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The interest in topics such as the environment, health and sustainability has increased dramatically in recent years, due to concerns about global warming and demographic change, giving way to the concept of “green branding”.
This bachelor thesis proposes the application of a green branding strategy in order to position Irish agri-food products in the German grocery retail market, and explores its potential effectiveness and current relevance. Firstly, this work intends to offer an overall understanding of the characteristics and implications of a green branding strategy. Secondly, it analyses the connection with Ireland as a country of origin for agri-food products, by putting forward the different arguments for its suitability for the respective products. Finally, the key learnings regarding the successful implementation of a green branding strategy are discussed, based on a real-life best-practice case.
This research employed previous academic and trade literature to develop a theoretical foundation for understanding the concept of green branding in a marketing context. Various forms of industry, consumer and retail insights were used to identify the extent of demand for green brands in Germany and to analyse strength and weaknesses of the Irish agri-food industry in this regard.
An expert interview with the Marketing Manager for Kerrygold in Germany was conducted to uncover points arising from the best-practice application of a green branding strategy.
The findings indicate that there is significant theoretical and practical evidence to suggest that the application of a green branding would be an effective positioning strategy for Irish agri-food in the German consumer market.
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.
The aim of this bachelor thesis is to provide ZF Friedrichshafen AG with a flexible Human Resource concept for the successful handling of future joint venture projects in China. In order that future JV are planned and conducted successfully, a structured HR approach built on a combination of ZF experience and academic evidence has been developed. It points out cultural differences, creates awareness of potential organizational issues and gives advice. This thesis draws upon various academic resources which are expanded through ZF knowledge. For this, eight expert interviews with China experienced ZF managers were held.
This blueprint covers several of the HR issues that arise when setting up new joint ventures in China. By shedding light upon success factors a necessary flexibility when dealing with different partner firms is provided. After a theoretical outset and a brief introduction of ZF Friedrichshafen and ZF Passau this thesis peaks in the HR blueprint for joint ventures in China. Worth notable factors in setting up the structure, when recruiting and inheriting staff from the joint venture partner as well as considerations of the new Labor Contract Law and for policies and practices allow an understanding of what Human Resource issues can be anticipated in Chinese joint ventures. These then can be planned adequately for.
The results of this work offer a strategical Human Resource framework on how to best approach a next joint venture project in China. A broad range of HR issues have been analyzed and the most critical for joint venture success found implementation in the blueprint. Arranging a working organizational structure with a Chinese partner and implementing uniform policies and practices while considering cultural factors as well as complying with the legal requirements of the Peoples Republic of China is a task which is not easily carried out. Yet while setting up joint ventures in China already is a complex project, the partnering with a Chinese state owned enterprise is a challenge that requires special attention by HR professionals. The blueprint gives insights and guidance for stated issues.
The impact of store atmosphere elements on the purchase behaviour and emotions of customers has an important significance in modern marketing. How to design and conceptualize a store atmosphere in such a way that it provides an unforgettable experience for the customer and entices him or her to arouse an interest in the store environment is one of the most fundamental concerns merchants and marketers must ask and think through these days – likewise, the role of culture in connection with store atmosphere is necessary to understand. The goal of this paper is to answer the question on how behavioural and emotional responses to store atmospheric elements such as visual, aural, olfactory, tactile, social, exterior design, interior design and layout & design differ across individualist and collectivist cultures. A cross-cultural analysis between Germans and non-Germans is made in respect to the posed question. A quantitative online survey was conducted, in which a total of 99 valid participants took part, of which 57 were Germans and 42 were non-Germans. This research extended the study of Barros et al. (2019) and added two more separate store atmospheric elements which are the general exterior design and the general interior design. The data was then analyzed, and the findings were ultimately presented. The findings showed that overall store atmosphere elements have similar emotional and behavioural effects on individualist and collectivist cultures with the exception of the general exterior design element, where a significant difference was found. This paper gives a comprehensive overview on the importance of store atmospheric elements in retail and the comparison between Germany which acts as a country that scored relatively high on the Individualism dimension of Hofstede’s national culture model and the countries Turkey, Russia, Portugal, Albania, Bosnia, Romania, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Iraq which serve as a union of cultures that performed high on the Collectivism dimension. Additional research on the topic needs to be done on how culture affects shopper’s emotional and behavioural responses.
This thesis explores the emerging phenomenon of second screen marketing, by providing a holistic view on this topic. The first part presents an extensive literature review, approaching second screen marketing from an advertiser’s view. Second screening and user groups are defined and common second screen measures are presented and evaluated.
The second part examines the consumer’s perception of a brand using second screen marketing, comparing two age groups (18 to 30 years and 50 to 62 years). Brand perception is measured following suggestions from Low and Lamb Jr. (2000), using a three-dimensional construct consisting of brand attitude, brand image and perceived quality. Main findings entail, that younger audiences perceive a brand using second screen marketing significantly more positive than the older generation. While perceived quality for both age groups is evaluated neutrally, brand image and brand attitude scores show more extreme values. This is relevant for advertisers, as indications about potential target groups, content creation and success of marketing campaigns can be derived: Especially younger consumers are potential target groups and perceive second screen marketing as modern and innovative, but dishonest. Concerning content, strong implications about quality, an uniform brand image and the communication of trustworthiness should be a focus to marketers.
The leisure industry experiences a shift in selling their services online. While external sales channels have been dominating the online ticket sales in the last decade, a new trend of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) sales through individual platforms has been on the rise. This study aimed to research on the usage of external and direct sales channels in the leisure industry and tried to find reasons for the rapid increase of leisure venues shifting their sales channels on their own online platform and abandoning external sales channels. For this study, a primary research with leisure venues across Germany, Switzerland and Austria in the form of a questionnaire with 104 participants was conducted. The topic of the questionnaire was the usage of external and direct sales channels and ticket reseller as well as promotion methods of the leisure venues participating. Furthermore, an expert interview with the CEO of a wellness centre was conducted to gain first-hand knowledge on the research topic. The thesis ends with an analysis of the survey results and conclusions on what the usage of external and direct sales channels in the leisure industry are and how the DTC trend emerged from the state of the industry.
