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A behavioral finance: An analysis of investment decision making regarding psychological influences
(2016)
Anywhere humans are interacting, emotions and psychology are important determinants to consider. This statement is true for financial markets as well and often there are occurrences which are not explainable by using traditional theories. Therefore, behavioral finance aims at finding explanations for such occurrences, referred to as anomalies, by combining economic and psychological research. The literature review presented in here shows recent developments in the field and gives an overview of research evidence by reviewing studies from six of the most investigated facets of behavioral finance. The review includes evidence from a variety of studies performed in different contexts to disclose the importance of understanding human behavior, especially in terms of financial markets and economy. The closure of this review consists of an alternative model and concludes that there might be a new science entering the collaboration between economists and psychologist which is computer science.
This study examines growth adventure of Turkey and South Korea that both tried to narrow the economical gap between them and developed countries. Although Turkey was in a better situation than South Korea in the beginning of their convergence experience, and they had similar growth and development levels at the end of 1950s, South Korea outperformed Turkey in almost every economic indicator and realized an economic miracle in a very short time. As South Korea is one of developed countries now and Turkey is still in the league of developing countries trying to be a developed one, South Korea model, is worth to be analyzed in detail. In this paper, the similarities and differences in South Korea’s and Turkey’s economic history, the comparison of their long term growth performance and the reasons why Turkey could not accomplish what South Korea did in the similar period of time, were put together in order to find answers to question of applicability of South Korean economic miracle to other economies, along with the question whether it was indeed a miracle. While comparing two countries, existing literature and similar studies were scanned. With the help of both qualitative and quantitative historical data, common issues of comparison, namely policies, international trade, education and innovation, were selected and these issues were analyzed deeper. In the last part of the study, a simple econometric model was built by using OLS regression, in order to see if the presented ideas could be supported with econometric approach. Although model did not provide enough information about reasons of growth in South Korean economy, the findings confirmed the problems of Turkish economy and success of South Korean economy. This study is a contribution to a broader understanding of comparison of two economies, which is an issue that attracts attention of several related people, especially in Turkey.
The main purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate the customers’ motivation to participate in SAP‘s Influencing Programs and to subsequently generate suggestions for possible improvements.
The framework for the domains of interview design, analysis of conducted interviews, as well as the analysis of secondary sources is presented by theoretical analysis of both the involvement of business-to-business customers in the innovation process as well as the nature of motivation.
Empirical findings show that customers’ motivation to participate in SAP IPs consists of, in descending order of importance, the following motives: Influencing functionality, understanding functionality, learning about future functionality, contact to SAP, and contact to other companies. The design of SAP’s Influencing Programs is generally in line with the motivation of participating customers. Still, improvements could be realized in terms of customer involvement during the selection process, internal alignment between different Influencing Program teams, and mandatory training of Influencing Program moderators.
A Successful introduction of E-learning for Bosch Car Service and Auto Crew Workshops Worldwide.
(2016)
The purpose of this study is to determine how to introduce E-learning successfully for Bosch soft franchise workshops to maintain quality in services and a high level of customer satisfaction. The study focuses on two research question A) Should Bosch continue to invest in producing elearning course for workshops. B) How to increase workshop’s participation for e-learning. Regional Concept Managers from 14 countries evaluated the existing e-learning courses to define exclusively “E-learnings” pro and cons as per their marketplace to see if investing in elearning is beneficial. Secondly, the emphasis was placed on Regional Managers to brainstorm on what are the new strategies can be used to motivate the workshop to take part in e-learning. Broadly speaking, learning is an expensive and time-consuming activity that can be a disadvantage when it comes to teaching people. Bosch was one of the pioneer company after Daimler that uses e-learning platform to train their workshops- Bosch car Service and Auto Crew. The vision for e-learning was very innovative and useful for the workshops to teach the structured way of showing all the works that carried out in a workshop. However, low participation from the workshop in e-learning courses has been a challenge.
The first part of the thesis provides a theoretical understanding of the Automotive Aftermarket. It also gives detail introduction and usage of “E-learning” in 21st century. The second part explains the workshop concepts “Bosch Car Service” and “Auto Crew.” It also provides an overview of “how e-learning course is produced and used for workshops” and the final part consists of an “Empirical Research” that includes the findings from Expert Interview and survey with Regional Managers. The findings from empirical part reveal that E-learning courses are useful for the workshop. Therefore, Bosch should continue to invest in producing E-learning Courses. However, study shows the different areas that need improvement, therefore findings from the empirical research need to be considered by the Headquarter as well as the Regional Organization to successfully introduce “E-learning” for the workshops.
Welche Tools und Methoden im Active Sourcing erleichtern die Besetzung von Engpassfunktionen und sind für den Bereich der Identifikation und Direktansprache geeignet?
Die Personalbeschaffung steht aufgrund verschiedener gesellschaftlicher Veränderungen, wie dem Fachkräftemangel oder dem demografischen Wandel, vor einer erheblichen Veränderung und fordert ein Umdenken seitens der Unternehmen. Kandidaten in Engpassfunktionen auf dem klassischen Weg durch z.B. Stellenanzeigen zu erreichen wird für Unternehmen immer schwerer. In aktuellen Diskussionen fällt dabei häufig der Begriff Active Sourcing als effiziente Methode der Personalbeschaffung. Active Sourcing beschreibt einen Prozess, der sich der Identifikation und Direktansprache externer Kandidaten widmet, welche auf dem Arbeitsmarkt stark nachgefragt sind. Das Ziel ist es dabei, diese durch persönlichen Kontakt langfristig an das Unternehmen zu binden, bis sie erfolgreich auf eine Vakanz vermittelt werden können.
Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Eignung verschiedener Tools und Methoden hinsichtlich der Identifikation und Direktansprache von Engpassfunktionen festzustellen. Diese werden zuerst mittels Fachliteratur analysiert und anschließend anhand der Engpassfunktionen der Daimler AG diskutiert. Im Rahmen einer Nutzwertanalyse wird festgestellt, welche Suchmaschine für die Identifikation komplexer Profile am geeignetsten ist. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf dem Prozess des Online Active Sourcings. Das Ergebnis dieser Arbeit zeigt, dass die Eignung der Tools und Methoden für die Identifikation und Direktansprache von Engpassprofilen abhängig von den Nutzerstrukturen, Intentionen der Mitglieder für die Nutzung des Mediums sowie den differenzierenden Funktionsweisen ist. Es stellt sich außerdem heraus, dass mit Hilfe unterschiedlicher Methoden die Nutzung der Tools unterstützt werden kann. Im Rahmen der Nutzwertanalyse wird festgestellt, dass Google für die Identifikation von Engpassprofilen der Daimler AG die geeignetste Suchmaschine ist. Während die Tools für Active Sourcing am Markt stark auf die Identifikation und Direktansprache ausgerichtet sind, gibt es für das Relationship Mangement separate Anwendungen. Da dieses für einen erfolgreichen Active Sourcing Prozess jedoch eine ebenso wichtige Rolle spielt wie die Identifikation und Direktansprache, kann eine dahingehende Angleichung der Tools erwartet werden.
