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The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the fairly recent Basel III regulations, and to find out if they have impacts on the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore, the theoretical impacts on financial institutions and on small and medium-sized enterprises would be analysed and compared to the real development. Basel III is an advancement to Basel I and II and contains stricter capital and liquidity requirement regulations for financial institutions, as well as a leverage ratio. The purpose is to create a financial sector, which would be more resistant against crises. Because the liquidity requirements and the leverage ratio are not, or only partly introduced yet, the thesis focuses more on the capital requirements. These requirements, demand banks to deposit a higher percentage of equity for each credit operation, depending on the risk. It is expected that financial institutions will face an excess need of capital to fulfil the requirements. On the one hand, banks could increase their equity, which hypothetically could lead to higher capital costs as well as an increase of credit costs. That would in turn result in worse credit terms for SMEs. On the other hand, banks could reduce their risk-weighted assets to lower the need for new capital. That could minimize the capacity of the credit business and lead to difficulties for SMEs in obtaining a loan. An empirical study, based on a theoretical simulation, came to the result that there will be a slight worsening of the credit terms and the credit supply for SMEs. Regarding to the question “if the new capital requirements are appropriate for SME-loans”, it shows that there is no increase of risk in that segment. Therefore, the capital requirements should be adjusted for these kind of loans. The theoretical impacts of the liquidity requirements and the leverage ratio are also expected to affect the loans for SMEs, which are the second important financing instrument. To compare and analyse the theoretical impacts to the real development, latest empirical studies were used to get a picture of the current situation. It shows that the group of financial institutions that are relevant for SME-loans have a moderate increase in their equity basis and almost no decrease of their risk-weighted assets. Theoretically, that should lead to worse credit terms and no change in the credit supply. While analysing the realised external funds made in recent years, it is affirmed that there is no decline in the credit supply. Regarding the increased capital basis, there is no worsening in the credit terms perceived in the reality. The favourable key interest rate could be the reason for that, because it compensates the increased capital cost. Hence, Basel III does not represents a threat to the mid-sized sector in average. However, it can be stated that, the smaller the enterprises are, the more difficult it is to get a loan and the worse the conditions are.
Diese Arbeit behandelt die Thematik der Kundenzufriedenheit, welche in Forschung und Praxis auf Grund ihres hohen Einflusses auf den Unternehmenserfolg nach wie vor an Bedeutung gewinnt. Anhand des Beispiels der SCOPE Messestrategie GmbH, Veranstalter der HORIZON Messe für Studium und Abiturientenausbildung, wird die
Vorgehensweise bei der Durchführung einer Kundenzufriedenheitsanalyse im Messewesen dargelegt. Die Ergebnisse dieser Analyse zeigen, welchen Dienstleistungseigenschaften einer Bildungsmesse besondere Bedeutung beizumessen ist und wie man auf Basis dieser Erkenntnisse eine Steigerung der Ausstellerzufriedenheit bewirken kann.
Global Sourcing - ,,von der Theorie in die Praxis'' - Analyse alternativer Beschaffungsmärkte
(2015)
Steigender Wettbewerbsdruck im Zuge der Globalisierung zwingt Unternehmen dazu, sich noch stärker von der Konkurrenz abzuheben. Wesentlicher Erfolgsfaktor ist neben dem Absatz innovativer Produkte auch zunehmend die Beschaffung der erforderlichen Komponenten zur Herstellung dieser Produkte. In diesem Zusammenhang hat sich in den letzten Jahren der Begriff Global Sourcing in der Beschaffungsabteilung von Unternehmen etabliert. Dabei geht es um die Ausweitung der Beschaffungsaktivitäten auf weltweite Anbietermärkte. Andere Länder können durch unterschiedliche Bedingungen bestimmte Produkte zu besseren Konditionen anbieten als der Heimatmarkt. Um von diesen Vorteilen profitieren zu können muss überprüft werden, ob Alternativen auf internationalen Märkten bestehen und ob diese nachhaltig genutzt werden können. Der Inhalt der vorliegenden Bachelor-Thesis stellt die Analyse internationaler Beschaffungsmärkte dar. Das Unternehmen ARBURG GmbH + Co KG hat diese Potenziale erkannt und ist bestrebt, diese weiter voranzutreiben. Das Ergebnis dieser Arbeit liefert neue Erkenntnisse bezüglich internationaler Lieferantensuche, - bewertung und -auswahl. Dabei wurde überprüft, ob für bestimmte Produktgruppen alternative Lieferanten identifiziert werden können, die ihre Produkte zu besseren Konditionen als bisherige Lieferanten anbieten. Die Ergebnisse wurden als erfolgsversprechend eingestuft, lassen Schlüsse für weitere Beschaffungsaktivitäten zu und können in eine ganzheitliche Strategieableitung des Unternehmens integriert werden. Ausgewählte Methoden und Konzepte wurden dabei angewendet, um eine nachvollziehbare und zukünftig anwendbare Vorgehensweise zu etablieren.
Content of this bachelor thesis is to portray the status quo in Germany´s discussion about its welcoming culture and its lack of qualified workers. Government actions as well as efforts from companies are shown in this paper. Two surveys were conducted about the welcoming culture in Germany and German companies. The first survey was asking companies about their need of qualified workers as well as an already might existing welcoming culture. The second survey was sent to qualified immigrants who came through projects to Germany, to find out how they perceived the efforts for a welcoming culture in Germany. The results of the whole research are summed up in the last part of the thesis with a critical eflection. The surveys were conducted with the support of Synergie Personal GmbH Deutschland, as well as with the help of the companies that participated in the projects of the Fachkräfteallianz Gewinnerregion.
In cooperation with the Customer Relationship Management and Communication department at Volkswagen AG the thesis “The future of Service Marketing in the automotive industry” was written. The sales part of After Sales is relatively small compared to the total turnover, but it is the biggest part of benefits of a car manufacturer. This is just one reason why After Sales has such a big relevance in the automotive industry. This thesis defines After Sales and Service Marketing, gives reasons for the importance of After Sales and details how to attract the right customer groups in the context of After Sales. Additionally, it is discussed how customer needs are best addressed and fulfilled, and what kind of new Service Marketing tools could help Volkswagen to exploit the full market potential of its after sales division. The data on which this paper is based was drawn from various company-internal and external sources. The most important company-external data sources were articles about the after sales practices of other car manufacturers and companies of completely different industries. With regards to internal sources, this paper is based on internal best practices and data collected in an expert workshop regarding the internal visions that are shaping the future of Service Marketing. The given data was qualitatively analysed and resulted in a collection of potential Service Marketing tools for the international Brand Volkswagen Cars markets. The most important findings are new digital communication tools, new customer relationship tools and point of sales tools.
The aim of this Bachelor Thesis is to analyze the child safety lock offered by Samsung, which is one of the latest inventions on the market for Smartphones. It will be discussed if its abilities are a solution for ethical problems, which come along with Mobile Marketing on children. Furthermore it will be identified if the child safety lock, as a product, keeps the promises Samsung made to the consumers. Smartphones are gaining greater importance in today’s society and are not only used by adults, but by a great amount of children. A smartphone gives kids the possibility to enter the internet without barriers. They have access to all the offered websites and programs the internet contains, which opens up a lot of dangers. Marketing on children is getting more intensive, because children play a more important role in the buying decisions of their families than they did in the past. There are plenty of studies where children´s perception of advertisement was analyzed. A relationship between their perception of advertisement and the development of their cognitive thinking was detected. The more distinctive the cognitive thinking is, the better is their perception of advertisement.
Advertisement and other marketing methods can influence and manipulate children, without them realizing it. Due to that there a discussions on ethical level about the fairness of confronting children with contents they can´t understand because of their stage of development. Notably mobile marketing describes a lot of dangers for children owing to its availability on a Smartphone 24/7.