Innovative and successful food waste management solutions often happened to have either an economic, ecological, or social positive impact. There are different types of food waste that are wasted at different stages of the supply chain and sustainable management treat this issue in its entirety.
A resource-efficiency handling of food creates and saves value in the food industry, helps reduce climate change and brings food security. Quantitative evidence from financial and nonfinancial benefits from business cases of countries such as the United Kingdom, proved that avoiding food wasting build a win-win situation for companies and consumers. Processes will be exposed to accelerate the implementation of food waste reduction policies at every stage of the supply chain and at every organization level.
This paper is aimed to measure the global degree of food waste and loss with trustworthy instruments and to provide a range of the most efficient and adapted ways to prevent it.
Some focus will be made in certain parts of the world because of the data’s availability and reliability. It also interests us to know what percentage of waste occurs, at which stage of the supply chain, what are the current existing solutions to avoid food waste and
loss and how is sustainable management playing the most efficient role.
Food wasting will be distinguished into two categories: organizations of entities (as countries, governments, cities, and companies) and individuals. Providing guidelines to be able to manage a sustainable production up till consumption will be the core concern of this paper.
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:
Many Researches on values of IT investment have produced mixed results. There has never been a clear definition regarding what is the values of IT investment. Some researchers used productivity as an indicator for value, some other used financial figures to measure the value. However, the result is never consistent. This research investigates the value of Treasury Management System's implementation without limiting the definition of values. The findings show that IT investments are often followed by business process reengineering and have a role as decision support system. Furthermore, IT investments are most likely to improve the information quality produced from the system. Therefore, the evaluation of IT investments needs to consider the qualitative values as well
This bachelor thesis deals with the use of the agile project management methodology in Enterprise Resource Planning implementations. With regards to the most recent trend of the use of the agile methodology for ERP Implementations, it will be examined if it plays a role as a critical factor for successful implementations.
The examination in the thesis will be divided into three steps.
Firstly, the theoretical foundations regarding the elements under examination will be laid by defining and analyzing the ERP Systems, the critical factors and the agile methodology.
Secondly, an empirical two-section examination will be held, with the aim of finding out which role the project management methodology plays for success in general, if the agile methodology proves to be more beneficial than other methods and if these advantages could be critical for success.
The last step involves the analysis and evaluation of the newly gained insights, their boundaries and a view on other potential research possibilities.
This thesis tries to answer questions with respect to a future cultured meat industry, that is what influences consumer behavior and which consumers will be likely to buy cultured meat products. In addition I am trying to answer the question if there even will be a cultured meat industry in the future or whether the current developments can be seen more like a bubble that will disappear once enough money is burned with no profits made. Answering these research questions was quite a challenge, even though I did an extensive amount of research the lack of available data was not ideal. Therefore, I need to acknowledge that with more available data more precise conclusions could have been drawn. Nevertheless, through my research I could conclude that the cultured meat industry, which is shortly before bringing the first products to market is unlikely to disappear. The technology seems sound and the concept behind it seems to make sense. Regarding potential consumers I concluded that marketers should try to identify consumers who go through extensive problem solving when making food or rather lifestyle choices. These consumers might be best to approach when launching the first marketing campaigns for a cultured meat product.
This thesis examines bank-internal, industry-specific and macroeconomic determinants of bank profitability in the Western European banking sector with specific focus on determinants related to risk management and regulation. A linear panel analysis and a dynamic panel data analysis are conducted based on a sample of 53 Western European banks over the post-crisis time period from 2011 until 2019. This time period lies in-between the end of the financial crisis and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the panel analysis show a stronger relationship between bank profitability and bank-internal determinants than bank-external determinants. Credit risk and operational efficiency are found to be the most significant determinants of profitability. This implies that especially factors in control of the bank management are central to safeguard and advance profitability but regulation is needed to prevent procyclical decision-making by managers.
An analysis of the inter-rater reliability of ESG ratings within the consumer staples industry
(2020)
The aim of this study is to gain further insights into whether ESG ratings of the same firms from different rating agencies differ. To this end, this study examines and compares in particular the ratings of the providers Bloomberg, Sustainalytics and MSCI for companies in the consumer staples industry. The study comes to the conclusion that there are in some cases significant differences between these three providers in terms of the respective ESG ratings. Furthermore, a company-size bias is shown for Bloomberg and Sustainalytics ESG ratings. It appears that these agencies rate companies with a large market capitalization better than firms with a lower market value. These large discrepancies in ESG ratings of companies within the consumer staples industry and individual rating problems, such as the company-size bias, mean that today's ESG ratings tend to be not reliable and not valid. The study shows that ESG ratings will have to change a lot in the near future in order to contribute positively to the investment selection of socially responsible investors.
An average investor trying to allocate his wealth among multiple assets ideally has nearly infinite possibilities to do so. However, asset allocation strategies try to facilitate this process. Nevertheless, no consensus exists on which strategy is ideal and yields the best performance. Therefore, this paper aims to determine an ideal asset allocation strategy for an average investor by comparing two asset allocation strategies.
The focus is on comparing the practical application of Markowitz’s Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), a sophisticated asset allocation strategy, with an equally weighted asset allocation, namely the 1/N strategy. The past performance of these two strategies is compared with the help of a calculation example based on historical data. The quantitative analysis covers three time periods of different lengths between 1991 and 2022. Also, the strategies are applied to portfolios with different amounts of assets during these periods. Although the existing literature is very controversial concerning the performance of the two strategies, this research shows a clear result. Compared to the 1/N strategy, this study’s findings show an outperformance of the MPT strategy during every period and each portfolio combination. However, the difference in performance regarding return and risk is minimal in most scenarios and would not significantly affect an average investor who invests over a long-term horizon.