This study belongs to the field of innovation research and is based on the application of a theoretical concept of a technology acceptance. The theoretical concept developed in the context of this research work is investigating the connection between efficiency, quality, security and business process re-engineering and the intention to adopt mobile payments technologies by merchants within the retail industry. Mobile payments is an emerging topic which is currently experiencing a rise. Although there are significant differences in a level of mobile payments acceptance around the world, the widespread adoption of the technology has not prevailed yet. Moreover, more research is needed to investigate and explain retailers’ prospective on the mobile payments adoption. The growing scientific interest in this topic is relevant in terms of innovation development, theories of global competition platforms and evolving landscape of global payment systems.
From this holistic prospective the fundamental hypotheses and crucial questions in terms of mobile payments adoption by merchants were derived. The analysis of the data sample of 90 companies of various sizes and operating in different industries obtained by means of a survey conducted at one of the largest trade fairs in Munich, Germany in autumn 2015. The data was analyzed using descriptive univariate and multivariate methods and the significance of the conceptual framework was validated. A major positive trend in mobile payments adoption was indicated. The findings of this research suggest that efficiency had a significant positive influence on the intention to adopt mobile payments by merchants. Banks and credit card companies were recognized as the most preferred mobile payments providers among retailers with an increasing interest towards independent companies. Based on the findings, the scientific guidelines for the future research were outlined and the concrete recommendations from the managerial prospective for achieving a successful adoption of mobile payments among merchants were suggested.
Advanced sales approach to increase professional fairs participation: international experience
(2016)
The following bachelor thesis was written in cooperation with Hannover Fairs USA, Inc. (HFUSA), which is the Deutsche Messe AG’s (DMAG) U.S. subsidiary. DMAG in Hannover, Germany, is one of the biggest and most active event organizers in the world. The target region of the HFUSA office is North America. Their function is to host industrial trade shows in Chicago and to sell exhibit space at their parent company’s shows in Germany to American companies. The focus of the thesis will be on the DMAG’s CeMAT show which serves the intralogistic and material handling industry. The topic of the thesis is ‘Evolving a structured and advanced sales approach to enhance the number of American companies, participating at the Deutsche Messe’s CeMAT show.’ The research focus is on the intralogistic and material handling industry, the meaningfulness of trade shows and various skills and processes of sales theory. Furthermore, it places emphasis on corporate and sales strategy. The thesis offers possible measures which should serve c-level employees of the company as a basis for creating a more standardized corporate, marketing, and sales strategy to streamline the process amongst employees, to enhance sales processes, improve efficiency and therefore increase revenue in the long run. This will also positively influence the process of achieving their goal of enhancing the number of participating U.S. companies at the CeMAT show in Hannover.
Strom aus Photovoltaik-Anlagen spielt eine zentrale Rolle bei der Energiewende und auf dem Weg hin zur zukünftigen Energieversorgung Deutschlands aus erneuerbaren Energien. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Photovoltaik-Branche und betrachtet sie dabei aus der Akteurs-Sicht von kleinen Solarbetrieben. Unter praktischer Anwendung von Analyse-Methoden aus dem strategischen Management wie einer Umweltanalyse und einer Branchenstrukturanalyse wird die aktuelle Situation hinsichtlich der gegebenen Umweltfaktoren und des Wettbewerbs charakterisiert und ausgewertet. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, den gegenwärtigen Zustand der Branche und des Wettbewerbs darzustellen, auf derzeitige Probleme und mögliche Lösungen hinzuweisen und zukünftige Möglichkeiten für kleine Solarbetriebe im Markt aufzuzeigen.
Innerhalb des Marktsegments der nachhaltigen Geldanlagen ergibt sich durch den fehlenden Schutz des Begriffs „nachhaltig“ eine gewisse Problematik. Von Vornherein ist somit oftmals nicht ersichtlich, ob die tatsächliche Nachhaltigkeitsperformance eines Unternehmens mit deren Angaben übereinstimmt. Für potenzielle Investoren, welche der Diversität dieses Marktes ausgesetzt sind, ist es daher elementar zwischen den verschiedenen Anbietern und deren Anlageprodukten differenzieren zu können.
Am Beispiel des deutschsprachigen sowie US-amerikanischen Marktes stellt sich in der vorliegenden Arbeit aus den genannten Gegebenheiten die Frage, inwieweit sich die Interessengruppen auf die Bezeichnung „nachhaltig“ verlassen können und wodurch sich eine glaubwürdige Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung seitens der Unternehmen auszeichnet. Des Weiteren zielt die Arbeit darauf ab, dem Interessenten Aufschluss darüber zu geben, ob nachhaltige Investitionen eine geeignete Alternative zu konventionellen Anlageformen darstellen oder ob sie lediglich im Universum der Nischenprodukte anzusiedeln sind.
In times of globalization the international market development poses one of the trend-setting challenges for many companies in the future. Companies are facing in an increasing intensity of competition in their market environment. This development is expedite by the growing technological exchangeability of products, so the differentiation on the technological dimension will be hampered significantly. All the more the necessity of the foreign sales come to the fore to counteract the degree of competition. The research question is: How can Kendrion IDS participate in the Northern European market to generate further growth?
The aim of this thesis is to detect the industry-specific market potentials for the target-oriented and strategic business development in Scandinavia.
In order to achieve the stated objective, the initial position of Kendrion IDS was investigated on the basis of a situation analysis. Within this analysis the internal strengths and weaknesses were examined. Afterwards the relevant markets and the industries were tested for opportunities in the market analysis and for external risks in the environmental analysis. The outcome of this is the developed SWOT-analysis, which states that depending on the country in Scandinavia there are potentials in different industries. The findings prove that different distribution channels lead to a different extent of success.