The two most important laws regarding media protection for children is the “Jugendschutzgesetz” (JuSchG), which is administrated by the German government and the “Jugendmedienschutz-Staatsvertrag”, which is in hands of the 16 federal states in Germany. The opinion of experts in the field of media education, as well as the opinion of parents and teachers about the mentioned topics is essential to bring different stakeholders into the account. This paper contains several empirical research methods which discuss these opinions. Key words: Marketing and Ethics, Smartphones, Marketing aimed on children, Mobile Marketing, Media Protection for children
The purpose of this study is to research the impact of enterprise social software on performance management in order to explain the statement of this thesis: performance management can benefit from social software. The thesis first defines the emergent collaborative performance management and enterprise social software systems against the background of the need for ‘modernized’ Human Resource systems. Then, interviews were conducted in order to determine the critical success factors of implementing enterprise social software into business systems and processes. Finally, the derived critical success factors are discussed and compared to different assumptions that are made in literature about the impact of enterprise social software on performance management.
It was concluded that performance management can benefit from enterprise social software, but under specific conditions such as rules and policies. Organizations that embrace new technologies and use enterprise social software in compliance with their objectives, strategies and policies can enjoy increased productivity and a collaborative business culture with highly engaged employees.
The German-French personnel consultancy Rheinbrücke Consulting intended to gain a deeper knowledge of the German market for personnel consulting. Due to the lack
of comprehensive literature, expert interviews were conducted in the framework of this thesis in order to analyse the structure of the German market for personnel consulting how it is changing and to derive consequences for the positioning of Rheinbrücke Consulting today and in the future. The result is that the German market for personnel consulting is opaque and that a lot of companies from sole entrepreneurs to personnel consulting concerns supply a lot of services that vary considerably in their quality. Potential clients prefer to employ recommended personnel consultancies that are specialised and supply performance-based billing. They aim for long term business partnerships with personnel consultancies wherefore the author recommends to Rheinbrücke Consulting to follow up in their strategy work with the key subjects networking, relationship between customer and personnel consultancy, specialisation and remuneration.
Numerous, if not all, companies are faced with the very same challenge: To train their employees and to qualify them regarding ever new topics. But whilst enterprises are already cooperating in other business areas for quite some time, they do not (yet) share training materials treating the same topical areas. This thesis approaches this issue and thereby takes the first step in developing research on cross-company Content Sharing. This means the sharing of training materials between businesses. More specifically, the paper examines the question how the success of such a cooperation can be measured, to which extent success is likely to be achieved and how it can be developed. The work’s basis is formed by the scientific knowledge on inter-organizational cooperations and on learning objects. Starting from this point in-depth literature analysis and expert interviews were carried out. This resulted in the creation of the Evaluation-Criteria Framework for Content Sharing Cooperations. This model consists of four categories that group together ten evaluation criteria, 33 sub-criteria and 76 examination
elements. Subsequently the model was applied to a collaboration between Robert Bosch GmbH and DEKRA S.E., aiming at the joint development of training documents. To examine this inter-organizational relation a case study research was carried out. For this end various qualitative (interview, participant observation) and quantitative (questionnaire, cost calculation) methods. Seven out of then criteria were identified as fulfilled. The saving of five working days’ time as well as participant’s satisfaction can be emphasized. An unambiguous statement regarding costs, however, cannot be made. Finally, identified problems suggest that a thorough definition of target groups and their needs and requirements are of utmost importance for content sharing cooperations. The same holds for establishing the role of a (ideally company-independent) coordinator. In conclusion it can be recognized, that the Evaluation-Criteria Framework constitutes a reality-tested model which is also suitable for future research; like, for example, additional case studies to confirm validity of the second insight gained in this paper: Sharing training contents seems to be a promising approach for companies operating within the
knowledge society.
The Bachelor Thesis is about the efficiency of adidas’ sport sponsoring efforts at the Football World Cup 2014 – measured on the basis of digital marketing successes. This study has two major purposes: Firstly, to find out whether adidas was able to reach its pre-defined goals on digital platforms and secondly, to compare the digital effects of an official sponsor (adidas) with a on-official sponsor/ambush-marketer (Nike)showing that the extra costs were well invested. The author suggests that mbushmarketers - although they don’t have the official right to use the World Cup as their advertising rostrum - are also able to benefit from the World Cup itself and from starting some World Cup-related campaigns in social platforms, but not to the same extent as official sponsors. The thesis is divided into two parts - the theoretical part, that gives a theoretical background to the main topic and the practical part that analyses the two main questions of the empirical study. The analysis shows that adidas’ sport sponsoring efforts in social platforms were highly successful regarding the fact that they were able to achieve seven out of ten pre-defined goals. With regards to the three (pretty ambitious) goals that weren’t reached, the author further gives improvement proposals with precise ideas about what needs to be done in order to achieve them in the future. In the next step the author gives an overview of the privilegues that official sponsors of the World Cup possess in contrast to ambush-marketers and outlines the major differences. The comparison of the performance of an official sponsor with an ambushmarketer in digital platforms shows that most of the time indeed the official sponsor achieved higher effects than the ambush-marketer. But since there are also some other factors besides being an official or non-official sponsor that have an impact on the marketing effects of a company (like for example the success of the sponsored team, the degree of popularity of adidas/Nike and its testimonials etc.) the author also provides a critical acclaim about the findings of the thesis. Since adidas performed so well on digital platforms and achieved or even exceeded almost all of their pre-defined goals it can be concluded that sport sponsoring in social media platforms is a very potent and effective marketing method. Also the ambushmarketer Nike achieved some effects on digital platforms but not to the same extent as the official sponsor adidas.
Diese Bachelor-Thesis befasst sich mit der Analyse des aktuellen Konsolidierungsprozesses bei der Hectronic-Gruppe, der Identifizierung der Problemstellen sowie möglichen Lösungsansätzen zu dessen Optimierung und Standardisierung im Rahmen des Konzernabschlusses.
Dabei werden zuerst wichtige Begriffe, Gesetzesgrundlagen in der Schweiz sowie Konsolidierungsmethoden und Trends, die für ein Grundverständnis der Thematik notwendig sind, erklärt. Anschließend wird der Konsolidierungsprozess analysiert und die Problematik Excel als Tool zur Durchführung der Konsolidierung aufgegriffen. Des Weiteren werden anhand der Fachliteratur, aktueller Studien und Trends drei Optimierungsvorschläge entwickelt: der Wechsel des Rechnungslegungs-Standards von OR zu Swiss GAAP FER, der Einsatz einer Software-Lösung und das Outsourcing des Konsolidierungsprozesses.
Die Software-Auswahl fand anhand einer Nutzwertanalyse statt, die mit Hilfe von Experteninterviews und eines Fragebogens durchgeführt wurde. Dabei schnitt die Software-Lösung der LucaNet AG am besten ab. Das Outsourcing, das anhand von Fragebögen (=E-Mails BPO-Anbieter) evaluiert wurde, bietet sich weniger für die Hectronic-Gruppe an, da sich zeigte, dass die Alternative auf lange Sicht gesehen teurer ist und es sich als schwierig erwiesen hat, einen geeigneten Outsourcing-Anbieter zu finden.
Nach der Gegenüberstellung der Alternativen mit ihren jeweiligen Vor- und Nachteilen sowie der Kosten wird der Hectronic-Gruppe empfohlen, den Rechnungslegungs-Standard von OR zu Swiss GAAP FER zu wechseln sowie den Einsatz einer Software-Lösung dem Outsourcing vorzuziehen.
Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht auf der Basis einer umfassenden B2B-Kundenanalyse, wie sich ein erster Marktsegmentierungsansatz bezüglich der gewerblichen Kunden von E-Mobility aus Sicht des Automobilhandels ausgestalten könnte und welche strategischen Implikationen sich daraus für die Kommunikation mit dem Zielmarkt ergeben. Basierend auf diesen Erkenntnissen, wird in einem weiteren Schritt analysiert, welche B2B-Geschäftsmodelle sich besonders für dieses Kundensegment eignen. Die Gesamtheit der Erkenntnisse werden abschließend zur Konzeption eigener B2B-Geschäftsmodellideen genutzt, welche sich aufgrund einer umfassenden Wirtschaftlichkeitsberechnung als besonders attraktiv sowohl für den Zielmarkt als auch für den Automobilhandel erweisen.