The title for this thesis “An Economic Analysis of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)” has been selected due to its topicality and its explosiveness. The stimulus to write this paper originates in the wish to get a deeper insight into the topic, which has been treated majorly under exclusion of the public, and to be able to make a clear statement whether to support or to oppose the partnership. In order to answer this final question, it is also tested whether results from former agreements like NAFTA or Mercosur can serve as a guideline to what can be expected of TTIP. Additionally, the paper aims at making a final statement about the implications of the partnership for the future. To do this, the present paper covers two main subjects. First, it provides an overview of the history of free trade, the different forms of agreements, as well as an insight into the experiences made with NAFTA and Mercosur. This first part is concluded with an estimation of the results and motivations of and for free trade agreements, as well as a transition to the second main subject by naming the impacts of the findings for the planned TTIP treaty. Secondly, after providing a broad overview of TTIP by giving an insight into the definition and the process of formation of the partnership, the benefits and concerns of the deal are revealed. This part is followed by a broad study of ten indicators, which outline the real effects of TTIP on the economy, by distinguishing between three different scenarios. The thesis is concluded by presenting the findings from the former analysis. Although NAFTA and Mercosur do not provide applicable experiences, they still serve as points of orientation and suggest that free trade should be supported. Thus, the planned partnership should also be agreed upon in order to go with the pace of time and to stay competitive. If this is the case, TTIP will be a leading example in the future, motivating more nations to either join the partnership or to form ones by themselves.
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
Important prior studies regarding customers purchasing behaviour proved that customers tend to avoid products showing extreme deflections in attributes and feel more comfortable purchasing articles with a balance in attributes (compromise option). Hence, for marketers, supermarket chains etc., it can be of an advantage knowing whether this effect can also be measured or even be amplified in where the spatial middle of a shelf is occupied with the compromise option. We hypothesized that the tendency towards the compromise option, eventually even higher in the spatial middle position, can also be observed in an in-store experiment with real-life circumstances. In order to fulfil our study, we worked with a hardware store in southern Germany. In total, we sold 610 items consisting of 5 different products with each 3 alternatives. The result corroborated our hypothesis partly as it showed in some cases, the compromise option was indeed preferred when in the middle of a choice set. Nevertheless, in many cases, products on extreme position with “extreme” attributes were preferred. Leading to the conclusion that other factors like the brand may have higher importance in purchasing decisions.
Currently, a digital transformation is taking place in logistics and manufacturing environments of the Robert Bosch GmbH. This digital transformation consists of several central initiatives, resulting in big impacts on the organizations of the business units. This paper aims to provide an overview of these organizational changes with regard to the role of change management. After identifying the organizational setting at Bosch, the ongoing digital transformation at the business unit Powertrain Solutions is analyzed by focusing on the future collaboration strategy between logistics and manufacturing as well as the organizational transformation along the Value Stream Integrated Processes and IT program. The complexity of the ongoing transformation is narrowed down to the changes in processes and IT-landscapes before elaborating the future interaction between the landscape documentation tools “scout.it” and “Lean IX”. The readiness of plants in preparation for the Bosch Manufacturing and Logistics Platform is determined by creating a dashboard using Microsoft Power BI.
Ahead of the analytical work, the paper considers theoretical insights about the current state of research in terms of the digital development and change management to ensure successful planning, implementation and preservation of future organizational changes at Bosch.
A response to the Global Financial Crisis was the introduction of the Basel III regulatory requirements. The newly adapted Basel accord should incorporate lessons learned such as the need for counteracting the procyclicality of the previous Basel II regulation and the missing liquidity and leverage standards. Spain, however, had already implemented a countercyclical macroprudential instrument as well as granular credit register, for monitoring unfavourable credit developments before this regulation and was still not able to mitigate the double-tip recession that started in 2008.
Therefore, this thesis discusses the financial stability protection potential of macroprudential instruments like the ones implemented with Basel III and macroprudential statistic such as the new credit register AnaCredit. Spain has been taken as an empirical example for examining the instruments’ efficiency due to the pioneering steps towards macroprudential measures.
The results show that Spain had already implemented very useful measures which definitely have the potential of contributing to financial soundness. The amendment to the efficiency of these measures is the prerequisite of continuous improvement and complementary policy actions. Otherwise excessive credit growth developments, which can initiate financial instability, cannot be detected or controlled sufficiently as it was the case in Spain.
The limitation to this analysis is the need for further observation of the developments in the Euro system. This is important especially for the Liquidity and Leverage components of Basel III, as there have not been similar measures implemented in Spain. In the future it has to be monitored if the Basel III instruments and AnaCredit actually detect the vulnerabilities before a systemic collapse or whether the financial development of the countries remains similar to the Spanish development.
This bachelor thesis examines the topic of global collaboration. The work was done in cooperation with the Marquardt Group, to work on an internal analysis within their Factory Planning department. The goal is to define recommendations for the improvement of the governance structure within this department. This thesis answers the following two main questions: Why does the Factory Planning need improvement in their governance structure? How can they improve their collaboration on a global level? In order to answer these questions, the following work looks at different factors within the department. The work starts with a theoretical overview about the topics of collaboration, communication and corporate governance. After learning more about these topics, the next part explains the analysis of the current state within the department. For this, the usage of two different types of models happens. First, the usage of a Target Operating Model to gain an overview about the internal state within the headquarter. The second analysis is a survey, in the form of a questionnaire that addresses three different groups globally. Therefore, the generation of three different views happens. Based on these analyses, the thesis states the gaps in the global collaboration. Following is the definition of recommendations to try to improve the structure. With the help of this thesis the company can than work on the gaps, to move toward their desired state of collaboration.
In this work we will study this field with a very concrete example, which is the large American multinational Amazon. We will talk more particularly about customer centric supply chain, which is still different from supply chain management. While analyzing this special form of supply chain management, we will also look at its potential impact on today's society with the international distribution market. First, we will define the main aspects of the work such as supply chain management, Amazon, e-commerce and customer experience. Then we will analyze the company's customer centric supply chain. Finally, we will study the possible consequences of the company on the international distribution market.