Aim: The research aims at contributing to the growing number of studies on banking performance by investigating empirically the effect of changes in the macroeconomic conditions on bank profitability in Europe for the period 1980-2009. For this purpose, data for banking systems of eight European countries on an aggregate national level are included in the analysis: Germany, France, Austria, Norway, Netherland, United Kingdom (UK), Spain and Italy. In addition to this, two measures are used to represent the bank profitability: net interest income (NII) and return on assets (ROA).
Methods: Panel regression models at three levels are deployed in order to estimate empirically the effect of the macroeconomic indicators on bank performance in Europa: individual estimations on a country level, cross-country estimations on a group level for Northern and Southern Europe and finally overall cross-country estimation on a European level.
Results: The estimation results suggest that macroeconomic conditions are able to explain most of the variation of the banks’ net interest income in European countries, as well as part of the variation of banks’ ROA. Additionally, they clearly indicate that GDP growth rate is the most significant factor influencing bank performance in Europe on all three levels of the model. The effect of the inflation rate is also considered for strongly significant and positive while the effect of the other macroeconomic variables included in this research is different and cannot be generalized probably as a result of the heterogeneity among European countries. Surprisingly, the results did not indicate any significant difference between Norther and Southern Europe, regarding the effect of the macroeconomic conditions on bank performance.
2016 marks the 56th anniversary of the oil cartel: OPEC. It managed to increase prices in 1972. In doing so, it behaved in a manner consistent with a cartel, bringing about a wave of studies on it. This study provides an overview of Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC)’s cartel behavior form 1980 to 2014/5, from five different perspectives. These perspectives, although have been studies individually, but never holistically.
This study grounds the research questions into the structure-conduct-performance paradigm for each of the five perspectives of cartel behavior. Each perspective is also backed by a theory of its own. The first perspective is that of the neo-classical theory of the firm, in that OPEC is deemed to be created for the purpose of creating profits for its members. The second perspective looks at whether or not OPEC is internally and externally stable by looking at economic and non-economic influences on the organization. The third perspective makes use of the theory of market contestability, in oder to determine which member in the cartel has had and still holds most influence within the cartel. The fourth perspective looks at entry and exit trends from OPEC, to determine what impact it has on the incumbent profits and that of the defectors. The fifth perspective uses the concept of black swan from the strategic management literature to discuss whether or not OPEC will dissolve in the next fifty years and whether this will bring about a golden or a black swan.
The methodology prevalent throughout the study is a case study analysis of the OPEC cartel behavior, however, two of the chapters also run a regression analysis (chapters 3 and 4), using variables identified from the structure-conduct-performance paradigm. The second and the third provide a descriptive overview via line graphs, while the last uses the methodology of observation.
It has been found that OPEC has earned abnormal profits which steadily increased, Saudi Arabia has been instrumental in managing quotas, and importance of each country is determined by the output it produced from one year to the next. In addition, economic influences are more important than the non-economic influences for OPEC's viability as a cartel, exit from OPEC is not advisable for the defector nor the incumbent firms and the cartel is not internally stable as barriers to entry are low and members can easily defect and can rejoin the cartel. Lastly, OPEC’s influence in the oil market is waning fast, which might lead to a black swan event.
The objective of this research paper is to analyse the current planning method of the Zumtobel Group AG with regards to traditional and more recent trends in the field of planning, more precisely budgeting and forecasting. Furthermore, a planning software tool is evaluated concerning its benefits and drawbacks for the Zumtobel Group AG. The aim is to find out whether the tool is appropriate for the company and if it is adding value to the planning process.
The first part of this research paper, which is analysing different approaches in budgeting and forecasting, is based on secondary data. In order to build the theoretical foundation of the paper, academic literature such as peer-reviewed journals, text-books and articles are used. The second part of the paper, which is focusing on the Zumtobel Group AG’s budgeting and forecasting process, as well as the software tool, is mainly based on primary data. First-hand interviews with experts of the Zumtobel Group AG are carried out along with supporting documents of the company.
The result of the research is that the planning approach of the Zumtobel Group AG reveals some advantages, but also disadvantages. However, a considerable percentage of these disadvantages can be eliminated by the implementation of a supportive planning software tool. As the optimal tool, SAP BPC is selected. This tool is able to depict the complex organisational structure of the company, as well as is adding value to the planning process by supporting planning and also reporting functionalities.
This research paper helps the Zumtobel Group AG first to make the decision in favour of implementing a planning software tool and second in making the decision which planning software tool is the most suitable one. The value which is added through the implementation can be better assessed.
The research is the basis for a recommendation for an advantageous positioning of the research sponsor in its business line corporate banking on the issue; the business of sustainability with corporate clients. Simultaneously it gives an impression about the positioning of the research sponsor’s competitors in this business. The research is structured in three research questions; “How do ING WB and its competitors differentiate in their positioning, what are the needs of the clients a corporate bank is serving and how far are the actions of ING WB and of its competitors in consistence with what they are communicating?” The research questions are composed based on a positioning model. The outcome of the research questions provides data needed to formulate the recommendation for ING WB’s positioning. The research is comprised of a comparative analysis based on a desk research and secondary data analysis. The study revealed that the positioning of banks differ slightly from each other. Therefore a good positioning, which can be achieved by taking the outcome of the three research questions into consideration, is advantageous to be able to stand out in a competitive business.
The field of entrepreneurship and its framework, the entrepreneurial opportunity process, are still young and maturing research areas that receive increasing attention from numerous authors in their academic reviews. While some researchers focus on the generic entrepreneurial opportunity process in order to gain additional insights into the phenomenon, others examine one of the entrepreneurial directions, such as social entrepreneurship or commercial entrepreneurship more closely. So far, a dichotomous approach towards the two types of entrepreneurship has been postulated by contemporary researchers that distinguishes them as two varying approaches.
This master thesis comprises both entrepreneurial directions and investigates their course throughout the entrepreneurial opportunity process, including the nature of the opportunities, their discovery and the decision to exploit an opportunity. The aim is to get a broader picture of the phenomenon of social and commercial entrepreneurship, its differences and similarities throughout the process and thus, examine the dominant dichotomous approach.
Primary and secondary data is gathered from case studies and interviews with entrepreneurs and derived from the information obtained, as well as from existing literature. Seven propositions are postulated that indicate possible differences and similarities regarding the two entrepreneurial approaches. Based on the findings from the testing of the propositions, this research paper concludes that the concepts of social and commercial entrepreneurship hold certain differences, Nevertheless, similarities are prevailing so that a dichotomous approach cannot be supported. The entrepreneurial directions can be displayed on a continuum rather than on extreme ends.