In recent years the Green Bond market has shown a tremendous growth. It would be interesting to see where the motivation of the issuing companies comes from. One theory is that they expect to have a lower credit spread in this new market segment then in the normal bond market. It is the goal of this paper to analyse if this is the case or not. To do such an analyse it is necessary to find a connection between sustainability and classical capital market theories. Due to a lack of common understanding and measurability of sustainability this is not easy to do. Nowadays it is not possible to give a price for social benefit and as a result it is also not seen in the credit spread.
Gegenstand der hier vorgestellten Bachelorarbeit ist das Konsumentenverhalten der Automobilkäufer. Die einzelnen Faktoren, die einen Einfluss auf das Konsumentenverhalten haben, werden hierfür analysiert. Auf Geschlechterunterschiede wird dabei weit möglichst eingegangen. Der Untersuchungsschwerpunkt wird auf die Beeinflussungsfaktoren der Informationssuche von den Individuen vor einem Autokauf gelegt. Als Unterstützung wird eine empirische Studie in Form einer Umfrage an Studenten und Absolventen gesendet. Zu diesem Zweck wird die Nutzung von persönlichen und unpersönlichen Informationsquellen, im Zusammenhang mit subjektivem und objektivem Wissen untersucht. Zusätzlich wird der Wert der persönlichen Erfahrungen der Konsumenten hinterfragt. Es konnte festgestellt werden, dass signifikante Unterschiede bezüglich der persönlichen, aber nicht der unpersönlichen Informationsquellen bestehen. Außerdem ergab die Umfrage, dass die weiblichen Probanden ihr subjektives Wissen deutlich geringer einschätzen, als die männlichen Teilnehmer.
Mögliche Implikationen und Zukunftsaussichten für die Automobilindustrie werden diskutiert.
Diese Bachelorarbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Erstellung eines strategischen Marketingkonzepts für das B-to-B IT-Serviceproviderunternehmen agilTech Information Technologies GmbH. Durch mangelnde strategische Ausrichtung und die vorherrschende Projektarbeit als Individualsoftware entwickler und IT-Berater, sah sich das Unternehmen bisher einem großen Absatzrisiko und einer volatilen Nachfrage ausgesetzt. So hat sich das Unternehmen opportunistisch am Markt bewegt, keine konkreten Unternehmensziele definiert und konzeptlose Marketingmaßnahmen ohne Zielgruppenbestimmung durchgeführt. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist somit die Entwicklung eines strategischen Marketingkonzepts, um agilTech wettbewerbsfähig am Markt zu positionieren, mehr Projektanfragen zu generieren und so ein strategisches Unternehmenswachstum im fragmentierten Individualsoftwaremarkt zu ermöglichen. Der Lösungsansatz dieser Arbeit basiert auf Taylor’s (2015) strategischem Marketingplanungsprozess, der sich in die Phasen Ziele und Marktanalysen, Strategieentwicklung und operatives Marketing einteilen lässt. Als Ergebnis entstand eine Marketingstrategie, Servicemarketing Mix-Maßnahmen und Kommunikationsmittel wurden identifiziert sowie Handlungsvorschläge unterbreitet. Für die Organisation und Implementierung der Servicemarketing Mix-Maßnahmen wurde ein detaillierter Plan erstellt, für die Marketing-Kontrolle je Servicemarketing Mix-Maßnahme mehrere Key Performance Indicators definiert und Messinstrumente vorgestellt. Damit das erarbeitete, strategische Marketingkonzept positive Resultate erzielen kann, ist jedoch Top Management Support in Form von Engagement sowie zeitliches und finanzielles Investment notwendig.
With the ED/2013/6 the IASB and the FASB issued an exposure draft that proposes a departure from the current leasing model. The risk-and-reward approach shall be replaced by the asset-and –liabilityapproach.
The thesis examines the impact of this reform on the basis of a case study on the GFT Group. The thesis shall provide an overview of the existing and future lease accounting and examined the effects on the consolidated balance sheet through a simulated application of accounting rules set out in the exposure draft, followed by quantification by the use of selected financial ratios. Result of this work is an insignificant change in most financial ratios. Substantial amendments have been found regarding the leverage ratio. The results are scrutinized with information from the simulation and the current state of discussion. Furthermore, suggestions and advice regarding the findings are given to the GFT Group.
The present thesis on "recruiting skilled employees in the field of apprenticeship for SMEs in the crafts using the example of best practice companies" consists of a theoretical and a practical part.
In theory the terms “crafts” and “small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)” are defined. The current situation of recruiting skilled employees in the field of apprenticeship is also explained in more detail. It can be seen that the number of new vocational training contracts decreases progressively. For the most part the reason for this is the failure of merging companies and young people. Furthermore the concept of “best practice” is discussed. The practical part consists of a description of the institution “Chamber of Crafts Karlsruhe” in general and particularly in relation to the topic of apprenticeship. The Chamber represents the interests and concerns of the craft, advises and assists the member companies in different areas especially in the search and placement of apprentices. Companies are examined, which set a good example for the recruitment of apprentices. Based on interviews with 21 “best practice craft enterprises” (17 SMEs, 4 larger companies) different ways of acquisition of apprentices are demonstrated. For each company, the recruiting measures used are represented by percentage depending on the success rate of the obtained apprentices. As a result, the applications for the acquisition of apprentices of SMEs and larger companies are summarized and compared. The aim of the thesis is that the craft industry, be it SMEs or larger businesses, learn and benefit from each other. They should get an overview of what other companies do for the acquisition of apprentices and how they adapt and expand their recruitment activities to the situation of labor shortages in the area of apprenticeship.
This thesis focuses on the development of a business plan for a planed nonprofit organization for single mothers located in Mexico.
It contains on the one hand a theoretical explanation of the most important differences between the nonprofit sector and profit driven sectors. On the other hand it provides an empirical study about the target group and the competition of the planned organization. Therefore the method used for this work is a combination of a theoretical as well as an empirical approach, which provides a wider view on the issue. Based on this obtained data from these researches, the business plan is developed.
During the work it is found that there is a big demand for the planned organization from its target group. In addition there is little competition in this specific sector and the business plan shows a good feasibility of the project as well as growth opportunity of this specific nonprofit organization.
Jobsharing in Management
(2015)
According to a recent German law companies are obliged to increase the proportion of female managers in strategic significant departments because women are nationally and even globally underrepresented in management. Simply raising their share, however, won’t solve the more profound problem. Part of the thesis is the consideration of reasons to the current situation. Mentioned reasons are the management framework conditions and social norms. Furthermore the working model jobsharing in management will be presented as method that realizes a sustainable change in gender diversity. There are already companies which started projects for gender diversity management in order to acknowledge gender disparity and deal with it. A fact referring to social norms is that women still struggle more between their professional career and family than men do. Besides, society pushes women into their classical roles as home keeper. Studies prove that the main reason for women to quit their job is more time for their family. Another fact referring the management framework conditions is that managers often have to work more than 100 percent based on average working time. Jobsharing in management, later on called leadsharing, may enable qualified women not to choose either a management position or their family. Hence, companies may save experienced executives. In this time flexible working model two mangers own the same position and share their job related responsibilities. The characteristics of leadsharing as well as its benefits and challenges will be introduced in relation to eight reports of experienced leadsharers. Leadsharing has proven to be possible and successful but it’s anyway negatively associated with huge effort in communication, dependency within the leadsharing team and infeasibility in management. Thus, the most important requirement for leadsharing is a receptive cooperating company and the perfect partner who can be trusted. The German start-up Tandemploy is specialized on matching jobsharing interested employees and companies. Today’s technologies and circumstances on the shrinking specialists and executive staff market may also support a jobsharing popularity. For companies which are against stagnation and honestly promote gender equality the adoption of leadsharing is apparently a chance to ensure sustainable gender parity in management.