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.
Analysis of Fintech Markets
(2023)
The technological advancement in the business sector, in particular in the banking world, forces the financial sector to adapt its services. The Fintech companies aim to cope with these advancements and change the money management for clients. The question that arises is how the FinTech companies have developed and if they are profitable. That is the reason for the research of the development of the Fintech companies theoretically and practically, focusing on their financial performance. The methodology used in this paper is for the first chapter gathering existing knowledge of previous studies and including law directives to underline the development and in the second chapter using the information available from the companies itself. One can conclude the development of the acceptance of digitalized banks have increased after the economic crisis in 2008. Furthermore, the regulatory systems have problems coping with the velocity of change and the income of new products and services. The practical analysis of the FinTech companies show, that they do have certain advantages for clients, but are not immune against economic volatility. Having analyzed existing companies is beneficiary for the research field, as for now no practical analysis of the companies have been done. Nevertheless, the limitation of this research is due to the fact of probable biased information from the companies.
New developments in decentralized ledger technologies may have a huge impact on how we perceive and use money now and in the future. Most notably, it has led to the development of cryptocurrencies and a variation thereof –stablecoins. This thesis discusses the potential impact of Proof of Work based cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin on the money market and the central bank’s ability to maintain control over the money supply. The IS-LM model is used to evaluate the effects of a private-issued digital currency. However, due to the characteristics of POW based cryptocurrencies, their impact on the money market is neglectable. In contrast, private-issued stablecoins of large international businesses with the potential of gaining enough users to overcome hindering network effects may pose a serious threat to the financial system, if there is no regulation on their usage.
As a response to this development and combined with the phenomenon of a declining cash usage in many countries, central banks have started to conduct research in their own digital currency, namely central bank digital currency (CBDC). Countries such as Sweden or The Bahamas have already started with the implementation of trial phases of their respective CBDC. However, design choices of the country’s digital currency differ due to financial, geographical, and cultural circumstances, among others. Nevertheless, many countries have utilized decentralized ledger technologies as the underlying technology for CBDC, showing its promising potential for further research and future developments.
The start of the financial crisis in 2007 and the collapse of Lehman Brothers the end of 2008 led to a severe global economic crisis. To counter the negative shocks of the crisis, central banks pushed their conventional monetary policy tools to their limits. As policy rates reached their zero lower bound and no further stimulation of the economy was possible through the standard operating framework, additional measures were needed to improve the overall situation of dislocated financial markets and liquidity shortages. Therefore, central banks in advanced economies implemented unconventional monetary policy measures called quantitative easing (QE). Quantitative easing mainly works through an expansion of a central bank’s balance sheets and is aimed to reach a desired inflation target of 2%. This thesis examines detailed introduction, procedures, risks, and exit strategy of QE. The focus of this thesis is on design and operation of QE conducted by the Bank of Japan, the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, and the European Central Bank and on their achieved results regarding interest rates and broader economic effects. In addition, evidence for the effectiveness is analyzed with help of an event study. Key findings of this thesis demonstrate that by means of QE, positive development on economic indicators can be recorded but it also has limited impacts. If central banks conduct their stimulus for too long, it creates risks, and, for this reason, an appropriate exit strategy is required to avoid ineffectiveness of the monetary policy. To date, no country has completed their exit and, therefore, the future will illustrate the final consequences of QE.
Companies operating in the grocery industry are facing low customer loyalty, resulting in strong customer switching behaviour. Additionally, the high similarity of the products predominantly prevents them from deriving benefits from switching barriers. As these issues represent decisive interfering factors for a sustainable and successful business, we intend to examine possible customer retention strategies, which target an increase in customer loyalty. We aim to identify the most appropriate reward strategy in the context of customer loyalty for direct sellers in the grocery industry.
In order to compare and evaluate different possibilities, we conducted an empirical study. Our study focuses on the concrete case of bofrost*, a representative of direct sellers. A total of about 430 bofrost* customer panel members participated in an online survey. With four different survey versions, four customer groups were influenced by different specific customer retention strategies. After being confronted with unfavourable situations, participants had to state how likely they would recommend the company, intend to stay loyal to the company and abstain from competitive offers.
The survey data reveals no significant differences among the four groups. Therewith, based on the study results, we cannot diagnose the best strategy. Nevertheless, based on the theory of cognitive dissonance, we highly recommend bofrost* and other direct sellers to surprise the customer with a present, namely with a T-shirt, discreetly embroidered with the company logo. Furthermore, this research highlights the specific potential of direct sellers - especially in the grocery industry - to reinforce relational switching costs by implementing this suggested customer retention strategy. Thereby, companies can strengthen customer loyalty in the long-term and are able to prevent customers from churning. Moreover, company-specific recommendations of action are provided to bofrost*.
This research creates value to direct sellers, specifically of the grocery industry, by offering a foundation for decisionmaking regarding the design of a sustainably effective customer retention strategy. This takes companies a step closer to the increase of customer loyalty, which is essential in the light of a highly competitive market in which own customers are likely to get attracted from competitors.
When discussing the current textile and apparel industries’ status quo, at some point attention will most likely shift towards the challenges fast fashion companies have to encounter due to the increased interest in sustainability practices. This bachelor dissertation examines the sustainability reports of three major fashion brands – Adidas, H&M, and Inditex, with the aim to gain insights of the current situation of non-financial reporting.
The study examines how companies address various aspects of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors within their sustainability reports. It also investigates whether these companies prioritize different topics in their practices. Furthermore, the research evaluates how extensively fashion companies incorporate industry-standard KPIs to measure and compare their
sustainability performances.