Finally, in order to provide possible future research objectives, an outlook section, containing a critical view on the tie between the entrepreneur and the opportunity is enclosed. It is suggested that the entrepreneur-opportunity nexus is much stronger in the social entrepreneurial context than in the commercial entrepreneurial context.
Cost accounting is one of the main sources of information for the management in the company. A correctly designed cost accounting system may address the most important issues in order to support effective and successful decision-making, which among others include price building, efficiency measurement and profit evaluation. In order to enable the full functioning of the system the company should ensure that the system is designed according to the company’s size, operations and processes, as well as information needs. For Testo Sensor GmbH the optimization of cost accounting system became essential, as the information it provides at the moment is not sufficient and reliable for decision-making. Obviously, the reason for this is that the system was not correctly and thoroughly designed at the times of the company foundation. Therefore, the goal of current paper is to develop and adjust the cost accounting system to the company’s operations in order to fulfill the information needs. In order to reach this goal the following objectives were defined: to analyze the current state of cost accounting system of Testo Sensor to reveal its weaknesses and incompatibilities to address these incompatibilities by developing the improvements and possible optimization potentials In order to fulfill these objectives, the review of the German and English literature on the current topic was made in order to identify possible approaches and methods and provide a theoretical background for solutions of the existent problem. In addition to this, a number of interviews was held with the employees of Testo Sensor, as well as the parent company. Finally, the exact data for 2011 – 2015 for cost analysis was taken from the company’s database systems and other documentation. The result of the current paper represents a number of the optimization potentials, which relate to all elements of the cost accounting system. In addition to this, a proposal for implementation of cost center planning and control, which currently is not implemented in the company, was designed. The optimization proposals were developed with the consideration of the theoretical methods applied in German companies, as well as the company’s particular needs and possibilities.
Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt Herausforderungen im modernen Investitionsgütermarkt auf. Diese werden am Beispiel der KARL STORZ Industrial Group dargestellt, welche Endoskope für industrielle Anwendungen herstellt. Dabei nimmt die applikationsbezogene Vermarktung von Industrieendoskopen eine zentrale Rolle ein. In diesem Kontext wird die zunehmende Bedeutung von industriellen Dienstleistungen und insbesondere von Produktlösungen erläutert. Weiterhin wird der Zusammenhang von Produktlösungen mit modernen Ansätzen im Verkauf analysiert, was den großen Stellenwert von Kunden- und Anwendungswissen erkennen lässt. Dieses Wissen wird durch die Erarbeitung einer Methodik für das Anwendungsgebiet Fahrzeugtechnik und Verkehr systematisch generiert, was gleichzeitig die Basis für ein applikationsbezogenes Produktmarketing und der Generierung von weiterem Kunden- und Anwendungswissen darstellt.
Die Bearbeitung der genannten Thematiken wird auf der Grundlage der Auswertung aktueller Fachliteratur diskutiert. Weiterhin wurden zentrale Erkenntnisse anhand von Vertriebsmitarbeiterinterviews und einer Online-Kundenumfrage gewonnen.
China hat es, durch die Öffnung des Landes und zahlreiche Reformen, geschafft, sich innerhalb von 40 Jahren von einer zerrütteten Gesellschaft in die zweitgrößte Volkswirtschaft der Welt zu verwandeln. Innerhalb der letzten 30 Jahre ist China zum größten Automobilmarkt geworden. Durch die allmähliche Ausprägung von Chinas Mittelschicht, Chancen die der Markt bietet und der immensen Marktgröße, ist die Zeit des Wachstums noch lange nicht vorbei.
Eine erfolgreiche Industrie basiert auf erfolgreichen Unternehmen; erfolgreiche Unternehmen stehen und fallen mit der Qualität seiner Mitarbeiter. So sollte man annehmen, dass die chinesische Automobilindustrie, die als erfolgreichste der Welt gilt, auch die fähigsten Ingenieure der Welt beschäftigt. Dem ist nicht so, denn in China herrscht Fachkräftemangel und die chinesischen Ingenieure genießen im Ausland einen sehr schlechten Ruf. Ihnen wird ein Mangel an Interesse, Innovationsfähigkeit und praktischen Fähigkeiten nachgesagt. Woran liegen das schlechte Ansehen der chinesischen Ingenieure, und die, im internationalen Vergleich, schlechte Leistung der sonst so ehrgeizigen Gesellschaft?
Um diese Frage zu beantworten wurden in dieser Bachelorthesis die Bereiche „Bildungssystem“, „das Recruiting“ und der „Automobilsektor“ untersucht. Die Antwort wurde letztendlich in der chinesischen Kultur, und ihrem Einfluss auf die Wirtschaftslage gefunden. Der kulturelle Einfluss auf das chinesische System und ihre Gesellschaft ist immens. Mit dem chinesischen System sind unter anderem Einrichtungen, wie z.B. Bildungseinrichtungen aber auch die Unternehmen, gemeint. In diesen herrschen eine starke Hierarchie, Kollektivismus, Respekt und Zurückhaltung und das Entwickeln und Einbringen eigener Ideen wird häufig nicht akzeptiert und schon im Keim erstickt.
Die Kultur beherrscht nicht nur das chinesische System, sie beherrscht den Alltag und beeinflusst die chinesische Gesellschaft von Kindesbeinen an. Die Orientierung an den Obrigkeiten und die Zurückhaltung der Chinesen sind also kein Indikator für eine allgemeine Unfähigkeit, oder schlechte Qualifikation. Sie sind lediglich das Resultat des Einordnens in eine Kultur, die auf eine 4000 jährige Geschichte zurückblickt.