Today Outdoor-Trainings are an element in the modern world of work which increases steadily. It is about an activity-oriented method where vital key skills are developed. Outdoor-Trainings are particularly used as a learning method for management qualifications and teambuilding skills. During Outdoor-Settings participants are learning key skills by action and experience. Nevertheless Outdoor-Trainings are controversially discussed. Purpose of the present thesis is the elective “White Water Principles of Management“ of Hochschule Furtwangen University. Management skills are a learning target taught during an excursion by kayaking on a white water river. There are just a few empirical studies regarding effectiveness and efficiency of Outdoor-Trainings. This is why the following study is analysing the outcome and effectiveness of “White Water Training” for management education. Moreover the elaboration explores the coherence between the characteristics of the students and their management skills. The method used for data collection is a questionnaire where probands indicate their level of agreement towards their management skills on a rating scale. The present study consists of a quasi-experimental design where test persons are classified in an experimental and a control group by criteria of participation or non-participation. This means that people are not randomly assigned to a group. Data are collected two points in time, before and after the measure respectively the workshop. The purpose of the study is to find out whether the experimental group changed more than the control group. The effect of the workshop is measured by the difference in the amount of change between the experimental and the control group.
After evaluating the collected data the study shows that the experimental group respectively the group which participated in the elective, changed clearly more than the control group. Regarding the coherence analysis a connection between business studies and the outcome of the study can be clearly observed. Students of business studies achieved the highest outcomes compared to students of other fields of studies. Moreover it was discovered that students who already had done an apprenticeship had higher levels of agreement before the measure as their colleagues without apprenticeships.
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.
Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit in internationalen After-Sales Organisationen am Beispiel der Daimler AG
(2015)
Leading from the thesis that customer satisfaction depends on the level of employee satisfaction, the following work provides an analysis of different criteria which contribute to the satisfaction of employees. Furthermore, the demand for homogeneously designed concepts at Daimler AG provides a basis for the following question:
Is there a common denominator for employee satisfaction in the worldwide After-Sales Organisation of Daimler AG, considering cultural and organisational differences?
Based on selected literature the concept of employee satisfaction in international After-Sales organisations is discussed by linking the term of employee satisfaction to employee motivation and intercultural differences.
The centre of this work is an international employee survey which consists of a comparison of nine employee satisfaction criteria, implying that the interviewee has to decide which criterion contributes more to his employee satisfaction.
The different survey results of each nationality are discussed and compared regarding the differently weighted satisfaction criteria. There is no criterion which is commonly ranked to be most important among all three nationalities. The criterion which is ranked either on the first or on the second place in all three nationalities is the “income” of an employee, the second most important criterion is “working climate”. Linking these results to a model of interdependencies, it is revealed that “working climate” is the criterion which most influences the other criteria and can furthermore be easily influenced. As “working climate” is not only the second most important criterion to influence employee satisfaction, but is also the most influencing and influenced criterion, it can be said that “working climate” requires the most attention on behalf of the employer to increase general employee satisfaction.
The statement of this work is that there is no single criterion which accomplishes overall employee satisfaction but there are a few criteria which contribute more to the employees’ satisfaction than other criteria do.
Reverse Mentoring
(2015)
The aim of this bachelor’s thesis is to give a detailed description of how Reverse Mentoring is applied in practice. Reverse Mentoring is the mentoring of a senior executive person in a company by a younger employee in topics like Web 2.0 and new technologies. Considering current trends like the demographic change, the multi-generational workforce, the digital transformation and the current demands on knowledge management, it becomes obvious that a new form of learning is required for an organization to stay competitive. Nine people that have experienced Reverse Mentoring in their company served as subjects for a study to further investigate about the practical application of Reverse Mentoring. The study was carried out via telephone interviews. The subjects responded to questions regarding the implementation of the program, the formal structure of the programs, the procedure of matching tandem partners, the characteristics of the program’s participants, the challenges they experienced, the positive and negative experiences and the factors they consider vital for a successful implementation. In a next stage the main aspects of the study’s results were compared to findings in literature in order to verify their generalizability and to develop those findings further in theory. The thesis concludes that Reverse Mentoring can be a tool that helps companies to face current trends, and the reader gets a detailed view on how Reverse Mentoring can be applied in a company.
Problem: The thesis is about Marketing options for Sharklet retrofit at Airbus. Sharklets are wingtip devices which cut down on aerodynamic drag by reducing the vortices that are formed at the wingtips of any aircraft during flight.1 Airbus is looking for new Marketing options to increase sales of Sharklets. Market research findings from various fields will be highlighted and the relevance for Sharklet retrofit will be reviewed. The leading question during the thesis will be: How should Airbus continue to market Sharklets?
Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to describe which Sales and Marketing strategy Airbus uses at the moment and to find out where the weak points of the actual strategy are. Furthermore it will be analyzed what the actual brand image and brand communication of Airbus Sharklets is and whether it is in line with the desired brand identity. The thesis evaluates in which way Branding, Neuromarketing and Customer Journey Mapping can contribute to a better Marketing and Sales strategy.
Conclusion: Airbus should continue to market Sharklets by starting with a Customer Journey Map and figuring out what the customer is really looking for and how Airbus can react to the customers’ expectations. Sharklets should be marketed as wingtip devices that are environmentally friendly, fuel-saving and modern by guaranteeing that the Marketing material is consistent. Sharklets should be marketed not only on a rational basis. Emotional Marketing can be used to improve the brand image and the customer’s associations with the product. A mix of rational and emotional Marketing would be the best for Airbus to try how the customer reacts to emotional Marketing first. Last but not least Airbus should use the opportunity to better inform passengers about Sharklets and to provide input for In-flight-magazines to position the company itself and the customer as environmentally friendly and modern.
This Bachelor thesis deals with drawing up a new marketing concept for the Villingen Institute of Public Health and the subsequent implementation of one part of the concept. The institute offers further education in the field of Public Health. The aim of the thesis is to find marketing activities which will increase the publicity of the institute and help to canvass a sufficient number of participants for its different courses. Initially, the term ‚Public Health’, the institute as well as the concept of Blended-Learning and services marketing are presented. Afterwards, there were some analyses conducted. The internal factors like marketing measures taken before, strengths and weaknesses of the institute, just as the external factors like the market environment and the competition, are evaluated. Due to a large number of other providers, it is Difficult to survive against one’s competitors. Therefore, the Villingen Institute of Public Health should try to stand out from them, emphasizing its university status as well as the practical phases and the flexibility of its courses. Having a really low marketing budget (over 500 €), the VIPH should use principally onlinemarketing measures, as they are often lower-cost or even for free and are able to reach a large amount of interested persons. On the basis of the mentioned findings, there was a marketing concept developed. After determining the target groups and the positioning within the market, a marketing-mix was made, consisting of the 7Ps of services marketing (product, price, place, promotion, person, physical evidence, process). By means of direct marketing via e-mail, post or phone, some target groups can be reached directly. Supporting web-marketing measures can help to get better-known and to be perceived by more people. Public relations to local or regional media can increase the publicity for the institute. During this work, it has been decided to produce an image-film and to write an entry in Wikipedia, the internet encyclopedia, which should represent the implementation part. Finally, the planning and the realization as well as the first results of the implementation measures are presented.
Die vorliegende Thesis zeigt auf, wie sich die deutsche Kurier-, Express- und Paketbranche (KEP) unter dem Einfluss des bis in die heutige Zeit stark wachsenden E-Commerce verändert hat. Die Entwicklung dieser Branche erstreckt sich vom Brief- und Paketmonopol der Deutschen Bundespost bis hin zur Privatisierung der Deutschen Post AG. Parallel dazu veränderte sich auch die Wirtschaft im Laufe der 90er Jahre durch neue Entwicklungen in der IT-Branche. Seit der letzten Jahrhundertwende hat das Vertriebsmedium Internet kontinuierlich an Relevanz gewonnen, revolutionierte den Warenhandel und digitalisierte viele Branchen des heutigen Einzelhandels.
