finanzmarktes vorgeschlagen. Nichtdestotrotz wird eine wahrscheinlich auftretende Krise von Drittländern ausgehen, die sich an einem kritischen Punkt vor der Insolvenz befinden.