Aufgrund von wirtschaftlichen, technischen und gesellschaftspolitischen Entwicklungen kommt es zu einer Zunahme von flexiblen Beschäftigungsverhältnissen. Bedingt durch die Globalisierung und dem daraus resultierenden hohen Anpassungs- und Wettbewerbsdruck, versuchen Unternehmen durch befristete Arbeitsverträge eine optimale Personalauslastung zu erreichen, um dadurch Kosten zu sparen und saisonale Schwankungen ausgleichen zu können. Angesichts neuer Beschäftigungsregelungen kommt es ebenfalls zu einer Veränderung der Beschäftigungsbeziehung. Basierend auf theoretisch und empirisch fundierten Studien, wurden in dieser Arbeit die Hypothesen aufgestellt, dass atypische Beschäftigungsverhältnisse sich negativ auf die Arbeitsleistung ausüben, sowie eine Abnahme des Commitments und der Identifikation hervorrufen. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde eine Fallstudie im Bereich Kabine der Deutschen Lufthansa AG durchgeführt, um die Hypothesen zu überprüfen. Diese Untersuchung wurde mittels einer Onlinebefragung beim Kabinenpersonal getätigt, in der befristete wie auch unbefristete Flugbegleiter befragt wurden. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie ließen jedoch im Betrachtungszeitraum keine signifikanten Zusammenhänge bezüglich negativer Auswirkungen von befristeten Arbeitsverhältnissen erkennen. Da es in der Airline Industrie noch wenig veröffentlichte Studien zu dieser Thematik gibt, soll diese wissenschaftliche Arbeit dazu anregen, weitere zukunftsorientierte Forschungen in diesem Bereich zu betreiben.
Automated Advisory Services. An investigation of Efficiency on Using the Black-Litterman Model
(2016)
This thesis seeks to investigate efficiency of current portfolio theory, using the Black-Litterman Model, for creating portfolio recommendations as offered by Automated Advisory Services. These services have recently appeared, offering wealth management through a digital store front. As the human component has been removed from the equation, algorithms based on portfolio theory provide portfolio recommendations upon profiling the user of such services. Tests on parameters of the Black-Litterman Model will be run between September 2007 and December 2009, the financial crisis. The aim is to understand how efficient the parameters are able to steer the model to reflect the investor preferences, and how Black Litterman portfolios would have performed during turbulent economic times to test the efficiency claim by providers of automated advisory services.
This paper analyzes automated advisory services, a new business model developed by Fintech start-ups in the USA. The markets for automated advisory services (AAS) in the USA, where it is most established, and in Germany, where the market is still in the infancy stage, are examined and compared. The aim of the paper is to identify the market conditions determining user acceptance of automated advisory services in the USA and comparing the German market conditions to the US market in order to predict consumer acceptance in Germany. The markets are examined using the PEST analysis and Porter´s five forces framework. Recent market data, mainly from online media like online newspapers and studies, is collected and applied to the models. The data reveals that the market conditions for AAS are similar in both markets but in Germany there are some negative factors restraining growth. The second part of the paper is a technology acceptance analysis of automated advisory services using the UTAUT2 model. The UTAUT2 model is first applied to and extended for the automated advisory services market. Afterwards, the market data is applied to the model, confirming that the market data and theoretical framework of the model are conform. Finally, an outlook into the future of AAS in Germany and the USA is given, showing that the German market has the potential to develop similar to the US market once the negative influences on technology acceptance are diminished Further research into the aspects individualization of automated advisory services, web 3.0 applications and security of the algorithms and user data should be conducted.
Die Abteilung Warranty Handling der MAN Truck & Bus AG strebt eine qualitativ höherwertigere Antragsbearbeitung im Rahmen der Gewährleistungsabwicklung an. Darauf aufbauend gerät das Thema der Kundenzufriedenheit zu einer zentralen Zielgröße für diese Abteilung. Dieses Ziel lässt sich in mehrstufigen Absatzsystemen erschwert steuern, da die Nutzfahrzeughersteller nur selten in direktem Kundenkontakt stehen. Die persönliche Kundeninteraktion findet vermehrt in der Werkstatt statt, insbesondere im Falle von Gewährleistungsreparaturen. In diesem Zusammenhang bestätigt die Wissenschaft, dass von einem positiven Effekt der Händlerzufriedenheit auf die Kundenzufriedenheit ausgegangen werden kann. Die vorliegende Arbeit gibt im ersten Teil einen Überblick über die theoretischen Grundlagen von händler- und kundenzufriedenheitsrelevanten Kriterien im Kundendienst und B2B Geschäftsbeziehungen. Hierbei werden die Strukturen und Beziehungen der Wirtschaftsakteure Hersteller-Händler-Kunde in der Nutzfahrzeugbranche näher betrachtet.
Der zweite Teil beschreibt die praktische Gewährleistungsantragsprüfung der MAN Truck & Bus AG und widmet sich den kundenzufriedenheitsrelevanten Zielen. Anschließend wurden – in Zusammenarbeit mit den nationalen Importeuren – zufriedenheitsrelevante Kriterien der Gewährleistungsabwicklung identifiziert. Aufbauend darauf wurde eine empirische Studie mit 169 Händlern durchgeführt, um mögliche Schwachstellen aufzudecken und diese zu optimieren. Die Umsetzung der Erkenntnisse und Empfehlungen sollen im ersten Schritt die Händlerzufriedenheit positiv beeinflussen und sich somit positiv auf die Zufriedenheit der Kunden auswirken.
Today the author bought six jackets. A friend asked her if she needed six jackets, and if she had this money to pay to all of them. She said that she had only 35 euros and among those six jackets, she will (because they haven’t arrived yet) choose only one. The others five will be returned, because she has this option for free. Then, a friend of her asked: “But what are you doing?!” She answered: “Shopping. I am shopping and writing my thesis.” With pleasure, the author brings to this abstract a concept of brick-and-algo. Pure algorithm – pretty new – any barrier, (brick, the store itself). Experience that brings to the costumer the same feeling as shopping!
Concrete walls also refers to the corporate world, which “bricks” have become glass or simply partitions between one table and another in business in general. The bricks really have fallen apart and companies are going toward a horizontal way, where everybody talks to everybody; again without any brick or any barrier. The hierarchy exists, but in a different level as before. The physical point card became virtual badge, enabling the famous “home office”. Employees began to be evaluated and separated between generations, such as generation X and generation Y or Z (starting in corporations). Consumers have more rights about products and the economy and changing behaviors frantically.
With competitiveness, organizations rely on investing in strategies, assuming new responsibilities, performance necessary for the personal fulfillment of goals and objectives. Promoting the growth and development of its employees, through a model based on mission and values. The quests for survival of organizations have changed the organizational paradigms, in the sense that if before it was necessary to motivate the employees and that today need also to get their commitment. This makes companies to wake up to importance of positive environments, where employees can find favorable conditions to work more effectively.
With globalization and rapid growth of corporations via innovations, talent retention becomes a very important factor for the survival and growth of organizations. At present, the people of organizations must have the ability to manage competently, in order to satisfy and retain their employees, which represent values invaluable to the company. One of those values is the power to renew, create, innovating and to intrapreneur.