Besondere Auswirkungen hatte der Aufstieg des Internets auf die KEP-Branche. Infolge der Implementierung von Onlineshops und des Rückgangs des lokalen Einzelhandels, stieg das Paketvolumen im letzten Jahrzehnt aufgrund des damit veränderten Kaufverhaltens und der Digitalisierung des gesamten Warenhandels mit weiterhin wachsender Tendenz deutlich an. Im Laufe dieser Thesis soll daher sowohl die heutige KEP-Branche im Rahmen einer Umwelt- und Wettbewerbsanalyse näher untersucht und analysiert werden als auch der Faktor E-Commerce genauer unter die Lupe genommen werden, um die maßgeblichen Entwicklungen und Innovationen aufzuzeigen. Nach einer kurzen Vorstellung der angewandten Analysewerkzeuge werden die Entwicklungen innerhalb der Branche näher betrachtet. Anschließend erfolgt die Umweltanalyse unter Anwendung von Michael Porters Fünf-Kräfte-Modell und einer PESTLE Analyse sowie die Wettbewerbsanalyse, die sich einer Benchmark Analyse bedient. Eine SWOT Analyse soll die Stärken und Schwächen sowie die Chancen und Risiken der KEP-Branche identifizieren. Abschließend soll eine Prognose Aufschluss über die voraussichtlichen Entwicklungen der Branche, die von vielen externen und internen Faktoren bestimmt wird, sowie des ECommerce geben. Vor allem der große Preisdruck und der Bedarf nach kundenfreundlichen Innovationen sorgt für eine hohe Rivalität innerhalb der Branche. Das E-Commerce agiert dabei als maßgeblicher Wachstumsmotor, der die Branche vor allem durch den enormen Zuwachs im Privatkundenbereich (B2C) weiter antreibt.
Analyse der Berufsgruppe Architekten zur Ermittlung einer zielgruppengerechten Kommunikation für einen Baustoffhersteller
Analysis of the occupational group of architects to determine a communication appropriate to the target audience for a building materials manufacturer
This thesis deals with the specialties of addressing the occupational group of architects in Germany. It examines their role and approach in the process of buying building material with the aim of finding out a suitable way for a building materials manufacturer to communicate with the target audience. For this purpose a secondary analysis of architects is carried out and replenished with a primary data acquisition.
After analyzing the work, role and way of obtaining information of the architect the theory of corporate communication is explained. This chapter shows the requirements and possibilities and examines the features of communication for a business-to-business company. Following the primary data acquisition in the form of expert interviews is carried out. In conclusion the outcome of the secondary and primary research is merged, which allows the derivation of a recommended course of action.
The results show that architects have a powerful role in the buying center and therefore a tremendous influence on the buying process of building materials. However it emerges to be difficult to address the target audience, since they communicate in a passive way. Furthermore the study identifies that architects are artists and builders in one person. This is why it is important to them that their projects do not only look good but are also functional. Another result is that architects often do not feel respected as experts, although they have a wide specialized knowledge. Moreover the research shows that the target audience has to face new challenges with every project, which is why they are always searching for new inspiration and ideas. Finally it emerges that architects feel a special enthusiasm for their occupation and work as well as architecture in general.
From the insights gained it could be derived that the appropriate way to communicate with architects is in two phases. On the first stage the attention of the target audience needs to be won in the right moment, which is why the manufacturer has to show a steady presence. In the second phase the company has to provide all information needed to the architect. In conclusion of this thesis it is highly recommended for building materials manufacturers to address architects in an appropriate way because in the long run it will improve the market position of the company.
This bachelor thesis deals with the topic of a better design for the process of Recruiting of a mid-sized company (WERMA). It should answer the question whether these requirements can be met by the introduction of a digital applicant management system. The goal is to prove whether such a system increases the efficiency and / or effectiveness and how this effect occurs. The question will be discussed with the help of specialist literature, a review of the current candidate process and an employee survey at WERMA. The providers of the digital applicant management systems are consulted likewise for more information. The result shows that it is quite possible to increase the efficiency and effectiveness in Recruitment with the introduction of such a system. The previous processes can be accelerated or they disappear. It emerged clearly that the efficiency is more important for WERMA than effectiveness. The main reason is that the core processes of Recruiting will still be the same. The system helps to operate them faster.
The primary purpose of this thesis is to gain a deeper understanding of how factors influence sport sponsorship, especially in football. In order to fulfill this purpose the thesis identifies, describes and tries to explain sponsorship in general as a non-classical communication instrument, the selection of sponsorship objects, companies´ objectives of sport sponsorship activities. In addition, the thesis considers companies´ planning process of sport sponsorship and finally, an identification of several factors, which may have an impact on sport sponsorship. Two examples of application of a company in the telecommunication industry and of a company in the automobile industry are pointed out, where the aspects of sponsorship of the German Fußball Bundesliga respectively the German national team, are studied. The paper makes use of studies which shows how respondents remembered sponsorship activities. It is possible to conclude from the thesis that many factors will have an effect on sport sponsorship. The paper demonstrates that image, memorizing, duration and the fit between sponsor and event or sponsor and sponsee are relevant criteria. Finally, the thesis summarizes the results and outlines of the possible future of football sponsorship.
Today’s globalized world is situated in a difficult stage of egoism and inequality. The unfair distribution of income leads to a huge amount of people around the world who are suffering from poverty and the spread of deadly infections while others steadily increase their wealth. The coexistence of wealth and poverty becomes particularly obvious in the transnational business operations of multinational enterprises which import raw materials from resource-rich countries or locate production plants in countries with a low level of education and income. Using the example of South Africa, this paper shows the impact that history can have on a country’s economic, social and political situation and the reasons for the need of a collaboration of companies, government and society to solve the country’s problems. By establishing a subsidiary at a specific location, a company starts to bear responsibility for the local community. People often refer to this correlation as Corporate Social Responsibility. This paper clarifies the concept and extent of Corporate Social Responsibility by explaining some well-established definitions and theories. The practical part of the paper consists of a comparison between the activities of multinational enterprises in industrialized and developing countries. Concerning their social responsibility, companies in industrialized countries tend to focus on the avoidance of environmental pollution, sustainable utilization of resources and prevention of the discrimination of minorities in the labor market. In South Africa the most important and necessary fields of activity are the rapid spread of HIV due to insufficient medical care, steadily increasing social inequality, deficient level of education and the lack of possibilities of professional development. The last section of the paper compares the activities of different industrial sectors regarding Corporate Social Responsibility using the example of selected companies which operate in South Africa.
Trotz gesetzlicher Frauenquoten in unterschiedlichen Ländern sind Frauen in den Boards der verschiedenen Unternehmen unterrepräsentiert. Aus diesem Grund wird in dieser Arbeit ermittelt, wie sich die Frauenquote auf Frauen, Boards und Unternehmen auswirkt. Dabei wird untersucht wie die Quote die Beförderung von Frauen, den Frauenanteil im Board, das Humankapital, die Board-Charakteristiken, die Zusammenarbeit im Board, die Unternehmensform, den Firmenwert, die Unternehmensperformance, die Strategie und das Ansehen der Firma sowie den Führungsstil beeinflusst. In diesem Zusammenhang wird auch analysiert, welche Rolle Sanktionen dabei spielen. Zur Ermittlung der Ergebnisse wurden verschiedene wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen und Studien aus den Datenbanken Business Source Premier (via EBSCO Host) und Science Direct, sowie Google Scholar verwendet. Es wurde ermittelt, dass die Änderung der Unternehmensform durch Sanktionen begünstigt wird, genauso der Frauenanteil im Board, was das Erreichen der kritischen Masse wahrscheinlich macht. Dadurch beeinflussen weibliche Board-Mitglieder Humankapital, Zusammenarbeit im Board, Führungsstil und Reputation des Unternehmens positiv. Jedoch üben Frauen nur in wirtschaftlich guten Zeiten Einfluss auf die Unternehmensstrategie aus, denn in Krisenzeiten reagiert das Board mit altbewährten Verhaltensweisen und weibliche Board-Mitglieder verlieren dadurch ihren Einfluss. Die Quotenregelung erhöht die Aufstiegschancen der Frauen. Jedoch verändern neue weibliche Board-Mitglieder die Board-Charakteristiken, was sich negativ auf den Firmenwert auswirkt. Es konnten keine eindeutigen Ergebnisse in Bezug auf die Unternehmensperformance ermittelt werden.
