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Most Western countries have very low percentages of women who study in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. These fields are of economic
importance as they are essential for innovation - the key to the creation of new products,
ideas and processes. Especially in developed countries, the STEM sector is one of the
largest growth factors. Having mainly men studying in STEM fields limits the available
talent and thus the quality of human resources; therefore, it is important that more
women study in STEM fields for more efficiency and increased economic development.
In contrast to Western countries, Muslim countries exhibit large numbers of women in
STEM majors. This thesis analyses different aspects of Muslim countries to determine
reasons for more women in these countries to study in STEM fields. The current study
is based on literature such as journal articles, textbooks and online sources. The
following factors are studied to answer the first research question: social reasons
(including religion, history, perception of women, wealth and social status, and
educational system), legal framework, technological reasons and economic reasons.
The findings indicate that a combination of aspects and circumstances leads to the large
numbers of women in Muslim countries in STEM majors. Among the analysed factors
the educational system and economic situation of Muslim countries seem to be the root
cause.
Furthermore, the current study analyses consequences of the high number of women in
STEM fields in Muslim countries in the labour market, to answer the following
questions: (1) Do educational opportunities lead to equal opportunities in the labour
market? (2) Is it respectable for women in Muslim countries to work? (This question
addresses factors such as Islam, tradition, a woman’s role as a mother, mixed-gender
workplaces, demography and legal restrictions) (3) In which sectors do women work?
(sectors and leadership positions) (4) What is the relation of female labour to the
economy? (impact of economic situation, economic landscape, globalisation, and
importance of female employment for the economy).
The result is that educational opportunities for women in Muslim countries do not
translate into equal chances in the labour market. Regarding STEM fields the
employment of women ranges from gender equality to nearly no opportunities at all,
depending on the country. The small numbers are most likely due to the lower position
of women in society, the generally less opportunities for women in the labour market
and women’s rights issues.
The aim of this thesis is to elaborate and evaluate the current employer branding concept at a subsidiary of a globally represented organization. This enables the author to draw conclusions and give improvement recommendations.
The first part is based on scientific literature and data. It outlines the concept of employer branding and shows which areas of a company are affected hereby. Next, it is explained why a successful employer branding concept can be advantageous for companies and how to communicate it. To conclude the first part, challenges that come with employer branding in a global company context are elaborated.
The following part of the thesis, is developed from internal data and information. It focuses on the current employer branding concept at the subsidiary. Moreover, it is revealed why an employer brand is necessary and which challenges and opportunities, for this concept, exist at that subsidiary. It is also reflected on the effects, set corporate guidelines and conditions, have on the local employer branding concept.
The last part, attempts to measure the success of the current employer branding concept at the subsidiary. This is conducted by assessing three different sources with regard to their influence and significance on the employer brand. At first, the company’s key performance indicators are evaluated. Secondly, results of two surveys, which were conducted for this thesis, are analyzed and interpreted. Both give insight on people’s expectations and experiences with employers: One survey investigated an external target group while the other questioned the employees at the subsidiary. As a third source, results of a recent internal survey, which evaluated the employee’s perspective on their workplace, are included and assessed.
To conclude the thesis, improvement suggestions on how to have a successful employer brand, according to demographic region, operating business sector and global context are given. The recommendations include content-related adjustments, proposals for the inclusion of corporate standards, ideas on how to raise the employer brand’s awareness and finally suggestions for improved communication of the local employer brand.
Changes are constantly accelerating. A major issue that companies are dealing with is how to communicate those changes in a way that is efficient and effective and therefore successful. Traditional models such as the ones by Lewin, Bridges or Kotter are reaching their limits due to the orientation on fixed vision, goals and processes. The time has come to change the way change is managed. New organizational structures are therefore required. An example of a new model to deal with the speed of change is agile management. Agility provides a platform for better communication, including the quantity and quality aspect. IMS Gear, an automotive supplier located in South Germany, is currently in the stage of a transition. Agile mindsets are anchored in their vision and strategy, yet the implementation of agile frameworks is still improvable. The PEP project is a first step into the direction of ensuring the future of the company despite all external and internal changes. Therefore, based on a model by Audi AG consultant Gergs, improvement approaches are developed.