Stimulate the entrepreneurial capacity, then by inducing behaviors favorable to systematic innovation, by creating a dynamic of continuous improvement and speed up the process of modernization is a current world. In this sense, the author of the thesis, decided to already introduce innovation, even in the abstract, through another author, or more than an author, a poet and brilliant mind, Fernando Pessoa, when he said:
"There is a time when humans should abandon the used clothes, which already have the shape of their bodies, and forget their paths, which always leads to the same places. It is the time of looking forward: and, if humans don't dare to do it, they will have been, forever, on the sidelines of themselves. " (Fernando Pessoa)
In this context, this thesis proposes to treat about entrepreneurship in general, proposes to talk about intrapreneurship, about corporations, the individuals; and finally, the author tries to makes suggestions for the current decade.
Bericht über die Dikussion
(2016)
The subject of this thesis is the consideration of cultural aspects in the developmental leadership approach using the example of the LEAD concept. The questions were if the LEAD concept could also be used for leading different cultures and how the developmental leadership model could be combined with different cultures. To answer these questions the LEAD concept by Matthias Hettl with its four parts leader, principles of success, tasks and carrying out is introduced and combined with the topic culture. The most important part of this concept is the developmental theory about the seven stages of a leader by Torbert and Rooke. By means of the findings of the GLOBE study the different cultural dimensions and their leadership profiles are described. Afterwards the different stages of a leader are matched to the different leadership profiles, which shows that leaders have to adapt to the leadership preferences of the culture in order to successfully lead the people. Furthermore some important models about developmental leadership and culture are introduced in order to explain the importance of intercultural competence in the area of leadership.
The main goal of this bachelor thesis is to examine whether pricing research methods are equally applicable in the Business-to-Business segment as they are in theory, using the example of MAN Truck & Bus AG. Based on the outcome, recommendations for action were made, which could be implemented into the specific case of National Key Accounts. Price research being conducted in the small business client area but not in the continuously growing key account field were the primary motivation of this paper. Analysis of literature and qualitative interviews with experts of sales force of three strategically important countries build the foundation to this thesis. Results show that there is no one solution, with which market price transparency can be achieved. Rather, a combination of methods currently used and existing but untested ones could achieve this goal. As a proposal to solve this issue, the author suggests a three-point plan consisting of a personal client interview with a behavioral pricing aspect, a follow-up phone interview and, finally, the creation of an interactively usable client database. This bachelor thesis may be of interest to business students with an affinity to the automobile industry as well as any company operating in the business-to-business sector.
International higher education has growing precedence in a global society where the world’s most pressing challenges are increasingly interlinked across borders. Thus, strategic initiatives are necessary to further open the industry in order to achieve its purpose of integrating an international,intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, function, and delivery of education programs. The purpose of this project is therefore to apply the tools and frameworks of Blue Ocean Strategy to the international higher education industry to determine how and in what directions the industry can improve its value proposition to customers and further expand the market. The macro environmental factors surrounding the international higher education industry indicate that it has high potential for continued growth. Political evidences of this include the governments of importing countries instigating programs to send students abroad. Exporting countries with political environment in support of a unified national strategy are at an advantage to capitalize on these opportunities. Economic trends indicate that the global education market is expanding, and that there is increasing demand combined with financial capability for importers as their economies continue to develop and emphasize further investment in socio economic growth through education. Furthermore, the economics of education in the United States indicate a growing imperative to increase foreign enrollment as education costs spiral and financial support from the government declines. Technological innovations are also helping to open up cross-border educational opportunities. The social platforms of Web 2.0 are allowing greater collaboration with open source information, effectively flattening the playing field and opening international higher education to the masses. Despite these opportunities, a micro environmental analysis indicates the industry is currently trapped in a quagmire of hypercompetition. Industry rivalry is high and concentrated, and the United States is overall losing market share to other exporting countries. Individual institutions face high threats from new entrants as the majority of incumbents are not reaching their export potential and have few barriers to entering the market more fully. However, as start-up enterprises face high barriers, to market entry, innovation will likely come from the incumbents within the industry. As competition intensifies in the face of a growing education bubble, the United States higher education industry is poised for disruption. A new educational model that starts at the bottom of the pyramid and moves upmarket can decidedly disrupt the status quo in order to create an improved, efficient global educational system; one that will help the industry break out of the state of hypercompetition and elevate it to fulfill the values and needs of society. Blue Ocean Strategy provides the solution to this problem as it analyses an industry not by looking at its current state in comparison with its competitors, but rather what the industry can become by looking beyond the competition to unknown market space. Successful implementation of Blue Ocean Strategy can bring the high financial impact needed to save the higher education industry from collapse. Frameworks guiding value innovation can simultaneously pursue low costs while increasing value for a large volume of customers. The strategy canvas and four actions framework of Blue Ocean Strategy provide effective analytical tools that help to clarify the process of strategy development, and empower visionary educational leaders to focus one what factors need to be eliminated, reduced, raised, and created in order to achieve a leap in value for buyers within and beyond the boundaries of the higher education export market.
The buzzword “smart city”, which describes the integration of digital technologies in different areas of cities, is on the rise worldwide. Even though there are various megatrends pushing towards the uptake of smart cities, both public sector and businesses struggle to indentify viable sources of financing and business models for smart city initiatives.
This also holds true for the smart city business of Bosch Software Innovations GmbH, which includes various smart city projects in initial stages. Therefore, the topic of business model development in the context of smart cities is being approached in this thesis, with the Gambit project in the City of York being examined as a reference project. The idea of Gambit – “Gamification for better living in cities by influencing tourist behaviour” - is based on a smartphone application for tourists, which aims to influence visitor behaviour through elements of gamification. Thereby city services should be assisted in mitigating the problem of local overcrowding in the city centre. In its initial phase, the project is financially supported by public authorities. The central question is how such a kind of project can be financially viable and how its commercial uptake can be achieved. With this in mind, the aim of this thesis is to explore business model development for smart city solutions based on the example of the Gambit project in York. To do so, a multi-method approach is used, comprising a literature review on the theoretical background of smart cities and business models, as well as empirical research based on interviews with the partner organisations of the project, as well as a workshop with other city stakeholders.