Shopping-trolleys being available, in working order and ready to use are the three decisive characteristics of successful shopping-trolley-management and accordingly concern the functional areas procurement, maintenance, cleaning (and ultimately disposal). This bachelor-thesis has been written in cooperation with Kaufland and describes the processes and costs of the shopping-trolley-management of Kaufland in the above named areas. Kaufland is a trading firm, which has been founded in Germany, has business operations in Central- and Eastern-Europe and is known especially for its self-service-stores named „Kaufland“. In these stores, with a retail area between 2000-12.000 m², customers can choose from a product range of up to 60.000 goods of the food- and non-food-area. The strategic coordination of the shopping-trolley-management is located in the department Branch-Equipment of the functional area Procurement International, which is responsible for product development, purchasing and standardization of the objects used to equip a store. The thesis is divided into two parts: At first the processes and costs of the shopping-trolley-management of Kaufland in Germany and in the KMO-countries (Kaufland Central- and Eastern-Europe) are presented. To record the processes and costs, face-to-face- and telephone-interviews were conducted and data were gathered in inquiry forms by mail. The results can be reviewed in written process descriptions and the completed inquiry forms. This section of the thesis is based on the theories of life-cycle-costing and concludes with a presentation of the „Best Practices“ of processes and the calculation of the life-cycle-costs of the Kaufland shopping-trolley-stock. The life-cycle-costs are calculated in the form of nominal- and present-values (discounted-values) taking into account the most important life cycle phases (procurement, maintenance, cleaning and disposal).
Next a leasing- and service-offer for the Kaufland shopping-trolley-stock, created by the Wanzl Metallwarenfabrik GmbH in cooperation with the Deutschen Leasing, is presented. The leasing part is viewed as an alternative to the current way of procuring shopping-trolleys, the service part is compared with the current service-processes and -costs of the shopping-trolleys. This section of the thesis is based on the leasing-, procurement-theory and economic efficiency calculations and concludes with an assessment of the given offer as well as a compilation and assessment of possible leasing-contract-alternatives. The used and given information originate from the literature reviewed, face-to-face- and telephone-interviews with the contact persons at the Wanzl Metallwarenfabrik GmbH and the Deutschen Leasing. The results show that the given leasing- and service-offer is not connected to process improvements and cost savings by Kaufland and should not be accepted, however the application of the described „Best Practices“ in all countries as well as the development of a new, flexible leasing-offer, taking into account the information about processes and costs obtained in this thesis, might very well be economically favorable.
Werte gewinnen zunehmende Bedeutsamkeit in der heutigen Gesellschaft. Auch in Unternehmen sind sie nicht mehr wegzudenken. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die Herausforderungen und Probleme, die bei der Einführung von Unternehmenswerten auftreten können, aufgedeckt. Dafür werden im ersten Teil der Arbeit drei Methoden zur Einführung eines Wertemanagementsystems ausgewertet und kritisch hinterfragt. Der zweite Teil der Arbeit konzentriert sich auf Interviews, die mit 20 Probanden der Michelfelder Gruppe durchgeführt wurden. Unter den Probanden befanden sich Mitarbeiter und Teamleiter. Die Studie wurde entwickelt um herauszufinden, welche Einstellung die Angestellten zu den Werten haben und inwieweit diese in der Praxis umgesetzt werden. Nach theoretischen Erkenntnissen hätte man die Werte anders einführen müssen, schaut man sich jedoch die Ergebnisse der Interviews an, kann man sagen, dass die genutzte Methode die richtige war.
The objective of this paper is to examine the return and risk performance of 155 equity mutual funds that provide exposure to the BRIC-Countries and eleven corresponding exchange-tradedfunds from January 2009 until December 2014. The performance proxies are mean returns and risk-adjusted returns using Sharpe Ratio and Jensen’s Alpha. In addition to that, Tracking Errors for the exchange-traded-funds have been calculated. Further benchmarks for comparison are the following indices of Morgan Stanley Inc.: MSCI World, MSCI Emerging Markets, MSCI BRIC and the corresponding MSCI Country Index. The results show that all funds, equity mutual funds and exchange-traded-funds, could realize positive mean returns, whereas the returns of the exchange-traded-funds are lower than those of the equity mutual funds. Nevertheless, none of the funds could realize a Sharpe Ratio higher than one, which would implicate that the return has compensated for the risk. The results of Jensen’s Alpha suggests that 80% of the equity mutual funds were able to add value, as indicated by their positive alpha. Only two out of eleven exchange-traded-funds could generate a positive alpha. This result is controversial to the results of other studies, where only some or none of the examined funds have been able to add value.
Recently, the behavior of customers is changing significantly. Instead of visiting one specific channel of a company to make a purchase, customers are using several channels of different suppliers before making a final purchase. They are switching between these suppliers constantly with the aim of comparing product details and prices to find the best offer. Customers are combining the advantages of the different channels, offered by different suppliers. However, in order to increase customer loyalty and value, companies have to find a way to bond customers to their brand. A multi-channel strategy is trying to build long term customer relationships and to increase customer loyalty. By integrating the different channels, instead of running each channel individually, companies can create an additional value for customers. The channel integration is initiated by offering multichannel services, which are connecting online and offline channels to merge them together. These services should lead to an increase of customer satisfaction, build loyalty, and create a long-term customer relationship. Schiesser has recognized this trend in customer behavior and the need to implement a multi-channel strategy. Yet, as the distribution channels of Schiesser are not working with common enterprise resource planning systems, information systems and cash register systems, it would be highly expensive and time consuming to create an integrated multi-channel system. The absence of a CRM-System and the resulting lack of information about the customer journey of Schiesser consumers are further serious obstacles in the way of realizing a multi-channel strategy. However, Schiesser faces the alternative of implanting a hybrid multi-channel system, which combines various channels loosely without being based on common systems. Both, the integrated and the hybrid multichannel system are accompanied by advantages and disadvantages for the Schiesser AG. Considering the current situation and the high costs of an integrated multi-channel system, a hybrid multi-channel system appears to be the appropriate choice for Schiesser. This system allows Schiesser to offer services like “Return to Web/Retail”, “Click and Collect”, “Pick up at Retail” and “QR-Code Scans” without investing in common used systems. These services can be offered by adapting internal organizational processes and by training staff in retail stores. This relatively low investment of time and money enables Schiesser to provide a unique selling proposition for their customers, build a relationship and increase customer value. If Schiesser wants to stay competitive, the introduction of a multichannel strategy is essential, as direct competitors like Lascana and Hunkemöller have already implemented multi-channel strategies.
Participating in a Winter School offers to stay abroad for a short period of time while extending ones knowledge in an international environment. Introducing a Winter School by a higher-education-institution increases its international presence. Thus the concept of a Winter School serves the constantly growing demand of internationalization. In the present thesis it was examined whether and under which circumstances it is possible to realize a Winter School of the Hochschule Furtwangen University. Using the qualitative research approach, activities to be carried-out, necessary resources and possible risks were identified. Insights of service marketing formed an important basis. Besides, a desk study on competition provided additional findings. From this, the concept for an HFU Winter School was developed and implications for marketing were derived.
It was found that it is possible to implement an HFU Winter School under certain circumstances. Competitive ability and the existence of a sufficiently high demand are fundamental aspects. Besides, compliance with the elaborated concept components, existence of sufficient staff as well as the implementation of a given course management are essential. Cooperation in the fields of organization, human resources, marketing and finance additionally has a positive effect on a realization.
The bachelor thesis “ international Markenführung in China- Wie kann man eine Marke auf dem Wachstumsmarkt China stärken?” was created in collaboration with the company GF Automotive in Schaffhausen and covers he topic of branding in China. Considering the growth strategy of GF, especially for the Chinese market, this thesis should answer the question to what extent the branding strategy needs to be adapted to Chinese culture in order to be successful and which actions need to be taken to strengthen the brand awareness. As brands are an important asset which can generate value and differentiate form competitors it is important to develop a strong brand identity which can successfully be applied to the highly competitors it is important to develop a strong brand identity which can successfully be applied to the highly competitive Chinese market.