The results show that the three companies focus on ESG factors differently, with environmental issues being consistently addressed, although the degrees of emphasis vary. Inditex emerges as a leader in fulfilling ESG criteria, with Adidas and H&M closely behind. Analyzing a company’s KPIs reveals a range of diverse approaches, complicating comparisons with competitors. However, following set standards such as the GRI Standards enhances credibility, even though transparency improvements are possible. With the EU’s CSRD regulation on the horizon, companies are encouraged to improve data accuracy and transparency, which may lead to changes in strategic directions.
This study emphasizes the importance of fair reporting, clear communication, and standardized frameworks to promote sustainability. With the insights provided by the research, this work is aimed at researchers, shareholders, and stakeholders interested in understanding, or implementing sustainability practices within the fashion industry.
Decisions are made every day, every second of our lives, and are particularly important in a business context. Projects, from their objectives to their ending are a sum of organized and unorganized decisions where facts and data battle with human nature.
In this paper, we will analyse how those decisions are organized in project management, and in general.
After having defined extensively project Management, Decision-Making and their link, a new structure of decision-making will be presented. It is composed of seven steps:
1. Establishing the objectives
2. Identify and define the challenge
3. Analyse the challenge
4. Find solutions and alternatives
5. Evaluate alternatives
6. Choosing the best solution
7. Implementing the decision.
This structure is based on Simon, Drucker, Rolstadås and other researchers’ work. It completes and extends former models in order to go beyond classical schemes.
Everyone, from the CEO to the road sweeper goes through these steps, consciously or unconsciously. Of course, all responsibilities and stakes proportionally adapted.
According to the size of the project, the consequences of the decision, the risks and many other factors, this theoretical structure shifts to fit the needs and becomes less “heavy”, being reduced to its simple titles, becoming usable for simpler tasks.
Even though this structure identifies as instinctive and easy to use, it comes out managers rarely follow formal models or strict rules in projects and decision-making. Detailed models are more suited to strategic decisions and projects, as well as during the preparation of a project.
It is important to note that we are not looking for the way to take a “good” decision, but how to take a “right” decision, as the point is to analyse the process.
The automotive after-sales business’ emphasis is on customer retention which it accomplishes by providing services such as maintenance, reparation and spare parts supply. However, not only the rapid supply of spare parts impacts customer satisfaction, but also the service of providing customers with an accurate delivery date. In this context, the Critical Parts Management department at the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center plays a crucial role because their scope of responsibility is the management of parts bottlenecks in the Mercedes-Benz after-sales logistics chain for wholesalers and retailers located worldwide. This thesis aims on establishing a rating of improvement recommendations whose implementation can positively influence the delivery date accuracy. Hence, the scope of the analysis comprises an initial assessment of the current situation and the main driving factors that impact the delivery date accuracy. This study relies on qualitative and quantitative data collection via primary research. The examination of the collected data reveals that deliveries usually occur within the scheduled week but most often not on the scheduled day. The noncompliance of involved departments to target specifications and department internal factors were identified as sources of inaccurate delivery dates. Consequently, the analysis concludes with both, external and internal improvement recommendations which are ranked according to their feasibility and possible impact considering a customer and a business centric perspective. A conceptual design of improvements identifies the composition of a reporting team to be very beneficial for both, Critical Parts Management and its customers. This term paper creates value to the department by offering a foundation to a process optimization approach. If further recommendations are implemented and continuously tracked, an increased customer satisfaction and a reduction of waste of time and money is expected to be accomplished.
Analysis of the evolution of banking sector stability in Europe since the global financial crisis
(2017)
The period of the global financial crisis followed by the sovereign debt crisis represents the strongest period of recession in Europe since the Great Depression in 1929. The response by regulators and politics were extensive regulatory reforms that influence the banking sector massively. This thesis has the purpose to describe how banking sector stability can be defined, why regulation is necessary in the banking sector and to shed light on the complicated system of the resulting regulatory institutions in Europe by means of a qualitative literature research. In addition, this thesis evaluates the effectiveness of the current regulatory reforms and the current state of banking sector stability on the basis of a quantitative analysis of risk indicators with respect to the newly introduced regulations. It can be concluded that the regulatory reforms are an improvement in stability enhancement with potential for more improvement, however. Individual banks’ stability has also improved, whereas stability in the whole banking sector cannot be considered as much greater.
Service in industrial manufacturing is a field with a lot of potential for development. The industrial automation company SICK rises to the challenge by developing a service-oriented business model. The disadvantages of the free of charge loan for customers, created the idea to implement a rental model for the testing phase. This bachelor thesis analyzes the service implementation in manufacturing industries and classifies the rental model in the context of service-oriented business models. Further the rental model on the example of a non-contact motion sensor is evaluated and further characteristics are developed. Moreover, the loan and rental process are compared in order to analyze the effort created by the rental model. The main goal is to analyze the need of a service-oriented business model to make a recommendation about the implementation for other products besides the non contact motion sensor. To develop a theoretical background of the topic of service-oriented business models, the researcher refers to literature in the field of service in manufacturing and business models. A practical approach applies to the analysis of the development of the rental model as a business model. Further,expert interviews are conducted to make a recommendation based on the expert’s opinions. In conclusion, manufacturers have further potential to develop service-oriented business models. The core business of the industry is manufacturing which makes it risky to further develop the service portfolio. The findings indicate that the rental model as a service-oriented business model should be an additional option for the testing phase for higher priced products at SICK.
After the Second World War and especially in the early 70s a new phenomenon arose – today widely known as globalization. It eliminated barriers and thus increased international competition. Companies such as Siemens, General Electrics and Procter & Gamble were forced to act globally in order to stay competitive and therefore they had to redefine their businesses in a strategic and internationally oriented manner. As one of a company’s most essential departments, human resources was tremendously forced to adapt to the changed business environment. Language skills, cultural awareness and global mobility were only a few new requirements in human resources.