This key findings show that the attraction of additional stakeholder within cities is essential for the economic success of smart city projects. This implies multi-directional value streams and multiple sources of financing within smart city initiatives. In this context, various forms of financial contribution, such as indirect payments through other offerings and the provision of advertising space to co-finance solutions should be considered. Besides, linking smart city solutions to other services within cities might form the basis for financial viability. The findings produced stress the importance of collaboration and partnering. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the diversity of stakeholders implies a diversity of value streams in smart city business models.
Nowadays, teams and projects are becoming more and more relevant in the business industry. The increasing internationalization and globalization of the economy leads to a more interconnected and globalize business and therefore also increasing competition. This requires new approaches for a more faster, flexible and innovative way to finding solutions. For this reason, there is an increase of international cooperation that can open up new opportunities, as well as generate challenges.
The purpose of this assignment is to identify the cultural differences between Germany and China and to determine the key aspect, which has to be considered in performing project management in a multicultural context. Furthermore, this assignment should demonstrate how cultures can affect the cooperation and if there is a potential way to standardize a multicultural cooperation to reduce the challenges that arise in multicultural teams.
The work is based on literature research using secondary data. In addition, an empirical study has been carried out to create a case study of an executed project with German and Chinese team members in China. The empirical study has been carried out as an expert interview with the German project manager who is currently working as an expatriate in China. This interview has been used to collect information about the plant relocation of a German-based company located in China.
The literature research has shown that political, technological, cultural, as well as communication aspects have to be considered in performing project management in a multicultural context. Also cultural difference affects leadership style. Therefore, the knowledge of different leadership styles is beneficial. Standardization for a multicultural cooperation is not possible due to the different situation in different context with different people. However, the knowledge about the effects of cultural values on the mindset and behavior can ease the teamwork. The case study confirms the findings as the project manager also had to deal with cultural, communication, and leadership issues, as well as dealing with cultural differences and the respond to it encourage the teamwork.
Die vorliegende Bachelorthesis befasst sich mit dem Thema "Change Management in einem agilen Kontext". Megatrends wie die Globalisierung und Digitalisierung ändern die Rahmenbedingungen in denen die Unternehmen agieren. Die Unternehmen werden dadurch laufend vor neue Herausforderungen gestellt. Klassisch, hierarchisch aufgestellte Unternehmen können der heutigen Dynamik und Komplexität nicht mehr gerecht werden. Der Begriff Agilität ist in diesen Zusammenhang über das IT-Projektmanagement hinaus bekannt und hat seinen Weg in andere Abteilungen von Unternehmen und in andere Branchen gefunden.
Diese Arbeit thematisiert die Problematik des Wandels und die steigende Agilität in Bezug auf das Change Management. Mithilfe einschlägiger Literatur wird die Fragestellung „Was bedeutet agiles Change Management?“ beantwortet. Um dieser Fragestellung nachzugehen, werden ersten Schritt die Auslöser des Wandels und deren Herausforderungen für die Unternehmen dargestellt. Im nächsten Schritt wird das hierarchische Unternehmen aufgezeigt, der Begriff Agilität definiert und die Eigenschaften einer agilen Organisationsstruktur aufgezeigt, die ein Unternehmen benötigt, um unter den veränderten Rahmenbedingungen flexibel agieren zu können. Anschließend werden diese Anpassungen in Relation zum Change Management gesetzt. Das klassische Change Management wird aufgezeigt und durch das Erfolgsfaktorenmodell, dem Acht-Schritte-Prozess von John P. Kotter näher beleuchtet sowie dessen Sinnhaftigkeit unter den veränderten Gegebenheiten analysiert.
Aus dieser Literaturanalyse werden drei Hypothesen entwickelt, die die Fragestellung der Bachelorarbeit beantworten. Diese Hypothesen beschreiben wie das Change Management alternativ in einem agilen Kontext abläuft, wer die Veränderungsvorhaben plant und wie diese umgesetzt werden. Um diese Thesen zu untermauern, wird das aktualisierte Modell von John P. Kotter vorgestellt und die Wirksamkeit dieses Modells anhand des Praxisbeispiels von Vodafone Deutschland demonstriert.
The paper intends to analyze the application of change management in family-owned businesses in the engineering industry of Baden-Württemberg. A lack in literature implies the necessity to specifically regard change management in this sector. The investigations are concerned with particularities in cultural dimensions of family-owned businesses and how these might affect the application of change management. The aim is to identify factors which enable businesses in this sector to improve change management and to maintain or enhance their effectiveness. On the basis of an analysis of relevant literature, assumptions for the application of change management in family-owned businesses in Baden-Württemberg’s engineering industry are derived. Bizerba GmbH & Co. KG is proved representative for this type of business. By means of a case study, the implementation of the tool Team Foundation Server at Bizerba GmbH & Co. KG, the change approach is applied in practice. To gain quantitative data, the change implementation is monitored. A survey is conducted and statistically investigated to examine the importance of applied factors during the change initiative. The research at Bizerba reveals several substantial results for the application of change management in this context. A universally applicable approach for change plays a minor role in this context. Rather, the application of specific factors is crucial for a successful implementation of change. During the change initiative the importance of factors modifies. “Soft factors” gain in relevance with the project’s progress. In this connection, the integration of the individual employee plays a significant role. The research results advise the application of individual stakeholder interviews and continuous communication. Commitment to change by formal leaders and informal leaders’ positive participation in the change initiative help overcome prevailing resistance to change. An explicit triggering event for change is not necessary in the context of the family-owned business. Though, the definition of a clear vision and objectives is of primary importance to achieve the understanding for change necessity amongst target group members. However, the sample size is too small for the research outcomes to be representative for all family-owned businesses in Baden-Württemberg’s engineering industry. Still, the research displays several factors and instruments which help establish effective internal change management capabilities for family-owned businesses in the engineering industry of Baden-Württemberg.
This thesis examined the stages problem recognition, search for information, pre-purchase evaluation and purchase of the decision-making process for productivity / utility applications. Firstly, the characteristics of mobile applications, the past literature of the stages of the decision making process and technology acceptance theories were reviewed. Based on the findings a new model, based on the particular stages and its relations to each other, was developed. Of all 15 hypotheses, which described the model, 8 were found to be statistically significant. The consumers’ interest in a productivity / utility application is caused by the desire for higher work efficiency or practicality, if the consumer believes that the application has the ability to fulfil this desire. This provides several practical implementations for marketers regarding the channel and type of promotions. Having interest in a mobile application, the application store and internal search are relevant information sources for the consumers to search for information. Especially the relevance of the internal search, emphasizes the importance of brand awareness for productivity / utility applications. Additionally, if the consumers search third-party independent sources, they inspect only a small number of the available relevant applications. Furthermore, involvement in mobile applications has a positive impact on the consumers’ extent of search. Finally, concerning the evaluation of the inspected productivity / utility applications, the performance expectancy, the ease of use and the price are relevant criteria for the consumer. This provides practical implementations for marketers and developers regarding development and promoting of productivity / utility applications.
Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit gibt einen Überblick darüber, inwiefern die gängigen Nachhaltigkeitslabels in Deutschland eine Hilfe für den nachhaltigen Konsumenten sind.
Dazu wurden 8 handelsübliche Labels miteinander verglichen. Das Hauptproblem der Labels war die fehlende Glaubwürdigkeit, aufgrund von fehlender Transparenz. In einem zweiten Schritt wurde ermittelt ob, und wenn ja, um wieviel sich die persönliche Zahlungsbereitschaft auch tatsächlich erhöht. Festgestellt wurde, durch Auswertung diverse Studien, dass sich die persönliche Zahlungsbereitschaft durchaus steigern lässt. Dazu muss die Preisbildung allerdings transparent nachvollziehbar sein. Es lässt sich sagen, dass sich die Zahlungsbereitschaft um ein Fünftel steigern lässt. Durch die Auswertung diverser Studien wurden Barrieren ermittelt, welche einen nachhaltigen Konsum erschweren. Auf Grundlage dieser Barrieren, wurden Handlungsempfehlungen entwickelt, durch die diese Barrieren überwindet werden könnten. Besonders interessant ist diese Arbeit für diejenigen, die den nachhaltigen Konsum fördern möchten. Dazu gehören die Initiatoren der bisherigen Labels, sowohl als auch zukünftige Initiatoren.
Family businesses are major contributors of a strong and diverse society. Not only help to keep power in the hands of small units (families), they also foster innovation and personal freedom and this is necessary to maintain a healthy society, which is also necessary not only in Mexico but throughout Latin America and other regions where emerging countries tend to be a majority. The presence of strong private businesses in a society can reinforce the social values of their communities. Wealth and stability that they create can foster personal growth around them, especially if the owners are responsible for philanthropic activities and civic leadership. Thousands of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries are reaching a difficult phase. Most of the owners who founded the company on the 60s or 70s and made it to the next century are ready to retire without having a plan of succession to the one who will be taking over. Some of these enterprises are also struggling to find a strategic path among lots of heavy changes on the corporate world while others fight unexpected competition from abroad, normally from developed countries. it is also difficult for companies to face this sensation of isolation on a daily fight for survival and for standing out. At last, many of them end up selling their companies because of pressure or failure, being victims of a powerful tendency of family businesses to stop growing and develop their potential. 1.1 Objectives Provide an overview of the SMEs in Mexico and their current situation. Uncover the possible factors that cause their failure. Suggest a different solution through implementation of corporate governance, the way bigger companies do. Investigate and explore fears and advantages of implementing corporate governance. Analyze how corporate governance can be integrated to a SME in Mexico. 1.2 Limitations of the analysis This analysis considers that the reader has a short background on business, as the basic concepts will not be detailed. The study will focus on solving a specific problem that the author considers to be crucial for any SME in a developing country to solve, but from the perspective of corporate governance. The classification of the group of companies that have been analyzed may vary from country to country. 1.3 Methodology This project comprises a study of the presented bibliography on the situation of the corporate governance in Mexico and how can it be applied to small and medium size businesses in order to face the current challenges. The study focuses on the role of the board of directors in the company and how it can lead to a case of success by giving up some control by the business owners and pass it to the experienced advisors that will be part of the board. A document called “Código de Mejores Prácticas Corporativas” (Corporate Governance Codex) will serve as a big support for the research, since this is the official document companies must take a look at before even start thinking on implementing corporate governance practices. The research includes results form an annual survey presented by “PriceWaterhouseCoopers” in 2014 that was carried out all over the world including Mexico. This survey was done between May 30th and July 21st in 2014 to 122 companies from Manufacture, retail, finance, mining, construction, wholesale, and agriculture, and it is considered by many firms as the most important survey to consider when analyzing the current situation of family businesses in Mexico.
Crowdlending is a growing business model that originated from the new crowdfunding phenomenon. It consists of funding companies’ loans through joining money from many investors in exchange for regular payments. One important key value in this model is the speed of the credit approval and the investment choice. The upcoming crowdlending platforms facilitate their growth through the automation of those processes. This study explores the creation of a credit-scoring model for an entrepreneurial platform, in order to fulfill the necessity of quickly determining the risk and the characteristics of loan applications for SME companies. This study will also analyze the pricing loan strategy based on the risk of the operations. Finally, the thesis suggests a of the loans and concludes with a series of improvement measures for the model.
The thesis provides analysis if the traditional automotive distribution model, defining the position of automotive dealers in the distribution channel. Their business model is analyzed from the perspective of value-adding activities performed at each stage of the distribution process and from the perspective of the profit centers existing generally in the business model at present. The research further turns to the automotive distribution in Belarus. The analysis of the Belarusian automotive market cannot be thoroughly accomplished without analysis of the Russian market, since the two countries belong to the common free economic area. The current condition of the Belarusian automotive dealers is considered in context of the macroeconomic downturn and obscure prospects, which is certainly one of the major challenges the industry is facing. The decreasing purchasing power of the population, high interest rates and exacerbating competition negatively influence the performance measures of the automotive dealers and their growth potential. Apart from the currently unfavorable macroeconomic situation, which is generally considered as temporary, the analysis takes into consideration basic transformation trends observed in social and technological spheres. The developments in the technological sphere also bear conflicting implications for the Belarusian automotive dealers and should be therefore thoroughly analized. In order to understand the potential of the Belarusian automotive dealers to introduce the necessary changes to the existing business model the balance of power analysis will be carried out according to Porter’s Five Forces methodology. The analysis is important from the point of view of the extent of the changes, which dealers are able to accomplish with a reasonable level of risks. The SWOT analysis will be further carried out to highlight the existing advantages and disadvantages of the Belarusian automotive dealers combined with external factors, which might influence positively or negatively their position. This chapter deals with the actual implications of the trends highlighted previously for the automotive dealers and provides the basis of the analysis of a sample strategy, currently implemented by the leading Belarusian automotive dealer, which is elaborated on in the last chapter.