Following a short introduction into the theory of branding and its relevance for the Chinese market there will firstly be undertaken and examination of the Chinese automotive market. In the next step the current brand appearance, its values and goals will be analyzed with respect to the Chinese market. Within the scope of the online survey there will take place an evaluation of the current brand loyalty of the employees of GF Automotive in China. As the theory is closely related to the identity- based brand management, the first step of all brand activities is to strengthen the brand internally and create a common understanding. Therefore, the results of this survey are important for the further investigations of this thesis. In addition, the expert interviews should examine the findings of the theoretical research and give further insights into the practices of branding in China. Marketing experts report about their experience and point out what needs to be taken into account for a successful brand strategy in China. As a conclusion, this research should identify problem areas, which need to be improved to successfully strengthen the brand GF in China. Thereupon will be developed recommendations for actions which need to be taken by GF. The thesis shows, that in order to strengthen the brand in China it is very important to partly adapt to the Chinese circumstances. The heterogeneity of the two countries, China and Swiss, makes it impossible to simply apply a standardized branding. The culture, the language, etc. require an adaption of the branding in order to successfully reach the Chinese audience. Therefore the transnational brand strategy turns out to be the most successful for GF Automotive in China. It covers both, standardization and adaptation.
Today more than the half of the world population live in cities which is 3.3 billion people. By 2050 it is estimated that almost 5 billion people will live in cities. By 2025 there will be 447 mega-cities in the world. Due to this development there is an increasing competition among cities. The purpose of this paper is to describe the different approaches, processes and methods which are needed to turn a place into a destination. First of all the theory of place branding will be described which includes the specification of a place which leads to the theory of place-making.
The next chapter describes what a destination is and from which perspectives you can look at a destination. Depending on the target group, expectations of a destination can be different. To improve a destination it is necessary to know the main elements of a destination as well as attributes which will give memorable experiences to the visitor of a destination.
To get a destination campaign started, several challenges need to be taken like building relations with cooperation partners or securing preservation of architecture and sustainability. This research paper will show you the first steps which need to be done to get a successful start of a destination campaign, as well as important elements of creative place-making and what is important to consider when starting the creative place-making process. After the establishment of a place-making project there are seven steps to follow which are accomplished inside this thesis.
To improve a place there exist different place-making models. For example there is the Business Improvement District model or a government driven model and the Town Centre Management model which have different approaches of turning a place into a destination. To show examples of place-making concepts in the world you will find three Case studies. One about Detroit and the other about New York. The last one will show you a current example of Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. This project started in April 2014 with a Business Improvement District.
The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate how different types of reward motivate employees and to show that the degree of motivation of a reward differs from one organi-sational culture to the other and from one person to the other. Furthermore, it makes recommendations which reward components could be used, and which rewards should not be used in certain cultures. In the first part, several motivation theories like the content theories of motivation and the process theories are discussed. These explain the different approaches to determine what motivates people. The thesis then provides an overview of the various extrinsic and intrinsic rewards and illustrates how different reward components influence the motivation of employees. It is highlighted why it is necessary to focus on the total rewards package, rather than on single rewards. In addition, the thesis clarifies how to evaluate reward packages in order to ensure they are effective. The last part deals with culture and exemplifies how rewards need to be adapted to different cultures. Here, the thesis draws mainly on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory.
In conclusion, the thesis argues that it is crucial that a company uses an effective re-wards package which meets the needs of as many individuals within the company as possible. The thesis hopes to provide all people dealing with Human Resources useful insights into Total Rewards, and thus make a contribution to improving the way re-wards packages are set within organisations.
Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es ein Marketingkonzept für die Einführung einer International Summer School der Hochschule Furtwangen University auszuarbeiten.
Dafür wurden eine Marktanalyse sowie eine Marktforschung vorgenommen. Im Rahmen der Marktanalyse wurden die Daten von 36 Summer Schools im Bereich Business-Management erfasst und analysiert, woraufhin eine genauere Untersuchung der ausgemachten Hauptkonkurrenten durchgeführt wurde. Die Marktforschung erfolgte in Form einer Online-Befragung, bei der 94 internationale Studenten hinsichtlich ihrer Anforderungen an eine International Summer School befragt wurden. Auf Basis der Erkenntnisse wurden Strategien zur Erreichung der Oberziele sowie Maßnahmen zur erfolgreichen Implementierung definiert. Da eine Übertragung des traditionellen güterbezogenen Marketings aufgrund der besonderen Merkmale von Bildungsleistungen nicht möglich ist, wurde die Arbeit unter einem dienstleistungsorientierten Ansatz erstellt.
The thesis is about how an outsourcing process could be implemented at the company Kendrion in a bottleneck situation. The aim of this work is to develop a framework for outsourcing to effectively minimize a bottleneck in the production. Core issues are an analysis of the product roster and a cost calculation of possible outsourcing. In the theoretical part books and scientific articles are evaluated. In the practical part the theory is applied and experts are asked for their opinions.
Based on literature research a specific procedure with five phases is created for Kendrion. With the analysis of the product roster and current situation important information can be gathered. This makes it possible to find out how many parts each machine is producing. The turning plant produces mainly low volume series. Over 1,200 different parts were turned in the last two years. The focus for the outsourcing is the machine group G200 and the machine TNK-28. This decision is based on the amount of backlog days of the machine groups. After several analysis a list of articles which could be outsourced is produced. One such analysis is transaction cost economics. This range of selected parts is enough to eliminate the bottleneck. For the outsourcing the full cost accounting is recommended. In the calculation, depreciation is included to make future and necessary investments visible. After a cost comparison of five parts, one article of the G200 is outsourced. The costs difference between the TNK-28 and the external offers are too high. After further analysis, the result is that the TNK-28 is a very economic machine for Kendrion. The recommendation is to keep these parts in house.
The analysis of product roster should be done once a year. Furthermore, analyses should be carried out for the other machine groups.
“Is it feasible to use flexible benefits as a possible employee retention tool? A survey about the possibilities of a value-oriented flexible benefits system as a method for innovative employee retention on the example of the organisation EVOMOTIV GmbH”
Being an engineering company, the current changes in the labour market caused by a lack of qualified experts, have had quite an effect on the employee retention of the organisation EVOMOTIV GmbH. Therefore the aim of this thesis is to develop a value-oriented flexible benefits system which can support the organisation to improve employee retention. This flexible benefits scheme enables employees to choose between various benefits, which are provided by the employer. First this thesis elaborates the theoretical framework of the conducted empirical study. Therefore employee retention, value-oriented human resource management and value-oriented incentive system are explained. As a result, the information collected through the theoretical study illustrates that there is a growing demand for a value-oriented flexible benefits scheme. The second part of the thesis examines the present state of the organisation EVOMOTIV GmbH and presents the results of the company data analysis. The aim is to identify the influences on increasing turnover of staff and employee satisfaction. From these results, it can be concluded that the main cause of the turnover is the business model used by the company and that the employee satisfaction has been increasing yearly. To develop such a value-oriented flexible benefits scheme, an empirical study was conducted together with the employees of the EVOMOTIV GmbH. The study consisted of questionnaires in combination with a workshop. The aim was to establish contents for the flexible benefits scheme based on of the values and needs of the employees. The questionnaires were used to gain more information on the present state. The result of this thesis is a new flexible benefits system, which is based on the needs and values of the employees in the EVOMOTIV GmbH. Moreover the thesis demonstrates that the system supports the improvement of employee retention, yet its efficiency is limited through the effect of the business model. To measure the efficiency and to keep the system up-to-date with future employee values, a long-term survey is recommended by the author.