Early in the beginning of globalization, large companies recognized the opportunity to outsource specific departments with the goal of cost-saving and resource bundling. Manufacturing was and still is a predestined department to make use of outsourcing, whereas the situation for other departments including IT, procurement and human resources is more complex. The main fear is losing control to the outsourcing partner. Main departments with a strategic importance for the overall success are therefore only conditionally suitable for outsourcing. Companies need to ask themselves, how much control over their human capital they are willing to sacrifice for saving costs and staying competitive. With the purpose to evade this conflict of objectives, companies seek for a hybrid model, which allowed them maintaining control and cutting costs at the same time.
In the early 70s, first companies found the solution in the Shared Service Center model, which then rapidly spread throughout a number of countries and industries. Human Resources Shared Service Centers can be defined as a hybrid model, combining advantages and avoiding disadvantages of outsourcing and decentralization of Human Resources. The Shared Service Center model is expected to lower costs, improve efficiency and service quality, and enable organizations to better focus on core functions. Although the strategy seems only having advantages, there are many aspects to consider in the pre-implementation phase. Moving to the Shared Service Center model represents an immense strategic project, including high risk, costs and impact on the overall success. For this reason, the project needs to be well planned, designed, implemented, monitored
and evaluated from the right people, at the right time and at the right place. Any small mistakes made during the project might have an unpredictable and irreversible impact and prevent the company from benefiting of the Shared Service Center model or might even force the organization to stop the project completely. Before deciding to implement Shared Service Centers, companies need to accept that there is neither guarantee for success nor a universally valid success strategy. Best and worst practices will be discovered during the transition at the earliest and a success evaluation can only happen in the post-transition phase. Although the Shared Service Center model is not a recent trend as it found first-time application many decades ago, the topic remains relevant as many companies still hesitate implementing this risky strategy. Some organizations succeeded, others failed and returned to their old approach while some are currently in the transition phase.
Before deciding to move to the Shared Service Center model, one of the top pharma company’s was facing the same issues as other companies on such a scale. The management increasingly felt the pressure to offer the same or an even better service quality at a lower price. Changing the strategy and implementing Shared Service Centers across the globe was seen as the most promising solution. The large pharma company with employees of many nationalities worldwide offers a huge variety of cultures, which can be seen as a chance, but also as an obstacle on the way to a successful Shared Service Center implementation. Primarily, the company has to consider that the project might not work in the same pace, quality and method for all countries. Finding best practices for all countries is a desirable goal, yet not easy to achieve.
This thesis is a study examining the potential of implementing automation solutions in the financial month-end close of TomTom Business Unit Automotive Finance. The aim of this study is to identify processes with potential for the implementation of Robotic Process Automation and/or Artificial Intelligence, to improve month-end close in the selected case company.
The theoretical framework delimits Digital Business Transformation from Digitalization and Digitization. It provides background knowledge on Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence and points out how digitalization impacts the finance function of the future. Furthermore, factors for successful implementation of automation are discussed.
The study applies the strategy of action research performed in a two-staged research examination, including the performance of interviews and the analysis of the interview results. The interview’s goal was to examine month-end close processes, gathering information about the process itself and its characteristics, to have a solid understanding on the processes for the subsequent analysis. The data analysis was conducted applying two different approaches, varying depending on which automation tool best suited the process.
The research result showed that half of the processes in month-end close of Automotive Finance have the automation potential. This automation is more related to the implementation of processes into SAP Analytics Cloud and the use of included Artificial Intelligence features than to the use of Robotic Process Automation.
This result confirms the theoretical findings on the high potential of automation in reporting and endorses the automation potential of month-end close in TomTom Business Unit Automotive Finance.
With the increasing environmental awareness and governmental regulations aimed at reduction of CO2 emissions car manufacturers who produce vehicles powered by diesel, or petrol engines, start to develop and produce electric vehicles in order to stay competitive in the market. However, not only conventional car manufacturers who have been successfully operating in the market for many years and do not want to lose their leading position because of this trend but also other companies and start-ups are trying to enter this industry or are already operating in the electric vehicle market. This raise the question whether the business models of the conventional car manufacturers are suitable for achieving success in the electric vehicles market.
This bachelor thesis compares the business models of the BMW Group and Tesla, Inc. in order to identify the differences between the business models of a conventional vehicle manufacturer and an electric vehicle manufacturer. Moreover, it examines the cost structure of both companies and reveals the differences.
In recent years, an increasingly technological and digital world, with new opportunities
and communication channels, has seen a power shift between brands and their consumers
in favor of the latter (Hansen et al., 2018). This bachelor's thesis examines the question
of whether there are models that can help companies and their brands to counteract the
change in the power balance while responding to changing consumer behavior.
Method: To answer this question, two models, crowdsourcing, and influencer marketing
were presented, that can also be used in the context of brand management. These were
analyzed from a brand perspective in terms of their possibilities and benefits. In addition,
both were analyzed from the consumer's point of view in terms of their correspondence
with the customers' requirements.
Results: The results show that both crowdsourcing and influencer marketing are suitable
in principle, because they address parts of the new consumer requirements, while at the
same time enabling the brand to act in a more self-determined manner. For a successful
implementation of the models, however, it is essential that there is a strong brand
community that wants to interact with the brand and its partners.
Significance of the results: The results provide some good initial insights into solving the
problem presented, but also clearly point out, that further research is required to better
address the issue of the shifted balance of power between consumers and brands.
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.
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the impact of Intelligent Automation on individuals, organizations and economy and how organizations can adapt. Within the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the use of new technologies is on the rise and rapidly developing and the world is becoming more and more digital.
Organizations in financial services like banks and insurance companies are reevaluating their processes, however, automation has not been applied yet and their back office processes still contain a huge amount of paper and many repetitive tasks, which make the processes inefficient. In processes like this, there is a huge potential for Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence, which allow organizations to automate end-to-end processes with humans only handling exceptions and doing small configurations. The results are higher quality and speed at lower cost.
Despite the fact that the implementation of Intelligent Automation can be done fast and simple, companies have to involve the right people, analyze which processes are actually automatable and follow necessary steps in the implementation process in order to successfully implement Intelligent Automation.