Already having surpassed the previous generation in terms of size of the workforce, Millennials have received extensive attention in media and literature. As critical as this generation might be portrayed in media and sometimes also academic literature, the reality and underlying message of it all is that this generation is rapidly entering the workforce with high expectations, implications are made and companies need to react and adapt accordingly. For a company like thyssenkrupp Presta North America, consisting mainly of employees with an engineering background and seeking for these in a highly competitive job market, understanding this generation, specifically the Millennial Engineers, in order to successfully recruit and retain candidates is imperative for successfully operating in the future. Being natives to information technology, highly motivated, ambitious and determined, Millennials have the potential to have an extremely positive impact on the success of businesses. Reported high self-esteem and narcissistic characteristics make this generation require extensive adaptation and adjustment. Change in the engineering role is happening towards a more dynamic workplace. A modern engineer works in a team environment and interfaces with many different stakeholders. With this development in recent years away from the very traditional role of an engineer, the importance of social and soft skills greatly increased. In order to facilitate this, the processes of organizational socialization play a major role and are an opportunity for employers to influence and shape the adjustment. A well-structured process facilitates adjustment and positive long term outcomes. The question was raised, whether the high expectations of Millennial engineering graduates before their first job reported in literature will change once the work life has been entered. Through a series of qualitative interviews with Millennial engineers at thyssenkrupp Presta North America, the high expectations reported previously were not found. The main objective for the employees surveyed was to simply get started in the work life. In regards to change of expectations, however, much greater emphasis on career progression and training and development possibilities was placed.
Country risk affects cross-border investments significantly. Therefore, this paper aims to understand the concept of country risk and the available country risk assessments (models), by comparing and evaluating them. Secondly, the effectiveness of these assessments in predicting an economic downturn will be analysed. Lastly, this paper investigates the determinants behind the country risk models, using country credit ratings as a proxy.
The effectiveness analysis is based on the comparison of the credit ratings with the respective real GDP growth of Malaysia, Mexico, Japan and Portugal in a case study approach. Thereafter, Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient analysis will be performed to investigate the determinants of the country risk models.
Results from the case study approach show that country risk assessments generally could not predict an impending economic slowdown. In addition, the correlation coefficient analysis illustrates that some variables have in general weak correlations to the credit ratings. For instance, the real GDP growth has mostly weak relationships with the ratings and tends to be statistically insignificant. On the other hand, lending and deposit interest rates have relatively strong correlations to the credit ratings and are significant at 0.01 level for some of the ratings. In addition, Mexico and Japan have the tendency to produce opposite results with the same set of indicators.
Even though investors should not rely on these country risk assessments to forecast a major crisis, the models could act as the basis of risk management. This is because these assessments do provide investors with some useful information.
Economic growth in China is slowing down and China will no longer be the manufacturer of the world and consumers become more sophisticated. Therefore Chinese companies have to change strategies. This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the reasons for Chinese companies transitioning from equipment manufacturers to brand manufacturers, the phase of innovation in China, the internationalization of Chinese brands and accordingly the consumer behaviour. The change is fast and challenging and the Chinese companies have to overcome obstacles like culture, innovation and the country of origin effect. Chinese government is promoting innovation. The quality of Research & Development output lacks behind quantity and is often limited to technology improvements rather than basic research. Government is also pushing companies to go abroad. The biggest obstacle for Chinese consumer brands expanding internationally is the country of origin effect. To compete internationally and to be successful in the long run, Chinese companies have to deliver high product quality and use effective branding. After entering the market with low price products to gain market share, Chinese brands increase product quality and promote the consumer brand. By analyzing the smartphone market, this thesis evaluates the progress and sustainability of changing from low cost to high end manufacturing and branding.