Aufbau eines Controllings für den Bereich Forschung und Entwicklung für die Firma Bruker Optik GmbH
(2015)
Der Bereich Forschung und Entwicklung trägt sehr stark zur Wettbewerbsfähigkeit eines Unternehmens bei. Heutzutage werden die F&E-Aufgaben jedoch immer komplexer, weshalb die Kosten in diesem Bereich kontinuierlich ansteigen und ein verlässliches F&E-Controlling somit unentbehrlich ist. Bei der Bruker Optik GmbH soll ein solches F&E-Controlling zur langfristigen Erfolgssicherung aufgebaut werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit wurde in erster Linie mit der
Absicht verfasst, diesem Unternehmen mit fachlichem Wissen sowie praktischen Handlungsvorschlägen, während der Verbesserung bzw. der Stärkung des Unternehmenscontrollings beiseite zu stehen. Genauer gesagt trägt diese Arbeit einen erheblichen Teil zum Aufbau eines Bereichscontrollings für Forschung
und Entwicklung bei, da die Tätigkeiten des Controllings in diesem Unternehmen zur Zeit noch auf Gesamtunternehmensebene basieren und auf Bereichsebene nur wenig detailliert sind. Die kaum vorhandene Transparenz der F&E-Kosten und die somit entstehende Schwierigkeit für die einzelnen Entwicklungsleiter ihre Abteilung effizient leiten zu können, stellen das Hauptproblemfeld des Controllings dar, bei dem es wichtige theoretische und praktische Lücken zu schließen gilt. Auch die F&E-Projektleiter benötigen zuverlässige Informationen auf Kostenträgerebene, um den Überblick über bereits verbrauchte Ressourcen und das Restbudget der Projekte behalten zu können. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden für diese praktischen Probleme Lösungskonzepte vorgestellt, die dann später die Basis für das neue F&E-Controlling der Bruker Optik GmbH darstellen sollen. Eine empirische Untersuchung sowie Befragungen bzw. Interviews mit Führungskräften im Entwicklungsbereich des Unternehmens unterstützen den Aufbau des Bereichscontrollings dabei erheblich.
Aufgrund der Komplexität der Aktivitäten im F&E-Bereich, berücksichtigt das aufgebaute F&E-Controlling neben der Projekt- und Abteilungsebene, ebenfalls die Ebene der Produktlinien. Die zu entwickelnden Tools im Rahmen der Forschungsarbeit werden in dem Programm „Microsoft Excel“ bearbeitet und dargestellt, wobei die Basis- Daten hauptsächlich aus dem Unternehmens-SAP stammen.
Due to the “War for Talents”, personal development in companies has become of utmost importance in recent years. In order to acquire high potentials, enterprises have to think about the essential reasons candidates take into consideration when choosing an employer and why an employee should stay with a company. This paper investigates the way personal development works in incubated startup companies. Nowadays, startups face challenges such as rapid growth, a dynamic organizational structure and the special needs of their employees. Therefore, it is likely that the functioning of personal development in startups differs heavily from how it works in established companies. Instead of off-the-job activities, startups rather focus on implementing a learning-culture, which stimulates individual growth. Based on qualitative expert interviews, this paper proves that personal development in startups is implicit and happens automatically.
Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Einsatz von Web Analytics und Social Media Analytics zur Gewinnung primärer Marktforschungsdaten. Als Instrumente der Beobachtung von Inhalten des Internets sowie des Web 2.0 verzichten diese auf die direkte Befragung von Zielgruppen. Stattdessen basieren Web Analytics und Social Media Analytics auf der Analyse von Konversationen und Verhaltensmustern innerhalb einer virtuellen Welt. Im Laufe dieser Arbeit soll festgestellt werden, ob und inwieweit sich die Repräsentativität der durch Beobachtung des Internets gewonnenen Erkenntnisse von den durch direkte Befragungen ermittelten Ergebnissen unterscheidet. Dazu wird der Autor zunächst basierend auf einer umfangreichen Literaturrecherche grundlegende
Begriffe der Umfrageforschung, datenbasierten Marktforschung sowie des Web 2.0 definieren. Zusätzlich erhält der Leser einen Überblick über Methoden und Funktionen von Web Analytics sowie Social Media Analytics, die anschließend im praktischen Teil dieser Arbeit eingesetzt werden. In diesem werden mit Web Analytics und Social Media Analytics ermittelte Kennzahlen für Marken unterschiedlicher Produktkategorien in einen direkten Vergleich mit den Ergebnisses einer im Rahmen dieser Arbeit
durchgeführten Online-Befragung gesetzt. Basierend auf den im praktischen Teil dieser Arbeit gewonnenen Erkenntnisse erhält der Leser abschließend Handlungsempfehlungen zum Umgang mit Social Media als Marktforschungsinstrument.
Aufgrund steigender finanzieller Notlagen in der europäischen Fußballindustrie, stehen Fußballvereine erstmals vor der Herausforderung sowohl ihre ursprünglichen Ziele in der Nutzenmaximierung des sportlichen Leistungsvermögens zu bewahren, als auch Mindestkriterien in finanzieller Hinsicht zu gewährleisten. Ausgangspunkt dieser Bachelorarbeit ist die Analyse der langfristigen Tragfähigkeit der europäischen Fußballvereine. Im zweiten Kapitel werden Maßnahmen untersucht, anhand derer die Risiken der Geschäftstätigkeit abgekoppelt werden können. Ein besonderes Augenmerk sei der revolutionären Financial Fairplay Regelung gewidmet, auf welche die Akteure der Fußballindustrie angewiesen sind, neuartige Konzepte zu entwickeln, die ihnen ermöglichen, schwarze Zahlen zu schreiben und in sportlicher Hinsicht wettbewerbsfähig zu bleiben.
Diese Arbeit beschreibt die Erstellung und Umsetzung der Sanierung der Klinik für Biokinematik. Sie beschäftigt sich mit der Frage was die Klinik ist, was ihre Besonderheiten darstellen, wie sie entstanden ist und warum sie in Schieflage geraten ist. Daraus werden Schlussfolgerungen gezogen und in eine Umstrukturierungskonzept eingebunden, welches das Ziel hat die Klinik wieder voll in Familienhände zurück zu führen und wieder wirtschaftlich nachhaltig rentabel zu machen.
This bachelor thesis is about the current topic welcome culture in Germany. The focus of this work is on foreign skilled employees (both foreign employees with a local contract and Impats) and on companies. However, it also contains a current insight into the welcome culture in politics and society. On the one hand, the research question is to find out what instruments and procedures company can use for an effective integration of their international employees. These instruments cover both internal methods as well as the social integration outside the company. On the other hand, the research question is about the needs and challenges foreign skilled employees have to face with. The theory mainly includes Human Resources instruments, for example the topics “global assignments” or “onboarding” are investigated in detail. The second part is an empirical
study based on qualitative interviews with eight companies and an online questionnaire for the foreign skilled employees. As the interviews were mainly realized in large German companies, the welcome culture and employee retention is already a current topic. Results show that the companies use similar or different instruments for integrating their foreign staff. However, there are slight differences, especially in helping the employees with the social integration. The second questionnaire focused on the needs and desires of the employees from abroad showed that they are satisfied with the help offered by the company. Most of the migrants would like to extend their stay in Germany.
In today's society tourism plays a far more significant role and acquires more and more people. Particularly Asian destinations have risen in their notoriety. In the past 30 years Vietnam has increasingly become popular as a destination for tourists from all over the world but also especially for European tourists. The aim of this dissertation is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of Vietnam, to determine the risks and to illustrate what future developments are to be expected. The tourist market analysis is to demonstrate which potential Vietnam has for Europeans. The selection of European tourists refers to the English, French and German tourist group, as those are important visitors for Vietnam. Here, their travel behavior is compared in order to achieve a comprehensive overview of European tourists. In addition, the competitive position of Vietnam is compared to the selected countries Cambodia and Thailand by using a strengths-and weaknesses analysis. In the empirical part of the work, 8 interviews were conducted with two travel specialists in the selected countries, which will enhance this work. Both the study as well as the interviews with the experts shows that the travel destination Vietnam has not yet exhausted its potential and that there are further development opportunities for tourism, especially the cultural aspects of the country holds a sustainable development opportunity. Problems prevail at the alarming pollution, especially in the tourist areas, the sustainable development of the country and the weak infrastructure. Furthermore, the future developments of exchange rates in Europe will have a significant impact on the further development of Vietnam. In addition, the government is hoping to increase the number of visitors by the abolition of the visa in several countries in Europe.
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”.