Can the different framing of price promotions decrease consumer value perception and their willingness to pay? Prior research provides evidence of differences in consumer perception of economically equivalent monetary and non-monetary price promotions. In detail, many research works suggest that non-monetary promotions positively affect consumer perception and are therefore preferred over monetary ones that are associated with a drop in quality. Results suggest that this biased consumer behavior is caused by the framing of the promotion, causing difference in cognitive processing and dissimilarities in perception of benefits and product quality. We put this theoretical foundation to the test on the Turkish consumer market of non-durable goods, in order to contrast effects on consumers of the economically equivalent formats ‘50% discount’ as a monetary and ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ as a non-monetary promotion. In particular, the focus was set on analyzing attractiveness perception of the two promotion types and the development of WTP pre- and post-promotion. To achieve this, the non-durable goods rice and antibacterial soap were selected as product stimuli to stage scenarios before, during and after a promotion period. Four sets of questionnaires were shared on social media and distributed to a total of 919 participants via randomization generator. The survey results put forward empirical validation of product-related decrease in value perception as a consequence of both promotion types, namely the ‘promotional effect’. Nevertheless, our data provide no evidence for the ‘framing effect’ in neither attractiveness perception nor post-promotional WTP. This paper aims to bridge the gap on empirical research of key theoretical implications of promotional impact on consumer behavior and to benefit domestic and foreign marketing managers conducting business operations on the Turkish market.
In the wake of global warming, consumers and companies are increasingly attaching importance to a more sustainable performance. Nowadays, this performance is often disclosed in so-called Integrated Reports, which focus on sustainable and non-financial information. However, the problem is that there are still no uniform accounting and auditing standards for disclosing such information.
For this reason, this work aims to investigate whether one can apply traditional financial auditing concepts to the audit of sustainable and non-financial information in an Integrated Report.
To answer the research question, qualitative research was conducted through an expert interview with staff from the Climate Change and Sustainability Services department at Ernst & Young Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschafts GmbH. The focus was on four key audit concepts: Understand the Business, Determining Materiality, Accounting Estimates, and Identification of Fraud Risk. In addition, this research examined how the traditional job description of the auditor will change in the future, considering the increasing importance of sustainable and non-financial information.
The research results showed that the financial audit concepts often serve as the basis for auditing non-financial and sustainable information. However, it was also found that transfer was not possible in some places. This was due to the lack of taxonomy, processes, or difficulty in quantifying qualitative information. In addition, research made it possible to identify new risks, such as the creation of new incentives through variable compensation linked to sustainability performance. Furthermore, challenges, and opportunities for the future of the Integrated Report and suggestions for the application of the concepts, could be elaborated.
Beginning in the mid 2007’s the US financial market started to slide into the “worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the early 1930’s” (Thakor, 2015: p.156). The domino effect of several events and occasions were leading first to a countrywide recession in the USA then later spreading globally. In the following this term paper will deal with the main causes and effects of 2008 financial crisis. Unlike other topics in literature there is no consensus about the question of guilt in this sense. Among economists there are different approaches to explain the main causes of the financial crisis.
With the advent of a worldwide internationalization and globalization companies around the globe have been looking to increase their market shares abroad (K Aiginger, H Handler, 2017).
For the German automotive industry in particular and therefore the German tool industry respectively, the Chinese market has become a very lucrative and important marketplace in recent years (A Fraß, 2016).
This thesis is presenting a case study for the German family-run business Hufschmied Zerspanungssysteme GmbH. It is meant as a foundation and guideline for any future business endeavors in the Chinese market for Hufschmied Zerspanungssysteme GmbH. This thesis consequently examines the current market situation for the tool industry in China and analyses Hufschmied´s competitiveness of its current product portfolio.
The German machine tool industry is supplying different branches in China, for this case study a closer look at the aviation industry and automotive industry will be taken.
The Chinese market has been exhibiting a large growth over the last few years, but current events such as the implementation of tariffs (UN, 2020) and the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 Virus (SM Iacus et al., 2020) might mitigate the attractiveness of the market. Without a doubt there are both Challenges and Opportunities for the German machine tool industry in the Chinese market.
Accordingly, the thesis will with the combination of empirical research data and a market analysis of the Chinese market draw a conclusion to which degree the Chinese market offers challenges and opportunities for the German machine tool industry. Additionally, a PEST-Analysis of the Chinese market will provide further insights regarding the market situation in the target market.
This thesis will employ qualitative research methods, the needed data is going to be acquired from primary and secondary sources. As for primary sources, observations and interviews will be used, secondary sources will consist of articles as well as related literature.
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.
Stress is an omnipresent phenomenon that has been increasingly used in a daily context. The underlying concept and far-reaching consequences of prolonged stress however seem to be often underrated. Nevertheless, the digital transition and fast technological advancement have seemingly fuelled the stress experience and created new challenges such as information overload, dysfunctional detachment or far-reaching substitution potential of numerous jobs. In line with this development, there are several health insurance companies being growingly alarmed as a trend of incapacity to work stemming from mental disorders has assumed horrifying proportions. These present circumstances ought to urge employers greatly to take actions, given the fact that employees spend a considerable large percentage of their lifetime at work. Therefore, employers have to assume responsibility in protecting employee’s well-being. In this context, the present bachelor thesis aims to provide an action model for employers in how to establish a stress management model in the framework of a holistic operation health management. Furthermore, the established model shall address particularly young professionals who have recently entered the job market. This is justified by the major transitions a career starter usually undergoes which commonly constitutes a particular stressful time in an individual’s life. For this purpose, this scientific work further builds on creating a comprehension of the current state of research and literature that has been collected to date. Providing an updated literature review, this work builds on secondary analyses. The bachelor thesis emphasises the complex nature of stress depending on a wide range of influential factors that can be both internal and external (work design, technological advancement, inherent resources as well as social support). Accordingly, employers can take action in realising behavioural prevention measures (i.e. trainings in communication, time management and relaxation techniques) and environmental prevention measures (i.e. workplace improvements by reduction of noise/dirt pollution, ergonomic workplace design;work tasks improvementsby increased scope for control, flexible working and break times; supporting health-promoting behaviour, e.g. balanced and healthy canteen meals, fitness courses).
