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Course of studies
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.
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
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.
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.
Influence of cancer and acute inflammatory disease on taste perception: a clinical pilot study
(2018)
Small and Medium Enterprises are facing challenges when it comes to outsourcing. This piece of work investigates the factors that are needed for Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union to attain outsourcing criteria. Some of the challenges in the European Union face include; rising cost, risk uncertainty, large companies’ potency, internationalization and lack of entrepreneurship and innovation. Through understanding and choosing outsourcing criteria, they can select a type of outsourcing in line with their objectives and goals. Therefore, they end up achieving benefits. This could assist them in different sectors across the European Union ease risks. They find solutions to obstacles derived from within the different sectors located in the European Union.
This thesis analyses how the SMEs decide on outsourcing criteria challenges and how they can be changed into benefits. The literature findings help in contrasting sectors around the European Union to determine which outsourcing criteria could aid them in achieving resolutions. The complications and objections are due to the following outcomes which include; no loss or gain observation, no specific benefit construction, unexplored innovation strategies, supplier opportunism, outsourcing drivers and cultural fit.
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:
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
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.
Social media has become inseparable from our daily lives thanks to the widely use of internet and mobile technological advancement. Travel and tourism has benefited a lot from social media, especially the travelers. Not only can they find travel-related information on social media platforms, but they can also discuss and exchange necessary and relevant opinions and information.
The purpose of this research study is to examine how social media influences where German millennials determine their holiday destination. This dissertation analyzes to what extend social media influences the individual German millennial’s decision and whether reviews and comments affect their decisions.
The research study comprises of 5 chapters which represent the analytical process from beginning to end. The first chapter is the introduction, then literature reviews, then the methodology for primary research of this research is identified and explained. Results from the online questionnaire are then presented followed by an analysis and interpretation. Finally, the conclusion and limitation of the research have been discussed.
This research study concludes that social media does influence German millennials when they use social media to compare the holiday destinations in comparison to those who do not use social media for this purpose. It is clear that social media is the main source of information when they are looking for holiday destination information and is preferred compared to travel books and travel agencies. The results have shown that TripAdvisor is the most used holiday destination information page among other social media platforms. Furthermore, most of German millennials are passive users of travel-related social media platforms. That means they only consume information but do not necessarily write reviews or comments after their holiday experience.
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.
Surge pricing is a dynamic pricing strategy which has been developed by the American ride-sharing platform Uber. Based on demand and supply, the surge pricing algorithm calculates a trip fare for both, riders and drivers. In times when demand outstrips supply in a certain geographic area, the algorithm applies a so-called “surge factor” which is multiplied by the basic trip fare. This way, the provider can calibrate demand and supply until they reach the market equilibrium again. This paper examines whether dynamic surge pricing can also be applied to the offline food retail market. Consequently, it starts by giving some theoretical background on dynamic and surge pricing, and with the aid of a PESTEL analysis, highlights all the factors presenting opportunities and limitations for the implementation of surge pricing in supermarkets. In addition to that, by conducting a SWOT analysis of dynamic surge pricing, this thesis investigates what the prerequisites are to a successful implementation strategy. In the end, it outlines possible consequences for consumers if surge pricing is used in grocery stores. It will be found that, from a theoretic point of view, a dynamic surge pricing strategy is feasible in the offline food retail market. However, it does not present the optimal pricing method for neither of the market participants.
The awareness of environmental issues is growing worldwide. Accordingly, green marketing is becoming increasingly essential for the strategies and competitive advantage of international companies.
However, although the public is voicing concerns about the state of the environment and stating their intention to purchase green products, only a small percentage of consumers does so.
The analysis of several studies and relevant literature aims to find the barriers to green buying behavior, as well as counteractive influences. Additionally, opportunities for green marketing in China and the United States are explored.
The findings show relevant hindrances to green buying behavior, as well as influences, which could support the spanning of the green gap, and suggest significant opportunities for green marketing in the Chinese market.
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 influence of quality labels on perceived product value - Marketing to the conscious consumer
(2018)
Quality labels are an important cue for customers in their search for indications of product quality. They provide consumers with valuable information about production standards. Whether the value-added by labels directly translates into price premiums is still an open question, as researchers could not reach consensus so far. Moreover, the use of multiple labels on one product is another topic discussed controversially in the research literature. Current research has further identified multiple factors affecting consumers’ willingness to pay for labelled food products. For this paper, a survey among 400 shoppers from the Villingen-Schwenningen area has been conducted, in an attempt to identify the significance of various influencing factors on willingness to pay for labelled products. Four distinct food products have been tested in this survey, each in four different labelling situations. Two labels were used on the products, one indicating social standards and another certifying ecological production standards. The study identified the following factors as influential on participants’ expressed willingness to pay: product type, information and label type. The influence of missing reference prices could not be proven to be significant. The marginal effect of a second label was found to decrease for only two of the products. As the effects of each of the factors varied between the products, no general conclusion about the effects of either of them could be drawn. Therefore, the paper concludes on the note, that a general assumption about label value should not be made.
In times of talent shortage and increasing competition, companies are constantly
looking for methods to recruit better fits in a more time and cost-efficient manner. One
such method, which an increasing number of companies turn towards, are so called
“Robot Recruiters”, or more specifically, artificial intelligence enhanced digital
recruiting tools. However, the impact of the associated automation and dehumanization
of parts of the recruitment process on the candidate experience, remains unclear. In order to assess the potential influence of mentioned tools, candidate experience influencing factors are elaborated, to then analyze how these factors are affected in an artificial intelligence supported recruiting process.
The analysis has shown, that AI recruiting tools do have the potential to satisfy
candidates’ needs by automating simple, yet time consuming tasks like scheduling or initial communication. However, candidates are likely to show adverse reaction to their
usage in later stages of the recruitment process, which are traditionally characterized
by personal interaction.
The main goal of the study is to analyze students’ buying intention towards e-learning program by developing a structural model of e-learning acceptance by the students and analyzing perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes, subjective norms, motivations and buying intentions according to the developed model.
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 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.
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.
This research explores the efficiency or effectiveness of video interviewing. It checked the effectiveness of video interviewing in the assessment of skills and the prediction of future performances. The research was comparative, meaning that video interviewing was compared to the other media of interviewing. This was done in terms of their advantages, innovativeness, efficiency and practicality. It describes what video interviewing is all about, what qualities and benefits it possesses and what downsides does have. 6 Recruitment Specialists and HR experts [Industry experts] took part in a survey. Results show that video interviewing has many benefits that emulate the basic characteristics of a face to face interview. However, video interviewing has even more advantages that make it more practical than face to face interviews at some stages of the recruitment process. All these observations led to the conclusion that video interviewing is a very effective interviewing media.
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.
With the rise of the internet and the flood of information it provides at no cost, print is no longer the main source of information. The German magazine market has been highly affected by this change. Publishers are faced with declining sales volumes, loss of advertising income and increasing costs. The implementation of Augmented Reality technology could make print magazines less static by providing the opportunity to add extra content and create an interactive reading experience. However, so far the use cases of this technology in print magazines have been rare, which might be due to the deficiency of information publishers have about its likelihood of success. To reduce this information gap and provide some recommendations for publishers, a web survey and expert interviews were conducted to establish the consumer perspective on an implementation of AR technology and to provide a potential future outlook based on the opinions of German AR solution providers. It was concluded that an implementation of AR would lead to a value addition for consumers and would result in an increase in purchase intention. Despite also resulting in an improved perceived image of the magazine, it should only be implemented if it does not lead to an increase in price or the reduction of editorial content, to avoid losing readers, who will not access the additional content. The substantial costs involved in implementing AR as well as existing technological limitations, which affect the ease of use for consumers, will likely prevent many publishers from realising such an implementation. AR glasses will play a significant role in the decision if AR technology will have a future in German print magazines according to the interviewed experts, in case they are accepted by the general public.
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.
It has been common for retail firms to simultaneously operate multiple channels.