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.
City branding
(2015)
The subject of this Bachelor thesis is based on place branding. The goal is to show its evolution since its creation until today and to analyze its importance nowadays. Our work focus mainly on four aspects of place branding, namely sense of place, identity of a place, stakeholders and communication. Sense of place helps to create meanings and attachment to the place. Identity of a place is mostly created by the different people living there and is very important to build a successful brand. Stakeholders are fundamental to place branding and it is very important to recognize the right groups of stakeholders to involve in the branding process, especially local people. Communication is a big part of place branding and has to be managed in an adapted way. The growing evolution of online branding has to be taken into account and managed closely. Word of mouth is a very efficient and powerful way of communication and it should not be neglected when creating a city brand. All these elements are being studied through the example of Strasbourg’s city branding, “Strasbourg, the Europtimist”. We see that the city is ignoring some of the elements mentioned above and could improve its city branding by applying these aspects more carefully. The Bachelor thesis then analyses the success of one of Strasbourg’s sub-brands: “Strasbourg, Capital of Christmas”. Through its analysis, we demonstrate that the key success factors of this event are based on the involvement of the right groups of stakeholders, a strong identity of place, the creation of meanings to the place and a powerful word of mouth. Recommendations are then made to improve the branding of “Strasbourg, the Europtimist”, based on the successful branding of “Strasbourg, Capital of Christmas”.
The Sharing Economy: Bartering, Lending, Renting or Swapping peer-to-peer is an increasing phenomenon in Consumer Behaviour. As a result of overconsumption in society the past few decades and the financial crisis in 2008, consumers’ awareness towards consumption shifted to a more sustainable use of resources to prevent rising CO2 emission, climate change, global warming, pollution of oceans, massive interventions in ecosystems and to support global fairness.
Even though this Collaborative Consumption is still in its infancy, the participation of caring consumers is still rising.
But how sustainable is this new way of consumption, if it is a new phenomenon at all?
By describing the Sharing Economy as a rising business model, its history and the four major drivers for its success the topicality and brisance of this fast-changing appearance get illustrated. The Transportation Technology portrays, how intense Sharing, Bartering, Lending or Selling influences the daily consumer behaviour in twenty-first century.
Mostly, this Thesis evaluates advantages and disadvantages of the Sharing Economy, and finally concludes if Collaborative Consumption is as sustainable as it is proclaimed by its supporters and how influentially and environmentally-sustainable collaborative consumption might be for the future.
Coworking spaces are known for providing the opportunity to network with the members of a coworking space and with the outside world. In order for this networking to happen, there must be a third person facilitating the relationship creation, which in this case is a Community Manager. As a result of this, this study aims to apply the concept of being a superconnector to the Community Managers in coworking spaces.
In order to prove this theory, the author of this paper carried out a qualitative research with eleven in-depth interviews. Seven of them were addressed to coworking members, while the other four to the Community Managers of four different coworking spaces. The coworking members were chosen through referral or through snowball sampling in order to acquire diverse results. Amongst these coworking members there were freelancers, start-up builders and employees from bigger companies. This variety provided the researcher with valuable information to understand how the different types of coworkers may benefit differently from the role of a Community Manager whilst networking. This research might also be helpful for other researchers since it provides information about the different sizes and populations of the coworking spaces.
The results of this study demonstrate the importance of the presence of a Community Manager in coworking spaces. This impacts mostly coworking spaces that focus on freelancers and start-up entrepreneurs that place a high value on networking.
The following thesis analyzes what a new sustainable pension reform for Germany could look like and which aspects can be adopted from other countries. It is shown that the German pension system needs a reform because it lacks sustainability due to the demographic change taking place and the associated poverty in old age. Another factor is the lack of state subsidies. To this
end, five different countries were analyzed, a survey and a utility analysis were conducted in order to compare the countries according to certain criteria and to draw conclusions as to which pension system or which aspects could be copied and implemented in Germany. The results show that Sweden and Norway have a sophisticated pension system with many aspects that could be adopted. Austria also provides some good ideas. The existing plans of the German government and other experts show that Germany is on the right track, but needs to be reformed
as soon as possible in order to achieve a positive result immediately.
Islamic banking is the new trend emergent within the modern-day banking industry, yet minimal literature is written about it. Most of the literary content today is regarding conventional banking, especially in non-Muslim countries and continents, Europe and U.S. included. Lack of literature is a threat to the operationalization of both modes of banking, due to lack of information and market analysis data. One of the fields where minimal literature coverage exists is market regulation – which is basically information as to how these two types of banking are regulated according to legislative structures. In light of this literature gap, this study emerges to explore the market regulative structure of both Islamic and conventional banks. The methodology to collect primary data is through interviews of selected players in both Islamic and conventional banks, such as bank managers, consultants, and personnel in the IT and finance department. The results of the interviews demonstrate that Islamic banks are faced with shortage of market regulation structures while conventional banks, on the other hand, are overwhelmed with over-regulation. The study provides several feasible solutions for these challenges.
While corporate valuation is among the most applied tools in today's corporate finance, there are several approaches and methods to valuation, which differ regarding structure, value drivers and their need for supplementing data. In this paper, four valuation methods for public-traded companies are examined. The aim is to determine, if it is possible to achieve superior valuation results when the choice of the valuation method is based on recommendations made in literature and the analysis of the target companies characteristics, profile and fundamentals. For a selected set of six public-traded German software companies the four valuation methods are applied in order to test the assumptions. Based on the analysis, the results suggest that superior valuation outcomes can be obtained by choosing the valuation method in accordance with the recommendations made in literature and the target company's profile and financials. Furthermore, implied multiples and DCF stand out as valuation methods that worked best for the majority of the six German software companies.