However, customers are increasingly demanding a seamless shopping experience and
cross-channel strategies have gained in importance for retailers across industries. It has
become evident that successful integration of online and offline channels can increase
customer loyalty and ensure a retailer’s long-term profitability. Although opportunities
presented by cross-channel retailing are diverse, until today only few retail companies
have successfully implemented such a strategy, as they face firm- and customer-related
limits. Thus, the purpose of this bachelor thesis is to provide a general understanding of
the concept of cross-channel retailing and to examine how new technologies can link
retailers’ sales channels on the one hand, but also pose major challenges on the other.
A literature review using academic journals, trade publications and academic books
provides valuable insights on the changes in customer shopping behaviour due to the
prevalence of new technologies and the consequences for retailers. Furthermore,
opportunities and limits of cross-channel retailing are critically examined following a
customer-centric approach. Primary research is conducted to illustrate customers’
experience with Artificial Intelligence in the form of a chatbot implemented by an US
apparel retailer. The thinking aloud method is used to gain insights into participants’
thought processes and to analyse the chatbot’s potential to replicate the experience
offered in a physical store. Findings include that showrooms and emerging technologies
such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics and beacons may present an opportunity
for retailers in the apparel industry, while privacy concerns, technology acceptance,
demographics and firm-related challenges need to be taken into account.
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 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.
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 employee referral program and the relation of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to referrals
(2018)
The aim of this bachelor thesis is to give an overview of current practices in employee referral programs and to establish the link between motivation and propensity to refer on the basis of motivational theories in order to identify which methods a company can use to obtain the highest possible quality referrals from its employees. On the basis of relevant scientific literature, the employee referral program is described, related rewards explained and relevant motivational theories outlined. The factors of intrinsic, prosocial and extrinsic motivation, as well as the overjustification effect are evaluated, to understand their impact on an employee’s propensity to refer and to draw conclusions for practical implications.
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
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
The objective of this piece of research was to find out; to what extent a Software Development Methodology be used in Finance and Controlling, if the perceived benefits of agile methodology (Scrum) are similar to those obtained in Software Development, to what extent the practice of agile scrum in Finance and Controlling deviates from the theory (Scrum Guide). The following was found out about the use of agile scrum in Finance and Controlling. It cannot work on all projects. It will only be effective for projects; with complex problems, with unknown solutions, in unstable environments, with motivated teams requiring input or feedback from end users. Moreover, the results of the conducted online survey helped in finding out that the benefits achieved from the use of agile scrum in Finance and Controlling are similar to those achieved in Software Development. Lastly, the use of scrum in an analysed example in Finance and Controlling was deviating from the theory (The Scrum Guide). For example, a team had three Product Owners responsible for decision making, whereas it is required by the scrum guide to have just one. This resulted to a slow decision making process.
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.
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.
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.
Motivated employees represent a competitive advantage and are indispensable when a company undergoes a structural change to successfully head for an Initial Public Offering. To provide an insight into the areas in which Captec Ltd can improve the motivation of its workforce, a quantitative employee motivation survey is created, conducted and analysed. On this basis, selected immaterial incentive tools to increase the motivation of the employees are recommended. A neuroscientific view is consid-ered to complement the psychological theories and overcome their limitations re-garding the practicability in organisations. Together this secondary data serves as the foundation of creating the employee survey questions, hence the primary data. It was found that neuroscientific approaches and findings serve well to see work motivation from a supporting but also complementary perspective. Nonetheless, they have to be handled with care as they are only at an early stage of development. According to the descriptive analysation, it can be argued that Captec Ltd seems to do a good job in motivating its workforce. However, there are some areas at Captec Ltd where em-ployees, especially the male production employees, feel motivation can be increased. It is recommended to continue employee motivation surveys on a regular basis to see improvements over time, where also tangible incentive tools need to be considered as this dissertation was limited to increase motivation with intangible tools. Both, intan-gible and tangible tools need to be turned into an employee motivation plan, to im-plement at Captec Ltd.